At the core of the Christian faith lies the spiritual journey to the heart of ultimate reality, or God?described by some mystics as a 'dazzling darkness'. For over 2,000 years, certain women and men have experienced various degrees of direct communion with God, from mild illuminations to a union in which the will of the mystic has been consumed.

This book explores such spiritual figures' lives and teachings, alongside their personal and historical backgrounds, from early Christendom to modern mystics such as Simone Weil and Thomas Merton. It reveals that the English anchoress Julian of Norwich grew up while the Black Death was devastating Europe; that the beguine Marguerite Porete lived at a time when the Church was particularly primed to burn 'heretics'?a fate she suffered; and that Pierre Teilhard de Chardin developed his idea of spiritual evolution with Charles Darwin's theories in the air.

Comprehensive, deeply researched and highly engaging, Dazzling Darkness tells the stories of towering figures like Hildegard of Bingen, Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross. Its pages also highlight many lesser-known mystics, including Mary of Egypt, Seraphim of Sarov and Charles de Foucauld, allowing their voices to sing out to future generations.