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
Last time we looked at the process of purification through detachment. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism with a closer look at the process of purification through mortification and the adjustment of the character of the mystic to bring the self closer to God: “By mortification, I have said, is to be… Continue reading The Mystic Way 5: Purification of the Self – Mortification
Last time we introduced the second phase of the path and the need for purification of the Self. Here we continue the extracts from Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism with a closer look at the process of purification through detachment and the stripping of any aspect of the self that stands between the mystic and realisation of… Continue reading The Mystic Way 4: Purification of the Self – Detachment
Jessica Davidson 