One of the marks of this age of interspirituality is that we acknowledge and honor the similarities that draw the different religions together. The link that makes this possible is mysticism. The prolific spiritual writer Matthew Fox once said that we all have a mystic inside of us who can't wait to play in the universe. Our inner mystic rejoices in the fact that the ordinary world is extraordinary, that we are connected to other beings, that beauty abounds and soothes our souls, that wonder is the best way of seeing, and that gratitude forms the essential prayer. St Martin of Tours said that "all mystics come from the same country and understand the same language." They will rejoice in this publishing venture by the Science of the Soul Research Centre, a non-profit group based in New Delhi, India. More than 40 scholars have worked on this collection. Their aim is to help eradicate ill will and acrimony among people by revealing their common spiritual heritage and thus forming bonds of empathy and fellowship.
The six volumes that comprise Part One of A Treasury of Mystic Terms come under the umbrella of "The Principles of Mysticism." Here are more than 5,000 quotations from religious texts of all traditions including Sumarian and Mesopotamian spirituality, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism, Greek mystics and philosophers, Islam, six Indian traditions, the Sikh tradition, Buddhism, Taoism, and the primal religions of peoples in North America, Central America, and Australia. The six volumes are: The Universe of Spirituality, The Divine Eternity, The Divine Creative Power, The Hierarchy of Creation, Man and the Cosmos, and The Soul in Exile. The first volume also contains a biographic and bibliographic glossary. Our favorite is the volume on the Divine Creative Power where there are passages on the fragrance of life, life stream, living voice, living waters, Logos, manna, wisdom, and much more.
