I've had feelings of awe and even bliss and euphoria out in nature, which is probably mixed in with whatever chemical is happening when I'm running. It was a state of feeling more than a state of intellect. You know, like you're sensing things in a different way than you normally do. And it also seems like if it did last long, then it would cease to be mystic, it would just be your normal experience. No. Mystical states cannot be sustained for long, except in rare instances,. Half an hour or at most an hour or two seems to be the limit beyond which they fade into the light of common day.
David and Tamler talk about William James’ chapter on mysticism from his book "Varieties of Religious Experience." What defines a mystical experience? Why do they defy expression and yet feel like a state of knowledge, a glimpse into the window of some undiscovered aspect of reality? Is Tamler right that David has a little mystic inside of him just waiting to burst forth from his breast?
Plus – another edition of VBW does conceptual analysis and we’re sticking with ‘c’ words – this time the definitive theory of ‘creepy.’
Sponsored By:
Support Very Bad Wizards
Links: