Download Free Mysticism And Modern Life Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Mysticism And Modern Life and write the review.

Mysticism and Modern Life is a compelling examination of the relationship between mysticism and human development. The book provides a step-by-step approach to transcending personal constraints in order to achieve higher levels of personality development.
Where do Mysticism and and political action meet? How does faith empower its adherents to resist oppression? What are the origins of authentic contemporary mysticism? From the thirteenth-century Franciscan movement to African American mystics, this wide-ranging volume of essays considers exemplars of Christian mysticism (including Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, the Quakers, and the Society of Friends) whose practices and influence brought about social change. Linking major conceptual issues and social theory, the essays examine the historical impact of mysticism in contemporary life and argue for a hermeneutical approach to mysticism in its historical context. The contributors look at how mystical empowerment can serve as a catalyst for expressing compassion in acts of justice and long-term social change. We learn how Sojourner Truth and Rebecca Cox Jackson, driven by mystical experiences to take up lives of preaching, faced the same misogynistic religious environments as did women mystics throughout history, which has submerged this key area of women’s experience. The final two essays describe the development of socially engaged Buddhism in Asia and America and the mystical roots of deep ecology.
Throughout the world and throughout all of history, men and women of every creed and culture have known mystical experiences. The mystic path does not belong to any one religion, and is not necessarily religious at all, yet all religions have their mystical traditions and famous mystics. This guide begins with a general introduction to the traditions and history of mysticism. It then moves on to deal with mysticism within the context of religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity, and other less orthodox traditions such as Shamanism and the Mystery Schools. The book finishes with an exploration of the essence of mysticism and the mystical experience in everyday life.
Women Mystics Confront the Modern World situates the female mystical tradition within the context of the epistemological shift which affected religious sentiments and the perception of the self at the dawn of the modern world. Anchored in a comprehensive knowledge of the religious history of seventeenth-century France, this book offers a vivid account of the fascinating lives and work of two exceptional women. Marie de l'Incarnation (1599-1672) and Madame Guyon (1648-1717) continue a literary and spiritual tradition that had begun in the thirteenth century. Yet, because they were at a crucial point in the history of Western mysticism, when this movement was at once at its apogee and in the first stages of decline, their writings show indications of a changing mentality. These transformations shed light on the social significance of female mysticism in the Western tradition. The opportunities the two women seized or shunned highlight their maneuvering for validation and autonomy. But their choices also highlight many contradictions, compromises, and limits imposed upon their self-expression. At the confluence of French and American scholarship on mysticism, this work joins these two schools of thought by introducing gender as a viable category of inquiry into the one and by tempering the overly-optimistic interpretation of female mysticism of the other.
This clear and comprehensive anthology, culled from the vast corpus of Christian mystical literature by the renowned theologian and historian Bernard McGinn, presents nearly one hundred selections, from the writings of Origen of Alexandria in the third century to the work of twentieth-century mystics such as Thomas Merton. Uniquely organized by subject rather than by author, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism explores how human life is transformed through the search for direct contact with God. Part one examines the preparation for encountering God through biblical interpretation and prayer; the second part focuses on the mystics’ actual encounters with God; and part three addresses the implications of the mystical life, showing how mystics have been received over time, and how they practice their faith through private contemplation and public actions. In addition to his illuminating Introduction, Bernard McGinn provides accessible headnotes for each section, as well as numerous biographical sketches and a selected bibliography. Praise for The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism “No one is better equipped than Bernard McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature….This is an anthology which deserves to be read not only by those who study Christian history and theology, but by believers who long to deepen their own lives of prayer and service.” -- Anglican Theological Review “Bernard McGinn, a preeminent historian and interpreter of the Christian mystical tradition, has edited this fine collection of mystical writings, organizing them thematically....McGinn offers helpful introductions to each thematic section, author and entry, as well as a brief critical bibliography on mysticism. Published in the Modern Library Classic series, this is a great value.” – Christian Century "No-one is better equipped than Professor McGinn to provide a thorough and balanced guide to this vast literature. A first-class selection, by a first-class scholar." -- Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury “This accessible anthology by the scholarly world’s leading historian of the Western Christian mystical tradition easily outstrips all others in its comprehensiveness, the aptness of its selection of texts, and in the intelligent manner of its organization.” -- Denys Turner, Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology, Yale Divinity School "An immensely rich anthology, assembled and introduced by our foremost student of mysticism. Both the scholar and the disciple will find God’s plenty here." -- Barbara Newman, Professor of English, Religion, and Classics, John Evans Professor of Latin, Northwestern University "An unusually clear and insightful exposition of major texts selected by one of the greatest scholars in the field of Christian mysticism, based on his vast erudition and uniquely sensitive interpretation. Like his other books, this one too is destined to become a classic.” -- Professor Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
In this thoughtful and lucid exploration of the Jewish mystical tradition, leading scholars and teachers come together to share their favorite texts-many available in English for the first time-and explore why these materials are meaningful and relevant to contemporary life.
With over 300 quotations, this book invites the reader to delve into the writings of the great contemplatives and mystics of the past two thousand years. The Little Book of Christian Mysticism provides a user-friendly, insightful, and potentially life-changing introduction to the essential teachings of the greatest mystics in the western wisdom traditions, past and present, including Francis of Assisi, Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas Merton, Evelyn Underhill, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, and Julian of Norwich. Readers can use this book to initiate themselves into this visionary and ecstatic spiritual lineage, and they can also use it as a book of daily meditations. Small enough to fit in one's pocket or handbag, this is truly a user-friendly introduction to this venerable body of wisdom.
In the brilliant visionary tradition of Carlos Castaneda, anthropologist Hank Wesselman first documented his spiritual journey in the acclaimed account Spiritwalker. Now he continues his travels through the spirit world in this astonishing book, leading us into the heart of one of the greatest mysteries of existence. Dr. Wesselman's inspiring quest began with a dramatic encounter on the island of Hawaii. Though he had feared his connection to Nainoa, a kahuna initiate and fellow mystic traveler, would be severed when he moved to San Diego, Wesselman would continue to merge minds with Nainoa. Over the next five years, the true purpose of their profound yet cryptic contact took shape. Wesselman had gained access to some inner doorway, putting him in the presence of a transcendent life force and intelligence. On the threshold of a dazzling new understanding of nature, he was a shaman in training, an initiate into the sacred, secret healing powers of the spirit world. This remarkable book gives us an unprecedented glimpse into the origin and the destiny of our species. Hank Wesselman has brought back from his extraordinary travels an extraordinary message: the keys to personal power and to the healing of all humankind.