Caroline Myss, Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul, Free Press, New York, NY, 2007.

For those craving to move beyond a ‘hybrid spirituality of intuition and mind-body practices’, for those wishing to be ‘mystics without monasteries’, Entering the Castle provides the grounded framework for your path. In this contemporary writing on the remarkable meditative text, The Interior Castle by St Teresa of Ávila, an extraordinary 16th century saint, Carolyn Myss utilizes prayer, contemplation and self-inquiry to slowly build your endurance for authentic mystical experiences.

Moving beyond Anatomy of the Spirit, a work focusing on the mind-body-spirit connection, in Entering the Castle Myss leads you from simply living with spirit to awakening to the deep mystical soul. Using the metaphor of a castle containing seven mansions to represent your soul and the seven stages of consciousness, Myss guides you though removing the illusions that blind you to your divinity. “How are you repressing your soul’s purpose from emerging in your life because you fear humiliation?” How do you use chaos to prevent change? Are there “parts of your life you consider off limits to God?”

Balancing the difficult work of facing your personal demons, Myss inspires you to continue your journey by offering stories of authentic mystical experiences and explaining the various ways you may “experience God, grace, and divine love as your soul and psyche awaken.” Choosing to embark with Myss on the journey into your soul’s castle will radically “transform you and your relationship with God and the world.”

Buy Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul at Amazon.com

Alec Franklor owns RetreatFinder.com, an online directory of spiritual and healing retreats.