Teresa of Avila was a mystic and Carmelite nun. She also was a friend of St. John of the
Cross and shared many of his insights on inner life and contemplative prayer. She believed in regularly, throughout every
day, being alone with God. Contemplative
prayer meant nothing more than being alone with friends. This very special personal relationship with
God led to her having many, many visions.
She articulated her experiences as consisting of four stages for the
ascent of the soul with God. She
referred to each stage as a devotion.
The first is the devotion of the heart. This requires mental prayer that is both
devout and contemplative.
The second devotion is the devotion of peace. This involves surrendering ones will to
God. In this state your memory, will
and reason can still be distracted.
The third is the devotion of union. This state is the absorption of self to God. This leads to a state of ecstasy and absorption of reason in God. The memory and imagination can still be
distracting.
The fourth is the devotion of ecstasy. In this state consciousness of one being in
the body ends. All sense activity ceases
including memory and imagination. This
is the highest level of mystical experience.
