st. Teresa of Avila’s interior castle

St. Teresa of Ávila wrote one of the greatest spiritual guides ever:
The Interior Castle.

She had a vision of the spiritual life as a diamond castle, with seven sets of “mansions.” These mansions go deeper to the center of our soul – where God resides. Try to envision this as a spritual journey that deepens with prayer.

1. Outside of the Castle: A life without God, living in sin.

2. The First Mansions: St. Teresa’s most important advice for the
beginner is to try to rid themselves of sin and attachments.
The chief goal of prayer is to better love God and neighbor.

3. The Second Mansions: The soul is only partially detached
from sin and the allurements of the world. The world still
appears attractive. The soul clings to its belongings and to what
other people think about it.

4. The Third Mansions: This stage may last for a long time. St. Teresa recommends doing what will open the soul up to God’s action. Recognize God’s presence within the soul in prayer, opening yourself to grace.

5. The Fourth Mansions: Reaching this stage is a major transition.
This marks a move from the “Purgative Way” to the “Illuminative Way.” The soul in the fourth mansions begins to experience supernatural recollection. God alone gives this grace, an loving awareness of God. We cannot bring about supernatural recollection through our own efforts. This prayer always transforms the person for the better. God takes over the will over time (uniting it with His) and then even the intellect and the imagination.

6. The Fifth Mansions: This type of prayer is “the prayer of union.” Here the soul loves God with such intensity that it is even forgetful
of itself. As the soul grows in love, it also grows in detachment from selfishness.

7. The Sixth Mansions: St. Teresa writes many chapters to this stage alone. In this stage of prayer, one’s “will is fully occupied with Him” and “fully awake to the things of God.” It is so deep that the soul
will never forget the experience after it happens. She describes the “bodily energies” like seeing, hearing, and touching disappearing. Ecstatic prayer can last for hours and can happen often, without any control over when. The soul remains rooted in humility. The soul desires to use these graces for the growth of God’s kingdom. As the soul advances in the sixth mansions, the raptures begin to end. It’s important to know that spiritual dryness still occurs in the sixth mansions.

8. The Seventh Mansions: St. Teresa says in this state the soul can
both be contemplative and active in the world at the same time.
Spiritual marriage is spiritual, in the depths of the soul. Here “the
soul remains all the time in that center with its God.” The presence
of the Trinity “is so impossible to doubt.” God and the soul are united.