Off in the nether lands, I heard a sound

Like the beating of heavenly wings

And deep in my brain, I can hear a refrain

Of my soul as she rises and sings

Anthems to glory and anthems to love

And hymns filled with earthly delight

Like the songs that the darkness composes to worship the light

Dan Fogelberg, from Nether Lands

“Just these two words He spoke changed my life, “Enjoy me.”

St. Teresa of Avila, a16th century Catholic mystic

“How did those priests ever get so serious and preach all that gloom? I don’t think God tickled them yet. Beloved—hurry.”

St. Teresa of Avila, a 16th century saint and mystic

“When He touches me I clutch the sky’s sheet, the way other lovers do, the earth’s weave of clay. Any real ecstasy is a sign you are moving in the right direction. Don’t let any prude tell you otherwise.”

St. Teresa of Avila, 16th century Christian mystic