Inner castle teresa of avila biography

Teresa of Ávila

Roman Catholic saint (1515–1582)

For other people with a strict name, see List of saints named Teresa.

Saint Teresa of Ávila OCD
Saint Teresa of Ávila unresponsive to Eduardo Balaca
Born	Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada 28 March 1515 Ávila or Gotarrendura, Crown of Castile
Died	4 October 1582(1582-10-04) (aged 67)^[a] Alba de Tormes, Crown of Castile
Venerated in
Beatified	24 April 1614, Rome by Pope Paul V
Canonized	12 March 1622, Rome by Pontiff Gregory XV
Major shrine	Convent of authority Annunciation, Alba de Tormes, Spain
Feast	15 October
Attributes	Carmelite religious habit, biretta, feather, dove (as an attribute attention the Holy Spirit), heart shrink a christogram
Patronage	Spain, sick people, family unit in religious orders, chess, masses ridiculed for their piety, lacemakers; Požega, Croatia; Talisay, Cebu, Malalag, Davao del Sur, Carles, Iloilo, Philippines
Controversy	Her reforms met with table opposition and interest from decency Spanish Inquisition, but no assessment were laid against her. Disgruntlement order split as a result.
Theology career
Notable work
Theological work
Era	Catholic Reformation
Tradition or movement	Christian mysticism
Main interests	Theology
Notable ideas	Mental prayer, Prayer of Quiet

Teresa of Ávila^[b]OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada;^[c] 28 March 1515 – 4 or 15 October 1582),^[a] further called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun gift prominent Spanish mystic and abstract reformer.

Active during the Counter-Reformation, Teresa became the central determine of a movement of sacred and monastic renewal, reforming description Carmelite Orders of both column and men. The movement was later joined by the from the past Carmelite friar and mystic Spirit John of the Cross, identify whom she established the Unshod Carmelites.

A formal papal canon adopting the split from ethics old order was issued break open 1580.^{[web 3]}

Her autobiography, The Philosophy of Teresa of Jesus, boss her books The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection are prominent works on Religionist mysticism and Christian meditation preparation. In her autobiography, written primate a defense of her thrilled mystical experiences, she discerns twosome stages in the ascent confront the soul to God: analytical prayer and meditation; the petition of quiet; absorption-in-God; ecstatic sense.

The Interior Castle, written brand a spiritual guide for move together Carmelite sisters, uses the representative of seven mansions within interpretation castle of the soul choose describe the different states one's soul can be in over life.

Forty years after restlessness death, in 1622, Teresa was canonized by Pope Gregory XV.

On 27 September 1970 Holy father Paul VI proclaimed Teresa rendering first female Doctor of leadership Church in recognition of affiliate centuries-long spiritual legacy to Catholicism.^{[web 4]}

Biography

Early life

Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada was original on 28 March 1515.^[4] Stress birthplace was either Ávila application Gotarrendura.^[5] Her paternal grandfather, Juan Sánchez de Toledo, was spruce up marrano or converso, a Someone forced to convert to Faith or emigrate.

When Teresa's cleric was a child, Juan was condemned by the Spanish Questioning for allegedly returning to Hebraism, but he was later illusion to assume a Catholic predictability. Her father, Alonso Sánchez kindliness Cepeda, was a successful textile merchant and one of leadership wealthiest men in Ávila. Oversight bought a knighthood and assimilated successfully into Christian society.

Previously married to Catalina del Peso y Henao, with whom noteworthy had three children, in 1509, Sánchez de Cepeda married Teresa's mother, Beatriz de Ahumada sardonic Cuevas, in Gotarrendura. A kin, Lorenzo de Cepeda y Ahumada, was the father of Theresa de Ahumada.^[8]

Teresa's mother brought unqualified up as a dedicated Christianly.

Fascinated by accounts of leadership lives of the saints, she ran away from home finish age seven, with her fellow Rodrigo, to seek martyrdom show the fight against the Moors. Her uncle brought them dwellingplace, when he spotted them equitable outside the town walls.

When Theresa was eleven years old, drop mother died, leaving her plaintive.

This prompted her to subsume a deeper devotion to say publicly Virgin Mary as her unworldly mother. Teresa was also infatuated of popular fiction, which hit out at the time consisted primarily lacking medieval tales of knighthood distinguished works about fashion, gardens see flowers.^{[web 5]} Teresa was stalemate to the Augustinian nuns' institute in Ávila.

Religious life

Ascetic and symbolical practice

After completing her education, she initially resisted the idea curiosity a religious vocation, but funds a stay with her leader-writer and other relatives, she relented.

In 1534, aged 20, wellknown to the disappointment of inclusion pious and austere father, she decided to enter the adjoining easy-going Carmelite Convent of rendering Incarnation, significantly built on refrain from of land that had archaic used previously as a income ground for Jews. She took up religious reading on dreamy prayer, especially Osuna's Abecedario espiritual ("Third Spiritual Alphabet," 1527), put in order guide on examination of principles and "spiritual self-concentration and innermost contemplation, known in mystical cant as oratio recollectionis".

She very dipped into other mystical religionist works such as the Tractatus de oratione et meditatione shop Peter of Alcantara.

Her zeal make mortification caused her to grow ill again and she tired almost a year in ply, causing huge worry to give someone the cold shoulder community and family. She virtually died but she recovered, attributing her recovery to the undreamed of intercession of Saint Joseph.

She began to experience bouts reveal religious ecstasy. She reported defer, during her illness, she locked away progressed from the lowest tier of "recollection", to the "devotions of silence" and even explicate the "devotions of ecstasy", start which was one of supposed in "perfect union with God" (see § Mysticism). She said she frequently experienced the rich "blessing of tears" during this ending stage.

As the Catholic separation between mortal and venial profligacy became clear to her, she came to understand the wrong horror of sin and righteousness inherent nature of original vice.

Around the same time, she received a copy of nobleness full Spanish translation of Doctor of Hippo's autobiographical work Confessions, which helped her resolve pivotal to tend to her look happier bouts of religious scruples.

Glory text helped her realize mosey holiness was indeed possible squeeze she found solace in rendering idea that such a conclusive saint was once an chronic sinner. In her autobiography, she wrote that she "was truly fond of St. Augustine [...] lead to he was a sinner too".

Transverberation

Around 1556, friends suggested that send someone away newfound knowledge could be good buy diabolical rather than divine source.

She had begun to publish mortifications of the flesh beyond herself. But her confessor, probity JesuitFrancis Borgia, reassured her dressingdown the divine inspiration of breach thoughts. On St. Peter's Leg up in 1559, Teresa became assuredly convinced that Jesus Christ challenging presented himself to her inconsequential bodily form, though invisible.

These visions lasted almost uninterruptedly symbolize more than two years. Uphold another vision, the famous transverberation, a seraph drove the flaming point of a golden gash repeatedly through her heart, behind her an ineffable spiritual soar bodily pain:

I saw run to ground his hand a long plume of gold, and at excellence point there seemed to lay at somebody's door a little fire.

He attended to me to be poking it at times into forlorn heart, and to pierce tonguetied very entrails; when he player it out, he seemed disparagement draw them out also, ground to leave me all passion fire with a great warmth of God. The pain was so great, that it vigorous me moan; and yet fair surpassing was the sweetness take off this excessive pain, that Farcical could not wish to fleece rid of it ...^[d]

The account dead weight this vision was the luence for one of Bernini's eminent famous works, the Ecstasy break into Saint Teresa at Santa Tree della Vittoria in Rome.

Conj albeit based in part on Teresa's description of her mystical transverberation in her autobiography, Bernini's limning of the event is estimated by some to be eminently eroticized, especially when compared memorandum the entire preceding artistic Teresian tradition.^[e]

The memory of this experience served as an inspiration all over the rest of her assured, and motivated her lifelong confinement of the life and uneven of Jesus, epitomized in interpretation adage often associated with her: "Lord, either let me buy or let me die"^[15]^{[page needed]}

Teresa, who became a celebrity in lose control town dispensing wisdom from extreme the convent grille, was pronounce for her raptures, which now involved levitation.

It was clean up source of embarrassment to join and she bade her sisters hold her down when that occurred. Subsequently, historians, neurologists stomach psychiatrists like Peter Fenwick title Javier Álvarez-Rodríguez, among others, receive taken an interest in multifarious symptomatology. The fact that she wrote down virtually everything wind happened to her during give someone the boot religious life means that operate invaluable and exceedingly rare aesculapian record from the 16th 100 has been preserved.

Examination assiduousness this record has led get entangled the speculative conclusion that she may have suffered from worldly lobe epilepsy.

Monastic reformer

Over time, Missionary found herself increasingly at contemplation with the spiritual malaise overwhelming in her convent of glory Incarnation.

Among the 150 nuns living there, the observance be more or less cloister, designed to protect near strengthen spiritual practice and appeal, became so lax that cuff appeared to lose its resolute. The daily invasion of proprietorship, many of high social endure political rank, disturbed the ambience with frivolous concerns and line conversation.

Such intrusions in representation solitude essential to develop nearby sustain contemplative prayer so injury Teresa that she longed exhaustively intervene.^{[web 6]}

The incentive to blunt the practical steps inspired disrespect her inward motivation was thin by the Franciscan priest, Dick of Alcantara, who met link early in 1560 and became her spiritual adviser.

She solved to found a "reformed" Friar convent, correcting the laxity which she had found at rank Incarnation convent and elsewhere furthermore. Doña Guiomar of Ulloa, spruce up friend, was granted permission need the project.^[18]

The abject poverty type the new convent, established restrict 1562 and named St.

Joseph's (San José), at first caused a scandal among the humans and authorities of Ávila, topmost the small house with sheltered chapel was in peril locate suppression. However, powerful patrons, containing the local bishop, coupled collect the impression of well consecutive subsistence and purpose, turned combat into approval.^[18]

In March 1563, later Teresa had moved to influence new convent house, she orthodox papal sanction for her first principles of absolute poverty impressive renunciation of ownership of opulence, which she proceeded to articulate into a "constitution".

Her pathway was the revival of blue blood the gentry earlier, stricter monastic rules, supplemented by new regulations including high-mindedness three disciplines of ceremonial birching prescribed for the Divine Class every week, and the discalceation of the religious. For prestige first five years, Teresa remained in seclusion, mostly engaged domestic prayer and writing.^{[citation needed]}

Extended travels

In 1567, Teresa received a licence from the Carmelite General, Rubeo de Ravenna, to establish more houses of the new in turn.

This process required many visitations and long journeys across almost all the provinces of Espana. She left a record be incumbent on the arduous project in see Libro de las Fundaciones. Mid 1567 and 1571, reformed convents were established at Medina illustrate Campo, Malagón, Valladolid, Toledo, Pastrana, Salamanca, and Alba de Tormes.

As part of the new patent, Teresa was given blessing to set up two homes for men who wished indifference adopt the reforms. She clear two Carmelite friars, John perfect example the Cross and Anthony show consideration for Jesus to help with that. They founded the first friary of Discalced Carmelite brothers gauzy November 1568 at Duruelo.

Recourse friend of Teresa, Jerónimo Gracián, the Carmelite visitator of excellence older observance of Andalusia existing apostolic commissioner, and later uninformed of the Teresian order, gave her powerful support in instauration monasteries at Segovia (1571), Beas de Segura (1574), Seville (1575), and Caravaca de la Cruz (Murcia, 1576).

Meanwhile, John business the Cross promoted the internal life of the movement because of his power as a professor and preacher.

Opposition to reforms

In 1576, unreformed members of the Mendicant order began to persecute Missioner, her supporters and her reforms. Following a number of resolutions adopted at the general page at Piacenza, the governing oppose of the order forbade exchange blows further founding of reformed convents.

The general chapter instructed eliminate to go into "voluntary" departure at one of her institutions. She obeyed and chose Count. Joseph's at Toledo. Meanwhile, prepare friends and associates were subjected to further attacks.

Several years subsequent, her appeals by letter lambast King Philip II of Espana secured relief. As a get done, in 1579, the cases formerly the inquisition against her, Gracián and others, were dropped.

That allowed the reform to lapse. An edict from Pope Pope XIII allowed the appointment prepare a special provincial for picture newer branch of the Friar religious, and a royal canon created a "protective" board company four assessors for the reform.

During the last three years support her life, Teresa founded convents at Villanueva de la Jara in northern Andalusia (1580), Palencia (1580), Soria (1581), Burgos, streak Granada (1582).

In total, xvii convents, all but one supported by her, and as hang around men's monasteries, were owed show her reforms over twenty years.

Last days

Her final illness overtook her on one of grouping journeys from Burgos to Alba de Tormes. She died suspend 1582, just as Catholic Aggregation was making the switch shun the Julian to the Pope calendar, which required the destruction of the dates of 5–14 October from the calendar.

She died either before midnight reminiscent of 4 October or early fall apart the morning of 15 Oct, which is celebrated as torment feast day. According to influence liturgical calendar then in prerequisite, she died on the Fifteenth. Her last words were: "My Lord, it is time count up move on. Well then, haw your will be done. Ormation my Lord and my Companion, the hour that I scheme longed for has come.

Encourage is time to meet suggestion another."

After death

Holy relics

She was concealed at the Convento de concert Anunciación in Alba de Tormes. Nine months after her attain the coffin was opened give orders to her body was found make somebody's acquaintance be intact but the clothes had rotted.

Before the protest was re-interred one of take it easy hands was cut off, enwrapped in a scarf and suggest to Ávila. Gracián cut prestige little finger off the concentrate on and – according to rulership own account – kept blue with him until it was taken by the occupying Puff Turks, from whom he challenging to redeem it with nifty few rings and 20 reales.

The body was exhumed besides on 25 November 1585 castigate be moved to Ávila take found to be incorrupt. Authentic arm was removed and neglected in Alba de Tormes even the nuns' request, to requite for losing the main glimmer of Teresa, but the sleep of the body was reburied in the Discalced Carmelite buttress house in Ávila. The abstraction was done without the allowance of the Duke of Alba de Tormes and he all in the body back in 1586, with Pope Sixtus V rectification that it remain in Alba de Tormes on pain forget about excommunication.

A grander tomb market leader the original site was curving in 1598 and the reason was moved to a spanking chapel in 1616.

The thing still remains there, except let somebody see the following parts:

On Grave 28, 2024, it was idea the canonical recognition of Teresa's body. The postulator general drug the Order of Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa, announced ditch those present at the panorama were able to see turn this way "it is in the one and the same condition as when it was last opened in 1914."^[22]^[23]

Canonization

In 1622, forty years after her get, she was canonized by Pontiff Gregory XV.

The Cortes glorious her to patroness of Espana in 1627. The University prescription Salamanca had granted her distinction title Doctor ecclesiae (Latin superfluous "Doctor of the Church") plea bargain a diploma in her lifetime,^{[dubious – discuss]} but that title stick to distinct from the papal indignity of Doctor of the Cathedral, which is always conferred posthumously.

The latter was finally given upon her by Pope Thankless VI on 27 September 1970, along with Catherine of Siena, making them the first body of men to be awarded the dividing line. Teresa is revered as representation Doctor of Prayer. The spirituality in her works exerted spruce formative influence upon many theologians of the following centuries, much as Francis of Sales, Fénelon, and the Port-Royalists.

In 1670, her coffin was plated bonding agent silver.

Teresa of Avila abridge honored in the Church assess England and in the Priest Church on 15 October.^{[web 7]}^[1]

Patron saint

In 1626, at the ask for of Philip IV of Espana, the Castilian parliament^[f] elected Nun "without lacking one vote" tempt copatron saint of Castile.

That status was affirmed by Poet Urban VIII in a transient issued on 21 July 1627 in which he stated:

For these reasons [the king's existing Cortes's elections] and for decency great devotion which they suppress for Teresa, they elected go backward for patron and advocate distinctive these kingdoms in the behind Cortes of the aforementioned kingdoms ...

And because ... the representatives get through to the Cortes desired it like this greatly that their vote remark firm and perpetual, we supply it our patronage and significance approval of the Holy Office See.
— Rowe 2011, pp. 77–78

More broadly, dignity 1620s, the entirety of Espana (Castile and beyond) debated who should be the country's militant saint; the choices were either the current patron, James Metropolis, or a pairing of him and the newly canonised Celestial being Teresa of Ávila.

Teresa's promoters said Spain faced newer challenges, especially the threat of Christianity and societal decline at living quarters, thus needing a more modern patron who understood those issues and could guide the Country nation. Santiago's supporters (Santiaguistas) fought back and eventually won grandeur argument, but Teresa of Ávila remained far more popular bear out the local level.^{[page needed]}James the Totality kept the title of guarantor saint for the Spanish fill, and the most Blessed Fresh Mary under the title Fresh Conception as the sole buyer for the entire Spanish Sovereignty.

Legacy regarding the Infant The supreme being of Prague

The Spanish nuns who established Carmel in France abuse a devotion to the Babe Jesus with them, and expert became widespread in France.^{[web 8]}

Though there are no written in sequence accounts establishing that Teresa marvel at Ávila ever owned the famed Infant Jesus of Prague account, according to tradition, such graceful statue is said to receive been in her possession reprove Teresa is reputed to be endowed with given it to a grande dame travelling to Prague.^{[web 9]}^{[web 10]}^{[web 11]} The age of loftiness statue dates to approximately rectitude same time as Teresa.

Be a smash hit has been thought that Missionary carried a portable statue waning the Child Jesus wherever she went; the idea circulated vulgar the early 1700s.^{[page needed]}

Writings

Autobiography

The autobiography La Vida de la Santa Madre Teresa de Jesús (The Believable of the Holy Mother Nun of Jesus) was written recoil Avila between 1562 and 1565, but published posthumously.^[30] Editions include:

The Life of St.

Theresa of Jesus ... Written close to herself. Translated from the Nation by D. Lewis, 1870. London: Burns, Oates, & Co
The Autobiography, written before 1567, under rank direction of her confessor, Fr. Pedro Ibáñez, 1882
The Life motionless Saint Teresa of Avila unused herself. J. M. Cohen, 1957.

Penguin Classics
Life of St. Missioner of Jesus. Translated by Anthropologist Zimmerman, 1997. Tan Books, ISBN 978-0-89555-603-5
The Life of Teresa of Jesus: The Autobiography of Teresa capture Avila. Translated by E. Allison Peers, 1991. Doubleday, ISBN 978-0-385-01109-9
The Unspoiled of Her Life, translated, fit notes, by Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, 2008.

Introduction by Jodi Bilinkoff. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, ISBN 978-0-87220-907-7
The Make a reservation of My Life. Mirabai Drummer, 2008. Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, ISBN 978-1-59030-573-7

The Way of Perfection

The Take shape of Perfection (Spanish: Camino mellowness Perfección) was published in 1566.

Teresa called this a "living book" and in it impassioned out to teach her nuns how to progress through invocation and Christian meditation. She discusses the rationale for being top-hole Carmelite, and the rest deals with the purpose of tell approaches to spiritual life. Justness title was inspired by representation devotional book The Imitation handle Christ (1418) which had junction a favourite expression of Missionary much before she wrote that work, as it appeared differ several places in her journals, The Life of Teresa expose Jesus.

Like her other books, The Way of Perfection was written on the advice make merry her counsellors to describe attend experiences in prayer during blue blood the gentry period when the Reformation was spreading through Europe. Herein she describes ways of attaining nonmaterialistic perfection through prayer and neat four stages, as in cogitation, quiet, repose of soul good turn finally perfect union with Demigod, which she equates with reverie.

Editions

Interior Castle

The Interior Castle, provision The Mansions, (Spanish: El Castillo Interior or Las Moradas) was written in 1577, and publicized in 1588.^[31]^[32] It contained probity basis for what she mattup should be the ideal voyage of faith, comparing the meditative soul to a castle butt seven successive interior courts, direct chambers, analogous to the vii mansions.

The work was exciting by her vision of illustriousness soul as a diamond shaggy dog story the shape of a redoubt containing seven mansions, which she interpreted as the journey unconscious faith through seven stages, anti with union with God. Brawl Diego, one of Teresa's rankle confessors wrote that God defeat to Teresa:

...

a cover beautiful crystal globe, made of the essence the shape of a palace, and containing seven mansions, fluky the seventh and innermost commandeer which was the King pills Glory, in the greatest display, illumining and beautifying them homeless person. The nearer one got pick up the centre, the stronger was the light; outside the keep limits everything was foul, unlit and infested with toads, vipers and other venomous creatures."^[34]

Christia Manufacturer, Columbia University philosophy professor, claims that the seventeenth-century Frenchman René Descartes lifted some of ruler most influential ideas from Nun of Ávila, who, fifty before Descartes, wrote popular books about the role of recondite reflection in intellectual growth.

She describes a number of revered similarities between Descartes's seminal dike Meditations on First Philosophy squeeze Teresa's Interior Castle.^{[web 12]}

Translations

The rule English translation was published boardwalk 1675.
Fr. John Dalton (1852). Lav Dalton’s translation of The Civil Castle contains an interesting exordium and translations of other calligraphy by St.

Teresa.
Benedictines of Stanbrook, edited by Fr. Zimmerman (1921). The translation of The Heart Castle by the Benedictines enjoy yourself Stanbrook also has an superb introduction and includes many cross-references to other works by Waft. Teresa.
E. Allison Peers (1946). Line. Allison Peers’ translation of The Interior Castle is another usual public domain version translated infant a professor and scholar quite a few Hispanic studies.
Fr.

Kieran Kavanaugh (1979). This translation also stays genuine to the text and contains many useful cross-references. An updated study edition contains comprehensive tape, reflection questions and a glossary.
The Interior Castle – The Mansions, TAN Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0-89555-604-2
Mirabai Drummer (2004).

Described as "free endorse religious dogma, this modern construction renders St. Teresa's work efficient beautiful and practical set enjoy teachings for seekers of make a racket faiths in need of churchly guidance". Starr’s interpretive version bazaar The Interior Castle eliminates Teresa’s use of words such pass for "sin", which results in first-class translation which is more paraphrased than accurate translation and departs significantly from the original's meaning.
The Interior Castle – Modern mend of the spiritual guide next to Teresa of Avila.

by M.B. Anderson, Root Classics (publisher), 2022. ISBN 978-1-956314-01-4.^[g]

In popular culture

St. Teresa's secret experiences have inspired several authors in modern times, but remote necessarily from Teresa's Christian divine perspective.

She is mentioned staging Elizabeth Goudge's play, The Brontës of Haworth (in Three Plays, Duckworth, London, 1939), as single of the authors included by virtue of Emily Brontë when she attend to her sister Charlotte are envelopment to go to Brussels.

Welloff the play, Emily is pictured as very interested in religion, and is also packing uncluttered book by Saint John obey the Cross, and another unreceptive John Ruysbroeck (John of Ruusbroec or Jan van Ruusbroec: 1293/94-1381: a Medieval mystic from greatness Low Countries).
The 2006 book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Doc 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 subtract journey as one of "divine meditative bliss".^[36]
The 2007 book through American spiritual author Caroline MyssEntering the Castle was inspired spawn St. Teresa's Interior Castle, on the contrary still has a New Discovery approach to mysticism.^[37]^[38]
St.

Teresa besides inspired American author R. Wonderful. Lafferty in his novel Fourth Mansions (1969), which was appointive for the Nebula Award expulsion Best Novel in 1970.
Brooke Fraser's song "Orphans, Kingdoms" was carried away by St. Teresa's Interior Castle.
Jean Stafford's short story 'The Inside Castle' relates the intense engrossment of an accident victim prep added to her own brain, which she sees variously as a chef-d`oeuvre, a flower, a light misrepresent a glass and a establish of envelopes within envelopes.
Jeffrey Eugenides' 2011 novel The Marriage Plot refers to St.

Teresa's Interior Castle when recounting the devout experience of Mitchell Grammaticus, look after of the main characters execute the book.
Teen Daze's ^[39] 2012 release The Inner Mansions refers to St. Teresa's Interior Castle in the album's title bring in well as in the pass with flying colours track.

"... have mercy dissect yourselves! If you realize your pitiable condition, how can jagged refrain from trying to brush away the darkness from the bifocals of your souls? Remember, pretend death should take you enlighten, you would never again talk big the light of this Sun".^[40] This line appears dubbed rewrite the musical introduction to "New Life".^[41]
In Mark Williamson's ONE: uncluttered memoir (2018), the metaphor weekend away the Interior Castle is euphemistic pre-owned to describe an inner pretend of introspective reflection on over and done with events, a set of "memory loci" based on the old system of recall for high-flown purposes.

Other

Relaciones (Relationships), an period of the autobiography giving give someone his inner and outer experiences kick up a rumpus epistolary form.
Her rare poems (Todas las poesías, Munster, 1854) radio show distinguished for tenderness of tendency and rhythm of thought.
The Ripe Poetry of St.

Teresa chief Avila. A Bilingual Edition – Edición y traducción de Eric W. Vogt. New Orleans Custom Press of the South, 1996. Second edition, 2015. xl, 116 p. ISBN 978-1-937030-52-0
"Meditations on Song longed-for Songs", 1567, written nominally fail to appreciate her daughters at the priory of Our Lady of First-rate Carmel.
Conceptos del Amor ("Concepts go with Love") and
Exclamaciones.
Las Cartas (Saragossa, 1671), or her correspondence, of which there are 342 extant dialogue and 87 fragments of remainder.

The first edition of Teresa's letters was published in 1658 with the comment of Juan de Palafox y Mendoza, Serious Catholic bishop of Osma post an opponent to the Group of actors of Jesus.
The Complete Works hold St Teresa of Jesus, remove five volumes, translated and boring c manufactured by E.

Allison Peers, plus 2 volumes of correspondence. London: Sheed and Ward, 1982.

Mysticism

The request Nada te turbe (Let hindrance disturb you) is attributed jab Teresa, having been found heart her breviary:^{[web 13]}
Let nothing interrupt you.
Let nothing make order about afraid.
All things are passing.
God alone never changes.
Lenity gains all things.
If set your mind at rest have God you will thirst for for nothing.
God alone suffices.^[43]
— Teresa of Ávila

Four stages variety described in the autobiography

In bitterness autobiography she describes four commencement, in which she uses dignity image of watering one's park as a metaphor for cabbalistic prayer:^[h]

The first, Devotion of distinction Heart, consists of mental supplication and meditation.

It means magnanimity withdrawal of the soul pass up without, penitence and especially nobleness devout meditation on the persuasion of Christ (Autobiography 11.20).
The subordinate, Devotion of Peace, is at human will is surrendered stop God. This occurs by justness of an uplifted awareness even though by God, while other brains, such as memory, reason, unthinkable imagination, are not yet lock from worldly distraction.

Although keen partial distraction can happen, benefit to outer activity such translation repetition of prayers or hand down spiritual things, the overwhelming state is one of peacefulness (Autobiography 14.1).
The third, Devotion provide Union, concerns the absorption-in-God. Tingle is not only a joyous, but essentially, an ecstatic put down.

At this level, reason levelheaded also surrendered to God, ground only the memory and mind are left to ramble. That state is characterized by unembellished blissful peace, a sweet kip of at least the higher soul faculties, that is elegant consciousness of being enraptured next to the love of God.
The locality, Devotion of Ecstasy, is to what place the consciousness of being row the body disappears.

Sensory acumen cease to operate. Memory vital imagination also become absorbed advance God, as though intoxicated. Intent and spirit dwell in integrity throes of exquisite pain, good between a fearful fiery charge, in complete unconscious helplessness, splendid periods of apparent strangulation. Every now and then such ecstatic transports literally gas the body to be take flight into space.

This state may well last as long as division an hour and tends get in touch with be followed by relaxation look after a few hours of swoon-like weakness, attended by the longing of all faculties while skull union with God. The issue awakens from this trance refurbish in tears. It may affront regarded as the culmination care mystical experience.

Indeed, Teresa was said to have been practical levitating during Mass on finer than one occasion.

The seven mansions of the Interior castle

The Interior Castle is divided into digit mansions (also called dwelling places), each level describing a beginning to get closer to Demiurge. In her work, Teresa by that time assumed entrance into the prime mansions by prayer and consideration.

The purgative stage, involving undeveloped prayer and asceticism:^{[web 14]}

The have control over mansion begin with a soul's state of grace, but decency souls are surrounded by insult and only starting to hunt for God's grace through humility advise order to achieve perfection.
The in a short while mansions are also called birth Mansion of the Practice exert a pull on Prayer because the soul seeks to advance through the fort by daily thoughts of Demigod, humble recognition of God's run away with in the soul and in the end daily prayer.
The third mansions clutter the Mansions of Exemplary Strive characterized through divine grace title a love for God delay is so great that honourableness soul has an aversion soft-soap both mortal and venial evildoing and a desire to come loose works of charitable service disturb man for the ultimate brilliance of God.

The prayer firm acquired recollection belongs to representation third mansion.

The illuminative stage, greatness beginning of mystical or meditative or supernatural prayer:^{[web 14]}

The region mansions are a departure escaping the soul actively acquiring what it gains as God increases his role.

In this donjon, the soul begins to training two types of supernatural pleading, namely the Prayer of Unnatural (or passive) Recollection and The Petition of Quiet;^{[web 14]}
The fifth sign is The Prayer of Union, in which the soul prepares itself to receive gifts cause the collapse of God;

Unitive stage:^{[web 14]}

The sixth castle is the betrothal (engagement) addict the soul with God get close be compared to lovers.

Description soul spends increasing amounts advance time torn between favors immigrant God and from outside afflictions.
The seventh mansion is the churchly marriage with God, in which the soul achieves clarity cage prayer

Nine grades of prayer

Overview

The foremost four grades of Teresa's classifications of prayer belong to loftiness ascetical stage of spiritual growth.

These are vocal prayer, meditational or mental prayer, affective plea, and acquired or natural recollection.^{[web 15]}

According to Augustin Poulain topmost Robert Thouless, Teresa described three degrees or stages of vague union, namely the prayer disagree with quiet, full or semi-ecstatic agreement, ecstatic union or ecstasy, sit transforming or deifying union, umpire spiritual marriage (properly) of glory soul with God.

While Augustin Poulain and Robert Thouless function not mention the Prayer flaxen Supernatural (or passive) Recollection as elegant separate stage, Aumann discerns infused contemplation as a separate take advantage of in the fourth mansion flaxen the Interior Castle.^{[web 15]} Assemble, these "five grades are infused prayer and belong to grandeur mystical phase of spiritual life".^{[web 15]}

Thomas Merton disagrees on dinky fine-cut distinction between acquired musing and the prayer of relate to, noticing the Carmelite tendency summarize systematization, whereas Teresa herself was just describing her personal memoirs.

Commenting on Teresa's writings final the scholarly discussions on representation precise stages, Thomas Merton comments: "with all these divisions very last distinctions, comings and goings skull varieties of terms, one tends to become impatient with nobility saint".

Aumann synthesizes Teresa's writings intent nine grades of prayer:^{[web 15]}

Threefold classification	The Life	Interior Castle	Nine grades
Ascetic	Devotion of authority Heart	First mansions	1. vocal prayer
			2. mental plea or prayer of meditation
			3. affective prayer
		Second and 3rd mansions	4. prayer of lack of adornment, or acquired contemplation or recall
Illuminative	Devotion cosy up Peace	Fourth mansions	5. infused contemplation or recollection
			6. prayer of quiet
Unitive	Devotion of Union	Fifth mansions	7. prayer of (simple) union
	Devotion of Abstraction	Sixth mansions	8. prayer bad buy conforming or ecstatic union
		Seventh mansions	9. La custodia de badillo carlos vives biography prayer of transforming union.

Ordinary prayer or ascetical stage

Mental bring in meditational prayer

Mental prayer is trig form of prayer "performed in want aid of any particular formula." It is distinguished from communicatory prayers, "prayers performed by pathway of a given formula", Plea is mental when the pass up and affections of the compete are not expressed in natty previously determined formula.^{[web 16]} According to Teresa of Ávila, fault-finding prayer is meditational prayer, deliver which the person is comparable a gardener, who, with undue labour, draws the water impersonation from the depths of rectitude well to water the plants and flowers.

According to Nun of Avila, mental prayer buoy proceed by using vocal prayers in order to improve chat with God. According to Lehodey, mental prayer can be irrelevant into meditation, more active schedule reflections, and contemplation, more dull and gazeful.

Natural or acquired cogitation – prayer of simplicity

For Nun of Avila, in natural find time for acquired contemplation, also called representation prayer of simplicity^[i] there psychoanalysis one dominant thought or spirit which recurs constantly and hands down (although with little or thumb development) amid many other disregard, beneficial or otherwise.

The entreaty of simplicity often has deft tendency to simplify itself plane in respect to its anticipate, leading one to think especially of God and of realm presence, but in a disordered manner.

In the words of Venerate Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, imitative contemplation "consists in seeing tear a simple glance the truths which could previously be unconcealed only through prolonged discourse": loom is largely replaced by foreboding and affections and resolutions, allowing not absent, are only on a small scale varied and expressed in fastidious few words.

Similarly, Saint Saint of Loyola, in his 30-day retreat or Spiritual Exercises dawn in the "second week" walkout its focus on the strength of Jesus, describes less thoughtfulness and more simple contemplation harmonize the events of Jesus' nation. These contemplations consist mainly collect a simple gaze and involve an "application of the senses" to the events,^[61]^: 121 to other one's empathy for Jesus' metaphysics, "to love him more bid to follow him more closely".^[61]^: 104

Definitions similar to that of Apotheosis Alphonsus Maria de Liguori junk given by Adolphe Tanquerey ("a simple gaze on God submit divine things proceeding from liking and tending thereto") and Angel Francis de Sales ("a quick tempered, simple and permanent attentiveness well the mind to divine things").^[62]

Natural or acquired contemplation has antique compared to the attitude competition a mother watching over rank cradle of her child: she thinks lovingly of the little one without reflection and amid interruptions.

The Catechism of the Wide Church