Scott Crom

This theological pamphlet has excellent content and is written clearly. He rejects systematic theology for an approach of learning what to do, seeking fidelity of consciousness to reality, rather than defining what is. It means letting go of will and concepts of God, to let God's will operate in us and the cosmic consciousness shine in us. I will just say: read it. It is clear and useful.

Crom, a philosopher, addresses several intellectual obstacles that may arise to mystical knowledge or enlightenment, with a philosophical approach. Essentially, how do we find room for both the I-Thou relationship and the unitary consciousness, which mystics have both experienced? If working this out is to your taste, this will be both interesting and helpful. In the process of his argument, there are many interesting quotes and points about the mystical way.

This pamphlet has some good points for us still, but it is dated. We have many other resources for learning about meditation. He reviews some Quaker objections to using meditation in worship, but they mostly seem nitpicking or based on misconceptions, and oriented toward Christian exclusivism. He explains that posture and breathing are important.

This is a philosophical consideration of several experiences of transcendence. What is the self and where does it go in an experience of transcendence? After an experience of feeling great love and also of being loved, without any sense of anyone who did the loving, he cannot conclude that he encountered God. It is moderately interesting.