Mystical Aspects Research Articles

Metaphysics and Mysticism: Mystical Aspects and Elements in the Work of Czech Thinker Karel Říha

Czech theologian and philosopher Karel Říha (1923–2016) followed the thinking of Maurice Blondel. He wanted to expand and deepen the basis of transcendental philosophy. He perceived the possibilities of a new metaphysics, which would be established only in a triadic way of thinking—knowledge, wanting, Being. He originally believed that the basic philosophical theory was the theory of moral conversion. Říha comprehended the event of moral conversion as a mystic turn, a transformation in which we find ourselves by realising ourselves in devotion to others. In this transformation, the striving for metaphysics, which is based on interpersonal relationships, achieves its goal. Metaphysics eliminates itself and is integrated into theology. Theology finally comes to the conclusion that the truth is not in our power but pursues us. The theologian and philosopher Říha, as he writes, has united himself with a Will, which we do not know where it leads us or what it will ask from us. There was nothing left on his own. Metaphysics and mysticism are united in his thinking and work.

Noology of Plotinus as an essay of rational theology

Plotinus’ theology is often viewed from a mystical aspect. He is considered an experienced contemplator rather than a discursive theologian. But recently, works have appeared that reveal moments of the philosopher’s positive theology. Plotinus’ henology is a theology, but the One, being transcendental, excludes any cataphatics. Noology is also a theology, as the philosopher calls the Intellect God. The term “rational theology” may have two meanings, reason and understanding, corresponding to two stages of knowledge of God, empirical and descriptive. In the treatise “On the Knowing Hypostases and That Which is Beyond” Plotinus discusses two ways of cognizing the Intellect, intuitive and discursive. The soul can empirically feel the Intellect, partake in, assimilate to and even become It, but it can also comprehend its experience through understanding (διάνοια, λογιστικόν), since it is connected with the Intellect through the inherent letters (γράμμασιν), laws (νόμοις), rules (κάνοσιν). Psychology may also be viewed as “rational theology”, but not in the sense formed in the context of Christian theology, which is attributed to the term at the present time. In the structure of the Intellect, Plotinus distinguishes the Intelligible — Intellect — Intelligence triad. This triad is close to E. Husserl’s “pure ego” structure, but the phenomenological epistemology is not substantiated, in contrast to the neoplatonic model. Noology could become the ontological ground of modern epistemology, and its theological nature — the foundation of any humanitarian knowledge.

Representing Mysticism: Select Writings of Namita Gokhale

This study attempts to explore the various elements of mysticism. It is important to note that Mysticism can be defined as a belief in which union with the Absolute can be achieved through contemplation or self-surrender. It has also been associated with super natural and occult practices. For this study, the writings of Namita Gokhale has been undertaken. Her writings deal withvaried aspects of mysticism. When she writes about the myths associated with trees and mountains, she is trying to attain that union and is in the pursuit to justify the different sets of practices, especially in the Indian context.She has experienced it all while growing up in the vicinity of mighty Himalayas.Her writings occasionally take a peep into the spiritual and mystical aspect of our day to day life for the holistic development of ourselves, including our emotional and spiritual development. Namita’s writings reveal her abiding love for the mighty Himalayas. Her stories are replete with the myths associated with mountain peaks, rivers, rocks, temples and trees.

Titus Brandsma: Getuige van God

“Can I help it that in all things God gives witness to himself?” This quote of Titus Brandsma shows his concept of God. This article reflects on the way in which Blessed Titus Brandsma gave witness to God from three perspectives: his mystical theology, his social engagement, and his way of the cross. Brandsma defines mysticism as a particular unification of God and man, whereby the latter becomes conscious of God’s presence and, on his part, also unifies himself with God. His writings highlight three key aspects of mysticism that are closely related: mysticism is two-sided, nearby, and embodied. Titus Brandsma was primarily active in the fields of education and journalism. He analysed the contemporary social and political situation and was very critical of national socialism, especially because its basic values were in conflict with the Christian value of love. He regarded the spiritual crisis as more fundamental than the social and economic crises. He offered a new concept of God, which was founded on God’s presence in the core of everybody, as a reply to individualism and social exclusion. Finally, this article gives some examples showing the way in which Brandsma gave witness of God during the final months of his life. Brandsma was imprisoned because of his effort for the resistance of the Catholic press against national socialism. Testimonies show that Brandsma could experience God’s presence nearby. This helped him remain strong spiritually.

Kryzys klimatyczny a metanoia. Mistyczne aspekty współczesnego pisarstwa przyrody

Climate Crisis and Metanoia. Mystical Aspects of Contemporary Nature Writing The aim of this article is to provide a synthesizing overview of religious references appearing in contemporary nature writing and in discourses dealing with the issue of the climate change. The author emphasizes the importance and scale of those references, pointing to the lack of theoretical tools – not developed by “divergent”ecocritical and post-secular theories – that could be used to characterize this phenomenon. Focusing on the descriptions of mystical experiences represented in contemporary nature writing, the author refers to the psychology of religion and neurotheology to show the actual potential of religious paradigm of spiritual and mental transformation (metanoia) in the context of climate change.

Proposing Publicity Leaving Church Apolitical Piety

This article seeks to release the Church from the false dichotomy of piety vs activeness in political issues, so that church members can optimally actualize piety and public responsibilities simultaneously. Apolitical piety has been running in GKS since its establishment on January 15, 1947, as the Dutch Reformed Church's evangelism legacy. Apolitical piety places the piety only as an individual's internal affair, not covering the public sphere. This discourse is a direct influence of Pietism, which began to develop in Europe in the 16th century. And Pietism itself was present as a response to Secularism, which originated in European society since the end Middle Ages. Like Pietism, Secularism also places the Church/religion and mystical aspects as personal human affairs because it doesn't want state life to be governed by or based on religion. But ideally, I view apolitical piety as the distorted discourse that should be abandoned and embrace new discourse: politics as an integral part of Church piety.

Magical and Mystical Aspects in Nepali Manuscript Illuminations

Nepali Manuscript illuminations are traditional miniature paintings found in religious manuscripts, including Prajnaparamita, Pancaraksa, Shivadharma, Visnudharma, and Devimahatmya. The religious manuscripts narrate mythical events in verbal texts and illustrate mythical characters and their actions simultaneously. The forms, figures and activities of the characters are symbolic, magical and mystical. The paintings present divine and supernatural characters in their spectacular feats of real life. The artworks represent the characters and events of Hindu and Buddhist myths. Despite the presence of magical and mystical elements, the visual narratives teach moral lessons to the real people of the real world. The symbols signify something else beyond the represented visuals. The miniature paintings motivate the readers and viewers for reading and learning by telling interesting stories. Presentation of strange and unusual characters and events renews viewers' perception providing delight while suggesting ethical values of the society. The presentation through magical and mystical characters and actions conveys moral lessons aesthetic manner. This article traces the magical and mystical features of Nepali manuscript illuminations and attempts to throw light on their significances.

МИСТИЧЕСКАЯ ДИСТАНЦИЯ В МАЛОЙ ПРОЗЕ Д.Г. ЛОУРЕНСА: ДУХ МЕСТА И ПЕЙЗАЖИ СЕРДЦА

This article uses the Jungian archetypal theory to analyze a selection of shorter fictions by D.H. Lawrence (the novellas The Princess (1924), St Mawr (1925), The Woman Who Rode Away (1928), The Escaped Cock (1929) and a few short stories) where the enigmatic aspect of place and distance plays an important role in the narrative, character development and personality individuation. I single out four types of the mystical distance in D.H. Lawrence, and focus on the spatial aspect. The paper shows that each novella or short story treats “the spirit of place”, albeit in a deferent light: the place may embody the Spirit, the Shadow, the Anima or Animus archetypes. Each travelling protagonist undergoes a spiritual transformation, which is presented in non-identical patterns, and the distance they cross bears the signs of the mystical. The place serves as the physical location of the quest, while the workings of the soul reveal such forms of spiritual and mystical aspects as Spirit-Animus, Spirit-Shadow, sacrifice and rebirth.

Saturnus Cryptensis sur une nouvelle inscription des environs de Maxula (Tunisie)

AbstractA new votive inscription to Saturn cryptensis using vulgar and poor Latin, but with a very original content, enriches the corpus of Saturnian names with a new topical epithet and sheds light on a mystical aspect of the cult of the most revered god in Africa.

THE ASPECTS OF KASAMPURNANING URIP IN LYRICS OF INGSUN SONG BY SUJIWO TEJO

The perfection of life in Javanese society is an achievement when the personal life and God have become one. The concept is usually found in literary works that have a mystical aspect, such as a song called Ingsun by Sujiwo Tejo. For connoisseurs of the song ingsun, the song has a meaning of divinity. This study aims to describe the aspects of perfection in life contained in the lyrics of the song. The study used a qualitative method with interpretive analysis from the perspective of Javanese belief. Based on the discussion kasampurnaning urip or perfection of life in the lyrics of the song Ingsun by Sujiwo Tejo is the ultimate goal of human life. This was achieved by always being aware of two important aspects, namely sangkan paraning dumadi and manunggaling Gusti servants. Manunggaling Kawula Gusti stage is done by restoring the awareness that the place of man to lean on is only to Gusti or God in him in the form of love and affection, namely God as Ar Rahman and Ar Rahkim. With these findings, it can be concluded that humans who have attained kasampurnaning urip always nurture their love for their fellow-creatures and God.

Therapeutic Communication Of "Siraman Qolbu" A discourse perspective

One of the phenomena of social crisis that occurs in society is marked by a trance. Unfortunately, this incident is often associated with mystical aspects. In fact, trance can be explained scientifically and it can be cured through therapeutic communication with religious nuances. This paper attempts to show that the stages of therapeutic communication and speech representation that is performed by Ustadz Danu in the healing process of a possessed person. The main purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the stages of therapeutic communication and speech representation. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach taking a primary and secondary data sources by observing, documenting, and analysing. The result of this study indicate that: first, there are four stages religious therapeutic communication that can improve the mental peace of trance patients by counsellor through religious activities such as reading salawat, prayers, and dhikr. Second, after getting religious guidance, patients with mental disorders feel more inner peace than before, this can be seen from the patient's independence, and the way of communication of patients who began to gradually improve. Third, utterances of advice that show supporting factors in healing a possessed patient include adequate facilities, infrastructure, and family support

Saint Bonaventure and the Divine Order of Creation

ABSTRACT One of the most interesting controversies of the thirteenth century arose over the Aristotelian conception of time. Aquinas and Bonaventure took two different approaches to this question of time. Bonaventure took an eschatological view of time which refuted the Aristotelian notion of formless time which Aquinas seems to have accepted. Taking a more emanationist view of creation than Aquinas, Bonaventure sought to link historical time to a sacred unfolding of the divine mystery, symbolically presented in the Genesis account of creation. This sacred unfolding of time has powerful affinities with the stages of mystical ascent portrayed in his Itinerarium Mentis in Deum and the De Reductione Artium ad Theologiam. History, although ultimately hidden from human understanding, nevertheless for Bonaventure can be seen as a refinement and transformation of the creation into the mind of God where all things will be made new. This essay explores the mystical aspects of this Franciscan vision of history as contemplated by Bonaventure.

Semantic and terminological aspect of rationalism and mysticism (based on the material of Eastern Patristic Philosophy)

Semantic and terminological aspect of rationalism and mysticism (based on the material of Eastern Patristic Philosophy)

Hindu Spiritualism: A Study of Upanishads and Yoga Sutras

Generally, Hinduism has two aspects within its paradigm, Ritualistic Hinduism and Spiritualistic Hinduism. First one is an institutionalized and organized religion with its holy books, rituals, priesthood, dogmas etc. The second one is a mystical outlook towards existence, a kind of spiritual humanism or freelance mysticism. This aspect of Hinduism is a continuation of the ancient wisdom traditions like Gnosticism and Neo-Platonism. The ritualistic aspect has its traditions in the form of Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas. Spiritualistic Hinduism can take many things from these traditions, but it’s not strictly bound to their rules and regulations. The example of mystical Hinduism can be derived from the Upanishads, which are an amalgamation of philosophy and mysticism, and Yoga Sutras which are the general ethical and spiritual methods to reach to a state of equanimity and bliss. We can see Aurobindo Ghosh attesting Semitic prophets and including them in the broader spectrum of spirituality. We can observe Ramakrishna Paramhamsa worshipping in mosques and churches. We can know the essence of Bhakti movement with its inclusive and syncretistic philosophy and love. The ritualistic side is exclusivist and casteist and sometimes manifests itself in the form of dogmatism and exploitation. The common masses who follow the ritualistic side literally believe in thousands of gods and goddesses with their myriad stories and myths. But the Hindu philosophers like Professor Radhakrishnan know that all these mythological stories are just various metaphors for the One Absolute Reality known as Brahman in the Upanishads or Vedanta. I intend to highlight the spiritual, mystical and philosophical aspects of Hinduism or Vedanta.

Мистический символизм художественного пространства текстов Ф.М. Достоевского (на примере повести «Хозяйка»)

The article examines the phenomenon of the mystical symbolism of the plot of the story by F.M. Dostoevsky's “The Landlady”. The unconscious, irrational concept of the story and its possibility of coexistence with a realistic implication are investigated. The text of the story is considered in its versatility and multilevelness. The images of the main characters are consistently considered and analyzed, both separately and in their connection with each other, the role of the mystical aspect in the formation of these images is revealed.

Mysticism and Sufism in T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets

This paper attempts to trace mysticism in T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets with a special focus on the mystical elements in the poems with their relevant dimensions. It also aims at looking at different literatures around Eliot’s works which consider Eliot as an atheist poet whose earlier writings contain secularist ideas but that only his Four Quartets and ‘Ash Wednesday’ contain some differences to faith, with the aim of proving that Eliot was not an atheist writer. This paper also looks at the mystical aspects of Eliot’s Four Quartets which shift into a deeper aspect of life that is Sufism. No studies have been done on this significant aspect of his Four Quartets The study also aims at presenting the answer that Eliot proposes to the problem of the people in the twentieth century through analyzing the hidden meanings of his poems.

“For the Letter Kills, but the Spirit Gives Life”: Halakha Versus Kabbalah in the Study of Jewish Mysticim1

Abstract In the 19th century, some Jewish scholars of the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement presented Kabbalah as the vital, spiritual and mystical aspect of Judaism, and juxtaposed it to legalistic, conservative, and petrified Halakha. Jewish neo-romantic and Zionist thinkers adopted this perception, which Christian Kabbalists and Hebraists first formulated in the Renaissance period. The assumption concerning the distinction and tension between Jewish mysticism and Halakha had a significant impact on the modern academic study of Judaism and it still governs the academic discipline of Jewish mysticism that Gershom Scholem and his disciples founded. This article argues that the modern identification of Kabbala as Jewish mysticism, and the assumed dichotomy between spiritual, vital Kabbalah, and dogmatic, petrified Halakha are a modern Jewish adaptation of the Pauline antithesis between the letter that kills and the Spirit that gives life.

People of remembrance: archival thinking and religious memory in Sufi communities

This paper looks at tariqa-based Sufism, the mystical aspect of Islamic practice, as an example of how archival thinking is used to traditionalize practices by way of religious memory. There is currently a lack of engagement in archival studies with religion and religious practices. Because we are aware of the ways that communities remember through embodied ritual as well as of the powerful relationship between affect and archiving, looking at how religious communities remember seems natural. Key archival concepts of provenance, authenticity, and original order can be seen to be at work in the ways in which Sufi communities seek to preserve both knowledge and spiritual experiences. This has led the author to conceive of tariqa-based Sufism as a system of conscious documentation of spiritual lineages, practices, sacred texts, and experiential knowledge of the Divine.

Between Kantian Rationalism and Moral Mysticism: The Search for the Grounding of Morality in the Philosophy of A. Jokubaitis

Although it is common to associate the thought of A. Jokubaitis with political philosophy, this article argues that his texts also allow us to talk about a specific moral philosophy of A. Jokubaitis. At the center of it we find an attempt to articulate and discuss the grounding ideas of morality. The article argues that the first two ideas – an idea of unconditional character of morality and an idea of ontological grounding – are related to Kant’s influence on A. Jokubaitis philosophy. These two ideas allow us to explain morality as an autonomous part of reality, which is different from the empirical one but nonetheless real. This part of reality is grounded in the first-person perspective of a moral subject and can be characterized by implicit normativity and unconditionality. The first-person perspective structures a radically different relation to our reality, which allows us to be agents, not simply spectators. Such an interpretation of Kant allows to associate A. Jokubaitis with his contemporary Kantians, such as Ch. Korsgaard, B. Herman, O. O’Neill, and A. Reath. However, the third idea, the one of a person, which becomes more visible in his book Politinis idiotas, transcends the Kantian conception of practical reason and encourages to perceive morality and its grounding in a much wider context. The concept of a person allows A. Jokubaitis to distance himself from Kantian rationalism and integrate social and mystical aspects of morality, which he has always found important.

Nasimi's thought and effect in Comparative Literature in Foreign Resources (Analyzing with Goethe's, S. Remiev’s and Dafydd ap Gwilym)

Imadeddin Nasimi is one of the mystical poets of the 14th century as a continuation of the Hurufism movement among Turkish poets. From Nasimi's point of view, ontology has been explained based on theological thought that everything is from the first force, which is equivalent to the whole new soul of the Platonists. The first appearance and the highest manifestation is the originality, the "Word" or the "Word of God," which is called the holy word. A similar view of the origins of Plotinus can found in the poems of other talented medieval and contemporary poets. Nasimi appropriately evaluated in both Eastern and Western literature. Therefore, 2019 was declared the year of Nasimi by UNESCO. He tried to understand God, not through fear, but love and conscience. The greatness of the perfect human personality for the progress of societies can be seen in Nasimi's view. In foreign sources, the philosophical aspect of Nasimi's poems is considered more than his ideological approach. But in this article, the aim of the investigation is that the literary, mystical, and worldview aspects of Nasimi and analyzing the effect of his mystical view on other poets' poems. In this context, Goethe, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Remiev's intellectual approaches, and poems would be analyzed. In the philosophy of ontology, the importance of self-knowledge is a priority. Therefore, based on comparative studies between Nasimi's mystical thought and German, Russian, and English poets, it is possible to understand the constituent elements of the commonality between them. This research will lead to the study of philosophical-mystical themes and the similarity of views between Nasimi and other poets. The use of the research method is the analytical-descriptive method, and their poems compared and criticized. The results of the analysis show that the poets of the Western World influenced by the mystical view of the Eastern world, and the approach of literary celebrities in the world is common to the definition of a perfect human being.