Checkout the blog post for episode 1, if you haven’t done so already so you can be introduced to the soul and the seven mansions.

In this episode, I explore the beginning stages of spiritually awakening. Imagine your interior world as a castle—like any magnificent place, it has outer walls, a kind of fence surrounding it. Many of us, whether by choice or because of how we were raised, live outside those walls, distracted and absorbed by the attractions of the world. These are people who are spiritually asleep, unaware that there is something deeper within them to explore. Being there isn’t always our fault. The world is designed in a way that keeps us there, constantly pulling our attention outward and away from going within.

In Christian theology, the purpose of baptism is to present the soul to Christ. For many, this happens when they are babies. The parents take on the responsibility of promising to raise the child with faith and moral integrity. Others choose this later in life and make that initial promise for themselves. Regardless, these moments bring a person into the courtyard of the castle.

A seed of spiritual awareness has been planted and presented to God. For many, that is enough for them in their spiritual path. They enter the courtyard but never dwell any deeper, remaining there for most of their lives. Teresa describes this as being in the mansion but not truly inside the castle.

This teaches us that spiritual life is progressive. It is a slow movement inward through conscious effort. So believing in God is honestly just the bare minimum.

Teresa describes this stage as where the majority of Christians or spiritual seekers are today. Even though they are in the inner courtyard of the castle, they live their lives no different from those outside the walls. Their lives are completely distracted, and their priorities are of those of the world—money, status, materialism, and the body. Prayer is occasional, mostly when they are going through something difficult, along with the usual yearly visits to church. But once life gets better, everything goes back to the way it was before. There are no real thoughts about going deeper or learning more about their inner life. That’s why it’s important not to think that simply believing in God is enough to transform us or justify how we live. At this stage in the consciousness of the soul, people are spiritually split. Even if they are good people at heart, their instincts are still mostly shaped by external things.

To move out of this stage is the beginning of God’s grace in a person’s life. The individual begins to question, “Is this all there is?” The movement inward does not begin in holiness, but in discomfort. The mind begins to question and seek, and that is when the door to the castle begins to open. This stage in one’s life—I can say from my own experience—is messy. But this is normal. Prayer is the key to opening the door. You cannot move inward if you are not taking the time to sit in intentional silence. If you are not seeking, and not allowing your curiosity to grow, the soul becomes paralyzed—unable to move deeper within.

So ask yourself: are you allowing that inward call to grow, or are you numbing it, hoping it will one day disappear?

As always, I invite you to learn alongside me as I continue to grow in my understanding of The Interior Castle. I hope you leave feeling a little more inspired.

Mansion 1: Entering the Inner Courtyard (Follow me on YouTube!)

Catch the full episode on Spotify — linked here!

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