Interior Castle: Teresic Lifestyle Level 7
Here, you'll be able to ascertain your Teresic Lifestyle Level, based on a innovative use of the Interior Castle by St Teresa of Avilla. It's an outline, and an encouragement for your to find out more, by perhaps participating in one of Brother Tadhg's workshops (or one-to-one, individual sessions).
Theses levels may describe levels through which you've worked and passed by as you move to 'higher' rooms, or they may describe where you are now. '
LEVEL SEVEN
Those living at this level will understand that words fail, here. If the previous level was 'betrothal', this level according to St Theresa is 'marriage', a spiritual wedding where the individual and God become one.
TYPICAL OUTLOOK
She writes, 'When our Lord is pleased to have pity on this soul that He has already taken spiritually as His Spouse because of what it suffers and has suffered through its desires, He brings it, before the spiritual marriage is consummated, into His dwelling place which is this seventh. For just as in heaven so in the soul His Majesty must have a room where He dwells alone. Let us call it another heaven.'
It's a time of 'being', not necessarily 'doing', though life involves the latter. Our status is made know here, if not at 'lower' levels that we are 'fearfully and wonderfully made', that we are children of God bought with the previous blood of the lamb, and that in some mystical way what we do to others and, indeed, to creation, we do to God. This level is one of profound simplicity, profound love, profound 'being' and confidence in God. No matter what happens...He is able.
TYPICAL NEED
Maybe the last words should be those of St Teresa. She said, 'The holy name is hallowed here in a most human and personal way, and in a most complete way. Here the prayer of the soul is most fully united with the love-communion of Father and Son, in the Spirit. All souls can and should pray this prayer and this petition of the prayer, 'asking the Father that His name be made holy.''
Level 7 is the last level, but as with all marriages it is, when it comes to knowing God, just the beginning of a deeper and eternal relationship. An adventure not bounded by time or space.
The Teresic Lifestyle Level's mentioned over the last few weeks, were but outlines. If you want to know a little more or take this further (and see how you can apply this, personally, to your life and/or participate in a Teresic Lifestyle Level seminar/workshop (in person or via the internet/MSN etc, please click here.










