The article examines the mystical and artistic interpretation of the numbers 40, 10 and 7 in religious-Sufi sources and Khorezm epic dastans. The object of the study is the epic dastans of Khorezm — such as the “Go‘ro‘g‘li” cycle, “Oshiq G‘arib va Shohsanam”, “Yusuf va Ahmad” and “Sayyod va Hamro” — together with the religious-Sufi sources that form their artistic foundation (the Qur’an,...
Abstract This essay considers the apophatic elements in the writings of some of the major exponents of the Flemish or Dutch school of vernacular theology in the high and late-medieval period. First the spirituality of the beguine Hadewijch is discussed, in whose oeuvre the topic of divine longing takes central stage. Secondly, the mystical theology of Jan van Ruusbroec and his ideal of the...
Abstract What is the epitome of science? Today, it is seen as residing in the scientific methods and practices of experimentation. For the Latin scholastics, the epitome of scientia has commonly been identified as the method and practice of demonstration. Yet Albert the Great (1200–1280) offered a different answer to our question. He relegated demonstration to a lower rank, and instead...
This study examines the mediumistic paintings of Guo Fengyi (郭鳳怡 1942–2010) through the lens of Daoist inner contemplation (neiguan 內觀) and traditional Chinese medicine. Guo developed distinctive self-cultivation techniques, including Ziran Chaoneng Gong (自然超能功 Natural Superpower Qigong), Qi’e Gong (企鵝功 Penguin Qigong 氣功), and Liu Ling Shuzi Gong (劉陵數字功 Liu Ling Numerology Qigong), which...
One of the most fundamental and debated issues in the history of Sufism concerns not only the nature of mystical experience but also its epistemic value, its authority-generating capacity, and its normative legitimacy. Experiences expressed through kashf (unveiling), ilhām (inspiration), presence, witnessing, and annihilation have never been entirely rejected within Islamic thought, yet they...
The present paper undertakes a systematic and scholarly examination of psychological thought embedded within four major Eastern philosophical and spiritual systems: the Bhagavad Gita, Buddhism (with particular emphasis on meditation & mental purification), Sufism (the mystical tradition of Islam), and Integral Yoga (as systematised by Sri Aurobindo & further developed by Mirra Alfassa, aka the...
Understanding the concept of ma’rifa within the framework of Sufi mysticism requires a thorough reading of the spiritual journey in the quest for divine knowledge and unity with the Divine. In the traditional Islamic context, 'ilm (knowledge) implies religious knowledge, whereas in the Quran, the term “ilm” refers to God's own understanding, which includes both the visible and hidden aspects of...
This paper is an ethnographic and a critical philosophical cosmology on the Islamic healing practices which is intertwined with medical theodicies, ritualization of healing practices and mystical authority of the spiritual healer. It also discloses the therapeutic modalities, generalized precariousness of the life, convalescence of soul and constituting temporal structure of experience in the...
Background: Despite the rapid growth of psychedelic research, limited attention has been given to how psychedelics are used, experienced and integrated within highly conservative religious communities, and in Jewish contexts more broadly. This study addresses this gap by examining ayahuasca use among the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community, a highly religious, conservative, and collectivist...
Idiot dancing is a British term. It was mostly used between the late 1960s and the mid-to-late 1970s. It referred to an extreme form of what I am calling here expressive dancing. Expressive dancing refers to dancing that is lacking, or almost lacking, in any choreography. Rather, expressive dancing is dancing where the dancer responds to the beat, other embellishments from the drummer and...