What do you think?
Rate this book
Mysticism: A Study and an Anthology
Mysticism: A Study and an Anthology, Third Edition [paperback] Happold, F. C. [Feb 15, 1991] …
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 1963
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 23, 2013
The best beginners guide to mysticism in all its forms, from the Christian mystics to the Sufis of Islam, from the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita to Plate and Socrates. Dr. Happold is a scholarly adept and explains the human yearning for what is loosely called mysticism that arises out of the religious consciousness, and sometimes, as with the saints of even religion, surpasses it into the Godhead.
If you are curious about mysticism, start with this this book.
If you are curious about mysticism, start with this this book.
June 9, 2024
As Above, So below.
The world is a mirror, the world is a reflection, truth is something that cannot be found but once you've crossed the other side...I read this over the course of many months and many sittings. There's so much to unpack and so much to think about. The world is really something magical and we're lucky to be here but we're also looking for something more. Religious leaders, crazed scientists, philosophers gone rogue. We all want meaning in life. We all want purpose and this collection gives us much to contemplate and consider. Well worth reading, especially once you've moved on from Castaneda and Colin Wilson. This is timeless thought on display.
The world is a mirror, the world is a reflection, truth is something that cannot be found but once you've crossed the other side...I read this over the course of many months and many sittings. There's so much to unpack and so much to think about. The world is really something magical and we're lucky to be here but we're also looking for something more. Religious leaders, crazed scientists, philosophers gone rogue. We all want meaning in life. We all want purpose and this collection gives us much to contemplate and consider. Well worth reading, especially once you've moved on from Castaneda and Colin Wilson. This is timeless thought on display.
March 20, 2017
This was a book I picked up because it was a) on a subject that I wanted to know more about and b) was cheap (used book store find).
It surprised me in a couple of ways. First, I was surprised to find, after purchasing it, that the author had a self-admitted leaning towards Christian mystics. More than half the excerpts are from Christians, including both notable monks from the Catholic church and excerpts from the Gospels. I had expected more Buddhist/Hindu/Taoist (generally Eastern) writings. This wasn't, by itself, either a good or bad thing, just surprising to me.
The second thing that surprised me was how much I actually connected with the book. One of my hesitations delving into mysticism was that it might be too... mystical. Hand-waving fluff. Sentences that use lots of words without saying anything. That's not what I encountered. To be fair, I was drawn to the idea of a Study/Anthology partly to avoid that in the first place. This is a work (supposedly) studying many aspects of this, without a stake in a particular view - objectivity should shield me, right? Also, to be fair, there were points in the book that I couldn't make heads or tails of. I did find, however, that some sections began to make more sense once I had read farther along. This was particularly true of returning to some sections of the Study once I had encountered corresponding concepts in the Anthology.
Ultimately, I think some grace should be granted for the more ambiguous authors, as they are primarily attempting to describe personal revelations of ineffable truths.
For myself, there were two concepts that were revealed (or at least brought back to into focus) for me:
1. The transcendence of God over all knowledge and reality. Our reason and understanding is finite and limited to the confines of His creation. If we are ever to know Him fully, it will be by His power and permission, and it will be by means beyond that of our own ability.
2. The primacy of God. There is nothing greater or more worthy than He. To seek Him is a greater and more worthy endeavor than any other - in fact I believe it to be the ultimate goal of life. All other good things will be either fulfilled in this or shown to be unnecessary.
It surprised me in a couple of ways. First, I was surprised to find, after purchasing it, that the author had a self-admitted leaning towards Christian mystics. More than half the excerpts are from Christians, including both notable monks from the Catholic church and excerpts from the Gospels. I had expected more Buddhist/Hindu/Taoist (generally Eastern) writings. This wasn't, by itself, either a good or bad thing, just surprising to me.
The second thing that surprised me was how much I actually connected with the book. One of my hesitations delving into mysticism was that it might be too... mystical. Hand-waving fluff. Sentences that use lots of words without saying anything. That's not what I encountered. To be fair, I was drawn to the idea of a Study/Anthology partly to avoid that in the first place. This is a work (supposedly) studying many aspects of this, without a stake in a particular view - objectivity should shield me, right? Also, to be fair, there were points in the book that I couldn't make heads or tails of. I did find, however, that some sections began to make more sense once I had read farther along. This was particularly true of returning to some sections of the Study once I had encountered corresponding concepts in the Anthology.
Ultimately, I think some grace should be granted for the more ambiguous authors, as they are primarily attempting to describe personal revelations of ineffable truths.
For myself, there were two concepts that were revealed (or at least brought back to into focus) for me:
1. The transcendence of God over all knowledge and reality. Our reason and understanding is finite and limited to the confines of His creation. If we are ever to know Him fully, it will be by His power and permission, and it will be by means beyond that of our own ability.
2. The primacy of God. There is nothing greater or more worthy than He. To seek Him is a greater and more worthy endeavor than any other - in fact I believe it to be the ultimate goal of life. All other good things will be either fulfilled in this or shown to be unnecessary.
May 11, 2018
I picked up this book straight after the James' book about "Varieties of Religious Experience". It might be that Happold's book suffered in comparison, or that it wasn't written for a person like me (a non believer).
The first part explains mysticism in layperson's terms, and I found it interesting and informative. The second part is an anthology of the writings of various mystics. I struggled much more with this part. I found it repetitive and while the first section described the importance of female mystics, the second ignored them completely and used exclusionary language.
"[A] man's life should be spent, in the contemplation of absolute beauty. Once you have seen that, you will not value it in terms of gold or rich clothing or the beauty of boys and young men..."
I did enjoy some of the writings in the anthology, though, especially that of Richard Jefferies. And I skimmed through the bits that bored me senseless.
The first part explains mysticism in layperson's terms, and I found it interesting and informative. The second part is an anthology of the writings of various mystics. I struggled much more with this part. I found it repetitive and while the first section described the importance of female mystics, the second ignored them completely and used exclusionary language.
"[A] man's life should be spent, in the contemplation of absolute beauty. Once you have seen that, you will not value it in terms of gold or rich clothing or the beauty of boys and young men..."
I did enjoy some of the writings in the anthology, though, especially that of Richard Jefferies. And I skimmed through the bits that bored me senseless.
January 2, 2019
Excellent book though not an easy one!
January 31, 2023
Buono; letto nella vecchia edizione Mondadori dell' '87; sa essere interessante per quanto semplice; personalmente non ho gradito il primo capitolo dell'antologia, dove dei passaggi di persone (anche bambini) pressoché ignote e di opinabile qualità (ma è sciocco giudicare) precedono (e sembrano messe allo stesso livello) di una testimonianza di Simone Weil; ho gradito l'interesse dato al sufismo e, in generale, al misticismo non cristiano. Consiglio pertanto l'opera come primissimissimo approccio al mondo della mistica (le sue idee di fondo e le sue opere letterarie), ma qualcheduno la potrebbe trovare superficiale.
July 18, 2023
Fascinating analysis on Mysticism. It was especially speaking to me as it has a certain Essentialist approach to it, conflicting with a more Existentialist view from me. Good dialogue though, stimulating.
I'm sure the future me will have a different view on this topic, partially thanks to this reading itself.
I've only missed the Mystical analysis of Islamic religion and some more on Jewish too.
I'm sure the future me will have a different view on this topic, partially thanks to this reading itself.
I've only missed the Mystical analysis of Islamic religion and some more on Jewish too.
December 10, 2019
Summery of the book: Christian mysticism is the best, the middle path between the East which is all too much about contemplation/spirit and Judaism which is all too much about action/law.
If you like books like this you'll love my project:
http://youtube.com/c/seekersofunity?s...
If you like books like this you'll love my project:
http://youtube.com/c/seekersofunity?s...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews