What is the meaning of mysticism in Western religious experience and thought? This balanced introduction provides an overall view of many ideas, interpretations, and suggestions that are a part of the often neglected 'mysticism of the West'. Margaret Furse sees mysticism more as a philosophy or world view than as an experience. From this vantage point she analyzes the personal vs. the mystical and the ethical vs. the mystical. Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish thinkers are represented in her study.