Customer Reviews

Mysticism

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I read Underhill's magisterial "Mysticism" the summer after I graduated from high school, and I've been a student/devotee of the western contemplative tradition ever since. Underhill's accessible if British-formal prose provides a wonderful, elegant stage on which the majesty and depth of the interior life can be celebrated. The book neatly divides into two halves: the first examines mysticism from theological, psychological, and philosophical perspectives; the second takes the reader on a tour of the process of mystical growth over the lifespan, looking at such key life passages and transitions as conversion, self-purification, illumination, the "dark night," and union. What emerges is a developmental map for adult spiritual growth, which is a tremendous corrective to many of the silly notions floating around in our society, such as the idea that one single "born again" experience is all that is necessary to achieve total spiritual attainment. What I especially love about Underhill is her evident enthusiasm and passion for her subject matter. Without ever saying it in so many words, she reveals in her writing that mysticism is more than a dry subject for disinterested study; it is a living, breathing tradition, that demands engagement and participation from those who would explore it. Ultimately, mysticism is not found in a book, but in the lived process of relating to the Divine. It's ironic that this message needs to be passed down in books, and yet, Underhill's wonderful study of the subject does just that. This was written in 1911, and shows some marks of age; for example, the chapter on "Vitalism" refers to a philosophical fad of her day that seems almost totally irrelevant a century later. Even so, I have a house full of books on this topic, ranging from the scholarly (Bernard McGinn) to the popular (Thomas Merton) to the just plain silly (Keith Harary's and Pamela Weintraub's "Mystical Experiences in 30 Days"), and I have yet to find a single volume that provides a better, more useful, and more potentially transformative introduction to the contemplative life than this book.

Evelyn Underhill's "Mysticism..." is a true classic and is unique in its blend of intellectual rigor combined with the mystic/poet's love of Reality. Although written in 1911, and the first of many books and essays on the subject, Underhill writes in a style closer to 19th century romanticism, than to the 20th century's more technical and minimalist works. Her knowledge of Mystical (or Spiritual as she would later use) History and Christian Theology is encyclopedic and definitely up to the scope her title suggests. In terms of scholarly achievement, she is a giant.

And yet her skill as an academic is not even close to my favorite thing about this book. What is? Her prose! Her writing is simply the most beautifully brilliant I've ever read on the subject. She writes in a way that is not only poetic, but is also clear and illuminating. Here's an example from page 252: "It must never be forgotten that all apparently one-sided descriptions of Illumination-more, all experiences of it-are governed by temperament. 'That Light whose smile kindles the Universe' is ever the same; but the self through whom it passes, and by whom we must receive its reports, has already submitted to the molding influences of environment and heredity, Church and State. The very language of which that self avails itself in its struggle for expression, links it with half a hundred philosophies and creeds."

A treasure for anyone looking for inspiring text, but who's tired of the overly sentimental and non-discerning "new age" drivel of our day, and a must for any serious student of the subject.

Mysticism: The Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness by Evelyn Underhill, is a must read for any serious student of Christian mysticism. This is also a wonderful work for understanding the spiritual experiences of the great mystic saints. This classic text explores the common features that tie together the religious lives of St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Francis of Sales, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. John of Ruysbroeck, and others. She explores the core nature of the mystical experience both theologically and psychologically. Underhill is brilliant in her discourse on the mystic way. Her theology is impeccable. I highly recommend this book.

Evelyn Underhill is that most wonderful of combinations: a remarkably thorough student of mysticism, an intensely religious woman who had mystical tendencies herself, and a beautiful writer who can evoke the wonder of the mystical vision by the similes and metaphors she uses. An earlier reviewer thinkes her prose is "impenetrable." A strange evaluation, in my judgment, of a writer who is both poetic and pellucid. Here's a typical (and splendid!) example of her wordcraft: "By false desires and false thoughts man has built up for himself a false universe: as a mollusc, by the deliberate and persistent absorption of lime and rejection of all else, can build up for itself a hard shell which shuts it from the external world, and only represents in a distorted and unrecognisable form the ocean from which it was obtained. This hard and wholly unnutritious shell, this one-sided secretion of the surface-consciousness, makes as it were a little cave of illusion for each separate soul." (pp. 198-99)

It must be admitted that some parts of Underhill's classic haven't aged as well as others. Her chapters on mysticism and vitalism and mysticism and psychology, for example, are dated (especially the former). But her analysis in the second part of the book of the soul's journey to God, beginning with purgation and continuing through to mystical unification, still remains one of the best single treatments going. Underhill has a masterful grasp of western (Christian and, to a lesser extent, Jewish and Moslem) mysticism, and reading her just for the quotes from the great spiritual masters would be a delight in itself.

Don't sell her short. Doing so deprives you of the great pleasure of her company.

The author states at one point that only a mystic can write about mysticism, or rather about the true mystic experience. Conventional language, mere words, are poor tools for expressing transcendent reality. In spite of this I found myself exclaiming again and again during my reading that I knew exactly what was being described.

The core here is that only Being can know Being, we behold that which we are, and we are that which we behold. There is a spark in man's soul which is Real and by its cultivation that we may know Reality. You can only behold that which you are. Only the Real can know Reality. If this resonates to you, if it sounds strangely familiar, then perhaps this work is for you.

The mystic is drawn to the path by the force of love- the overriding desire for union with the Absolute. It is by this power that he or she is drawn to transcendent reality. This love leads to the state of contemplation which is the subtle state of consciousness that allows access to another plane. It is a form of consciousness recognized by Plato and Plotinus as well as Augustine and Aquinas. It is that form of consciousness beyond the emotional, intellectual, and volitional striving of ordinary men- a different way of knowing.

The second half of the book is structured according to the pattern of awakening, purification, illumination, ecstacy and rapture, the dark night of the soul, and the unitive life. In no sense is it a "how-to" guide, but it is a most valuable validation for those who have travelled any way at all on the path. It has also been traveled by others.

I find it significant that the author ends her appendix of biographical sketches with William Blake's death in 1827. There have of course been genuine, accomplished mystics since then, but the materialist and rationalistic world is more hostile to the testimony of the true mystic than the "dark ages" ever were.

And yet Mystic Union is no less a reality- and no less obtainable by the boon of grace.

After all, it is to know God that is our ultimate and highest purpose- all else is secondary if not ultimately trivial.

Underhill's book is a superbly authoritative look at the facts and processes of the mystical experience. This work offers much in the way of assurance and guidance to those whose inner eyes are beginning to open, as well as those who are already well acquainted with the deeper layers of their own spiritual reality. She is keen on detail and shares a wealth of examples from the lives of well known and not so well known mystics from all times and places.

While one may get the feeling from Underhill's works that self deprivation is a key to enlightenment, it should be remembered when reading such potent material that spiritual development is an evolution of values, that we move into each new phase when we are clear that our current values no longer serve our forward movement.

I particularly appreciate Underhill's superb command of the English language in choosing words that convey abstractions that could easily be defined merely as inexplicable feelings. She is one of those rare and gifted writers that I wish were still alive. I would love to be able to thank her personally for her monumental contribution to the world's great spiritual writings.

J Douglas Bottorff, author of The Whisper of Pialigos.

Evelyn Underhill's magnum opus on Western mysticism is essential reading to those who want to understand, conceptually, the orientations, stages of development, and ultimate relevance of the mystical tradition. Underhill focuses on key figures of Christian mysticism, and is somewhat dismissive of Eastern approaches. She clearly has her opinions on what is within the proper bounds of the tradition she embraces, but given the context of when she was writing, it is truly refreshing to see an author maintain and defend a point of view.

I appreciated her orderly approach to the classic stages of mysticism: purgative, illuminative, the dark night of the soul, and unitive. Ultimately all mystical traditions, east or west, lead to union with the One. This book shows how those of Christian orientation ascend on their culture-oriented journeys.

Underhill writes reverently of such figures as St. John of the Cross, William Law, Ruysbroeck, and Jacob Boehme. Their writings and experiences highlight the patterns of mysticism.

Also consider how Christian mysticism features many womem as great writers and exemplars of the tradition, such as St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and Hildegarde of Bingen. This contrasts with how Christian philosophers of the same eras, such as Aquinas, Bonaventure, Ockham, and the like, are males. One seldom finds a female celebrated in the Christian philosophical and theological traditions of those times, but they are found in abundance in mystical writings. Underhill's work implicitly demonstrates this phenomenon.

This book is highly recommended. For those who are just starting out in study of mysticism, Underhill's Practical Mysticism is a clear and helpful orientation.

What else can be said about this work Mysticism that hasn't been said over the years. Some say, in this modern period we now live in that some of her phrases etc. are out moded. Perhaps this is true! But if you are a person who has had experiences with God or Inner revelations, you feel this great Love within you, but you are not sure what it is, this book may give you the answers. When I first tried to read St. John of the Cross when I was 25, I felt the beauty and the love from his writings, but all the suffering he kept talking about was too much for me. Meaning of course I wasn't actually ready to read it until years later. After I had developed a little more spiritually. The same with this book it's a great history of mysticism and love; but you will not understand it fully

unless you are on this Path of Transformation. It can be read, but it will only be guessed at, until you experience it within your self. Yes, this is a great book; and remember: "You are the Love, You Search for In Others.

Evelyn Underhill's fine survey of Christian mysticism remains in my view, the best classic introduction to the subject.

Because of the considerable time which has passed since Underhill wrote this book, some of her conclusions show their age, and her work overlooks many important aspects of Christian mysticism such as the Desert tradition, the Patristic tradition, and also the Eastern tradition. However, her work remains a finely written and excellent introduction to many key Christian mystics, such as Augustine, Dante, John of the Cross, and Meister Eckhart.

Her work also includes a valuable study of the psychology of religious experience (her work complements the great classic of William James) and also the occurence of mysticism in Art. Being a poet herself, she understands the very important role creative art plays in expressing the inexpressible.

This is a timeless work well worth the price for any student of religion and mystical thought.

I was a young woman just graduating from high school when I chanced upon this book. In some ways it seemed way over my head, because I had not yet had a personal intimation of God, though I had experienced mysterious perceptions, mostly science-based, since early childhood. As the years passed, I became more and more familiar with the unseen manifestations of the Holy Spirit, as it is called. Whenever I was searching for material written by others familiar with these experiences, I invariably started by consulting Evelyn Underhill's wonderful book on Mysticism. She shared information never revealed by any other source, to my knowledge. The comfort she brought to me was astounding. I do not consider myself a religious person, feeling that God does not "take sides". I find God everywhere I look, in a sense of immanence. And of course, God is in us, as well. I am not a regular church-goer. I do not hide from death. I am now in my eighth decade, still playing J.S. Bach on the piano, involved in microphotography, retired from the workaday world. I am so grateful for the many contributions of this remarkable woman. I consider her my mentor and a friend of my soul. She is like no one else.