Julian of Norwich was a mystic and anchoress of the 14th century and wrote Revelations of Divine Love, the first book to be written in English by a woman. Not much is known about her life, but she was born in about 1342 and may have been from a wealthy family that lived in Norwich.… Continue reading Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love
Last time we looked at the language of deification in the Unitive State. Here we finish the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism with the second style of language used by mystics to describe the experience of union, that of spiritual marriage, and explore the source of the mystic’s joy: “At this point we begin to… Continue reading The Mystic Way 15: Spiritual Marriage and Joy
Last time we looked at the characteristics of the Unitive Life. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to explore the first style of language used by mystics to describe the experience of union, that of deification: “We have said that the mystic of the impersonal type, the seeker of a Transcendent Absolute,… Continue reading The Mystic Way 14: Deification in Union
Last time we looked at ego death in the dark night of the soul. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to explore the true goal of the Mystic Way: Union. This isn’t the same as the earlier illumination stage, but the final stage where the mystic is one with the Absolute. So… Continue reading The Mystic Way 13: The Unitive Life
Last time we looked at some of the forms of the Dark Night of the Soul. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to explore the final and most challenging step of the dark night, that of the death of the self: “The various torments and desolations of the Dark Night constitute this… Continue reading The Mystic Way 12: Ego Death in the Dark Night
A perfect example of Taurus on film can be found in Chocolat, a light-hearted fable that makes your mouth water just watching it. Like all good films, it’s about many things: religious belief v atheism, feminism, inclusion, temptation, and what it means to live a good life. It’s a tale of freedom and longing, forgiveness… Continue reading Chocolat: Healing the Past and Making Life Sweeter
Last time we introduced the fourth phase of the Mystic Way, that of the Dark Night of the Soul. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to explore some of the forms which the dark night can take during this process of the purification of the self: “(A) To those temperaments in which… Continue reading The Mystic Way 11: Forms of the Dark Night
Last time we looked at the experience of Voices and Visions. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to explore the fourth phase of the Mystic Way, as outlined in part 1. This phase marks the final and complete purification of the Self, often called the Dark Night of the Soul: “The most… Continue reading The Mystic Way 10: The Dark Night of the Soul
Last time we looked at the illumination of the world on the mystic path. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism and explore the third type of illumination, which is often misunderstood – even by mystics themselves – but especially by others: “We now come to that eternal battle-ground, the detailed discussion of… Continue reading The Mystic Way 9: Voices and Visions
Last time we looked at the illumination of the Absolute on the mystic path. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism and explore the second type of illumination, that of the temporal world: “Closely connected with the sense of the “Presence of God,” or power of perceiving the Absolute, is the complementary mark… Continue reading The Mystic Way 8: Illuminated Vision of the World
Last time we introduced the third phase of the mystic path where the mind is illuminated by a new perspective of Reality. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to explore the first type of illumination: consciousness of the Absolute, or a sense of the presence of God: “This consciousness, in its various… Continue reading The Mystic Way 7: Illumination of the Absolute
Last time we looked at how the Self is purified through mortification after awakening. Here we continue with the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism to introduce the third phase of the mystic path: “In illumination we come to that state of consciousness which is popularly supposed to be peculiar to the mystic: a form of… Continue reading The Mystic Way 6: Illumination of the Self
