Forty Days

Rating:
Summary: A Sufi Practice Witnessed from Hearts Eye
Review: MICHAELA OZELSEL deserves our credit on revealing us to the most private moments that she experienced during her taking a 40 days Sufi retreat. Several books on various Sufi practices are available but most of these books talk about the descriptive and/or prescriptive side of these practices. This book details a witnessing of thoughts, feelings, and events that Dr. Ozelsel experienced herself. This book is unique as it exposes to the reader firsthand experiences (away from theories on this subject) of this Sufi practice. In the second half of this book Dr. Ozelsel tries to map her experiences in the light of contemporary multi-disciplinary scientific knowledge. This second half is just like looking into traditional and sacred practices from scientific looking glass. This book is very original and it is hard to putdown till one completes the diary portion of this book.

Rating:
Summary: A rare account of seclusion
Review: This is an account of the mystical experience of a western trained psychologist who underwent the 40-day seclusion practiced by many sufi orders. What we usually find in the sufi literature are the accounts of sufi sheikhs on their seclusions, which are typically shrouded in allegorical discourse. That's why this is an interesting book. Although the later part of the book where she tries to put her mystical experience in a scientific perspective is misconceived, to say the least.