The Seven Mansions of the Interior Castle
A Summary
Teresa's
Version
La Ermita's
Version
Outside the Castle
|
Those who
are paralyzed and crippled by sin. |
Those who
are broken hearted, and those who are spiritually and emotionally bound by evil. |
Inside the Castle - The Seven Mansions
|
1.
In this mansion are those of good desires, those who pray. However,
they are still absorbed primarily in their possessions, honors and business
affairs. |
1.Having arrived at the moment of complete
inner destitution and nothingness, the person collapses in abandonment at the
inner door to the true Self (Jung's concept). The door opens, and the true
Self carries in the person to be washed and dressed anew. Here there is
a refreshing new inner life that is experienced. Now the person knows that
he/she is loved by the Self and the Lord. |
|
2.
In this mansion are those who are searching for something deeper. They
read the Bible, spiritual books, seek good friendships, and find themselves
struggling against evil inclinations. |
2.After having been refreshed, the person
is given a room in which to dwell in the inner Self. Here, there is a
peace that had never been experienced. But after things have settled,
the person finds him/herself restless, desiring to
return to the street to live. The attraction is strong, but stronger is
the desire to leave it all behind and move on inward searching for its Self
and its God. |
|
3.
This mansion belongs to those who do not desire to sin, even in the smallest
way. They practice mortification and penance. They attend
retreats and days of recollection. They are charitable to others.
They maintain all things in their life in a balance. Yet, there still
is a desire to search for something deeper. |
3.
Having made the decision to leave all behind, ones old friends and
activities, the person is baptized in the Holy Spirit. The experience
is like moving into paradise. The person loves to pray and finds themselves singing the praises of the Lord all day.
Being filled with the Gifts of the Spirit, they experience new powers and
work wonders never dreamed of. They are gloriously happy and live in a
new environment with new friends. |
|
4.
In the fourth mansion belong those who are experiencing infused prayer, also
called the prayer of quiet. Their prayer is passive. It is
peaceful. The movement is inward towards the Self where eventually it
will meet its Lord. The most important virtue here is love. |
4.
Having left behind the emotional excitement of the new life in the third
mansion, the person is lead into contemplation with the passive use of the
imagination. During this time Jesus comes to the person in their
imagination where a relationship of personal love grows towards great depths
of intimacy. The person becomes inwardly quiet and peaceful, absorbed
in love, love within and without. Nothing else is important. |
|
5. Here
the person begins the prayer of union in which all the faculties of the soul
are suspended. Teresa says it is like God becomes the cocoon in which
the person dies. It is a period of darkness, but yet the soul is
certain beyond doubt that it is with and in the Lord. During this
period the soul grows more in love of neighbor, humility and faithfulness to
prayer and the Lord. |
5.
The person enters this mansion when the passive use of the imagination
ceases. The person begins to dwell in a darkness of a 'feeling' faith,
an 'awareness' faith. The person feels the warmth, gentleness and love of the darkness,
characteristics that assure the person of the Beloved's presence. All
is filled with love. The assurance that he/she is with and in the Lord
beyond all doubt exists in the humility, love for others and faithfulness to
prayer that are signs of continued growth in virtues unseen by the person. |
|
6.
Here Teresa speaks of spiritual betrothal. It takes place during a rapture, when the soul is drawn out of its senses.
It is a time of special 'secret' teaching between the soul and its Beloved
who appears to the soul. Great courage is needed to take this step
because the soul will be purified even more, not only through human trials
and sufferings, but also through contact with the human person of
Jesus. The results of this mansion are: a deep knowledge of God and
self, humility, rejection of all earthly things that are not needed to
promote love of the Beloved, and a joy so great that the soul cannot resist
shouting it from the housetops. |
6.
This is the mansion of spiritual betrothal. It takes place, as Teresa
says, when the person is drawn out of itself by a rapture.
The person also receives special teachings and revelations that fit its inner
needs. The results of these events create within the person intimate
knowledge of each person of the Trinity, a deep self awareness that is rooted
in humility, a rejection of all earthly things that are not necessary to the
continuance of this great love relationship, and finally, a joy that is so
powerful that one cannot resist the urge to shout it to the whole world so
that all can know how lovable and wonderful each person of the Trinity
is. However, it is this very joy that brings further purification to
the soul, many trials and tribulations, physical, emotional and spiritual,
leading the person almost to the brink of despair. Only by the strength
of the love already experienced is the person capable of surviving such
suffering. |
|
7.
The mansion of spiritual marriage. When the person is ready for
spiritual marriage, the Lord removes the scales from their eyes and they see
and understand how beautiful they have been made by the Lord. Thus,
fortified, they are united in marital love deep within the Self. They
become one, and no longer fall into ecstasy. All mystical experiences
are con-natural. It is not so much now what they do, but with the love
union that they do it in. |
7.
The mansion of spiritual marriage. The person for a long time has not
been able to see and know what the Beloved has been doing inside the self,
preparing him/her for the marital embrace. It has been a life of
darkness. But when he/she is ready, the scales are removed, as Teresa
says, and the person sees for the first time how beautiful he/she is.
Then, for the men, Sophia, the Holy Spirit, reveals Herself
and comes to take her spouse unto herself. They become one. For
the women, it is Jesus who removes the scales allowing her to see herself in
her beauty. Then, Jesus takes his bride unto himself in a marital union
of love. Now, love reigns supreme. Being one completely, all
he/she does is done in and with the Beloved. |
Any clarifications or thoughts that you wish to share
please feel free to E-mail us.
References: For St. Teresa of Avila's version:
St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. II, translated by Orilio
Rodriguez
and Kieran Kavanaugh, ICS Publications,
Washington,
DC, 1980, pgs. 270-278.