Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. (1893-1953), was a Discalced Carmelite priest, confessor and spiritual director. He was an expert in the writings of venerated Carmelite Mystics such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. For the last decade of his life Fr. Gabriel was the spiritual director for the Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of St. Joseph in Rome. It was with their assistance that he compiled his writings and mystical insight, arranging his material to correspond with the liturgical year, while following the ascent of the soul to transforming union with God.

Originally published in 1949, this work was intended to serve as an introduction to a more comprehensive study of the works of St. Teresa. According to the author, St. Teresa's books, written rapidly and sometimes without a fixed plan, do not easily reveal the inner structure of her thought to the reader. This book serves to guide the reader to reveal the inner structure of her thought and to weave the various themes she touches upon into a more comprehensive narrative. It takes the reader through the several threads in St. Teresa's work to present the Tapestry more fully.