The Devil in the Castle

St. Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Warfare, and the Progress of the Soul

By: Dan Burke

Narrated by: Jordan Burke

We often think of demons appearing only in extravagant and extraordinary manifestations or working only through “bad” people. But the truth is more frightening than that. Most demonic activity takes place undetected, under the radar, and can even be hidden in our own prayer lives and in the churches where we attend Mass. Subtlety, illusion, and deceit are the preferred tactics of Satan’s army of fallen angels, and they are waging an invisible battle for souls - right now - within and around us all.

With St. Teresa of Avila’s masterpiece The Interior Castle as his guide, best-selling author Dan Burke takes you on an illuminating journey through the seven levels of spiritual progress, explaining what God is accomplishing within your soul at each stage, as well as the finely tailored demonic strategies applied to throw you off your path.

You’ll learn how the devil is as active in your prayer life as you are, and how the saints were able to counter Satan as he adapted his schemes to correspond with where they were on their spiritual journeys.

By discovering the myriad challenges St. Teresa faced and the remedies she employed to advance the spiritual progress of her soul, you’ll know precisely what to expect as you progress in your current state to your final spiritual destination. You’ll also learn:

• The marks of authentic contemplative encounter with God
• Why God uses dryness in prayer to advance the progress of our souls
• How to know if you’re still in the “Purgative Way”
• How desolation can work for the good of the soul
• Why it’s dangerous to assume that your decisions are correct if you feel at peace
• How to fight distraction in prayer
• The 11 ways to test the authenticity of charismatic gifts

©2022 Sophia Institute Press (P)2022 Sophia Institute Press

Helpful for many

I'm very thankful for and this in depth look at St Teresa's book. Very helpful in many ways.

A must read

An absolute must read for any Christian wanting to deepen their spiritual life.

I LOVE that this is a very sturdy manual for embarking on a deeper spiritual journey that offers important and useful tips, as well as warnings. It is definitely a book I will read and reread as I try to deepen my prayer life. This is a must read for every serious and faithful Catholic!

A Catholic Cliffnotes version of St. Teresa’s Interior Castle!

Don’t wait, just purchase!

If you’re seeking to grow in the spiritual life, wanting to move closer in the mansions of the castle, or curious what any of that is, then get this book. It’s an invaluable tool for those aiming for heaven.

This book is one I will be listening to for review every year. It’s absolutely brilliant the way Dan manages to take St. Teresa’s often confusing work, The Interior Castle, and make it so easy to grasp and understand.

I found myself riveted and listened to this book every free second I could. Not only because the book is that good but also because Jordan does a phenomenal job narrating. So often the narrators are monotone and boring, or the extreme opposite and over exaggerate, making it painful to listen. Not so with this book, the narration was stellar.

Listen

great content great reader. illuminative and can be grasped by anyone. gives great insight and truth about the spiritual battle and the ways in which the devil seeks to get us off course even if you are already on a good path. highly recommended.

An excellent spiritual quick start gui

Didn't know much about the author until recently seeing him on Tim Gordon's podcast. thought I'd take a chance on this book and I'm glad I did.

I'd describe this book as a quick start guide for those interested exploring the Catholic contemplative approach to life.

tried and true Catholic wisdom distilled for the modern layman. the book uses St Theresa of aviles seven Castles system as a framework for showing the reader what the Catholic spiritual conveyor belt looks like, in an accessible way. you don't need to know a bunch of jargon or be a theology nerd to grasp what's going on in this book.

it's not an exhaustive survey of the subject by any means. however, it provides enough depth for most readers to orient themselves spiritually and then it gives them a direction to head off in, by suggesting various other resources to help take the next steps should one want to.

at times the book feels a little bit like an advertisement for some of Dan's website stuff and services / products but by the end of the book, I didn't think this was bad at all.

having literally just finished the book a couple minutes ago I'd say that ir reads like an invitation to embrace the depth that can be found in the Catholic contemplative tradition.

it's a pithy and pragmatic and manages to be thorough without being overwhelming.

I highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in Catholic contemplative life and or St Theresa's seven castles.

the author impressed me enough that I now want to read a few of his other books.

It’s a Lifetime of a Listenly too!!

⚜️🙏🏼Saint Theresa, pray for us 🙏🏼⚜️

Pray that we can be made worthy of the promises of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
No matter how much we blasphemed our God, that we can be turned around, INSTANTLY and choose the best road!

Great interpretation of St. Teresa of Avila for the modern day!

This book makes me so happy about the fact that St. Teresa is my Confirmation Saint. It is a great translation of her work to a modern audience.

Fantastic Audio

Very soothing and clear voice. :-) it was so good I didn’t notice any mistakes. Yup

Worthwhile book!

I learned so much from this book, I went through it very quickly and I also bought a hard copy. Great spiritual book!

Look within

I love the mysticism in the Catholic faith. Spiritual battle is waged not only from the outside but also from within. Presentation is not dragging or boring.