Christian Mysticism · 1515–1582
Teresa of Ávila
Spanish Carmelite · reformer of the order · The Interior Castle · The Way of Perfection
The one who saw the soul as a castle of many rooms, and God – within, in the innermost.
The essence of the teaching: God dwells not far off, but within the soul, at its very core. The spiritual life is a journey inward through the castle's seven mansions, from the outer rooms to the innermost, where union is.
Transmission
Teresa saw the soul as a castle made of a single whole diamond, with many rooms. In the innermost of them dwells the King – God. Most people wander by the outer walls, not knowing what treasure lies within. The way of prayer is a way inward, from room to room. You need not fly up to heaven to speak with the Father – it is enough to withdraw within yourself. She called prayer a friendly conversation in which you are often alone with the One whose love you know. And in the silence of stillness, she said, the soul does nothing of itself – it only stops getting in the way of God's working within it.
The full transmission — for members of the School. Here is its essence and its taste.
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Christian Mysticism
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