Incandescence: 365 Readings with Women Mystics

This book is not only beautiful on the outside, it is inspiring on the inside! I have bought about 25 copies to hand out to friends, and each person receiving the book is amazed at the research involved in the composition of the book and the elegance of the presentation. Many of these friends have then turned around and purchased their own copies to give away to friends. I recommend this book highly!

Carmen Acevedo Butcher has sifted through the writings of 18 women who lived hundreds of years ago--a monumental task in itself, to be sure--and gleaned 365 gems. Whether you choose to read this handsome volume day-by-day through the year as the readings are arranged, or all at once, you will find thoughts that are amazingly contemporary. The underlying theme,it seems to me,is the longing of our souls to find God. I began by reading the short biographies of the women which are at the back of the book. It was helpful to see each writer in context, not to mention the interesting bits of information I learned. Also, the forward by Phyllis Tickle sets the stage wonderfully (expecially the poignant story from the life of Longfellow) to work your way through the readings. Congratulations to Ms. Butcher for her work on a beautifully crafted collection of writings. She even has what I suspect are her own crisp touches to enliven the texts.

Carmen Butcher takes your view of Christ and the relationship available with him and completely revises what is possible through her compilation of readings. These women mystics lead the reader to a deeper place, a deeper understanding of what Love means. We are taken on the journey, right beside the women, as they are wooed and romanced by the Love of God. Butcher translates, "Here you'll discover true virtue and fall in love with it." Yes, in this book, you will discover a way to the Cross and you will be smitten with it.

Carmen Butcher's renderings of these women's writings are lucid and timelessly relevant. Butcher has excerpted the wisest and most touching passages from some of the highest inspired women in history. "Incandescence" presents the reader with a spiritual guidebook that does not preach but exalts the soul and heals the heart with advice, remarks, and teachings passed across time. It is a must for anyone, curious or certain, who wishes to enter a conversation with those in touch with the untouchable.

I know this is meant to be a daily devotional, but I stayed up till 3 a.m. reading it. These feisty women really knew God, and they've been given modern voices here. You feel these are women you know. They explore God and spirituality in vibrant ways. This book sparkles with inspiring prayers, poems, songs, and meditations by a number of female mystics. Excerpts include fresh-voiced pieces by Julian of Norwich, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Catherine of Siena, Clare of Assisi, Gertrude the Great, Hildegard of Bingen, and Margery Kempe, to name a few--seventeen famous and not-so-famous mystics in all are included. Phyllis Tickle, renowned writer on religion and spirituality, provides the foreword for Incandescence, saying, "In these pages, the images of the spiritual life are the erotic ones of the feminine experience. They are the stuff of very physically-present women who loved their Lord with a ferocity and passion that could be reported only in those experiences of the flesh. . . . There is a peace here in the company of these good women." These women present God as Mother, Best Friend, and Lover. This is unlike any other devotional I've ever had. My soul has been strengthened reading about the God who loves me as gently as my own mother. These women mystics have intimate, real relationships with the all-powerful, incarnate deity. So they focus on the unconditional nature of God's love. And their images are original, fresh, comforting, challenging. Where else can you read that Love gives her children milk. Love feeds her children well. We get this milk in the same way a baby sucks milk from its mother's breast. We get our nourishment by sucking milk through Love's nipple. Just so, our soul can have life only through Christ crucified. This excerpt from Catherine of Siena's writings is just a taste of the spiritual feast this book provides. Also included in the back are short bios for each mystic and a Selected Reading list which I'm finding really helpful.