The Essentials Of Mysticism And Other Essays Classic Reprint

Excerpt from The Essentials of Mysticism and Other Essays So we are forced to ask ourselves, what is the essential element in spiritual experience? Which of the many states and revelations described by the mystics are integral parts of it; and what do these states and degrees come to, when we describe them In the current phraseology and strip off the monastic robes in which they are usually dressed? What elements are due to the suggestions of tradition, to conscious or unconscious symbolism, to the misinterpretation of emotion, to the invasion of cravings from the lower centres, or the disguised fulfilment of an unconscious wish? And when all these channels of illusion have been blocked, what is left? This will be a difficult and Often a painful enquiry. But it is an enquiry which ought to be faced by all who believe in the validity of man's spiritual experience; in order that their faith may be established on a firm basis, and disentangled from those unreal and impermanent elements which are certainly destined to destruction, and with which it is at present too often confused. I am sure that at the present moment we serve best the highest interests of the soul by subjecting the whole mass of material which is called mysti cism to an inexorable criticism. Only by inflicting the faithful wounds of a friend can we save the science of the inner life from mutilation at the hands of the psychologists. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

"British writer of prose and poetry EVELYN UNDERHILL (1875 1941) was a fellow of King s College for Women and King s College, and was the first woman to lecture to the clergy in the Church of England. Through her radio appearances and her stint as editor of the political magazine The Spectator, she was a familiar voice in British public life between the wars. She authored more than 30 books (some under the pseudonym John Cordelier), including Concerning the Inner Life and Radiance: A Spiritual Memoir. This collection of her essays includes: The Essentials of Mysticism The Mystic and the Corporate Life Mysticism and the Doctrine of Atonement The Mystic as Creative Artist The Education of the Spirit The Place of Will, Intellect And Feeling in Prayer The Mysticism of Plotinus and more. Every reader interested in a practical, lucid take on the mystical will want a copy on the bookshelf. "

'Nothing is more striking in the literature of contemplation, and of high aesthetic experience, than an experienced reality, a joy and richness, which can never be conveyed save by allusion.' Offering a unique introduction to the wide-ranging thought of one of the foremost writers on mysticism, this innovative collection of essays brings together some of Evelyn Underhill's most enduringly valuable work. The volume exemplifies the variety of issues Underhill considered in depth, from the mystical life to the ordination of women, and from the nature of prayer and the power of contemplation to social reform and education. As relevant and challenging today as it was in Underhill's time, this delightfully clear and accessible book will offer valuable advice and true inspiration to all those seeking insight into spirituality in our complex modern world.

Excerpt from Modern Mysticism: And Other Essays Job lies in the fact of the sentiment and the language being conceived as one. Wisdom may be profound, but obscure thought cannot contain the highest wisdom. The best art, therefore, can be symbolical or allegorical, but the idea must be clear and the form evident. And as the mystical law demands the unity of thought and form, the same law stamps every new artist and poet with the seal of originality. They may borrow from one an other, but they do not imitate. Inferior grades of inspiration are often engendered by pre ceding examples, but the possessor of an original faculty arrives with something in definable. We recognise the Charm, but we cannot explain it. We may call this power a temperament, anything, indeed, except what is meant by the old-time definition of special instrument for a special mission, which scientific knowledge of the present day forbids us to consider tenable. For, Since we are all the result of ancestral forces, and conditions, to apply the term instrument. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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Mystics are path-breaking religious practitioners who claim to have experience the infinite, word-defying Mystery that is God. Many have been gifted writers with an uncanny ability to communicate the great realities of life with both a theologian's precision and a poet's lyricism. They use words to jolt us into recognizing ineffable mysteries surging beneath the surface of our lives and within the depths of our hearts and, by their artistry, can awaken us to see and savor fugitive glimpses of a God-drenched world. In Mystics, William Harmless, S.J., introduces readers to the scholarly study of mysticism. He explores both mystics' extraordinary lives and their no-less-extraordinary writings using a unique case-study method centered on detailed examinations of six major Christian mystics: Thomas Merton, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, Bonaventure, Meister Eckhart, and Evagrius Ponticus. Rather than presenting mysticism as a subtle web of psychological or theological abstractions, Harmless's case-study approach brings things down to earth, restoring mystics to their historical context. Harmless highlights the pungent diversity of mystical experiences and mystical theologies. Stepping beyond Christianity, he also explores mystical elements within Islam and Buddhism, offering a chapter on the popular Sufi poet Rumi and one on the famous Japanese Zen master Dogen. Harmless concludes with an overview of the century-long scholarly conversation on mysticism and offers a unique, multifaceted optic for understanding mystics, their communities, and their writings. Geared toward a wide audience, Mystics balances state-of-the-art scholarship with accessible, lucid prose.

The essays collected in this volume have been written during the past eight years. They deal with various aspects of the subject of mysticism : the first half-dozen with its general theory and practice, and special points arising within it; the rest with its application as seen in the lives and works of the mystics, from the pagan Plotinus to the Christian contemplatives of our own day. Most of them have already appeared elsewhere, though all have been revised and several completely re-written for the purposes of this book. The Essentials of Mysticism and The Mystic as Creative Artist were first printed in The Quest; The Mystic and the Corporate Life,Mysticism and the Doctrine of Atonement, and The Place of Will, Intellect, and Feeling in Prayer " in The Interpreter; The Education of the Spirit in The Parents' Review; The Mysticism of Plotinus in The Quarterly Review; The Mirror of Simple Souls and Soeur Therese de l'Enfant-Jesus (under the title of " A Modern Saint ) in The Fortnightly Review; " The Blessed Angela of Foligno " in Franciscan Essays; Julian of Norwich in The St. Martin's Review; and Charles Peguy in The Contemporary Review. All these are now republished by kind permission of the editors concerned.E. U. August 1920.