Walking the Mystical Path with Practical Feet – A Book by Peter Gyulay

Peter Gyulay’s Baha’i Blog articles offer much food for thought, and I find myself thinking about them long after I’ve closed my laptop. If you’re interested, you’ll find all his work here but one of his pieces that I think is really relevant to this post is called My Thoughts on the Mystical Dimensions of the Baha’i Faith. In it, he shares an introduction to what mysticism is and how it is aligned with Baha’i teachings and principles. In fact, Peter wrote a whole book on the topic and it’s called Walking the Mystical Path with Practical Feet: The Baha’i Approach to Spiritual Transformation.

Here’s what Peter shared with me about his book and what he learned in the process of putting it together:

Baha’i Blog: Can you tell us a little about yourself?

 I was born in Newcastle, Australia. I’ve been a Baha’i since 2003. I earn my living as an English language teacher but my passions are writing, music, being in nature and living an eco-friendly life on a plant-based diet and a bicycle.

Baha’i Blog: What inspired you to put this book together?

I have been interested in mysticism for a long time, even before I became a Baha’i, and for my whole Baha’i life, I have been trying to understand the mystical dimension of the Baha’i Faith. Although my understanding will continue to deepen, I felt the need to crystallise my thoughts and share them with others as I think the topic is an important one.

Baha’i Blog: What was the process like to put this work together?

Since the book is centred around the Baha’i sacred Writings, the framework of the book evolved around a compilation of quotations. I then expanded on these and explained the connections that I saw between the various aspects of Baha’i spirituality. This was all brought together at the end of the book where I explain how these aspects are connected and integrated.

Baha’i Blog: What’s something that you learned during the process of putting this book together?

Probably the most liberating thing I learned is that God’s light resides within each one of us, and if we turn to God through the Manifestation, our inner beings can be illuminated and we can see the signs of God within ourselves and in the world. This is a drastically different state of being than most of us experience day to day.

Baha’i Blog: What do you hope people will take away from this book?

That the deep spiritual connection between the individual and God is what stands at the heart of religion which means that all of our actions should ideally spring from this relationship. As our service to the world evolves it will grow in complexity but still this very deep relationship with God is at its core, inspiring and guiding all of our actions.

Baha’i Blog: What are you working on now?

I recently self-published a novel titled Two Worlds and a nonfiction book on the concept of time and mindfulness titled Now and Then which are currently available on Amazon with more platforms to come.

Baha’i Blog: Thank you so much, Peter, for taking the time to share this with us. You can purchase ‘Walking the Mystical Path with Practical Feet’ here on Amazon and at a variety of places and platforms here. And you can read Peter’s articles on Baha’i Blog here.

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.