Customer Reviews

Evelyn Underhill: Essential Writings (Modern Spiritual Masters)

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This book is a compilation of some of the best parts of all her books. As such, it is appropriately titled. The reader need be prepared, though, that this is not New Age Mysticism where you just let God in and he works his magic and eventually you are in union with the Head Dude. (Sure that happens as part of the process) So, I cannot call this book inspirational in that sense. It is inspirational in the sense that your labor of love, the refining fire of personal transformation, painful and confusing as it is at times, is truly the path for bringing oneself and the world into a conscious union with the divine. The understanding and acceptance of our faults and those of others is the basis for moving through the mystical life. Her elegant prose takes much of the shame and sting out of our hurt, embarrassment, and mistakes, allowing us to see the seeds of our redemption in the apparent misfortunes and trails of tears we have left in the wake of our day to day lives. She elevates our lives to a spirituality of imperfection which few writers are able to do without resorting to a bunch of well worn cliches and analogies.

I have a couple of minor cautions. The reader not familiar with Evelyn will need to take this book very slow. Just a couple of pages at a sitting would be fine. Rest assured, there is no punch line or final answer at the end. The other point is just a minor peeve I have and that is that she does not lay out a clear and simple method to develop a contemplative and meditative practice. However, that is the bane of much of Christian meditative and contemplative writings. Don't let that stop you from learning more about her and her approach to the spiritual life.

If you wish to develop a meditative practice in the Christian sphere you may read Thomas Keating or Cynthia Borgeault on Centering Prayer or John Main and Laurence Freeman who have developed Christian Meditation. I would recommend you also learn about Buddhist meditation, much of which is easily practiced in a non-sectarian way. I personally recommend Sharon Salzberg as a good starting point here, although there are other excellent Buddhist meditation books, Bhante Gunatarana's being one.

If living the contemplative life is of interest to you, you will benefit from Evelyn Underhill's writing. I translate her use of the word mysticism into contemplative living. Her life experiences in a different era contribute greatly to one's understanding of the spiritual life. This book is an overview and it whets the appetite for more.