Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) is one of the towering figures of Christian mysticism. the daughter of a wealthy family in Toledo, Spain, Teresa, at the age of twenty, entered the Carmelite order and remained in it for the rest of her life. She was instrumental in the reform of the Carmelites, returning them to their ancient austerity, and founded many new convents for women and monasteries for men. Her great mystical work, The Interior Castle, charted the path to perfection as through a mansion with many rooms. This Spiritual Sampler borrows excerpts from that great work, using the translation of the heralded Classics of Western Spirituality edition.