I have long since been convinced that the true heart of religion is experience. Not argument, or syllogism, nor scriptural inerrancy or dogmatic observance, but the profound and personal experiences that often predate and transcend them. As I like to point out, very few (though some!) conversion stories being with, “Premise One…”, and whether someone comes to or leaves faith in God, it is more commonly due to facts about their life and experiences.
You do not need to agree with the above to know that in every major religious tradition, no matter how much they are resisted, mystical branches have sprung up and flourished. Sufism within Islam, Kabbalah within Judaism, and ecstatic, experiential expressions of Christianity, for example.
Mysticism is usually characterised by its adherents’ desire to experience unity with the divine, or with each other, or the universe. It seeks direct, ineffable access to divinity, and often involves ritualistic, musical, meditative, or otherwise esoteric practices to achieve it.
Those who experience such moments of divine revelation typically favour its insight over that of organised religious authority or even philosophical thinking. Indeed, Thomas Aquinas refused to finish the Summa Theologica after a short religious experience near the end of his life made him see all his writing as “straw” in comparison.
Yet these experiences often inspired ideas and beliefs which were out of accord with traditional doctrine. Ideas which collapse the distinction between creator and creation; ideas about the nature of God; a rejection of doctrinal concerns. Mysticism therefore has a tumultuous history, often suffering from suppression or persecution by clerical authorities.
The heroes and heroins of this history are many, including people such as Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, Simone Weil, and Teresa of Ávila. Today, I am joined by Simon Critchley, author of On Mysticism: The Experience of Ecstasy, to introduce the core ideas of mysticism and the lives of the people who lived by it.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Is Mysticism Always Religious?
7:52 - What is Mysticism?
17:26 - Unification With the Divine
28:25 - Mysticism and the Self
39:06 - Why Are So Many Mystics Women?
47:08 - The Limits of Language
58:22 - Was Pascal a Mystic?
01:01:48 - Where Does Simon Stand on Mysticism?
01:09:50 - Where Should We Start With Learning About Mysticism?
01:14:03 - Imagery in Simon’s Book
