Pilgrimage through the Castle

The subject was  St Teresa's Interior Castle But I make no claim whatever to interpreting her Spirituality. She is certainly the inspiration but what follows also draws on many other influences including Wesley and St Francis. It  is entirely personal.

I really think I have little to say that I have not already said in other books which I have been commanded to write; indeed, I am afraid that I shall do little but repeat myself, for I write as mechanically as birds taught to speak, which, knowing nothing but what is taught them and what they hear, repeat the same things again and again. If the Lord wishes me to say anything new, His Majesty will teach it me or be pleased to recall to my memory what I have said on former occasions;

Oh, Jesus! How I wish I could make myself clear about this! For I think I can see a very marked difference between these two things and yet I am not clever enough to make my meaning plain: may the Lord explain it for me!

There is also a charming story: Crossing a river one day with other nuns and packhorses, all their possessions were washed away. Teresa pointed up to heaven and exclaimed to the Lord: if this is the way you treat your friends I am not surprised you have so few.

So, here is my allegorical story of Pilgrim , who I shall refer to simply as P and the one he seeks, following Teresa's delightful use of His Majesty, as HMG. I have divided the story into a series of Visions (rather than Mansions) and when I began I had no idea how many there would be or where the Pilgrimage would lead.