The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage was written some time around 1350, not long after Flemish mystic JAN VAN RUYSBROECK (1293¿1381) moved to a small hermitage out in the country, where he wandered the woods and wrote as the Holy Ghost inspired him. According to Jan¿who was named a saint in 1908¿the development of the soul has three stages: Active, Interior, Superessential. The Active life is that which men are most accustomed to: the life of the material world. The Interior life is the life of the spirit that is touched by religious contemplation. And the superessential life is that which lies beyond description and is man's existence in enlightenment. Written for Christians and spiritual seekers, The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage is a guide for developing a deeply spiritual life.