Divided into three sections, and thought of as a commentary on the saint’s own allegorical poem The Dark Night, the treatise describes a of inner purgation that might be hard to follow at times. The book, it must be said, is not an easy nor a quick read. In fact, when read alongside The Dark Night of the Soul – another of John of the Cross’ treatises - and The Living Flame of Love and the “Spiritual Canticle” (all of them considered to be some of the greatest works of all times in both Spanish Literature and Christian mysticism), one discovers a common trace: a narrow path that goes from both earthly and spiritual privations to the summit of Mount Carmel itself, where “only the honor and glory of God dwells.” This is, of course, a metaphorical image of the soul’s ascent towards the unio mystica, after leaving appetites and ties ( cuidados, “cares,” the saint would write) behind. John of the Cross - “the most mystical of all poets, and the most poetic of all mystics” - after his escape from prison, this book is a detailed, systematic, thorough explanation of ascetic life, mystical union with Christ and negative theology. (wikipedia.The Ascent to Mount Carmel ( Subida al Monte Carmelo, in the original Spanish) is probably the best-known spiritual treatise of the Spanish Baroque. John shows how the Soul sets out to leave all worldly ties and appetites behind to achieve "nothing less than transformation in God".
The work is divided into three sections and is set out as a commentary on four poetic stanzas by John on the subject of the Dark Night.
Written between 15 in Granada, Spain, after his escape from prison, the Ascent is illustrated by a diagram of the process outlined in the text of the Soul's progress to the summit of the metaphorical Mount Carmel where God is encountered. These two works, together with John's The Living Flame of Love and the Spiritual Canticle, are regarded as some of the greatest works both in Christian mysticism and in the Spanish language. Alongside another connected work by John, entitled The Dark Night, it details the so-called Dark Night of the Soul, when the individual Soul undergoes earthly and spiritual privations in search of union with God. The book is a systematic treatment of the ascetical life in pursuit of mystical union with Christ, giving advice and reporting on his own experience. Ascent of Mount Carmel (Spanish: Subida del Monte Carmelo) is a 16th-century spiritual treatise by Spanish Catholic mystic and poet Saint John of the Cross.
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