Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence

This book is an absorbing account of the life, works and vision of two prominent mystical thinkers, Etty Hillesum and Eric Voegelin, whose lives were shaped by the totalitarian Nazi-regime. Inspired by Voegelin’s philosophy, Dr. Meins G. S. Coetsierexplores how mystical attunement to the flow of presence is the key to the development of Etty Hillesum’s life and writings. Eric Voegelin’s analysis of the history of order is focused on the responses of individuals and societies to the divine presence. Etty Hillesum’s The Letters and Diaries illustrates her heroic struggle to come to terms with her personal life in the context of her gradual response to the flowing presence.

Etty Hillesum died at the age of twenty-nine in Auschwitz midway through WW II. All her energy had been absorbed in a daily search for the meaning of her life, for an understanding of her relationships with others, and for an insight into the ultimate purpose of each individual’s contribution to the well being and maintenance of the human spirit.

Eric Voegelin’s philosophical symbol “the flow of presence” is designed to “catch’’ changes and shifts in the mode of human responsiveness to the divine presence and it is especially helpful in clarifying what is taking place in the soul of Etty Hillesum. Her response to the flow of presence while she was undergoing significant breakthroughs in her spiritual life in the context of a period of overwhelming social disorder, amounts to a testament of great courage. It is an inspiration and an affirmation of the indestructible wonder of life, which will energize generations to come. In one of his final conclusions Dr. Coetsier writes: “The complexity of the human condition will require the ability to be human in transcending our immediate and simply given context through an attunement to the flow of presence.” As the author pursued his scholarly journey – heartrendingly recording the horrors inflicted on his countrymen and women during WWII - he pays tribute to the subjects of this study, Etty Hillesum and Eric Voegelin. They have provided us with a welcome antidote to the restless and wandering spirit of a complex and turbulent era and we are indebted to Dr. Coetsier for guiding us to the heart of their mystical thought.

With the current explosion of interest in inter-religious dialogue, peace studies, Judaism, the holocaust, gender studies and mysticism, it is clear that the author has responded sensitively to the signs of the times. Accompanying his treatment of Voegelin’s and Hillesum’s writing, Dr. Coetsier has included an extensive bibliography of international scholarship on both authors. The book will be invaluable to students and scholars in various disciplines.