Practical Mysticism

Name: Practical Mysticism
Author: Evelyn Underhill

Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941) was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and retreat conductor known for her works on Christian mysticism and prayer. Her large study Mysticism (1911) mapped the history of the mystic life and introduced many English readers to the medieval contemplatives. Later works in our library, such as Practical Mysticism and The Life of the Spirit and the Life of To-day, brought her teaching to a wider audience.

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First published: 1914
Category: Devotional
Length: 32k words · about 2 hours
Chapters: 11
Modernized version: In the reader: the Original, the Modernized text in present-day English, or both side by side. On average, the Modernized text keeps about 90% of the original wording.
Narration: 🎧 Sarah · American English

About this book

In Practical Mysticism, published in 1914, Evelyn Underhill argues that the contemplative life is not for specialists only, but the deepening of ordinary Christian experience. In short, clear chapters she introduces meditation, recollection, and self-surrender for busy lay readers, drawing on the great mystics without requiring agreement with all of them. A gentle, sane doorway into contemplative prayer.

Preface
Chapter I: What is Mysticism?
Chapter II: The World of Reality 🔒
Chapter III: The Preparation of the Mystic 🔒
Chapter IV: Meditation and Recollection 🔒
Chapter V: Self-Adjustment 🔒
Chapter VI: Love and Will 🔒
Chapter VII: The First Form of Contemplation 🔒
Chapter VIII: The Second Form of Contemplation 🔒
Chapter IX: The Third Form of Contemplation 🔒
Chapter X: The Mystical Life 🔒