Customer Reviews

Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

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I first came across this book when I was in high school forty years ago and I have loved it ever since. It is a true classic of western spirituality, filled with wisdom and practical insights. I have given many copies away and have used it as a text in classes on spirituality. I come back to it over and over again, and it still remains fresh and new. If I had to pick one book to take with me to a desert island to be a spiritual companion, it would be this one. Outstanding!

The Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood is the best book I have ever owned. I bought it many times at used book stores to give to friends since I found my own copy in the early 1980s. I am so glad to see that it was reprinted in 1991. Now I just order it from Amazon. This is a book that I have never read from the front to the back. I have always just closed my eyes for a moment then opened it. It is ALWAYS on the right page. Not magic, just real. 5 stars plus a heart. Buy this book. Your answers are in it too. Then listen.

I first found Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood as a discard on a religious book rack. It was an old, out of print hardcover edition, and I came to treasure it. Unfortunately, one day I left it on a bench, and didn't find it when I went back. I have grown to believe that someone who needed it more than I at that moment found it. That seems to be the way it came to me. I have since replaced it with the newer, paperback version, and I still value it greatly. It is a book you can open to any spot, at any time, in any need, and find something to speak to you. Truly timeless and inspired.

I came across this book that was being discarded by the Quaker meeting I was attending. Since then, I have read one of the letters each morning and evening before my meditations. Sometimes I read the same letter over and over until its meaning penetrates my consciousness. Though I have read this book over 20 times, each reading is fresh,and brings new wisdom and confidence and joy. And it seems to have a magical quality- each reading feels as though it was written specifically for the issues that I am grappling with at that moment. I have always thought of it as my own personal book, given to me through some act of grace. I am so glad to read that others have responded to it in a similiar way. It is truly a great spiritual guide, simple and profound.

These epistles were printed in a religious weekly from 1934 to 1948, then they were gathered and published in book form. Many of them were written in the difficult days of World War two. The letters have been interpolated with quotations from the great company scattered the world over who have found faith to walk in immortality now. The letters, we are told, are not written by one person, yet the likeness of terminology and viewpoint make them appear to be from one mind. One thing is certain these letters come from a higher register. Mary Holbrook Wilson Strong arranged the letters and gathered the quotes in this wonderful spiritual resource of a book.

In this world of hyper-activity and noise, Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood is a call back to Center. It is a friend standing at the gate of the "narrow way", saying with calm confidence: "This is the Way...Walk ye in it." I have entered an entirely new dimension of faith and living because these contemplatives have shared their rich faith and wisdom in this collection of letters. My communion with Christ and fellowship with the Holy Spirit only deepens as I practice contemplative prayer. I will read and reread this book for the rest of my life. It is an unending wellspring of hope, guidance and truth. I will treasure this book always and forever bless the hand and heart of the friend who first gave it to me.

Although this is a new discovery for me personally, this book has been a source of inspiration for the generations since WWII.  I was alerted to this by a man at a used book store who told that this book, a gift from his mother, had been a special source of guidance for him over the years.  He claimed this to be a hidden treasure, the best book on the "Spiritual shelf."   He may be right.  The book is constituted by anonymous epistles from lay and clergypersons which were published in a periodical, titled "The Churchman," between 1934 and 1948.  Interspersed with these letters are classical quotations from the sages of all time.  I read from cover to cover last night and felt connected to the timeless wisdom of the ages and inspired by the Spirit of the unknown authors. This is an exceptional read. It would make a great gift. We have chosen this as the Spiritwalk Book of the Month for April, 1999. I highly recommend this book to those who are looking for something just a little deeper. ~ Roger Ebsen, Spiritwalk Foundation

We came across this book in my father's library after his death, and discovered the source of his serenity and his sage advice for us as we grew. The corners were turned, margins full of notes, passages highlighted and underlined. As I read, I was hearing his comforting words again. You, too will feel the presence of ancestors and hear the wisdom of the ages as you read the passages. And because it was compiled during WWII, the writing gives us perspective on our own troubled times. I have used the "open the book and point" method of meditation with "Letters". It has never failed to address the exact need, answer the unspoken fears, calm the spirit. I have already bought and given away two cases of this book. It is the one gift I know will be there when my friends need support the most.

The anonymous letters to the reader in this lovely little book are a source of strength for me in beginning my day. I happened on my copy by accident (?) in a used book store and put it away on the shelf in my bookcase. Several weeks ago it came into my thoughts and I began to read it in response to some difficulties going on in my life at that time and found it immensely soothing and life-affirming. Since then I have made it a practice to read one or two letters a day and it never fails to speak to me. Thanks to Mary Strong for editing this book for us, and thanks to the contributors whose words are so inspiring. I am so happy that it's still in print and hope to give copies of it to friends and family as gifts.

In my search for meaining and spiritual connection, I have experimented with many practices and mastered none but the ability to connect with what is eternal. It is that place of knowing, stillness and peace that transcends the clammor of life's demands. Reading Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood brings me to that place immediately. It is as though the letters are written for me. The communication is direct, simple, instructive and intergrates so many of the teaching I've understood in the past. What "Letters" provides is truly beyond understanding. This is a rare, comforting and profound catalyst in my spiritual growth. I am eternally grateful to Mary Strong. "Letters" is my constant companion.