When this memoir-cum-love story begins in 1993, Harvey, a celebrated mystic and translator of Rumi, is 41, deeply in love for the first time and passionately committed to his Indian guru. In an earlier memoir, Hidden Journey, Harvey recounted his spiritual awakening at age 27 under the tutelage of Mother Meera, "a Divine being come to earth to guide and save humankind." Now life seems good: Meera has sent him his lover, Eryk (or so he believes), and the wounds of his youth are healing. But though Harvey has been Meera's spokesman for years, it turns out he has misread her. Suddenly she orders him to leave his beloved and publicly reject homosexuality. Enter the "Dark Night"—a year of tortured self-examination, endless tears, serious illness, death threats, suicidal thoughts and eventually a paradigm shift. As Harvey comes to believe in the beauty and truth of his love for Eryk, he realizes that Meera is expressing her fury through black magic. Ultimately Harvey renounces all gurus, advocating direct access of the individual to the divine. The "Sacred Androgynous Child of the Father-Mother," he concludes, is born through human love and love for the divine "in the fiery dark womb of tantra"—a philosophy also developed in his other recent books, including Son of Man. Harvey's writing can be overwrought at times. Nevertheless, his story is gripping, and he provides compelling reasons to take evil seriously and to distrust individuals or organizations who claim to control the path to the divine. (Oct. 14)
Forecast:
Hidden Journey is probably Harvey's best known book. As its sequel, this renunciatory volume will draw considerable attention and controversy, and will be sought after by the author's loyal fan base.
