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Mysticism

Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute,[1][2] but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning.[web 1] It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences.[web 2]

This article is about mystical traditions. For mystical experience, see mystical experience.

The term "mysticism" has Ancient Greek origins with various historically determined meanings.[web 1][web 2] Derived from the Greek word μύω múō, meaning "to close" or "to conceal",[web 2] mysticism referred to the biblical, liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.[3] During the early modern period, the definition of mysticism grew to include a broad range of beliefs and ideologies related to "extraordinary experiences and states of mind."[4]


In modern times, "mysticism" has acquired a limited definition, with broad applications, as meaning the aim at the "union with the Absolute, the Infinite, or God".[web 1] This limited definition has been applied to a wide range of religious traditions and practices,[web 1] valuing "mystical experience" as a key element of mysticism.


Since the 1960s scholars have debated the merits of perennial and constructionist approaches in the scientific research of "mystical experiences".[5][6][7] The perennial position is now "largely dismissed by scholars",[8] most scholars using a contextualist approach, which considers the cultural and historical context.[9]

History of the term[edit]

Hellenistic world[edit]

In the Hellenistic world, 'mystical' referred to "secret" religious rituals like the Eleusinian Mysteries.[web 2] The use of the word lacked any direct references to the transcendental.[14] A "mystikos" was an initiate of a mystery religion.

, or remembrance (of God), which often takes the form of rhythmic chanting and breathing exercises.

Dhikr

, which takes the form of music and dance — the whirling dance of the Mevlevi dervishes is a form well known in the West.

Sama

or meditation.

Muraqaba

Visiting holy places, particularly the tombs of Sufi saints, in order to remember death and the greatness of those who have passed.

Spontaneous; either apparently without any cause, or by persistent existential concerns, or by neurophysiological origins;

Religious practices, such as , meditation, and mantra-repetition;

contemplation

Entheogens (psychedelic drugs)

Neurophysiological origins, such as temporal lobe epilepsy.

Idel, Moshe; McGinn, Bernard, eds. (2016), Mystical Union in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: An Ecumenical Dialogue, Bloomsbury Academic

McGinn, Bernard (1994), The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, vol. 1–5, Crossroad

Poor, Sara S.; Smith, Nigel (2015), Mysticism and Reform, 1400–1750, University of Notre Dame Press

Shipley, Morgan (2015), Psychedelic Mysticism: Transforming Consciousness, Religious Experiences, and Voluntary Peasants in Postwar America, Lexington

Komarovski, Yaroslav (2015), Tibetan Buddhism and Mystical Experience, Oxford University Press

Dan Merkur, Mysticism, Encyclopædia Britannica

Jerome Gellmann, Mysticism, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

James McClenon, Mysticism, Encyclopedia of Religion and Society

Encyclopedia.com, Mysticism