A Pilgrimage of the Heart: Walter Hilton and the English Mystical Tradition

Kevin Goodrich’s lively, devotional, and practical guide to the teachings of fourteenth- century mystic, Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, one of the great medieval figures of the English spiritual tradition is the most accessible full-length introduction to Hilton written. It is the ideal accompaniment to Goodrich's anthology of Hilton's writings, The Greatest Desire. A near contemporary of Julian of Norwich, Hilton was widely read in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries by laity and clergy, as well as those in monasteries, who sought his wise counsel and penetrating insights into the spiritual life. Kindling the Fire draws from all of Hilton’s extant writings, including his two major works, The Scale of Perfection and The Mixed Life, and will introduce readers to the English mystical tradition and the spiritual counsel of Hilton, not as disinterested observers, but as apprentices of the Spirit. Goodrich invites readers to intentionally make their life a pilgrimage, learning from the wisdom of a trusted guide, whose teachings reflect not only his own education and experience, but the venerable tradition of medieval English spirituality.