Teresa of Ávila
1515–1582 · Spain
- First attested
- 1582The Interior Castle (1577); Life of Teresa of Jesus (autobiography, 1565).
The divine resides at the innermost center of your being; prayer is the journey to enter that sanctuary.
Spanish Carmelite nun, reformer, and Doctor of the Church. Teresa reformed the Carmelite Order alongside John of the Cross and authored spiritual classics including The Interior Castle (El Castillo Interior) and The Way of Perfection, mapping the seven successive mansions of contemplative prayer leading to spiritual marriage.
Light
Grounded spiritual realism, psychological depth, and mystical devotion united with active reform.
Shadow
Emotional volatility or obsession with visions detached from practical virtue.