The Art of Mysticism: Practical Guide to Mysticism & Spiritual Meditations

The cover is attractive but the book is not well written. Strongly not recommend.

I'm not sure what to make of this book. I expected something totally different, like, where a chapter is titled "sacred syllables and mantra" I expected examples and how to use them. This book is not about mysticism but a detailed how-to to become a mystic yourself, in the sense of finding union with God in whatever form. The book provides specific steps - mostly breathing, visualisation and meditation techniques - that you are to follow and practise as laid out and in this specific order. Each step explains possible hurdles and the outcome. Where other reviews call out cultural appropriation for not providing context, references and framework, for me this sounds general and stripped down enough to be almost generic. Which is a good thing because you can fit the practices into any religious or spiritual background you may have. The author(s) do stress that each practitioner should and will find out for themselves and I guess those are the reasons. Still, what makes me uncomfortable (and one reason to only rate it three stars) is that there is no information on the author(s) at all - neither in the book nor on their website. I rather like to know who is teaching me from which background!

Not at all what I expected! They talk way to much about god, I thought this book would be helpful, but I barely want to read past the first section.

This is a short book that can be read in a day or less. However, it is packed with a lot of useful information and contains an eight-phase programme of self-development that could take you several months or years to complete. There are three reasons why the text is so brief. First, there are no case studies, which is unusual in books of this kind. By that I mean that there are no examples of ordinary individuals who achieved amazing results by following the author’s guidance. Case studies appeal to some readers but I’ve rarely found them inspiring so I was happy not to see any here. Second, there are no references to expensive residential courses or workshops that the reader is encouraged to sign up for if they are “truly serious” about achieving nirvana. The most this author does is offer you a free book if you sign up for his newsletter. Maybe the newsletter refers to expensive workshops but you don’t have to take part in them to get a lot out of this book. In fact, the eight-phase programme needn’t cost you a penny as no equipment is needed except for your mind and body. Third, no attempt is made to provide any proof that the techniques described here actually work. Now that would be a serious flaw except that the evidence can be found elsewhere. There is a growing body of evidence across a range of scientific disciplines from neuroscience to endocrinology to quantum physics that meditation and breathwork can affect brain chemistry, heart rate, blood pressure etc. In short, following the programme could have beneficial effects on your mental and physical health. Also, it is worth pointing out that although the author’s programme is original, much of the material here does chime with what you would find in similar works. Consistency breeds confidence. For example, the technique of combining breathwork with the generation of a stream of energy moving from the base of the spine to the crown of the head and back again is a common feature of works on meditation, manifestation, self-healing etc. One caveat. The copyright page contains a lengthy rubric stressing the importance of using conventional medical services to address any health concerns that the reader might have. This is basic common sense and fits with the points raised above. The author does not claim that the programme set out here will prevent or cure a life-threatening illness. What it could do is make you feel better about your life and give you some sense of meaning and purpose. This book is the first in a series of four and I am looking forward to reading the rest of them.

El libro es bueno, lástima del distribuidor premium-libros-méxico que lo envió en pésimo embalaje por una pésima paquetería y llegó maltratado. Si lo quieren busquen otro proveedor.