Evelyn Underhill: Eyesand No-Eyes

"No-Eyes" has fixed his attention on the fact that he is obliged to take a walk. For him the chief factor of existence is his own movement along the road; a movement which he intends to accomplish as efficiently and comfortably as he can. He asks not to know what may be on either side of the hedges. He ignores the caress of the wind until it threatens to remove his hat. He trudges along, steadily, diligently; avoiding the muddy pools, but oblivious of the light which they reflect.

"Eyes" takes the walk too: and for him it is a perpetual revelation of beauty and wonder. The sunlight inebriates him, the winds delight him, the very effort of the journey is a joy. Magic presences throng the roadside, or cry salutations to him from the hidden fields. The rich world through which he moves lies in the fore-ground of his consciousness; and it gives up new secrets to him at every step.

"No-Eyes," when told of his adventures, usually refuses to believe that both have gone by the same road. He fancies that his companion has been floating about in the air, or beset by agreeable hallucinations. We shall never persuade him to the contrary unless we persuade him to look for himself.

Therefore it is to a practical mysticism that the practical man is here invited: to a training of his latent faculties, a bracing and brightening of his languid consciousness, an emancipation from the fetters of appearance, a turning of his attention to new levels of the world. Thus he may become aware of the universe which the spiritual artist is always trying to disclose to the race.

This amount of mystical perception—this “ordinary contemplation," as the specialists call it—is possible to all men: without it, they are not wholly conscious, nor wholly alive.”

Evelyn Underhill (1875-1941) in Practical Mysticism: A Little Book for Normal People (London: J.M. Dent & Sons, LTD, 1914) 9-11.

Today marks the third of seven posts from Practical Mysticism. Download this classic work freely here.

The Eyes and No-Eyes contrast is helpful for understanding practical mysticism and explaining it to others. On the same road, Eyes sees magic while No-Eyes sees only muddy pools.

What do you see as you walk through life? If your focus is on yourself and your journey, that’s all you will see. If you look for God along the way, you will see Him everywhere in many ways.

At this point, Underhill would likely exhort you to train your latent faculties and your languid consciousness. Training takes time. Perhaps the best practice today is to take a walk.

Do it, go for a walk and ask God to give you Eyes to see. Tell someone about your experience. Invite them to have Eyes too. Shaping mystical perception is learning how to walk through life.

When I walk each day, I notice the many ways God works to care for His creation and show me His majesty and generosity toward humankind in general and me in particular.

Why take you on this journey this week? Why help you understand practical mysticism? I want you to rank among the Eyes. People with Eyes tend to exhibit the fruit of generosity.

Today's my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, David. I pray God gives you Eyes. I pray this not just for you but also for every person reading this too!