Book - Mysticism by Evelyn Underhill

Introduction

Our despiritualised times is filled with numerous uncomfortable events flowing from questionable decisions of powerful mundane interests. Religion and spirituality seem to have dissolved into irrelevance. However history suggest otherwise because religion remains at its core a vehicle for attaining authenticity. The zenith of this attainment is mysticism or mystical life, and it is most relevant today. Here is a limited summary of an important book on it by Evelyn Underhill, an all-time tour de force.

First Step

In this 600+ pages book, mysticism is unpacked and made accessible as a human lived experience, a response to genuine human desire and an authentic process of self-realisation that isn’t monopolised by any religion, spiritual tradition or wisdom system. The book rather confirm the main drivers of religious irrelevance; inauthenticity and ignorance of mysticism. We now proceed to summarise the text in limited form concentrating on Part 1 – Chapter 4 and Part 2 – Chapters 1 – 4.

Characteristics

Mysticism is good because its intrinsic drive is to give and totally for nothing. It is open to both gender of all ages anywhere, anytime and in any situation. For Underhill “in mysticism the will is united with the emotions in an impassioned desire to transcend the sense-world in order that the self may be joined by love to the one Eternal and ultimate object of love.” Mysticism speaks to a relationship or rather relationships in an ordered priority where the Divine/Reality/Absolute/God is the highest law. Therefore it is a humbler approach to divine transcendence, a non-individualistic seeking to refine the self in total surrender to its objective, the Object, God.

It is an inner movement of the spirit; at the core sanctuary and energy of life in a person. It is a practice or journey of love by a subject to the beloved object at all cost amidst every challenge or danger. From a religious viewpoint but unlimited to it, it is a form of prayer or communion for union. A mystic is a person who has achieved union with the Divine/Reality/Absolute/God in this life. Underhill’s position that “this union is conscious, personal and complete,” for the seeker is problematic as it uncritically suggest both a loss of agency and total absorption of the subject in the object hence a total assumption of the object’s nature and essence. This is not the case.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the subject “has touched the substantial Being of Deity, not merely its manifestation in life.” This translate to the fact that an extended peak time of transcendental consciousness becomes dominant over the normal consciousness of the seeker. More will be added on this point later. 

Underhill presents 4 characteristics of mysticism including its being an active, practical and holistic lived experience in community pursued as an organic and dynamic life process.  Its goal being transcendental and spiritual without denying, despising and ignoring the mundane and the material. Its subject of love is real, living and personal. There is no speculation or exploration rather it is a tangible fact pursued holistically under interior guidance.  Lastly, mystical union is a definite state of a higher quality of life accessible by the mystical way involving “the remaking of character and liberation of a new form of consciousness.”

From this viewpoint “mysticism is the art of establishing conscious relation with the Absolute,” since “it is rather an ordered movement towards ever higher levels of reality, ever closer identification with the Infinite.” It “is the healing of that human incompleteness which is the origin of our divine unrest, the inevitable reaction of the fully conscious, fully living soul upon “Eternal Truth, True Love, and Love Eternity.” A critical point is that mysticism or mystical life is not achieved by studies and speculation. Let us now to turn to Underhill’s stages of mystical life.

Stages

She discerned 5 stages in mystical life. Awakening is the sudden, involuntary and abrupt awareness or disclosure of Divinity/Reality/Absolute/God. It brings ineffable joy, uplifting, satisfaction and hunger. Purgation is triggered by parallel awareness of one’s finitude and imperfection in comparison drawing the self to identify obstacles/vices/sins between the self and God followed by a period of determined effort, struggle and pain towards removing the obstacles.

Once progress is made in purgation; detachment from the sense-world, flesh, sin and vices is accompanied by the rise of joyful consciousness of the Transcendent. This is the illuminative contemplative state and happy phase. Most seekers don’t go beyond this stage. Beyond this stage is the Mystical Death were severe experience of Divine Absence erase the illuminative abundance of Divine Presence.

It is also called Dark Night of the Soul or Spiritual Crucifixion were the senses are cleansed and humbled, as interests and energies concentrate on God. In grief, the seeker surrenders both will and personhood totally, fully and completely towards union. Nothing is desired, nothing is asked. Union is the last stage were the self and God become one, not perceived or enjoyed but the self is united with the Divine substance without loss of human identity, human nature and agency. The seeker becomes a mystic. As alluded earlier, in the unitive state the mystic is fully transformed with higher consciousness, intense certainty and fully committed to the Transcendent. This is a permanent state. As a partaker and participant in Divine life, the mystic acts in service under interior guidance for the Divine helping people through solving problems and unveiling revelation for the love of the Divine.    

Summary

Only those experienced in mystical life can guide seekers. Attention to institutional priorities, relegation of the Spirit and aggressive intellectualisation of religion obstruct mystical life. Sadly, this is the situation of most self-identified religious persons. They are blind, ignorant and groping without fuller relationship with the Spirit. Therefore, this book is ever refreshing and relevant in our times.

Life is beautiful!