St. Teresa’s most famous work on prayer is called The Interior Castle. Written following an extremely vivid and complex vision, The Interior Castle describes the journey of the soul as a progression through a great crystal castle with many rooms, from the outer rooms to the innermost room, where the soul can unite with God completely. The soul makes its way through a series of seven rooms or “mansions,” each one bringing it closer and closer to union with God. In colorful and allegorical language, The Interior Castle depicts the spiritual journey we all face, with its attendant obstacles and joys. In the words of an editor of St. Teresa’s work, “The figure is used to describe the whole course of the mystical life—the soul’s progress from the First Mansions to the Seventh and its transformation from an imperfect and sinful creature into the Bride of the Spiritual Marriage.”
Let’s take a closer look at St. Teresa’s vision of The Interior Castle.
THE FIRST MANSIONS THE MANSIONS OF HUMILITY
I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there were many rooms, just as in Heaven there are many mansions… Let us now imagine that this castle…contains many mansions, some above, others below, others at each side; and in the center and midst of them all is the chiefest mansion where the most secret things pass between God and the soul… As far as I can understand, the door of entry into this castle is prayer and meditation: I do not say mental prayer rather than vocal, for, if it is prayer at all, it must be accompanied by meditation… Let us…think of…souls who do eventually enter the castle. These are very much absorbed in worldly affairs; but their desires are good; sometimes, though infrequently, they commend themselves to Our Lord; and they think about the state of their souls, though not very carefully…Eventually they enter the first rooms on the lowest floor, but so many reptiles [sins and worldly pleasures] get in with them that they are unable to appreciate the beauty of the castle or to find any peace within it.
In speaking of the soul we must always think of it as spacious, ample, and lofty…for the soul’s capacity is much greater than we can realize…It is very important that no soul which practices prayer, whether little or much, should be subjected to undue constraint or limitation. Since God has given it such dignity, it must be allowed to roam through these mansions…It must not be compelled to remain for a long time in one single room—not, at least, unless it is in the room of self-knowledge…Humility must always be doing its work like a bee making its honey in the hive: without humility all will be lost. Still, we should remember that the bee is constantly flying about from flower to flower, and in the same way…the soul must sometimes emerge from self-knowledge and soar aloft in meditation upon the greatness and the majesty of its God…As I see it, we shall never succeed in knowing ourselves unless we seek to know God: let us think of His greatness and then come back to our own baseness; by looking at His purity we shall see our foulness; by meditating upon His humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble. The Light which comes from the palace occupied by the King hardly reaches these first Mansions at all…not because of anything that is wrong with the room, but rather…because there are so many bad things—snakes and vipers and poisonous creatures—which have come in with the soul that they prevent it from seeing the light.
THE SECOND MANSIONS THE MANSIONS OF THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER
The souls…that enter the Second Mansions…have already begun to practice prayer and…realize the importance of not remaining in the First Mansions… These souls, then, can understand the Lord when He calls them; for, as they gradually get nearer to the place where His Majesty dwells, He becomes a very good Neighbor to them. [The] Lord…is so anxious that we should desire Him and strive after His companionship that He calls us ceaselessly, time after time, to approach Him; and this voice of His is so sweet that the poor soul is consumed with grief at being unable to do His bidding immediately… The will inclines to love One in Whom it has seen so many acts and signs of love, some of which it would like to return. In particular, the will shows the soul how this true Lover never leaves it, but goes with it everywhere and gives it life and being. Then the understanding comes forward and makes the soul realize that, for however many years it may live, it can never hope to have a better friend.
THE THIRD MANSIONS THE MANSIONS OF EXEMPLARY LIFE
The souls that have entered the Third Mansions…are most desirous not to offend His Majesty; they avoid committing even venial sins; they love doing penance, they spend hours in recollection; they use their time well; they practice works of charity toward their neighbors; and they are very careful in their speech and dress and in the government of their household if they have one. This is certainly a desirable state and there seems to be no reason why they should be denied entrance to the very last of the Mansions… How could anyone ever say that he has no desire for such a wonderful thing…Surely no one could do so. We all say we desire it; but if the Lord is to take complete possession of the soul more than that is necessary. Words are not enough, any more than they were for the young man when the Lord told him what to do if he wished to be perfect. Ever since I began to speak of these Mansions I have had that young man in mind, for we are exactly like him; and this as a rule is the origin of our long periods of aridity in prayer.
It may seem to us that we have done everything…and left all the things of the world and all that we had for His sake…by persevering in this detachment and abandonment of everything, we shall attain our object. But it must be on this condition…that we consider ourselves unprofitable servants…and realize that we have in no way obliged our Lord to grant us such favors; but rather that, the more we have received of Him, the more deeply do we remain in His debt… What matters is not whether or not we wear a religious habit; it is whether we try to practice the virtues, and make a complete surrender of our wills to God and order our lives as His Majesty ordains: let us desire that not our wills, but His will, be done… Those…who, by the goodness of the Lord are in this state…should be studious to render ready obedience.
THE FOURTH MANSIONS : THE MANSIONS OF THE PRAYER OF QUIET
In the fourth mansions, the supernatural element of the mystical life first enters…it is no longer by its own efforts that the soul is acquiring what it gains. Henceforth, the soul’s part will become increasingly less and God’s part increasingly greater. The graces of the fourth mansions, referred to as “spiritual consolations,” are identified with the Prayer of Quiet, or the Second Water, in the Life. The soul is like a fountain built near its source and the water of life flows into it, not through an aqueduct, but directly from the spring.
If you would progress a long way on this road and ascend to the Mansions of your desire, the important thing is not to think much, but to love much; do, then, whatever most arouses you to love…Love consists, not in the extent of our happiness, but in the firmness of our determination to try to please God in everything, and to endeavor, in all possible ways, not to offend Him…Those are the signs of love; do not imagine that the important thing is never to be thinking of anything else and that if your mind becomes slightly distracted all is lost.
Let us suppose that we are looking at two fountains, the basins of which can be filled with water…These two large basins can be filled with water in different ways: the water in the one comes from a long distance, by means of numerous conduits and through human skill; but the other has been constructed at the very source of the water and fills without making any noise. If the flow of water is abundant…a great stream still runs from it after it has been filled; no skill is necessary here, and no conduits have to be made, for the water is flowing all the time. The difference between this and the carrying of the water by means of conduits is, I think, as follows. The latter corresponds to the spiritual sweetness which…is produced by meditation. It reaches us by way of the thoughts… To the other fountain the water comes direct from its source, which is God, and, when it is His Majesty’s will and He is pleased to grant us some supernatural favor, its coming is accompanied by the greatest peace and quietness and sweetness within ourselves—I cannot say where it arises or how. And that content and delight are not felt, as earthly delights are felt, in the heart—I mean not at the outset, for later the basin becomes completely filled, and then this water begins to overflow all the Mansions and faculties, until it reaches the body…I do not think that this happiness has its source in the heart at all. It arises in a much more interior part, like something of which the springs are very deep; I think this must be the center of the soul…As this heavenly water begins to flow from this source of which I am speaking—that is, from our very depths—it proceeds to spread within us and cause an interior dilation and produce ineffable blessings, so that the soul itself cannot understand all that it receives there.
THE FIFTH MANSIONS : THE MANSIONS OF SPIRITUAL BETROTHAL THE PRAYER OF UNION
The silkworms feed on the mulberry-leaves until they are fullgrown, when people put down twigs, upon which, with their tiny mouths, they start spinning silk, making themselves very tight little cocoons, in which they bury themselves. Then, finally, the worm, which was large and ugly, comes right out of the cocoon a beautiful white butterfly… The silkworm is like the soul which takes life when, through the heat which comes from the Holy Spirit, it begins to utilize the general help which God gives to us all, and to make use of the remedies which He left in His Church—such as frequent confessions, good books and sermons…The soul begins to live and nourishes itself on this food, and on good meditations, until it is fullgrown…When it is full-grown, then…it starts to spin its silk and to build the house in which it is to die. This house may be understood here to mean Christ. I think I read or heard somewhere that our life is hid in Christ, or in God (for that is the same thing), or that our life is Christ… May His Majesty Himself be our Mansion as He is in this Prayer of Union…We can neither subtract from, nor add to, God, but we can subtract from, and add to, ourselves, just as these little silkworms do. And, before we have finished doing all that we can in that respect, God will take this tiny achievement of ours, which is nothing at all, unite it with His greatness and give it such worth that its reward will be the Lord Himself… Let us hasten to perform this task and spin this cocoon. Let us renounce our self-love and self-will, and our attachment to earthly things…Let the silkworm die…Then we shall see God and shall ourselves be as completely hidden in His greatness as is this little worm in its cocoon.25 The transformation that occurs after this self-death is truly wondrous. And now let us see what becomes of this silkworm…When it is in this state of prayer, and quite dead to the world, it comes out a little white butterfly…The soul cannot think how it can have merited such a blessing…It finds itself so anxious to praise the Lord that it would gladly be consumed and die a thousand deaths for His sake. Then it finds itself longing to suffer great trials and unable to do otherwise. It has the most vehement desires for penance, for solitude, and for all to know God. And hence, when it sees God being offended, it becomes greatly distressed… To see, then, the restlessness of this little butterfly—though it has never been quieter or more at rest in its life! Here is something to praise God for—namely, that it knows not where to settle and make its abode. By comparison with the abode it has had, everything it sees on earth leaves it dissatisfied, especially when God has again and again given it these wings which almost every time has brought it some new blessing. It sets no store by the things it did as a worm—that is, by its gradual weaving of the cocoon. It has wings now: how can it be content to crawl along slowly when it is able to fly?
THE SIXTH MANSIONS : THE MANSIONS OF GROWING INTIMACY
The soul has been wounded with love for the Spouse and seeks more opportunity of being alone, trying, so far as is possible to one in its state, to renounce everything which can disturb it in this its solitude. That sight of Him which it has had is so deeply impressed upon it that its whole desire is to enjoy it once more… The soul is now completely determined to take no other spouse; but the Spouse disregards its yearnings for the conclusion of the betrothal, desiring that they should become still deeper and that this greatest of all blessings should be won by the soul at some cost to itself…Oh, my God, how great are these trials, which the soul will suffer, both within and without, before it enters the Seventh Mansion!… For often when a person is quite unprepared for such a thing, and is not even thinking of God, he is awakened by His Majesty, as though by a rushing comet or a thunderclap. Although no sound is heard, the soul is very well aware that it has been called by God…It is conscious of having been most delectably wounded, but cannot say how or by whom; but it is certain that this is a precious experience and it would be glad if it were never to be healed of that wound. It complains to its Spouse with words of love, and even cries aloud, being unable to help itself, for it realizes that He is present but will not manifest Himself in such a way as to allow it to enjoy Him…For the Spouse, Who is in the Seventh Mansion, seems to be calling the soul in a way which involves no clear utterance of speech.
THE FAVORS GRANTED
During the Sixth Mansions, St. Teresa describes many kinds of “favors” that the Spouse bestows on His Beloved, such as raptures, flights of the soul, transports of the mind into states of ecstasy, etc. These only make the pain of separation more exquisite for the soul, and increases its desire for oneness with the Spouse.
Have all these favors which the Spouse has granted the soul been sufficient to satisfy this little…butterfly…and to make her settle down in the place where she is to die? Certainly not; she is in a much worse state than before; for, although she may have been receiving these favors for many years, she is still sighing and weeping, and each of them cause her fresh pain. The reason for this is that, the more she learns about the greatness of her God, while finding herself so far from Him and unable to enjoy Him, the more her desire increases. For the more is revealed to her of how much this great God and Lord deserves to be loved, the more does her love for Him grow. And gradually, during these years, her desire increases, so that she comes to experience great distress.
THE SEVENTH MANSIONSTHE MANSIONS OF SPIRITUAL MARRIAGE
Finally, at long last and after many trials, the soul enters the seventh mansions, the dwelling place of the King. Here, there is “complete transformation, ineffable and perfect peace; no higher state is conceivable, save that of the Beatific Vision in the life to come.”
When Our Lord is pleased to have pity upon this soul, which suffers and has suffered so much out of desire for Him, and which He has now taken spiritually to be His bride, He brings her into this Mansion of His, which is the seventh, before consummating the Spiritual Marriage. For He must have an abiding-place in the soul, just as He has one in Heaven, where His Majesty alone dwells…this secret union takes place in the deepest center of the soul, which must be where God Himself dwells…The Lord appears in the center of the soul…just as He appeared to the Apostles, without entering through the door…This instantaneous communication of God to the soul is so great a secret and so sublime a favor, and such delight is felt by the soul, that I do not know with what to compare it, beyond saying that the Lord is pleased to manifest to the soul at that moment the glory that is in Heaven… We might say that union is as if the ends of two wax candles were joined so that the light they give is one…it is like rain falling from the heavens into a river or spring; there is nothing but water there and it is impossible to divide or separate the water belonging to the river from that which fell from the heavens. Or it is as if a tiny streamlet enters the sea, from which it will find no way of separating itself, or as if in a room there were two large windows through which the light streamed in: it enters in different places but it all becomes one.
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