Category: Mysticism
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Two Types of Humanity: The Mystic and the Profligate
Julian Green, Diary 1928-1957, entry of 30 December 1940, p. 104: Does our body never weary of desiring the same things? [. . .] There are only two types of humanity . . . the mystic and the profligate, because both fly to extremes , searching, each is his own way, for the absolute; but,…
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The Dangers of Psychic Phenomena on the Spiritual Quest
The thoughts of Paul Brunton well presented in a short video. I have been reading him for years. Like Thomas Merton, the man is at his best in his journals. I have read and re-read all sixteen volumes. For some extracts see my Brunton category.
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How Could God be Ineffable?
The mystically inclined say that God is ineffable. The ineffable is the inexpressible, the unspeakable. Merriam-Webster: Ineffable comes from ineffābilis, which joins the prefix in-, meaning "not," with the adjective effābilis, meaning "capable of being expressed." Effābilis comes from effārī, "to speak out," which in turn comes from ex- and fārī, meaning “to speak.” But: "What we cannot speak about we must pass over in…
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Incarnation: A Mystical Approach
A Substack meditation for Christmas Day drawing upon Thomas Aquinas, Juan de la Cruz, and Josef Pieper.
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Grace
Between phenomenology and theology. Stack leader.
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Mysticism with Monica
Top o' the Stack.
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Hildegard of Bingen
New Yorker article. Remnant article.
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Sam Harris on Rational Mysticism . . .
. . . and whether the self is an illusion. Top o' the Stack.
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This Morning’s Meditation
Notes with the help of Augustin Poulain Top o' the Stack
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Two Worries about Meditation
Substack latest
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Incarnation: A Mystical Approach
A Christmas Eve Substack meditation that draws upon a mystical and possibly heretical passage from Juan de la Cruz.
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Intimations of Elsewhere: Sensible Reminders of Hidden Beauty
Salzburg, Austria, December 1971. A young Austrian girl, radiant and beautiful, walked into the kitchen. I lost all desire for the food I had prepared. My soul sprouted wings. The visible beauty triggered a memory of a timeless Beauty. Anamnesis pierced for a moment the amnesia induced by the bodily senses. Dayton, Ohio, 1978. Gripped…