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Religion and Mysticism

Religion and Mysticism

[“The lovers of God have no religion but God alone” (Jalál al-Din Muḥammad Rúmi [1207-73]; cited by Dag Hammarskjöld [1905-61] in his Markings).] O Lover, I am again reminded that this glimmering gift of...

Rhapsodizing the Fullness 

Rhapsodizing the Fullness 

[“For it was (the Father’s) good pleasure for all the divine fullness to dwell in (the Christ)” (Col 1:19).] O Lover,  Across the sweep of two millennia one of the more neglected passages in...

The Cosmos as Permanent Address

The Cosmos as Permanent Address

O Lover,  From time to time I am drawn, ambush-like, into a zone of awareness of inundating beauty and bounty, one in which my modest vessel is filled and overflowing leaving me awash in...

Mysticism and Its Linguistic Companions

Mysticism and Its Linguistic Companions

O Lover, It was in my early twenties that I had my first substantive encounter with the thought of Paul Tillich (1886-1965). In the autumn of his passing I recall a class discussion exploring...

Ras Mohammed Revisited

Ras Mohammed Revisited

(8/1/23) O Lover, Yet again, how shall I hold in my awareness, as well as communicate, You—unnameable, undepictable, unimaginable? How can I assuage this itch, this draw, this propensity to ensnare You with language,...

Toolless in Transit

Toolless in Transit

(7/26/23) [“. . . the Spirit joins in to help our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Herself intercedes for us with groanings too deep...

Portal/Path/Portal . . .

Portal/Path/Portal . . .

(7/18/23) O Lover, For several years while living in Washington D.C. three decades ago I would begin each Wednesday with morning prayer and breakfast at the Discalced Carmelite friary. Befriended by a novice keen...

Awe as Mystérium (II)

Awe as Mystérium (II)

(7/12/23) [Rudolf Otto, The idea of the Holy (1917).] O Lover, In my previous post I sought to explore Dacher Keltner’s notion of “awe,” the experience of finding oneself in the presence of that...

Awe as Treméndum (I)

Awe as Treméndum (I)

(7/12/23) [Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (2023).] O Lover, Of late bits of my lifespan have been converging around the rich theme of...