Theophan the Recluse, possessing a rare degree of patristic scholarship, combined with a thorough understanding of the soul of his native Russia and of contemporary people in general, was enabled to carve out a genuine understanding of spirituality for modern man. He made this understanding accessible to the average person, for he knew that each "average person" is the possessor of an immortal soul, and each soul is to be attuned here upon earth to live eternally with God in Paradise. THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND HOW TO BE ATTUNED TO IT was the result of a correspondence between a young lady of the upper middle class and St. Theophan the Recluse. In the compilation of his letters of spiritual direction to her, it can be seen that St. Theophan strove to make sure that this young soul would not only be familiar with the principles of spiritual life, but first of all be able to keenly hear the right "tone" of spiritual life. This tuning of the soul is necessary so that the soul will be in harmony with the voice of God's Providence echoing in the instrument of the heart. In that light, THE SPIRITUAL LIFE AND HOW TO BE ATTUNED TO IT could rightly be called a primer to be used before embarking into the realm of spiritual life.

    Written through the psychic medium A. Farnese in 1896, Wanderer is the true autobiography of Franchezzo, an Italian socialite who squanders his life on "wine, women and song." After an untimely death, he finds his spirit wandering in one of the dark lower worlds, alone and hopeless except for continued messages of love his young wife sends him through her prayers. Moved by the constancy of her devotion, he sets out to redeem himself by trying to help other lost souls, a mission which takes him into the lowest hells of the astral realm. Through his journey, there unfolds a remarkably lucid account of the different levels of the spirit realm, and the great brotherhoods of light who work there. Esoteric students have long regarded Wanderer as one of the clearest, most accurate descriptions of the spirit realms and the life that awaits us on the other side.

    Published here in its entirety is the third edition of 1872 for which Newman added an additional sermon, bracketed notes, and, importantly, a comprehensive, condensed Preface.   More accessible to the beginning Newman reader than the _Grammar of Assent,_ these highly original sermons are "of the nature of an exploring expedition into an all but unknown country," says Newman; for they were written "with no aid from Anglican, and no knowledge of Catholic theologians."  Often overlooked these early sermons provide indispensable insights and clues about the leading ideas of his later well-known works. In her introduction, noted Newman scholar Mary Katherine Tillman considers the volume as an integral whole, showing how all of the sermons systematically relate to the central theme of the faith-reason relationship.