7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mysticism 101, January 8, 2011
Sad to say, I was more than prepared to not like this book. I'm still not real fond of the cover, and it struck me as some cheesy knockoff that was cranked out to take advantage of the release of the third Narnia film.
But for whatever reason, as I was looking at it, turning it over in my hands and trying to decide whether to put it in the thrift store pile, I saw the website address for the author. My computer was open, so I checked out the site. Unexpectedly, I was drawn in by its layout and a quick scan of some of the authors he quoted -- authors like Evelyn Underhill, Julian of Norwich, St. John of the Cross -- told me this book wasn't perhaps what I assumed.
It was Saturday night and I wanted to read anyway, so I sat down on the couch and opened up the book. Immediately I liked it. I read at least a quarter of it; the next night another half, and then finished it off a few nights later.
What drew me in? Perhaps this sentence in the opening chapter: "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not directly related to any stories of the Bible. Even so, it may be the most useful of the seven Narnia books, for it is the one that most directly maps out the contours of the Christian spiritual life."
A good subtitle for this book would be Mysticism 101. McColman, whom I found out later has written a book titled, aptly enough, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, does a tremendous job breaking down, in manageable steps, the process of pursuing spiritual mysticism. This is something I find surprisingly difficult to explain concisely, and I was humbled by McColman's nimble approach.
In this book he "translates" C.S. Lewis' third book in his seven-book series The Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as a book that can be understood as containing "much of the wisdom and insight about spiritual living that has come down to us over the centuries from the great mystics and saints of the Christian world."
At the same time, McColman respects Lewis' claims that the books were never to be taken as direct allegories. He simply chooses to look at its symbolism and story as a platform to guide the reader into an understanding of spiritual mysticism.
What am I talking about? McColman tells us that much of the conflict that we face in life is not so much the battle between good and evil as it is the conflict within ourselves. Put another way, do I want to live life on the surface, reacting to the highs and lows of daily life, or do I want to dive below and engage with the deeper, bigger, harder issues and questions that flirt along the edges of our existence? More importantly, do I want to find God in the midst of that?
McColman, in describing Eustace's resistance to the voyage he eventually finds himself on with Caspian, Reepicheep and the Pevensies, connects that with our own determinations about spiritual journey. We are faced with deciding whether or not we are willing to pursue a life based on conscious communion with God (quoting Evelyn Underhill). Here McColman gives us a definition for mysticism as simply a can't-miss-it experience of God's presence in our lives, even to the point of feeling at one with God. He then spends the rest of the book showing The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a wonderful, enchanting description of the various aspects of Christian spirituality. Brilliant!
This would also be a great book for a group committed to Bible study, prayer, discipleship, or even just spiritual exploration. Reading it together would prompt tremendous conversation, questions and spiritual experience.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The lion, the mouse, and the dawn trader: spiritual lessons, January 18, 2011
The Lion, the Mouse, and the Dawn Treader: Spiritual Lessons from C.S. Lewis's Narnia by Carl McColman
My thanks to a friend for recommending this book. It was timely. Spirituality isn't the result of an event, but develops through a lifetime of struggles. Discipleship programs handicap young Christians if they are not introduced to the fact that they are entering a lifelong spiritual journey rather than graduating. This book underscores the maturation process through much tribulation.
The author, Carl McColman, is an excellent writer. I really don't know how to say that any better. Not only was I not disappointed in this book, I found just about every sentence insightful enough to stop to meditate on what was being said. I have occasionally read a book without finding anything quotable, but seldom have I read a book where I've underlined so much. McColman captures the depth of each chapters meaning and relates it in clear, succinct, and intellectually enjoyable words.
If you appreciate the writings of C. S. Lewis you will be doubly blessed by McColmans rendering of this story. If you haven't been able to get into the works of Lewis, here is a wonderful primer. If you are trying to understand your own spiritual trek through life, allow McColman to tag along as your guide and life interpreter.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Deeper into Narnia, October 28, 2011
Like so many readers, I have loved the Narnia books for years. Like other students of the spiritual life, I've found wonderful lessons in them, but this book has helped me get to a deeper reading. I guess in the past, I've tended to race through, enjoying the story and thinking, "Uh huh, uh huh, I get it," then moving on. What McColman has done looks like the product of using Narnia for lectio divina, slow and contemplative reading that ruminates prayerfully over the meaning. The result is something much richer than I'd ever arrived at on my own.
Perhaps the greatest lesson of the Narnia chronicles is pointed out by McColman at the end of this book: "[W]e need to approach the spiritual life as if it were a grand adventure, a quest worthy of embarking on -- a quest that will have its share of danger, but that will ultimately take us to a place filled with refreshing waters, nurturing silence, and dazzling light." This is what I've always loved about Lewis: how he could capture that sense of the adventure of the spiritual journey. Too often, when things get dark and scary, people assume they're on the wrong track when they should be expecting that the quest will be challenging at times. If we had a bit more of Lewis's romantic imagination, we would probably have more of Reepicheep's courage, and end up following him to the "utter east."
A delightful read. I'm looking forward now to McColman's "Big Book of Mysticism", next on my list.
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