Mystical Love: The Universal Solvent
Charles D. Laughlin, Melanie Takahashi
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12120 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that “mystical love” is a central affect in mystical experiences, and that ritual practices such as ingesting entheogens, devaluing ego-centeredness, and meditating on loving kindness are used across cultures to incubate this affect and prepare for mystical states. |
Abstract
AbstractThe authors, both anthropologists who study alternative states of consciousness (ASC), explore the psychodynamics of mystical experience (ME). An affect that is a key factor for and integral to the phenomenology of ME is what they term “mystical love.” In many respects, ME refers to ASC that is diametrically opposite to everyday ego‐centered, materialist consciousness. In this article we examine several questions, including: (1) Why do humans experience ME, (2) why does there seems to be a need to alter consciousness away from ordinary waking states, (3) what is the relationship between mystical love and other affective states such as anger, greed, and anxiety, and (3) what are the necessary conditions for ME‐type, transpersonal experiences? We demonstrate that ritual practices are recurrently used across cultures to incubate and evoke intense feelings of non‐romantic love, empathy, and compassion. Some of these practices include ritual drivers such as ingesting psychotropic substances (entheogens and empathogens), daily activities that devalue ego centeredness and promote love, empathy and selfless service, meditation upon loving kindness, and compassion. All of these practices are preparations for entering ME, the results of which are interpreted within people's cycle of meaning.