It contained the basis for what she felt should be the ideal journey of faith, comparing the contemplative soul to a castle with seven successive interior courts, or chambers, analogous to the seven heavens.

The nearer one got to the centre, the stronger was the light outside the palace limits everything was foul, dark and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures.” With that, Interior Castle was born. “…a most beautiful crystal globe, made in the shape of a castle, and containing seven mansions, in the seventh and innermost of which was the King of Glory, in the greatest splendour, illumining and beautifying them all. However, according to a letter written by Fray Diego, one of Teresa’s former confessors, Teresa was finally convinced to write her book after a she received a vision from God. Her humility and claims that, “I am not meant for writing I have neither the health nor the wits for it,” almost prevented Teresa from composing The Interior Castle.

In the hands of the Inquisition at that time, her Life was commonly believed to be the weight in the scale of whether to call her experiences heretical or not. Teresa of Jesus), Teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer. After being ordered to write her autobiographical La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Life of S. It also places this classic book on spirituality -'a gem of mystical literature made accessible and relevant to the modern spiritual seeker' –Sharon Salzberg-in a contemporary context, reasserting its literary importance even after more than 400 years.El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas (trans.:The Interior Castle or The Mansions) was written by Saint Teresa of Ávila in 1577.

Teresa's work a beautiful and practical set of teachings for seekers of all faiths in need of spiritual guidance. Free of religious dogma, this modern translation renders St. Probably her most important and widely studied work, it guides the spiritual seeker through each stage of development until the soul's final union with the divine. Overcome one day by a mystical vision of a crystal castle with seven chambers, each representing a different stage in spiritual development, Teresa immediately wrote The Interior Castle. Teresa of Avila's classic book on spiritual awareness and guidance.Ĭelebrated for almost five centuries as a master of spiritual literature, 16th-century saint Teresa of Avila is one of the most beloved religious figures in history.

St teresa of avila castle interior