Practical Mystics: Spirituality and Action

Watkins Bookshop - Free Talks & Events
Watkins Bookshop - Free Talks & Events
Public group

Watkins Books

19-21 Cecil Ct · London

How to find us

Closest tube station: Leicester Square (2 mins walking)

Location image of event venue


How does our faith relate to our action? How do we find the balance between contemplation and action, and how do we understand how we are to be, and what we are to do in the world?

Jennifer Kavanagh's new book Practical Mystics (to be published in December) is a contribution to a new series about Quakers, to whom the term is often applied - but the subject has a much wider application.

“Practical mystics” is an odd phrase: seemingly a contradiction in terms. Whether a Christian hermit or a Hindu fakir, a mystic is generally considered to be removed from the world - other-worldly, indeed. But even nuns and monks, hidden behind monastic walls with their lives devoted to God, often lead pretty practical lives both within and outside of their establishments.

In this talk, Jennifer Kavanagh will focus on people who are living in the real world, looking at those who combine mysticism with often radical action. She will look not just at how the contemplative and active lives can co-exist but how, in essence, they are the same. Practical people, all of whom can be mystics; mystics who can also be practical. Jennifer will explain how the action stems from that very faith, how the two are intertwined, and how crucial that interaction is.

Discover the mysterious connection between our spiritual lives and
our actions in the world at this Watkins Books talk, followed by a short Q&A and book signing.