Awakened by Death: Life-Giving Lessons from the Mystics

by Christiana N. Peterson

Overview

Fear of death is nearly as inevitable as death itself, so we have used modern medicine and the funeral industry to create an ever-increasing distance between us and our mortality. But these interventions have stripped death of its mystery and mysticism.

Taking readers on a journey through history, guided by the mystics, Awakened by Death shows us how our psychological and spiritual relationship to death has changed over time, and helps us to reclaim a healthy engagement with our own mortality. Ultimately, readers will gain a deeper understanding of how facing the fear of death, and embracing rather than eschewing its mysteries, can help us live richer, fuller lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506461168
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	10/27/2020
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Christiana N. Peterson is the author of Mystics and Misfits: Meeting God through St. Francis and Other Unlikely Saints. Her writing on the mystics, community, the spiritual disciplines of motherhood, and death has been featured in Christianity Today, Art House America, The Christian Century, and Bearings Online. She's a regular contributor to Good Letters, an Image Journal blog. She lives in Ohio with her husband and their four children.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Graveyard Meditations 1

Part I The Body Turned Inside Out: The Medieval Mystics

1 The Great Leveler 19

2 The Specter of Age 33

3 The Horror of the Body 41

4 Acts of Love 53

5 A Living Death 57

Part II Skulls and the Suffering God: Early Modern Mystics and the Fear of Death

6 The Scorches of Predestination 63

7 Wounds of Resurrection 79

8 Lesser Deaths 91

Part III Childhood and the Mystery of Death: A Victorian Mystic

9 The Odd Victorians 101

10 An Artistic Sense for Death 113

11 Unlocking the Imprisoned Mind 117

12 The Courage of Fairy 129

13 Falling from a Dinosaur 139

Part IV Funeral Practices, Racism, and Climate Change: Mystics in America

14 The Communal Rituals of Death 153

15 The Tensions of Death and Life 167

16 Between Birth and Death 181

17 Conquering Nature 189

Part V Living and Dying Well: Walking the Path of the Mystics

18 A Lonely Death 205

19 Grief 213

20 A Good Death 229

21 The Spiritual Practice of Dying 237

Conclusion: Anointing the Grave 245

Acknowledgments 253

Further Reading 257

Notes 261

Timeline 291

Editorial Reviews

"In Awakened by Death, Christiana N. Peterson offers a profound and enlightening meditation on how God may be found even in dying, loss, and grief. This thought-provoking book promises meaningful insight for anyone willing to take heart and explore." —Carl McColman, author of Unteachable Lessons and The Big Book of Christian Mysticism

"Through her rich prose and her understanding of history and the Christian mystics, Peterson allows the reader to spend time immersed in a holy awareness of our mortality. The end result is that we emerge more awakened and attuned to be able to love God and our neighbors during our one brief and wondrous life. It truly is a timely, and timeless, read." —D. L. Mayfield, author of The Myth of the American Dream: Reflections on Affluence, Autonomy, Safety, and Power

"Beginning with a walk in a cemetery, Peterson takes us on a tour of the cultural history of death tested against the wisdom of the Christian mystics who are her spiritual teachers. Far from morbid, she writes with wit and heart about her personal grief and how engaging with our greatest fear can be an act of determined hope." —Jessica Mesman, associate editor, The Christian Century; author of Love and Salt: A Spiritual Memoir in Letters

"Awakened by Death is a beautiful meandering through history, religion, and everyday life. The journey Peterson takes us on is an eye-opening one, her voice whispering a kind, insistent message: 'Do not be afraid.' It's a message all of us mortals need to hear." —Shawn Smucker, author of These Nameless Things and Light from Distant Stars

"You will be better prepared to walk through the valleys and vistas of life after reading Awakened by Death. Christiana N. Peterson is a gracious guide through graveyards and dark places, ultimately moving us toward the light where we can live with less fear and more resurrection goodness on this side of eternity." —Kelley Nikondeha, author of Defiant: What the Women of Exodus Teach Us about Freedom

"For as long as I can remember, I have felt more unsettled by our modern culture's discomfort with death than by death itself. That's why I'm grateful for this book, which is less of a cold, hard look at the specter that haunts us all, and more of a gently guided walk through a lovely old cemetery. Peterson's done her homework and has a lot to teach us about the way Christians through the ages have reckoned with the ticking clock of our own lives. Yes, Christ conquered death-all the more reason to look it fearlessly in the eye and ask what it has to teach us about life." —Andrew Peterson, author, songwriter, and founder of The Rabbit Room

From the Publisher