Practical Mysticism

By: Evelyn Underhill

Narrated by: Marni Green

Length: 3 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

In Practical Mysticism, Evelyn Underhill distills the essential (and comprehensible) steps that comprise the process of achieving mystical understanding. Though she uses the pantheon of Christian mystics as her guide, her methodology transcends any particular faith and offers a common sense approach to self-improvement and enhanced awareness.

©2006 Ascendant Audiobooks LLC (P)2006 Ascendant Audiobooks LLC

A Wonderful Reading of a Classic

There much wisdom in this short volume, and it bears more than one listening. The narrator is excellent, bringing a conciousness into the reading that invites the listener into the experience.

The best on the Subject

There is no better description of Christian mysticism, anywhere or at any my time. Amen (word # 15)

Easier In Print But...

...worth it in any format you can find it. The narration is choppy and lacks pauses but I was still grateful to find it in audio at all.

Underhill takes on a huge challenge in this book. She attempts to open up a spiritual reality to the pragmatic and practical person who truly doesn’t “see the point” of all that stuff, who feels the obvious is, simply, obvious. I’ve read a lot of books written by believers (of one thing or another) for those who don’t believe, and the books never work; we all see things the way we see them. But I think Underhill is ingenious at what she attempts to do. She is not pitching any particular belief system; rather she is challenging the reader to re-think what you consider “obvious.”

Because that is her objective, audio version might not work alone. I actually had to change the audio setting to “slow” to follow some parts, but the print version is very easy to read and I found it entertaining because of her approach.

Your cat may be your teacher!

I am left with wanting to listen to the whole book again. I chose this book because of hearing one short quotation of it in another book. I do not remember the quotation nor where it appeared. I did not understand everything. In fact I doubt we are meant to. Some years ago I was introduced to The Cloud of Unknowing. Evelyn Underhill quotes The Cloud but from the original or a much earlier translation from the Middle English, so for me not so easily understood, but this did not detract from the mystery of what she is describing.

Marni Green's Voice Works for Me

Any additional comments?

This narrator sounds earthy, not professional. Kind of a "girl next door" voice. Maybe even a little smoker's rasp in there. I think it works for this book which is, after all, about practical mysticism. The every-dayness of it fits the subject. She's not going to unseat Juliet Stevenson anytime soon, but I found her easy to listen to.

Awe

Awesome true mystic! So much wisdom and guidance. Just the affirmation I needed in my journey.

Narrator's voice doesn't fit

Couldn't get by the narrator's voice. Listen to the sample a few times before you buy. The book content is great, of course, but when listening vs reading the narrator matters.

Narration will drive you mad. It's ironic but true

I'm about half way through this book and while I think it has some good things to say the narrator has one cadence and only one cadence. She never pauses, and she reads complicated passes too quickly to give you time to process and think on them. It's a bit like listening to a computer read to you. In a book like this where the nuances of voice and pause make all the difference it'll drive you mad. Perhaps it's intended and the mystic should have a quiet enough mind to handle it. Fair enough, but life itself can challenge you on this daily. No need to listen to this book for that experience.

Good Stuff

Good stuff but hard to follow

Low quality production

The reading and recording of this are poor; the philosophical content is fairly average. Much better mysticism out there.