An evening with Evelyn Underhill at Sarum College

We often think that mysticism is a thing of the past, that the great mystics like Francis of Assisi, Julian of Norwich or Teresa of Avila are resigned to times long gone, and that mysticism died in the Reformations, the Enlightenment, or the Quietist Controversy. However, there are important mystical elements of all major world religions today including Christianity, and many 20th- and 21st-century figures exemplify mysticism.

This series looks at three prominent figures who have been described as modern or postmodern mystics: Thomas Merton, Evelyn Underhill and Simone Weil.

Each session is led by an expert on the figure discussed and will comprise of a 55-minute lecture, a 25-minute discussion of a set text (sent out two weeks prior to the session), and a 25-minute question and answer session.

This first session is on Thomas Merton, one of the most significant mystical writers of the 20th century. A Trappist monk, Merton is a key figure in the dialogue of interfaith mysticism and in social action.