The Interior Castle
by Teresa of Ávila
The soul as a castle with seven mansions, from the outer courts of beginning prayer to the centre where God dwells. Teresa's 1577 masterpiece of mystical psychology, practical about distraction, dryness and the stages of prayer.
Read it if…
you want the map of contemplative prayer from its greatest cartographer.
See the book →
Skip it if…
you are new to prayer; start with Foster.
Try instead: Pensées →
Three things you will actually use
- The soul is a castle; enter it.
- Self-knowledge is the first mansion and never left.
- Progress is humility, not visions.
Do this first
Read the first and second mansions.
Our verdict
The map of contemplative prayer.
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