#interior castle

[catholicapothecary]

Nothing good in us springs from ourselves but comes from the waters of grace near which the soul remains like a tree planted beside a river, and from that Sun which gives life to our works.

[myremnantarmy]

🌹 Feast of St. Teresa of Ávila (October 15)

Doctor of the Church • Mystic • Carmelite Reformer

(1515–1582)

Today we honor St. Teresa of Ávila, a woman of deep prayer, courage, and reform — who taught the world the path to divine union through “The Interior Castle.”

She revealed seven stages of prayer, guiding the soul closer to God:

1️⃣ Mental Prayer – Speaking with God through reflection, Scripture, and devotion.

2️⃣ Prayer of Quiet – The soul rests in peace and begins to sense His presence deeply.

3️⃣ Prayer of Union – God unites Himself more intimately to the soul.

4️⃣ Prayer of Ecstasy – A mystical encounter where the soul is lifted beyond itself.

5️⃣ Prayer of Quietude – Deeper stillness, resting entirely in the will of God.

6️⃣ Perfect Union – The soul desires nothing but what God desires.

7️⃣ Transforming Union – The soul becomes one with God’s love — fully His instrument.

🕊️ “Let nothing disturb you,

Let nothing frighten you.

All things are passing; God never changes.”

– St. Teresa of Ávila

Her life reminds us: prayer is not a formula — it’s a journey into the heart of God.

May her teachings lead us to deeper silence, surrender, and divine intimacy.

✨ St. Teresa of Ávila, pray for us!

[awarenessisnondual]

The only remedy is to de-hypnotise ourselves by consciously maintaining the wisdom ‘I am not the doer’. This is to be constantly maintained with ardent faith. This mental assertion is a specific cure for the poison of ego, and, therefore, it is compared here with nectar, the life-giving ambrosia.

[butinthenext]

“We should not be distressed by reason of our thoughts, nor allow ourselves to be worried by them: if they come from the devil, he will let us alone if we take no notice of them; and if they are, as often happens, one of the many frailties entailed by Adam’s sin, let us be patient and suffer them for the love of God.”

Saint Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle (The Fourth Mansions)

[owlandsword]

Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts

[santmat]

The body is the true temple (interior castle) of the spirit and the power of focused attention unlocks the door to this world of within.

[alonelyhouse]

Be brave and walk through the country of your own wild heart. Be gentle and know that you know nothing. Be mindfull and remember that every moment can be a prayer. Melting butter, scrambling eggs, lifting fork to mouth, praising God. Typing your daughter's first short story, praising God. Losing your temper and your dignity with someone you love, praising God. Balancing ecstasy with clear thinking, self-control with self-abandon. Be still. Listen. Keep walking.

Mirabai Starr, introduction to her translation of Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle 

[izzythehutt]

It is a great advantage for us to be able to consult someone who knows us, so that we may learn to know ourselves. And it is a great encouragement to see that things which we thought impossible are possible to others, and how easily these others do them. It makes us feel that we may emulate their flights and venture to fly ourselves, as the young birds do when their parents teach them; they are not yet ready for great flights but they gradually learn to imitate their parents. This is a great advantage, as I know. However determined such persons may be not to offend the Lord, they will do well not to run any risk of offending Him; for they are so near the first Mansions that they might easily return to them, since their fortitude is not built upon solid ground like that of souls who are already practiced in suffering. These last are familiar with the storms of the world, and realize how little need there is to fear them or to desire worldly pleasures.

St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle