Mystical Revelations

Three Pines Press, 2019

A collection of essays that explores the many dimensions of the mystical, including personal, theoretical, and historical. Kohav, a professor of philosophy at the Metropolitan State College of Denver and the editor of this collection, provocatively asks why mysticism is such an "objectionable" topic and considered intellectually disreputable. Borrowing from Jacques Derrida's distinction between aporia (or unsolvable confusion) and a solvable problem, the author suggests mystical phenomena are better understood through the lens of mysterium, that which is beyond the categories of reason and can only be captured by dint of intuition and personal experience. In fact, the contributors to this intellectually kaleidoscopic volume present several autobiographical accounts of precisely such an encounter with the mystically inscrutable. For example, in one essay, Gregory M. Nixon relates "the shattering moment in my life when I awoke from the dream of self to find being as part of the living world and not in my head." The religious dimensions of mystical experience are also explored: Buddhist, Christian, and Judaic texts, including the Bible, are examined to explicate and compare their divergent interpretations. Contributor Jacob Rump argues that the ineffable is central to Wittgenstein's worldview, and Ori Z. Soltes contends that philosophers like Socrates and Spinoza, famous for their valorization of reason, are incomprehensible without also considering the limits they impose on reason and the value they assign to ineffable experience. The collection is precisely as multidisciplinary as billed. It includes a wealth of varying perspectives, both personal and scholarly. Furthermore, the book examines the application of these ideas to contemporary debates. Richard H. Jones, for instance, challenges that mysticism and science ultimately converge into a single explanatory whole. The prose can be prohibitively dense--much of it is written in a jargon-laden academic parlance--and the book is not intended for a popular audience. Within a remarkably technical discussion of the proper interpretive approach to sacred texts, contributor Brian Lancaster declares: "For these reasons I propose incorporating a hermeneutic component to extend the integration of neuroscientific and phenomenological data that defines neurophenomenology." However, Kohav's anthology is still a stimulating tour of the subject, philosophically enthralling and wide reaching. An engrossing, diverse collection of takes on mystical phenomena. - Kirkus Reviews The volume investigates the question of meaning of mystical phenomena and, conversely, queries the concept of “meaning” itself, via insights afforded by mystical experiences. The collection brings together researchers from such disparate fields as philosophy, psychology, history of religion, cognitive poetics, and semiotics, in an effort to ascertain the question of mysticism’s meaning through pertinent, up-to-date multidisciplinarity. The discussion commences with Editor’s Introduction that probes persistent questions of complexity as well as perplexity of mysticism and the reasons why problematizing mysticism leads to even greater enigmas. One thread within the volume provides the contextual framework for continuing fascination of mysticism that includes a consideration of several historical traditions as well as personal accounts of mystical experiences: Two contributions showcase ancient Egyptian and ancient Israelite involvements with mystical alterations of consciousness and Christianity’s origins being steeped in mystical praxis; and four essays highlight mysticism’s formative presence in Chinese traditions and Tibetan Buddhism as well as medieval Judaism and Kabbalah mysticism. A second, more overarching strand within the volume is concerned with multidisciplinary investigations of the phenomenon of mysticism, including philosophical, psychological, cognitive, and semiotic analyses. To this effect, the volume explores the question of philosophy’s relation to mysticism and vice versa, together with a Wittgensteinian nexus between mysticism, facticity, and truth; language mysticism and “supernormal meaning” engendered by certain mystical states; and a semiotic scrutiny of some mystical experiences and their ineffability. Finally, the volume includes an assessment of the so-called New Age authors’ contention of the convergence of scientific and mystical claims about reality. The above two tracks are appended with personal, contemporary accounts of mystical experiences, in the Prologue; and a futuristic envisioning, as a fictitious chronicle from the time-to-come, of life without things mystical, in the Postscript. The volume contains thirteen chapters; its international contributors are based in Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.

This is the text of a talk I gave at the 2014 Engelsberg Seminar. It relates new developments in split-brain research to the experience of gnosis and the evolution of consciousness. This theme was later developed in my book The Secret Teachers of the Western World (New York: Tarcher/Penguin 2015).

2021

This article addresses three ideas: mystical experience, the evolution of consciousness, and gnosis. There are different interpretations of these ideas, so I begin by saying how I intend to understand them. Mystical experience I see as a wider, broader, deeper perception of things and their relations than our usual limited view allows. It provides an ‘unitive’ and ‘participatory’ form of consciousness, in which the usual ‘subject/object’ divide has dissolved. The evolution of consciousness is the notion that our present consciousness is not consciousness per se, but has been arrived at over time. This suggests that there have been other forms of consciousness before it. As Barfield and others have suggested, earlier peoples not only had different ideas about the world than we have, they also saw a different world than we do. This suggests that the consciousness of people of a future time may also differ from ours. Gnosis I see as the cognitive character of mystical consciousness, th...

Combs, A., & Krippner, S. (1999). The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 18(1), 9-19., 1999

The question of whether evolutionary theories provide a useful approach to investigating the highest potentials of human consciousness and spiritual growth is addressed. Finding one-dimensional models overly simplistic, we have proposed a three-level model in which "states of mind" (level 1), "states of consciousness" (level 2), and "structures of consciousness" (level 3) share a hierarchical relationship. States of consciousness (waking states, dream states, etc.) contextualize various states of mind (e.g., sadness, joy, anticipation) and structures of consciousness (mythical, magical, etc.) contextualize states of consciousness. Our model draws upon the "grand evolutionary synthesis," a phrase used in some approaches to systems inquiry and complexity theory, and utilizes chaos theory terminology as well, rather than other evolutionary concepts (e.g., biological evolution or historical evolution).

2016

D ECODING the human genome accentuated the cybernetic turn in biology-but, somewhat surprisingly, revealed fewer genes than we thought we had. The focus immediately shifted to cognitive psychology, to the cybernetic brain, with its neural genius for mental (or "spirited") experience. The ideational powers of the human mind, which has accumulated knowledge over the millennia of human cul-ture, have vigorously intensified in, and been documented by, these recent, spec-tacular discoveries in the biomolecular and neural sciences. We earthy, embodied humans are better informed about our world and ourselves--and are more search-ingly, more spiritedly self-conscious than ever before. What next? The newspaper headlines confirm that, politically and ethically, we confront value questions as sharp and as painful as ever, advances in the sciences notwithstanding. Those who rejoice in (or fear) these advances in scientific infor-mation about where on Earth we came from, how we evolved...

This research work is part of a sustained attempt to scientifically interpret the Meditative Guidance of the Divine Omdasji Sound Meditation (SR0000398348 dated 2006-09-13, United States Copyright Office) renowned to bring peace and calm to the meditating human subject. Recent scientific findings on a seemingly unrelated area of research work evoked interest as a convergence was realized. A Comparison started yielding more insight into hitherto unexplored areas. This research work attempts to analyze and assimilate the research of the Divine Omdasji Sound Meditation Research and further findings.

It is indicated that we have reached an era in human history that logic and physical consciousness through utilization of brain alone no longer serves humanity. It is time to open one’s heart and polish one’s intuitive senses so that one can self-reflect by connecting to one’s HIGHERSELF or I AM presence inhabiting in higher dimensions of consciousness. This will provide the best avenue to access the higher dimensional consciousness pool of TRUTH and knowledge that is classified under the Akashic Records. It is further explicated that fear is the most devastating enemy of humans, an instrument of the captors of the humans within this duality-infested matrix of reality, which we are imprisoned in, presently. As the age of Ascension is upon us, it is of utmost importance that humanity, once for all, abandons fear all together in search of one’s true inner divine identity. And, a pre-requisite to Ascension is the clearing and cleansing of karma which will ultimately lead to the reactivation of the human’s 12/6 genetic DNA/RNA strands, giving rise to the activation of the gene of compassion that leads to human’s crystallinity through achieving impeccability and spiritual mastery. The role of human’s divine endocrine glands of pineal, pituitary, thymus, and hypothalamus, in attaining crystallinity is briefly discussed. Finally, the futility of religion through propagation of superstition and hypocrisy as may be identified as the concepts of “sin,” “judgment day,” “Armageddon,” “heaven,” and “hell,” as a tool for human’s bondage and retention within an artificially controlled matrix of reality is explicated. Indeed, human is divine and is endowed with an inner conscience that serves as the sole guide and the counsel to monitor and judge the workings of one's sojourns upon earth, with no need for an outside judge, jury and executioner. The principle function of the Cause and Effect is to keep humankind at bay, close to the ALL MIGHTY, as to decrease malice. This will necessitate humanity’s strive to correct the wrong and achieve the right until full cleansing of the soul is attained so one may return HOME, which is within the higher dimensions. Traditionally, this has entailed accomplishing this task during the course of a single reincarnation, or numerous reiterations unless all is good, all is benevolent, conforming to the requisite of acquiring full compassion and fully comprehending the science of unconditional love and SERVICE TO ALL.

This paper will attempt to expound upon the area of theology traditionally known as natural or common revelation and present a theological means and purpose for such a concept in scripture. The problem within many theological frameworks is how to understand the testimony of the Spirit in the world. If we continue to understand the Spirit as not imminent but being separate from the world, that is not in the world and only active in the believer, we fall into such ideologies as Manichean dualism which surrenders the truth of the foundation of this world to the ungodly. Conversely, if we understand the Spirit in the world and the Spirit of grace as being indistinguishable we fall prey to Inclusivism and rob the significance of the incarnation of God the Son. Within this paper it will be asserted that general revelation is intended to be an aid to the spiritual preparation of the sons of God toward this creation's intended end. General revelation is not the revealing of the end but the preparation for it; it does not lead to communion but presupposes a communal relationship with God; it does not lead to the beginning of faith but the development of it; it does not soften a hard heart but conditions a softened one; it is training not grace in a salvific sense; it is instruction toward an end not guidance on where to start; it is the testing of that which is present not a start from that which is absent.