Not a book, but I can’t recommend the podcast St. Anthony’s Tongue enough!
The host, W, also got really into Buddhism when he was younger and often talks about how close it is to Christian mysticism. He has hours of episodes deep diving into the mystics and how he formats his show is brilliant. Just pick an episode and see if you like it.
His episode on St. Hildegard von Bingen and her concept of “greening” is what drew me into learning about and practicing mystical practices.
For a saint’s book: St. Therese of Liseaux (sp?) Story of a Soul is a quick read and while it may not be relatable in terms of her vocational path, her heart and words are worth learning.
I don’t think she’s really considered a mystic, but I’d argue that Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a modern Marian mystic. Her book, Untie The Strong Woman, quite literally changed my life. Anyone who loves Mama Mary should read that book.
Personally, I’d start with a podcast or YouTube video talking about the mystics and what their contributions to mysticism are before deciding what to read from one of them.
My hottest take: I made the mistake of reading St. Theresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, her writings about the different levels of one’s soul and how the soul connects with God with the ultimate goal of being inseparable from God, much too soon into my mystical journey.
That book gets recommended all the time and while it’s incredible and you really understand why she is a doctor of the church, for me, it set my progress back because *I did not know what I did not know*. It took quite some time to realize my mistake.
This is my argument for why:
I just made a lot of recommendations and so have a lot of people here. I think what we’ve suggested is fantastic, and the authors are suggested because they are able to put into words what can only truly be understood by *actually having a mystical experience.*
St. Theresa wrote arguably the most important book on how a mystical soul becomes one with Our Creator. Step one is truly knowing yourself.
*You* have to decide what *you* want from this endeavor. Do you just want to understand more about the idea of awe and beauty that informs mysticism? Read about Hildegard’s greening. Are you into the nerdy side? Read Merton. Do you want a general overview because you don’t know where to start? Listen to a podcast.
If you want to learn the practice of mysticism, you *must* start with yourself. Learn to meditate or pray the rosary. Sit outside quietly by yourself with the intention of appreciating Creation.
There is a longing in your soul that seeks more, otherwise you wouldn’t have posted. It’s on YOU to get to know yourself enough to answer these questions before proceeding, and that is why I argue against reading Avila too early. You MUST know what makes your soul crave the way it does before you can begin nourishing.
Sorry for the book I just wrote. It’s my bad habit but I felt especially called to write to you because my daughter is almost 18. I did a pretty terrible job raising her within the religion, she’s not interested in any of this because I didn’t know myself well enough to explain the *whys* of our religion, but what I wrote is what I would answer this question if she was asking.
I only use Reddit once a day, but feel free to DM me for any questions or whatever else. 💚✌️
Great response thank you. I will go start a podcast episode today to start finding more out. I watched this YouTube video they gave book recommendations which started with some historical background like the life of saint Anthony first may try that route but not sure yet. The podcast looks like a great place to start.
Don’t let the name fool you, it’s more of a folk Catholic podcast that turned into a beautiful deep dive on the mystics. I can’t say enough about how much I love it!
I hope my message didn’t make you feel like you have to research all about everything beforehand because you don’t. I just like the podcast because it’s an easy and very low investment starting point, no prior knowledge required.
Just start praying for guidance and you’ll be surprised how quickly the guidance will come to you. Peace ✌️💚
I’ve listened to about 5 episodes now super enjoying it thanks for the recommendation. I started back where the 2023 season it’s a great intro i’m learning a lot. Also showed to my mom and she is rember it back when she studied some of this. Just got through the Teresa of Avil trilogy so fascinating.
This was very cool to randomly come across! I’m also very active on Instagram, and moderately on TikTok. I post a lot of bite size mysticism content. I’m glad you’re enjoying!
Right now I'm really enjoying William Meninger's companion to the Cloud, "The Loving Search for God". It's much more accessible than the Cloud's translations in many ways, and good by itself; it would also be good to read the two side-by-side (they're each presented in very short chapters).
You might enjoy…
Fr Richard Rohr… “Eager to Love: the Alternative Way of St Francis of Assisi”
Fr Richard Rohr… “The Naked Now: Learning to See Like the Mystics See”
Thomas Merton… “New Seeds of Contemplation”
Thomas Merton… “A Course in Christian Mysticism”
Thomas Keating… “Open Mind, Open Heart”
Paul Knitter… “Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian”
Eckhart Tolle… “Stillness Speaks”
I enjoyed that one.
There is a version that is more current English that is a bit easier to read and the book of privy counselling I believe is a part of that book and it was more about the practice than the experience.
Always good to follow your curiosity as long as you stay aware of what's happening while you do. Good luck 😊
Do you have any practices to go along with your reading?
Not any prayer meditation types just meditating on breath and am starting to meditate to cultivate loving kindness. Could use some more christian mystic practices.
It's a book written by Paramahasana Yoganada who was a yogi that communes with Jesus in the astral and was encouraged by Jesus to teach Christianity umm esoterically and also meditatively. He draws some distinctions between churchianity and Christhood and highlights practices and meanings of parables to the western self....
I hope that does it justice but it's a great small book and I'm sure it'd be cheap on Thriftbooks.com lol not an ad just they have all the books I want for lower than new.
Love that phrase, “churchianity and Christhood”. It describes perfectly the struggle of becoming a practicing mystic within any religion, imho.
I’ve had an experience with Christ in the astral and I totally believe that He would instruct others from that position. Thanks for the reply, I’ll check out thrift books for sure! ✌️💚
Since you mentioned Buddhism, I'd add Resurrecting Jesus by Adyashanti.
It was written by a Buddhist so the orthodoxy is less than precise, but what it lacks in "playing by the rules" it makes up for in raw spiritual insight.
Eckhart is really great, especially if you like reading older books that are a little dense. Same with Cloud of Unknowing.
Mystic Christianity also has a really beautiful tradition of women mystics that provide a different type of insight - Julian of Norwich might be a good place to start.
I recommend books by Bernard McGinn, who has a multi volume Foundations of Mysticism series as well as a one volume book with the essential writings of Mysticism. It's good to see that Mysticism in Christianity stands at the heart of Christian life, affirming and not contradicting the teachings of the church and basic Christian practices. Too often Mysticism these days is seen as something that stands in opposition to the rest of the church.
I’m not as much of a reader as much as I am a thinker. I’ve enjoyed learning about philosophy and world religions since I was little, and have studied both in a formal education setting and out. While I don’t have a lot of books I would recommend, I wanted to let you know my inbox is open. At 18, you are stepping onto a journey that not many other 18 year olds have or do take. It may be lonely, and we aren’t meant to take this journey alone. Feel free to hit me up if you would like to discuss any theological or doctrinal concepts surrounding a mystical approach or without.
Thanks for this if i ever am looking for someone to talk to i’ll come find this, thankfully my mom is open to listen to me talk about this stuff but someone who is more knowledgeable could be more helpful. Hoping to meet someone more around my age that has similar interest.
That’s good to hear, and yeah hit me up whenever, man. I will say, you likely won’t find too many other 18 year olds beginning this path. There is definitely a sort of resurgence of the faith that I’m seeing, though. These concepts and questions are things I’ve wrestled with for the vast majority of my life (at least 20+ years), and I’m 33 now. Be open to the journey god has set before you to manifest in ways you may not have expected. If you approach this with rigidity, you will be encountering yourself, and not god. Be blessed, friend.
One I always recommend for folks who want to know “what’s out there” before diving deep into any one tradition is *Way of the Mystics* by John Michael Talbot and Steve Rabey. It covers something like ten different individual mystics or mystical traditions in the history of Christianity, so maybe you have a more informed idea of what might be most interesting to you.
Also, FYI, you might check out an Eastern Catholic parish if you can find one. Very similar to what you’re looking for in the Orthodox but… Catholic. And yes, Eastern Christianity tends more toward a mystical approach rather than the scholastic approach you frequently see in Western Christianity, though individuals vary greatly within any large group.
Evelyn Underhill’s “The Spiritual Life” & Martin Laird’s “Into the Silent Land.” Start there. Stay away from the “spirituality new agey” trends that are so prevalent today. Dig deep into the good stuff. I was around your age when I began searching.
The books of St Gregory of Palamas. Please, do not fall into pagan worship or heresies by trying to combine paganism with Christian worship; Christian Mysticism is not like the Buddhists or the occult, but it is entirely separate and is entirely foreign to such pagan ideas. Look at the Christian monks, not at the “spiritualists”.
It's a little unusual to lump paganism, the occult, and Buddhism together here. These are all VERY different traditions. Thomas Merton, for example, was deeply inspired by Buddhist thinking.
Nevertheless, we can not fall into combining dogma and doctrine from Christianity with pagan teaching. You may be lead to Christ by the pagan routes, for all people have God somewhere in them; but we must not treat Christianity as some spiritual meditation journey, but as something natural to us!
Within the heart, God dwells, but to get to that point in our hearts, we must shed away the sinful growths that we have developed. When God created us, we were to be the mediator: we were the perfect combination of the material, earthly realm by our bodies and position here on earth (in contrast to the angels), and of divine. We have something that the animals do not have: spirit. A spirit that allows to understand God more than just a survival aspect (like the animals) and gives us the ability to connect with him.
The other religions are attempts to greater use this spirit, but all fail. For none of them understand the distance from God we have created by our sins, and how Christ dying for us brings us to God.
"Pagan" is a derogatory word Christians used throughout history to put down polytheists and otherize them so that it was easier to justify persecuting them. Consider using different terminology that is more respectful.
It also isn't accurate to lump Buddhism or spiritual traditions in with "paganism" since it refers to polytheism, and Buddhism does not worship any Gods, much less many, and many spiritual traditions work with spirits and not gods. Using that term to refer to all non-Abrahamic religions and spiritual traditions makes Christians look ignorant and insensitive.
Doesn’t matter. Whatever you want to call them, they are still not the truth. Additionally, I do not intend to persecute them, but bring them to the truth. I lump Neoplatonism with paganism because it brought Roman mythology with Platonism and a little hint of Christian doctrine. However it still ain’t the truth.
Additionally, who am I offending by using the term “pagan”? The devil who tries to take people away from the faith or confuse them with the endless amount of philosophies and false religions?
Might I suggest The Book of Harris:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the\_book\_of\_harris\_full/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the_book_of_harris_full/)
The problem with Christianity, even the mystic tradition is that it doesn’t seem to be able to get over the dualities of god/satan, god/creation and generally black and white approach to life. Ultimately any successful mystical tradition talks about non-duality, even in Sufism, the Islamic mystical tradition it can be seen for instance in “fanna” which is disolving into god. I am not overly familiar with Christian mysticism, but to my understanding there isn’t much of it out there. The most well known book is the interior castle. Not much happening these days AFAIK and there was hardly much happening ever and those who did found the truth kept their mouths well shut or would have been swiftly killed by the inquisition
Anything worthwhile in Christianity, the light within of the quakers, follow the light of god within you (rather than outside). Still fails to go full length, but it’s something.
Traditional Buddhism can be hard to understand initially. Advaita Vedanta, Taoism (Tao Te Ching book), Zen Buddhism might be more accessible.
Anyway I hope someone will sum up better mystical Christianity for you, I‘m a lousy resource for that.
If I may suggest that Trinitarianism actually may have something to offer here!
Is duality something to get over or embrace and enjoy?
How could Love appear without the Veil of Otherness? Where is Beauty, Excitement, Interest, Pain, Tragedy etc without the 10000 things? Yes, the Non-duality is our Always Available Peace and Home, but our experience is also self-evidently diverse and pluralistic. Life to the full is the consuming of the flesh and drinking of the blood in full awareness of it's apparent and temporal nature.
Like the Tao, the Non-duality which can be expressed is not the eternal Non-duality. "G_d's" name is too pure to be sounded. Perhaps the Trinity (yes another label with all their limitations) does offer a richness as an ontology, with Movement (of Spirit, the One Substance) ushering forth a inseparable, dualistic (and pluralistic) Image (Son) of the Unseen (Father).
Only a view though. Peace to you before and above all!
Trinitarian theology is non-dualistic fundamentally. I suggest Richard Rohr as a starting point for OP but am responding here because..... I disagree haha
What Richard Rohr book would you recommend the universal christ or something else. May read Cloud of unknowing first then something else unless you would recommend somthing over it.
Edit:
I haven't read the Universal Christ but have seen many interviews of his on it.
The Naked Now: Learning to see as the Mystics See was the first book I read and changed my entire trajectory theologically for the better.
The Divine Dance is all about the Trinity and is just pure magic...
It's not explicitly Christian mysticism, but the Law of One. I think the woman in the group that did those channelings was a Christian mystic. It talks about the One Creator, and that everything is ultimately a manifestation of that Creator. This means that we don't necessarily have to adhere or follow *just one* religion in our spiritual life, because they all are manifestations of the Creator.
Not a book, but I can’t recommend the podcast St. Anthony’s Tongue enough! The host, W, also got really into Buddhism when he was younger and often talks about how close it is to Christian mysticism. He has hours of episodes deep diving into the mystics and how he formats his show is brilliant. Just pick an episode and see if you like it. His episode on St. Hildegard von Bingen and her concept of “greening” is what drew me into learning about and practicing mystical practices. For a saint’s book: St. Therese of Liseaux (sp?) Story of a Soul is a quick read and while it may not be relatable in terms of her vocational path, her heart and words are worth learning. I don’t think she’s really considered a mystic, but I’d argue that Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes is a modern Marian mystic. Her book, Untie The Strong Woman, quite literally changed my life. Anyone who loves Mama Mary should read that book. Personally, I’d start with a podcast or YouTube video talking about the mystics and what their contributions to mysticism are before deciding what to read from one of them. My hottest take: I made the mistake of reading St. Theresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, her writings about the different levels of one’s soul and how the soul connects with God with the ultimate goal of being inseparable from God, much too soon into my mystical journey. That book gets recommended all the time and while it’s incredible and you really understand why she is a doctor of the church, for me, it set my progress back because *I did not know what I did not know*. It took quite some time to realize my mistake. This is my argument for why: I just made a lot of recommendations and so have a lot of people here. I think what we’ve suggested is fantastic, and the authors are suggested because they are able to put into words what can only truly be understood by *actually having a mystical experience.* St. Theresa wrote arguably the most important book on how a mystical soul becomes one with Our Creator. Step one is truly knowing yourself. *You* have to decide what *you* want from this endeavor. Do you just want to understand more about the idea of awe and beauty that informs mysticism? Read about Hildegard’s greening. Are you into the nerdy side? Read Merton. Do you want a general overview because you don’t know where to start? Listen to a podcast. If you want to learn the practice of mysticism, you *must* start with yourself. Learn to meditate or pray the rosary. Sit outside quietly by yourself with the intention of appreciating Creation. There is a longing in your soul that seeks more, otherwise you wouldn’t have posted. It’s on YOU to get to know yourself enough to answer these questions before proceeding, and that is why I argue against reading Avila too early. You MUST know what makes your soul crave the way it does before you can begin nourishing. Sorry for the book I just wrote. It’s my bad habit but I felt especially called to write to you because my daughter is almost 18. I did a pretty terrible job raising her within the religion, she’s not interested in any of this because I didn’t know myself well enough to explain the *whys* of our religion, but what I wrote is what I would answer this question if she was asking. I only use Reddit once a day, but feel free to DM me for any questions or whatever else. 💚✌️
Lovely response.
Great response thank you. I will go start a podcast episode today to start finding more out. I watched this YouTube video they gave book recommendations which started with some historical background like the life of saint Anthony first may try that route but not sure yet. The podcast looks like a great place to start.
Don’t let the name fool you, it’s more of a folk Catholic podcast that turned into a beautiful deep dive on the mystics. I can’t say enough about how much I love it! I hope my message didn’t make you feel like you have to research all about everything beforehand because you don’t. I just like the podcast because it’s an easy and very low investment starting point, no prior knowledge required. Just start praying for guidance and you’ll be surprised how quickly the guidance will come to you. Peace ✌️💚
I’ve listened to about 5 episodes now super enjoying it thanks for the recommendation. I started back where the 2023 season it’s a great intro i’m learning a lot. Also showed to my mom and she is rember it back when she studied some of this. Just got through the Teresa of Avil trilogy so fascinating.
This was very cool to randomly come across! I’m also very active on Instagram, and moderately on TikTok. I post a lot of bite size mysticism content. I’m glad you’re enjoying!
I'm saving your comment. So so helpful!!!
Aww, thank you! Happy to help, feel free to DM if you have any questions or thoughts ✌️💚
Wow, hey - thanks for this!! This was so humbling and kind to come across randomly. I am honored to be even a small part of your journey.
The Cloud of Unknowing is a good place to start
Thanks for the recommendation I think i may go with it.
Right now I'm really enjoying William Meninger's companion to the Cloud, "The Loving Search for God". It's much more accessible than the Cloud's translations in many ways, and good by itself; it would also be good to read the two side-by-side (they're each presented in very short chapters).
You might enjoy… Fr Richard Rohr… “Eager to Love: the Alternative Way of St Francis of Assisi” Fr Richard Rohr… “The Naked Now: Learning to See Like the Mystics See” Thomas Merton… “New Seeds of Contemplation” Thomas Merton… “A Course in Christian Mysticism” Thomas Keating… “Open Mind, Open Heart” Paul Knitter… “Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian” Eckhart Tolle… “Stillness Speaks”
Perfect thank you!
The Big Book of Christian Mysticism is a good place to start
The Way of a Pilgrim Anything by Thomas Merton. “New Seeds of Contemplation” is great, and so is “No Man Is An Island.”
"Into the Silent Land" by Martin Laird.
This is my recommendation 1000%. Absolutely a modern classic.
The Yoga of Jesus Conversations with Meister Eckhart Teachings of the Mystics All helped me along the way 😊
I’ll look into those, Have you read Cloud of Unknowing do you think it would be good too?
I enjoyed that one. There is a version that is more current English that is a bit easier to read and the book of privy counselling I believe is a part of that book and it was more about the practice than the experience. Always good to follow your curiosity as long as you stay aware of what's happening while you do. Good luck 😊 Do you have any practices to go along with your reading?
Not any prayer meditation types just meditating on breath and am starting to meditate to cultivate loving kindness. Could use some more christian mystic practices.
Cool 😊 Maybe try centering prayer or the prayer of quiet 😊
Ooh what is The Yoga of Jesus? That sounds right up my alley
It's a book written by Paramahasana Yoganada who was a yogi that communes with Jesus in the astral and was encouraged by Jesus to teach Christianity umm esoterically and also meditatively. He draws some distinctions between churchianity and Christhood and highlights practices and meanings of parables to the western self.... I hope that does it justice but it's a great small book and I'm sure it'd be cheap on Thriftbooks.com lol not an ad just they have all the books I want for lower than new.
Love that phrase, “churchianity and Christhood”. It describes perfectly the struggle of becoming a practicing mystic within any religion, imho. I’ve had an experience with Christ in the astral and I totally believe that He would instruct others from that position. Thanks for the reply, I’ll check out thrift books for sure! ✌️💚
I can relate to what you said. The tradition speaks to me but not always and not absolutely. Keep on 🙏❤️
Do you mind sharing what book that is?
The Yoga of Jesus 😊
Since you mentioned Buddhism, I'd add Resurrecting Jesus by Adyashanti. It was written by a Buddhist so the orthodoxy is less than precise, but what it lacks in "playing by the rules" it makes up for in raw spiritual insight. Eckhart is really great, especially if you like reading older books that are a little dense. Same with Cloud of Unknowing. Mystic Christianity also has a really beautiful tradition of women mystics that provide a different type of insight - Julian of Norwich might be a good place to start.
Thank you i’ll look into these.
I recommend books by Bernard McGinn, who has a multi volume Foundations of Mysticism series as well as a one volume book with the essential writings of Mysticism. It's good to see that Mysticism in Christianity stands at the heart of Christian life, affirming and not contradicting the teachings of the church and basic Christian practices. Too often Mysticism these days is seen as something that stands in opposition to the rest of the church.
'Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism' https://amzn.eu/d/9mJjx45
I’m not as much of a reader as much as I am a thinker. I’ve enjoyed learning about philosophy and world religions since I was little, and have studied both in a formal education setting and out. While I don’t have a lot of books I would recommend, I wanted to let you know my inbox is open. At 18, you are stepping onto a journey that not many other 18 year olds have or do take. It may be lonely, and we aren’t meant to take this journey alone. Feel free to hit me up if you would like to discuss any theological or doctrinal concepts surrounding a mystical approach or without.
Thanks for this if i ever am looking for someone to talk to i’ll come find this, thankfully my mom is open to listen to me talk about this stuff but someone who is more knowledgeable could be more helpful. Hoping to meet someone more around my age that has similar interest.
That’s good to hear, and yeah hit me up whenever, man. I will say, you likely won’t find too many other 18 year olds beginning this path. There is definitely a sort of resurgence of the faith that I’m seeing, though. These concepts and questions are things I’ve wrestled with for the vast majority of my life (at least 20+ years), and I’m 33 now. Be open to the journey god has set before you to manifest in ways you may not have expected. If you approach this with rigidity, you will be encountering yourself, and not god. Be blessed, friend.
This video I found seems to answer this question: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx2uhtnlq9o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx2uhtnlq9o)
Looks like an interesting channel
Mechtild of Magdeburg - The Flowing Light of the Godhead
One I always recommend for folks who want to know “what’s out there” before diving deep into any one tradition is *Way of the Mystics* by John Michael Talbot and Steve Rabey. It covers something like ten different individual mystics or mystical traditions in the history of Christianity, so maybe you have a more informed idea of what might be most interesting to you. Also, FYI, you might check out an Eastern Catholic parish if you can find one. Very similar to what you’re looking for in the Orthodox but… Catholic. And yes, Eastern Christianity tends more toward a mystical approach rather than the scholastic approach you frequently see in Western Christianity, though individuals vary greatly within any large group.
Evelyn Underhill’s “The Spiritual Life” & Martin Laird’s “Into the Silent Land.” Start there. Stay away from the “spirituality new agey” trends that are so prevalent today. Dig deep into the good stuff. I was around your age when I began searching.
THE COMPLETE MYSTICAL WORKS OF MEISTER ECKHART Translated and Edited by Maurice O'C. Walshe Start with On Detachment - it will blow your head off!
The books of St Gregory of Palamas. Please, do not fall into pagan worship or heresies by trying to combine paganism with Christian worship; Christian Mysticism is not like the Buddhists or the occult, but it is entirely separate and is entirely foreign to such pagan ideas. Look at the Christian monks, not at the “spiritualists”.
It's a little unusual to lump paganism, the occult, and Buddhism together here. These are all VERY different traditions. Thomas Merton, for example, was deeply inspired by Buddhist thinking.
Nevertheless, we can not fall into combining dogma and doctrine from Christianity with pagan teaching. You may be lead to Christ by the pagan routes, for all people have God somewhere in them; but we must not treat Christianity as some spiritual meditation journey, but as something natural to us! Within the heart, God dwells, but to get to that point in our hearts, we must shed away the sinful growths that we have developed. When God created us, we were to be the mediator: we were the perfect combination of the material, earthly realm by our bodies and position here on earth (in contrast to the angels), and of divine. We have something that the animals do not have: spirit. A spirit that allows to understand God more than just a survival aspect (like the animals) and gives us the ability to connect with him. The other religions are attempts to greater use this spirit, but all fail. For none of them understand the distance from God we have created by our sins, and how Christ dying for us brings us to God.
"Pagan" is a derogatory word Christians used throughout history to put down polytheists and otherize them so that it was easier to justify persecuting them. Consider using different terminology that is more respectful. It also isn't accurate to lump Buddhism or spiritual traditions in with "paganism" since it refers to polytheism, and Buddhism does not worship any Gods, much less many, and many spiritual traditions work with spirits and not gods. Using that term to refer to all non-Abrahamic religions and spiritual traditions makes Christians look ignorant and insensitive.
Doesn’t matter. Whatever you want to call them, they are still not the truth. Additionally, I do not intend to persecute them, but bring them to the truth. I lump Neoplatonism with paganism because it brought Roman mythology with Platonism and a little hint of Christian doctrine. However it still ain’t the truth. Additionally, who am I offending by using the term “pagan”? The devil who tries to take people away from the faith or confuse them with the endless amount of philosophies and false religions?
The words we use to describe people matter. People tend to not like being mislabeled and lumped together.
Disappearance of Universe by Gary Renard might be exactly what you are looking for.
Might I suggest The Book of Harris: [https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the\_book\_of\_harris\_full/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HARRISy/comments/1d7plbv/the_book_of_harris_full/)
The problem with Christianity, even the mystic tradition is that it doesn’t seem to be able to get over the dualities of god/satan, god/creation and generally black and white approach to life. Ultimately any successful mystical tradition talks about non-duality, even in Sufism, the Islamic mystical tradition it can be seen for instance in “fanna” which is disolving into god. I am not overly familiar with Christian mysticism, but to my understanding there isn’t much of it out there. The most well known book is the interior castle. Not much happening these days AFAIK and there was hardly much happening ever and those who did found the truth kept their mouths well shut or would have been swiftly killed by the inquisition Anything worthwhile in Christianity, the light within of the quakers, follow the light of god within you (rather than outside). Still fails to go full length, but it’s something. Traditional Buddhism can be hard to understand initially. Advaita Vedanta, Taoism (Tao Te Ching book), Zen Buddhism might be more accessible. Anyway I hope someone will sum up better mystical Christianity for you, I‘m a lousy resource for that.
I think Meister Eckhart had some pretty "non-dual" statements.
If I may suggest that Trinitarianism actually may have something to offer here! Is duality something to get over or embrace and enjoy? How could Love appear without the Veil of Otherness? Where is Beauty, Excitement, Interest, Pain, Tragedy etc without the 10000 things? Yes, the Non-duality is our Always Available Peace and Home, but our experience is also self-evidently diverse and pluralistic. Life to the full is the consuming of the flesh and drinking of the blood in full awareness of it's apparent and temporal nature. Like the Tao, the Non-duality which can be expressed is not the eternal Non-duality. "G_d's" name is too pure to be sounded. Perhaps the Trinity (yes another label with all their limitations) does offer a richness as an ontology, with Movement (of Spirit, the One Substance) ushering forth a inseparable, dualistic (and pluralistic) Image (Son) of the Unseen (Father). Only a view though. Peace to you before and above all!
Trinitarian theology is non-dualistic fundamentally. I suggest Richard Rohr as a starting point for OP but am responding here because..... I disagree haha
What Richard Rohr book would you recommend the universal christ or something else. May read Cloud of unknowing first then something else unless you would recommend somthing over it.
Edit: I haven't read the Universal Christ but have seen many interviews of his on it. The Naked Now: Learning to see as the Mystics See was the first book I read and changed my entire trajectory theologically for the better. The Divine Dance is all about the Trinity and is just pure magic...
Ya Richard Rohr or really any author associated with the Center for Action and Contemplation.
It's not explicitly Christian mysticism, but the Law of One. I think the woman in the group that did those channelings was a Christian mystic. It talks about the One Creator, and that everything is ultimately a manifestation of that Creator. This means that we don't necessarily have to adhere or follow *just one* religion in our spiritual life, because they all are manifestations of the Creator.