Wonderful and Dark is this Road: Discovering the Mystic Path Book

In Wonderful and Dark Is This Road, Emilie Griffin invites us to discover this fascinating, yet often misunderstood, spiritual phenomenon. Griffin explores the origins of mysticism, the different expressions and gifts of mysticism, and the recognized stages on the mystical journey. In beautifully transparent prose, she illuminates the insights of famous mystics throughout the centuries, from the Apostle Paul, to the Desert Fathers and Mothers, to Thomas Merton and Evelyn Underhill. Ultimately, and perhaps most importantly, Griffin reveals mysticism as a spiritual path that is open to us all, offering the gift of an intimate knowledge of divine love to those who choose it. This is a book that has the potential to transform not only our inner lives, but our world.

Publishers Weekly

Some of the best writers on the subject of divine enlightenment have been practitioners like St. Teresa of Avila or Thomas Merton who have both feet on the ground. In this primer on the quest for closer intimacy with God, Griffin, both a retreat leader and the author of related books (Clinging: the Experience of Prayer), offers readers a reassuringly matter-of-fact guide through the biblical roots, history and theology of Christian mysticism. Although she makes brief references to dervishes, or dancing mystics, and to the Jewish mysticism of the kabbalah, this slender volume is clearly aimed at those who wish to understand the people, movements and beliefs that motivated such diverse personalities as the apostle Paul and the Carmelite sister Th r se of Lisieux to seek God with such passion. Frequent forays into the enigmatic love poetry of writers like St. John of the Cross and the Anglican priest George Herbert enliven and frequently illumine Griffin's lucid if sometimes plebeian prose. Creditably, Griffin, herself a Catholic convert, does not shrink from examining some of the more unusual phenomena, like apparitions and stigmata, which are sometimes coupled with mysticism and mystics. While Griffin may not completely fulfill her mission of convincing readers of "every believer's potential for walking the mystic path," she has written a warm and inviting introduction to a subject that continues to challenge and edify both the curious and the devout. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.