Angelus Silesius

Angelus Silesius is best remembered for his short mystical poetry which expresses his mystic experiences often in seeming paradoxes.

“O Man, as long as you exist, know, have, and cherish,
You have not been delivered, believe me, of your burden."

Angelus Silesius was born into a Polish Lutheran family. As a young man he was influenced by the teachings of the German mystic Jacob Boehme. Angelus later left his Lutheran faith to become a Catholic Monk (in 1661). He was drawn to the monastic life because of his inner mystic yearnings.

His two best known books of poetry include “ The Soul's Spiritual Delight” and The Cherubic Pilgrim.

Angelus was often embroiled in controversy with various Protestant sects that he wrote criticisms of. However despite this his poetry reveals Angelus had a deep spirituality and strong conviction that God could be accessed through love. Angelus also said that God could love nothing inferior to himself and therefore in essence he concluded that God and man are essentially one.

Angelus Silesius was the monastic name he took on becoming a monk. His original name was Johann Scheffler. He was born in 1624 in Breslau and died in 1677

- Christian Mystics