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The Divine Within: Selected Writings on Enlightenment
“A genius . . . a writer who spent his life decrying the onward march of the Machine.” — The New Yorker
Brave New World author Aldous Huxley on enlightenment and the "ultimate reality."
In this anthology of twenty-six essays and other writings, Aldous Huxley discusses the nature of God, enlightenment, being, good and evil, religion, eternity, and the divine. Huxley consistently examined the spiritual basis of both the individual and human society, always seeking to reach an authentic and clearly defined experience of the divine. Featuring an introduction by renowned religious scholar Huston Smith, this celebration of "ultimate reality" proves relevant and prophetic in addressing the spiritual hunger so many feel today.
Brave New World author Aldous Huxley on enlightenment and the "ultimate reality."
In this anthology of twenty-six essays and other writings, Aldous Huxley discusses the nature of God, enlightenment, being, good and evil, religion, eternity, and the divine. Huxley consistently examined the spiritual basis of both the individual and human society, always seeking to reach an authentic and clearly defined experience of the divine. Featuring an introduction by renowned religious scholar Huston Smith, this celebration of "ultimate reality" proves relevant and prophetic in addressing the spiritual hunger so many feel today.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2013
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About the author
Aldous Huxley
962 books13.7k followersAldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and philosopher. His bibliography spans nearly 50 books, including non-fiction works, as well as essays, narratives, and poems.
Born into the prominent Huxley family, he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, with a degree in English literature. Early in his career, he published short stories and poetry and edited the literary magazine Oxford Poetry, before going on to publish travel writing, satire, and screenplays. He spent the latter part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death. By the end of his life, Huxley was widely acknowledged as one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature nine times, and was elected Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature in 1962.
Huxley was a pacifist. He grew interested in philosophical mysticism, as well as universalism, addressing these subjects in his works such as The Perennial Philosophy (1945), which illustrates commonalities between Western and Eastern mysticism, and The Doors of Perception (1954), which interprets his own psychedelic experience with mescaline. In his most famous novel Brave New World (1932) and his final novel Island (1962), he presented his visions of dystopia and utopia, respectively.
Born into the prominent Huxley family, he graduated from Balliol College, Oxford, with a degree in English literature. Early in his career, he published short stories and poetry and edited the literary magazine Oxford Poetry, before going on to publish travel writing, satire, and screenplays. He spent the latter part of his life in the United States, living in Los Angeles from 1937 until his death. By the end of his life, Huxley was widely acknowledged as one of the foremost intellectuals of his time. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature nine times, and was elected Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature in 1962.
Huxley was a pacifist. He grew interested in philosophical mysticism, as well as universalism, addressing these subjects in his works such as The Perennial Philosophy (1945), which illustrates commonalities between Western and Eastern mysticism, and The Doors of Perception (1954), which interprets his own psychedelic experience with mescaline. In his most famous novel Brave New World (1932) and his final novel Island (1962), he presented his visions of dystopia and utopia, respectively.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 23, 2022
28 essays by an intellectual giant of an author, which I read one a day as a sort of daily meditation practice to try and open myself up spiritually and lessen my cynicism.
I knew of Huxley's mystic bent from The Doors of Perception, a book I once used gleefully to justify my own young adult dabbling in psychedelics and heavy pot use. So I expected a lot more wild stuff in this collection, and was surprised to find instead largely traditional, even orthodox beliefs expressed here. Several essays were straight Christian theology complete with quotes from the Bible and various saints. Now that took me aback. I guess when they said Huxley was open to enlightenment from any source they meant it. Here's a guy who went from stringent atheist to Eastern Shamanism and didn't outright reject anything in between or along the way. Some of the parallels he draws between Zen and Catholicism are very thought-provoking, but in the end I didn't get the flash of illumination I had hoped for by considering Huxley's writing here. Some insightful observations, some prudent advice, some grand and uplifting comments about mankind and meaning, yes—and all in Huxley's highbrow writing style. But no dazzling mystic revelation when all is said and done.
3 stars out of 5. Classy and impressive writing, but much preachier than I'd anticipated.
I knew of Huxley's mystic bent from The Doors of Perception, a book I once used gleefully to justify my own young adult dabbling in psychedelics and heavy pot use. So I expected a lot more wild stuff in this collection, and was surprised to find instead largely traditional, even orthodox beliefs expressed here. Several essays were straight Christian theology complete with quotes from the Bible and various saints. Now that took me aback. I guess when they said Huxley was open to enlightenment from any source they meant it. Here's a guy who went from stringent atheist to Eastern Shamanism and didn't outright reject anything in between or along the way. Some of the parallels he draws between Zen and Catholicism are very thought-provoking, but in the end I didn't get the flash of illumination I had hoped for by considering Huxley's writing here. Some insightful observations, some prudent advice, some grand and uplifting comments about mankind and meaning, yes—and all in Huxley's highbrow writing style. But no dazzling mystic revelation when all is said and done.
3 stars out of 5. Classy and impressive writing, but much preachier than I'd anticipated.
September 2, 2016
This book is a collection of essays by Aldous Huxley, authour of Brave New World, that focus on spirituality. As a fellow psychonaut that has studied the Vedic and Buddhist philosophies I found myself agreeing with much of what he had to offer. The most interesting perspectives I picked up on where his perspectives on Grace, and Idolatry. Thought provoking, and timeless, are both phrases I would use to describe this collection of work.
November 27, 2016
Even though this is merely a collection of Huxley's essays on spiritual and religious topics, it still demonstrates the author's range and depth in history, theology, and literature. One key quote Huxley used to sum up the existential conditions of human, through Shakespeare's dying Hotspur in Henry IV - "But thought's the slave of life, and life time's fool,/ And time, that takes survey of all the world, /Must have a stop." Our humanly life experience is shaped by individual's living time and space, but not limited so. Huxley "We must not live thoughtlessly, taking our illusion for the complete reality, but at the same time we must not live to thoughffully in the sense of trying to escape from the dream state. " The searching of Divine is thus sourced from "within" but not limited in Self. Hence Huxley is more on pure Spirituality less on doctrinal religious practice.
Several essays hinted the practice of Huxley's searching for Divine. About drug use and other forms of "downward transcendence" are warned but not categorically objected (remember his "Doors of Perception"). There are also discussion about mystic practices, issues of distraction, ego and self.
In general, this book appears to be a modestly accessible collections of Huxley's spiritual ideas.
Several essays hinted the practice of Huxley's searching for Divine. About drug use and other forms of "downward transcendence" are warned but not categorically objected (remember his "Doors of Perception"). There are also discussion about mystic practices, issues of distraction, ego and self.
In general, this book appears to be a modestly accessible collections of Huxley's spiritual ideas.
February 23, 2018
Basically a more readable/approachable version of "The Perennial Philosophy." Great collection of essays. I have more points of contention with Huxley's vision of spirituality than when I first took a deep dive into him and started rethinking my religious assumptions several years ago (I tend to find it helpful in the terms of establishing everything in "man's true end," to realize our unitary nature with the Divine Ground, while simultaneously unnecessarily limited and more than a bit absent of serious consideration of physical/systemic injustices) but his mystic framework remains influential on my own spirituality. As far as personal spirituality, I still find his incorporation of various mystic traditions, and the grounding principle of "Thou Art That" to be immensely helpful. His critiques of absolutist and dogmatic visions of human progress/organization, whether they be theological or ideological, are compelling and necessary cautions.
A couple of nice poems included as well. A real solid introduction to Huxley's spiritual thought, and definitely a more logical next step from "Brave New World" than the immensely dense "Perennial Philosophy" (which is what I initially did).
A couple of nice poems included as well. A real solid introduction to Huxley's spiritual thought, and definitely a more logical next step from "Brave New World" than the immensely dense "Perennial Philosophy" (which is what I initially did).
August 22, 2022
hot gnostic girl summer
July 4, 2022
A collection of essays on enlightenment from one of the great minds of the 20th century.
The overarching theme is attempting to figure out how persons and society can move closer to this state of being. One essay examines the personality and its relation to spirituality, the next language and how it takes us away from immediate experience and into a world of symbols.
Although the essays explore different subjects, they uninterruptably investigate what takes individuals and societies closer to truth and god and what is healthy and unhealthy for the soul.
Here are some tidbits I enjoyed:
"Language is a device for taking the mystery out of reality"-
"Along with love and joy, peace is one of the fruits of the spirit. But it is also one of the roots. In other words, peace is a necessary condition of spirituality, no less than an inevitable result of it."
"We have to accept as a working hypothesis that the events of our lives are not merely fortuitous, but deliberate tests of intelligence and character, specially devised occasions (if properly used) for spiritual advance. Acting upon this working hypothesis, we shall treat no occurrence as intrinsically unimportant. We shall never make a response that is inconsiderate or a mere automatic expression of self-will, but always give ourselves time, before acting or speaking, to consider what course of behavior would seem to be most in accord with the will of God. most charitable, most conducive to the achievement of our final end."
Practice of religion:
"The truer forms of religion are those in which God is concieved as eternal (that is to say, outside time) and the better forms of religious practice are those which aim at creating in the mind a condition approximating to timelessness"
Political zealotry:
"For the revolutionary, whether of the right or the left, the supremely important fact is the golden age of peace, prosperity, and brotherly love which, his faith assures him, is bound to dawn as soon as his particular brand of revolution has been carried through. Nothing stands between the people's miserable present and its glorious future, except a minority, perhaps a majority, of perverse or merely ignorant individuals. All that is necessary is to liquidate a few thousands, or it may be a few millions, of these living obstacles to progress, and then to coerce and propagandize the rest into acquiescence." "
"Dogma turns a man into an intellectual Procrustes. He goes about forcing things to become the signs of his word-patterns, when he ought to be adapting his word-patterns to become the sign of things."
Time and life:
"time destroys all that it creates, and the end of every temporal sequence is, for the entity involved in it, some form of death. Death is wholly transcended only when time is transcended; immortality is for the consciousness that has broken through the temporal into the timeless"
Art and its relation to time:
"In all the arts whose raw material is of a temporal nature, the primary aim of the artist is to spatialize time. The poet, the dramatist, the novelist, the musician---each takes a fragment of the perpetual perishing, in which we are doomed to undertake our one-way journey toward death, and tries to endow it with some of the qualities of space: namely, symmetry, balance and orderliness (the Beauty-producing characteristics of a space containing material bodies)... The aim in all cases is to give a form to the essentially formless, to impose symmetry and order upon what is actually an indefinite flux toward death."
He also delivers one of the all-time bitch slaps to marxism. Enjoy:
"On another line we have the Hegelian and Marxian philosophies of History, which is spelled with a capital H, and hypostatised as a temporal providence working for the realisiation of the kingdom of heaven on earth – this kingdom of heaven on earth being, in Hegels view, a glorified version of the Prussian State and in the view of Marx, who was exiled by the Authorities of that State, of the dictatorship of the proletariat, leading “inevitably” by the process of dialectic to the classless society. These views of history make the assumption that the Divine, or History, or the Cosmic Process, or Geist, or whatever the entity which uses time for its purposes may be called, is concerned with humanity in the mass, not with man and woman as individuals – and not with humanity at any given moment, but with humanity as a succession of generations. Now, there seems to be absolutely no reason for supposing that this is the case – absolutely no reason for supposing that there is a collective soul of succeeding generations capable of experiencing, comprehending and acting upon the impulsions transmitted by Geist, History, Life-Force, and all the rest. On the contrary, all the evidence points to the fact that its the individual soul, incarnated at a particluar moment in time, which alone can establiosh contact with the Divine, to say nothing of other souls. The belief ( which is based on obvious and self evident facts) that Humanity is represented at any given moment by the persons who constitute the mass and that all the values of Humanity resides in those persons, is regarded as absurdly shallow by these philosphers of history. But the tree is know by its fruits. Those who believe in the primacy of persons and who think that the Final End of all persons is to transcend time and realise that which is eternal and timeless, are always, like the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Taoists and the primitive Christians, advocates of non violence, gentleness, peace and tolerance. Those on the contrary who like to be “deep” in the manner of Hegel and Marx who think that “History” deals with Humanity-in-the-Mass and Humnanity-as-successive-generations, not with individual men and women here and now, are indifferent to human life and personal values, worship the Molochs which they call State and Society and are cheerfully prepared to sacrifice successive generations of real, concrete persons for the sake of the entirely hypothetical happiness which, on no grounds whatsoever, will be the lot of humanity in the distant future. The politics of those who regard eternity as the ultimate reality are concerned with the present and with the ways and means of organising the present world in such a way that it will impose the fewest possible obstacles in the way of individual liberation from time and ignorance; those on the contrary, who regard time as the ultimate reality are concerend primarily with the future and regard the present world and its inhabitants as mere rubble, cannon-fodder and potential slave labour to be exploited, terrorized, liquidated, or blown to smithereens, in order that persons who may never be born, in a future time about which nothing can be known with the smallest degree of certainty, may have the kind of a wonderful time which present-day revolutionaries and war-makers think they ought to have. If the lunacy were not criminal, one would be tempted to laugh."
On humanism:
"When we think presumptuously that we are or shall become in some future utopian state men like gods, then in fact we are in mortal danger of becoming devils, capable only (however exalted our ideals may be, however beautifully worked out our plans and blueprints) of ruining our world and destroying ourselves. The triumph of humanism is the defeat of humanity."
"It would be a suitable punishment for man's overweening hubris if the final result of his efforts to dominate nature were the production of a race of harelipped six-fingered imbeciles".
"Human progress, within historical times, differs from biological progress in being a matter, not of heredity, but of tradition. This tradition, oral and written, has served as the vehicle by means of which the achievements of exceptional individuals have been made available for their contemporaries and successors, and the discoveries of one generation have been handed on, to become the commonplace of the next".
Man as something in between god and satan:
"The faculties that make the unitive knowledge of reality possible are the very faculties that tempt human beings to indulge in that literally insane and diabolic conduct of which man, alone of all the animals, is capable. This is a world in which nobody ever gets anything for nothing. The capacity to go higher is purchased at the expense of being able to fall lower. Only an angel of light can become the Prince of Darkness".
On why we should read the classics:
"The literatures of Greece and Rome provide the longest, the most complete and most nearly continuous record we have of what the strange creature homo sapiens has been busy about in virtually every department of spiritual, intellectual and social activity. Hence the mind that has canvassed this record is much more than a disciplined mind; it is an experienced mind. It has come, as Emerson says, into a feeling of immense longevity, and it instinctively views contemporary man and his doings in the perspective set by this profound and weighty experience.
“Our studies were properly called formative, because, beyond all others, their effect was powerfully maturing. Cicero told the unvarnished truth in saying that those who have no knowledge of what has gone before them must for ever remain children. And if one wished to characterize the collective mind of this period, or indeed of any period, the use it makes of its powers of observation, reflection, logical inference, one would best do it by the word ‘immaturity’.”
And again on political extremism;
"The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior 'righteous indignation' — this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”
The overarching theme is attempting to figure out how persons and society can move closer to this state of being. One essay examines the personality and its relation to spirituality, the next language and how it takes us away from immediate experience and into a world of symbols.
Although the essays explore different subjects, they uninterruptably investigate what takes individuals and societies closer to truth and god and what is healthy and unhealthy for the soul.
Here are some tidbits I enjoyed:
"Language is a device for taking the mystery out of reality"-
"Along with love and joy, peace is one of the fruits of the spirit. But it is also one of the roots. In other words, peace is a necessary condition of spirituality, no less than an inevitable result of it."
"We have to accept as a working hypothesis that the events of our lives are not merely fortuitous, but deliberate tests of intelligence and character, specially devised occasions (if properly used) for spiritual advance. Acting upon this working hypothesis, we shall treat no occurrence as intrinsically unimportant. We shall never make a response that is inconsiderate or a mere automatic expression of self-will, but always give ourselves time, before acting or speaking, to consider what course of behavior would seem to be most in accord with the will of God. most charitable, most conducive to the achievement of our final end."
Practice of religion:
"The truer forms of religion are those in which God is concieved as eternal (that is to say, outside time) and the better forms of religious practice are those which aim at creating in the mind a condition approximating to timelessness"
Political zealotry:
"For the revolutionary, whether of the right or the left, the supremely important fact is the golden age of peace, prosperity, and brotherly love which, his faith assures him, is bound to dawn as soon as his particular brand of revolution has been carried through. Nothing stands between the people's miserable present and its glorious future, except a minority, perhaps a majority, of perverse or merely ignorant individuals. All that is necessary is to liquidate a few thousands, or it may be a few millions, of these living obstacles to progress, and then to coerce and propagandize the rest into acquiescence." "
"Dogma turns a man into an intellectual Procrustes. He goes about forcing things to become the signs of his word-patterns, when he ought to be adapting his word-patterns to become the sign of things."
Time and life:
"time destroys all that it creates, and the end of every temporal sequence is, for the entity involved in it, some form of death. Death is wholly transcended only when time is transcended; immortality is for the consciousness that has broken through the temporal into the timeless"
Art and its relation to time:
"In all the arts whose raw material is of a temporal nature, the primary aim of the artist is to spatialize time. The poet, the dramatist, the novelist, the musician---each takes a fragment of the perpetual perishing, in which we are doomed to undertake our one-way journey toward death, and tries to endow it with some of the qualities of space: namely, symmetry, balance and orderliness (the Beauty-producing characteristics of a space containing material bodies)... The aim in all cases is to give a form to the essentially formless, to impose symmetry and order upon what is actually an indefinite flux toward death."
He also delivers one of the all-time bitch slaps to marxism. Enjoy:
"On another line we have the Hegelian and Marxian philosophies of History, which is spelled with a capital H, and hypostatised as a temporal providence working for the realisiation of the kingdom of heaven on earth – this kingdom of heaven on earth being, in Hegels view, a glorified version of the Prussian State and in the view of Marx, who was exiled by the Authorities of that State, of the dictatorship of the proletariat, leading “inevitably” by the process of dialectic to the classless society. These views of history make the assumption that the Divine, or History, or the Cosmic Process, or Geist, or whatever the entity which uses time for its purposes may be called, is concerned with humanity in the mass, not with man and woman as individuals – and not with humanity at any given moment, but with humanity as a succession of generations. Now, there seems to be absolutely no reason for supposing that this is the case – absolutely no reason for supposing that there is a collective soul of succeeding generations capable of experiencing, comprehending and acting upon the impulsions transmitted by Geist, History, Life-Force, and all the rest. On the contrary, all the evidence points to the fact that its the individual soul, incarnated at a particluar moment in time, which alone can establiosh contact with the Divine, to say nothing of other souls. The belief ( which is based on obvious and self evident facts) that Humanity is represented at any given moment by the persons who constitute the mass and that all the values of Humanity resides in those persons, is regarded as absurdly shallow by these philosphers of history. But the tree is know by its fruits. Those who believe in the primacy of persons and who think that the Final End of all persons is to transcend time and realise that which is eternal and timeless, are always, like the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Taoists and the primitive Christians, advocates of non violence, gentleness, peace and tolerance. Those on the contrary who like to be “deep” in the manner of Hegel and Marx who think that “History” deals with Humanity-in-the-Mass and Humnanity-as-successive-generations, not with individual men and women here and now, are indifferent to human life and personal values, worship the Molochs which they call State and Society and are cheerfully prepared to sacrifice successive generations of real, concrete persons for the sake of the entirely hypothetical happiness which, on no grounds whatsoever, will be the lot of humanity in the distant future. The politics of those who regard eternity as the ultimate reality are concerned with the present and with the ways and means of organising the present world in such a way that it will impose the fewest possible obstacles in the way of individual liberation from time and ignorance; those on the contrary, who regard time as the ultimate reality are concerend primarily with the future and regard the present world and its inhabitants as mere rubble, cannon-fodder and potential slave labour to be exploited, terrorized, liquidated, or blown to smithereens, in order that persons who may never be born, in a future time about which nothing can be known with the smallest degree of certainty, may have the kind of a wonderful time which present-day revolutionaries and war-makers think they ought to have. If the lunacy were not criminal, one would be tempted to laugh."
On humanism:
"When we think presumptuously that we are or shall become in some future utopian state men like gods, then in fact we are in mortal danger of becoming devils, capable only (however exalted our ideals may be, however beautifully worked out our plans and blueprints) of ruining our world and destroying ourselves. The triumph of humanism is the defeat of humanity."
"It would be a suitable punishment for man's overweening hubris if the final result of his efforts to dominate nature were the production of a race of harelipped six-fingered imbeciles".
"Human progress, within historical times, differs from biological progress in being a matter, not of heredity, but of tradition. This tradition, oral and written, has served as the vehicle by means of which the achievements of exceptional individuals have been made available for their contemporaries and successors, and the discoveries of one generation have been handed on, to become the commonplace of the next".
Man as something in between god and satan:
"The faculties that make the unitive knowledge of reality possible are the very faculties that tempt human beings to indulge in that literally insane and diabolic conduct of which man, alone of all the animals, is capable. This is a world in which nobody ever gets anything for nothing. The capacity to go higher is purchased at the expense of being able to fall lower. Only an angel of light can become the Prince of Darkness".
On why we should read the classics:
"The literatures of Greece and Rome provide the longest, the most complete and most nearly continuous record we have of what the strange creature homo sapiens has been busy about in virtually every department of spiritual, intellectual and social activity. Hence the mind that has canvassed this record is much more than a disciplined mind; it is an experienced mind. It has come, as Emerson says, into a feeling of immense longevity, and it instinctively views contemporary man and his doings in the perspective set by this profound and weighty experience.
“Our studies were properly called formative, because, beyond all others, their effect was powerfully maturing. Cicero told the unvarnished truth in saying that those who have no knowledge of what has gone before them must for ever remain children. And if one wished to characterize the collective mind of this period, or indeed of any period, the use it makes of its powers of observation, reflection, logical inference, one would best do it by the word ‘immaturity’.”
And again on political extremism;
"The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior 'righteous indignation' — this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats.”
October 5, 2025
"The Divine Within" is a rather difficult book to understand without context on Huxley's life and genius. Huxley was like a twisted combination of Brian Johnson (the billionaire trying to bio-hack his life and live forever), George Orwell, and Albert Einstein. Like Johnson, he used his own body / life / mind as a test subject to experiment with methods of achieving enlightenment - from theological theory to yogic meditation to mind-altering drugs. Like Orwell, he deplored the "advance of the machine" and fought against nationalism, exploitative economic systems, and runaway technological advances which lacked ethical regulation (as seen in his most well-known novel "Brave New World"). Like Einstein, his life's work consisted of a tireless search for a unified field theory of sorts - a spiritual framework which individuals can deploy to pursue and achieve enlightenment.
"The Divine Within" contains all these elements within an anthology of 26 essays / writings which Huxley published in various scholarly journals from the 1940s - 60s. The essays span a wide variety of subject matter - Truth, Perception, Understanding, God, Shakespeare(?), etc. - all in the name of providing the reader with (1) a spiritual framework of themselves and their own nature in relation to his theorized "Divine Ground", and (2) the theological underpinnings of the virtues and methods that can be utilized in order to open up one's mind to a wider understanding of the universe. His argument is based on the presumption of "Thou art That" - that each person has the divine within them and they need to "get out of their own light" in order to reach enlightenment.
It's worth noting that I am writing this review as one who is not particularly religious and is generally unfamiliar with most theological frameworks / arguments. I find Huxley's work particularly useful given this perspective because he approaches religion from the POV of a practitioner of the perennial philosophy (which essentially states that most core world religions share the same foundational assumptions and many of the differences between the religions are the result of different cultural / developmental / sociological patterns differentiating each religion over time). This means he draws on texts from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism (among others) when formulating his own "unifying theories". There are valid counterarguments to perennialism and Huxley's own theories that I've seen, but for me it doesn't detract from the value I get from the comparative perspective presented of each religious tradition. Huxley takes great pains to analyze each religion at its core and is able to strip away a lot of the superfluous cultural abstractions and distortions to which most religions have been subjected to in the modern era, while simultaneously showing appreciation for the beautiful and beneficent aspects of each faith.
For those sold on the concept, I will forewarn the prospective reader that Huxley has a tendency to go on tangents during these (supposedly focused) essays. The makes it a little disjointing to read as I found myself often following Huxley's argument, then veering into unfamiliar territory, and finally realizing that we've coming back to the original argument (which I would then have to re-read to ground myself in his assumptions). It feels very stream-of-consciousness at times which does disrupt narrative flow, but is also super interesting as the consciousness you are tracking is that of a genius thinker. This is one that feels very satisfying to get through because of its difficulty. It is depressing at times, but overall left me with a more positive impression of the universe than I expected and forced me to think about some foundational questions about existence in new ways.
"The Divine Within" contains all these elements within an anthology of 26 essays / writings which Huxley published in various scholarly journals from the 1940s - 60s. The essays span a wide variety of subject matter - Truth, Perception, Understanding, God, Shakespeare(?), etc. - all in the name of providing the reader with (1) a spiritual framework of themselves and their own nature in relation to his theorized "Divine Ground", and (2) the theological underpinnings of the virtues and methods that can be utilized in order to open up one's mind to a wider understanding of the universe. His argument is based on the presumption of "Thou art That" - that each person has the divine within them and they need to "get out of their own light" in order to reach enlightenment.
It's worth noting that I am writing this review as one who is not particularly religious and is generally unfamiliar with most theological frameworks / arguments. I find Huxley's work particularly useful given this perspective because he approaches religion from the POV of a practitioner of the perennial philosophy (which essentially states that most core world religions share the same foundational assumptions and many of the differences between the religions are the result of different cultural / developmental / sociological patterns differentiating each religion over time). This means he draws on texts from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism (among others) when formulating his own "unifying theories". There are valid counterarguments to perennialism and Huxley's own theories that I've seen, but for me it doesn't detract from the value I get from the comparative perspective presented of each religious tradition. Huxley takes great pains to analyze each religion at its core and is able to strip away a lot of the superfluous cultural abstractions and distortions to which most religions have been subjected to in the modern era, while simultaneously showing appreciation for the beautiful and beneficent aspects of each faith.
For those sold on the concept, I will forewarn the prospective reader that Huxley has a tendency to go on tangents during these (supposedly focused) essays. The makes it a little disjointing to read as I found myself often following Huxley's argument, then veering into unfamiliar territory, and finally realizing that we've coming back to the original argument (which I would then have to re-read to ground myself in his assumptions). It feels very stream-of-consciousness at times which does disrupt narrative flow, but is also super interesting as the consciousness you are tracking is that of a genius thinker. This is one that feels very satisfying to get through because of its difficulty. It is depressing at times, but overall left me with a more positive impression of the universe than I expected and forced me to think about some foundational questions about existence in new ways.
January 14, 2025
This was intriguing. I enjoyed the philosophy and commentary on religion and how it wasn't focused on just one religion and instead explored similar concepts in many religions almost as a conversation. I didn't enjoy the other essays and much, an I found them brand, but overall I'd say this was very good.
April 3, 2019
I really loved this book. Not all of the essays were important to me, but the ones that were are pivotal works on mysticism and getting at the core of spirituality.
January 4, 2020
Sorry Huxley, philosophy is already not my thing. This is convoluted and hard to follow, very much through the lens of Christianity even when he tries for it not to be. Didnt finish.
June 14, 2019
A collection of writings and essays, lectures and speeches, assorted writings from various books and magazines (mostly Vendenta and the West) by Aldous Huxley. Huxley has always been one of my favorite essayists and modern day philosophers. The Doors of Perception, Heaven and Hell, The Island, Brave New World, Time Must Have a Stop, are all personal favorites (Chrome Yellow ... was ok).
He has a wonderful way to write out things and I've always loved his spiritualism despite no real religious overtones to it, mostly because of how there is no religious overtones to it, and mostly because of how it applies so universally (one could believe in the enlightenment through Buddha as well as in the Christian God; so Huxley would have you believe).
This collection is still in alignment with that, but also includes amazingly, a far substantial amount of writings on Christianity than I was expecting. (Even three small essays about the Lord's Prayer). His spiritualism and his essence through Buddhism still takes the forefront, but there is a lot more depth to his religious explorations in this collection than I've previously read of him. It all makes for a much more fascinating read to be honest, and gives a lot of leeway to explore options if one were to take his route and use his expressions and thoughts as their own search.
Much of this directly delves into his "The Perennial Philosophy" so this acts as a wonderful prequel of sorts to that treatise/writing. This definitely is a great comprehensive look at Huxley's work as a whole, as it spans the 20s through up to his death in 1963 (trivia fact: he died on the same as C.S. Lewis and the day JFK was assassinated). Its an interesting road to see how his spiritualism and beliefs and thoughts on religion evolved throughout those years.
He has a wonderful way to write out things and I've always loved his spiritualism despite no real religious overtones to it, mostly because of how there is no religious overtones to it, and mostly because of how it applies so universally (one could believe in the enlightenment through Buddha as well as in the Christian God; so Huxley would have you believe).
This collection is still in alignment with that, but also includes amazingly, a far substantial amount of writings on Christianity than I was expecting. (Even three small essays about the Lord's Prayer). His spiritualism and his essence through Buddhism still takes the forefront, but there is a lot more depth to his religious explorations in this collection than I've previously read of him. It all makes for a much more fascinating read to be honest, and gives a lot of leeway to explore options if one were to take his route and use his expressions and thoughts as their own search.
Much of this directly delves into his "The Perennial Philosophy" so this acts as a wonderful prequel of sorts to that treatise/writing. This definitely is a great comprehensive look at Huxley's work as a whole, as it spans the 20s through up to his death in 1963 (trivia fact: he died on the same as C.S. Lewis and the day JFK was assassinated). Its an interesting road to see how his spiritualism and beliefs and thoughts on religion evolved throughout those years.
October 31, 2016
Aldous Huxley is by far one of my favorite authors. His perception of the world in addition to his analysis of various religions and spiritual texts is sharp and insanely accurate. His writing takes my mind to a higher form of thinking that allows me to perceive the world in a objective and wholistic way.
There were times when I was reading this book and I had to force myself to keep reading due to the nature of Huxley's writing style and the information being conveyed in this text. Nevertheless that's what separates a book that's just "meh" from a book that's incredible. Real books challenge you, your beliefs, and thought patterns in addition to helping you learn new things and "cleanse" your perceptions.
I enjoyed reading this book because it helped me challenge so many of the silly beliefs I had about myself and spirituality in addition to the extremely silly beliefs constantly being displayed by religious officials, politicians and the like---so characteristic of the 21st century.
November 2, 2019
I really respect Huxley for his role as popularizer of the "perennial philosophy" of mysticism across many faith traditions, not to mention his many other literary talents. He's a very lucid explicator of the aim of the mystical approach to experience, as he would say, the "unitive knowledge of divine reality". He tries valiantly to describe an experience that he rightly acknowledges is beyond verbal description, and his cautions are well-taken on a number of levels that the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon. That said, I found a whole volume of his mystical writings to be a bit overkill. They get monotonous, and although he's never wrong, the joys in reading how he's right offer diminishing returns here. Probably better titrated in small doses over time.
July 4, 2018
Brilliant collection of Huxley's essays over the years as his atheism transitioned into mysticism. A must read for anyone wanting to dive deeper into the philosophy of Huxley that may be gleaned from his novels.
December 20, 2018
A quasi-religious/philosophical/psychoanalytical look at self-transcendence, enlightenment, grace and agapian love. As deep as these theological concepts can be, Huxley's writing is clear and even practical.
November 21, 2017
Impressive clarity
Impressive clarity in navigating waters of religion, religiousness and mysticism from multiple references, including Shakespeare and his works, plays and life.
Impressive clarity in navigating waters of religion, religiousness and mysticism from multiple references, including Shakespeare and his works, plays and life.
March 25, 2025
Just going off memory, this was surveyed in a very distracted and offhand way.... I think there are some things that were worth commenting on which I will not....
A familiar mix of deep truths, banal truths, and unacceptable falsehoods.... As a general reiteration of certain substantive claims about mysticism, good. His perspective on it, that it is basically empirical and non-supernatural (that is, one accesses these truths through reliable techniques and then becomes disposed to using woo-sounding language in order to talk about actually concrete (although ultimately ineffable) experiences) is right, and something I wish were more easily communicated. That the point is that you can come to experience certain aspects of reality, and are reduced to metaphysics in an attempt to explain them, but in principle this is a way of looking, seeing, and finding. But this is at odds with lots of religious practice and dogma.... But you have to separate mantras, which are useful in actions, from descriptions....
He also understands, better than others seem to, the integration of the functional and the moral life (see his essays on progress, which are what I want to return to most). That at a deep level (deep because it is practical), the Grecian equation between the right and the good and the beautiful is approximately right, or we converge on its rightness through certain kinds of self-justifying experiences. And of course the familiar paradox of that "whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it," or of "reversed effort."
His descriptions of the different human types and a discussion of them in relation to religiosity felt very 19th century, although they were fun and interesting to me. Maybe I will revisit his meditations or his suggested reading list.
It's a very inspiring book... this means that it is also a book which makes one guilty (reminds one of guilty feelings repressed).
A familiar mix of deep truths, banal truths, and unacceptable falsehoods.... As a general reiteration of certain substantive claims about mysticism, good. His perspective on it, that it is basically empirical and non-supernatural (that is, one accesses these truths through reliable techniques and then becomes disposed to using woo-sounding language in order to talk about actually concrete (although ultimately ineffable) experiences) is right, and something I wish were more easily communicated. That the point is that you can come to experience certain aspects of reality, and are reduced to metaphysics in an attempt to explain them, but in principle this is a way of looking, seeing, and finding. But this is at odds with lots of religious practice and dogma.... But you have to separate mantras, which are useful in actions, from descriptions....
He also understands, better than others seem to, the integration of the functional and the moral life (see his essays on progress, which are what I want to return to most). That at a deep level (deep because it is practical), the Grecian equation between the right and the good and the beautiful is approximately right, or we converge on its rightness through certain kinds of self-justifying experiences. And of course the familiar paradox of that "whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it," or of "reversed effort."
His descriptions of the different human types and a discussion of them in relation to religiosity felt very 19th century, although they were fun and interesting to me. Maybe I will revisit his meditations or his suggested reading list.
It's a very inspiring book... this means that it is also a book which makes one guilty (reminds one of guilty feelings repressed).
May 19, 2025
What is this nonsense?
This might be the last time I pretend to comprehend and enjoy such philosophical and religious ramblings; yet I do like the idea of these topics so I’ll likely take another stab at it in hopes of getting better through practice.
Huxley makes good points throughout this collection, but follows each one with a convoluted explanation that leaves me skipping words, lines, and paragraphs. I get back on board to find another brilliant idea, again followed up yet with a two-page paragraph of nothing.
Nothing against our good bud Aldoous; he had just been a contributing writer for a magazine of sorts; probably one that doctors and professors read in their little inner circles. But the publisher who thought it was a good idea to mass market this and put it on a mall bookstore shelf, why? You got me.
He even had a chapter where whatever the topic was, he carried on in typical fashion. Yet the next chapter was “part2.” Really? You left something out back there?
I don’t know, maybe I’m a little sour because I’m offended after reading, painstakingly, that I am just a little human, who is not even praying correctly to my God.
I remember nothing from this book, even after just finishing it moments ago. And about that, the last two chapters were poems! If I wasn’t understanding his essays there was no way I was going to get his rhymes and symbols. Even after reading the most drab self-help books, I retain something; at least for a day.
I’m looking forward to reselling this at a flea market for two bucks so I could get a doughnut.
This might be the last time I pretend to comprehend and enjoy such philosophical and religious ramblings; yet I do like the idea of these topics so I’ll likely take another stab at it in hopes of getting better through practice.
Huxley makes good points throughout this collection, but follows each one with a convoluted explanation that leaves me skipping words, lines, and paragraphs. I get back on board to find another brilliant idea, again followed up yet with a two-page paragraph of nothing.
Nothing against our good bud Aldoous; he had just been a contributing writer for a magazine of sorts; probably one that doctors and professors read in their little inner circles. But the publisher who thought it was a good idea to mass market this and put it on a mall bookstore shelf, why? You got me.
He even had a chapter where whatever the topic was, he carried on in typical fashion. Yet the next chapter was “part2.” Really? You left something out back there?
I don’t know, maybe I’m a little sour because I’m offended after reading, painstakingly, that I am just a little human, who is not even praying correctly to my God.
I remember nothing from this book, even after just finishing it moments ago. And about that, the last two chapters were poems! If I wasn’t understanding his essays there was no way I was going to get his rhymes and symbols. Even after reading the most drab self-help books, I retain something; at least for a day.
I’m looking forward to reselling this at a flea market for two bucks so I could get a doughnut.
February 17, 2024
If I had read more about Huxley's biography before embarking no this collection of essays about spirituality, mysticism, and religion, I might have known that he'd gotten entrenched at one point in Christianity and western religion. I was not expecting this, however, and thought this book would cast a wider net in its investigation of the spiritual within. There was plenty of that, though, and I feel silly even reviewing this work, like a chimp passing judgement on the works of Shakespeare. Still, even if for my own future recollection, I should mention that I most enjoyed the essays titled "Reflections on Progress" (especially through the lens of a person living in the 2020s), "Knowledge and Understanding" (I made particular notes on passages related to Taoist detachment philosophy), and "Symbol and Immediate Experience" (a great dissection of the different types of religious adherence). If I reread this in the future, I'll probably stick to those and avoid the deep-dives into Christian texts/understanding - I've had enough of that for a lifetime.
December 14, 2021
There were essays (especially on idolatry, distractions) that I found a lot to dissect, but there's a degree of privilege in Huxley's ideas about spirituality that seem unattainable for the average person--who doesn't have the mental or physical energy available, or is perhaps coping with illness, financial strain, or systemic oppression, and may ultimately never have the resources to spend significant amounts of time in contemplation.
Often it felt like Huxley was describing ideals--the way spirituality could be, if we only put self aside--but feels so impractical when we can't insulate ourselves from reality.
But, hey, he still had some great zingers about Christianity that I'm petty enough to love.
That which the Scribes and Pharisees reap is more or less total inability to know the God they fondly imagine they are serving. God does not punish them, any more than he punishes the man who inadvertently steps over the edge of a cliff. The nature of the world is such that, if anyone fails to conform to its laws, whether of matter or mind or spirit, he will have to take the consequences, which may be immediate and spectacular, as in the case of the man who steps over the edge of the cliff, or remote, subtle and very far from obvious, as in the case of the virtuous man who is virtuous only in the manner of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Often it felt like Huxley was describing ideals--the way spirituality could be, if we only put self aside--but feels so impractical when we can't insulate ourselves from reality.
But, hey, he still had some great zingers about Christianity that I'm petty enough to love.
That which the Scribes and Pharisees reap is more or less total inability to know the God they fondly imagine they are serving. God does not punish them, any more than he punishes the man who inadvertently steps over the edge of a cliff. The nature of the world is such that, if anyone fails to conform to its laws, whether of matter or mind or spirit, he will have to take the consequences, which may be immediate and spectacular, as in the case of the man who steps over the edge of the cliff, or remote, subtle and very far from obvious, as in the case of the virtuous man who is virtuous only in the manner of the Scribes and Pharisees.
December 26, 2017
What a privilege it is to be subjected to Huxley's thoughts on the subject of God and Self. I understood what anxiety meant by reading this book, and by understanding it I became aware of it and by becoming aware of it my communication with my conscious self became more sensible and thoughtful than it was before. I recommend this book for anyone who would like to absorb all the goodness that an array religions have to offer, and allow you to take responsibility of who you are in relation to life, all of life, and therefore yours.
July 9, 2023
81%
So we talk about spirituality real magic the scientific application of spirituality.
While I don't agree with all of his content, Specifically the notion that I am not the one moving my hand. Because I certainly am.
He has a unique way of applying science and magic in realistic rights, In a balanced sort of way that makes sense plausibly.
I agree with his statement of magic within, But disagree with some of the applications that he implied.
Overall, a great balanced book about the quality of life and science and spirituality
So we talk about spirituality real magic the scientific application of spirituality.
While I don't agree with all of his content, Specifically the notion that I am not the one moving my hand. Because I certainly am.
He has a unique way of applying science and magic in realistic rights, In a balanced sort of way that makes sense plausibly.
I agree with his statement of magic within, But disagree with some of the applications that he implied.
Overall, a great balanced book about the quality of life and science and spirituality
August 14, 2023
I had high expectations for this book, and that might be why I'm disappointed. It seemed a lot more religious than I expected, though Huxley attempts to write about the more felt / lived aspect of connection with a higher power, I still found much of the Christian reference off-putting.
Much of this might be my bias, and even despite my bias I took something from the book. If you don't have these biases you might take more.
Much of this might be my bias, and even despite my bias I took something from the book. If you don't have these biases you might take more.
December 20, 2024
The unfortunately pandering title aside (not Huxley's own), this collection is the kind of numinous religious thought that not only exposes and clarifies, but defends, the heart of the spiritual life - with all its attendant intrigue, joy, futility, and ultimacy. And god, is Aldous Huxley a wonder to read. His pride of place among the great prose artists of the century is affirmed in every essay.
June 6, 2021
Como quase todo mundo, o primeiro e único livro do Aldous Huxley que li foi Admirável Mundo Novo. Redescobri o autor nessa excelente coletânea de escritos, em que ele discute profundamente e filosoficamente questões complicadas, como religião, fé, conhecimento e entendimento, religião, etc. Difícil de ler, mas vale o esforço.
January 8, 2025
Fairly interesting as an intended reading to find out more about some motifs inspiring Huxley’s work.
Some interesting discussion points. A few too many analogies from the bible. Feels biased.
Lacking certain degree of credibility and substance. Found many statements lacking argument and some contradictions.
Should be read with a large dose of scepticism.
Some interesting discussion points. A few too many analogies from the bible. Feels biased.
Lacking certain degree of credibility and substance. Found many statements lacking argument and some contradictions.
Should be read with a large dose of scepticism.
October 30, 2019
Huxley's work contains quite simply some of the most important, lucid and compelling perspectives I've found related to a spiritually-oriented life. This edition contains an excellent set of essays from various sources.
June 28, 2021
Very interesting, certain essays I really loved, others I found pretty dull, at times Huxley's word choice was unnecessarily complex which was a turn off as opposed to just writing clearly, but overall a great book
July 19, 2021
A collections of essays by Aldous Huxley on a variety of subjects ranging from religion, politics, philosophy, and literature. The general theme of the collection is how to think about spirituality and self-enlightenment not tied to a specific creed.
A great collection!
A great collection!
February 11, 2023
These essays are surprisingly good and on-point in terms of distilling theistic deistic concepts such as unity with the cosmos (qua unity of mind and body). The focus on the holy grail of relaxing into precise action was also interesting.
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