Product Description

"God gives without stint all that the creature needs, but it must do its part. He gives the wheat: we must reap and grind and bake it." –Evelyn Underhill

In these two classics, British poet and mystic Evelyn Underhill shows herself to be one of the most authoritative modern voices on mysticism. Written on the eve of World War I, Practical Mysticism reviews the works of the greatest Western mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas à Kempis. Underhill’s goal is to guide her readers on a journey toward mystical consciousness, to teach them to see the “eternal beauty beyond and beneath apparent ruthlessness.” Abba, first published in 1940, takes as its starting point the seven phrases of the Lord’s Prayer, using them as a means to propel the self toward union with God. In these important works, Underhill brings an often esoteric subject onto a practical footing, showing that the profound gifts of mysticism are not only for the few but are within reach of us all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #832566 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-19
• Released on: 2003-08-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Inside Flap
"God gives without stint all that the creature needs, but it must do its part. He gives the wheat: we must reap and grind and bake it." ?Evelyn Underhill

In these two classics, British poet and mystic Evelyn Underhill shows herself to be one of the most authoritative modern voices on mysticism. Written on the eve of World War I, Practical Mysticism reviews the works of the greatest Western mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas à Kempis. Underhill?s goal is to guide her readers on a journey toward mystical consciousness, to teach them to see the ?eternal beauty beyond and beneath apparent ruthlessness.? Abba, first published in 1940, takes as its starting point the seven phrases of the Lord?s Prayer, using them as a means to propel the self toward union with God. In these important works, Underhill brings an often esoteric subject onto a practical footing, showing that the profound gifts of mysticism are not only for the few but are within reach of us all.

About the Author
Evelyn Underhill was the 20th century's most authoritative voice on mysticism. Poet, author, and lecturer, she played an instrumental role in defining the western spiritual path.

Customer Reviews

A Jewel of Mystical Insight
Taking things for granted is a veil that must be rent and Ms. Underhill's little book contributes to that liberation of mind which lets "divine sensation have its way" through "a directness of apprehension" which sees the Eternal in the midst of Time. According to Ms. Underhill, "mysticism is the art of union with Reality" and "a mystic is a person who has attained that union in a greater or less degree; or who aims at and believes in such attainment." With this definition, she leads the "normal person" of common consciousness on to understanding the uncommon path of the mystic whose consciousness is more intense, more extended and, therefore, more open to the REAL since it embraces life AS IT IS in a sacred and liberated way. But such apprehension must come only through self-simplification, a purification of both the senses and the will. What begins in "active" self-discipline through the first and second stages of contemplation continues with the third stage of effortless "infusion" and passive suffering, called by St. John of the Cross "the dark night of the soul". This last stage is necessary to "complete the decentralization of one's character, test the purity of one's love, and perfect one's education in humility." The last fragments of narrow-minded selfhood are destroyed and the perfect peace of absolute surrender to Divine Reality, enveloped in a union of love, is manifest. "God's action takes the place of man's activity."

Ms. Underhill's book is saturated with an experiential understanding of the great mystics which are referenced and quoted throughout. Names such as Plotinus, St. Teresa, St. John of the Cross, Kabir, Bonaventura, Ruysbroeck (her favorite mystic), Richard of St. Victor, Julian of Norwich, (Pseudo-)Dionysius, Thomas a Kempis, and anonymous works such as The Cloud of Unknowing and The Theologia Germanica all find their place alongside poets such as Keats, Whitman, and Blake. Before tackling Ms. Underhill's much thicker masterpiece "Mysticism", this slender volume is a fine place to start. It was a memorable reading experience and will always be readily available for reference.

An inspiring book that relates mysticism with action
Underhill addresses the reader as the "practical man", but if you are able to get beyond that exclusive language, you will be challenged and stirred by her words. Why don't I wake up now and seek this Reality that is so readily available to me? Why don't I discipline my mind to meditate on the natural world and leave myself open to the possibilites of the divine? It's questions such as these that linger about me after reading Underhill's book. Written with a poetry that may seduce someone into thinking this is just fanciful navel-gazing, Underhill's words pack a wallop in that it challenges the reader to re-orient their perceptions to the divine and discover this reorientation as useful, practical, even necessary. If you ever wondered what made St. Francis of Assissi tick, or St. Teresa of Avila, or Florence Nightingale, Underhill's book offers some powerful insights.

Practically Mystified
I enjoy this book. It falls short of five stars, in my opinion, because the thesis which Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) argues, namely, that spiritual concerns have priority over temporal ones, is belied by her inability to engage in a world beyond her sheltered life of privilege. That aside, there are many wonderful and redeeming qualities brought to light by her insights. It is clear to me that she has considered this subject quite seriously in translating the meaning of a spiritual relationship into secular terms. I have often found it difficult to reconcile Free Will with Determinism. However, I clearly understood her explanation, "Perhaps, you always fancied that your will was free -- That you were actually, as you sometimes said, 'captain of your soul.' If so, this was merely one amongst the many illusions which supported your old enslaved career." Thoughts, such as these, are, of course, valuable. Even so, what is more important to me is that Ms Underhill identifies clearly the steps to a fulfilling, spiritual relationship by outlining three Forms of Contemplation. Briefly, they are : (1) discovering your own connections with the world around you; (2) recognizing that the changes in the world are the "outbirth of another power ... transcendent to itself." and (3) experiencing a "mysterious contact, a clear certitude of communion and possession." Her gentle, patient explanations make clear to me some of the tools which help me to have a spiritual relationship. If you are interested in developing a spiritual self, this book will be intersting to you.