A Mystical Saint Talks
One tends to reminisce about our own spiritual experiences while reading the Interior Castle and which of the seven mansions described by St. Teresa we may have visited. The book, Interior Castle, is ranked among the top 25 of all time Catholic books. It’s an eerie read. Like any good writer, the Saint appears to talk directly to us, giving little indication of the life or working atmosphere of 16th century Europe from which it was created. It appears relevant today in 2022 as it did in 1577 when the book was released.
An impression of a convent or castle in St. Teresa’s time. October 15, 2022 is St. Teresa of Avila feast day.
Several insights on The Interior Castle:
We are within Him.
St. Teresa says that “God is a very large and beautiful mansion” and since we reside in the mansion any sins we commit are “done in the palace itself, inside God”.
We are inside God’s mansion. This requires meditation to fully understand. Perhaps this is why the book is at times difficult to read, requiring re-reads to fully grasp the message.
God suffers from our misdeeds since we are “his creatures within Himself” (6th mansion.) A simple eye opening concept.
A mystic writes to us in the future.
More favours hurts.
God gives us “favours” and the more favors we receive, the pain of receiving a favour increases, since we learn more about His greatness, yet we are “being so far and unable to enjoy Him”. This painful desire within the soul, who wants more favours. Yet receiving the favours is not up to us. The soul enjoys the “great delight” at being near to God, but its God who chooses the soul.
St. Teresa of Avila by Lazzarni.
St. Teresa compares the soul as blind and dumb like St. Peter at his conversion (Acts 9:8), preventing him from having any sense of where or how the favour came.
Original manuscript, Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila. (Avila, Spain)
Seeing the Trinity.
“God removes the scales from the eyes of the soul” and reveals the Holy Trinity in all three persons. She saw these three persons and suggests we can too; one of Substance and one of Power and one of Knowledge; all God alone.
“So what we hold by faith the soul grasps by sight, but nothing seen by the eyes; it’s felt by the body or the soul.”
The Trinity, one of the biggest mysteries of the faith, is explained in the book. This is mind boggling!
Monestary cell of Saint Teresa.
Understanding the Trinity.
The Saint says, “All three Persons communicate Themselves to the soul and speaking to the soul and explaining to it those words which the Gospel attributes to the Lord, namely, that He and the Father and the Holy Spirit will come to dwell in a soul which loves Him and keeps His commandments.”
She references the Gospel as a means to understand the Trinity, which is probably a good tip.
Artist Kuba Ambrose’s The Interior Castle was inspired by the Saint’s book. Used by permission.
Heaven observation.
“Our Lord brings the soul into this Mansion (7th) of His, which is the center of the soul itself, for they say the empyrean heaven, where Our Lord is, does not move like the other heavens.” Praise his name and “make every effort to serve a Lord who will give us a reward in Heaven.”
I’ve read about these multiple Heavens before, possibly it was in the Gospel, the Book of Revelations. This needs more investigation.
What if we, individually, captured all the questions that puzzle us in our life; in this world; in nature; and document it, to be answered in Heaven, as our reward for getting there. Like, what causes cancer, what miracles weren’t recorded, how close were we to death. More later…
St. Teresa of Avila also know as St. Teresa de Jesus. She wrote the Interior Castles under God’s direction and her superiors when she was 62 years old.
A Mystic Poet as well
Poetry is another way to explain mysticism. Here is St. Teresa’s most famous poem written after coming out of the ecstasy at Salamanca. There are several translations, this one by Megan Don.
I Live Without Living In Me
English version by Megan Don
Original Language Spanish
I live without living in me,
and I expect a life so high,
that I die because I do not die.
I live already beside myself
since I am dying of love;
because I live in Him,
who wanted me for Himself:
when I gave my heart to Him
He placed this sign in it,
that I die because I do not die.
This divine prison,
the love in which I’m living,
has made God my captive,
and my heart free;
causing in me such passion,
to see God, my prisoner,
That I die because I do not die.
Oh, how long is this life!
How hard this exile,
this prison, these chains
which my soul has entered!
Just waiting to get free
causes me so much fierce pain,
that I die because I do not die.
Ah! so much bitterness in this life
without God as my lover!
Because if to be in love is sweet,
to wait so long is not:
take this burden God,
heavier than steel,
that I die because I do not die.
Trusting in You alone, I only live
because I know I’ll die
because in death I know
that I will live;
death, where I’ll find life
do not be slow, it is you I wait for,
that I die because I do not die.
You see how strong love is;
life, do not hinder me,
you see, all I need do to gain you
is to lose you.
Come on already sweet death
come quickly death
that I die because I do not die.
That life above,
that is the true life,
until this life dies
nothing can be enjoyed in living
death, don’t be coy;
let me live by dying first,
that I die because I do not die.
Life, what can I give
to my God who lives in me?
In losing you,
then I am worthy of gaining Him.
I want to reach Him by dying,
Since I love my lover so,
that I die because I do not die.
Avila, Spain. Home of St. Teresa of Avila
References:
The blog, Teresa of Avila Turns 500 discusses the topic We are within Him in the post “God’s Presence: Part Two”. This blog, several years in the making, is a structured study of the book, helpful for anyone interested in gaining insights and understanding the depth at which St. Teresa describes her experiences, influenced directly from God.
The audio book of The Interior Castle is here.
The ebook of The Interior Castle is here.
Shrine Tower 
Thanks again for including the picture in the blog, your blog is so abundant with great articles and rich information. I like how it focuses on the mystical and symbolic aspects of the teaching.
The “Interior Castle” painting is very creative and far reaching, offering a visual perspective into the Saint’s experience. Just like her writings there is a lot of depth in this painting.
Brian, you give high quality treatment to all your posts. I’ve gone through this post a couple of times and will no doubt read again it in the future. The pictures and poetry were a great addition.
Respect Dave, an intriguing topic. I find “Teresa of Avila Turns 500” blog allows one a baseline of understanding to explore these truths in more depth. Who would have ever thought that St. Teresa of Avila would remain such a prominent thought leader in this modern era. What a gift!