Spiritual Journeys by SC Skillman

'Spiritual journey' has long been one of my favourite themes as a writer. My two novels, my non-fiction books, and my current WIP novel, all carry this theme, which has, of course arisen from my own life.

Brought up as a Christian, other spiritual outlooks took a hold on me after the age of 12 and thus I began a 25-year pilgrimage through a diverse range of philosophies, worldviews and faiths. The journey took me on a round journey between London and Australia, during which I certainly lived out the invitation to "taste and see."

Ultimately the journey brought me back to my Christian heritage; as TS Eliot says in his poem 'Little Gidding':

The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.

However, I brought back gifts from my journey, as classic story structure tells us the traveller must.  I feel empathy for those who follow a variety of spiritual paths: because I feel I know where they are coming from, having been there myself.

My background ensured that when I first saw Edoardo Albert's book London: A Spiritual History I knew I had to buy it. 

I loved this book, attracted to it originally in the shop of the Royal Naval College Visitor Centre, Greenwich, by both its title and its delightful, playful cover design.

London: A Spiritual History by Edoardo Albert  begins by telling the history of London from well before the Roman invasion, and then bringing us through to the present day, interspersed with plenty of personal observations from the author who spent several years as a TV repairman travelling the London streets and working in many different people’s homes.

Albert’s survey of London history is fascinating, and further enlivened by his own personal take on famous characters like Thomas Cromwell, (Henry VIII’s right-hand man), and William Blake, the visionary.

Then the author moves into his own personal spiritual search over many years, which interweaves with London and its multi-faceted character, from Catholicism through atheism and then onto the various magical and mystical groups with which London abounds.

I identified with so much of this, having lived in central London during my twenties, and having tried out many of these groups myself throughout the capital, such as the Theosophical Society and the Spiritualist Association of Great Britain – not to mention a passing flirtation with the Rosicrucians, though I cannot claim to have applied for membership of the Order of the Golden Dawn!

Albert’s final “epiphany” comes with such disarming simplicity it is genuinely moving.  

I highly recommend this book for all those of us who know what it is to travel on a long, spiritual quest.

 

SC Skillman writes psychological, paranormal and mystery fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of 'Mystical Circles', 'A Passionate Spirit' and 'Perilous Path'.  Her latest book,  'Paranormal Warwickshire', was published by Amberley Publishing. Currently she is working on a new non-fiction book for Amberley, 'Illustrated Tales of Warwickshire', and a novel called 'Director's Cut'

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