From the exegesis the Alexandrian made of Jn 13, Book XXXII, in the Commentary about the Gospel of John, referring to the Washing of the Feet and Last Supper, it is possible to note that the mater of virtue can only be understood if two aspects are taken into account:a) The inseparability proposed by Origen between theology and mystical experience and;b) The harmonious equilibrium between grace...
Mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) are rapidly emerging in health care settings for their role in reducing stress and improving physical and mental health. In such settings, the religious roots and affiliations of MBIs are downplayed, and the possibilities for developing spiritual, even mystical, states of consciousness are minimized. This article helps rebalance this trend by using the...
This study presents a clinical conception of the human being as the paradox between immanence and transcendence. Through an exposition of the clinical conceptions of Brazilian author Gilberto Safra, we search for an integral manner in which to understand mystical experience as a way to rethink the ontological conceptions inherent to clinical practice. In such perspective, we elaborate a...
Cosmic mysticism is an immediate experience of oneness with God by means of ecstatic and wordless contemplation. The Indian Renaissance poets Rabindranath Tagore and Sri Aurobindo are spiritual humanists who believe that the entire creation is pervaded by the presence of God. Their exceptional minds have an instinctive urge to synthesize and transform, transmute and transcend the aspects of...
Un être humain est toujours extrêmement en dessous de ce qu'il pourrait être.-HENRI MICHAUX 1 .L 'homme ne saurait se passer de transcendance.Mais depuis que Nietzsche a annoncé la mort de Dieu, une grande partie de l'humanité semble désorientée, en quête d'un substitut qui la console et l'apaise.Les poètes ou les artistes, qu'ils soient ou non athées, ont substitué à ce besoin métaphysique une...
Experiences of profound existential or spiritual significance can be triggered reliably through psychopharmacological means using psychedelic substances. However, little is known about the benefits of religious, spiritual, or mystical experiences (RSMEs) prompted by psychedelic substances, as compared with those that occur through other means. In this study, 739 self-selected participants...
Developing methods for improving creativity is of broad interest. Classic psychedelics may enhance creativity; however, the underlying mechanisms of action are unknown. This study was designed to assess whether a relationship exists between naturalistic classic psychedelic use and heightened creative problem-solving ability and if so, whether this is mediated by lifetime mystical experience....
Mystical-type experiences were infrequent after LSD, possibly because of the set and setting used in the present study. LSD may produce greater or different alterations of consciousness at 200 μg (i.e., a dose that is currently used in psychotherapy in Switzerland) compared with 100 μg (i.e., a dose used in imaging studies). Ego dissolution may reflect plasma levels of LSD, whereas more...
The shift from negative evaluations of hypo-egoicism to more positive considerations is a shared interest of both the positive psychologist and the psychologist of religion. This chapter suggests that the possible positive benefits of hypo-egoicism associated with experiences of transcendence may be interpreted as vertical (more common in psychology of religion) or horizontal (more common in...
ABSTRACT This study examines the responses of Nepali Christians and Hindus to the newly developed Dreaming Mysticism Scale (DMS). Factor breakdowns of the DMS for Christians and Hindus were basically identical, and together they and the factor breakdown of the combined sample suggest an interpretation–extraversion–interpretation typology that corresponds to the typical finding of studies...
Professor Arthur Versluis’ introduction to Western Esotericism provides a clear account of the historical antecedents of contemporary Western Esotericism, interweaving strands and transmission, and scholars who have illuminated this fascinating field. He engagingly explores millennia of history, theology and philosophy, magic, mysticism, esotericism, and the ground between, in a remarkably...
Mysticism and schizophrenia are different categories of human existence and experience. Nonetheless, they exhibit important phenomenological affinities, which, however, remain largely unaddressed. In this study, we explore structural analogies between key features of mysticism and major clinical-phenomenological aspects of the schizophrenia spectrum disorders-i.e. attitudes, the nature of...
Most Islamic theologians and sufi orders always have a different view of discovering the truth of God. On the contrary,in the view of Ibn Taymiyya, between Islamic theology and mysticism both strive to deliver people to understand the existence of God, they are so willing to do good and leave the bad. Efforts to do good and leave the bad that bring human beings intothe perfection of the soul....
Feyerabend's interests in religion and mysticism grew through his career. In his later writings, Feyerabend's numerous critiques of scientific materialism are often accompanied by purported advantages of religious orientations and temperaments. These recommendations do not simply follow from his tolerant theoretical pluralism; they are more positive attempts to articulate distinctive aspects of...
This article analyses aesthetics and mysticism in the writings of Albert Geyser, the prominent South African theologian who is mostly known for his brave, uncompromising struggle against the apartheid system. In the first part of the article, brief introductory comments are made about Geyser’s theological and political role in South Africa in the light of his Protestan tcontext and his...
The article investigates the potential of mysticism to revitalise theology. It firstly traces howaesthetics was understood in theology and provides reasons for this view. It then investigateshow the predominant epistemological approach in theology privileged conceptual knowledgeand relativised aesthetics as being subjective and therefore unreliable. It gives special attentionto this...
The search for the basis of religious experience among neurological processes in the brain has resulted in a widespread debate within, as well as outside the academic world. The aim of this paper is to analyze to what extent a neuro-psychological theory could explain the phenomenon of religious experience. To clarify what the neuro-psychological studies of the present paper mean by the concept...
Apophaticism in mainstream analytic theology and philosophy of religion has come to denote a metaphysical and semantic thesis: that, due to divine transcendence, God is ineffable, inconceivable, or incomprehensible. But this conception fails to properly take account of the central claim of apophaticism as a special type of mystical theology. As such, the apophatic commitments to divine...
Mysticism and esotericism are two intimately related strands of the Western tradition. Despite their close connections, however, scholars tend to treat them separately. Whereas the study of Western mysticism enjoys a long and established history, Western esotericism is a young field. The Cambridge Handbook of Western Mysticism and Esotericism examines both of these traditions together. The...
It is a well-known fact that Ibn Sīnā in the final part of his work al-Ishārāt wa-l-tanbīhāt, Pointers and Reminders, extensively uses a mystical vocabulary. Given this fact some scholars have judged that he in this – in all likelihood rather late – work adheres to a kind of mysticism, either religious or, at least, philosophical. Based on a detailed analysis of some of the most significant...