Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Lindisfarne Pr (2002), 256 pages
Description
"Ablaze with passion for the one essential task of the monk: total inner transformation". --Brother David Stendl-Rast "Libraries offering titles on mysticism, inner transformation, or dealing with grief will find this a unique and welcome addition."--Library Journal This powerful book, written by an Episcopal priest, tells of her intense relationship with Brother Raphael Robin, a seventy-year-old Trappist monk and hermit. Both believed that a relationship can continue beyond this life, and here Cynthia Bourgeault describes her search for that connection before and after Robin's death. Bourgeault's previous books includeThe Wisdom Jesus andCentering Prayer and Inner Awakening.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jburlinson
A "Lifetime Channel" tale of love beyond death between an episcopal priest and a Trappist monk, this is really an attempt to claim for "exoteric" Christianity some of the insights of Gurdjieff and his followers.
LibraryThing member LynnCoulter
I want to be respectful in my review of this book, Love Is Stronger Than Death, by Cynthia Bourgeault.
Because this is the story of the author's love for a deceased Trappist hermit, and it's intensely personal, I won't question her experiences or perceptions, although her belief that their two
Bourgeault is a mystic who draws heavily on the writings of other mystical contemplatives, including Christian esoteric authors such as Gurdjieff, Boehme, and Tomberg. These writers emphasize concepts that include the "union of souls" and "the idea of second body." These refer to the soul's ability to "keep right on growing," Bourgeault says, "beyond the grave."
My understanding of the afterlife is based on traditional Biblical interpretations, and I'm not a philosopher, so many of her ideas are radical, uncomfortable, and even unacceptable to me.
But I don't need to agree with an author to admire her prose, and I did find this book to be well-written and engaging.
Still - there were passages that made me wonder about the author's take on her relationship with the Trappist. She shares conversations and interactions that indicate he had loving, intimate feelings for her (although as far as I can tell, theirs was a platonic relationship only), but in other instances, he tries to push her away.
Here's an example; the scene is in his workshop, when the author has returned from being out of town. She feels he's making a "flight into holiness" to get away from her, to avoid admitting what may be a physical and emotional attraction to her as a loved one:
"'Rafe, did you miss me when I was gone?'
'Nah,' he grunted, and glanced at me briefly with a look of complete condescension....He shook his head and muttered as he returned to his work, 'You still don't understand, do you?'"
I read this scene as a woman who is pressing a man for more commitment than he's willing to give (even she admits that she was becoming "clingy.") But she takes his words to mean that he's connected to her in some higher, more spiritual form, that he loves her more than he could in any physical union.
Shockingly, she also describes a physical fight they had when he "brought his boot heel down on my jaw and twisted my wrist...". This happened when he found her at his cabin unexpectedly, and she grabbed him when he tried to leave.
It sounded like this man was of two minds. He wanted a love relationship, yet was also determined to honor his dedication of his life to God. He doesn't seem to have been able to make a clean break with her, yet he wasn't able to fully commit to her, either.
When he died, the author took comfort and found refuge in her belief that their souls were eventually united in what she calls "one abler soul". I don't see anything in the Christian Bible to affirm this.
She says, sadly, "Marriage was part of the path that Rafe and I never got to walk out in human life...". But she concludes that if you're a faithful "disciple of love," "the love which first brought you together will gradually knit you together in that one abler soul, which from all along...God has been calling you to become: true man and wife."
This book will probably comfort those who are grieving for a loved one, and need reassurance that the connection and love goes on past physical life. But it leaned too much toward New Age concepts for me, and I wouldn't recommend it for those who hold traditional Christian beliefs.
The book was provided to me free by Librarything.com. My opinions are my own.
Because this is the story of the author's love for a deceased Trappist hermit, and it's intensely personal, I won't question her experiences or perceptions, although her belief that their two
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souls are engaged in a continuing relationship beyond physical life doesn't jibe with my traditional Christian beliefs. (Besides, much of life--and certainly the afterlife--is a mystery to us all, so who am I to judge?)Bourgeault is a mystic who draws heavily on the writings of other mystical contemplatives, including Christian esoteric authors such as Gurdjieff, Boehme, and Tomberg. These writers emphasize concepts that include the "union of souls" and "the idea of second body." These refer to the soul's ability to "keep right on growing," Bourgeault says, "beyond the grave."
My understanding of the afterlife is based on traditional Biblical interpretations, and I'm not a philosopher, so many of her ideas are radical, uncomfortable, and even unacceptable to me.
But I don't need to agree with an author to admire her prose, and I did find this book to be well-written and engaging.
Still - there were passages that made me wonder about the author's take on her relationship with the Trappist. She shares conversations and interactions that indicate he had loving, intimate feelings for her (although as far as I can tell, theirs was a platonic relationship only), but in other instances, he tries to push her away.
Here's an example; the scene is in his workshop, when the author has returned from being out of town. She feels he's making a "flight into holiness" to get away from her, to avoid admitting what may be a physical and emotional attraction to her as a loved one:
"'Rafe, did you miss me when I was gone?'
'Nah,' he grunted, and glanced at me briefly with a look of complete condescension....He shook his head and muttered as he returned to his work, 'You still don't understand, do you?'"
I read this scene as a woman who is pressing a man for more commitment than he's willing to give (even she admits that she was becoming "clingy.") But she takes his words to mean that he's connected to her in some higher, more spiritual form, that he loves her more than he could in any physical union.
Shockingly, she also describes a physical fight they had when he "brought his boot heel down on my jaw and twisted my wrist...". This happened when he found her at his cabin unexpectedly, and she grabbed him when he tried to leave.
It sounded like this man was of two minds. He wanted a love relationship, yet was also determined to honor his dedication of his life to God. He doesn't seem to have been able to make a clean break with her, yet he wasn't able to fully commit to her, either.
When he died, the author took comfort and found refuge in her belief that their souls were eventually united in what she calls "one abler soul". I don't see anything in the Christian Bible to affirm this.
She says, sadly, "Marriage was part of the path that Rafe and I never got to walk out in human life...". But she concludes that if you're a faithful "disciple of love," "the love which first brought you together will gradually knit you together in that one abler soul, which from all along...God has been calling you to become: true man and wife."
This book will probably comfort those who are grieving for a loved one, and need reassurance that the connection and love goes on past physical life. But it leaned too much toward New Age concepts for me, and I wouldn't recommend it for those who hold traditional Christian beliefs.
The book was provided to me free by Librarything.com. My opinions are my own.
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LibraryThing member DianneBottinelli
I will start this review with a quote:
Love bears all things,believes all things,hopes all things, endures all things( from 1 Corinthians).
This was an exploration of the love felt between two searching souls who happened to be and Episcopal Priest and a Trappist Monk in Snowmass, Colorado, as they
A great book for people exploring afterlife, or the purpose of life, and life after death. I lost my husband two months ago after caring for him the last seven years of our married life of forty-five years.
Love bears all things,believes all things,hopes all things, endures all things( from 1 Corinthians).
This was an exploration of the love felt between two searching souls who happened to be and Episcopal Priest and a Trappist Monk in Snowmass, Colorado, as they
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attempted to reach a higher spiritual state through isolation, work, and prayer. It has been three years now since the Monk's death, and the author still continues to grow through his teachings and their spiritual exploration together when he was alive. Unfortunately she was not present at the time of his death, so there were initially some unresolved issues about their continuing relationship after his death. She believes his influence still drives her in her work today.The quote at the beginning of this review was the message she gave to her daughter and son-in law as she officiated their wedding ceremony, as they began their journey together in marriage, to hopefully learn and grow together becoming a stronger unit, but not losing their respective identities.A great book for people exploring afterlife, or the purpose of life, and life after death. I lost my husband two months ago after caring for him the last seven years of our married life of forty-five years.
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LibraryThing member whoizme8
This is an interesting book. I am not a mystic, but have been interested in the experiences of mystics in the Christian religion. I'm one of the mainline church members who is pretty much orthodox (see my book titles). It is interesting to me to see how others respond to Christ and their
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"
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experiences with him. This book spends more time in trying to understand the love relationship between people and their possible connection if one is here and one has died. An interesting concept. Most of us believe in prayer and surely prayer can be made for those who have died but this is a little different in that she talks about a special relationship which is possible between those who love another (not necessarily physical or sexual). Interesting, but not my cup of tea.J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"
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LibraryThing member chicobico
The practice of mysticism, in which a soul seeks communion and interior union with God, has a long, well-established tradition within the Christian faith. In the mid 20th century, George Gurdjieff and his disciple, P. D. Ouspensky, espoused a “Fourth Way,” in which one could focus their inner
In Love is Stronger than Death, Cynthia Bourgeault describes her experience in establishing a union of souls with her beloved Trappist monk, Brother Raphael Robin, after his death in 1995. The book was first published in 1999 and reissued in 2014 as a 15th Anniversary Edition with a new preface by the author. An Episcopal priest, mystic, retreat leader and author of seven other books, Bourgeault wished to document her story since it did not seem to fit well with “either traditional Christian contemplative mysticism or by-the-books Fourth Way teaching.”
Bourgeault speaks of her mystical relationship with Rafe (as she calls Brother Raphael) as one in which they both willingly sacrifice their individual selves for the sake of becoming a single living, palpable “abler soul.” Going beyond the Fourth Way, she draws on the works of Maurice Nicoll, John G. Bennett, Boris Mouravieff, Jacob Boehme, Ladislaus Boros, and Vladimir Solovyov for theological support and on T. S. Eliot, John Donne, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Shakespeare for poetic inspiration.
Bourgeault’s book is recommended for all those with a mystical bent who seek to grow into a deeper relationship with their beloveds. Readers will find her chapter on “The Mystery of Christ,” which places her union with Rafe within the mystical body of Christ, particularly beautiful.
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attention and energy so as to reach a higher level of harmonious development than possible through Christian, Sufi or Buddhist mysticism. In Love is Stronger than Death, Cynthia Bourgeault describes her experience in establishing a union of souls with her beloved Trappist monk, Brother Raphael Robin, after his death in 1995. The book was first published in 1999 and reissued in 2014 as a 15th Anniversary Edition with a new preface by the author. An Episcopal priest, mystic, retreat leader and author of seven other books, Bourgeault wished to document her story since it did not seem to fit well with “either traditional Christian contemplative mysticism or by-the-books Fourth Way teaching.”
Bourgeault speaks of her mystical relationship with Rafe (as she calls Brother Raphael) as one in which they both willingly sacrifice their individual selves for the sake of becoming a single living, palpable “abler soul.” Going beyond the Fourth Way, she draws on the works of Maurice Nicoll, John G. Bennett, Boris Mouravieff, Jacob Boehme, Ladislaus Boros, and Vladimir Solovyov for theological support and on T. S. Eliot, John Donne, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Shakespeare for poetic inspiration.
Bourgeault’s book is recommended for all those with a mystical bent who seek to grow into a deeper relationship with their beloveds. Readers will find her chapter on “The Mystery of Christ,” which places her union with Rafe within the mystical body of Christ, particularly beautiful.
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LibraryThing member jlhowson
This isn't your typical romance novel; in fact, I'm not sure how to categorize it. Love is Stronger than Death explores the relationship between a Episcopal Priest and buddhist monk, including the nature of relationship after death. Intriguing, but not for someone looking for a casual read.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1584200022 / 9781584200024
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