Mysticism is a spiritual practice that seeks a direct, intuitive connection with the Divine, transcending ordinary understanding. Comparative mysticism examines the similarities and differences between mystical traditions across various religions. This study focuses on the works of Jalaluddin Rumi, a 13th-century Persian Sufi from Anatolia, and John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic...
Challenging Freud’s contention that the origin of religion is the need for a protective Father – rather than an oceanic feeling of eternity – Augustine’s Confessions (as I read it) indicates that such an oceanic experience generated the concept of original sin, in order to justify a theological procedure for returning to that ecstatic experience, thereby laying the foundation for Christianity....
DMT reliably induces profound experiences of immersion in other worlds and encounters with seemingly autonomous presences, yet the lived qualities and unfolding of these experiences remain poorly understood. Using micro-phenomenological interviews with twenty-three healthy participants who received DMT during fMRI scanning, this study explores how these experiences arise and develop in...
ABSTRACT The resurgence of psychedelic medicine, often termed ‘the psychedelic renaissance,’ marks a profound shift from decades of repressed research to a burgeoning field characterised by significant scientific, regulatory, and economic transformations. Once marginalised, psychedelics are now experiencing widespread interest and investment, spurred by changes in legal frameworks, public...
Abstract Though Philo of Alexandria’s ascetic beliefs and practices often have been noted, a focused assessment of the Platonic influences on his contemplative asceticism has yet to be offered. While addressing that shortcoming, this essay identifies a number of key Platonic themes. Like Plato’s Socrates, Philo is capable of expressing a range of opinions concerning embodied existence and the...
The comparison between Hesychasm and Sufism focuses on their respective mystical practices: the Jesus Prayer in Hesychasm and Dhikr in Sufism. Both traditions emphasize withdrawing from worldly distractions to achieve spiritual purity and communion with the divine. In Hesychasm, practitioners use the Jesus Prayer to attain inner stillness and experience divine light, aiming for a state of...
This volume offers a philosophical examination of various forms of religious experiences rather than merely concentrating on beliefs or apologetics. The author, Christina M. Gschwandtner, argues that rather than being isolated acts or one-time occurrences ( Erlebnis ), these experiences are best understood as ways of life ( Erfahrung ). According to her, the philosophical approach most...
This paper develops an account of one trait involved in living the spiritual life well and argues that this trait can be recognized by both the religious and non-religious as a virtue. The virtue, which I call “spiritual excellence,” involves making skilled use of a worldview for which one has ambiguous evidence or better in order to cultivate transformative experiences of connectedness. I...
Descriptive metaphysics only describes the structure of thought about the world, according to P. F. Strawson, but revisionary metaphysics aims to produce a better structure. This article introduces a cross-cultural revisionary metaphysics, Nondual Panpsychism. It is cross-cultural in engaging with Indian philosophy. It is nondual in claiming that reality, although neither plural nor dual, is...
This study explores God's names' meaning and role in Jewish and Christian traditions. In Judaism, the divine name, including the Tetragrammaton, is perceived as a mysterious and creative entity essential to understanding the Torah as a sacred language. The Tetragrammaton is seen as an expression of divine power, having a mystical nature that allows for a deep relationship with divinity. In...