El Castillo Interior
Encyclopedia
El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas (trans.:The Interior Castle or The Mansions) was written by Saint Teresa of Ávila
in 1577 as a guide for spiritual development, through service and prayer. Inspired by her vision of the soul as a crystal globe in the shape of a castle containing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey of faith through seven stages, ending with union with God .
After being ordered to write her autobiographical La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus), Teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer
.. She started writing her seminal work, Interior Castle on June 2, 1577, Trinity Sunday
, and completed it on the eve of St. Andrews Day, November 29, 1577, however there was a five months long interruption in between, effectively leaving a fortnight each for first and second halves of the book . In August 1586, it was decided to print Saint Teresa's works, the Augustinian monk and poet, Fray Luis de Leon was selected as the editor, and finally in 1588 the book was published at Salamanca
, Spain
.
The books Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, taken collectively are practical blueprints for "seekers" who want to really understand prayer as mystical union with God. Further, Teresa's exposure of how she was blessed with contemplation truly illuminates the Catholic theologies of grace, the sacraments, humility and ultimately love.
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. 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. However, according to a letter written by Fray Diego, one of Teresa’s former confessors, Teresa was finally convinced to write her book after she received a vision from God. Diego wrote that God revealed to Teresa,
With that, Interior Castle was born. 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 mansions. It is also not unduly speculative that living in a walled city like Ávila , not to mention a Carmelite monastery, must have influenced her thinking from an interior perspective. This concept of an interior life is still important in Spanish thinking in the twenty-first century.
First English translation was published in 1675, second in London by Rev. John Dalton, in 1852, and third by monks of Stanbrook Abbey
in 1912 .
and meditation
.
The first three mansions are considered to be ordinary prayer or active prayer. The first mansions begin with a soul
's state of grace
, but the souls are surrounded by sin
and only starting to seek God's grace through humility in order to achieve perfection. The second mansions are also called the Mansions of the Practice of Prayer because the soul seeks to advance through the castle by daily thoughts of God, humble recognition of God's work in the soul and ultimately daily prayer. The third mansions are the Mansions of Exemplary Life characterized through divine grace
a love
for God that is so great that the soul has an aversion to both mortal and venial sin and a desire to do works of charitable service to man for the ultimate glory of God.
The fourth through seventh mansions are considered to be mystical or contemplative prayer. The fourth mansions are a departure from the soul actively acquiring what it gains as God increases his role. The fifth mansions contains incipient Union in which the soul prepares itself to receive gifts from God. If the fifth mansion can be compared to a betrothal, the sixth mansion can be compared to lovers. The soul spends increasing amounts of time torn between favors from God and from outside afflictions. The soul achieves clarity in prayer and a spiritual marriage with God in the seventh mansions.
She candidly reveals this interior journey as being inseparable from her love for Christ and that the highest mansions can only be gained by being in a state of grace through the Church sacraments, fervent devotion of the soul's will to Him, and humbly receiving a love so great it is beyond human capability or description. Through prayer and meditation the soul is placed in a quiet state to receive God's gifts (she calls "consolations") of contemplation, and Teresa notes that man's efforts cannot achieve this if it is not His divine will. In fact she humbly repeats that she is never worthy of these consolations but is always immensely grateful for them.
The 2006 book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert recognizes St Teresa as "that most mystical of Catholic figures" and alludes to St. Teresa's Interior Castle as the "mansions of her being" and her journey as one of "divine meditative bliss." Gilbert, was raised a protestant Christian but her book describes her path to God through yoga.
The 2007 book by American spiritual author Caroline Myss
, Entering the Castle, was inspired by St. Teresa's Interior Castle but still has a New Age approach to mysticism .
St. Teresa also inspired American author R. A. Lafferty
in his novel, Fourth Mansions
(1969), which was nominated for the Nebula Award
for Best Novel
in 1970.
Brooke Fraser's song Orphans, Kingdoms was inspired by St. Teresa's "Interior Castle." (Stated in her iTunes LP Digital booklet)
Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
in 1577 as a guide for spiritual development, through service and prayer. Inspired by her vision of the soul as a crystal globe in the shape of a castle containing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey of faith through seven stages, ending with union with God .
After being ordered to write her autobiographical La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus), Teresa was hesitant to begin writing again on her views of the perfection found in internal prayer
Interior life (Catholic theology)
Interior life is a life which seeks God in everything, a life of prayer and the practice of living in the presence of God. It connotes intimate, friendly conversation with Him, and a determined focus on internal prayer versus external actions, while these latter are transformed into means of...
.. She started writing her seminal work, Interior Castle on June 2, 1577, Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity...
, and completed it on the eve of St. Andrews Day, November 29, 1577, however there was a five months long interruption in between, effectively leaving a fortnight each for first and second halves of the book . In August 1586, it was decided to print Saint Teresa's works, the Augustinian monk and poet, Fray Luis de Leon was selected as the editor, and finally in 1588 the book was published at Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The books Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, taken collectively are practical blueprints for "seekers" who want to really understand prayer as mystical union with God. Further, Teresa's exposure of how she was blessed with contemplation truly illuminates the Catholic theologies of grace, the sacraments, humility and ultimately love.
History
- "...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. 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. It contained the basis for what she felt should be the ideal journey of faith
Faith in Christianity
Faith, in Christianity, has been most commonly defined by the biblical formulation in the Letter to the Hebrews as "'the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen". Most of the definitions in the history of Christian theology have followed this biblical formulation...
, comparing the contemplative soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
to a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
with seven successive interior courts, or chambers, analogous to the seven mansions. It is also not unduly speculative that living in a walled city like Ávila , not to mention a Carmelite monastery, must have influenced her thinking from an interior perspective. This concept of an interior life is still important in Spanish thinking in the twenty-first century.
First English translation was published in 1675, second in London by Rev. John Dalton, in 1852, and third by monks of Stanbrook Abbey
Stanbrook Abbey
Stanbrook Abbey is an abbey built as a contemplative house for Benedictine nuns. It was founded in 1625 in Cambrai, Flanders, then part of the Spanish Netherlands, under the auspices of the English Benedictine Congregation.-History:...
in 1912 .
Overview:Seven Mansions or Dwelling Places
The Interior Castle is divided into seven mansions (also called dwelling places), each level describing a step to get closer to God. In her work, Teresa already assumed entrance into the first mansions by prayerPrayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and meditation
Christian meditation
Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a structured attempt is made to get in touch with and deliberately reflect upon the revelations of God. The word meditation comes from the Latin word meditārī, which has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study and to practice...
.
The first three mansions are considered to be ordinary prayer or active prayer. The first mansions begin with a soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
's state of grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
, but the souls are surrounded by sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
and only starting to seek God's grace through humility in order to achieve perfection. The second mansions are also called the Mansions of the Practice of Prayer because the soul seeks to advance through the castle by daily thoughts of God, humble recognition of God's work in the soul and ultimately daily prayer. The third mansions are the Mansions of Exemplary Life characterized through divine grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
a love
Charity (virtue)
In Christian theology charity, or love , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving.- Caritas: altruistic love :...
for God that is so great that the soul has an aversion to both mortal and venial sin and a desire to do works of charitable service to man for the ultimate glory of God.
The fourth through seventh mansions are considered to be mystical or contemplative prayer. The fourth mansions are a departure from the soul actively acquiring what it gains as God increases his role. The fifth mansions contains incipient Union in which the soul prepares itself to receive gifts from God. If the fifth mansion can be compared to a betrothal, the sixth mansion can be compared to lovers. The soul spends increasing amounts of time torn between favors from God and from outside afflictions. The soul achieves clarity in prayer and a spiritual marriage with God in the seventh mansions.
She candidly reveals this interior journey as being inseparable from her love for Christ and that the highest mansions can only be gained by being in a state of grace through the Church sacraments, fervent devotion of the soul's will to Him, and humbly receiving a love so great it is beyond human capability or description. Through prayer and meditation the soul is placed in a quiet state to receive God's gifts (she calls "consolations") of contemplation, and Teresa notes that man's efforts cannot achieve this if it is not His divine will. In fact she humbly repeats that she is never worthy of these consolations but is always immensely grateful for them.
In popular culture
St. Teresa's mystical experiences have inspired several authors in modern times, but not necessarily from Teresa's Christian theological perspective.The 2006 book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert recognizes St Teresa as "that most mystical of Catholic figures" and alludes to St. Teresa's Interior Castle as the "mansions of her being" and her journey as one of "divine meditative bliss." Gilbert, was raised a protestant Christian but her book describes her path to God through yoga.
The 2007 book by American spiritual author Caroline Myss
Caroline Myss
Caroline Myss is an American medical intuitive and mystic as well as the author of numerous books and audio tapes, including five New York Times Best Sellers: Anatomy of the Spirit , Why People Don't Heal and How They Can , Sacred Contracts , "Invisible Acts of Power" , and Entering The Castle...
, Entering the Castle, was inspired by St. Teresa's Interior Castle but still has a New Age approach to mysticism .
St. Teresa also inspired American author R. A. Lafferty
R. A. Lafferty
Raphael Aloysius Lafferty was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure, as well as for his etymological wit...
in his novel, Fourth Mansions
Fourth Mansions
Fourth Mansions is a novel by American author R. A. Lafferty, first published in 1969. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1970.-Plot introduction:...
(1969), which was nominated for the Nebula Award
Nebula Award
The Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
for Best Novel
Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winners of the Nebula Award for Best Novel, awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year.- Winners and other nominees :...
in 1970.
Brooke Fraser's song Orphans, Kingdoms was inspired by St. Teresa's "Interior Castle." (Stated in her iTunes LP Digital booklet)
External links
- Interior Castle at Christian Classics Ethereal LibraryChristian Classics Ethereal LibraryThe Christian Classics Ethereal Library is a digital library that provides free electronic copies of Christian scripture and literature texts....
- The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila, (1921 translation)