The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism

Growing modern participation in forms of generic spirituality has encouraged widespread interest in divine insight and illumination. Sociologists and theologians have noted the impact of this cultural change on the popular imagination, as well as on traditional faith claims and allegiances. In parallel with this, there has been growth in forms of investigative and interpretative scholarship into Western mysticism and the esoteric. This has a clear and strong historical and historiographic side, as many of the strands and themes extend back beyond the Middle Ages to ancient times.

It has also been a field where academic and populist approaches have...