The Mystics Annotated

This annotated edition of The Mystics by Katherine Cecil Thurston includes a original introduction by Jeff Carreira that:

• Explains the historical context of the novel in terms of the rise of spiritualism throughout the 19th century.
• Describes why the book is of particular interest to modern spiritual seekers.

What would you do if your rightful inheritance was given to a strange religious sect? In this powerful short novel you will see how one young man faced with exactly that situation poses as the promised holy man the sect awaits. After years of careful preparation he finally manages to become the religion leader of the group and plans to steal back all of his money. His plan unfolds remarkably smoothly until one day when a young woman comes to him for spiritual counsel. In this encounter the fake prophet is moved by the humility and deep innocence of the woman. And for her part, she sees something special in the holy man that even he himself does not. The prophet’s plans and all the years of preparation come undone and the tension of the story escalates as his lies and deceptions unravel leaving an unpleasant truth for all to see. This story, presented in an edition that preserves the beauty of the original publication, addresses themes of universal human interest including: the righteousness of revenge, the blindness of fanaticism, the vision of innocence, and the power of love to redeem us all.