Interior Castle [Paperback]

St. Teresa of Avila (Author), E. Allison Peers (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 4, 1972

A cornerstone book on mystical theology, Interior Castle describes the seven stages of union with God. Using everyday language to explain difficult theological concepts, Teresa of Avila compares the contemplative life to a castle with seven chambers. Tracing the passage of the soul through each successive chamber, she draws a powerful picture of the path toward spiritual perfection. It is the most sublime and mature of Teresa's works, offering profound and inspiring reflections on such subjects as self-knowledge, humility, detachment, and suffering.

One of the most celebrated works on mystical theology in existence, as timely today as when St. Teresa of Avila wrote it centuries ago, this is a treasury of unforgettable maxims on self-knowledge and fulfillment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A gem of mystical literature made accessible and relevant to the modern spiritual seeker.” –Sharon Salzberg, bestselling author of Faith

“Mirabai Starr is revolutionizing our relationship with the great mystics. Her gorgeous translation of The Interior Castle is an instant classic. Starr has the poet’s ear and meditative depth to do perfect justice to Teresa’s priceless guide.” –Tim Farrington, author of The Monk Downstairs

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Image; Reissue edition (January 4, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385036434
• ISBN-13: 978-0385036436
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #442,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 99 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Interior Castle" Provides Blueprint to the Soul September 24, 2005

By Patrice Fagnant-macarthur VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Teresa of Avila was a Carmelite nun living in the 1500s who wrote the "Interior Castle" (known as "The Mansions" in her native Spain) at the request of her confessor. A mystic who communed intimately with God, she had experienced a vision of "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, illuming and beautifying them all. . . outside the palace limits everything was foul, dark, and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures." This castle became Teresa's metaphor for the soul. "Interior Castle" explores each of the seven mansions in great detail. Her intended audience were the sisters who made up her cloistered religious community, however her insights offer much to the world at large.

Teresa wrote reluctantly and felt that she had little to offer that had not already been said. She believed that "Our Lord will be granting me a great favour if a single one of these nuns should find that my words help her to praise Him a little better." She focuses on the beauty of the soul and laments that we spend so much attention on our physical body and so little on the divine spark that is within.

Teresa focuses on gaining self-knowledge, but not in the way we in the 21st century interpret that term. For her, self-knowledge means coming to know the soul within. It means understanding our dependence on God and gaining humility by acknowledging that we are nothing without Him. The route to self-knowledge and entry into the interior castle comes through prayer and meditation. As one progresses through the mansions, one comes to know and long for God more and more and to reject the world and its attractions. Teresa encourages the beginner in prayer "to labour and be resolute and prepare himself with all possible diligence to bring his will into conforming with the will of God." She also offers encouragement: "If, then, you sometimes fall, do not lose heart or cease striving to make progress, for even out of your fall God will bring good."

As one makes her way ever deeper into the heart of the castle, increased spiritual consolations and trials become par for the course. Many (perhaps even most) do not reach the most inner mansions in this lifetime. Teresa is quick to point out, however, that "the Lord gives when He wills and as He wills and to whom He wills, and as the gifts are His own, this is doing no injustice to anyone." Indeed she cautions her readers to never believe that they deserve any gift that the Lord bestows upon them, nor should we set out to obtain any consolations or mystical experiences because "the most essential thing is that we should love God without any motive of self-interest."

Teresa was truly granted amazing gifts of insight and experience from God. While we may not share in her experience, "Interior Castle" offers a unique perspective into the divine within each of us. It offers a portrait of our souls and invites us into a deeper relationship with God.
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124 of 127 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a classic of spiritual literature. November 30, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Interior Castle, by St. Teresa of Avila, is one of the saint's writings that is filled with spiritual insight, charm, and breathtaking closeness to God. Her castle is the God within, and there are outward mansions that must be penetrated to get to this inner treasure. Each mansion is a deepening of one's knowledge of God, and a step further away from one's capture by externality and the world. She describes these inward steps, and leads one onward to union with God (or God carries one onward - at first it is our efforts, than it is God's). Beautiful and illuminating.

119 of 122 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Contains Incredible Spiritual Insight June 10, 2002

By John

Format:Paperback

The Interior Castle (or The Mansions as it is known in Spain) compares the soul to a castle filled with many rooms. Each room is an aspect or stage of the soul, and one can progress into and out of each room. The more into the center of this castle one goes, the more his soul is conformed to the will and ways of God. It is the most interior chamber of this castle in which God dwells. The book describes the soul's way of making it to this chamber. St. Teresa focuses her work towards the nuns of her convent, and because of her personal relationship with them, the book is written in her typical conversational tone and humility. She only loosely adheres to the analogy of a castle. However, it contains several morsels of enlightened spiritual knowledge and insight. The principles that are expounded by Teresa testify to her intimacy with the Creator. She spends a great deal of time on mortification and prayer. Written in 1577, it still contains spiritual wisdom that can be applied today to both Catholics and Protestants.