'Carefully edited, this beautiful little volume is a rare gem . . . highly recommended for anyone seeking new inspiration in prayer.' The Reader

Such is the far-reaching influence of the modern mystic Evelyn Underhill that she is commemorated liturgically by the Church of England on 15 June. Her best-known book, Mysticism, was widely read in the first half of the twentieth century and her work continues to have great impact on the theology of contemporary spiritual writers, such as Richard Rohr.

Between 1924 and 1938, Evelyn Underhill compiled two personal prayer books for use when conducting spiritual retreats at Pleshey (the retreat house for the diocese of Chelmsford). The prayers were carefully selected and include quotes from a variety of theologians and writers in Christian spirituality, as well as her own very rich, metaphorical and theologically deep prayers.

These collections are now available for the first time.

Underhill maps out her own view of the mystic's journey into five parts: Awakening of Self, Purgation of Self, Illumination, the Dark Night of the Soul, and the Unitative life. Underhill is focussed on mysticism in Christianity but she also mentions Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other belief systems. This has long been considered a crucial work on the subject of Mysticism, and continues to guide seekers a century later.--J.B. Hare

A devotional for Advent and Christmas through the perspective of England's foremost Christian spiritual mystic.

For generations, readers have found in the writings of Evelyn Underhill the guidance to help them deepen their own interior lives in the Christian mystical tradition. In this lovely volume, Anglican author and editor Christopher Webber has carefully selected inspirational passages from Underhill's most significant works, providing readings for every day of Advent and Christmas, and sharing the timeless treasure of Underhill's spiritual vision.

2022 Reprint of the 1922 edition. Evelyn Underhill was an important spiritual writer of the early twentieth century. Her legacy as a pivotal figure in Christian mysticism endures today. For her, true mysticism is first of all active and practical, an organic life process in which the whole self is engaged, rather than simply an intellectual understanding. She translated the medieval spiritual guidebook called The Cloud of Unknowing, written by an anonymous English monk. This book counsels the young student to seek God, not through knowledge and intellect (faculty of the human mind), but through intense contemplation, motivated by love, and stripped of intellectualism. This marvelous guide to the contemplative life originated with the reflection of an unknown fourteenth-century priest who believed that a cloud of unknowing separates people from God. This cloud, he maintained, cannot be penetrated by intellect -only by love.

The Cloud of Unknowing offers an approach to contemplative life that finds holiness at a level deeper than physical experience and beyond language or image. The author advises placing all thought and mental imagery behind a metaphorical cloud of forgetting while seeking to love the divine. Hidden from the infinite consciousness by a cloud of unknowing, divine love can be reached through prayer - a single-word prayer, like a mantra, that assists in abandoning all extraneous thought. Seekers can thus attain an inner silence, where they may be still and know the sacred.

The author's spiritual gifts, combined with his humorous and straightforward approach, offer a view of divinity that never loses the common touch. Originally published as A Book of Contemplation the Which is called The Cloud of Unknowing, in the Which a Soul is Oned with God, by J. M. Watkins, London in 1912.

Acknowledged as one of the most profound modern commentators on Christian mysticism, Evelyn Underhill did not easily find her own spiritual path. Between 1911 and 1921 she wrestled to understand spiritual experiences via academic research into early Christian mysticism and the life of individual mystics. This led her into active contemplation and, eventually, to the formation of her own profound view of the mystical path.

The Spiritual Life derives from a series of four talks, broadcast on the BBC during the 1930s; its purpose is to circumvent technical theological terminology and to describe some of the great truths concerning man's spiritual life in simple language. In this Underhill succeeds admirably, and the book has become a well-deserved classic. The Spiral Path is a longer study, describing the Christian path of fifteen mysteries that are to be followed in the soul's ascent to God.

Both works are written in plain, easy-to-understand language - garnished with the wit and gentle wisdom that has made Evelyn Underhill a must-read for all who struggle to follow a spiritual life in the modern world.

The title of the book, Abba, is the term used in more than one place in the New Testament for addressing God as Father and it is with the 'Our Father' prayer that these meditations are concerned. At first sight it might be thought impossible to say anything fresh on something so familiar to all Christians as the Lord's Prayer. Yet the inexhaustible depths of meaning to be found in it may, by the very fact of familiarity, all too easily escape notice and understanding.

Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Practical Mysticism is a work by one of the foremost 20th century Christian mystics, Evelyn Underhill. Her book, Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness, is the authoritative text of modern mysticism. This shorter work, Practical Mysticism, is an abridged version of Underhill's theology, and is a perfect starting point for immersion into the subject. It is written, to some extent, with non-Christians in mind, so Underhill is at her simplest here, yet her language is still poetic and enjoyable to read. Topics are addressed broadly, and Chapter 1, What is Mysticism? is an enlightening place for those unfamiliar with the topic to begin. She invites the reader to become involved in mysticism, giving simple examples of how it is relevant to everyday people. Underhill was greatly influenced by mystics such as St. Teresa, St. Augustine, and Thomas a Kempis, and examples from these writers, as well as poets like Keats and Whitman, are sprinkled throughout the book. A fine place to start before diving into her more intense works, Practical Mysticism has captivated generations of readers, and is still the premier text for the introductory study of mysticism.

2018 Reprint of 1930 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. This work is divided into two parts: the first provides an introduction to the general subject of mysticism and its relation to metaphysics, psychology, theology, magic, and symbolism. The second and longer part contains a detailed study of the nature and development of spiritual or mystical consciousness, including such topics as the awakening of the self, the purification of the self, voices and visions, introversion, ecstasy and rapture, the dark night of the soul, and the unitive life. An interesting appendix provides a historical sketch of European mysticism from the beginning of the Christian era to the death of Blake. Richly documented with material drawn from such great mystics as St. Teresa, Meister Eckhart, St. John of the Cross, and William Blake, this remarkable study will be of immense interest to students, psychologists, theologians -- anyone interested in this extremely personal and powerful form of spiritual life.

A selection from Underhill's enduring devotional writings, chosen for their pertinence to Lenten themes.

Half a century has passed since Evelyn Underhill's death, yet her devotional writings have endured as a beacon to those who seek a deeper understanding of the interior life in the mystical Christian tradition. The editor's personal discovery of Underhill's works when he was a young student at General Theological Seminary moved him to pursue an extensive knowledge of her writings. From these he has skillfully culled readings appropriate for every day of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve and broadly following liturgical themes.

Now back in print, these selections were chosen with the purpose of deepening Lenten observance by allowing the reader to follow the thought of Underhill, from the spiritual stocktaking theme for Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday's joyous anticipation of God's ultimate Gift.

Evelyn Underhill was one of the greatest spiritual writers of the twentieth century. Her legacy as a pivotal figure in Christian mysticism endures today. For her, true mysticism is first of all active and practical, an organic life process in which the whole self is engaged, rather than simply an intellectual apprehension. Underhill's magnum opus on the topic merits a reexamination since it is still used in most courses that explore the experience of God called mysticism and still attracts contemporary spiritual seekers.

Excerpt: This book falls naturally into two parts; each of which is really complete in itself, though they are in a sense complementary to one another. Whilst the second and longest part contains a somewhat detailed study of the nature and development of man's spiritual or mystical consciousness, the first is intended rather to provide an introduction to the general subject of mysticism. Exhibiting it by turns from the point of view of metaphysics, psychology, and symbolism, it is an attempt to gather between the covers of one volume information at present scattered amongst many monographs and text-books written in divers tongues, and to give the student in a compact form at least the elementary facts in regard to each of those subjects which are most closely connected with the study of the mystics.

Brief extracts from the Underhill book, Fruits of the Spirit, first published in 1942, the year after Underhill's death. Each of these brief pieces is actually a meditation on some aspect of the spiritual life, and makes excellent devotional reading.

2013 Reprint of 1937 Edition. Exact facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Evelyn Underhill was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism. This book contains in an expanded form the four addresses on the Spiritual Life which were given by Underhill in 1936. The are published in response to numerous requests from listeners and in the hope that they will be found suitable for Lenten reading. The spiritual life is here considered, not as an intense form of piety peculiar to saints, but as the living heart of all religion, and therefore of vital concern to ordinary men and women. Its essence is held to consist in a growing communion with God, a growing cooperation with Him, inspiring and transforming every kind of action from the most routine to the most heroic. Essays are: What is the Spiritual Life The Spiritual Life as Communion with God The Spiritual Life as Co-operation with God Some Questions and Difficulties.

Two classics in one volume that show a British poet and mystic to be one of the most authoritative modern voices on mysticism.

God gives without stint all that the creature needs, but it must do its part. He gives the wheat: we must reap and grind and bake it. -Evelyn Underhill

Written on the eve of World War I, Practical Mysticism reviews the works of the greatest Western mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas à Kempis. Underhill's goal is to guide her readers on a journey toward mystical consciousness, to teach them to see the eternal beauty beyond and beneath apparent ruthlessness. Abba, first published in 1940, takes as its starting point the seven phrases of the Lord's Prayer, using them as a means to propel the self toward union with God. In these important works, Underhill brings an often esoteric subject onto a practical footing, showing that the profound gifts of mysticism are not only for the few but are within reach of us all.

Underhill was a leading authority on modern mysticism. Written just before World War 1, Practical Mysticism reviews the works of the greatest Western mystics, including Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas Kempis. Underhill brings esoteric subjects onto a practical footing, showing that the profound gifts of mysticism are not only for the few but are within reach of us all. Underhill wants the reader to obtain mystical consciousness and to be able to see eternal beauty.

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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.

A profound and spiritual reflection on the Nicene Creed, the basis of Catholic belief.

These meditations, based upon the principal articles of the Nicene Creed, were originally presented by Evelyn Underhill (1875 -1941) at a retreat she conducted at her beloved Pleshy, a small village in England that was the site of her conversion to the Christian faith. The renewed interest in mysticism and spirituality today among Christians of all communions draws heavily from her work. The popularity and use of her books by scholar, lay people, and clergy attest to the originality of her writings and the helpfulness of her spiritual direction.