Riding with the Lion: In Search of Mystical Christianity

by Kyriacos C. Markides

Overview

This work aims to recover the mystical heart of Christianity, confirming that there is a direct tradition of spiritual practices that the main stream Church has managed to ignore and suppress. The author's quest for higher knowledge takes him on a journey to Maine, New York, London, Cyprus and Greece. His revelation of a vital living mystical practice based in ancient Christian thought, is a major step in linking the most esoteric traditions of the East to the largely hidden esoteric traditions of the West. The book has a wide cultural significance, revealing a Western Christian spirituality that includes space for mystical practice that is too often assumed to be the exclusive domain of eastern religions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140194814
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/1996
Series:	In Search of Mystical Christianity
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	471,444
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kyriacos C. Markides has written several books about Christian mysticism, including The Magus of Strovolos, Riding with the Lion, Homage to the Sun, and Fire in the Heart. A professor of sociology at the University of Maine, he lives in Stillwater, Maine, with his wife, Emily.

Editorial Reviews

Despite his promising subtitle, Markides (sociology, Univ. of Maine) will disappoint readers interested in classical Christian mysticism. Anecdotal evidence for paranormal phenomena such as teleportation, clairvoyance, levitation, dematerialization, and channeling, along with a disorganized collage of references to Marx, Nietzsche, Plato, Huston Smith, P.D. Ouspensky, etc., are presented in the first part of the book. Markides does not succeed in his attempt to place New Age religion and paranormal psychology within the context of classical mysticism. Where he does succeed is in the account of his visit to the monasteries of Mount Athos on the coast of Greece and his encounter there with monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Libraries with collections in New Age materials and parapsychology will want to consider this book, but collections in Christian mysticism would be better served by such recent publications as Evelyn Underhill's classic Mysticism (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1993. reprint).-Linda V. Carlisle, Southern Illinois Univ., Edwardsville

Library Journal