"The Essential Mystics: The Soul’s Journey into Truth" is a spiritual anthology compiled and introduced by Andrew Harvey, a scholar of mysticism and religion. Originally published in the 1990s, the book serves as a curated collection of writings from mystics across the world’s major religious traditions. Harvey’s goal is to illuminate the shared essence of mystical experience—direct, transformative union with the Divine—beyond the boundaries of dogma or tradition.
Overview of the Book
Structure of the Book
The book is divided into thematic sections, each representing a core element of the mystical path. Harvey provides an introduction to each section, followed by selections from mystics of different faiths—Christianity, Islam (especially Sufism), Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism (especially Kabbalah), and Indigenous/earth-based traditions.
The sections include:
Mystics and Traditions Featured
Harvey draws from a wide range of spiritual figures, including but not limited to:
Each excerpt is chosen to express the depth, beauty, and diversity of mystical insight, while reinforcing Harvey’s central thesis: all authentic mystical traditions describe a similar inner journey of love, surrender, and divine union.
Key Themes
Andrew Harvey’s Commentary
Harvey writes as a passionate advocate of mysticism as the deepest expression of religion. His introductions and commentary emphasize:
He also stresses that mysticism is not about escapism, but about radical transformation and divine responsibility.
Use and Audience
The Essential Mystics is suitable for:
Summary Takeaway
The Essential Mystics presents a luminous tapestry of global mystical voices, each expressing the soul’s longing and capacity for divine union. Through carefully chosen texts and insightful commentary, Andrew Harvey reveals how mystics across time and tradition affirm a universal truth: that love, surrender, and the inner journey lead to the realization of the sacred at the heart of all life.
A Quote Samplier From the Book
These quotes reflect the shared mystical themes of divine love, union, surrender, and transformation. Each quote is drawn from mystics included by Andrew Harvey in the anthology.
Christian Mysticism
Meister Eckhart (13th-century German mystic):
“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me. My eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.”
Julian of Norwich (14th-century English mystic):
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
Islamic Mysticism (Sufism)
Rumi (13th-century Persian poet):
“I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul.”
Rabia of Basra (8th-century Sufi saint):
“I carry a torch in one hand and a bucket of water in the other: with these things I am going to set fire to Heaven and put out the flames of Hell so that travelers to God can rip the veils and see the real goal.”
Hindu Mysticism
Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 6, Verse 30):
“He who sees Me in all things, and all things in Me, never becomes separated from Me, nor do I become separated from him.”
Sri Ramakrishna (19th-century Indian mystic):
“The winds of God’s grace are always blowing, but you must raise your sail.”
Buddhist Mysticism
The Buddha (from the Dhammapada):
“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”
Milarepa (Tibetan yogi):
“In the gap between thoughts, nonconceptual wisdom shines continuously.”
Jewish Mysticism (Kabbalah and Hasidism)
Baal Shem Tov (18th-century founder of Hasidism):
“Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption.”
Zohar (Kabbalistic text):
“The soul is a divine flame, forever yearning to return to the boundless light from which it came.”
Taoist Mysticism
Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching):
“The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”
Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi):
“Flow with whatever may happen, and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.”
Indigenous and Earth-Based Mysticism
Black Elk (Lakota holy man):
“The center of the universe is really everywhere. It is within each of us.”
African Shamanic Wisdom (as paraphrased):
“The spirit is not only in the forest, it is in the fire, in the wind, in the drumbeat, and in the heart of every living thing.”
These selections, though brief, reflect Andrew Harvey’s core insight in The Essential Mystics: the inner mystic path leads from the fragmentation of self to a luminous unity with all that is.