St. Teresa of Avila: Her Works

St. Teresa was founder of the Discalced Carmelites which formed specifically for the practice of contemplative life (see St. Teresa of Avila: Her Life). She also wrote a number of books on Catholic mysticism. The books were done for the purpose of describing and documenting her theories on the practice of mental prayer.

Due her frequent illnesses she was often challenged with severe physical discomfort. It was during those times that she began to practice and evolve a method of mental prayer. In documenting her ideas, she describes a technique that allowed her the abilitiy to detach herself from her physical misery (senses) while progressing towards a closer relationship with God.

St. Teresa's books are now recognized as spiritual classics on contemplative prayer. Following her autobiography, Life, she wrote The Way of Perfection, which speaks directly of prayer life. Her next book, The Interior Castle, goes into more detail on the process of moving through the our many "mansions", as we edge towards divine union. In The Interior Castle, St. Teresa uses the imagery of a castle to describe the interior dwelling place. The castle contains seven rooms representing seven levels of movement towards God. The outermost room is "Humility". The individual levels continue as we pass through the next five sequential rooms of "Practice of Prayer", "Meditation", "Quiet", "Illumination", and "Dark Night". The seventh room is the final destination; union with God, known as the "King of Glory". Throughout, St. Teresa reveals the soul as a multi-faceted diamond with the ultimate communion being found in the very center.

Recognized for her insightful authority on the subject St. Teresa, nevertheless, always spoke with much humility and grace, frequently describing herself as unworthy of any notability, whatsoever. She asserts that her works were written at the urging of her superior's request, in order that she share her methods with her charges.

references: http://www.karmel.at/eng/teresa.htm

Excerpt from The Interior Castle , Chapter 1

"I thought of the soul as resembling a castle, formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal, and containing many rooms. If we reflect, sisters, we shall see that the soul of the just man is but a paradise, in which, God tells us, He takes His delight. What, do you imagine, must that dwelling be in which a King so mighty, so wise, and so pure, containing in Himself all good, can delight to rest? Nothing can be compared to the great beauty and capabilities of a soul; however keen our intellects may be, they are as unable to comprehend them as to comprehend God, for, as He has told us, He created us in His own image and likeness.

"As this is so, we need not tire ourselves by trying to realize all the beauty of this castle, although, being His creature, there is all the difference between the soul and God that there is between the creature and the Creator; the fact that it is made in God's image teaches us how great are its dignity and loveliness. It is no small misfortune and disgrace that, through our own fault, we neither understand our nature nor our origin. Would it not be gross ignorance, my daughters, if, when a man was questioned about his name, or country, or parents, he could not answer? Stupid as this would be, it is unspeakably more foolish to care to learn nothing of our nature except that we possess bodies, and only to realize vaguely that we have souls, because people say so and it is a doctrine of faith. Rarely do we reflect upon what gifts our souls may possess, Who dwells within them, or how extremely precious they are. Therefore we do little to preserve their beauty; all our care is concentrated on our bodies, which are but the coarse setting of the diamond, or the outer walls of the castle."