Let me summarize, however, a few points on the Illuminative State first, and then, on the Unitive State.
Firstly, the Illuminative State involves the finding of God's Love, as He finally allows Himself to be found after the time of purgation. The time of purification may vary from nine months, to years, to a lifetime, depending on the personality of the Catholic, and God's grace.
Signs of the Illuminative State are infused knowledge, the breaking away of venial sin and tendencies towards sin, the complete dependence on Divine Providence, the release of the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit, which have been blocked by sin and the predominant faults.
Great power emanates from the person in the Illuminative State, and, as mentioned before, many of the founders of orders created those in that state. Benedict and Dominic, among others, come to mind. The Indwelling of the Trinity is now accomplished, with the person coming into a new awareness of the soul's relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The ego has been crushed, one lives in humility and one experiences off and on the ecstasies of love in God.
This is an active state, when great deeds for God and the Church may be done. But, it is a time when the soul, which is the bride, comes into a spiritual engagement to a spiritual marriage, which is the final stage, of Unity.
This period of engagement is a heady time and the bride-soul no longer suffers in the same way as in the Dark Night. That suffering has ended, as all obstacles between the soul and God have been removed.
Yet, the soul must learn to trust more in God and to be open, less afraid, of His Love. The Bridegroom Christ seeks the soul more and more. The outward world fades away and the entire life of the spirit becomes all to the bride-soul. The Illuminative state is one of action, whereas the Unitive State is one of passivity, the passing out of the world into the world of the spirit, but not quite. Only in death is there perfect union, and the soul in the Unitive State desires that union, but only in God's time.
(Something very odd is happening here in Union Station-a camera man and six or seven Chicago police and some other people are gathering for some reason...it looks benign. They are all outside the McDonald's. I am sitting next to the only socket, as my battery is low...hmmm).
Anyway, the soul is more interested in the interior life than in the exterior life, and therefore, outward things become a distraction and pain.
But, the pain of separation is at an end. In the Unitive State, God reveals Himself in His Attributes to the soul-the bride-soul begins to experience a deep understanding of God as Beauty, Justice, Truth, and so on.
I am going to take a break from this discussion for awhile. As one in the Dark Night, I can only imagine the great love and peace of the Illuminative State and the beautiful reality of the Unitive State.
