Hidden Journey: A Spiritual Awakening

Harvey, an Anglo-Indian novelist and poet, expands on the spiritual transformation that he described in part in Journey in Ladakh. Beginning in 1978 when he first met Meera, the Indian woman who would be his Master, Harvey (who at the time was teaching literature in England and the U.S.), struggled for-- and against-- enlightenment for nine years. With other disciples he followed Meera, who he came to see as Ma, the Divine Mother. In India and then in Germany, under her guidance he confronted his confused sexuality, his attachment to intellect and reason, his pride and his fears-- and then he surrendered to the power of Divine Love to which she as avatar led him. Harvey directly and convincingly describes his visions and spiritual experiences, which are in the tradition of Eastern mystics such as Aurobindo and Western mystics such as Juliana of Norwich and John of the Cross. His account suggests that in the course of his efforts he indeed surpassed the limitations of Selfhood that impose the greatest obstacles on people's lives. His precise, passionately told story will touch skeptics as well as seekers. (Apr.)