The Role of the Will, Spirituality,and Psychology in the Spiritual JourneySt. Teresa of

Avila's The Interior Castle
 is a masterful work depicting the journey of thesoul to the center of itself to join itself to
God. The influential work, although it does not providea step-by-step guide to the journey of
the soul. It allows for the reader to better understand what is expected ofsomeone who is
embarking on this journey.The work is relevant today because there is an overwhelming
interest in spirituality and the journey accompanied with finding oneself in the transcendent.
There is also an interest in the intersection of spirituality and psychology, and
how understanding oneself better allows one toact differently in the world.
Her understanding of the human being allows her to formulate her own psychological
understanding.

Russell 2must undergo a transformation because the tendency of the will is to turn away from
God and to objects of the world. Teresa suggests that one must go against one's will. She
writes, "A great aid to going against your will is to bear in mind continually how all is vanity
and how quickly everything comes to an end." She speaks here of the will's tendency to turn
its focus on the
1. things that are fleeting and unsubstantial. She continues, "This helps to remove
our attachment to trivia and enter it on what will never end. Even though this practice
seems to be a weak means, it will strengthen the soul greatly, and the soul will be
most careful in very little things." Here

2. Teresa seems to be discussing a training regimen for the will in order to train it to

not choose the things of the world. However, Teresa does not think that the person
can do this on her own; she is constantly telling her readers that God helps in the
overcoming of the wayward will. Before the will can embark on the journey it must
begin to be transformed and the first step is training the will to turn away from
worldly things and towards God. Another aspect of human existence that works
against the will's turning to God is human nature. Teresa writes, "For this nature of
ours is weak, and His Majesty will strengthen anyone to whom He wishes to give
contemplation." Teresa acknowledges this weak nature that human

3. being possess; however, she reminds her readers that movement into the castle is not
wholly based on the works of the individual, but rather the will of God. This weak
nature of the human being keeps the will from being free to join itself to God. It is
enslaved to a misdirected self, and the only way to allow it to proceed on the journey
is to change focus from the world to God. Teresa explains, "Let us not condescend, oh
daughters, to allow our wills to be slaves to anyone,
 
Russell 3save to the One who bought it with his blood. Be aware that, without understanding
how, you will find yourselves so attached that you will be unable to manage from
attachment." One must
4
 be alert to the things of the world and how they act upon the will. Shirley Sullivan writes,
"God is ever present at the enter of the soul but the condition of the whole soul and the focus
of the will can blind one to this divine presence." The condition of the soul will influence the
desires
5
of the will, but once the will has been trained to turn away from the desires of the world it can
then focus on the journey towards the enter of the soul. Once the will has set itself on the path
toward God it can enter into the castle that Teresa describes as the soul: "It is that we
consider our soul to be like a castle made entirely out of diamond or of very clear crystal, in
which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many dwelling places." The castle is
made of diamond or crystal because these are clear
6
elements that will allow one to see clearly through the castle, but they are also materials that
reflect light. Before one embarks one this journey through the castle, one must first ask how
to enter it. Teresa answers, "The door of entry to this castle is prayer and reflection." In
entering
7
 prayer, one enters into the soul and starts on a path of coming to know God and self. How
ever,the will must be oriented to want to know God. One must strive to know God in the
activity of prayer, the will must face God: "Our intellects and wills, dealing in turn now with
self now with God, become nobler and better prepared for every good… If we are always
fixed on our earthly misery, the stream will never flow free from the mud of
fears, faintheartedness, and cowardice."
8
4
 Ibid., 4:8.
5
 Shirley D. Sullivan, "The Castle of Teresa of Avila: The Inward and Outward Journey,"
  Magistra
 7, no. 1, (2001):85.
6
 Teresa of Avila, "The Interior Castle," I:1.1.
7
 Ibid., I:1.7.
8
 Ibid., I:2.10.