Incandescence: 365 Readings with Women Mystics [Paperback]

Carmen A. Butcher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2005 | ISBN-10: 1557254184 | ISBN-13: 978-1557254184

God loves us as gently as a mother, and as intimately as a lover As anyone will discover who casually dips into this beautiful collection, the women mystics of Christian tradition offer a lucid alternative to today's more rationalistic approaches to God. They offer a way to peace, laughter, love, and connection with each other, and they show us a picture of a tender, nurturing, forgiving God who is as intimate as our own breath. There are indeed "women's ways of knowing" and they are revealed in these insightful daily readings. Incandescence offers fresh translations from the writings of famous and not-so-famous mystics---Julian of Norwich, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena, Hildegard of Bingen, Gertrude of Helfta, Margery Kempe, and others. Each reading includes a meditation, prayer, poem, or song, providing an oasis in a hectic day. The topics in this luminous volume include:
*God’s divine, mothering love
*The guidance of God’s light
*The sensuality of faith
*A helpful and friendly Trinity "In these pages, the images of the spiritual life are the erotic ones of the feminine experience. They are the stuff of very physically-present women who loved their Lord with a ferocity and passion that could be reported only in those experiences of the flesh. . . there is peace here in the company of these good women---peace, and the nurture that only wise and well-worn priestesses can bring to a day’s occupation."

--from the foreword by Phyllis Tickle

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CARMEN ACEVEDO BUTCHER has spent the last twenty years studying and teaching the women mystics of the Christian tradition to people of all backgrounds. She is Associate Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia and earned her doctorate in Medieval Studies from the University of Georgia. She lives in Rome, Georgia with her husband and two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: Paraclete Press (MA) (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557254184
• ISBN-13: 978-1557254184
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,623 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher received the 46th Georgia Author of the Year award for The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel. She was Carnegie Professor of the Year for Georgia and recipient of the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship. As a Fulbright Senior Lecturer, she taught graduate and undergraduate students for a year at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. She studied medieval literature at The University of Georgia with Dr. John Algeo. Dr. Butcher also studied at The University of London on a Fulbright grant and at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg on a Rotary International Graduate Scholarship. She has published numerous books and articles in medieval studies and linguistics with Cambridge University Press, Mercer University Press, Cengage Learning / Wadsworth, Paraclete Press, Shambala Publications, and others. She is a professor of English and Scholar-in-Residence at Shorter University and is frequently asked to speak at universities, colleges, and community venues and leads retreats on Bible study and prayer. She writes regularly for Christianity Today and has served as a commentator for Georgia Public Broadcasting (97.7 FM). She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her husband, Sean, and she met in London during the first Fulbright grant. Her website is www.carmenbutcher.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revisionary!, March 9, 2005

By 

Christina Danielle Buckley "db" (Shorter College, Rome, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Incandescence: 365 Readings with Women Mystics (Paperback)

Carmen Butcher takes your view of Christ and the relationship available with him and completely revises what is possible through her compilation of readings. These women mystics lead the reader to a deeper place, a deeper understanding of what Love means. We are taken on the journey, right beside the women, as they are wooed and romanced by the Love of God. Butcher translates, "Here you'll discover true virtue and fall in love with it." Yes, in this book, you will discover a way to the Cross and you will be smitten with it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensational!!!, March 3, 2005

By 

Ben McFry (Athens, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Incandescence: 365 Readings with Women Mystics (Paperback)

Carmen Butcher's renderings of these women's writings are lucid and timelessly relevant. Butcher has excerpted the wisest and most touching passages from some of the highest inspired women in history. "Incandescence" presents the reader with a spiritual guidebook that does not preach but exalts the soul and heals the heart with advice, remarks, and teachings passed across time. It is a must for anyone, curious or certain, who wishes to enter a conversation with those in touch with the untouchable.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational!, March 3, 2005

By 

Kate Griffin "Kate" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Incandescence: 365 Readings with Women Mystics (Paperback)

I know this is meant to be a daily devotional, but I stayed up till 3 a.m. reading it. These feisty women really knew God, and they've been given modern voices here. You feel these are women you know. They explore God and spirituality in vibrant ways. This book sparkles with inspiring prayers, poems, songs, and meditations by a number of female mystics. Excerpts include fresh-voiced pieces by Julian of Norwich, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena, Clare of Assisi, Gertrude the Great, Hildegard of Bingen, and Margery Kempe, to name a few--seventeen famous and not-so-famous mystics in all are included. Phyllis Tickle, renowned writer on religion and spirituality, provides the foreword for Incandescence, saying, "In these pages, the images of the spiritual life are the erotic ones of the feminine experience. They are the stuff of very physically-present women who loved their Lord with a ferocity and passion that could be reported only in those experiences of the flesh. . . . There is a peace here in the company of these good women." These women present God as Mother, Best Friend, and Lover. This is unlike any other devotional I've ever had. My soul has been strengthened reading about the God who loves me as gently as my own mother. These women mystics have intimate, real relationships with the all-powerful, incarnate deity. So they focus on the unconditional nature of God's love. And their images are original, fresh, comforting, challenging. Where else can you read that

Love gives her children milk. Love feeds her children well. We get this milk in the same way a baby sucks milk from its mother's breast. We get our nourishment by sucking milk through Love's nipple. Just so, our soul can have life only through Christ crucified.

This excerpt from Catherine of Siena's writings is just a taste of the spiritual feast this book provides. Also included in the back are short bios for each mystic and a Selected Reading list which I'm finding really helpful.