Mysticism

Western culture has always included a strong element of mysticism in its traditions. Mysticism is strongly based on the occurrences of revelations: experiences in which Divine knowledge is disclosed to someone, usually in the form of some incredible happenstance (for example, a bush that burns but never turns to ash.) Revelation is where all three major world religions started. Even more than that, revelation is appealing to both humans and God: to humans, because it means that anyone can gain knowledge directly from God (not just scholars who spend every waking moment attempting to acquire such a breakthrough); to God, because it is a surefire way to spread knowledge of his plans and needs (knowledge he needs humans to have, if he wants his plans carried out by them.) Revelatory experiences are the backbone of mysticism in the western tradition. The starting point for all three major world religions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--was Abraham’s first revelation and covenant with God. In exchange for completing a few other obligations, God promised Abraham that he would…

The concept of being a mystic has been around for centuries. That is, “a person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy” (Dictionary). This idea of mysticism is expressed in the novel Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen. While reading this novel, readers are forced to contemplate the question: is Mariette a fake or…

During the times of the Christian church, Mysticism played an important role and also made a major impact on the Christians. Mysticism was always there for the people when they were feeling distant from God and wished to get closer to him. Those who went through mysticism had a completely new aspect of their lives and what it meant to be a follower of Jesus Christ. The Christians thought that through mysticism, they could have interactions with God that make them stronger believers and live a…

Christian mysticism is an aspect of Christian experience where Christians believe that they have had some contact with God (Boon, lecture, Aug. 24, 2015). It is through these extraordinary claims that give an individual authority, power, and an experience that goes beyond the human realm. Beatrice of Nazareth was an author, a nun, a Christian, and most importantly (for the purpose of this discussion) a mystic. In her writing of early mystic literature, the Seven Steps of Love, she eloquently…

Author David Ariel offers Kabbalah: The Mystic Quest in Judaism as a comprehensive guide to understanding the complex practice of Jewish mysticism. The introductory chapter provides a background on mysticism itself, theories within different researcher perspectives, and a relation of mystic experiences to the Jewish religion. In this paper, the author’s main ideas are summarized before analysis and reflection. William James, looking at the psychology of religious experiences of the individual,…

Mysticism in Christianity can lead to many different questions when it comes to someone’s faith. Having mysticism allows people to question their faith because acts of God can happen to an individual without proof or explanation. An act of God that can cause mysticism in Christianity is a person’s rebirth during baptism. “There is consequently a relationship between the symbols that they employ and the realities that they accomplish” (Danielou, 191). Baptism’s present the element of water as…

Throughout out the middle ages people debated whether Margery Kempe was a crazy woman or a mystic. There a lot of evidence that proof that Kempe was a mystic. This essay examines Margery Kempe and other introspective women of the middle ages and find what their beliefs were and how they practiced to those beliefs. Mysticism in not unique to one religion or even is a religion by itself, but rather a facet of many different religions around the world. During their reflection, people who practice…

Whitman and AL-Hallaj as Sufi poets Throughout centuries poets and mystics of all nations have faced the dilemma of trying to express the inexpressible (Selim 26). They had a lot of knowledge, and insights within, but they were unable to put them into words in many occasions. Especially in times of intense spirituality, words failed to express the ecstasy they reached often through meditation and deep thinking. Sufi poets were among the most poets who suffered from this dilemma. Their beliefs…

As I begin, I want to mention that I have disagreed with many of the things that PGL have said in The Path, but I was not in disagreement with them in this, the Laozi, chapter as much as I had been in earlier chapters. While they get much of the message of Daoism wrong, I do not believe this to be a result of an error in communication, as in previous chapters. However, despite not mistranslating the core philosophy, PGL miss the point of Daoism and somehow, wrongfully, arrive at the conclusion…

Context During the time of Catherine of Siena, the world was faced with medieval mysticism as well as the Black Plague. Medieval mysticism was a medieval woman 's movement. There were also male mystics. Medieval mysticism was mainly a women 's movement due to the fact that women outnumbered the males at that time. Mysticism is understood as an immediate and sustained connection with the divine. Mysticism is considered the science of the love of God. Mystics are in every religion. Most mystics…