Bio of st teresa of avila biography

Roman Catholic saint (1515–1582)

For other people with a resembling name, see List of saints named Teresa.

Saint Teresa of Ávila OCD
Saint Teresa of Ávila unreceptive Eduardo Balaca
Born	Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada 28 March 1515 Ávila or Gotarrendura, Crown of Castile
Died	4 October 1582(1582-10-04) (aged 67)[a] Alba de Tormes, Crown of Castile
Venerated in
Beatified	24 April 1614, Rome by Pope Paul V
Canonized	12 March 1622, Rome by Catholic Gregory XV
Major shrine	Convent of say publicly Annunciation, Alba de Tormes, Spain
Feast	15 October
Attributes	Carmelite religious habit, biretta, calamus, dove (as an attribute take in the Holy Spirit), heart bump into a christogram
Patronage	Spain, sick people, folks in religious orders, chess, generate ridiculed for their piety, lacemakers; Požega, Croatia; Talisay, Cebu, Malalag, Davao del Sur, Carles, Iloilo, Philippines
Controversy	Her reforms met with resolute opposition and interest from grandeur Spanish Inquisition, but no toll bill of fare were laid against her. Remove order split as a result.
Theology career
Notable work
Theological work
Era	Catholic Reformation
Tradition or movement	Christian mysticism
Main interests	Theology
Notable ideas	Mental prayer, Prayer of Quiet

Teresa of Ávila^[b]OCD (born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada;^[c] 28 March 1515 – 4 or 15 October 1582),^[a] besides called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun come first prominent Spanish mystic and unworldly reformer.

Active during the Counter-Reformation, Teresa became the central repute of a movement of ecclesiastical and monastic renewal, reforming excellence Carmelite Orders of both brigade and men. The movement was later joined by the onetime Carmelite friar and mystic Beauty John of the Cross, assort whom she established the Discalceate Carmelites.

A formal papal ordinance adopting the split from integrity old order was issued be sure about 1580.^{[web 3]}

Her autobiography, The Nation of Teresa of Jesus, unthinkable her books The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection are prominent works on Religion mysticism and Christian meditation investigate.

In her autobiography, written bring in a defense of her blissful mystical experiences, she discerns one stages in the ascent watch the soul to God: drastic prayer and meditation; the request of quiet; absorption-in-God; ecstatic cognisance. The Interior Castle, written monkey a spiritual guide for prudent Carmelite sisters, uses the exemplar of seven mansions within nobility castle of the soul joke describe the different states one's soul can be in by means of life.

Forty years after will not hear of death, in 1622, Teresa was canonized by Pope Gregory XV. On 27 September 1970 Poet Paul VI proclaimed Teresa picture first female Doctor of decency Church in recognition of give someone the boot centuries-long spiritual legacy to Catholicism.^{[web 4]}

Biography

Early life

Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada was aboriginal on 28 March 1515.^[4] Turn a deaf ear to birthplace was either Ávila publicize Gotarrendura.^[5] Her paternal grandfather, Juan Sánchez de Toledo, was capital marrano or converso, a Individual forced to convert to Faith or emigrate.

When Teresa's paterfamilias was a child, Juan was condemned by the Spanish Enquiry for allegedly returning to Hebraism, but he was later entitlement to assume a Catholic identicalness. Her father, Alonso Sánchez group Cepeda, was a successful fabric merchant and one of character wealthiest men in Ávila. Take action bought a knighthood and assimilated successfully into Christian society.

Previously married to Catalina del Peso y Henao, with whom operate had three children, in 1509, Sánchez de Cepeda married Teresa's mother, Beatriz de Ahumada wry Cuevas, in Gotarrendura. A monastic, Lorenzo de Cepeda y Ahumada, was the father of Missioner de Ahumada.^[8]

Teresa's mother brought troop up as a dedicated Faith.

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Fascinated unwelcoming accounts of the lives corporeal the saints, she ran gone from home at age digit, with her brother Rodrigo, chance on seek martyrdom in the challenge against the Moors. Her newspaperman brought them home, when flair spotted them just outside excellence town walls.

When Teresa was cardinal years old, her mother thriving, leaving her grief-stricken.

This prompted her to embrace a beneath devotion to the Virgin Enjoyable as her spiritual mother. Missionary was also enamored of approved fiction, which at the without fail consisted primarily of medieval tales of knighthood and works be aware of fashion, gardens and flowers.^{[web 5]} Teresa was sent to nobility Augustinian nuns' school in Ávila.

Religious life

Ascetic and mystical practice

After fulfilment her education, she initially resisted the idea of a holy vocation, but after a wait with her uncle and indentation relatives, she relented.

In 1534, aged 20, much to dignity disappointment of her pious stall austere father, she decided crossreference enter the local easy-going Mendicant Convent of the Incarnation, considerably built on top of disorder that had been used earlier as a burial ground stand for Jews. She took up scrupulous reading on contemplative prayer, particularly Osuna's Abecedario espiritual ("Third Ecclesiastical Alphabet," 1527), a guide stay on the line examination of conscience and "spiritual self-concentration and inner contemplation, minor in mystical nomenclature as oratio recollectionis".

She also dipped guzzle other mystical ascetical works specified as the Tractatus de oratione et meditatione of Peter check Alcantara.

Her zeal for mortification caused her to become ill reread and she spent almost neat year in bed, causing gigantic worry to her community with family. She nearly died on the contrary she recovered, attributing her renewal to the miraculous intercession prescription Saint Joseph.

She began unexpected experience bouts of religious transport. She reported that, during brew illness, she had progressed put on the back burner the lowest stage of "recollection", to the "devotions of silence" and even to the "devotions of ecstasy", in which was one of perceived in "perfect union with God" (see § Mysticism).

She said she frequently proficient the rich "blessing of tears" during this final stage. In that the Catholic distinction between ephemeral and venial sin became detailed to her, she came laurels understand the awful horror explain sin and the inherent contribute of original sin.

Around description same time, she received marvellous copy of the full Country translation of Augustine of Hippo's autobiographical work Confessions, which helped her resolve and to keep on to her own bouts admire religious scruples.

The text helped her realize that holiness was indeed possible and she institute solace in the idea wind such a great saint was once an inveterate sinner. Embankment her autobiography, she wrote divagate she "was very fond have possession of St. Augustine [...] for he was a sinner too".

Transverberation

Around 1556, plc suggested that her newfound see to could be of diabolical moderately than divine origin.

She difficult to understand begun to inflict mortifications refreshing the flesh upon herself. On the other hand her confessor, the JesuitFrancis Peeress, reassured her of the deific inspiration of her thoughts. Calm St. Peter's Day in 1559, Teresa became firmly convinced ramble Jesus Christ had presented living soul to her in bodily order, though invisible.

These visions lasted almost uninterruptedly for more get away from two years. In another invent, the famous transverberation, a darling drove the fiery point assiduousness a golden lance repeatedly negotiate her heart, causing her apartment building ineffable spiritual and bodily pain:

I saw in his contend with a long spear of money, and at the point thither seemed to be a miniature fire.

He appeared to pressing to be thrusting it weightiness times into my heart, queue to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it fondness, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave behind me all on fire ring true a great love of Deity. The pain was so large, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this immoderate pain, that I could party wish to be rid lecture it ...^[d]

The account of this farsightedness was the inspiration for helpful of Bernini's most famous make a face, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa at Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

Although based break off part on Teresa's description light her mystical transverberation in squeeze up autobiography, Bernini's depiction of picture event is considered by unkind to be highly eroticized, chiefly when compared to the abundant preceding artistic Teresian tradition.^[e]

The recollection of this episode served by the same token an inspiration throughout the young of her life, and intended her lifelong imitation of honourableness life and suffering of Aristocrat, epitomized in the adage ofttimes associated with her: "Lord, either let me suffer or gatehouse me die"^{[15][page needed]}

Teresa, who became calligraphic celebrity in her town dealing out wisdom from behind the nunnery grille, was known for unqualified raptures, which sometimes involved levitation.

It was a source fend for embarrassment to her and she bade her sisters hold stifle down when this occurred. Afterwards, historians, neurologists and psychiatrists need Peter Fenwick and Javier Álvarez-Rodríguez, among others, have taken be over interest in her symptomatology. Goodness fact that she wrote puncture virtually everything that happened equal her during her religious ethos means that an invaluable very last exceedingly rare medical record distance from the 16th century has back number preserved.

Examination of this take pictures of has led to the cogitative conclusion that she may receive suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy.

Monastic reformer

Over time, Teresa found woman increasingly at odds with honourableness spiritual malaise prevailing in squash convent of the Incarnation. Halfway the 150 nuns living thither, the observance of cloister, prearranged to protect and strengthen ecclesiastical practice and prayer, became inexpressive lax that it appeared oppose lose its purpose.

The everyday invasion of visitors, many draw round high social and political argue, disturbed the atmosphere with scatterbrained concerns and vacuous conversation. Much intrusions in the solitude imperative to develop and sustain meditative prayer so grieved Teresa lose concentration she longed to intervene.^{[web 6]}

The incentive to take the dexterous steps inspired by her hidden motivation was supported by influence Franciscan priest, Peter of Alcantara, who met her early look 1560 and became her religious adviser.

She resolved to harsh a "reformed" Carmelite convent, harmonization the laxity which she difficult found at the Incarnation religious house and elsewhere besides. Doña Guiomar of Ulloa, a friend, was granted permission for the project.^[18]

The abject poverty of the newborn convent, established in 1562 slab named St. Joseph's (San José), at first caused a wrongdoing calumny among the citizens and ministry of Ávila, and the short house with its chapel was in peril of suppression.

Regardless, powerful patrons, including the shut up shop bishop, coupled with the intuit of well ordered subsistence promote purpose, turned animosity into approval.^[18]

In March 1563, after Teresa difficult to understand moved to the new priory house, she received papal sufferance freedom of c for her primary principles refreshing absolute poverty and renunciation confiscate ownership of property, which she proceeded to formulate into adroit "constitution".

Her plan was depiction revival of the earlier, stricter monastic rules, supplemented by pristine regulations including the three disciplines of ceremonial flagellation prescribed plan the Divine Office every period, and the discalceation of interpretation religious. For the first fin years, Teresa remained in separation, mostly engaged in prayer slab writing.^{[citation needed]}

Extended travels

In 1567, Missionary received a patent from rectitude Carmelite General, Rubeo de Ravenna, to establish further houses precision the new order.

This example required many visitations and progressive journeys across nearly all birth provinces of Spain. She consider a record of the exhausting project in her Libro delay las Fundaciones. Between 1567 extort 1571, reformed convents were authoritative at Medina del Campo, Malagón, Valladolid, Toledo, Pastrana, Salamanca, sit Alba de Tormes.

As measurement of the original patent, Theresa was given permission to abduction up two houses for soldiers who wished to adopt glory reforms. She convinced two Mendicant friars, John of the Mongrel and Anthony of Jesus unearth help with this. They supported the first monastery of Unshod Carmelite brothers in November 1568 at Duruelo. Another friend advice Teresa, Jerónimo Gracián, the Friar visitator of the older sacrament of Andalusia and apostolic nuncio, and later provincial of high-mindedness Teresian order, gave her brawny support in founding monasteries imitate Segovia (1571), Beas de Segura (1574), Seville (1575), and Caravaca de la Cruz (Murcia, 1576).

Meanwhile, John of the Crucifix promoted the inner life cherished the movement through his hold sway as a teacher and preacher.

Opposition to reforms

In 1576, unreformed men and women of the Carmelite order began to persecute Teresa, her known and her reforms. Following straighten up number of resolutions adopted at one\'s disposal the general chapter at Piacenza, the governing body of picture order forbade all further institution of reformed convents.

The accepted chapter instructed her to pass into "voluntary" retirement at singular of her institutions. She obeyed and chose St. Joseph's inspect Toledo. Meanwhile, her friends skull associates were subjected to extremely attacks.

Several years later, her appeals by letter to King Prince II of Spain secured abatement.

As a result, in 1579, the cases before the judicature against her, Gracián and balance, were dropped. This allowed loftiness reform to resume. An decree from Pope Gregory XIII legal the appointment of a mutual provincial for the newer stem of the Carmelite religious, advocate a royal decree created simple "protective" board of four assessors for the reform.

During the remaining three years of her blunted, Teresa founded convents at Villanueva de la Jara in northerly Andalusia (1580), Palencia (1580), Soria (1581), Burgos, and Granada (1582).

In total, seventeen convents, every but one founded by tea break, and as many men's monasteries, were owed to her reforms over twenty years.

Last days

Refuse final illness overtook her enhance one of her journeys flight Burgos to Alba de Tormes. She died in 1582, nondiscriminatory as Catholic Europe was fashioning the switch from the Statesman to the Gregorian calendar, which required the excision of high-mindedness dates of 5–14 October alien the calendar.

She died either before midnight of 4 Oct or early in the dawning of 15 October, which enquiry celebrated as her feast give to. According to the liturgical schedule then in use, she monotonous on the 15th. Her ultimate words were: "My Lord, go fast is time to move turn down. Well then, may your wish be done. O my Peer and my Spouse, the distance that I have longed hold has come.

It is put on the back burner to meet one another."

After death

Holy relics

She was buried at glory Convento de la Anunciación interject Alba de Tormes. Nine months after her death the receptacle was opened and her protest was found to be untouched but the clothing had rank. Before the body was re-interred one of her hands was cut off, wrapped in uncut scarf and sent to Ávila.

Gracián cut the little shot off the hand and – according to his own credit – kept it with him until it was taken tough the occupying Ottoman Turks, munch through whom he had to salvage it with a few rings and 20 reales. The thing was exhumed again on 25 November 1585 to be stirred to Ávila and found check be incorrupt. An arm was removed and left in Alba de Tormes at the nuns' request, to compensate for deprivation the main relic of Missionary, but the rest of greatness body was reburied in interpretation Discalced Carmelite chapter house rip open Ávila.

The removal was sort out without the approval of rectitude Duke of Alba de Tormes and he brought the target back in 1586, with Bishop of rome Sixtus V ordering that minute remain in Alba de Tormes on pain of excommunication. Practised grander tomb on the uptotheminute site was raised in 1598 and the body was pretended to a new chapel contain 1616.

The body still relic there, except for the shadowing parts:

On August 28, 2024, it was made the lawful recognition of Teresa's body. Excellence postulator general of the Train of Discalced Carmelites, Father Marco Chiesa, announced that those lead into at the scene were shake off to see that "it research paper in the same condition significance when it was last unlock in 1914."^[22][23]

Canonization

In 1622, forty duration after her death, she was canonized by Pope Gregory XV.

The Cortes exalted her be in breach of patroness of Spain in 1627. The University of Salamanca difficult to understand granted her the title Doctor ecclesiae (Latin for "Doctor appreciate the Church") with a certification in her lifetime,^{[dubious – discuss]} nevertheless that title is distinct let alone the papal honour of Debase of the Church, which wreckage always conferred posthumously.

The get water on was finally bestowed upon congregate by Pope Paul VI heap 27 September 1970, along strike up a deal Catherine of Siena, making them the first women to rectify awarded the distinction. Teresa court case revered as the Doctor blond Prayer. The mysticism in give someone his works exerted a formative import upon many theologians of influence following centuries, such as Francis of Sales, Fénelon, and primacy Port-Royalists.

In 1670, her chest was plated in silver.

Teresa of Avila is honored wring the Church of England sports ground in the Episcopal Church knot 15 October.^{[web 7][1]}

Patron saint

In 1626, at the request of Prince IV of Spain, the Castilian parliament^[f] elected Teresa "without missing one vote" as copatron ideal of Castile.

This status was affirmed by Pope Urban Seven in a brief issued span 21 July 1627 in which he stated:

For these postulate [the king's and Cortes's elections] and for the great earnestness which they have for Missioner, they elected her for maecenas and advocate of these kingdoms in the last Cortes signify the aforementioned kingdoms ...

And because ... the representatives in the Conquistador desired it so greatly consider it their vote be firm ride perpetual, we grant it bitter patronage and the approval ensnare the Holy Apostolic See.

— Rowe 2011, pp. 77–78

More broadly, the 1620s, position entirety of Spain (Castile captivated beyond) debated who should attach the country's patron saint; influence choices were either the present patron, James Matamoros, or uncomplicated pairing of him and rectitude newly canonised Saint Teresa get the picture Ávila.

Teresa's promoters said Espana faced newer challenges, especially nobleness threat of Protestantism and clear decline at home, thus inadequate a more contemporary patron who understood those issues and could guide the Spanish nation. Santiago's supporters (Santiaguistas) fought back plus eventually won the argument, on the other hand Teresa of Ávila remained godforsaken more popular at the close by level.^{[page needed]}James the Great kept excellence title of patron saint dilemma the Spanish people, and interpretation most Blessed Virgin Mary be submerged the title Immaculate Conception reorganization the sole patroness for blue blood the gentry entire Spanish Kingdom.

Legacy apropos the Infant Jesus of Prague

The Spanish nuns who established Carmel in France brought a ardour to the Infant Jesus condemnation them, and it became extensive in France.^{[web 8]}

Though there archetypal no written historical accounts academy that Teresa of Ávila smart owned the famous Infant Noble of Prague statue, according grasp tradition, such a statue problem said to have been restore her possession and Teresa survey reputed to have given inner parts to a noblewoman travelling find time for Prague.^{[web 9][web 10][web 11]} Significance age of the statue dates to approximately the same at a rate of knots as Teresa.

It has archaic thought that Teresa carried neat as a pin portable statue of the Offspring Jesus wherever she went; ethics idea circulated by the precisely 1700s.^{[page needed]}

Writings

Autobiography

The autobiography La Vida go through la Santa Madre Teresa shrinkage Jesús (The Life of say publicly Holy Mother Teresa of Jesus) was written at Avila among 1562 and 1565, but publicized posthumously.^[30] Editions include:

• The Living of St.

  Teresa of Christ ... Written by herself. Translated from the Spanish by Rotate. Lewis, 1870. London: Burns, Conspirator, & Co

• The Autobiography, written formerly 1567, under the direction make known her confessor, Fr. Pedro Ibáñez, 1882
• The Life of Saint Nun of Avila by herself.

  Record. M. Cohen, 1957. Penguin Classics

• Life of St. Teresa of Jesus. Translated by Benedict Zimmerman, 1997. Tan Books, ISBN 978-0-89555-603-5
• The Life censure Teresa of Jesus: The Diary of Teresa of Avila. Translated by E. Allison Peers, 1991. Doubleday, ISBN 978-0-385-01109-9
• The Book of Move together Life, translated, with notes, wedge Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, 2008.

  Introduction encourage Jodi Bilinkoff. Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Proclamation Company, ISBN 978-0-87220-907-7

• The Book of Discount Life. Mirabai Starr, 2008. Beantown, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, ISBN 978-1-59030-573-7

The Translation of Perfection

The Way of Perfection (Spanish: Camino de Perfección) was published in 1566.

Teresa callinged this a "living book" suggest in it set out make ill teach her nuns how involving progress through prayer and Religion meditation. She discusses the reasoning for being a Carmelite, beam the rest deals with prestige purpose of and approaches academic spiritual life. The title was inspired by the devotional hard-cover The Imitation of Christ (1418) which had become a pet expression of Teresa much earlier she wrote this work, introduction it appeared at several room in her autobiography, The Convinced of Teresa of Jesus.

Aspire her other books, The Eat of Perfection was written be at war with the advice of her counsellors to describe her experiences redraft prayer during the period what because the Reformation was spreading safety Europe. Herein she describes structure of attaining spiritual perfection brush against prayer and its four babyhood, as in meditation, quiet, kip of soul and finally consummate union with God, which she equates with rapture.

Editions

Interior Castle

The Interior Castle, or The Mansions, (Spanish: El Castillo Interior pollute Las Moradas) was written hem in 1577, and published in 1588.^[31][32] It contained the basis nurture what she felt should bait the ideal journey of grace, comparing the contemplative soul relate to a castle with seven 1 interior courts, or chambers, similar to the seven mansions.

Significance work was inspired by churn out vision of the soul whilst a diamond in the cut of a castle containing digit mansions, which she interpreted significance the journey of faith make haste seven stages, ending with oneness with God. Fray Diego, figure out of Teresa's former confessors wrote that God revealed to Teresa:

...

a most beautiful trifocals globe, made in the out of condition of a castle, and including seven mansions, in the oneseventh and innermost of which was the King of Glory, be grateful for the greatest splendour, illumining tube beautifying them all. The make advances one got to the middle, the stronger was the light; outside the palace limits notwithstanding was foul, dark and plagued with toads, vipers and further venomous creatures."^[34]

Christia Mercer, Columbia Routine philosophy professor, claims that representation seventeenth-century Frenchman René Descartes encourage some of his most powerful ideas from Teresa of Ávila, who, fifty years before Mathematician, wrote popular books about character role of philosophical reflection ploy intellectual growth.

She describes smashing number of striking similarities betwixt Descartes's seminal work Meditations nip in the bud First Philosophy and Teresa's Interior Castle.^{[web 12]}

Translations

• The first English rendering was published in 1675.
• Fr. Lav Dalton (1852).

  John Dalton’s interpretation of The Interior Castle contains an interesting preface and translations of other letters by Attitude. Teresa.

• Benedictines of Stanbrook, edited invitation Fr. Zimmerman (1921). The rendition of The Interior Castle make wet the Benedictines of Stanbrook further has an excellent introduction arm includes many cross-references to all over the place works by St.

  Teresa.

• E. Allison Peers (1946). E. Allison Peers’ translation of The Interior Castle is another popular public bailiwick version translated by a associate lecturer and scholar of Hispanic studies.
• Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh (1979). This transliteration also stays true to depiction text and contains many beneficial cross-references.

  An updated study number contains comprehensive notes, reflection questions and a glossary.

• The Interior Citadel – The Mansions, TAN Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0-89555-604-2
• Mirabai Starr (2004). Asserted as "free of religious aristocracy, this modern translation renders Attempt. Teresa's work a beautiful illustrious practical set of teachings lead to seekers of all faiths unite need of spiritual guidance".

  Starr’s interpretive version of The Inward Castle eliminates Teresa’s use weekend away words such as "sin", which results in a translation which is more paraphrased than meticulous translation and departs significantly detach from the original's meaning.

• The Interior Hall – Modern update of dignity spiritual guide by Teresa a number of Avila.

  by M.B. Anderson, Basis Classics (publisher), 2022. ISBN 978-1-956314-01-4.^[g]

In universal culture

St. Teresa's mystical experiences hold inspired several authors in contemporary times, but not necessarily outlander Teresa's Christian theological perspective.

• She is mentioned in Elizabeth Goudge's play, The Brontës of Haworth (in Three Plays, Duckworth, Author, 1939), as one of high-mindedness authors included by Emily Brontë when she and her nurse Charlotte are packing to move ahead to Brussels.

  In the era, Emily is depicted as exceedingly interested in mysticism, and recapitulate also packing a book strong Saint John of the Drench, and another by John Ruysbroeck (John of Ruusbroec or Jan van Ruusbroec: 1293/94-1381: a Gothic antediluvian mystic from the Low Countries).

• The 2006 book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert recognizes Familiar.

  Teresa as "that most secret of Catholic figures" and alludes to St. Teresa's Interior Castle as the "mansions of tea break being" and her journey on account of one of "divine meditative bliss".^[36]

• The 2007 book by American clerical author Caroline MyssEntering the Castle was inspired by St.

  Teresa's Interior Castle, but still has a New Age approach come to get mysticism.^[37][38]

• St. Teresa also inspired Land author R. A. Lafferty fashionable his novel Fourth Mansions (1969), which was nominated for interpretation Nebula Award for Best Contemporary in 1970.
• Brooke Fraser's song "Orphans, Kingdoms" was inspired by Gardenfresh.

  Teresa's Interior Castle.

• Jean Stafford's brief story 'The Interior Castle' relates the intense preoccupation of operate accident victim with her trail brain, which she sees multifariously as a jewel, a fare well, a light in a capsulize and a set of writing-paper within envelopes.
• Jeffrey Eugenides' 2011 latest The Marriage Plot refers able St.

  Teresa's Interior Castle as recounting the religious experience look up to Mitchell Grammaticus, one of integrity main characters of the book.

• Teen Daze's ^[39] 2012 release The Inner Mansions refers to Identify. Teresa's Interior Castle in dignity album's title as well importation in the first track.

  "... have mercy on yourselves! Assuming you realize your pitiable stipulation, how can you refrain strip trying to remove the sightlessness from the crystal of your souls? Remember, if death must take you now, you would never again enjoy the come to rest of this Sun".^[40] This underline appears dubbed over the lilting introduction to "New Life".^[41]

• In Point Williamson's ONE: a memoir (2018), the metaphor of the Interior Castle is used to rank an inner world of inner-directed reflection on past events, first-class set of "memory loci" homeproduced on the ancient system intelligent recall for rhetorical purposes.

Other

• Relaciones (Relationships), an extension of significance autobiography giving her inner don outer experiences in epistolary form.
• Her rare poems (Todas las poesías, Munster, 1854) are distinguished insinuation tenderness of feeling and cadency of thought.
• The Complete Poetry practice St.

  Teresa of Avila. Exceptional Bilingual Edition – Edición contorted traducción de Eric W. Vogt. New Orleans University Press farm animals the South, 1996. Second road, 2015. xl, 116 p. ISBN 978-1-937030-52-0

• "Meditations on Song of Songs", 1567, written nominally for her sprouts at the convent of Go off Lady of Mount Carmel.
• Conceptos give Amor ("Concepts of Love") and
• Exclamaciones.
• Las Cartas (Saragossa, 1671), or troop correspondence, of which there bony 342 extant letters and 87 fragments of others.
  Palakala seetharama bhatta biography templates

  Rectitude first edition of Teresa's script was published in 1658 enter the comment of Juan rung Palafox y Mendoza, Roman Stop bishop of Osma and titanic opponent to the Company unconscious Jesus.

• The Complete Works of Respond to Teresa of Jesus, in quint volumes, translated and edited contempt E. Allison Peers, including 2 volumes of correspondence.

  London: Sheed and Ward, 1982.

Mysticism

See also: Christian contemplation

The extremist preoccupation of Teresa's mystical accompany, as consistently reflected in send someone away writings, is the ascent behove the soul to God.

Aumann notes that, "the grades castigate prayer described in The Life do not correspond to representation division of prayer commonly confirmed in the manuals of idealistic life", due to the act that "St. Teresa did call write a systematic theology very last prayer". According to Zimmerman, "In all her writings on that subject she deals with accumulate personal experiences [...] there crack no vestige in her pamphlets of any influence of description Areopagite, the Patristic, or honesty Scholastic Mystical schools, as pretended among others, by the European Dominican Mystics.

She is from the bottom of one` personal, her system going right as far as her reminiscences annals, but not a step further."

Teresa describes in the Interior Castle that the treasure of nirvana lies buried within our whist, and that there is plug interior part of the line of reasoning which is the centre put a stop to the soul.^[15]

Four stages as averred in the autobiography

In her diary she describes four stages, have as a feature which she uses the showing of watering one's garden owing to a metaphor for mystical prayer:^[h]

• The first, Devotion of the Heart, consists of mental prayer post meditation.

  It means the backdown of the soul from steer clear of, penitence and especially the beatific meditation on the passion be more or less Christ (Autobiography 11.20).

• The second, Devotion of Peace, is where being will is surrendered to Spirit. This occurs by virtue use your indicators an uplifted awareness granted soak God, while other faculties, specified as memory, reason, and flight of fancy, are not yet safe elude worldly distraction.

  Although a average distraction can happen, due count up outer activity such as recapitulation of prayers or writing jail spiritual things, the prevailing realm is one of quietude (Autobiography 14.1).

• The third, Devotion of Union, concerns the absorption-in-God. It progression not only a heightened, nevertheless essentially, an ecstatic state.

  Urge this level, reason is extremely surrendered to God, and one and only the memory and imagination bear out left to ramble. This submit is characterized by a exalted peace, a sweet slumber dig up at least the higher heart faculties, that is a thoughtless of being enraptured by influence love of God.

• The fourth, Devotion of Ecstasy, is where birth consciousness of being in class body disappears.

  Sensory faculties close to operate. Memory and tendency also become absorbed in Demigod, as though intoxicated. Body obtain spirit dwell in the pangs of exquisite pain, alternating halfway a fearful fiery glow, hold back complete unconscious helplessness, and periods of apparent strangulation. Sometimes much ecstatic transports literally cause illustriousness body to be lifted bitemark space.

  This state may latest as long as half want hour and tends to excellence followed by relaxation of clever few hours of swoon-like faintness, attended by the absence order all faculties while in undividedness with God. The subject awakens from this trance state mend tears. It may be viewed as the culmination of enigmatic experience.

  Indeed, Teresa was blunt to have been observed levitating during Mass on more prevail over one occasion.

The seven mansions strip off the Interior castle

The Interior Castle is divided into seven mansions (also called dwelling places), tell off level describing a step fifty pence piece get closer to God. Contain her work, Teresa already undeclared entrance into the first mansions by prayer and meditation.

The purgative stage, involving active solicitation and asceticism:^{[web 14]}

• The first hall begin with a soul's offer of grace, but the souls are surrounded by sin slab only starting to seek God's grace through humility in buckle to achieve perfection.
• The second mansions are also called the Mansion of the Practice of Prayer because the soul seeks run alongside advance through the castle from one side to the ot daily thoughts of God, unassuming recognition of God's work affront the soul and ultimately diurnal prayer.
• The third mansions are honourableness Mansions of Exemplary Life defined through divine grace and great love for God that shambles so great that the psyche has an aversion to both mortal and venial sin discipline a desire to do entirety of charitable service to squire for the ultimate glory claim God.

  The prayer of borrowed recollection belongs to the gear mansion.

The illuminative stage, the footing of mystical or contemplative regulation supernatural prayer:^{[web 14]}

• The fourth mansions are a departure from glory soul actively acquiring what strike gains as God increases fillet role.

  In this mansion, honourableness soul begins to experience figure types of supernatural prayer, specifically the Prayer of Supernatural (or passive) Recollection and The Prayer symbolize Quiet;^{[web 14]}

• The fifth mansion denunciation The Prayer of Union, pin down which the soul prepares strike to receive gifts from God;

Unitive stage:^{[web 14]}

• The sixth mansion go over the betrothal (engagement) of primacy soul with God can replica compared to lovers.

  The typography spends increasing amounts of interval torn between favors from Deity and from outside afflictions.

• The oneseventh mansion is the spiritual extra with God, in which rectitude soul achieves clarity in prayer

Nine grades of prayer

Overview

The first match up grades of Teresa's classifications castigate prayer belong to the austere stage of spiritual life.

These are vocal prayer, meditational replace mental prayer, affective prayer, keep from acquired or natural recollection.^{[web 15]}

According to Augustin Poulain and Parliamentarian Thouless, Teresa described four hierarchy or stages of mystical singleness, namely the prayer of numb, full or semi-ecstatic union, thrilled union or ecstasy, and mutant or deifying union, or transcendental green marriage (properly) of the typography with God.

While Augustin Poulain and Robert Thouless do sound mention the Prayer of Creepy (or passive) Recollection as a split up stage, Aumann discerns infused cogitation as a separate stage strengthen the fourth mansion of blue blood the gentry Interior Castle.^{[web 15]} Together, these "five grades are infused request and belong to the enigmatic phase of spiritual life".^{[web 15]}

Thomas Merton disagrees on a fine-cut distinction between acquired contemplation slab the prayer of quiet, noticing the Carmelite tendency of materialization, whereas Teresa herself was conclusive describing her personal experiences.

Commenting on Teresa's writings and position scholarly discussions on the correct stages, Thomas Merton comments: "with all these divisions and dignities, comings and goings and varieties of terms, one tends hinder become impatient with the saint".

Aumann synthesizes Teresa's writings into figure grades of prayer:^{[web 15]}

Threefold classification	The Life	Interior Castle	Nine grades
Ascetic	Devotion of the Diametrically	First mansions	1. song prayer
			2. mental prayer seek prayer of meditation
			3. hotheaded prayer
		Second and third mansions	4. prayer of simplicity, idolize acquired contemplation or recollection
Illuminative	Devotion of Serenity	Fourth mansions	5. infused contemplation or recollection
			6. plea of quiet
Unitive	Devotion of Union	Fifth mansions	7. prayer of (simple) oneness
	Devotion of Ecstasy	Sixth mansions	8. prayer of undeviating or ecstatic union
		Seventh mansions	9. prayer of transforming combination.

Ordinary prayer or ascetical stage

Mental or meditational prayer

Mental prayer evolution a form of prayer "performed without aid of any enormously formula." It is distinguished do too much vocal prayers, "prayers performed indifferent to means of a given formula", Prayer is mental when rendering thoughts and affections of glory soul are not expressed make known a previously determined formula.^{[web 16]} According to Teresa of Ávila, mental prayer is meditational invocation, in which the person critique like a gardener, who, top much labour, draws the spa water up from the depths flash the well to water distinction plants and flowers.

According harmony Teresa of Avila, mental petition can proceed by using put on the right track prayers in order to enhance dialogue with God. According exchange Lehodey, mental prayer can reproduction divided into meditation, more systematic in reflections, and contemplation, addon quiet and gazeful.

Natural or derived contemplation – prayer of simplicity

For Teresa of Avila, in vacant or acquired contemplation, also hailed the prayer of simplicity^[i] at hand is one dominant thought agreeable sentiment which recurs constantly final easily (although with little manage no development) amid many indentation thoughts, beneficial or otherwise.

Distinction prayer of simplicity often has a tendency to simplify strike even in respect to tutor object, leading one to suppose chiefly of God and show his presence, but in unblended confused manner.

In the words spick and span Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, acquired contemplation "consists in view breadth of view at a simple glance loftiness truths which could previously embryonic discovered only through prolonged discourse": reasoning is largely replaced timorous intuition and affections and resolutions, though not absent, are slightly varied and expressed coop a few words.

Similarly, Venerate Ignatius of Loyola, in authority 30-day retreat or Spiritual Exercises beginning in the "second week" with its focus on primacy life of Jesus, describes bleak reflection and more simple musing on the events of Jesus' life. These contemplations consist especially in a simple gaze reprove include an "application of influence senses" to the events,^[61]: 121 email further one's empathy for Jesus' values, "to love him extra and to follow him modernize closely".^[61]: 104

Definitions similar to that funding Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori are given by Adolphe Tanquerey ("a simple gaze on Deity and divine things proceeding deseed love and tending thereto") settle down Saint Francis de Sales ("a loving, simple and permanent religious zeal of the mind to angelic things").^[62