Cistercian spirituality may be seen as 'rooted in the lilt of an extended family in all its simplicity and ordinariness, but yet touching hearts and minds with words that make ancient truths new and incisive l'or succeeding generations'. Esther de Waal in the Foreword. The renowned author Basil Pennington leads us on an exploration or the life and energy of the Cistercian way in the company of four of its greatest teachers. William of Saint Thierry offers practical guidance to the journey of faith which begins with contemplation or God and leads, by way of love, in union with God. Aelred of Rievaulx celebrates Friendship and shows how we can integrate our emotions with our love of the divine and the human. Guerric of Igny provides those vital down-to-earth qualities without which we can never make progress in work or prayer. Bernard of Clairvaux points us to the goal of our journey: the embrace of divine love, and traces the inward and outward paths that we must follow to attain this prize. Finally, and with all the practical wisdom of the Cistercian way, we are shown how to practice lectio divina, how to pray continually and contemplatively, and how to develop a personal rule of life that will bring joy and spiritual empowerment.