Customer Reviews

The Essential Mystics: The Soul's Journey into Truth

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Andrew Harvey's 'The Essential Mystics' is subtitled 'The Soul's Journey into Truth'; this is a book which takes a broad approach to exploring the mystical side of religion, whatever cultural contexts it might take.

This is apparent from the basic listing of chapters:

Voices from the First World
Taoism: The Way of the Tao
Hinduism: the Way of Presence
Buddhism: The Way of Clarity
Judaism: The Way of Holiness
Ancient Greece: The Way of Beauty
Islam: The Way of Passion
Christianity: The Way of Love in Action

Drawing on the holy texts of the different traditions, and exploring the practices of the spiritualists, monastics and holy teachers of these traditions, Harvey has given us a concise volume that reaches to infinity. Harvey's ancient, native and cultural mystical experience has a choice example in the following:

'Sacred One,
Teach us love, compassion, and honour
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.'
- from a Yokuts prayer

With regard to Taoism, Harvey says, 'This vision in its sanity, lack of pretension, depth, humanity, and wise, demanding humility offers, I have found, a marvelous touchstone by which to inwardly test both the truths and the imbalances of the later mystical traditions.'

In exploring Hindi mysticism, Harvey claims that Hinduism's chief attraction to us now is that it has kept alive a very full at once majestic and tender vision of God the Mother.

'Daily existence in the heart of my extended family
is the worship beyond worship
that perceives Mother Reality
as every being, every situation, every breath.'

The way of clarity in Buddhism is exemplified by the Buddha's statements, such as, 'Be a lamp into yourself! Work out your liberation with diligence!' The buddha awoke to clarity, and Harvey introduces the four noble truths and other enlightenment texts.

Harvey's exploration of Jewish mysticism explores an extraordinary postive vision of the divine and the human life.... Yahweh is both transcendent and immanent, thus giving blessing and goodness to the world. This follows the kabbalistic tradition with insight and sensitivity.

The chapter on Ancient Greece is one of the real treasures of this book, for it is a topic which is often overlooked. We are much more familiar with the philosophical, political, and historical writings, as well as literature, but a true mystical sense has often been discounted as a side-show to the mythology. But Harvey says, 'in the great pre-Socratic philosophers such as Heraclitus and Empedocles we find maters of fearless paradox who rival the anonymous seers of the Vedas and Upanishads in their awareness of the necessity of opposites and of the unity that uses, contains, and transcends them.'

Harvey's chapter on the mysticism of Islam follows a Sufi approach; there is passion in realising reality, burning like the Flame of Love, that sees all of creation as a reflection or even incarnation of the divine.

'O My servants who believe!
Surely My earth is vast,
Therefore Me alone should you serve.'
- Qur'a

In the chapter on Christianity, Harvey states, 'one of my hopes for this anthology is that it will deepen this wonder by helping people to see the truths of the other mystical traditions reflected in the depths of the Christian messages.' Harvey knows that the primary audience for this book is the western, Christianised (if not Christian) academic readers. He also explores his own journey which recognises the spirituality of Mary and Jesus as male and female subjects of mysticism.

These chapters provide a brief introduction to the wide range of mystical paths in history. They provide much meditation material, and the brief introductory texts to each section are gracefully enlightening and blessedly brief, so as to let the texts themselves speak. Were you to get only one volume of the Essentials series, this would most likely be it.

_If I was to take one book along to an isolated beach or island this summer for a serious read and reflection this would be it. You'll end up feeling better about your self, because you'll end up feeling better about mankind. This book proves that people of all cultures and all times have had the capacity to transcend the commonplace and petty and know God. This is the "golden thread" that connects all mystical traditions, all true wisdom in the world.

_Inspite of the extensive footnotes, I would not consider this to be a scholarly book. Rather, I would consider it a spiritual book- that is why it has value and is worth the reading. Here is the mystic heart of native cultures, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddihism, Judaism, Classical Greece, Islam, and Christianity all in one beautifully designed book of 236 pages. What better use could you find for your reading time?

This is a beautiful book that is really well put togetther. I love that it opens with "voices of the first world" - native american poems. It then moves into Taoist poetry from the Tao Te Ching, then into Hindu poems, the Judaic writings, then writings from ancient Greece, then Islamic poems, and finally christian passages and poems. The book is marvelous in the way that it shows that all religions are talking about the same things, just using different words/concepts to express them. Too bad more people don't realize this - there'd be fewer wars. Great book, really nicely pulled together. Glad I bought it.

I checked out this work in regard to the religious tradition I know best, the section of Jewish mysticism. I found what Harvey does there very respectable. He writes a short introduction in which he does show an understanding of the special qualiies of the Jewish religious tradition, especially its uniquely prophetic moral dimension. The excerpts he provides are major elements in the tradition, from the opening section on Creation from the first chapter of Genesis, through various Psalms, Isiah's vision of the Lord, sections from Daniel, the Song of Songs, Pirke Avot, the Zohar. The same respectful attitude is present in his work on other sections. I also found his short opening introduction informative.
As an introductory guide this work is excellent.

An almost perfect little book to give an overview of mysticism. Sometimes too short of selections, but one can always go to the source. A couple little quibbles, one being the omission of a John of Patmos' Book of Revelation selection. A truly mystical book if ever there was one. And, then a statement the author makes concerning the Apostle Paul. The author states in the summary of the Mystics at the back of the book, that Paul never refereed to himself as a mystic. Paul says in Gal. 2:20, "...I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me..." (KJV) which is the very essence of mysticism. An excellent book to be able to see the commonality of all religions and truly makes you wonder why there is so much hate for those of different faiths.

This book is now in our church library and is an excellent view of the various beliefs.

Manna. Press to your heart, open anywhere, get fueled for the journey. Harvey's intros to each of the world mystic traditions are as informed and poetic as the collections themselves. A voice of Fire.

Andrew Harvey presents an exemplary collection of religious ( and sometimes mystic thought, though the true mystical experience can not be out to words). The crux of the matter is that the true mystic has come to terms with parodox, eg., "good"/"evil", etc. Mr. Harvey has obviously not reached that level. He interjects judgements based on his belief system and his intellect, not on pure absolute truth which transcends how he believes (he makes many references to how he sees things) the world should be. The world just IS, and that supreme "being/non-being" created it all, "good", "evil", "black", "white", "whatever". None of these things could exist without their opposites, and the true mystic sees it as such. Another trait of the true mystical experience is connecting with all things, and having compassion for all things. With Mr. Harvey obviously so attached to and not able to let go of hi! s belief system, how can he connect and have compassion for all things. The true warrior does whateveris required to bring a situation into some semblance of balance, nothing more, and nothing less, and doing so he/she/it(eg., animals and all of the rest of creation, i.e.,two legged beings with highly developed neocortices of the brain, and maintains compassion for the "opponent".

john starr