St Teresa of Avila was a sixteenth century Spanish nun, the
prime mover of the Discalced reform of her Carmelite order. One of the
giants of spiritual writing, she was the first woman to be recognized as
a Doctor of the Church.
The Interior Castle (
Las Moradas - "
The Mansions" - is the original Spanish title) is generally regarded as her masterpiece.
The book is intended as a guide for progress in the spiritual
life. It is not, however, a self-improvement plan or even a set of
spiritual exercises, rather, it is a presentation of St Teresa's wisdom
based on her own experiences. In it, St Teresa relates the soul's
journey to God in terms of travel through a set of rooms leading ever
deeper into reality, away from externals and into the heart of being.
Although the author is clear that these rooms will be different for
every person, the destination is objective, and the dangers and
temptations faced along the way will be similar.
The book is extremely conversational - reading it is like
listening to a kind aunt give advice. The humility of the author is not
only explicitly claimed, it underlies every page. The result is less
like a blueprint than an encounter.
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