The imaginal realm has long been associated with the personal world of dreams, prophecy, and oracles, and it also points toward a higher vision of our human purpose that is both evolutionary and collective. It is invisible to the physical eye, but clearly perceptible through the eye of the heart. In Eye of the Heart, Cynthia Bourgeault investigates the imaginal realm–an energetic realm well known to the mystical traditions but often forgotten in our own times. This groundbreaking book shares the evolution of Cynthia Bourgeault’s spiritual journey and offers a new map to understanding energy and our collective reality. This book is nothing less than a map to the meeting of the worlds at the crossroads of our own souls, one the mapmaker urges us to abandon the minute our heart sees the way.” -Mirabai Starr, author of Wild Mercy This exquisitely written love story distills the intricacies of the esoteric Western traditions into a transformational elixir-both rigorous and luminous-simultaneously intoxicating and sobering. “If ever there was a teacher who could gather the reins of the mind to gallop into the land of the heart (and take us with her), it is Cynthia Bourgeault. And don’t forget, if your preferred mode is visual, auditory, or kinesthetic, there’s a lot of material available as well. You’ll find all these books-plus a few more-in the book section below.
Here are some suggested scenarios: If you’re coming from a Centering Prayer background… Most readers find Mystical Hope to be a very accessible starting point (short, too: only a hundred pages!) From there, the road branches, depending on your background and interests. Which of Cynthia’s books do I start with? Olga Louchakova, The Essence of Prayer of the Heart Maurice Nicoll, Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Ouspensky and Gurdjieff (5-volume series).Gurdjieff, Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Human Phenomenon.Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot.It’s your “go-to” starting point for accessible translations by reputable scholars. As you do so, it’s good to be aware of the Classics of Western Spirituality series, published by Paulist Press. The Christian Wisdom tradition is vast, and exploring it can take a lifetime. Simeon the New Theologian, Three Methods of Attention and Prayer.Brother Laurence, The Practice of the presence of God.Jean Pierre de Caussade, Abandonment to Divine Providence.John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul.The Cloud of Unknowing (14 th century, anonymous).The Philokalia (a several-volume treasury of Wisdom teachings from the Christian East).
The Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers.The Gospel of Thomas in at least two different translations.
Primary Source Materials to have permanently on your bookshelf Wherever you’re drawn, start there! But if you stick with the Wisdom path, you’ll probably eventually want to become familiar with at least a significant number of the following core texts. Some people will be more drawn to the esoteric end of the spectrum others feel more at home in the classic terrain of contemplative prayer and mysticism. There are rich currents flowing through the Wisdom stream, so it’s hard to offer a “one size fits all” reading list.
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