Course Description: Join us for a contemplative exploration of selected passages from sixteenth-century Spanish Carmelite mystic and reformer Teresa of Avila’s spiritual and theological masterpiece, The Interior Castle. As we read, we will draw attention to foundational metaphors in Teresa’s writing and consider their significance for the spiritual life today.  

Our study will be enriched through perspectives from conceptual metaphor theory, which holds that metaphors are rooted in our earliest embodied experiences, embedded in language, and integral to understanding. Embodied knowing shapes how we think about the world and make sense of experiences, including spiritual experiences.  
 
Students will read passages from Teresa’s writings and post reflections and responses weekly on the Discussion Board. Students are invited to engage a metaphor encountered in Teresa’s writings through the visual arts as an expression of and focus for prayer. We will gather two times on Zoom for a Tuesday evening “fireside chat.”  
 
This course is open to anyone. Those desiring credit toward the Certificate in Spiritual Formation can expect to participate fully and submit a final integration paper at the end of the course. All are welcome to do so regardless of status in the program. 
 
Location:
Online 

With: Elizabeth Ford Friend is a scholar of Christian spirituality and contemplative practice. She holds a PhD in Christian spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. Her areas of academic research include conceptual metaphor analysis of religious texts, narratives of spiritual autobiography, interpretation theory, and Ignatian spirituality.  

A Senior Lecturer and Advisor in the Doctoral Programs at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA, Dr. Friend has also enjoyed teaching at the Washington Theological Union, Georgetown University, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, and San Francisco Theological Seminary. 

A graduate of Davidson College (B.A.), Union Presbyterian Seminary (M.Div.), and the Institut Protestant de Theologie (Lic), Dr. Friend is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has been active in pastoral ministry in suburban Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area and, Virginia. 
 
Schedule: 

September 26, 2022     Course begins 
September 27         7-8:30 pm   Fireside chat  
October 25        7-8:30 pm   Fireside chat 
October 28        Course ends 
December 5        Integration paper due 
 
This is an asynchronous course; participants will not be required to log on at specific times.

Program Fee: $190 

Additional Information:  
Participants will need a copy of The Collected Works of Teresa of Avila Vol.2 
 
Contact:
lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu 

Earning CEUs for this course: If you desire to earn a certificate confirming earned CEUs in this course, please contact the Center for Lifelong Learning.

In order to qualify for CEUs in this course you must fulfill the following requirements:

  1. Confirm that you have read the assigned text.
  2. Participated in the full course and all discussions.
  3. Completed any assignments, papers, and projects.
  4. Completed the course evaluation.
  5. Made a formal request for a CEU certificate.