Matei Iagher - The Consciousness Library

The Origins of Mircea Eliade’s Transconscious and the Vicissitudes of the Religious Faculty

Numen May 31, 2023 Matei Iagher

The concept of the 'transconscious,' central to Mircea Eliade's work on religion, emerged from a long psychological tradition of a 'religious faculty.' This article traces that genealogy, beginning with Max Müller and his German post-Kantian precursors Friedrich Jacobi and Jakob Fries. It then examines turn-of-the-century terms like 'super-conscious,' 'supra-conscious,' and 'trans-conscious' in philosophy and theology before 1947. Four intellectual strands contributed to Eliade's concept: the psychology of mysticism, occultism, interpretations of yoga, and contemporary philosophy and theology. The article concludes by analyzing Eliade's uses of the 'transconscious' and his debate with C. G. Jung on religion and the mind.

DOI: 10.1163/15685276-20231699 Full text Mysticism History of religions Philosophy German +6

From ecstasy to divine somnambulism: Henri Delacroix's studies in the history and psychology of mysticism.

History of psychology November 1, 2020 Matei Iagher

Henri Delacroix's 1908 book on the psychology of mysticism was part of a debate with the American school of psychology of religion. Delacroix argued against the American emphasis on the primacy of emotions in religious experience, instead introducing a developmental logic into the mystical life. He also sought to shift focus away from ecstasy as the central aspect of mysticism and to account for mysticism's value by positing a specific underlying mental state.

DOI: 10.1037/hop0000149 Full text

Papers

The Origins of Mircea Eliade’s Transconscious and the Vicissitudes of the Religious Faculty

From ecstasy to divine somnambulism: Henri Delacroix's studies in the history and psychology of mysticism.