In this life, we are totally dependent on faith. What it gives us – contemplation – is a dark and general knowledge; it stands in contrast not only to natural cognition but also to the various ways in which the intellect receives distinct and particular supernatural knowledge: visions, revelations, locutions, and spiritual feelings… One can hear extraordinary words, smell the sweetest fragrances, savour exquisite tastes, or feel extreme delight through the sense of touch. A person should refuse to attend to this, without seeking to examine whether it is good or bad. To be sure, these things may come from God, but there is no certainty about that.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross