Midnights with the Mystic: A Little Guide to Freedom and Bliss

by Cheryl Simone, Sadhguru

Constructed around a series of late night conversations around a camp fire between Cheryl Simone and Sadhguru Vasudev on an Island in the middle of a Western North Carolina lake near her mountain home, "Midnights with the Mystic" is the most thorough exposition of the teachings of India's most sought after mystic. Sadhguru challenges us to embrace the possibility that to each of us is available a higher realm of reality, a peak of consciousness; an entree into the realm of freedom and bliss.

Simone, an Atlanta real estate developer, was the typical baby boomer in search of an authentic spiritual experience. Professionally successful, yet spiritually arid, she discovered a way into what she was looking for in the teachings of Sadhguru. Concrete and down-to-earth, "Midnights with the Mystic" both provides readers with an introduction to profound spiritual teaching and a personal glimpse of a charismatic guru."

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Religion, Self Help, Biography

328 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2008

Reviews

[Keshav Bhatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't really live up to my expectations, and I found I had to skip through a lot of the narrative 'fluff' to get to the more useful pearls of practical insight from Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.

Perhaps this is no fault of Cheryl Simone, and I judge this too harshly as this was her own reflections on her encounters with 'the mystic'. But, the general narrative seemed all too familiar and not what I was looking for. I've read far too many books similar to this, and it has become repetitive -

Middle aged white westerner becomes disillusioned with the dull mechanics of corporate life in a capitalist world, and goes on a hunt for 'universal truth/wisdom'. Reads every book/attends course after course/etc, isn't satisfied, suddenly encounters an epic revelation & spiritual experience (usually in the mystic East), then goes onto to write a book full of trite soundbites & diluted wisdoms.

That said, my own judgements/projections aside, here were my 3 main lessons & favourite quotes, and though they were few & far between, they were all powerful & important life lessons:

- "We don't need more Hindus or Jews or Christians. We need more Buddha's and Jesus". I loved the way Sadhguru phrased this, as this is an idea I fundamentally believe in. It places the focus on actively becoming rather than passively following & repeating.

- There is a difference between being involved and identifying with the people/things/attachments of your identity. Separate the roles you play with the identity of your spirit.

This reminded me of the importance of maintaining a healthy stoicism & detachment from your activities & role on a day to day basis. It's so easy to get sucked into an idea of who you are and have to be, and often that creates more delusion & friction.

- "Don't create a personal drama about things and you'll see your needs dilute". Practicing this idea isn't easy, but definitely makes a lot of sense. I read this just after being discharged from a hospital in Cuba whilst on a 3 week holiday after getting dengue fever and it reminded me to let go of some of the personal dramas I was holding onto during the trip. Questioning your motives, your feelings & dramas drastically reduces your level of unhappiness and really helps you to realise, so much of these things really are not that important in the grand scheme of things.

- Hearing random stories about Sadhguru & his fascination with hiking, catching snakes & driving fast cars was something I really liked. It allowed me to see that not all spiritual giants need be the traditional 'sanyasis' with big beards, big chandlos (forehead markings) & separate from society. They can be doing 'normal' everyday things, and enjoy the same things we do too.

[Prafula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I hoped...a bit of a disappointment.
One is lost in the explicit rambling of Sadguru on certain topics of attaining enlightment.Mostly in trying to simplify matters he leaves the reader in a more confused state!

However I found the stories of his journey in past lives that lead him to this present birth very interesting.y The travel of his soul through various births ,all to attain and fulfill his mission seemed astonishing.
The telling of simple stories to illustrate certain points is a plus factor.
On whole Sadguru is a "Modern Day Guru" - a personality of joyful bliss.

[Lorin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not totally sure what to say about this one. It was a bit of a slow read for me, and it wasn't just because I was thinking through the points made. I really enjoyed the segments where she reported the stories and teachings of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, and those had (and still have) me thinking deeply about a whole variety of life issues and realities. The thread that wove them together, however, was composed of Cheryl's stories and memories, as well as the day to day happenings that occurred during their time together. This section wavered between non-fitting (the detailed descriptions of the day just didn't go well with the remainder), and unbelievable (I just am not comfortable believing that she remembers events that happened in her life with the level of precision and detail noted here - and because of the first person voice, that is certainly the implication). I'm not sure what would have been a better way to format what she learned from Sadhguru, but I don't think this was it. I guess I would have preferred a more thoughtful discussion of what his teachings meant between, rather that other events that happened to her or her precise thoughts at 7:00 on Tuesday. It was worth the read, and I'll likely give it another run, but if you are new to this sort of book, I would definitely recommend Old Path, White Clouds before this.

[Samyuktha Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any interest in spirituality at all, you NEED this book in your collection. Never-read-before insights into a true mystic's life. The reader gets to explore the deeper aspects of their own life through this book.

Cheryl's viewpoints and writing about her experiences with Sadhguru are truly enchanting. We also get to know Sadhguru a little better!

[Rinkan Rohit Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book , I just read ! simply awesome , filled with the questions and answers . The answers are just above the truth of eternity , Filled with humors of sadguru and Love of him towards the nature . The book starts with doubts about a guru and how much pain and question are there in the mind of a Devotee (cheryl) , How she seeks the knowledge . Each and every time when she gets a little time she uses it to clarify her doubts . The pain she felt by marrying a person who has been accused of murdering somebody by going against her beloved and liberal father . and how she felt pain and to find the answers how she gone through the worst parts by walking in a wrong path ,and then what she achieved by just getting the map of unknown terrain ,
her main question was what is love and family?
IS money matters ?
what is the meaning of life ?
is something there which is predetermined ?

and Mystic Sadguru answers everything wisely with crackling a lot jokes . Awesome book , just Read it , and Everything is just answered on an island in the mist of night . just simply awesome .
just read it and feel the wholeness of knowing a little

[Bhakta Kishor · Rating 3 out of 5]

To simply live here goal-less is what a spiritual process is about. That does not mean being lethargic and lax. A spiritual process means to live in intense involvement with what is there right now but with no goal. If you have the courage to sit here in such a way – “Wherever the hell it goes tomorrow is fine with me, but right now I will do my best in whatever I am doing.” You will naturally be spiritual.

I didn’t have to teach them anything, I just had to ignite them because they were well prepared. Their bodies were good and healthy, and the mind was open and ready for anything. That’s all it takes. They never thought of spirituality in their life, they only want adventure – they want to live in a way where they don’t know what the next moment will bring.

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[Dirk Broenink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduced me to the magic side of spirituality. I read this when I just started opening to the possibility that more is possible than my previous contemporary scientific conditioning allowed me to. It was just the beginning. This book stretched my mind, opened me to new possibilities and paradigms in an exciting format. It's written in such a way that made me realize this could all happen to me. I can also meet a man like this, and learn miraculous feats. One day.. some day..

I can even learn from life itself, every person we meet is our guru.

[Vineeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book starts at a steady pace, keeps reader engaged throughout. Writer has kept language very simple and story line flowy. Most of the times, it is hard to believe miracles and spirituality in today's times. But, this book has succeeded in doing so. Picking a life story of an Indian who is normal human being, very much alive as of today, works for public good, well read, well travelled and spiritually enlightened. Various examples from India and abroad has made reader believe in the story of Sadguru which might have appeared fancy otherwise.

[Roxann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what I expected from this book, and not exactly sure what I got out of it. I actually enjoyed the slow pace of it. It made me feel a little bit like meditation and it was relaxing to read. I enjoyed the perspective of Simone asking questions and I really appreciated a lot of the wisdom that Sadhguru offered. While, I did not find it as inspiring as I hoped it might be, I am glad I read it, and I will definitely be looking up more Videos and writings from him.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sadhguru, I could listen to his lectures for hours. He always brings me back to a clear perspective of life and death, what it means to be genuinely human in the midst of all these confusing things around us. This book was one that I felt brought me closer to knowing him as a person. I enjoyed the read.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started out pretty interesting and slowly digressed into a marketing piece for Sadhguru. Disappointing.

[Kate268 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I respect Sadghuru but this book was written in much of a copycat-wannabe style of Eat, Pray, Love -- a book I found offensive for its inauthenticity. I couldn't finish it.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Infomercial!

[Baroness · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t vibe with this story.

[Stuart Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fully rocked my world - I now want to search for more content from both authors, particularly Sadhguru. Loved every minute. Might re-listen.

[Sher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, but found the sudden and random laughter by Sadhguru a bit jarring (ha ha). I read his book on Karma and could not really get into it, but will try Inner Engineering. The first to chapters is a memoir of sorts on Simone's spiritual journey and I always like hearing about such things. The rest of the book was an informal interview with Sadhguru - I really liked the format.

Here are some of my personal takeaways:

Chapter 3
(Sadhguru): Love is not about someone else. It is your quality. Just at health is of the body and happiness of of the mind, love is of your emotion.

Love is your quality. You are just using people and things around you as stimuli to find expression for this quality. Love is not what you DO, love is what you are. When you say you love someone, on an emotional plane, you are longing to become one with that person. So it is really ONENESS that you are seeking.

There is something within you that feels insufficient the way you are right now that you long to include another as a part of yourself. If this longing finds a physical expression, we call it sex. If it finds a mental expression, it gets labelled as ambition or greed. When it finds emotional expression, you call it love or compassion. Love is just life longing for itself. This longing is a longing to become all inclusive. To be all inclusive is to be boundless.

Chapter 5
(Sadhguru) Love is not about give and take. It is about your longing to include the other as a part of yourself.

Chapter 6
(Sadhguru on the soul) What we think of as ‘the soul’ is actually a fiction. In the context of rebirth, on going from one birth to another, you have to have some understanding of the mechanics of how you are built. When you say that you are a human being, you usually mean your physical body. In yoga, everything about us is addressed as separate bodies because it is easier to understand that way. Yogis see the body as 5 sheaths or 5 dimensions of bodies:

1. Physical body: the food body
2. Mental body
3. Energy body
4. Wisdom/intuition body (transition of physical to non-physical) - Vijnanamaya kosha
5. Bliss body (non-physical) - Anandamaya kosha

The first three are physical bodies and affected/tied together by karma. Karma is the glue that holds you to the Physical (1 - 3) body. The last two are part of the etheric body.

Bliss body is when you merge with all consciousness and there is no more ‘you’ . Liberation means becoming free from the karmic structure that holds it all together.

Enlightenment is not something that happens. It is always there.

When you are happy, your energies always function better. Just a little bit of happiness liberates you - you can feel much more energetic. Yoga is designed to activate your inner energies: physical, mind, and emotions functions at their highest peaks.

Yoga is just the technology of using your energy for higher possibilities.

[Dr Kashmira Gohil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is authored by an an American lady who is an entrepreneur and described herself as a spiritual seeker. It's about her experience of living close quarters with sadguru Jaggi Vasudev when she hosted the sadguru and his assistant leela for a week at her lake house in Atlanta, USA.
As they carried out their intimate conversations at midnight at fire after boat ride, the author seems very impressed by the Indian spiritual mystic and his replies to her queries. Sometime, what indian considers natural and way of life, too seem mystical to westerners, was evident in this book as the author gets mystified by some simple things also in all her descriptions about her life and experiences. But still sadguru is a profound speaker and can talk convincingly on any topic under the sun. I wish I too can get to discuss with him certain things on life and death, occult and mysticism, in person. 3 stars for this one.

[Pranita Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every person struggling with trying to make sense of spirituality with logic, this book is a must read. The author, Cheryl, shares her journey from being a complete cynic to an ardent follower of Sadhguru and a dedicated practitioner of Isha Yoga.

What I love about this book is that Cheryl's journey is very relatable. Her questioning, her thoughts, her doubts and the struggle to accept/believe things that logic cannot explain is a journey most spiritual seekers traverse.

The candidness of her conversation with Sadhguru is just precious. To have had the opportunity to ask Sadhguru not just one but so many burning questions face-to-face is not a fortune everyone gets. This also goes on to show how genuine her seeking must have been.

I highly recommend this book to understand spirituality theoretically to an extent, to realize the importance of having a living Guru, and to get a deeper look into Sadhguru as an enlightened human being.

[Divas Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book touches few questions that everyone contemplates at some point in his/her life.
It doesn't matter whether someone's spirituality is skin deep or whether someone is a devoted seeker. The questions arise and when they arise, it is best to search for their answers.
This book can answer some of those questions for you.
A simple example of conjunctivitis and how it is related to the question of whether our destiny is pre-determined or whether it can be created is something that you will definitely relish reading.
In a way Sadhguru is right when he mentions, Things that seemed far fetched at one time are now a reality. How? because all those things that we thought were magic earlier now came into our perception.
Similarly, if we strive we can bring subtler aspects of our lives that might seem beyond the bounds of our five senses into our perception.
All we need is self-awareness and constant seeking.

By and large, I enjoyed the literature, hope you all will.

[Heather Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay what do I say about this book…. It’s seriously possibly one I may actually BUY (read via kindle unlimited) to add to my minimalistic legacy library shelf. That says a lot. If I do - this rating will change from 4* to a definite 5* read and yet.. I’m just not there yet. We will see what sticks and what falls away. BUT..

I found this book after coming across an interview via Sadhguru and Demi Lovato - the “motorcycles and mystic” in the title just got me.

I’ve been drawn to mysticism since I was a child - and then Hafiz ruined my religion & saved me all in one poem.

All this to say- this book is still simmering in my soul. I’ll be back. To share all the things that bubble up!

Wanna watch the interview that led me here? https://youtu.be/Esyx5BC6Z9U?si=BfXzj...

[Devashish Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

very difficult to express the book.
I can say a few liners...

Its of finite view of infinite.
If you have got a wide room with the basic lens on your phone and you still want to cover the all of the room when you're making the video you would use a wide angle lens adaptor on your phone this adaptor will ensure your that you get the whole view of the room but things start to look distorted.

Beautiful beautiful book for beginners as well as for advanced seekers because the beginner will get analytic side of side what a living guru means. Advanced speakers will understand what analytic mind will miss out even if the whole Cosmos is available in front of you.

[Laura Cierpilowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

If one is not consciously on their path then this book may not make any sense. But if one has become open to the possibilities of enlightenment and what that means, this book may be just the catalyst needed to compel you on your journey.

Ever on the path and now I ask myself do I have the courage to become what I've been searching for? Though part of this book is entertaining there is much good insight and wisdom imparted by Sadhguru. I never thought a guru was an important aspect of my enlightenment journey but it all makes good sense to me now. I'm compelled and I ask myself, where do I go from here?

[Rakesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful work by Cheryl Simone. She explored most common questions that arise in each of us, who are human but not so human. Kudos to Sadhguru. He patiently articulated and responded so well and . While we all may agree or disagree on certain aspect based on all our intellect (or ill-intellect) , book allowed us to get in the mind of Guru and got many questions answered. Even though, I rated it 4 star, only reason for rating one star less is because I am still thirsty....i hoped wrongly that book should never finish. But yes, journey of seeking shall continue.. Thanks.

[Poonam Prashanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a must read book if spirituality interests you and want to know more about Sadguru. I was a sceptic like the writer Cheryl. In the first half of the book, Cheryl writes about her life story and her interest in spirituality but her disapproval to follow a guru and how she happened to meet Sadguru who became her guru eventually. The second half is about the nights she spent with Sadguru on her country house when Sadguru came to stay with her for a week.
Loved the book and have read it atleast two times

[Maria Laufmaschinemeister · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spirituality is a real social movement with millions of acolytes all over the world. And Sadhguru is a real social media presence. By reading this book, I wanted to get an idea about the main tenets of Isha Yoga and its intellectual foundations. Although these are present in the book, the narrative itself is constructed in a way that it is difficult to keep reading. It directs the reader too much, it is trying too much to juxtapose scepticism against faith/spirituality.
The book also has a ton of typos, making it difficult to read.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy listening to Sadhguru. This audiobook was interesting, but not nearly enough of the yogi, and a whole lot of the author's journey. That isn't "bad", just not what I was expecting. I loved the segments when they were out on the beach and wish they could have recorded the live audio instead of reading from a transcript, after the fact. I so wanted to be sitting on a log, staring into the fire, too.

[Vaishali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Saw” the audiobook on YouTube :)
Agree with some reviewers that fewer of Simone’s interjections would have been ideal. You’re around an enlightened being, for goodness sake. Respect him by shutting up - just because he’s nice doesn’t mean he’s on your level - and you’ll learn a thing or two :)

(Laptop shopped; more later)

[Devashish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A review or a rating is essentially an insult to such a seminal work co-authored with such a Special Being. If it has shown up into your life one way or the other, maybe it is time.

My strong recommendation to you is to experience this work as an audiobook instead, so you can absorb the energy and the emotions (almost) first hand.

God Bless.

[Felicia Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book at Skooliepalooza this year, and made it a goal to finish it before the next one in 2025. Immediately was drawn to this book because of the Foreword from Richard from Texas who appeared in “Eat Pray Love.”

Guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s words of wisdom brought me joy as I worked through spiritual rituals of kundalini yoga to cleanse each chakra. I couldn’t put it down, but by the end, I was left wanting more. I suppose that was the point…

[Nishant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been following the discourses of Sadhguru for a long time now. Though he repeats the same thing, I liked hearing different questions of people. Also the last 2 chapters are much more interesting. no spoilers here but they answered my questions.