Seekers of Unity

An attempt to leave our 21st century heads and get back into the mind of a 12th century philosopher who saw the world in entirely different ways than we do. Diving into the Middle Ages thought the mind of Maimonides. Exploring Maimonides on the Cosmic Spheres, the Flow, the Active Intellect, his theory prophecy and.. how to becoming an angel. Sources and Further Reading   •  A. J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996, pp. 69-126  •  Adam Afterman “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, 2016, p. 103-127 •  Adam Afterman, “Moses Maimonides on the Holy Spirit,” in Journal of Religion vol. 100, 2020  •  Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism, p. 213  •  Alfred Ivry, The Guide and Maimonides’ Philosophical Sources, p. 59 •  Christopher A. Morray-Jones, ‘‘Transformational Mysticism in the Apocalyptic-Merkabah Tradition,’’ Journal of Jewish Studies 43 (1992): pp. 1–31  •  Daniel Abrams, “Orality in the Kabbalistic School of Nahmanides: Preserving and Interpreting Esoteric Traditions and Texts,” Jewish Studies Quarterly 2 (1995): 85–102  •  Diana Lobel, “’Silence Is Praise to You’: Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience,” American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 76, no. 1 (2002): 31-58  •  Diana Lobel, “A Dwelling Place for the Shekhinah.” Jewish Quarterly Review 90 (1999): 103–125  •  Elliot Wolfson, ‘‘Yeridah la-Merkavah: Typology of Ecstasy and Enthronement in Early Jewish Mysticism,’’ Mystics of the Book, 13–44, esp. pp. 23–26 •  Elliot Wolfson, “By Way of Truth: Aspects of Nahmanides’ Kabbalistic Hermeneutic,” AJS Review 14, (1989): 153–78  •  Elliot Wolfson, “Mysticism and the Poetic-Liturgical,” p. 186  •  Elliot Wolfson, “Seven Mysteries,” p. 191   •  Haviva Pedaya, Nahmanides: Cyclical Time and Holy Text, (Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 2003) (Hebrew).  •  Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides’ Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 147  •  Justin Sledge, “Maimonides at the Crossroads of Jewish Occultism, Magic and the Kabbalah” @ESOTERICA, Youtube, 15 April 2022, https://youtu.be/i6qclz26OYY •  Matthew David Litwa, Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought, Becoming Angels and Demons, Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 2021  •  Moshe Idel, “Enoch is Metatron,” Immanuel 24/25 (1990): 234–237  •  Moshe Idel, “Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman: Kabbalah, Halachah and Spiritual Leadership,” Tarbiz 64, (1995): 535–580 (Hebrew)  •  Moshe Idel, “We Have No Kabbalistic Tradition on This,” in Rabbi Moses Nahmanides: Explorations in His Religious and Literary Virtuosity, 1983, 51–73 •  Moshe Idel, The Angelic World, pp. 102-4; 210  •  Pico Della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man, trans. A. Robert Caponigri, 1967, p. 9  •  Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2005

Would you believe us if we told you that a ninth century forgery, attributed to one of the greatest philosophers of all time, went on to fool centuries of readers and introduce its true author, one of the greatest mystics of the west, to the world of medieval philosophy? Exploring Maimonides' struggle with the peculiar notion of God that he adopts from the Theology of Aristotle. Join us to learn about Maimonides Apophatic/Negative Theology, Creation vs Emanation, Immanence and Transcendence, Contradiction and Humility. Thank you to Shalem College for hosting this week's vid: https://shalem.ac.il/en/ and thank you to Chezi and Seth for connecting us. 00:00 The Philosopher and the Mystic 00:57 The Forgery 06:21 Neoplatonism 10:43 Primary themes of the Theology 13:30 A Theological Mix 15:28 Pure Being, Negative Theology 20:06 Creation vs Emanation 23:24 Immanence and Transcendence 24:51 Contradiction and Humility Sources and Further Reading Alexander Altmann, "Maimonides on the Intellect and the Scope of Metaphysics," in idem, Von der mittelalterlichen zur modernen Aufklärung, Tübingen: Mohr, 1987, 60-129, at 123. Alfred Ivry, "Islamic and Greek Influences on Maimonides' Philosophy," in Maimonides and Philosophy, 1986, p. 149-51 Alfred Ivry, ‘Isma’ili Theology and Maimonides’ Philosophy,’ in The Jews of Medieval Islam, 1995, p. 280. Alfred Ivry, “Neoplatonic Currents in Maimonides’ Thought,” in Perspectives on Maimonides, ed. Joel Kraemer, London: Littman, 1996, 115–140 Alfred Ivry, Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: A Philosophical Guide, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016, p. 38 Arthur Hyman, "Maimonides on Religious Language," in Perspectives on Maimonides (see note 6), 175-91 Christian Wildberg, "Neoplatonism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition) Cristina D’Ancona, “The Theology attributed to Aristotle: Sources, Structure, Influence,” In The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Philosophy, New York, Oxford University Press, 2017 Cristina D'Ancona, "Pseudo- Theology of Aristotle, Chapter 1: Structure and Composition," Oriens 36 (2001): 78-112. Cristina D'Ancona, "The Arabic “Theology of Aristotle”" In obo in Classics. 2 May. 2022. Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002 Elliot Wolfson “Via Negativa in Maimonides and Its Impact on Thirteenth- Century Kabbalah.” In Maimonidean Studies 5, 2008 F.W. Zimmerman, "The Origins of the So-Called Theology of Aristotle," in Pseudo-Aristotle in the Middle Ages, London: Warburg Institute, 1986, 110-24. Herbert A. Davidson, Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works, 2001, p. 111 Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides’ Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 145. Kraemer, “Maimonides and the Spanish Aristotelian School,” p. 45 Moshe Idel, "Jewish Kabbalah and Platonism in the Middle Ages and Renaissance," in Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, 1992, pp. 338-43; Paul Fenton, "The Arabic and Hebrew Versions of the Theology of Aristotle,” in Pseudo-Aristotle in the Middle Ages 241-64. Peter Adamson, The Arabic Plotinus: A Philosophical Study of the 'Theology of Aristotle,’ 2002 Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2005 Join us: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Introducing the greatest work of Jewish philosophy ever written. Moving masterfully through a thousand years of Greek, Jewish and Muslim philosophy, this text grapples profoundly with the problem of evil, the nature of reality and the meaning of life. Culminating with an astonishing re-reading of the Bible, which radically redefines God, religion and humanity in the process. Banned and burned by religious authorities, it continues to stir controversy hundreds of years later, perplexing the guided, and guiding the perplexed… Join us as we explore Moses Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed, the Rambam’s Moreh Nevuchim. Check out the rest of our “Maimonides and Mysticism” series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9 00:00 A Guide to the Guide 01:39 Maimonides Series Recap 02:22 Intro, Influence, Controversy 05:22 Overview of the Guide 09:00 Maimonides’ Sources 12:35 Maimonides’ Puzzle 14:53 The Goal of the Guide Sources and Further Reading • Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonides, 2004, p. 213. • Joel Kraemer, “Maimonides and the Spanish Aristotelian School,” in Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval and Early Modern Spain, 1999. • Joel Kraemer, Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization’s Greatest Minds, New York: Doubleday, 2008. • Joel Kraemer, Moses Maimonides: An Intellectual Portrait, in The Cambridge Companion to Maimonides, Kenneth Seeskin (ed.), 2005, pp. 40-45. • Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism, (unpublished), 2005. • Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East and West Library New York, 1947. • Leo Strauss, "How To Begin To Study The Guide," in The Guide of the Perplexed, tr. Pines, pp. xiii-xiv. • Mark Daniels, “The Perplexing Nature of the Guide for the Perplexed” in Philosophy Now 50:20-22, 2005. • Menachem Kellner, "Maimonides' Disputed Legacy," in Traditions of Maimonideanism, ed. Carlos Fraenkel (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 245-76. • Moses Maimonides, “Introduction” in The Guide of the Perplexed, translated by Shlomo Pines, 1963. • Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004. • Sarah Stroumsa, Maimonides in His World, Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker, 2009. • Shlomo Pines, “Translator's Introduction: The Philosophical Sources of The Guide of the Perplexed.” The Guide of the Perplexed, 1963. Join us: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU Tags Guide of the Perplexed Guide for the Perplexed

There’s been a lot of talk about whether Maimonides was a mystic. Unfortunately, the discussion has been sorely confused by a lack of clarity about the basic terms of the discussion. It’s time to clear things up and get straight about the relationship between these misused and abused words: Kabbalah, Mysticism and Rationalism. Join us for the fourth installment of our series on “Maimonides and Mysticism.” Watch the rest of our Maimonides Series: Part 1: Who was Maimonides? https://youtu.be/w4ZgHJxQQVo Part 2: The Many Maimonides https://youtu.be/UbjX-ypvEys Part 3: Maimonides and the Kabbalists https://youtu.be/8fpQPAMqATk 00:00 Kabbalah vs Mysticism 08:40 Rationalism vs Mysticism Sources and Further Reading: Marc Saperstein, European Judaism Volume 41, Number 2, Autumn 2008: 161–172 David Fried, Mysticism and its Alternatives: Rethinking Maimonides, Lehrhaus, 2018 Menachem Kellner, Science In The Bet Midrash: Studies in Maimonides, 2009, p. 10 Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, 1990, pp. 45-55 Gideon Freudenthal, “The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon,” in Maimonides and His Heritage, 2009, p. 116 Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East And West Library New York, 1947, p. 7 Join us: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Exploring the relationship between Maimonides and the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah. A history of rejection, acceptance, influence, secret conversions and archenemies. Join us in our attempt to get to the bottom of this love-hate relationship in this third part of our series on Maimonides and Mysticism. Sources and Further Reading:  - Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides’ Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Studies in Jewish Thought, ed. Alfred Jospe (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), pp. 200–219 - Daniel Silver, Maimonidean Criticism and the Maimonidean Controversy 1180-1240  (London, 1965), 183.  - Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet; Hermeneutics, Theosophy and Theurgy, Cherub Press, Los Angeles, 2000, Introduction.  - Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonide, Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 2004, pp. 209–237 - Felicia Waldman, ‘Some Considerations on Maimonnides’ influence on Mysticism’, Studia Judaica no.17 (2009). - Gershom Scholem, ‘Mehoker limekkubal, Sefer Harambam’,Tarbiz, 6: 3 (1935), pp. 90-8 (Hebrew).  - Harvey, Warren Z. “Aspects of Jewish Philosophy in Medieval Catalonia.” In The Life and Times of Mosse ben Nahman, Girona: Ajuntament de Girona, 1994, pp. 141– 157 - Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, “Philosophy and Kabbalah, 1200–1600.” in The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 218–257;  - Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism (unpublished) - Jonathan Dauber, “Competing Approaches to Maimonides in Early Kabbalah,” in The Cultures of Maimonideanism, ed. James T. Robinson (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2009), pp. 57–88.  - Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. 5, Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55 - Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990.  - Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004.    Join us:  https://facebook.com/seekersofunity  https://instagram.com/seekersofunity  https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU  https://www.seekersofunity.com  Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.   Join them in supporting us:  patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Looking at the many ways Maimonides has been received and perceived through time, from the 13th century up until the 21st, with a focus on the debate about Maimonides relationship to mysticism. A survey of scholars on Maimonides, a little literature review for the series. Join us:  https://facebook.com/seekersofunity  https://instagram.com/seekersofunity  https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU  https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre.   Join them in supporting us:  patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Introducing the genius philosopher, torah scholar and physician, the man whose books were banned and burned and still went on to change the face of Judaism; Moses Maimonides, the Rambam. Maimonides timeline:   1138 Born in Cordoba, Spain under Almoravid rule.  1148 Cordoba invaded by the Almohades. Maimonides flees.  1158 Maimonides starts work on intercalation and Astronomy 1160 Family surfaces in Fez, the Almohad capital in Morocco.  1165 Family spends 6 months in Acre before leaving for Cairo  1168 Maimonides finishes his commentary on the Mishna   1170 Writes the Sefer haMitzvot on the 613 commandments.  1171 He is appointed the Head of Jews in Fostat, Cairo.   1171 Saladin/Ayyubids replace the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt. 1180 Finishes the Mishneh Torah, his legal magnum opus.  1185? Maimonides becomes doctor of al-Fadil, Saladin’s vizier.  1190 Finishes the Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed).  1204 Maimonides passes away. Maimonides works (selection):   Treatise on Logic, Millot ha-Higayon  Commentary on the Mishna, Pirush HaMishnayot  Book of the Commandments, Sefer haMitzvot   Mishneh Torah, Yad HaChazakah  The Guide for the Perplexed, Moreh Nevuchim  Letter to the Jews of Yemen, Iggeret Teiman  Treatise on Resurrection, Maamar Tekhiyat HaMetim  Iggeret HaShmad, Maamar Kiddush HaShem   Mark Daniels, The Perplexing Nature of the Guide for the Perplexed, Philosophy Now, Issue 50

Exploring competing methodologies in the study of Mysticism, (Essentialism, Perennialism and Common-Core vs Contextualism and Constructivism) and questioning the very category of Mysticism itself. Slipping into the crack between Experience and Interpretation, and asking if it can be healed. The Series: Exploring the history of an idea, the story of the major developments in our collective understanding of the word “mysticism.” Join us as we attempt to understand what this word meant historically, how it came to mean what it does today, and what, if anything, it might mean for us going forward. Learning how this category was formed, transformed, discussed and debated throughout the ages. Join us for a journey from the Ancient Greek mystery religions, through the early Christian centuries up into the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, into the Early Modern period, the Enlightenment, ending with the Modern and Post-Modern decades of its study, debate and development.    Sources and Further Reading:   - Peter Moore, "Recent Studies on Mysticism: A Critical Survey," Religion 3 (1973): 146-56.  - Steven Katz, "Review Article: Recent Work on Mysticism," History of Religions 25 (1985-86): 76-86   - William Wainwright, Mysticism: A Study of its Nature, Cognitive Value and Moral Implications, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 1981.   - Randall Studstill, The Unity of Mystical Traditions, The Transformation of Consciousness in Tibetan and German Mysticism, Brill Leiden, Boston, 2005.  - The Making of Modern “Mysticism” Leigh Eric Schmidt, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 71, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), Oxford University Press.  - Bernard McGinn, The Foundations of Mysticism, Vol. I of The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, Crossroad Publishing, 1991. - Jeffrey Kripal, “Mysticism” in The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion, by Robert Segal (ed.), 2017.  - Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh, “The ‘Mystical’ and the ‘Modern’: Mutual Entanglement and Multiple interactions,” in Studies in Religion, 2020. - Hal Bridges, American Mysticism: From William James to Zen, New York: Harper and Row, 1970 - Richard King, Orientalism and Religion: Postcolonial Theory, India and “The Mystic East,” London: Routledge, 1999.    Join us:  https://facebook.com/seekersofunity  https://instagram.com/seekersofunity  https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU  https://www.seekersofunity.com  Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Order of the Artisans, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.   Join them in supporting us:  patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Exploring the history of an idea, the story of the major developments in our collective understanding of the word “mysticism.” Join us as we attempt to understand what this word meant historically, how it came to mean what it does today, and what, if anything, it might mean for us going forward.   Learning how this category was formed, transformed, discussed and debated throughout the ages. Join us for a journey from the Ancient Greek mystery religions, through the early Christian centuries up into the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, into the Early Modern period, the Enlightenment, ending with the Modern and Post-Modern decades of its study, debate and development. Sources and Further Reading:   - The Making of Modern “Mysticism” Leigh Eric Schmidt, Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 71, No. 2 (Jun., 2003), Oxford University Press.  - Bernard McGinn, The Foundations of Mysticism, Vol. I of The Presence of God: A History of Western Christian Mysticism, Crossroad Publishing, 1991.  - Jeffrey Kripal, “Mysticism” in The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion, by Robert Segal (ed.), 2017.  - Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh, “The ‘Mystical’ and the ‘Modern’: Mutual Entanglement and Multiple interactions,” in Studies in Religion, 2020.  - Hal Bridges, American Mysticism: From William James to Zen, New York: Harper and Row, 1970  - Richard King, Orientalism and Religion: Postcolonial Theory, India and “The Mystic East,” London: Routledge, 1999.  - Robert H. Sharf, The Rhetoric of Experience and the Study of Religion, Journal of Consciousness Studies 7 (11-12):11-12 (2000)   Join us:  https://facebook.com/seekersofunity  https://instagram.com/seekersofunity  https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU  https://www.seekersofunity.com  Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Order of the Artisans, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.   Join them in supporting us:  patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Understanding Mysticism: Join us as we attempt to understand what this word meant historically, how it came to mean what it does today, and what, if anything, it might mean for us going forward.   Exploring the history of an idea, the story of the major developments in our collective understanding of the word mysticism itself.   Examining how this category was formed, transformed, discussed and debated throughout the ages. Join us for a journey from the Ancient Greek mystery religions, through the first few Christian centuries up into the Middle Ages, through the Renaissance, into the Early Modern period, the Enlightenment and finally end with the Modern and Post-Modern decades of its study, debate and development. Join us:  https://facebook.com/seekersofunity  https://instagram.com/seekersofunity  https://www.twitter.com/seekersofU  https://www.seekersofunity.com  Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Order of the Artisans, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe and Adam.   Join them in supporting us:  patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekerspaypal:  https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU