Teresa's Vision

(based on the mystical experiences of Saint Teresa of Avilla)

This is a poem & song is based on the mystical experiences of Saint Teresa of Avilla.

I rise beyond this flesh, this earthly frame,
A sweetness pulls me to a holy flame.
No words can hold the bliss that I Embrace,
My soul takes flight within a boundless space.  

Through chambers vast, like castles in my mind,
I climb to light where mortal ties unbind.
Each step reveals a glow more pure, more near,
God’s presence grows as earthly cares Disappear.  

At first, my prayer in humble silence falls,
My senses hush within these sacred walls.
Then rapture grips, my frame begins to shake,
A flood of joy makes all my spirit wake.  

A spear of love, both sharp and sweet, descends,
It wounds my heart where pain with bliss contends.
My breath hangs still, my body bows in awe,
Ecstatic tides erase what once I saw.  

With soul’s own sight, no earthly eyes I need,
Christ shines before me, angels intercede.
Their radiance fills the air with grace divine,
Visions of truth in stillness now are mine.  

The world dissolves, I merge with light supreme,
In union deep, I live a waking dream.
Though back to earth my soul must soon descend,
I carry forth this glow that knows no end.  

Teresa of Ávila, born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada on March 28, 1515, in Ávila, Spain, was a remarkable Spanish mystic, Carmelite nun, and writer who profoundly influenced the Catholic Reformation. Raised in a devout family, she entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation in 1535 after a youth marked by illness and a deep spiritual awakening, despite early distractions from worldly pursuits. Her experiences of divine visions and ecstatic prayer, detailed in her seminal works The Interior Castle and The Life, led her to reform the Carmelite Order, founding the Discalced Carmelites in 1562 with stricter observance, alongside St. John of the Cross. Despite opposition from the Inquisition and her own poor health, she established 17 convents, traveling tirelessly across Spain until her death on October 4, 1582, in Alba de Tormes. Canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, she was later named a Doctor of the Church in 1970, celebrated for her insights into prayer and the soul’s union with God.