MYSTICISM: THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SPIRI- TUAL CONSCIOUSNESS has long been considered the stan- dard text in the study of Western Christian mysticism. Underhill was a mystic herself, and her analysis of the process of mystical unfoldment is both erudite and beautiful. Including quotations from a wide variety of Christian mystics like John of the Cross, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, and many others, Underhill attempts to unravel what is often a very tangled subject, inviting readers into an intimate encounter with Mystery.