Mystical Love: The Universal Solvent
The authors, both anthropologists who study alternative states of consciousness (ASC), explore the psychodynamics of mystical experience (ME). An affect that is a key factor for and integral to the phenomenology of ME is what they term "mystical love." In many respects, ME refers to ASC th...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
American Anthropological Association
[2020]
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| In: |
Anthropology of consciousness
Year: 2020, Volume: 31, Issue: 1, Pages: 5-62 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Consciousness expansion
/ Love
/ Empathy
/ Mystical experience
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| IxTheo Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism AE Psychology of religion AG Religious life; material religion CB Christian life; spirituality |
| Further subjects: | B
absorption states
B loving-kindness B alternative states of consciousness B transpersonal anthropology B mystical love B Mystical Experience B drivers B neural tuning |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The authors, both anthropologists who study alternative states of consciousness (ASC), explore the psychodynamics of mystical experience (ME). An affect that is a key factor for and integral to the phenomenology of ME is what they term "mystical love." In many respects, ME refers to ASC that is diametrically opposite to everyday ego-centered, materialist consciousness. In this article we examine several questions, including: (1) Why do humans experience ME, (2) why does there seems to be a need to alter consciousness away from ordinary waking states, (3) what is the relationship between mystical love and other affective states such as anger, greed, and anxiety, and (3) what are the necessary conditions for ME-type, transpersonal experiences? We demonstrate that ritual practices are recurrently used across cultures to incubate and evoke intense feelings of non-romantic love, empathy, and compassion. Some of these practices include ritual drivers such as ingesting psychotropic substances (entheogens and empathogens), daily activities that devalue ego centeredness and promote love, empathy and selfless service, meditation upon loving kindness, and compassion. All of these practices are preparations for entering ME, the results of which are interpreted within people's cycle of meaning. |
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| ISSN: | 1556-3537 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Anthropology of consciousness
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/anoc.12120 |