Excerpt from The Meaning and Value of Mysticism I believe, then, that out of the confusion and bitter mental anguish that cloud our souls to-day there is arising a deep and genuine desire for contact with the Eternal, a humble and resolute purpose to have done with pretty illusions and to grip Reality with naked hands. More especially will men everywhere begin to respond to the message of a truly Christian Mysti cism - that is, a Mysticism whose passion for intimacy with God is checked by the Christian sense of sin, based upon a deeply ethical conception of salvation and sanctity, and born of a vision of God as He is in Christ Jesus. Sudden contact with grim realities may, and very likely will, make men even less tolerant of ecclesiastical and theological conventions than they were before, but it will likewise make them more suspicious of the preciosity, mock esotericism, and cheap transcendentalism of fashionable, heterodox cults, and far more open to the appeal of an experience of spiritual immediacy founded upon the realities of the Christian Gospel. The present book is based upon such a reading of the situation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Spiritual Consciousness: Mysticism - The Nature and Development of Man's Spiritual Consciousness is a seminal book about Christian mysticism written by one of the most widely read authors on the subject, the ever popular Evelyn Underhill continues her trend of truly life-altering writings. Underhill has divided Mysticism into two parts. The first section of the book, "The Mystic Fact," serves as an introduction to Christian mysticism, tracing the history and nature of mysticism from theological and philosophical perspectives. A chapter is also included on mysticism and magic, a relationship that perhaps forms the most controversial aspect of mysticism. The second part of Underhill's book (dubbed "The Mystic Way") is the author's study of the process of mystical growth. This portion of the book can almost be read as a "how-to." For those seeking spiritual growth through Christian mysticism, it is this portion of the book that will be most valuable and potentially life altering. Mysticism remains one of the most heralded texts examining Christian mysticism. The reason for this is simple: Underhill's prose and clarity of voice are remarkable. The text is simple yet both illuminating and inspiring. Both the novice and the experienced follower will find tremendous value in this book. Spiritual Consciousness: Mysticism - The Nature and Development of Man's Spiritual Consciousness is perhaps the most well known book on the subject matter, and with good reason. It is a true accomplishment, and one that deserves to be read by anybody with a passing interest in mysticism. Underhill's book is highly recommended. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Mysticism and Modern Life The task, for the author, relates itself very closely to one in which he has been for some time engaged and to which his previous volumes have been devoted - the study of the nature of Personality. In pursuing such a study it is impossible to pass by the mystics with their rich contribution to the meaning of this most fundamental of realities. The gentle reader who does not care for the critical discussion of mysticism may omit Part II. The author deems this, however, to be a very essential part of the volume One does not like to be a fool, even a blessed fool, as a neighbor of mine remarks. Without a philosophy to justify him the mystic can hardly escape this suspicion. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Mysticism, Its True Nature and Value: With a Translation of the Mystical Theology of Dionysius, and of the Letters to Caius and Dorotheus (1, 2 and 5) In quite another direction, again, mysticism has been brought into connection with a certain school of metaphysics, as a kind of direct intuition by means of which the absolute reality underlying the phenomenal world may be perceived and contemplated; and this intuition is held by some to be the true essence of mysticism, as the common and only reality belonging to all kinds of mystical experience. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from Mysticism in World Religion Among primitive peoples the greatest significance is attached to the experience of ecstasy and trance as a means of contact with the unseen. The utterance of a man in trance is commonly held to emanate from the spirits of the dead. 'the primitive seer or prophet stands midway between the mystic and the The phase Of religion which centres in the work of the inspired prophet or seer is known as 'shamanism' from the word 'shaman' used among the Tunguses Of Central and Eastern Siberia. (the same type Of religion is found among the Eskimo, the Australians, and many tribes Of North and South America.) The shaman has to undergo a lengthy training; he prepares him self for his work by fasting and solitude. He receives instruction from an Old shaman, who teaches him the lore of spirits. He is Often a man of psychic abnormality, but it is significant that his trouble is cured by the exercise Of his arts. He acts as healer, rain-maker, diviner, and exorcist, purifying a house where death has occurred by driving away the ghost. He is not a mere medium: he sees the spirits, and enters into communication with them, but he is not their passive instrument. Rather is he their master; he controls the powers through which he works. Yet he is not, typically, proud or overbearing. Among the Yakuts Of Siberia it is said that, While the shaman must be possessed of inner strength, he must not be presumptuous. In his Study of Shamanism, Eliade has shown that its characteristic feature is ecstasy, and that in this experience the belief in Spirit-possession is in reality secondary and derivative, and not primary. From ancient times, he says, the religion of Central Asia was marked by the worship of a supreme sky-god, but in course of time this belief became progressively less significant; it was replaced by the cult Of ancestral spirits and other beings. As a result the belief in spirit possession was introduced. The primary and fundamental aspect of mstasy is the ascent of the soul of the shaman to Heaven, Where it enters into communion with the divine. Even when the notion of spirit-possession was introduced, it did not entirely displace the earlier symbolism; the ascent to Heaven remained. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.