The Ecstatic Journey: The Transforming Power of Mystical Experience - Hardcover

Burnham, Sophy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345395077 ISBN 13: 9780345395078

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1997

Synopsis

For millennia, mysticism has spread a special radiance over humanity. Today interest in mystical practices is increasing, and just as Sophy Burnham first focused modern awareness on the presence of angels in our lives, she now explores the drama and mystery of mystical experiences, and their power to change our lives.

In this rich and deeply personal book, Burnham describes her own arduous and momentous journey into mystical awareness--the rowing toward God, as she calls it. That journey began with a subtle, unnamed longing, passed through various stages of prayer and spiritual awareness, and broke open in a single transformative moment at the ancient Peruvian site of Machu Picchu. Threaded through her own story, Burnham gives us scores of first-hand accounts of mystical encounters as recorded by ordinary people today, as well as by saints, seers, ecstatics, and holy men and women of every faith.

In addition, Burnham delves into the physical side of mystical experience--levitation, elevated body temperature, psychic ability--and warns against an overemphasis on such powers. She also describes the age-old practices that invite mystical experience--prayer and fasting, meditation, ascetic discipline--and points out the landmarks that one passes on this extraordinary spiritual journey.

Passionate, beautifully written, and comprehensive, The Ecstatic Journey is a feast of fact and myth, knowledge and wisdom, that will nourish and enlighten every spiritual voyager.

About this title

Review:

Within this spiritual autobiography, bestselling author Sophy Burnham (author of The Art Crowd and A Book of Angels) reveals the myths, ordinariness, and facts of mystical experience. The myth, according to Burnham, is that angels will appear before you in times of soul-wrenching duress. The fact is that mystical experiences rarely happen when you expect them. And the ordinariness is that an encounter with the divine can occur at any time, such as immediately following a weary prayer in a bathtub (as it has with Burnham). Threading her own story with numerous firsthand accounts of mystical encounters, Burnham demystifies the mysterious while showing readers how to recognize, invite, and learn from extraordinary encounters. --Gail Hudson

From the Publisher:

If you love Kathleen Norris, Carol Flinders, or Thomas Moore, you'll love this new book by Sophy Burnham. As Burnham explored the overlooked subject of angels in her bestselling A BOOK OF ANGELS, THE ECSTATIC JOURNEY accessibly explains another mysterious domain--the world of mystical experiences: those peak spiritual moments of clarity and connection in a person's life.
Joanne Wyckoff
Senior Editor
Ballantine Books

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0345395077
• ISBN 13: 9780345395078
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 323