Mystical Ennui

A book about pure being, singular will, beauty, and relating to the good in a world of seeming ugliness and mundanity, all through various connected essays and short stories.

First published in 1911, Mysticism remains the classic in its field and was lauded by The Princeton Theological Review as "brilliantly written [and] illuminated with numerous well-chosen extracts ... used with exquisite skill." Mysticism makes an in-depth and comprehensive exploration of its subject. Part One examines "The Mystic Fact," explaining the relation of mysticism to vitalism, to psychology, to theology, to symbolism, and to magic. Part Two, "The Mystic Way," explores the awakening, purification, and illumination of the self; discusses voices and visions; and delves into manifestatioins from ecstasty and rapture to the dark night of the soul. Rounding out the book are a useful Appendix, an exhaustive Bibliography, and an Index. Mysticism is thoroughly documented with material drawn from such great mystics as St. Teresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart, and St. John of the Cross, and this new Image Classic features a Foreword by Ira Progoff, translator of Cloud Unknowing and director of Dialogue House in New York City.

Fr. Egan surveys the current scholarship on mysticism, giving special attention to the works Carl Albrecht, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Richard Bucke, Teilhard de Chardin, Harvey Cox, William James, William Johnston, Bernard Lonergan, Thomas Merton, Erich Neumann, Karl Rahner, Walter Stace, Evelyn Underhill, R. C. Zaehner, and many lesser-known authors. The book covers a wide spectrum of modern thinking. It presents authors who treat mysticism as a psychological phenomenon involving pathology and altered states of consciousness, as well as others who understand it as stages of life toward union with the God of Love. Fr. Egan also highlights both those authors who have opened up Christian mysticism to the riches of the Eastern tradition and those critical of this Eastern turn. Finally, he explores the theological reflections of Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan for their ability to bring together mystical spirituality and academic theology. These contemporary theologians offer a solid foundation for a new science of mysticism based on the Christian mystical tradition, empirical sciences, East-West dialogue, and contemporary theological pluralism.

Jesus gave the key to the Kingdom and to life more abundant when he gave us the example of children. This book explores the idea that people are most themselves when they achieve the seriousness of children at play. When folks are most themselves, they naturally experience the beginnings of mystic perception. The demystifi cation of mysticism starts as simply as the focused attention of children at play, and takes small steps that, slowly but surely, lead to a life changing relationship with the Divine and the entire universe. Although this book is not intended to be a how-to manual, it nevertheless brings the demystifi cation of mysticism down to daily experiences that can be practiced by anyone. Mystic perception just penetrates beyond their surface appearances. Once even the fundamentals of mystic perception become clarifi ed in practice, sacred space opens up as one’s natural environment. Within the environment of sacred space, gratitude as a gift giving exchange becomes the natural relationship one comes to enjoy with the entire universe.

Comparative Studies Of Literature Constitute An Innovative Strategy To Access Recesses Of Texts Hitherto Unexplored. The Perspective Here Is Taken From Other Texts, Facilitating A Fuller Appreciation Of The Texts Involved And The Artistic Intent Of The Authors.The Present Anthology, Beginning With A Wide Ranging Discussion Of The Theoretical Dimensions Of The Comparative Study Of Literature, Its Limits And Prospects, Includes A Host Of In-Depth Scholarly Articles Incorporating Inter-Genre, Inter-Authorial And Inter-Textual Studies From This Perspective. The Authors/Texts Covered Include Shakespeare And Kalidas; Wordsworth And Yeats; T.S. Eliot And The Gita; John Steinbeck And The Bible; Harold Pinter And Samuel Beckett, Sylvia Fraser, Susanna Moodie And Yasmine Gooneratne; Margaret Atwood And Gita Mehta; Margaret Laurence And Bharati Mukherjee; Jawahar Lal Nehru And Nirad C. Chaudhary; Shobha De And Balwant Gargi.Also Included Are Intra-Authorial Studies Of The Poems Of Tagore And The Novels Of Shantha Rama Rau And An Inter-Genre Appraisal Of Fiction And Film. An Invaluable Exposure To The Theory As Well As Practice Of Comparative Study Of English Literature.

This practical book leads us into a spirituality of passion that leads to compassion--coming to our senses in every meaning of the phrase.

Is the Christian mystical tradition a relic of another time, shaped by celibates for celibates, unable to engage meaningfully with people of our time who embrace their corporeality and sexuality as crucial aspects of their journey towards union with God? This book reflects in serious theological depth and detail on the spiritual and sexual journeys of gay men of mature and committed Christian faith, employing the Christian mystical tradition as the lens and the interlocutor in this process. This study examines the major themes and stages of the mystical tradition as outlined by Evelyn Underhill, but also including more recent work by Ruth Burrows, Thomas Merton and Constance Fitzgerald. Using methods of qualitative research, it then considers the texts of in-depth interviews conducted with men, most of whom are theologians or spiritual leaders with a deep Catholic faith, and all of whom are openly, self-affirmingly gay. Finally, it employs Ricoeur’s hermeneutical theory to engage in a creative theological conversation between the traditional mystical stages and themes and these men’s lives, as described in their interviews. This is a unique study that brings together ancient spirituality with contemporary lived religion. As such, it will be of interest to scholars of religious studies, theology, Christian mysticism and spirituality, and queer studies. It will be of particular interest to those teach spiritual direction and to all who seek new ways to engage with the spiritual lives of LGBTIQ+ people.