The Interior Life

I awake to a new day, which is full of things to do. However, as I drink my morning tea, still wearing my pajamas, I can also sense my interior self. What is the interior life? At times, it’s like water pouring through my cupped hands, and at other times, it’s like holding a stone in the cup of my palm. It’s the pulse in me, the blood rushing through my veins, the beat of my heart, my tears, my laughter, my delight and my surprise.

Teresa of Avila, (1515-1582), a Spanish mystic and writer of the 16th Century, wrote in the first chapter of her famous work, The Interior Castle: “I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms.”

In general, in our time, we think of the interior life through the lens of psychology, but I also like to explore other ways of viewing my deepest self. The image of the interior life as a castle with many rooms is an expansive vision. It allows me to move around, wander through the various rooms,  discover new things, and even find a place to rest.

More and more, I seek to know and connect to my interior life as an integral dimension of my active life. There is no separation between the interior and exterior life, except in the way I divide them — sometimes in half, as opposites.

The day will take off like a rocket, and I will move between one activity and the next. Yet, it is my charge to stay connected to myself, to my foundation, to the deepest part of myself as I am moving through it.

I have found that taking a few moments to pause throughout the day and take a few deep breaths, or exercise,  or take a walk, or pray, or relax my body, can strengthen the connection inside myself. The great news is that the interior life is already within us. We don’t have to create it, but we must nourish it.

How can you connect and nourish your interior life today? Find simple ways that you can sustain?