The Mysticism Of Ordinary And Extraordinary Experience

We are so much more than we appear to be. The “why” of our existence is far more complex than the “how” of our being. Mysticism probes the hidden nature of who we are, why we are, and our relationship to our Creator. We catch glimpses of this not only in the ordinary experiences of life, but also through extraordinary and unusual encounters with mystery. Mysticism is the awareness of our reality.

The Mysticism of Ordinary Life: Theology, Philosophy, and Feminism presents a new vision of Christian mystical theology. It offers critical interpretations of Catholic theologians, postmodern philosophers, and intersectional feminists who draw on mystical traditions to affirm ordinary life. It raises questions about normativity, gender, and race, while arguing that the everyday experience of the grace of divine union can be an empowering source of social transformation. It develops Christian teachings about the Word made flesh, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the Christian spiritual life, while exploring the mystical significance of philosophical discourses about immanence, alterity, in-betweenness, nothingness, and embodiment. The discussion of Latino/a and Black sources in North America expands the Western mystical canon and opens new horizons for interdisciplinary dialogue. The volume challenges contemporary culture to recognize and draw inspiration from quotidian manifestations of the unknown God of incarnate love. It includes detailed studies of Grace Jantzen, Amy Hollywood, Catherine Keller, Karl Rahner, Adrienne von Speyr, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Michel Henry, Michel de Certeau, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, Gloría Anzaldúa, Ada María Isasi-Díaz, Alice Walker, M. Shawn Copeland, and more.

Jon Mundy, Ph.D., minister, professor, magazine publisher, and author, has studied and written about mysticism for 40+ years. His studies, mystical experiences, teaching and work with the Course in Miracles has come together to create What Is a Mystic?, a comprehensive reference offering definitions, biographies and quotations by mystics ranging from Whitman to Einstein. This impressive guide correlates these sound bites so readers can easily assimilate them and relate them to their own experience. It defines mysticism, dispels the misconceptions that surround it, synthesizes the key elements of many spiritual traditions and recounts a variety of actual mystical events. Readers will find validation for their own experiences and satisfy their curiosity about those of others, while obtaining guidance for the conscious cultivation of mystical experience. Mundy stresses that interior events, in their myriad forms, are available to all-not just Joan of Arc or St. Francis of Assisi. Readers are free to jump around or read the book in a linear fashion, and the language is refreshingly straightforward. What Is a Mystic? condenses a staggering amount of information into a handy, one-stop reference.

Just outside the realm of visibility, the sacraments of the Church lie ready to effect real change in our lives. We need only to let them in. In Holiness and Living the Sacramental Life, Fr. Philip-Michael Tangorra lays out the mystical and invisible realities that are present during the celebration of the sacraments and explains how they can lead us to living ever more in tune with God. Read how the sacraments aren’t empty ceremonies, but rather powerful, effective signs that bring grace crashing through the cosmos and into our world. See how beauty—expressed in art, music, and architecture—can bring us deeper into the mysteries of God. Fr. Tangorra teaches the average Catholic how to abandon a lukewarm spirituality and start living a sacramental existence, allowing God to imbue life with a constant sense of union and communion with the divine.

Sal Restivo's book is a major achievement in the sociology of science and mathematics. It is exciting to read and constitutes a creative, wide-ranging exploration of the connections between physics and mysticism, between the natural science and the humanities. Of particular interest is his attempt to show the emergence of abstraction and of formal disciplines in science by relating them to the structure of social interests in society. All told, this book challenges the separation of C.P. Snow's two cultures' and is an original attempt to overcome the chasms between the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. The implications of the book's content certainly go far beyond its title.' Prof. W. Heydebrand, New York University

Spiritual writer, theologian, and philosopher Jesuit Fr. Robert Spitzer tackles the topic of recognizing and overcoming spiritual evil. His focus is the human heart. His goal: our moral and spiritual transformation, which leads to true peace and genuine happiness. The book is divided into two main parts: the realities of God's goodness and of spiritual evil, and recognizing and overcoming diabolical tactics, which range from temptation and deception to the Deadly Sins. Father Spitzer shows readers how to experience God's peace even during times of suffering and persecution. He examines the basics of the spiritual life and Christian mysticism, including the contemplative dimension. He explains the purgative, illuminative, and unitive aspects of spirituality, as well as the Lord's consolation and the passive Dark Night of the Spirit. Father Spitzer provides the biblical and theological background of Jesus' victory over Satan. The author also explores the reality of the Devil, including extraordinary manifestations of diabolic activity such as possession. He recalls the true story of the famous possession case on which the novel and film The Exorcist were based. In the final sections of the book the author explains: how diabolical spiritual forces operate how temptation works, and what to do to defeat it the "deadly sins" and how to overcome them

This book explores Evelyn Underhill's spirituality for daily living by describing aspects of her life and writings that are relevant for contemporary Christians in their daily living. It combines scholarly research and pastoral applications. The first part focuses on three influences on her life: experiences and images, her study of the mystics, and her work with spiritual guides. The second part discusses Underhill's spirituality for daily living based on a study of her letters, retreats, and other spiritual writings. The third part presents her legacy for the third millennium: her study of mysticism, her spiritual guidance, and her spirituality for daily living. This work highlights aspects of her life with which readers may identify, for example: her own return to the Anglican communion after fourteen years; her ecumenical dialogue with the Orthodox church and her lifelong attraction to the mystical and sacramental aspect of Roman Catholicism; her study of Sufi mystics bringing her into interfaith dialogue; her pacifist stance in World War II; and her prophetic contribution to the Anglican church as a woman spiritual director, retreat preacher, theologian, spiritual writer, and spiritual resource for today.