Teresa of Avila and Her Nuns: The Interior Castle

Historical Context

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) was a Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and Doctor of the Church who reformed the Carmelite order and wrote extensively about the spiritual life. Her masterwork, “The Interior Castle,” describes the soul’s journey to God through seven progressive stages or “mansions.” Written during the Spanish Inquisition, when mystical experience was viewed with suspicion, Teresa’s works combined deep spiritual insight with practical wisdom and remarkable psychological acuity.

She founded seventeen reformed monasteries despite chronic illness, church opposition, and social constraints on women. Her teachings emphasize mental prayer, contemplation, and direct experience of God’s presence, making sophisticated mysticism accessible to ordinary seekers.

The Dialogues

On Entering the Interior Castle

Sister María: “Mother Teresa, you speak of an interior castle within the soul with many mansions. But when I try to pray, my mind is so distracted, so filled with worldly concerns. How can I enter this castle?”

Teresa: “My dear daughter, you have already taken the first step by recognizing your distraction! So many souls never even attempt to enter because they remain caught in external affairs, never turning inward.

The castle I speak of is your own soul—created in God’s image, therefore of incomparable beauty and dignity. Yet most people live as if in the outer courtyard, never venturing inside to discover the treasures within.

The door to this castle is prayer and reflection. Not merely vocal prayer—though that has its place—but mental prayer, where you converse with God in your heart. Begin simply: imagine our Lord present before you. Speak to Him as you would to a beloved friend. Tell Him your troubles, your joys, your desires.

Don’t be discouraged by distractions! They are like the lizards and vipers in the outer courtyard—annoying but harmless if you don’t engage with them. Simply return your attention to the Lord. Again and again. This faithful returning IS the practice.”

Sister María: “But sometimes I feel nothing in prayer. It seems dry and pointless. Should I continue?”

Teresa: “Ah, this is so important to understand! God does not always grant feelings of devotion—consolations, as we call them. Sometimes prayer feels dry precisely because God wants to test your love.

Think of it this way: a peasant who works only when the master is watching is not truly loyal. But one who works faithfully even in the master’s absence—that is true love. In the same way, the soul that prays without consolation, purely from love and obedience, pleases God more than one that prays only when it feels good.

Moreover, consolations are like swaddling clothes for spiritual infants. As you mature, God weans you from dependence on feelings so your love becomes pure and strong. So continue praying faithfully whether you feel devotion or not. In this perseverance, your love deepens.”

On the Early Mansions: Self-Knowledge and Humility

Sister Isabel: “Mother, you say the first mansions involve self-knowledge. But shouldn’t we focus on God rather than ourselves?”

Teresa: “You cannot truly know God without first knowing yourself! Self-knowledge and knowledge of God are twins—they grow together.

In the first mansions, the soul begins to recognize its true situation. It sees clearly, perhaps for the first time, the difference between worldly values and eternal values. It begins to understand the vanity of worldly honors, the emptiness of earthly possessions.

But more importantly, through honest self-examination, it sees its own misery—its attachments, its pride, its self-will. This is not to despair but to humble oneself! The soul realizes: ‘Without God’s grace, I am nothing. I can do nothing.’ This humility is the foundation of all spiritual progress.

Yet even as you see your wretchedness, you must also recognize your dignity—you are made in God’s image, destined for union with Him! This paradox—seeing both your misery and your nobility—is true self-knowledge.”

Sister Isabel: “But Mother, when I see my faults clearly, I become discouraged. I think, ‘I am too sinful to approach God.’”

Teresa: “This is a temptation from the enemy! He first tempts us to sin, then tempts us to despair over our sin. Both are tricks to keep us from God.

Listen carefully: God does not demand perfection before He accepts you. He demands only sincere desire and honest effort. The very fact that you see your faults is a grace! It means God’s light is illuminating your soul.

The proper response to seeing your sin is not despair but confidence in God’s mercy! Run to Him like a child who has fallen runs to its mother. He will lift you up, clean your wounds, and hold you close. His love is not based on your merit but on His nature—He IS love.

Never let recognition of your faults keep you from prayer. This is the devil’s cleverest trick. Instead, bring your faults to prayer. Show them to the Lord. Say, ‘Look what I am without You! Help me!’ This honesty and dependence please Him more than any supposed perfection.”

On the Middle Mansions: Trials and Perseverance

Sister Ana: “Mother Teresa, I have been faithful in prayer for years, yet I face terrible trials—illness, misunderstanding from my sisters, inner dryness. Why does God allow this?”

Teresa: “You have entered the fourth, fifth, and sixth mansions, my daughter! Here God begins to work more deeply, and with this comes greater trials. Let me explain why.

First, trials reveal what is truly in the heart. When everything goes smoothly, we may think we’re more spiritual than we are. But trials expose our attachments, our pride, our self-will. They show us where we still cling to created things rather than the Creator.

Second, trials purify us. Imagine gold refined in fire—the impurities must be burned away. Your trials are this refining fire, burning away everything that is not truly of God so that your love becomes pure.

Third, trials make you dependent on God alone. When external supports fail—when even spiritual consolations are withdrawn—you learn to cling to God Himself, not to His gifts. This is a great advance!

The enemy will whisper that God has abandoned you, that your spiritual life is a failure. Don’t believe these lies! God is actually closer than ever—so close that your senses can’t perceive Him. He is working in the depths of your soul.”

Sister Ana: “But how do I bear these trials? They feel unbearable!”

Teresa: “First, remember that God never permits a trial beyond what you can bear with His grace. The trial may be great, but His grace is greater.

Second, don’t fight the trial or resent it. Accept it from God’s hand as a gift, even if you don’t understand why. Say, ‘Your will be done,’ and mean it with all your heart.

Third, unite your sufferings with Christ’s passion. When you feel abandoned, remember that He cried out, ‘My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Your suffering unites you with Him in a profound way.

Finally, persevere! Don’t abandon prayer when it becomes difficult. This is the crucial test. Those who persevere through dryness and darkness will enter the innermost mansions. But those who quit when the going gets hard will never know the treasures within.”

On the Prayer of Quiet and Union

Sister Catalina: “Mother, sometimes in prayer a strange peace comes over me. I can’t think or reason, but there’s a deep quiet that seems to come from God. Yet I fear this is illusion or even demonic deception.”

Teresa: “You are describing what I call the Prayer of Quiet! This is God’s work, not yours—an early form of contemplation where God begins to act more directly on the soul.

How can you know it’s from God and not illusion? By its effects. Does this prayer increase your love for God? Does it make you more humble? More detached from worldly things? More charitable toward others? If yes, it is from God. The devil cannot produce these fruits.

In this prayer, the will is captivated by God—held in loving attention—while the faculties (memory, imagination, understanding) may still wander. Don’t fight with the wandering faculties! Let them roam like children playing outside while you, the mother, rest inside with the Lord.

Don’t try to bring about this prayer yourself. It is God’s gift, given when and how He chooses. Your job is simply to prepare yourself through faithful practice of mental prayer, and then to receive whatever God gives.”

Sister Catalina: “And what of the prayer of union you write about? Is this different?”

Teresa: “Yes, much more advanced! In the prayer of union, all the soul’s faculties are absorbed in God—not just the will but memory and understanding too. The soul is so united with God that it’s unaware of anything else.

This union is brief at first—perhaps only moments—but unmistakable. The soul knows beyond any doubt that it has been in God’s presence. This certainty remains even after the experience ends.

But hear me clearly: don’t seek these experiences! Seek God Himself. These special graces are God’s business—He gives them as He wills, to whom He wills, when He wills. Your business is simply to love Him and serve Him faithfully. If He grants these graces, receive them with gratitude. If not, trust that He knows what you need.”

On the Seventh Mansion: Spiritual Marriage

Sister Teresa (a different nun): “Mother, you write mysteriously about the seventh mansion where the soul experiences spiritual marriage with God. Can you explain this to us?”

Teresa: “I write with difficulty because this is ineffable—beyond words. But I will try for your sake and for all who may read this.

Spiritual marriage is different from the unions that come before. Those unions are like when lovers meet briefly—intensely wonderful but temporary. Spiritual marriage is like the permanent union of husband and wife who never separate again.

In this state, the soul lives constantly aware of God’s presence—not just in prayer but in all activities. There is a secret, intimate communion with the Trinity dwelling in the soul’s center. The soul and God are like two candles so close their flames become one—or like rain falling into a river, becoming inseparable from it.

Yet the soul doesn’t lose itself! This is crucial to understand. It doesn’t cease to exist or become God. Rather, it becomes so united with God that its will and God’s will are one. It wants only what God wants. It acts, but God acts through it.

Those in this state still feel human emotions—still experience temptations, difficulties, physical suffering. But deep within, there is unshakable peace. The soul’s center, united with God, remains undisturbed no matter what happens on the surface.”

Sister Teresa: “How does one reach this state, Mother?”

Teresa: “You cannot reach it—only God can bring you to it! This is pure grace, the fruit of His love, not a reward for your efforts.

However, you can prepare yourself through humility, detachment, and faithful perseverance in prayer and in following God’s will. The path involves dying to self—to self-will, self-importance, self-seeking. It requires radical trust and abandonment to God.

But don’t think of this as grim! It is actually the greatest joy, the fulfillment of what we were created for. All the trials, all the disciplines, all the prayers are worth it—worth suffering a thousand times over—to reach even a moment of this union, let alone to live in it permanently.

Though I must tell you: those who reach this state paradoxically think the least of themselves. They are so overwhelmed by God’s goodness and their own unworthiness that they become truly humble. Pride cannot survive in the seventh mansion.”

On Active Life and Contemplation

Sister Juana: “Mother, you teach deep contemplation, yet you yourself are constantly active—founding monasteries, writing, dealing with church authorities, traveling despite illness. How do you balance action and contemplation?”

Teresa: “This is perhaps the most important lesson I have learned! Many think contemplation means remaining in solitude, always praying, never engaged with worldly affairs. But this is a mistake.

True contemplation doesn’t flee from action—it transforms action. When Martha complained that Mary sat at Jesus’s feet while she worked, Jesus didn’t condemn Martha’s service! He only said Mary had chosen the better part. Both are necessary.

The highest state is not contemplation without action—it is contemplation that overflows into action. From the wellspring of union with God, service flows naturally. This service is no longer driven by ego, anxiety, or self-will. It becomes God’s work done through you.

Look at our Lord! He spent nights in prayer on the mountain, but days serving people—healing, teaching, feeding crowds. Prayer and action were one continuous flow. This is the model.

So yes, spend time in prayer and contemplation. Build your interior castle. But then go out and serve your sisters, serve the poor, serve the Church. Let your love for God overflow in love for neighbor. This is the proof that your contemplation is genuine.”

Sister Juana: “But how do we maintain recollection—interior prayer—in the midst of duties and disturbances?”

Teresa: “By practicing the presence of God in all things. Remember: the Lord walks among the pots and pans! He is with you when you sweep the floor as much as when you kneel in the chapel.

Develop the habit of interior conversation with Him throughout the day. A quick glance of love, a brief word to Him in your heart—this is as valuable as long periods of formal prayer.

Also, guard your senses. Don’t let your eyes wander to everything, your ears hear everything, your mouth speak everything. This interior custody helps maintain recollection even in activity.

Finally, return regularly to formal prayer, to silence, to solitude. Even Christ withdrew to pray. We need these times to refuel, to deepen our union, so that our active life flows from contemplative depth rather than from mere human effort.”

On Spiritual Friendship and Community

Several Nuns Together: “Mother Teresa, you emphasize personal prayer and interior life, yet you have gathered us in community. How does community life serve spiritual growth?”

Teresa: “Community is both challenge and blessing! On one hand, living with others exposes your faults as nothing else can. That sister who irritates you—she is your teacher, showing you where you still lack patience and love!

On the other hand, genuine spiritual friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts. When two or three souls truly love each other in God—not for personal gain but to encourage each other toward holiness—tremendous grace flows.

The key is loving each other IN God, not merely naturally. Natural affection is fine but limited. Spiritual friendship loves the other person’s soul more than their company, wants their holiness more than their approval, tells them truth rather than flattery.

I have experienced such friendships—with Father John of the Cross, with Father Peter of Alcántara, with some of you sisters. These friendships have strengthened me immeasurably on the spiritual path. We pray for each other, encourage each other, speak honestly to each other about our struggles.”

The Nuns: “But what about attachments, Mother? Can’t spiritual friendships become exclusive or possessive?”

Teresa: “Yes, that’s the danger! We must love each other with detachment—deeply but freely, without grasping or jealousy. The test is this: can you be happy when your friend grows close to another? Can you let them go if that’s God’s will? Can you love them without needing anything in return?

True spiritual friendship actually increases love for all—it doesn’t diminish it. When we see Christ in one person clearly, we begin to see Him in everyone. The particular friendship becomes a window to universal charity.

Also, these friendships must serve God’s will, not obstruct it. If a friendship distracts you from prayer, makes you neglect your duties, or creates division in community—it’s not a true spiritual friendship, no matter how holy it seems.”

Key Teachings

1. The Interior Castle

The soul contains within it a magnificent castle with seven mansions or levels, progressing from outer self-awareness to innermost union with God. Prayer is the door to entering this interior realm.

2. Self-Knowledge and God-Knowledge

True self-knowledge (seeing both one’s misery and one’s dignity) is inseparable from knowledge of God. Humility is the foundation of spiritual progress.

3. Mental Prayer

Interior prayer—conversing with God heart to heart—is essential for spiritual growth. It’s not about feelings but about faithful presence and honest relationship.

4. Trials as Purification

God permits trials not to punish but to purify, to reveal hidden attachments, and to draw the soul into deeper dependence on Him alone.

5. Contemplation and Action

Highest spirituality integrates deep contemplation with active service. True prayer overflows into loving action; authentic service is rooted in prayer.

6. Spiritual Marriage

The ultimate goal is permanent, unbreakable union with God where the soul’s will and God’s will become one, though the soul retains its distinct existence.

Practical Applications

Developing Mental Prayer

1. Set aside regular time for prayer daily
2. Begin by imagining Christ present with you
3. Speak to Him honestly about everything in your life
4. Listen in silence for His response in your heart
5. Don’t be discouraged by distractions—simply return attention to Him

Growing in Self-Knowledge

• Examine your conscience daily with honesty and compassion
• Notice your reactions to people and situations—what do they reveal?
• Balance awareness of faults with awareness of God’s love and your dignity
• Let self-knowledge lead to humility, not despair

Facing Trials

• Accept difficulties as coming from God’s permissive will
• Look for what God is teaching through each trial
• Unite your suffering with Christ’s passion
• Persevere in prayer especially when it feels dry or difficult

Integrating Contemplation and Action

• Practice the presence of God in all activities
• Maintain brief interior conversations with God throughout the day
• Let service flow from prayer rather than replacing it
• Return regularly to silence and solitude for deepening

Questions for Contemplation

1. Have I truly entered my interior castle, or do I remain in the outer courtyard of external religion?

2. What attachments, fears, or false images of self prevent me from progressing deeper into prayer?

3. Can I accept trials as God’s refining fire rather than resenting them as obstacles?

4. Do I seek experiences in prayer or do I seek God Himself? Can I love Him without consolations?

5. Does my spiritual life overflow into loving service, or does it remain self-focused?

The Significance of This Dialogue

Teresa of Avila made sophisticated Christian mysticism accessible to ordinary people, especially women. In an era when female spirituality was viewed with suspicion, she demonstrated that direct experience of God was not only possible but could be described clearly and taught systematically.

Her “Interior Castle” provides a roadmap of spiritual development that validates diverse experiences—from beginner’s struggles with distraction to advanced states of mystical union. This map helps practitioners understand where they are and what might come next, reducing confusion and false expectations.

Teresa’s emphasis on self-knowledge combined with God-knowledge offers profound psychological insight. She understood that we must face our shadow—our attachments, fears, and self-deceptions—not in isolation but in the light of God’s transforming love. This integration of psychological insight with spiritual depth makes her teaching remarkably relevant for contemporary seekers.

Her integration of contemplation and action speaks to modern practitioners who cannot or should not abandon worldly responsibilities for full-time monastic life. She demonstrates that depth of prayer is compatible with active engagement in the world—indeed, genuine contemplation naturally overflows into compassionate service.

The teaching on spiritual friendship addresses the communal dimension often neglected in discussions of mysticism. While direct experience of God is ultimately personal, Teresa shows how authentic spiritual community supports and strengthens individual practice. Her model of loving others “in God” rather than merely naturally offers a way beyond both isolation and unhealthy attachment.

For contemporary Christianity, often polarized between intellectual theology and emotional experience, between social activism and personal devotion, Teresa offers a balanced path that honors both thought and feeling, both interior life and outward service, both personal experience and church tradition.

Most profoundly, her description of spiritual marriage—permanent union with God while retaining one’s distinct identity—resolves the tension between transcendence and immanence, between losing oneself in God and being authentically oneself. This union is the goal toward which all spiritual practice points—not escape from selfhood but fulfillment of one’s deepest identity in God.