Interior Castle

from St Teresa of Avila's Interior Castle -- my prayer right now to God to save me...

Ah, my Lord! It is here that we have need of thine aid, without which we can do nothing. Of Thy mercy, not let this soul to be deluded and led astray when its journey is but begun. Give it light so that it may see how all its welfare consists in this and may flee from evil companionship. It is a very great thing for a person to associate with others who are walking in the right way: to mix, not only with those whom he sees in the rooms where he himself is, but with those whom he knows to have entered the rooms nearer the centre, for they will be of great help to him and he can get into such close touch with them that they will take him with them. Let him have a fixed determination not to allow himself to be beaten, for, if the devil sees that he has firmly resolved to lose his life and his peace and everything that he can offer him rather than to return to the first room, he will very soon cease troubling him. Let him play the man and not be like those who went down on their knees in order to drink when they went to battle ... but let him be resolute, for he is going forth to fight with all the devils and there are no better weapons than the Cross.