The Mystics Would Like a Word

Six Women Who Met God and Found a Spirituality for Today

By: Shannon K. Evans

Narrated by: Shannon K. Evans

Discover a rich legacy of audacious women who forged a spirituality that is more inclusive, surprising, and empowering than we ever imagined.

“The feminist reading of women mystics I’ve wanted for ages . . . invites us into the hopeful possibility for communal healing that we desperately need right now.”—Sarah Bessey, bestselling author of Field Notes for the Wilderness and Jesus Feminist

Is there a Christian spirituality that embraces the entire reality of womanhood?

The answer, Shannon K. Evans suggests, is an emphatic yes. There is a spirituality that meets us in every part of our lives, developed by the women who came before us. Six mystics—Teresa of Ávila, Margery Kempe, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux—revealed a faith big enough to hold the female experiences of sex and desire, the yearning for bodily autonomy, the challenges of motherhood and identity, as well as life with male authority and—sometimes—violence. These women, self-determining, stubborn, and unapologetically themselves, asked questions in their time that are startlingly prescient today, and fought for women’s experiences to be heard, understood, respected, and recognized as holy.

In The Mystics Would Like a Word, readers will discover the story of Christian faith and spirituality as told by these extraordinary and wise women, one that speaks directly to today’s unique experiences, and leads to wholeness, healing, and spiritual vitality.

Critic reviews

“In this lively, accessible account of some of my favorite women mystics, Evans shows how their lives can illuminate, uplift, and transform ours.”―Mirabai Starr, author of Wild Mercy and Ordinary Mysticism

“Evans’s down-to-earth truth-telling nourished my spiritual journey and strengthened my contemplative life. My hunch is that it can nourish your life, too.”—Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, author of Hunger for Hope, former leader of Nuns on the Bus, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient

“With humor and humanity, Evans guides us all with the particular wisdom of women, welcoming us into a larger, weirder, and more compelling spirituality than we commonly encounter today.”—K.J. Ramsey, therapist, and author of The Book of Common Courage

“Evans reminds us that our modern, twenty-first-century life still holds space for the feminist lessons of the mystics, helping us craft in our own time what our spirituality looks like in this hurting and curious world.”—Kaitlin B. Curtice, award-winning author of Native and Living Resistance

“Writing with candor and urgency, Evans reminds us that the church and spiritual life also belong to women—and that liberation for women can’t help but turn into justice for the world.”—Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ, author of Dead Man Walking and River of Fire

Empowering

Shannon’s voice as she speaks of her friends in the mystics is welcoming, encouraging and empowering. She leads us to questions that can lead us closer to ourselves and God.

Both transcendent and ordinary

Feminist in nature but spiritually universal, this book is a gentle, familiar, and warm introduction and personal conversation with the author’s beloved friends: Catholic women mystics. The book is a wonderful journey for any woman seeking to understand herself and to more deeply meet and understand the yet-to-be-sufficiently-appreciated wisdom and sisterhood of women mystics.

Food for thought

Although I said, “Ewwe” and “No way!” Several times while listening to, it was very thought provoking and spirit touching. I encourage any woman seeking their way on the path to getting closer to God to give it a read or a listen. This may affirm some of the feelings you have felt on your spiritual journey to God.

Hopeful Again

Shannon’s voice delivering her poignant and liberating insights on the lives and thoughts of these women left me hopeful about faith for the first time in a long time. And that is saying something. Shannon makes faith expansive and inclusive and leaves room for questions and critique. This volume will help you find your spark and begin again in new ways. Highly recommend.

Deeply spiritual, sensible, feminist, and so needed!

As a spiritual but not currently practicing Catholic I enjoyed this book and it brought me closer to God. It encouraged me to trust God in myself and value myself as a woman while shedding light on the lives of these lady-saints in fresh and balanced ways I hadn’t yet heard. Catherine of Sienna is so metal!! Way to go, Shannon Evans. You’ve done it again! Keep going. 🩷