Interior Castle
by E. Allison Peers, St. Teresa of Avila
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Book Reviews of Interior Castle
Book Review: Deep Mysticism
Summary: 4 Stars
St. Teresa compares the soul to a castle with many mansions. As we move spiritually into the more interior mansions, we come closer and closer to God. The book describes our progress toward true self-awareness, which is really the awareness that God is within us. As we draw closer to God we begin to understand the things that pull us away from Him (sin), and become better able to put our thoughts and actions in the right perspective, that is thinking and acting according to God's will and not our own. St. Teresa makes an extraordinary effort to describe the indescribable--what it feels like and looks like to commune with the Lord--using vivid examples from her own experiences of where she went right...and where she went wrong. Her words are full of sound practical advice, and yet at times her ideas are so beyond my experience I wasn't able to grasp them. Subtle and profound, "Interior Castle" requires great patience to read, but is well worth the time.Book Review: St Teresa's Insight into Warfare
Summary: 5 Stars
By Sister Faith Magdalena, OSF FODCOne of the Christian Classics, St. Teresa of Avilia's journal, Interior Castles, is a work that is experienced on different levels each time the reader "revisits it." Over the years I have read this work many times, and each visit is a new experience bearing fresh revelations. She writes with insight into the various phases of personal human experience. She takes us to places within the human soul and psyche, recognizing the demonic and holy, along with the mundane and the sublime. A contemporary of St. John of the Cross, and a victim of the Inquisition, this Carmelite sister understood the high price exacted for belief and the ultimate cost should one abandon it.
Many modern authors have written on "Spiritual Warfare" and "Demonology", however, in my estimation, "Interior Castles" with its authors' clarity of insight remains fresh and pertinent to contemporary life.
Book Review: So much unsaid....
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a hard book to read due to MY expectations. I was expecting details where St. Teresa gives almost none. One realizes why in the long run, simply that to give the details of HER experience would limit your thoughts on how God would interact with you. Yet, it is frustrating to read this and realize that she could be telling us so much more in regards to what she has been shown by God. I rate it 5 stars though because in the end one realizes that to find out what she knows, YOU are going to have to tread a likewise path...no freebies here. Therefore St. Teresa (really the Holy Spirit) is telling you no more than you need to know to become interested in following the path, and subsequently trodding that path. For those of us who are so used to getting on the Net and finding the easy way to solve a puzzle...well, God doesn't publish the Cheat Codes....Book Review: Journey Of A Soul
Summary: 4 Stars
"Interior Castle" is St. Theresa of Avila's classical guide to spiritual perfection. Although written to her Sixteenth Century sisters in the Carmelite order, it is readily understandable by contemporary readers.The premise behind the book is that the road to spiritual perfection consists of passage through seven mansions. The last mansion is the Interior Castle in which God dwells. In each succeeding mansion the soul reaches a higher level of sanctity and the attachment to the world decreases as the soul comes closer to God.
Although some portions of the book describe experiences beyond the expectations of modern readers, this work still provides us all with an insight into a way to draw closer to God. While this book does not provide us with the only route to Heaven, I recommend it to all who are searching for guidance in their spiritual journey
Book Review: A true masterpiece on finding God through prayer
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is one of the small handful of essential books on prayer and the spiritual life. Unlike many contemporary books on prayer and mysticism, St. Teresa talks with authority; as you read this it becomes obvious that this women knew God like few other people have. The other difference is that this book is not about techniques or gimmicks; she stresses again and again that without living a Gospel lifestyle you will not advance in your prayer life. But it is not only a Christian masterpiece, it is a masterpiece for those of any age or religion trying to find God. People will still be be referring to this book at the turn of the next millenium. And the other amazing thing is that she is so charming! It is not surprising that her contemporaries found her so irresistible.