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A Rocking Horse Catholic
— A Classic — Includes Active Table of Contents — Includes Religious Illustrations
I was received into the Church when I was six years old. Strictly speaking, therefore, I am not a “cradle” Catholic but a “rocking-horse” Catholic. At the time of my birth my parents, both of whom had been baptised into the Protestant Church, did not believe in or practise any definite religion at all; neither, I think, did they attach the least importance to any.
Aeterna Press
I was received into the Church when I was six years old. Strictly speaking, therefore, I am not a “cradle” Catholic but a “rocking-horse” Catholic. At the time of my birth my parents, both of whom had been baptised into the Protestant Church, did not believe in or practise any definite religion at all; neither, I think, did they attach the least importance to any.
Aeterna Press
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1970
121 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Caryll Houselander
58 books102 followersCaryll Houselander (1901-1954) was a British Roman Catholic laywoman; a mystic, writer, artist, visionary and healer. Born in London in 1901, Caryll was the second of two daughters born to Willmott and Gertrude (nee Provis) Houselander. Her first book, This War is the Passion. written during World War II, launched her prolific writing career. Houselander's talents included painting and many woodcarvings.
Caryll's "divinely eccentric" life was principally a devotion to contemplating Christ in all and men and women and in all life circumstances. Maisie Ward (a friend of Caryll and author of her principal biography, Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric (Sheed & Ward, 1962), states, "Her message can be summed in a single sentence; we must learn to see Christ in everyone." Msgr. Ronald Knox was quoted as saying about Caryll's writing style, " . . . she seemed to see everything for the first time and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she finished it."
Though she remained a single woman throughout her life, Caryll was engaged for a time to Sidney Reilly, who was the model for Ian Fleming's character, "James Bond."
Caryll Houselander has been described as being a mystic in the tradition of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila. She is best known for her works such as The Reed of God.
Caryll died of cancer on October 12th, 1954. Her bibliography consists of more than seven hundred written works including poems, short stories and articles, articles for juvenile publications and children's books (for some of these she did artwork for as well), articles for various Catholic publications, and, of course, her own books.
Caryll's "divinely eccentric" life was principally a devotion to contemplating Christ in all and men and women and in all life circumstances. Maisie Ward (a friend of Caryll and author of her principal biography, Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric (Sheed & Ward, 1962), states, "Her message can be summed in a single sentence; we must learn to see Christ in everyone." Msgr. Ronald Knox was quoted as saying about Caryll's writing style, " . . . she seemed to see everything for the first time and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she finished it."
Though she remained a single woman throughout her life, Caryll was engaged for a time to Sidney Reilly, who was the model for Ian Fleming's character, "James Bond."
Caryll Houselander has been described as being a mystic in the tradition of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Teresa of Avila. She is best known for her works such as The Reed of God.
Caryll died of cancer on October 12th, 1954. Her bibliography consists of more than seven hundred written works including poems, short stories and articles, articles for juvenile publications and children's books (for some of these she did artwork for as well), articles for various Catholic publications, and, of course, her own books.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 29, 2018
I am not sure what I was expecting from Houselander's biography, but it certainly was not this. Although, I knew little about her other than that she was a British mystic, writer, and poet. Or that I just love her's "The Reed of God".
This is quite an amazing story from early piety, deeper conversion, de-conversion, sampling multiple faiths, and then back into the Church. Wonderfully told with plenty of insights. Add some of her mystical experiences and the story is even more amazing.
A steal at .99 for Kindle.
This is quite an amazing story from early piety, deeper conversion, de-conversion, sampling multiple faiths, and then back into the Church. Wonderfully told with plenty of insights. Add some of her mystical experiences and the story is even more amazing.
A steal at .99 for Kindle.
April 20, 2009
Houselander may have been a mystic, but there's nothing unapproachable or ethereal about her autobiography. In fact, she writes with a lyricism and perspicacity reminiscent of C. S. Lewis, which, combined with her propensity for engaging metaphors that spring from her fascinatingly sacramental imagination, make her prose delightful and poignant.
I found myself near tears as I read the epilogue, in which the editors include a poem of hers, called "The Birth". It touches on so many of the themes in the preceding chapters and vividly depicts the motherhood of Mary and the universality of her Son's sacrifice. Here's a bit of it:
"Mary,
his Mother,
stood at the foot of the Cross.
She heard the seed
that had shone in her womb
falling into the ground,
and the sound
of a great wind
sweeping the red harvests
from end to end of the world.
And she heard
the sound of his blood, that was hers,
like the sound of a great sea
flowing in waves of light
over the world's darkness,
flowing down the hillside,
through the holy city,
and all the cities,
all over the world
till the end of time,
flooding the souls of men
with the waters of life.
Mary, the Mother of God,
looked from the night
to a million million dawns,
whose rising suns
were a million million Hosts.
And she saw the crowds,
coming again to the mountain side
from the ends of the earth,
and the end of time."
Isn't that breathtaking? She obviously had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. You really have to read her...I don't think you'd regret it!
I found myself near tears as I read the epilogue, in which the editors include a poem of hers, called "The Birth". It touches on so many of the themes in the preceding chapters and vividly depicts the motherhood of Mary and the universality of her Son's sacrifice. Here's a bit of it:
"Mary,
his Mother,
stood at the foot of the Cross.
She heard the seed
that had shone in her womb
falling into the ground,
and the sound
of a great wind
sweeping the red harvests
from end to end of the world.
And she heard
the sound of his blood, that was hers,
like the sound of a great sea
flowing in waves of light
over the world's darkness,
flowing down the hillside,
through the holy city,
and all the cities,
all over the world
till the end of time,
flooding the souls of men
with the waters of life.
Mary, the Mother of God,
looked from the night
to a million million dawns,
whose rising suns
were a million million Hosts.
And she saw the crowds,
coming again to the mountain side
from the ends of the earth,
and the end of time."
Isn't that breathtaking? She obviously had a deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. You really have to read her...I don't think you'd regret it!
June 20, 2013
Caryll Houselander, the Catholic writer and mystic, had a very difficult childhood. Thank goodness there was one stabilizing adult in her life. This was a fast and easy read. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.
April 11, 2023
Ok, I’m partial being a Catholic and all, but this was really good, very poetic. The author writes about her faith/lack of faith from a young age to about a young adult. She describes her childhood home, her convent schooling, her parents and how their divorce affected her. It was really interesting. This starts before WWI. I heard she has another book about her as an adult. I was fascinated by her description of the vision she had of the crucified Lord - it was Sooooo descriptive and moving!
June 15, 2025
Redemptive Suffering
I’ve been reading snippets of Carroll Houselander for years. I had never read her autobiography until, and it is beautifully done. Lyrical, but with intense suffering, leading to the redemption of the body of Christ. Highly recommend.
I’ve been reading snippets of Carroll Houselander for years. I had never read her autobiography until, and it is beautifully done. Lyrical, but with intense suffering, leading to the redemption of the body of Christ. Highly recommend.
May 9, 2021
This seems to be an autobiographical discourse about Caryll Houselander's life. I was introduced to this book by comments on a Thomas Merton group. It only cost me $0.99 on a Kindle buy, so it seemed an easy proposition. Caryll was raised under Catholic circumstances, but drifted in and out of real relations with the Catholic Church. She was sheltered as she was growing up in two convents, one French and one British, with varying impacts on her life, according to her.
In her own account, she had two mystical experiences in her life before her last major one. The first was involved with a sad nun on whom she perceived a crown of thorns as the reason for the nun's suffering. The second was an appearance of the Suffering Christ as a Russian Icon. Neither of these seemed to alter her behavior, but were only noted in passing, without much understanding.
The third mystical experience mirrored one written about by Thomas Merton in Louisville, KY, in his book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, a vision of Christ in all people around her, an amazing implication of the Living Christ in all human beings. She wrote that experience lasted for some days.
Based on her further writings, it is reasonable to think that experience affected her vision of God for the rest of her life.
I have investigated her life, and related it to Thomas Merton's experience, only because I have experienced something like it myself, not so intense, but equally transforming my vision of God
In her own account, she had two mystical experiences in her life before her last major one. The first was involved with a sad nun on whom she perceived a crown of thorns as the reason for the nun's suffering. The second was an appearance of the Suffering Christ as a Russian Icon. Neither of these seemed to alter her behavior, but were only noted in passing, without much understanding.
The third mystical experience mirrored one written about by Thomas Merton in Louisville, KY, in his book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, a vision of Christ in all people around her, an amazing implication of the Living Christ in all human beings. She wrote that experience lasted for some days.
Based on her further writings, it is reasonable to think that experience affected her vision of God for the rest of her life.
I have investigated her life, and related it to Thomas Merton's experience, only because I have experienced something like it myself, not so intense, but equally transforming my vision of God
January 31, 2017
The Crowd
The final poem Houselander wrote some months before her death is called, "The Birth." The first line reads, There was always the crowd...
Never before have I read so succinctly such empathy in a personal account of a Catholic convert. Houselander doesn't shy from sharing her faults, her doubts, her hang ups. At the same time, she isn't navel gazing, doesn't invoke pity in the reader. She shows that Christ can be found in each of us.
Her reverence for God and the Church is clearly written in her experience with her family, friends, her own solitude and her place within the multitude, as well as her very personal encounters with Jesus.
Her poem at the end is a beautiful tribute; a poetic Creed.
The final poem Houselander wrote some months before her death is called, "The Birth." The first line reads, There was always the crowd...
Never before have I read so succinctly such empathy in a personal account of a Catholic convert. Houselander doesn't shy from sharing her faults, her doubts, her hang ups. At the same time, she isn't navel gazing, doesn't invoke pity in the reader. She shows that Christ can be found in each of us.
Her reverence for God and the Church is clearly written in her experience with her family, friends, her own solitude and her place within the multitude, as well as her very personal encounters with Jesus.
Her poem at the end is a beautiful tribute; a poetic Creed.
December 15, 2013
This simple little book is so profound. Houselander gives a kind of spiritual autobiography. She is unsparing of her own neuroses and faults, something that is refreshing because so rare these days. We all seem to cut ourselves a LOT of slack. Not so Houselander, who describes her youthful behavior accurately as priggish and self-conscious and motivated by a sense of inferiority. That her self-criticism is so harsh is all the more reason to cherish the mystical moments in which she discerns Christ in those around her. The book is refreshing, accessible, and a quick read that somehow makes you want to read it again.
December 3, 2007
Caryll Houselander is a Catholic mystic who died in 1954. She wrote beautifully about her Catholic faith in many other books (Reed of God is a favorite of mine). She is also well-known in Catholic homeschooling circles for writing Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls, a great little book with faith-filled stories for children. This book is her autobiography and very inspiring!
March 19, 2020
The Rocking-Horse Catholic by Caryl Houselander is an autobiography. The title is explained by Caryl's faith journey. She wasn't born Catholic but she was baptized as a child and from then on her faith waned or grew stronger.
This is an easy and short read. In places, I laughed at Caryl's humor and in others, I almost cried. She had a lonely childhood and I don't think she ever graduated from high school. Her education was spotty. So she isn't a theologian with a couple of degrees. Rather, she is a writer, a devotional, mystical, Catholic writer.
The Rocking-Horse Catholic is written in a conversational style. She was blessed with three mystical experiences in her life which made me jealous. Her last experience filled the rest of her life with love of neighbor. "I saw too the reverence that everyone must have for a sinner; instead of condoning his sin, which is in reality his utmost sorrow, one must comfort Christ who is suffering in him . And this reverence must be paid even to those sinners whose souls seem to be dead, because it is Christ, who is the life of the soul, who is dead in them; they are His tombs, and Christ in the tomb is potentially the risen Christ."
This is an easy and short read. In places, I laughed at Caryl's humor and in others, I almost cried. She had a lonely childhood and I don't think she ever graduated from high school. Her education was spotty. So she isn't a theologian with a couple of degrees. Rather, she is a writer, a devotional, mystical, Catholic writer.
The Rocking-Horse Catholic is written in a conversational style. She was blessed with three mystical experiences in her life which made me jealous. Her last experience filled the rest of her life with love of neighbor. "I saw too the reverence that everyone must have for a sinner; instead of condoning his sin, which is in reality his utmost sorrow, one must comfort Christ who is suffering in him . And this reverence must be paid even to those sinners whose souls seem to be dead, because it is Christ, who is the life of the soul, who is dead in them; they are His tombs, and Christ in the tomb is potentially the risen Christ."
July 20, 2023
I read this once long ago and didn't remember much except that it left me with a kindly feeling toward Caryll Houselander. I have read her book The Reed of God and really loved it a lot. As with all thing (and especially Marian things) it wound up looking at Jesus, as is perfectly appropriate. Mary always points us toward Jesus and, after reading this, I feel that Caryll Houselander does the same thing.
This is a quick and to-the-point autobiography as Houselander takes us through her childhood with various illness of body and nerves, religious exposure, and her own various mystical experiences. I particularly loved her relationship with Smokey, the life-long agnostic who always guided her firmly back to the Catholic Church whenever she strayed.
It is a wonderful tale of an honest search for faith which left me feeling as if I'd met a new friend. I also liked the way she didn't bother with a lot of details at times because they weren't really important to the story of her faith journey. Would that modern autobiographies would be similarly on target.
This is a quick and to-the-point autobiography as Houselander takes us through her childhood with various illness of body and nerves, religious exposure, and her own various mystical experiences. I particularly loved her relationship with Smokey, the life-long agnostic who always guided her firmly back to the Catholic Church whenever she strayed.
It is a wonderful tale of an honest search for faith which left me feeling as if I'd met a new friend. I also liked the way she didn't bother with a lot of details at times because they weren't really important to the story of her faith journey. Would that modern autobiographies would be similarly on target.
June 21, 2021
This autobiography of Caryll Houselander was interesting. She had quite an unconventional upbringing and was eccentric in her own right. She could be categorized among Christian mystics and describes 3 instances where she encounters God -- the first, a "vision" of a religious wearing a crown of thorns, the second, the vision of a Russian icon, and the third a vision of everyman as a representation of the suffering Jesus. The first two instances were visions, whereas the third was more an overwhelming knowledge and sense of the suffering Jesus represented in all humankind. These experiences all led Caryll to a deeper Catholic faith--a faith she had once attempted to run from. Interestingly, or maybe not, it was the deep convictions and faith of a non-Catholic family friend and not any Catholics (who she often experienced as judgmental and snobbish) who pushed her along a path that ended with her embrace of the faith.
March 30, 2020
Autobiography of Caryll Houselander seen primarily under a spiritual journey, from her Anglican baptism to her acceptance of Catholicism and baptism at the age of six. She also focuses on the school years, mostly at convents until she was asked to abandon school and with this she ended up to stop practising faith, mostly because she could not afford to pay the pew rent.
After years of experimentation, she returns to the Catholic Church at the age of twenty-five, with a extraordinary sensitivity.
After years of experimentation, she returns to the Catholic Church at the age of twenty-five, with a extraordinary sensitivity.
May 4, 2020
The first time I heard of Caryll was in Richard Rohr's book "The Universal Christ". I was curious to hear more about her and was surprised at how human she was despite being a mystic. I connected with the parts discussing her church hopping/questioning phase as that is a phase I went through and still touch on again from time to time. The last chapter, the one shared in "The Universal Christ" is the one that hits home with me the most. To picture Christ in everyone I encounter is something I strive to do as well as thinking about the part we have in this beautiful school. #maybemidrash
April 2, 2020
Houselander's Reed of God is one of my favorite spiritual books. Her biography traces her unconventional life to include time as a child in both French and English convents, a sickly young life and her time scraping by doing whatever job paid the rent.
Her spiritual journey is even more unusual. She yearned for Christ and the Church from an early age without much adult support. A coming of age story.
Her spiritual journey is even more unusual. She yearned for Christ and the Church from an early age without much adult support. A coming of age story.
July 12, 2025
I found this book because someone quoted from it in another book I was reading. So I sent for it not sure what I was expecting. I loved her style of writing that drew me into her life and made me see what she saw and feel what she felt. But the end was what really immersed me in God‘s love. The poem at the end is so deep and wise and full of love. Honestly, I am blown away by this book and can’t wait to read other things that she has written.
April 2, 2020
Beautifully Written
This is just a short semi-autobiographical story, but her writing and her insights are masterful. I wish she had written more. This story gave my dark soul hope.
This is just a short semi-autobiographical story, but her writing and her insights are masterful. I wish she had written more. This story gave my dark soul hope.
August 2, 2024
Lovely, focused spiritual memoir. Houselander describes events such as her parents' divorce without self-pity or blame -- she has a delicate touch when it comes to other people's sins, while being very honest about her own shortcomings. I look forward to reading more by this author.
January 3, 2019
Highly recommended! Read this in preparation for her "Reed of God."
March 15, 2019
Uplifting beyond measure
Discovered this book through ‘the universal christ’ by Fr Richard Rohr. What graced words and experience for the world to hear
Discovered this book through ‘the universal christ’ by Fr Richard Rohr. What graced words and experience for the world to hear
September 30, 2020
Stunned
This is one the most amazing books I have ever read. It just stunned me. Every searcher should read it.
This is one the most amazing books I have ever read. It just stunned me. Every searcher should read it.
May 16, 2021
Insightful and unusual
Insightful and unusual, this confessional book offers some wonderful moments to the reader - not least some unforgettable spiritual narrative experiences.
Insightful and unusual, this confessional book offers some wonderful moments to the reader - not least some unforgettable spiritual narrative experiences.
September 9, 2021
conversational, brief, and intimate. A personal account of one mystic's early life and thoughts regarding her faith. Anglophilic.
November 21, 2022
An Exceptional Book
So insightful, filled with relatable feelings and questions. I was so enthralled with the journey she took to find an authentic way to celebrate God.
So insightful, filled with relatable feelings and questions. I was so enthralled with the journey she took to find an authentic way to celebrate God.
January 30, 2025
Lived up to its reputation. She writes beautifully. I loved reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews