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Practical Mysticism: A Little Book for Normal People

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This very poetic and lyrical book is a real gem in the mystic literature. It does a wonderful job of describing and bringing to life the interior experience of a mystic, the various stages and accomplishes this goal in a relatively short space.

I have studied comparative religion for over 20 years and I speak regularly on a variety of topics relating to this area. I have also studied integral psychology, which looks at psychological within the context of the world's wisdom traditions. I believe this makes me a good candidate to review this book and where it fits in the landscape of literature on the topic.

This book takes and packages the mystical experience which Underhill describes as "the art of union with reality" in terms anyone can understand and relate to. Her metaphors are powerful and I believe many of them apply across traditions.

While it's true that this book does not cover Eastern traditions as such, more than likely the interior experience of mystics is similar or the same. What is likely to be different is the conceptual framework that they apply to make sense of them. In this respect, the book definitely packages the content into metaphors and words that are consistent with Christian Mysticism. However, the insights of the underlying experience are invaluable and apply to every tradition.

For example, a Christian might say that, "I had an experience of being God." What they probably mean is that I participated in involuntarily in God's being and it was a grace or gift." A Hindu might take the same fundamental experience and say, "I had an experience that my Atman (deepest Self) is Brahman (God). I've read literature on both sides of the fence and it appears to me like the mystics are having the same transrational, noetic and ineffable experience, but are doing their best to capture it in words that they are familiar with within their historical context.

If one approaches reading Underhill from this perspective, it can be a very enriching experience. She covers a lot of good ground in this little book and it will provoke many insights. If you are not familiar with mysticism at all, this could be a great place to start reading, especially if you are a Christian.

If you are not a Christian, I see a lot of advantage in looking at these phenomena from different vantage points. I think each tradition has something valuable to contribute to the ongoing dialogue of the meaning of direct knowing and to get the full picture you really need to read a variety of material.

There are LESS EXPENSIVE versions of this book out there. So... if you are on the fence, get a less expensive or used version and prepare to hear some age old wisdom. However, do approach it from the perspective of a modern person looking through the lens of someone who lived at the beginning of the 20th century. What to me is surprising is not how different things were, but rather how the human condition has remained much the same.

Evelyn Underhill wrote numerous books about mysticism, an amazing number of which are still in print (click on author name to see). In this little book, published just at the start of WWI, Underhill attempted to distill a summary of the mystical pursuit in simple language.

Addressing an imaginary "practical man", Underhill attempts first to justify the validity and value of the pursuit of mystical experience; then explains the stages of the mystic's quest in several chapters. These chapters represent a synthesis of the works of dozens of mystic authors from all ages and traditions.

The writing style is lyrical: at times quite beautiful and striking, at other times crossing the line to become pretentious and old-fashioned.

Is this actually a book for the (modern) "practical man"? I think not. Underhill's instructions in how to begin meditating are quite vague and could easily mislead a beginner into fruitless paths. Also, the descriptions of the stages of mystical progress are strongly influenced by the Christian mystics of the middle ages -- Underhill clearly had studied few, if any, primary sources on Eastern traditions. That's understandable; relatively few Buddhist or Hindu documents had been translated at the time of writing. But it reduces the value of the book for modern readers.