The work of the famous American philosopher and psychologist W. James is an attempt to comprehend the phenomenon of religion not as an institution or social phenomenon, but as a directly knowable personal experience. The author considers religion in this aspect as one of the incursions of the subconscious into our everyday life, coming to the recognition of the higher forces from which religious people expect salvation and find it. Modern consciousness, whether it rejects or accepts religious ideas, cannot ignore the most interesting historical, psychological, literary material presented in the study. For a wide range of readers.