# Locutions ## The Interior Castle Study Edition Along with visions, they are the extraordinary mystical forms most frequent in Teresa’s life. In a locution one hears or listens to what another says; there is, then, one who speaks and one who listens or hears. God speaks; Teresa listens or hears. Locutions are divided, according to Teresa, into bodily (formed in the external sense, as in the case of a person who hears with his ears); imaginative (formed in the internal sense of imagination, as in the case of a person who gradually composes); intellectual locutions, or purely spiritual (the words take place in the most intimate depths). The intellectual ones are the clearest of the locutions, so clear that the soul remembers every syllable. With these words there is often given much more to understand than is ever dreamed possible without words. But no matter where they are experienced, when they come from God, they first of all bear a great power and authority, for they then effect what they say. Secondly, when from God they also leave an effect of quiet and peace and the readiness to engage in the praises of God. Third, when from God they remain in the memory for a long time, and some are not forgotten. In the beginning Teresa showed herself very fearful of these experiences but, with much caution, as time went on, she became more favorable toward this whole range of experiences, and thankful to God for them, recognizing in them their concrete sanctifying power, although they should never be desired. - The Interior Castle Study Edition Glossary