26 INTRODUCTION The second part differs in many ways from the first. It comprises the passive purification of the soul and the passive enlightenment of the mind. By sending it keen interior and exterior trials and sufi!^erings, God completes the cleansing of the soul r^ in a manner far surpassing any voluntary effort of man. By raising it to the stage of contemplation He gives it fresh light on the mysteries of our Redemption. The mind is then no longer com- pelled to strain the memory, the reason, and the will, in order to dwell upon the great truths of religion and to derive some personal benefit there- from, for these truths are now more or less perma- nently before it and fill it with holy thoughts, some- times giving it consolation in trouble, at other times striking a warning note against imperfection. Again, the subtradion of sensible consolation, and the interior aridity arising therefrom, leave a terrible blank in the soul, showing it that, without God's help, it is mere nothingness. This apparent estrange- ment from God is the keenest trial that can befall a soul, but also the most powerful means of cleansing it from the least, the most subtle imperfections.
Emerging from this state of probation, the soul enters upon the third stage, in which, though perhaps in the midst of severe suffering and sharp persecution, it knows itself to be a chosen child of God, to Whom it is united by perfedt conformity of the will. Such phenomena as revelations, visions.
INTRODUCTION 27 locutions, and even more wonderful manifestations, like the wound of love, spiritual betrothal and nuptials, are incidental rather than essential to the second and third stages. Some great contemplativcs have never experienced anything of the kind, while, on the other hand, some of these occurrences may sometimes have been merely the work of an ex- uberant imagination, or even the result of diaboli- cal illusion. They should therefore never be wished for, or cherished, but rather shunned and ignored, in as far as that is possible. If they are real and come from God, they will do their work without v the co-operation of the soul. The danger of self- deception is so great that a person labouring under such phenomena should oifer every resistance, and the spiritual dired:or should exercise the utmost vigilance. St. Teresa is very eloquent on this point, and undeceived many would-be con- templativcs, while her disciple, St. John of the Cross, is even more thorough-going in the depre- cation of spiritual favours. Among the numerous marks whereby the trained theologian may discri- minate between real and imaginary phenomena, there is one about which Saint Teresa speaks with wonderful clearness. If they proceed from hysteria the imagination alone is a(ftive and the higher powers of the soul are torpid; if, however, they come from God, the intelled: and the will are so intensely adiive.
28 INTRODUCTION that the lower powers and even the body lose all strength for the time being.
It will be noticed that the first two Mansions belong to the purgative life, the third and fourth to the illuminative, and the remaining three to the unitive life. Compared with similar works, the treatment of the first stage must be called meagre. True, in her hife and in the Way of PerfeSfion St. Teresa has dealt with this subjedt somewhat more fully. Indeed, the last-named work was designed as a treatise on Christian Ascetics, dealing with the purgation of the soul by mortification and the enlightenment of the mind by meditation. There, too, appears the first idea of the Mansions ^""^ and Fuente remarks that the passage in question maybe taken for the parting of the ways between the two works. However, this is not the only, nor, indeed, the chief reason why St. Teresa is so reticent about the preliminary stage of the contemplative life. The ^ fad: is that she herself did not pass through these experiences. By God's grace she was preserved from childhood from grievous sin and gross imperfection. Though she never grows tired of bewailing her faults and unfaithfulness, these avowals must be taken cum grano salis. While yet a child, she some- times gave way to vanity in dress and wasted her time in reading romances. As a young religious, she was sought after by friends and relatives who " IVay \ofPerf. ch. xx, i INTRODUCTION 19 took pleasure in her attracflive conversation. This proved further loss of time and caused distractions. Owing to acute suffering, she for some years left off the pradiice of mental prayer, though she faithfully performed all her religious obligations, as far as her weak state of health allowed. This is all. The war of the flesh against the spirit, the insubordination of the lower parts of nature, the fickleness of the will, which so often thwart the most noble aspira- tions of a soul, were unknown to her. Under these circumstances, we cannot be surprised to find her entering upon the journey towards God at a point which in many cases marks but the closing stage. As to the remaining parts of this book, it will be seen from the parallel passages that they cover much the same ground as her Life and the Relations. With her singular gift of introspedlion and analysis, the Saint studied her own case from every point of view, so as to make sure that her extraordinary experiences were due to no illusion, and offered no obstacle to the safety of her soul. Although the Interior Castle contains little that we do not already know from her other works, it is superior to them by reason of its logical order and the masterly treatment of the most recondite matters of mystical theology. While ostensibly dealing with general faCls, St. Teresa in reality records her personal experiences. How definite these were, how little room there remained for the freaks of the imagina- 30 INTRODUCTION tion, will appear from the facfl that she nearly always repeats the very words she had used in her Life and in the other reports of her interior progress, although she did not have these writings before her eyes, nor had she ever seen them since they first left her hands. Every one of her experiences must have produced a profound impression to be remem- bered so minutely after an interval of years.
There is that in the Interior Castle which re- minds one of Dante's Paradiso. In the one and the other, the soul, purffied from earthly dross, is gradually being invested with new and glorious qualities, and is being led throug4i-regions unknown until it arrives at the very threshold of the throne o£Xjod. Not even The boldest imagination could have designed so wonderful a pidiure of a soul adorned with graces at once so varied and so true. In one case we know, the poet has drawn abun- dantly from the treasury of the Angelical Dodlor, putting in verse the conclusions of the scholastic theologian. In the other case we can follow, chapter by chapter, the influence of the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Teresa had never studied it herself, but her dire(5lors and confessors were deeply versed in it and solved her doubts and perplexities on the lines of the greatest of the schoolmen. The Interior Castk might almost be considered a practical illustration of certain parts of the Summa theological^ INTRODUCTION 31 as it describes the progress of the soul through every stage of perfecftion. When we have reached the second chapter of the seventh Mansion, there remains but one thing: the Beatific Vision, and this is reserved for the next Hfe.
After the publication of the Interior Castle by- Luis de Leon, the manuscript came into the possession of Father Jerome Gracian, who, after having made a copy of it which is still extant, presented the original, on the occasion of a visit to the convent of Seville, to Don Pedro Cereso Pardo, a great friend of the Saint, and a benefadior to the convent. When his only daughter took the habit there, the precious manuscript was part of her dowry. Dona Juana de Mendoza, Duchess of Bcguiar, a novice in the same convent, had it bound in silver and precious stones. It is still there,*^ and the present writer had the privilege of seeing it. It comprises a hundred and thirteen leaves in folio, but originally there must have been some more leaves which at a later period were torn out. These, it is presumed, contained the headings of the chapters. Unlike the Life and the Foundations, the text of the Castle is divided only by figures, without indication of the contents of each chapter, but the arguments which have come down to us are so entirely similiar to those of the two works " Bollandists, Acta, n. 1495. See also Impressions in Spain. By Lady Herbert. London, 1867, p, 171.
34 INTRODUCTION named, that it is impossible to consider them other- wise than the genuine work of the author. In the present translation they have been inserted in their proper places.
On the occasion of the ter-centenary of Saint Teresa's death, a photo-lithographic edition of the original was published under the direction of Car- dinal Lluch, Carmelite of the old observance. Archbishop of Seville: El Castillo Tnterior 6 Tratado de las Moradas, escrito por Sta. Teresa de "Jesus. Litograjia de Juan Moyano (Seville) 1882.
The present translation, the third in English,** has been made diredlly from this autograph edition. It has been thought advisable that, as far as the genius of the language allows it, the wording of the author should be stri6tly adhered to, and that not even a shade of her expression should be sacrificed. For Teresa is not only a saint whose " The first translation is to be found in the Works of the Holy Mother St. Teresa of Jesus (third part). Printed in the year mdclxxv, pp. 137- 286. It bears the title: The Interiour Castle: or. Mansions. As to the authors of this translation — Abraham Woodhead and another, whose name is not known — see my book Car me I in England, p. 342, note. It is stated there that the third part, containing the U'ay of Perfection and the Castle, has no title-page. This is true with regard to the ropy I had before me when writing that book. The one I have now is more complete.
The second translation, by the Rev. John Dalton, appeared in 1852 and has been repeatedly reprinted. It was dedicated to Bishop Ullathorne.
Of foreign translations it will be sufficient to mention the one by Cyprien de la Nativite, in (Euvres de la Sainte Mere Tertse de Jesus, Paris, 1657, and the new one in CEuvres already mentioned.
INTRODUCTION 33 INTRODUCTION 33 every word is telling, but she is a classic in her own language who knows how to give expression to her deepest thoughts. Having compared word for word the translation with the original, I am in a position to affirm that this programme has been faithfully carried out. For the foot-notes — with few exceptions — as well as for the Index, I am responsible. It seemed to me important to point out all the parallel passages from the various works of the Saint. Only by this means can it be seen how consistent Saint Teresa is in all her writings.*' It would have been easy to multiply quotations from the works of other writers on mystical theo- logy. Thus, the influence of the Imitation of Christ and of the Life of our Lord by Ludolphus the Carthusian can be distinctly traced in the Interior Castle. Both these works, as well as some Spanish books, were held in such esteem by St. Teresa, that she ordered the prioress of each convent to keep them at the disposal of the nuns. As there is a limit to footnotes, I have contented myself with such references as seemed to me conducive to the elucidation of the dodtrine laid down in this treatise. In conclusion I venture to express the hope that ^ The present translation ought to dispose of the reservations e-x- pressed by an able critic in his otherwise valuable appreciation of the works of the Saint. See ^anta Teresa, by the late Alexander Whyte D.D. London, 1898, p. 32.
Criticisms which have appeared in various papers, or have been privately conveyed, have been gratefully received and acted upon in the second and the present edition, 34 INTRODUCTION this new translation will be found helpful by those who feel called to a higher life.
St. Luke's Priory, WiNCANTON, Somerset.
THE INTERIOR CASTLE OR THE MANSIONS BY ST. TERESA IHS THIS TREATISE, STYLED THE INTERIOR CASTLE, WAS WRITTEN BY TERESA OF JESUS, NUN OF OUR LADY OF CARMEL, FOR HER SISTERS AND DAUGHTERS, THE DISCALCED CARMELITE NUNS.
RARELY has obedience laid upon me so diffi- cult a task as this of writing about prayer; for one reason, because I do not feel that God has given me cither the power or the desire for it, besides which, during the last three months I have suffered from noises and a great weakness in my head that have made it painful for me to write even on i necessary business.'
However, as I know the power obedience has of making things easy which seem impossible, my will submits with a good grace, although nature seems greatly distressed, for God has not given me such strength as to bear, without repugnance, the constant struggle against illness while performing many different duties. May He, Who has helped ' 'I am always suffering from my head.' Letter of June 28, 1577. Letters, vol. ii.
36 THE INTERTOR CASTLE me in other more difficult matters, aid me with His grace in this, for I trust in His mercy. I think I have but little to say that has not already been put forth in my other works written under obedi- ence; in fad:, I fear this will be but repetition of them. I am like a parrot which has learnt to talk; . only knowing what it has been taught or has heard, -j< it repeats the same thing over and over again. If { God wishes me to write anything new. He will / teach it me, or bring back to my memory what I have said elsewhere. I should be content even with this, for as I am very forgetful, I should be glad to be able to recall some of the matters about which people say I have spoken well, lest they should be altogether lost. If our Lord will not even grant me this, still, if I weary my brains and increase my headache by striving to obey, I shall gain in merit, though my words should be useless to any one. So I begin this work on the Feast of the Blessed Trinity in the year 1577, in the Con- vent of St. Joseph of Carmel at Toledo, where I am living, and I submit all my writings to the judgment of those learned men by whose commands I undertake them. That it will be the fault of ignorance, not malice, if I say anything contrary to the dodlrine of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, may be held as certain. By God's goodness I am, and always shall be, faithful to the Church, as I have been in the past. May He be for ever blessed and glorified. Amen.
He who bids me write this, tells me that the nuns of these convents of our Lady of Carmel need some one to solve their difficulties about prayer: he THE INTERIOR CASTLE 37 thinks that women understand one another's lan- guage best and that my sisters' affedtion for me would make them pay special attention to my words, therefore it is important for me to explain the subjecft clearly to them. Thus I am writing only to my sisters; the idea that any one else could bene- fit by what I say would be absurd. Our Lord will be doing me a great favour if He enables me to help but one of the nuns to praise Him a little better; His Majesty knows well that I have no other aim. If anything is to the point, they will understand that it does not originate from me and there is no reason to attribute it to me, as with my scant under- standing and skill I could write nothing of the sort, unless God, in His mercy, enabled me to do so.
THE FIRST MANSIONS CHAPTER I.
THIS CHAPTER TREATS OF THE BEAUTY AND DIGNITY OF OUR SOULS AND MAKES A COMPARISON TO EXPLAIN THIS. THE ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING AND UNDERSTANDING THIS AND THE FAVOURS GOD GRANTS TO US IS SHOWN, AND HOW PRAYER IS THE GATE OF THE SPIRITUAL CASTLE.
/. Plan of this book. 2. The Interior Castle. 3. Our culpable self- ignorance. 4. God dwells in the centre of the soul. 5. Why all souls do not receive certain favours. 6. Reasons for speaking of these favours. 7. The entrance of the Castle. S. Entering into oneself. 9. Prayer. 10. Those who dwell in the first mansion. 11. Entering. 12. Difficulties of the subject.
1. While I was begging our Lord to-day to speak for me, since I knew not what to say nor how to commence this work which obedience has laid upon me, an idea occurred to me which I will explain, and which will serve as a foundation for that I am about to write.
2. I thought of the soul as resembling a castle,' formed of a single diamond or a very transparent crystal,* and containing many rooms, just as in ' If^ay of Perfection, ch. xxvlii, 9.
* In her Life St. Teresa likened God to a diamond (ch. xl, 14); and elsewhere (ch. xi, 10) the soul to a garden wherein our Lord takes His delight.
38 CHAP. I.] FIRST MANSIONS 39 heaven there are many mansions.^ If we reflect, A sisters, we shall see that the soul of the just man is ^ but a paradise, in which, God tells us. He takes His delight/ What, do you imagine, must that dwell- ing be in which a King so mighty, so wise, and so pure, containing in Himself all good, can delight to rest? Nothing can be compared to the great beauty ^ and capabilities of a soul; however keen our in- telleAs may be, they are as unable to comprehend them as to comprehend God, for, as He has told us, He created us in His own image and likeness.* 3. As this is so, we need not tire ourselves by trying to realize all the beauty of this castle, although, being His creature, there is all the difference between the soul and God that there is between the creature and the Creator; the fadt that it is made in God's image teaches us how great are its dignity and loveliness. It is no small misfortune and disgrace that, through our own fault, we neither understand our nature nor our origin. Would it not Be gross Ignorance, my daughters, if, when a man was questioned about his name, or country, or parents, he could not answer? Stupid as this would be, it is unspeakably more foolish to care to learn ^ St. John xiv. 2: 'In domo Patris mei mansiones multae sunt.' St. John of the Cross uses the same comparison: ' If the soul shall over- come the devil in the first combat, it shall then pass on to the second; and if it shall be victorious there also, it shall then pass on to the third; and then through the seven mansions, the seven degrees of love, until^--"^ the Bridegroom shall bring it to the "cellar of wine" of perfect charity. \""'~—- {Ascent of Mount Carmel, bk. ii. ch. xi. 7.) ns ■* Prov. viii. 3 I: ' Deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum.' ^ Gen. i. 26: ' Faciamus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram.'
40 THE INTERIOR CASTLE [chap. i.
nothing of our nature except that we possess bodies, and only to realize vaguely that we have souls, be- cause people say so and it is a do(ftrine of faith. Rarely do we refled: upon what gifts our souls may possess, Who dwells within them, or how extremely precious they are. Therefore we do little to pre- serve their beauty; all our care is concentrated on our bodies, which are but the coarse setting of the ^diamond, or the outer walls of the castle.*' 4. Let us imagine, as I said, that there are many rooms in this castle, of which some are above, some below, others at the side; in the centre, in the very midst of them all, is the principal chamber in which God and the soul hold their most secret intercourse.' Think, over this comparison very care- fully; God grant it may enlighten you about the different kinds of graces He is pleased to bestow upon the soul. No one can know all about them, much less a person so ignorant as I am. The knowledge that such things are possible will con- sole you greatly should our Lord ever grant you * Way of Per/, ch. xxviii. 5.
' St. John of the Cross on the words of his stanza: *In the inner cellar of my Beloved have I drunk.' ' Here the soul speaks of that sovereign grace of God in taking it into the house of His love, which is the union or transformation of love in God...The cellar is the highest degree of love to which the soul can attain in this life, and is therefore said to be the inner. It follows from this that there are other cellars not so interior; that is, the degrees of love by which souls reach to this, the last. These cellars are seven in number, and the soul has entered them all when it has in perfection the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, so far as it is possible for it...Many souls reach and enter the first cellar, each according to the perfection of its love, but the last and inmost cellar is entered by few in this world, because therein is wrought the perfect union with God, the union of the spiritual marriage.' J Spiritual Canticle, stanza xxvi. 1-3. Concept, ch. vi." {Minor Works of St. Teresa. ) CHAP. I.] FIRST MANSIONS 41 any of these favours; people themselves deprived of them can then at least praise Him for His great goodness in bestowing them on others. The thought of heaven and the happiness of the saints does us no harm, but cheers and urges us to win this joy for ourselves, nor will it injure us to know that during this exile God can communicate Himself to us loathsome worms; it will rather make us love Hi rn for such_irn men se goodness and infin ite mercy.
5. I feel sure that vexation at thinking that during our life on earth God can bestow these graces on the souls of others shows a want of humilitv and charity for one's neighbour, for why should we not feel glad at a brother's receiving divine favours which do not deprive us of our own share.? Should we not rather rejoice at His Majesty's thus mani- festing Hisigreatness wherever He chooses?' Some- times our Lord afts thus solely for the sake of showing His power, as He declared when the Apostles questioned whether the blind man whom He cured had been suffering for his own or his parents' sins.' God does not bestow these favours on certain souls because they are more holy than others who do not receive them, but to manifest His greatness, as in the case of St. Paul and St. Mary Magdalen, and that we may glorify Him in His creatures.
6. People may say such things appear impossible and it is best not to scandalize the weak in faith by ^ St. Matt. XX. I 5: 'Aut non licet mihi quod volo, facere? an oculus tuus nequam est, quia ego bonus sum? ' ': '■* St. John ix. 2: *Quis peccavit, hie, aut parentes ejus, ut csecus nasceretur? ' 4 42 THE INTERIOR CASTLE [chap. i.
speaking about them. But it is better that the latter should disbelieve us, than that we should desist from enlightening souls which receive these graces, that . they may rejoice and may endeavour to love God better for His favours, seeing He is so mighty and so great. There is no danger here of shocking those for whom I write by treating of such matters, for they know and believe that God gives even greater proofs of His love. I am certain that if any one of you doubts the truth of this, God will never allow her to learn it by experience, for He desires that no limits should be set to His work: X therefore, never discredit them because you are not thus led yourselves.
7. Now let us return to our beautiful and charming castle and discover how to enter it. This appears incongruous: if this castle is the soul, clearly no