THE WAY OF DIVINE UNION

Your reviewer first came across the writing of A.E. Waite (1857-1942) over five decades ago in a suburban public library. The book caught my eye as it was bound in a somewhat garish pattern. In those days older books in libraries were often rebound in house and returned to the shelves after the original had become weak or worn. Alas, in current times they tend to be discarded to make room for fresh and more fashionable items. The new binding was inappropriate to the contents! I found the text intriguing but largely incomprehensible at the time, but later, as I gained both an education and a love of book collecting I acquired for myself many of Waite's works which ranged over many aspects of esotericism and spirituality. He also produced several volumes of poetry. A comprehensive outline of his life and labours form the introduction to this new edition of The Way of Divine Union. The book is a survey of mysticism, largely drawing from the Christian tradition, but from Waite's particular viewpoint. Before touching on this one should say that this volume is not one to be recommended as an accessible introduction to the subject. It was published four years after Evelyn Underhill's Mysticism, which remains in print, with revisions, to this day. Underhill's book (especially in its final edition), or, for the novice, one of her less extensive titles, remain relevant and informative for the contemporary reader. Waite and Underhill did work together for a time and refer to each other's work in their respective volumes. In her later work Underhill had distanced herself from Waite's approach.

Waite has been criticised for both his style and his scholarship, in some cases with justification. Had he been able to access higher education he might have been helped to develop his written style into more accessible forms. It tended to be over laden with archaisms, prolixity, and the subordinate clause. A past acquaintance who heard him lecture in the 1930s remembers his orotund performance in speech which reflected his written style. This may have served him well in his poetry and ritual work, but less so for a public in the latter part of his life. As an independent scholar working from library sources, mostly in London, his practical and bibliographic horizons had some limitations. His spiritual life was anchored in the texts in which he immersed himself. He had left the Roman Catholic Church of his childhood, explored Spiritualism and other groups, but was unable to find a home in any mainstream Christian denomination. In contrast Underhill, under the direction of the Catholic Baron von Hugel, was able to maintain an established place within the Church of England, and to exercise a successful ministry as a spiritual director, retreat conductor, and author, in the inter-war years. Waite, in contrast, found himself limited to a relatively small circle of acquaintances, with a larger circle of the readers of his books and his contributions to periodical literature. He eventually established his own fraternity for his spiritual work.

So what does Waite offer us in his exploration of the Christian mystical way? His survey does include the major figures of the Western church, and their thought and practice. He is weaker on those of the Orthodox traditions. He makes few mentions of non-Christian traditions, which he saw as lying outside the scope of this book. A brief excursus touches on the encounter with Hindu schools of thought, which was emerging in the West in the period in which he was writing. He had devoted himself to the Kabbalist traditions within Judaism in books published in 1902 and 1913. These books revealed the limitations of his access to reliable texts. A final version of his work on this subject was published as The Holy Kabbalah in 1929, which received some approval from Gershom Scholem.

He provided, for the diligent reader, a thematic journey though many important aspects of Christian mysticism, and of significant personalities that embodied them. He introduces us to a number of figures, some of them a little obscure, who do not appear in Underhill's comprehensive survey in her Mysticism. Whether their inclusion add much to our knowledge of the subject is, perhaps a matter of personal taste. Waite's love for obscure byways of thought and practice, and the dwellers to be encountered therein, is to be found in many of his writings.

The latter chapters of the book do provide the reader with insights that may seem unexpected given the obscurity of the earlier chapters. He examines mysticism in the light of theories of human consciousness, in guidance on the reordination of life and mind, and on living the spiritual life in the world. His criticism of what he regarded as the dangers of extreme asceticism, which still marked much Christian spiritual guidance in this time, strike a surprisingly modern note. In his own life he managed to combine a deep spiritual outlook with and enjoyment of social pleasures, exemplified in his long standing and convivial friendship with journalist and novelist Arthur Machen.

Dr. Gilbert, in addition to his valuable introduction, has also updated many references, where modern editions or reprints now provide easier access to some obscure texts. He has added some biographical notes on some of more obscure of Waite's authorities, and translated references in Latin and French. A guide to further reading is appended. The contemporary world is one in which churches, and other religious institution, sometimes seem to exhibit ignorance of the riches of their own traditions in spirituality. The nature of spiritual experience is being explored by many outside institutional and dogmatic structures. Some may find Arthur Edward Waite's guidebook helpful. It is not a lightweight addition to the pilgrim's knapsack, but would be a valuable addition to the bookshelf of the serious student of the spiritual path.