St. Teresa of Avila came into my life during a time of deep transition and contemplation. I was reevaluating my core values, what truly mattered to me, and diving into deeper introspection around my spiritual journey. Like many of the saints who have entered my life over the past two years, St. Teresa sparked my curiosity when I first read her famous poem “Que nada te turbe” (Let nothing disturb you). Her words moved me, leading me to purchase her book The Interior Castle.

At first, I found the book challenging. It’s definitely not a light read. It’s the kind of book you take your time with. You sit with every sentence and every paragraph, letting it sink in. You reflect, you reread, and you ask for clarity as you try to understand her depth. Slowly, her words began to settle in my soul. She takes you on a journey, an inward journey to explore the Interior Castle, the diamond that resides within each of us.

St. Teresa teaches that every person has a precious diamond within the body, specifically in the brain, that holds the soul. And within that diamond is a gift: divine consciousness. That diamond is what she calls The Interior Castle.

Inside the castle are seven mansions, each representing a stage of spiritual growth that every soul can enter as it journeys toward union with God. Her breakdown of spiritual awakening is breathtaking. She begins by describing what it feels like to be outside the castle, when the soul is still asleep, wandering, unaware of the divine treasure hidden within.

She compares this state to a kind of spiritual sleep, a soul caught up in worldly attachments and pleasures, blind to the deeper meaning of life and disconnected from its divine source.

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In today’s episode, I’ll be exploring the journey of the wandering soul as it begins to awaken and remember something deeper. The spiritual journey is not easy. It demands effort, awareness, and courage, especially as the ego and the world try to pull the soul back into ignorance. I’ll reflect on the suffering that comes from this disconnection from our soul and from the divine light within us, and the existential ache that arises when we seek our worth in things outside ourselves. I’ll also share why the initial awakening is just the beginning of the long journey toward healing the mind and removing the blocks that keep us from God’s light.

I hope you enjoy this first part of The Interior Castle and leave feeling a little more inspired.

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