Mechthild of Magdeburg lived from around 1207 to 1282. According to her own account, she had her first mystical experience of God at the age of twelve. At about 23 years old, she left her home and her wealthy family to live a poor and unknown life as a Beguine in Magdeburg, leading a monastic life until the 1260s, without belonging to any formal order. Encouraged by her long-time confessor Heinrich of Halle, she began around 1250 to write down her spiritual experiences: visions, contemplations, love dialogues, teachings and debates, mnemonic verses, and prayers, which were compiled under the title "The Flowing Light of Divinity." This work represents the first major mystical work written in German and is also one of the most original and significant works of medieval literature, noted for its sharp criticism of the religious orders and the secular clergy.