This book examines the relationship between transcendence and immanence within Christian mystical and apophatic writings. Original essays from a range of leading, established, and emerging scholars in the field focus on the roles of language, signs, and images, and consider how mystical theology might contribute to contemporary reflection on the Word incarnate. This collection of essays re-examines works from such canonical figures as Eckhart, Augustine, Plotinus, Pseudo-Dionysius, Nicolas of Cusa, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Julian of Norwich, along with the philosophical thought of Iris Murdoch, Jacques Lacan, and Martin Heidegger, and the contemporary phenomena of the Emerging Church. Presenting new readings of key ideas in mystical theology, and renewed engagement with the visionary and the everyday, the therapeutic and the transformative, these essays question how we might think about what may lie between transcendence and immanence.

The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Christian Mysticism brings together a team of leading international scholars to explore the origins, evolution, and contemporary debates relating to Christian mystics, texts, and the movements they inspired. * Provides a comprehensive and engaging account of Christian mysticism, from its origins right up to the present day * Draws on the best of current scholarship by bringing together a collection of newly-commissioned readings by leading scholars * Considers examples of mysticism in both Eastern and Western Christianity * Offers a brilliant synthesis of the key figures and historical periods of mysticism; its core themes, such as heresy, gender, or aesthetics; and its theoretical considerations, including theological, literary, social scientific, and philosophical approaches * Features chapters on current debates such as neuroscience and mystical experience, and inter-religious dialogue

Strike the Cloud presents the teaching of the 14th century spiritual classic The Cloud of Unknowing in a contemporary form, through selecting and commenting on its main themes. It explores how The Cloud has been adapted by contemporary teachers of contemplative prayer, and outlines ways in which it is relevant to the bigger ecumenical and interfaith picture of today.

St Symeon was one of the most remarkable advocates of the mystical experience. He addresses such themes as predestination, the knowledge of the saints in the world to come, the day of judgment as the "day of the Lord, " and the experience of the sacraments. Includes index.

Jan Van Ruusbroec (1293-1381), a Flemish mystical theologian, was one of the most original Trinitarian thinkers in the medieval West. Yet, his works - written in Middle-Dutch - have remained relatively unknown. In this book, Rik Van Nieuwenhove presents the first major study in English of Ruusbroec's thought. Van Nieuwenhove explores in detail Ruusbroec's theology of the Trinity, his anthropology, Christology, and his understanding of union with God. Van Nieuwenhove's study reveals that Ruusbroec, while incorporating aspects of the rich theological and spiritual tradition that preceded him, wrote at the beginning of a modern age in which mystical theology changed radically in nature. Ruusbroec claimed that the divine Persons are subject to an eternal dynamic of procession or out-going from the Father, on the one hand, and returning to the shared divine essence, on the other. The human person is called to participate in this continuous ebbing and flowing by leading a life that combines contemplation and charitable activity. Ruusbroec argued that mysticism should be interpreted in terms of a transformation of the human person rather than in terms of an immediate experience of God.

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.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 International licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. This book examines the writings of an early sixth-century Christian mystical theologian who wrote under the name of a convert of the apostle Paul, Dionysius the Areopagite. This 'Pseudo'-Dionysius is famous for articulating a mystical theology in two parts: a sacramental and liturgical mysticism embedded in the context of celestial and ecclesiastical hierarchies, and an austere, contemplative regimen in which one progressively negates the divine names in hopes of soliciting union with the 'unknown God' or 'God beyond being.' Charles M. Stang argues that the pseudonym and the influence of Paul together constitute the best interpretive lens for understanding the Corpus Dionysiacum [CD]. Stang demonstrates how Paul animates the entire corpus, and shows that the influence of Paul illuminates such central themes of the CD as hierarchy, theurgy, deification, Christology, affirmation (kataphasis) and negation (apophasis), dissimilar similarities, and unknowing. Most importantly, Paul serves as a fulcrum for the expression of a new theological anthropology, an 'apophatic anthropology.' Dionysius figures Paul as the premier apostolic witness to this apophatic anthropology, as the ecstatic lover of the divine who confesses to the rupture of his self and the indwelling of the divine in Gal 2:20: 'it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.' Building on this notion of apophatic anthropology, the book forwards an explanation for why this sixth-century author chose to write under an apostolic pseudonym. Stang argues that the very practice of pseudonymous writing itself serves as an ecstatic devotional exercise whereby the writer becomes split in two and thereby open to the indwelling of the divine. Pseudonymity is on this interpretation integral and internal to the aims of the wider mystical enterprise. Thus this book aims to question the distinction between 'theory' and 'practice' by demonstrating that negative theology-often figured as a speculative and rarefied theory regarding the transcendence of God-is in fact best understood as a kind of asceticism, a devotional practice aiming for the total transformation of the Christian subject.

Recent years have seen growing popular absorption with "spirituality" in all its forms. But as this study shows, it is largely separated from theology. Spirituality has grown more self-referential and is subverted by consumerist mentality, while theology has grown critically proficient but uneasy in speaking from or to the heart of Christian mysteries.

Through a study of exemplary writers such as Gregory of Nyssa, McIntosh recovers an understanding of the inner integrity of mystical consciousness and theological expression. The final chapters test the possibility of renewed conversation between spirituality and theology by drawing on spiritual traditions to re-think contemporary problems in Trinitarian thought, christology, and the understanding of the self. This book offers not only an analysis of spirituality and theology in the eras of their united activity, but also a hermeneutic for the theological appropriation of spirituality and a sustained argument for the renewal of mystical theology.

Friedrich von Hugel's Mystical Element of Religion remains the authoritative study of the spirituality of Catherine of Genoa. First published in 1908, this seminal work develops the authoris major theory of the three basic elements of religion, institutional, intellectual and mystical. Von Hugel shows how Catherineis mysticism relates to her life and thought, making his comprehensive and masterly two-volume analysis a classic in the study of Western mysticism.

This book introduces students to Christian mysticism and modern critical responses to it. Christianity has a rich tradition of mystical theology that first emerged in the writings of the early church fathers, and flourished during the Middle Ages. Today Christian mysticism is increasingly recognised as an important Christian heritage relevant to today's spiritual seekers. The book sets out to provide students and other interested readers with access to the main theoretical approaches to Christian mysticism - including those propounded by William James, Steven Katz, Bernard McGinn, Michael Sells, Denys Turner and Caroline Walker-Bynum. It also explores postmodern re-readings of Christian mysticism by authors such as Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Marion and Jean-FranAois Lyotard. The book first introduces students to the main themes that underpin Christian mysticism. It then reflects on how modern critics have understood each of them, demonstrating that stark delineation between the different theoretical approaches eventually collapses under the weight of the complex interaction between experience and knowledge that lies at the heart of Christian mysticism. In doing so, the book presents a deliberate challenge to a strictly perennialist reading of Christian mysticism. Anyone even remotely familiar with Christian mysticism will know that renewed interest in Christian mystical writers has created a huge array of scholarship with which students of mysticism need to familiarise themselves. This book outlines the various modern theoretical approaches in a manner easily accessible to a reader with little or no previous knowledge of this area, and offers a philosophical/theological introduction to Christian mystical writers beyond the patristic period important for the Latin Western Tradition.

In Daniel's Mysticism of Resistance in Its Seleucid Context, Timothy L. Seals proffers a postcolonial interpretation of the book of Daniel, investigating certain texts that constitute Daniel's mystical way or practice. Daniel uses mysticism to resist the repressive script of Antiochus IV outlawing the Jewish religion in 167 BCE. In his use of non-violence to resist the imperial power of the Seleucids, Daniel stands in the non-violent, passive-resistant tradition of both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Daniel uses mysticism both to resist imperial intrusions into his humanity and to decolonize his mind in the aftermath of colonization. In this endeavor, mysticism proves to be world-affirming.

In Dark Night of the Soul, Saint John of the Cross presents for us a portrait painted from his own experience of one who advances successfully through the struggles of the spiritual life. The dark night that St John describes is not abandonment by God but special consideration from Him for those who desire to purify and perfect their souls.
With a soul purified from earthly attachments, we can advance through the much quoted but oft misunderstood dark night of the souls into unity with God. By accepting the desolation and difficulty of this process, the soul cooperates with God and opens itself to receiving and revealing more perfectly God s glory.
Be not afraid- Dark Night of the Soul, though austere and exacting in its instructions for holy living, is laced with St John s charity and kindness, his love of all things beautiful and sacred- including you.

Leading spiritual teacher John Philip Newell reveals how Celtic spirituality, listening to the sacred around us and inside of us, can help to heal the earth, overcome our conflicts and reconnect with ourselves. Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul offers a new spiritual foundation for our lives, once centered on encouragement,guidance and hope for creating a better world. Sharing the long hidden tradition of Celtic Christianity, explaining how this earth-based spirituality can help us rediscover the natural rhythms of life and deepen our spiritual connection with God, with each other and with the earth. Newell introduces some of Celtic Christianity's leading practitioners, both saints and pioneers of faith, whose timeless wisdom is more necessary than ever, including: Pelagius, who shows us how to look beyond sin to affirm our sacredness as part of all God's creation and courageously stands up for our principles in the face of oppression. Brigid of Kildare, who illuminates the interrelationship of all things and reminds us of the power of the sacred feminine to overcome those seeking to control us. John Muir, who encourages us to see the holiness and beauty of wilderness and what we must do to protect these gifts. Teilhard de Chardin, who inspires us to see how science, faith, and our future tell one universal story that beings with sacredness.

Popular author of eight books and abbess of the online retreat center Abbey of the Arts, Christine Valters Paintner explores how the lives and spirituality of twelve monks and mystics offer distinct patterns of thought that will guide you on the path to your true spiritual identity. In Illuminating the Way, Christine Valters Paintner takes you on a journey through your inner life accompanied by twelve great monks and mystics from the Christian tradition. Each figure invites you to discover the energy and potential of a particular archetype-the inner sage in Benedict; the inner visionary in Hildegard of Bingen; and the inner orphan in Dorothy Day. Paintner is beloved by readers for her creative practices, guided meditations, and beautiful prayers and poems, and she has included all of these elements to further explore the image associated with each mystic. Her insightful reflections on key selections of each mystic's writings will help you gain greater self-knowledge and experience a deeper encounter with God.

Essays on the ways in which the mystical writers of the fourteenth and fifteenth century responded to and influenced each other. Without the theologians of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, without the anchoritic writings of the thirteenth century, Richard Rolle, Julian of Norwich, Walter Hilton, Margery Kempe could not have written as they did. Likewise,those who followed them - the Wycliffites, the Bridgeittines, the writers of religious lyrics -responded to those who had gone before. The articles presented here identify major themes and the web of influence that links them; new but solid interpretations are offered of the key figures and their background, and the emphasis is on the rich variety of mysticism these authors and texts embody. WILLIAM F. POLLARD is Professor of English at Huntingdon College; ROBERT BOENIG is Associate Professor of English at Texas A & M University. Contributors: THOMAS H. BESTUL, ROBERT BOENIG, RITAMARY BRADLEY, SUSAN DICKMAN, DOUGLAS GRAY, ROGER ELLIS, MICHAEL P. KUCZYNSKI, WILLIAM F. POLLARD, DENIS RENEVEY, ELLEN M. ROSS, ANNE SAVAGE, RENE TIXIER.

Symposium, approaching medieval mysticism from a range of perspectives, including literary, historical, theological and psychological points of view.

Contributions by
G. Bourquin, T. Bradley, J. Clark, Roger Ellis, Vincent Gillespie, B. Lorenzo, R. Lovatt, R. Maisonneuve, A. Minnis, D. Rogers, Michael G. Sargent and K. Watson

'In the fast-paced world in which we now live, we need simple, beautiful places like labyrinths that draw us in by the attraction of their pattern to slow ourselves down, still the busy mind and connect us again with our deep inner resources.' This full-colour book offers a unique insight into labyrinths in the UK and wider, combined with Di's own stunning photography. It begins with a potted history of the labyrinth and hints for walking one, shares personal reflections and stories from the labyrinth and explores the variety of settings in which labyrinths are now to be found. It includes a section on how to create your own labyrinth and lead your own labyrinth walk. Di Williams is an Anglican priest, adult educator, spiritual accompanier, professional bodywork practitioner, writer and the first Labyrinth Master Teacher in the UK. One of the gifts she brings to her work is a deep appreciation of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual connection. She was awarded the MBE in 2008 for Services to Higher Education for her leading work in developing personal and spiritual support for those of all faiths and none. She is the creator of the beautiful Edinburgh Labyrinth.

A fascinating collaboration between a medieval historian and a professor of psychiatry, this enthralling book applies modern biological and psychological research findings to the lives of medieval mystics and ascetics.

Drawing upon a database of over 1,400 medieval holy persons and in-depth studies of individual saints, this illuminating study examines the relationship between medieval mystical experiences, the religious practices of mortification; laceration of the flesh, sleep deprivation and extreme starvation, and how these actions produced altered states of consciousness and brain function in the heroic ascetics.

Examining and disputing much contemporary writing about the political and gender motivations in the medieval quest for a closeness with God, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in medieval religion or the effects of self-injurious behaviour on the mind.

Introduction by Piers Paul Read

A fascinating collaboration between a medieval historian and a professor of psychiatry, this enthralling book applies modern biological and psychological research findings to the lives of medieval mystics and ascetics.

Drawing upon a database of over 1,400 medieval holy persons and in-depth studies of individual saints, this illuminating study examines the relationship between medieval mystical experiences, the religious practices of mortification; laceration of the flesh, sleep deprivation and extreme starvation, and how these actions produced altered states of consciousness and brain function in the heroic ascetics.

Examining and disputing much contemporary writing about the political and gender motivations in the medieval quest for a closeness with God, this is essential reading for anyone with an interest in medieval religion or the effects of self-injurious behaviour on the mind.

William Law is best remembered today for his Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. To those interested in his spirituality, however, other works have greater impact, in particular The Spirit of Prayer and The Spirit of Love, which are considered the finest and most appealing. In the years in which they were written, his vision had reached its fullest and most characteristic development, and his literary power was at its height. It is in these books that the profound influence of Jacob Boehme can be most clearly seen. His great synthesis of the mystical outpourings and orthodox Christian theology, provide an English spiritual classic. Law's understanding and interpretation of mysticism was more original than traditional, being dynamic and creative. He believed in the life of God working from within, and the flame of divine love being a link with and an understanding of God. He conceived that mysticism was a matter of life, that relied on willing rather than knowing, and that ultimately rested on trust in God. Despite holding no official position he was widely regarded in his own time and later as a spiritual guide, and his trilogy The Spirit of Prayer, The Spirit of Love and The Way to Divine Knowledge was the mature expression of his theology and religion.

This book investigates the striking movement towards a discourse of 'bodily' language used to discuss the relationship between the human person and god which takes place in the twelfth century and after. It considers how this discourse reflects broader changes in the concept of the human and of God.
Focusing on the mystical writings of Bernard of Clairvaux and Hadewijch of Brabant, the author shows how each exploits the language of taste and touch to articulate the possibility of the mystical experience itself, the immediacy of union with God.
This is a comprehensive and clearly written work on the relations between the mystical, the bodily and religious language that have been at the centre of recent debates.

One of the most important medieval writers studied in historical and literary context. Julian of Norwich, the fourteenth/early fifteenth-century anchoress and mystic, is one of the most important and best-known figures of the Middle Ages. Her Revelations, intense visions of the divine, have been widely studied and read; the first known writings of an English woman, their influence extends over theology and literature. However, many aspects of both her life and thought remain enigmatic. This exciting new collection offers a comprehensive, accessible coverage of the key aspects of debate surrounding Julian. It places the author within a wide range of contemporary literary, social, historical and religious contexts, and also provides a wealth of new insightsinto manuscript traditions, perspectives on her writing and ways of interpreting it, building on the work of many of the most active and influential researchers within Julian studies, and including the fruits of the most recent,ground-breaking findings. It will therefore be a vital companion for all of Julian's readers in the twenty-first century. Dr Liz Herbert McAvoy is Senior Lecturer in Gender in English and Medieval Studies at Swansea University. Contributors: Denise M. Baker, Alexandra Barratt, Marleen Cre, Elisabeth Dutton,Vincent Gillespie, Cate Gunn, Ena Jenkins, E.A. Jones, Liz Herbert McAvoy, Laura Saetveit Miles, Kim M. Philips, Elizabeth Robertson,Sarah Salih, Annie Sutherland, Diane Watt, Barry Windeatt.

Many people believe in a Christian spirituality which actually relates to the modern world - in all of its division, hope, violence and interconnectedness. Others find belief in a God of any kind impossible. Our human future is uncertain in many ways and this is not a time for the churches to respond with easy answers. This Easter book is not about easy answers. The words of Jesus from the Cross are difficult and challenging. And yet the fact that they emerge from a situation of human agony gives them huge relevance for our times. And the God whom Jesus addresses from the Cross remains at the heart of humanity and continues to weep with us. Each contributor to the book shares what a particular word means to her or him. These various reflections will enable the reader to encounter the words of Jesus in new ways; to be spiritually refreshed in order to listen more tenderly to the cries and longings of our sisters and brothers around the world. Includes reflections by Jan Sutch Pickard, Ruth Burgess and others, and an introduction by Donald Eadie.

Environment * Spirituality * Personal growth * Virtue ethics Climate change, pollution and diminishing resources mean that the future will be difficult for life on earth. We face an environmental crisis. Clearly we need technological solutions to some of our problems, and appropriate political and social programmes. But to meet the challenge we must also change ourselves. We need the courage to face up to what is happening, the determination to work at the problems and the freedom to let go of the old ways of living which are causing such damage to the earth. And that is hard. The scale of the problem can feel overwhelming. We may be drained by fear or worn down by our seeming lack of progress. In this book David Osborne tells of a long pilgrimage on foot to the island of Iona, an ancient centre of Celtic Christianity. In telling the story he draws on the Bible, the Christian tradition and other sources of wisdom to suggest the qualities we need to develop in ourselves for the journey we face into the future. He points to some of the spiritual resources available to us and suggests ways to develop our spiritual lives in order to grow in compassion, faith, hope and wisdom, while tapping into the energy of the Creator to work for the healing of the creation. The book contains material for personal reflection and group discussion, pointers for further reading, and practical suggestions for a way of living in which we can make our own journey into the future with love. Using the thread of a long walk from Shropshire to Iona, David Osborne weaves together autobiography, spiritual reflection, and passionate concern for the future of the earth threatened by irreversible climate change. A rare resource for all those people struggling to keep faith and hope going in the face of what feel like insuperable odds. - Tim Gorringe, St Luke's Professor of Theology, Exeter University