While I was beseeching Our Lord today...I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions. -- St. Teresa of Avila
A masterpiece of spiritual literature, this sixteenth-century work was inspired by a mystical vision that came upon the revered St. Teresa of Avila, one of the most gifted and beloved religious figures in history. St. Teresa's vision was of a luminous crystal castle composed of seven chambers, or "mansions," each representing a different stage in...

'The Interior Castle' is a classic of Christian mysticism, written with some reluctance by its author, St Teresa of Avila. The saint spent most of her life as a Carmelite nun, and was noted for her piety and the frequency of her visions. In 1577 she was instructed by her superiors to produce a work on prayer for her sisters in the order. The result was a book of great spiritual significance, in which she wrote of her vision of the human being as a crystal globe, containing seven mansions. It is through these that the soul must make a progressive pilgrimage, to final union with God in the...

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was a Spanish nun whose mystical experiences were at first considered satanic temptations, but were later recognized as deriving from her deep relationship with Deity.
The Way of Perfection is St. Teresas most famous book, written primarily as a course of practical instruction for the Carmelite nuns under her direction. The text divides naturally into four sections: a brief introduction and a short explanation on the Rule of the Carmelite Order, followed by two longer segments, the first on different types of prayer and contemplation, and ending with an...

Teresa of Avila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sanchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, (March 28, 1515 - October 4, 1582) was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. She was a reformer of the Carmelite Order and is considered to be a founder of the Discalced Carmelites along with John of the Cross. Although she designed her book for her fellow sisters of the Carmelite Order, St. Teresa's Way of Perfection remains accessible to modern readers. In it, she sets out...

An essential work of Christian mysticism.