Evelyn Underhill was a prolific writer, with dozens of books and hundreds of articles to her credit. Underhill wrote about mysticism in the beginning of her career, but later focused more on the spiritual life as lived by ordinary people.
Written by Underhill under the pseudonym John Cordelier, ¿The Spiral Way¿ is a Christian look at the journey of the spirit. With chapters structured to parallel the Roman Catholic tradition of the Mysteries of the Rosary, Underhill relates the spiritual journey to the life of Jesus Christ.
This book, subtitled ¿Mediations Upon the Fifteen Mysteries of the Soul¿s Ascent,¿ examines those mysteries in three phases. The Joyful Mysteries (the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Child amongst the Doctors) examines the ascent of the soul. The Sorrowful Mysteries (the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging, the Crown of Thorns, the Bearing of the Cross, and the Crucifixion) expands upon the trials and the agony experienced along an often difficult path. The third phase, the Triumphant Mysteries (the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Coming of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption, and the Coronation) fulfills the promise of the soul¿s glorious ascension of ultimate redemption.
