"Where God Enters" 14th century Mystic,, Meister Eckhart

by frankiespeakin 27 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  frankiespeakin

  St. John of the Cross
  
  Thomas Merton, Father Louis, OCSO

  http://praiseofglory.com/juancruztm.htm

  "Somewhere in the middle of the picture must be the building where St. John of the Cross was kept in prison. Soon after the beginning of St. Teresa's reform he was kidnapped by opponents of the reform, and disappeared. No one had any idea where he had gone and, as St. Teresa lamented, nobody seemed to care. He was locked up in a cell without light or air during the stifling heat of a Toledan summer to await trial and punishment for what his persecutors seriously believed to be a canonical crime. The complex canonical and political implications of the Carmelite reform had involved the saints of that reform in the kind of intrigue for which they alone, of all Spain, had no taste. And even St. Teresa, whose dovelike simplicity was supported by an altogether devastating prudence in these adventures, seems to have rather enjoyed them.
  
  John of the Cross found little that was humanly speaking enjoyable in his Toledo jail. His only excursions from his cell came on the days when he was brought down to the refectory to be publicly scourged by his jailers, who were scandalized at his meek silence, believing it to be the sign of a reprobate con science, hardened in rebellion. Why didn't the man do some thing to defend himself?
  
  Here in Toledo, in what he called "the belly of the whale", the saint, wisely more silent than the prophet Jonah, dealt not with men but with God alone, waiting patiently for the di vine answer that would end this dark night of his soul. No one knows when or how the answer came, but when St. John made his miraculous escape during the octave of the Assumption, in 1578, he carried in his pocket the manuscript of a poem which respectable critics have declared to be superior to any other in the Spanish language. These critics range from Menéndez y Pelayo, who may be deemed to be respectable in a rather stuffy sense, to more recent and more advanced writers. Even the London magazine Horizon, which has a certain rating among intellectuals, included two very competent articles on St. John of the Cross in a series of "studies of genius".
  
  As far as I know, John of the Cross was the only saint in the series."
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  JamesThomas

  Frankie,

  There is a book I feel you will really enjoy. It is like a family album of those who came before. It is one of my very favorites: History Of Mysticism: The Unchanging Testament, by S. Abhayananda.

  Check out this link.

  j
  edited to change link
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  LittleToe

  JT:
  I hadn't come across that book before, but have just ordered it ($15 on Amazon).
  Do you have any other recommendations?
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  frankiespeakin

  JT,

  I will get into other Mystics that are not Christian based in the future, so thank you for the information I will refure back to this thread from time to time and may find it useful but right now Christian Mystics is my main site for the present.

  Heres some ST Teresa "Interior Castle" on the souls beauty:http://www.catholicfirst.com/TheFaith/CatholicClassics/StTeresa/castle/interiorcastle2.htm#FIRST%20MANSIONS

  CHAPTER I

  Treats of the beauty and dignity of our souls; makes a comparison by the help of which this may be understood; describes the benefit which comes from understanding it and being aware of the favours which we receive from God; and shows how the door of this castle is prayer.

  WHILE I was beseeching Our Lord to-day that He would speak through me, since I could find nothing to say and had no idea how to begin to carry out the obligation laid upon me by obedience, a thought occurred to me which I will now set down, in order to have some foundation on which to build. I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, [17] just as in Heaven there are many mansions. [18] Now if we think carefully over this, sisters, the soul of the righteous man is nothing but a paradise, in which, as God tells us, He takes His delight. [19] For what do you think a room will be like which is the delight of a King so mighty, so wise, so pure and so full of all that is good? I can find nothing with which to compare the great beauty of a soul and its great capacity. In fact, however acute our intellects may be, They will no more be able to attain to a comprehension of this than to an understanding of God; for, as He Himself says, He created us in His image and likeness. [20] Now if this is so -- and it is -- there is no point in our fatiguing ourselves by attempting to comprehend the beauty of this castle; for, though it is His creature, and there is therefore as much difference between it and God as between creature and Creator, the very fact that His Majesty says it is made in His image means that we can hardly form any conception of the soul's great dignity and beauty. [21]

  It is no small pity, and should cause us no little shame, that
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  JamesThomas

  Do you have any other recommendations?

  Dear Ross,

  Please know that I do not mean to be condescending to you as I ramble on in detail, it is more perhaps for others who may read this and are newer to it. That said, as far as book recommendations I would like to first make it clear that often when we read the mind is implanted with ideas and concepts to which we connect. The true-God is unknowable (It can be lived; but not known as things and objects are known), and it is connection with our beliefs and ideas, that which is other-than-God, which is the blinding veil. To tear away these veils is the beginning of true seeing and the realization of what we seek. That said, the book Free Yourself From Everything, by Wolfgang Kopp, is one of the top books on my list that really speak to me. There is only one at Amazon, used at $8, I'd grab it.

  I sense it is the radical nature of Wolfgang's expression that I find most valuable. Much of spiritual literature is too koom-by-ya for me, it may make us feel good but is not serious enough. The spiritual journey (for lack of a better phrase) is the most serious and arduous task we can endeavor. Because of this I came to a point where I had no use for books written by the un-awakened consciousness. When a book is written via Awakened Consciousness there is an authority and freshness that can be tasted and felt. You know this person is not waining philosophical but expressing Actuality.

  I have heard (and it may have been from the above mentioned book) that in the old days there were Zen Masters who would physically beat some of their students almost to death to help get them awaken to Truth. That is not acceptable today, but we need something as serious and radical. Why? Because there is an intense and huge amount of energy invested in false identity. It is this generally unquestioned belief in ourselves as a "self" separate from God/Life/Reality/Truth, that blinds conscious awareness to it's true Identity and Purity. Awakening to our True-identity is a death of the old, everything we have believed ourselves to be up to that moment. It doesn't get much more frightening than this and deeply programmed self-preservation kicks in and even when we think we are moving closer to Truth, we are actually running away from It.

  Another little book just game to mind: The Way To Love, by Anthony De Mello. A little pocket book BIG on wisdom. I have bought several through Amazon, shouldn't be a problem getting one.

  Hope this helps. It can be a lonely journey, but the way has been well trodden.

  j
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  LittleToe

  As you probably suspect, I don't find you condescending in the slightest. Rather, I couldn't agree more

  I've been "reborn" and experienced a few waypoints, already.
  I didn't like the "dying" bit too much, as it's pretty traumatic, but the end result is very liberating.
  Most of the time it's a matter of "feeling" my way, but it's been an interesting road, thusfar.

  I've added those two suggestions to my order (though they'll be a few weeks in the delivery), thanks.
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  plmkrzy

  I have nothing to add, just wanted to say I enjoyed reading this entire...thought provoking thread.Thanks
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  frankiespeakin

  Plum,

  I glad you liked it. I have been researching these Christian Mythsics, and so far Teresa is the best one, I highly recomend you click on the link, I find her very enlightning and disarmingly humble.