Of the many aspects of mystical theology Osuna addresses, I particularly like his description of an "inflaming of the spirit." He writes of experiencing "... such sweetness that the soul would like to be consumed... it is exceedingly gladdened in the Lord, [and] its tranquil conscience witness to our feeling of being loved by God..." (p. 71) If you are drawn to such a state, you're likely to appreciate Third Spiritual Alphabet, a gem of 16th century Spanish mysticism with expert introduction by translator, Mary E. Giles.

An early 16th Century Spanish mystic, Fr. Francisco de Osunacontributed six spiritual alphabet's for humankind's spiritualgrowth. The Third Spiritual Alphabet being not only a treatise on love and how to enjoy a recollected life in the midst of the chaos of this world; but as well, the very book that that strong cookie, St. Teresa of Avila, chose to use as her "bible" throughout her intensely productive and deeply committed life. One look at the cover of this paperback with Liam Roberts' excellent painting of this very beautiful priest gives one a clear sense of his own personal struggles and the satisfaction he must have felt in overcoming them. END

St John of the Cross was Teresa of Avila's spiritual advisor. Her mystical writings always were difficult for me to understand so I was leery of John of the Cross's work figuring that he was even less accessible. However, Kavanaugh presents his work clearly and with good references to understandable concepts. This book has been enlightening to the point that I find it hard to put down ... and that is much more than I expected. This is a wonderful opportunity to understand the work of an intellectual master who nevertheless was firmly grounded in the realities of daily life and understood the average person's struggles.

This is the second time I am reading this book and it is as if I have never read it. John's treatise on the work of God within is a masterpiece. If you are called to the contemplative life, this is a must GET. Kieran's editing is outstanding. I have read several edited books on John of the Cross and they seemed jumbled. This is by far the best. Very well structured. I cannot talk about the content, you have to experience it first then read with joy about your exprience. John does not give a how-to 'cos there isn't one to Union life, but he gives guides and explains clearly what is going on inside you.

Teresa of Avila was a carmelite nun who wrote this book as a means to guide the nuns in her convent onto the path of holiness, not for their own sake but for love of God.

Accordingly, much of what is written applies strictly to the setting of the convent. However, the spiritual values expressed are timeless. The Saint extols ascetical poverty. While we in the world cannot, or do not, practice ascetical poverty we can derive the spirit behind the vow - that of detachment from things that do not lead us to Christ.

The hallmark of this work, however, is the several chapters written on the Our Father. St. Teresa explains the perfection in Our Lord's Prayer and its message to, and demands upon, all of us Christians.

There is immeasurable value in this. This book fills up the soul.

OK, let's say you have made a beginning on the way of prayer, and you have been looking for good sources to read. You have heard a lot about St. Teresa of Avila. After all, she was one of the first women ever named a Doctor (in the Latin meaning of "teacher") of the Church. But lo and behold, you have found her Life puzzling and The Interior Castle just about impossible to understand.
Then this is the place to start. Yes, Teresa was writing 400 and more years ago, and her audience was cloistered contemplative nuns. But this was written almost like a letter. The personal tone gives it great charm and readability. Very little of it is hard to understand, and almost all of it can be applied to our lives here and now.
My only difficulty with Peers' translation is the huge number of footnotes. They would be invaluable to a scholar, but I can never keep myself from looking at them, and they are not really necessary or even helpful when your desire is to learn the spiritual wisdom of one of our greatest saints. I love her and love this book, and highly recommend it.

review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

St. Teresa of Avila lived nearly four hundred years ago. Her work, The Way of Perfection, comes very soon after the completion of her autobiography. The way of which she speaks is a life of prayer. The book is addressed to the nuns of whom she is prioress. It is mainly intended for their use, but it is riddled with introspective knowledge on a prayer-filled relationship with God. This book is undoubtedly a work deeply rooted in Catholicism. However, Teresa's own intimate relationship with the Father is one to be marveled by all Christians. She begins her work by laying out the requirements to begin a prayerful life: aesthetic poverty, perfect love, and self-mortification. She follows with a discussion on the contemplative life and vocal and mental prayer. She meticulously dissects the Lord's Prayer and gives her nuns guidance in praying through the Paternoster. She intends to do the same with the Ave Maria but reconciles to let it alone for lack of space.

There are two versions of The Way of Perfection: the Escorial version and the Valladolid version. The Escorial version was written first and is directed uniquely toward the nuns of Avila. The edition above comes from the Valladolid text. It is a more formal manuscript intended for a larger audience. The translator and editor E. Allison Peers does a wonderful job of footnoting the differences between the two versions and inserting italicized sections from the Escorial text. The reader is given a feel for both versions in one book. It can be tiresome to constantly refer to footnotes, but a straight read-through is very enjoyable. It is nice to know the footnotes are there for any academic study. Teresa often meanders from her main point and talks at length about issues that her writing leads her to discuss. At first it may seem annoying that her focus is not always succinct, but her conversational tone greatly attests to the intimacy she has with her fellow nuns and with God. In all, The Way of Perfection is a pleasant and inspiring read.

In general, it's a book worth having because it includes his Sayings of Light and Love and his letters as well as his poetry and his major works: Ascent of Mt. Carmel, The Dark Night, the Spiritual Canticle and The Living Flame of Love.

My complaint has to do with the very prosaic nature of the translations. The abovementioned major works in this edition are written in academic American English. Even the layout screams "textbook." I first came upon John's major works online, on a site called "Ethereal Library." I read The Dark Night and Ascent .. in translations that captured a much greater sense of John's poetry and mysticism, as well as a sense of his own time and place in slightly (but not overwhelmingly) archaic language, where even the layout suggested more a long prose-poem than academic text. That other version was flavorful, glowing and delicious and, after reading it, I fell in love with St. John of the Cross.

Had I read this rather dry, textbook-style version first, I probably would have dismissed St. John as boring and difficult. For someone already familiar with St. John of the Cross, however, this book definitely offers examples of his thought and writing not normally available.

"The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross" consists of the writings of this 16th century Spanish Mystic and Doctor of the Church. St. John was a Carmelite friar and friend of St. Theresa of Avila. A valued spiritual counselor, many of his works were written as instruction to religious who sought his guidance.

The book consists of four major works and many minor works. The major works are "The Ascent of Mount Carmel", "The Dark Night", "The Spiritual Canticle" and "The Living Flame of Love". Each of the major works consists of a poem, written by St. John, and an extensive, word by word, explanation. In the explanation, St. John reveals his own theology, supported by verses from Scripture.

The minor works consist of letters written to his contemporaries as well as a collection of St. John's poetry.

This is definitely not light reading. The reader must concentrate on his the text in order to appreciate what he is reading. I am glad that I read it from two perspectives. From an historical perspective, it provides the reader with a good introduction into the world of mystical writing. More importantly, from a spiritual perspective, this book gives the reader an insight into God's call to all Christians to draw themselves more closely to Himself. The spirit of this book is difficult to explain. It is a classical book which is better experienced than described.

I was almost dissuaded from buying this by Ms Ramirez' review but having all of John's works in one book was too much to resist, and I'm very glad I went ahead and bought it. Concerning the "old" English translation so admired by Ms Ramirez, it certainly sounds very beautiful but it is also very difficult to understand whereas this translation by Kavanaugh and Rodriguez is extremely easy to read and grasp. Sound and rhythm have their attraction, but I'll take understanding any day. Who among you honestly gathers more insight from the King James version of the bible as opposed to the NIV? The same principle applies here. The Collected Works does NOT read like a "text book", the layout is wonderful and the value of having all of John's works in hand is inestimable. Buy it, treasure it - it holds the full depth of true Christianity within it's covers. Indeed, it is a map of the landscape leading to heaven by one who knows the Way, and in simple terms understandable to all.

The Interior Castle (or The Mansions as it is known in Spain) compares the soul to a castle filled with many rooms. Each room is an aspect or stage of the soul, and one can progress into and out of each room. The more into the center of this castle one goes, the more his soul is conformed to the will and ways of God. It is the most interior chamber of this castle in which God dwells. The book describes the soul's way of making it to this chamber. St. Teresa focuses her work towards the nuns of her convent, and because of her personal relationship with them, the book is written in her typical conversational tone and humility. She only loosely adheres to the analogy of a castle. However, it contains several morsels of enlightened spiritual knowledge and insight. The principles that are expounded by Teresa testify to her intimacy with the Creator. She spends a great deal of time on mortification and prayer. Written in 1577, it still contains spiritual wisdom that can be applied today to both Catholics and Protestants.

"Interior Castle" is St. Theresa of Avila's classical guide to spiritual perfection. Although written to her Sixteenth Century sisters in the Carmelite order, it is readily understandable by contemporary readers.

The premise behind the book is that the road to spiritual perfection consists of passage through seven mansions. The last mansion is the Interior Castle in which God dwells. In each succeeding mansion the soul reaches a higher level of sanctity and the attachment to the world decreases as the soul comes closer to God.

Although some portions of the book describe experiences beyond the expectations of modern readers, this work still provides us all with an insight into a way to draw closer to God. While this book does not provide us with the only route to Heaven, I recommend it to all who are searching for guidance in their spiritual journey

Interior Castle is a wonderfully profound and insightful book enabling the reader to gain a better understanding and perspective of the "levels of faith" and a soul's journey toward union with God. Written over four centuries ago by Teresa of Avila, the book describes the soul as a castle with interior mansions and in each of the mansions, there are many rooms. The journey of the soul is toward the inner most chamber of the castle where God resides. St. Teresa describes the features and characteristics in each of these mansions. One might think of the mansions as "spheres of relationships"; relationship of love of God, love of our neighbor, and love of ourselves. As one moves from mansion to mansion, these relationships of love grow and change just as the features, characteristics, and experiences of God in each of the mansions grow and change. The entire journey can be summarized in St. Teresa's words "All the way to Heaven is heaven, too!".