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The Feminist Spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila
“When I found out that God was white and a man I lost interest. ... They each tell their own unique stories as women in solidarity with other women, and they recognize feelings as the core to feminine spirituality. This expression of spirituality through feminism was, in many ways, started by Teresa of Avila in her writing of “The Interior Castle.” Her prayer communicated the femininity of a woman’s soul and spirituality has been expressed in many ways over time, yet before this image, women had been excluded from these divine realities. ... Teresa of Avila achieved, through her devoted prayer life, a deep understanding of the feminine soul and affirmed woman’s uniquely feminine qualities in the spiritual life, as the main theme in her writing of “The Interior Castle”.
St. Teresa became a very influential writer from this work. ... St. Teresa was born in 1515 in the Castilian town of Avila. ... In 1535 at age 20, Teresa decided that she wanted to enter the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation in Avila; yet as she was beginning her spiritual life there in 1537, she became very ill. ... After her near death experience, Teresa’s spirituality enervated, resulting in a lack of devotion to her prayer life. ...
Teresa had been commanded to write of her experiences by the sisters in her convent. ... Although her vision was intense, Teresa described it with great ease. In the beginning Teresa invites us to “consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of a diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many dwelling places…In the center and middle is the main dwelling place where the very secret exchanges between God and the soul take place. ... God is central to the human person and as one walks towards the inner parts of Teresa’s castle, one will find God in the center room. ... Teresa’s writes, “The worms nourish themselves on mulberry leaves until, having grown to full size, they settle on some twigs.
Approximate Word count = 1708
Approximate Pages = 6.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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