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Related: The Varieties of Spiritual Experience: 21st Century Research and Perspectives by David B. Yaden and Andrew Newberg https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-varieties-of-spi...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Varieties_of_Scientific_...
Are there any good broad multi-tradition books on mysticism?
The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young has an interesting overview of multiple traditions and how they overlap in a lot of ways.
The book is edited from Shinzen's talks and an earlier version does have some guided meditations that introduce these practices but a newer version narrated by Edoardo Ballerini doesn't. In any case I think one needs significant meditation experience to comprehend the second half of the book.
https://psychology-tools.com/test/meq-30
Or see the factor analysis based on a study of over a thousand users of psilocybin. The dominant factor is feelings of unity— followed by feelings of positivity, transcendence of space/time, and ineffability (inability to put the experience into words).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1468-5906...
These feelings have been described across history and culture. These are not merely drug experiences — they are “perennial” mystical experiences.
The notion of unity is central to the experiences— but what does that mean? One can look for understanding in many traditions—I’ve found a lot of value in the Pythagorean-Platonic tradition.
(As a side note, I wonder how the concept of unity compares to the concept of “harmony.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240587262...)
Check out the “Embassy of the Free Mind” in Amsterdam if you are interested in the historical texts associated with mystical experiences. It is a rare book library with roots in the renaissance. https://embassyofthefreemind.com/en/
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Be still and know that I am God. Pretty sure that's in the bible. But I think they're missing quotes: Be still and know that "I am God" (i.e. know it for yourself). At least that's how I interpret it.
This seems remarkably in line to some Buddhist/Hindu/Non-Dual meditation techniques.
What I find most intetesying is the concept of rehashing, that mystics pickup where other mystics left off, sometimes after decades have past. I think in today's world, given our newly acquired technology of AI, we can finally stitch all the mysticism pieces which have been woven by past mystics with the aim of finally creating the big picture and hunt for naturally occurring patterns. I for one want to find what Jes…
Be still and know that I am God. Pretty sure that's in the bible. But I think they're missing quotes: Be still and know that "I am God" (i.e. know it for yourself). At least that's how I interpret it.
Are there any good broad multi-tradition books on mysticism?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Varieties_of_Religious_E...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is TOTALLY psuedo-scientific new agey talk. That doesn't necessarily negate it's validity. What determines it's it's validity is whether it is a testable and repeatable method to accomplish a result, and whether it can be learned, then communicated / taught to others. Aleister Crowley said in Magick in Theory and Practice: "In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth and the Paths; of Spirits and Conjurations; of G…
Assuming that this suggestion of “pushing up” CSF is possible, if taken literally, it would increase intracranial pressure (ICP). The normal ICP range is around 7-15 mmHg, and pressures outside this range can reduce cerebral perfusion, with increases potentially causing cerebral ischemia and brain herniation. Therefore, maintaining normal ICP is crucial for brain health. Let’s assume this supposed technique alters IC…
So by definition anything that produces an effect not readily accepted by 'science' is pseudo-science. It doesn't make it wrong it just means consensus hasn't caught up with it.
Maybe it's CSF that's pushed up the spine, maybe it's energy. But multiple traditions practice some form of moving awareness up the spine combined with gentle physical contraction as a primary means of creating the conditions for entering mystical states. Those same traditions describe how this method energises the endocrine system. Furthermore the effects of doing this are now documented in scientific papers (search pubmed for kundalini).
None of this negates the validity of the methods. They require firsthand experience for any real benefit, and more study to understand the exact processes at work.
One reason why psychologists like to operationalize concepts is to make them measurable. Take a look at the way mystical experiences are measured—it’s a great way to get clarity on what mystical experiences are. https://psychology-tools.com/test/meq-30 Or see the factor analysis based on a study of over a thousand users of psilocybin. The dominant factor is feelings of unity— followed by feelings of positivity, trans…
Also there is nothing perennial about platonism. It has been and continues to be challenged. An overlap in a handful of psychological measurements doesn’t justify conflating intoxicated platonism with all possible varieties of mystical experiences.
One reason why psychologists like to operationalize concepts is to make them measurable. Take a look at the way mystical experiences are measured—it’s a great way to get clarity on what mystical experiences are. https://psychology-tools.com/test/meq-30 Or see the factor analysis based on a study of over a thousand users of psilocybin. The dominant factor is feelings of unity— followed by feelings of positivity, trans…
Drugs change brain neurochemistry, which means they change the very apparatus of conscious experience. There are probably just as many differences as similarities, between sober and intoxicated mysticism. Also there is nothing perennial about platonism. It has been and continues to be challenged. An overlap in a handful of psychological measurements doesn’t justify conflating intoxicated platonism with all possible v…
this is an uninformed comment. Medical science literature starts out in Chapter 1 with "some kinds of drugs create chemical states that are not possible without the substance, while others change chemical states that are also naturally occurring" .. roughly paraphrased.
A notable thing about this topic is so many people assume they have expert insights?
One reason why psychologists like to operationalize concepts is to make them measurable. Take a look at the way mystical experiences are measured—it’s a great way to get clarity on what mystical experiences are. https://psychology-tools.com/test/meq-30 Or see the factor analysis based on a study of over a thousand users of psilocybin. The dominant factor is feelings of unity— followed by feelings of positivity, trans…
Drugs change brain neurochemistry, which means they change the very apparatus of conscious experience. There are probably just as many differences as similarities, between sober and intoxicated mysticism. Also there is nothing perennial about platonism. It has been and continues to be challenged. An overlap in a handful of psychological measurements doesn’t justify conflating intoxicated platonism with all possible v…
Importantly, the mysticism scale is not a “drug induced mysticism scale.”
The Pythagorean-Platonic tradition is rich — and let me be careful to say that I'm not making the claim that all philosophy is the same everywhere. But mystical concepts of unity and harmony are precisely perennial because of the shared nature of mystical experiences. Mystical christianity, mystical judaism, mystical islam, mystical buddhism, mystical taoism, mystical shintoism... The experiences have a lot in common. There are a number of surprising alignments between the Dao De Jing and Presocratic philosophy. I’d be happy to share.