Mystical or Spiritual experiences occur everyday in so many ways for so many different people. Some people tend to encounter these experiences through religious rituals or even just on thoughts of life itself. Whatever the thoughts or feelings may be, everybody has such an experience sometime during their life. Could the feelings that some may have be reactions in the brain or acts of God to help us realize our faith, and discover new mysteries that may lie ahead of us? Hearing many stories of different
Mystical Motifs in Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway The scholarship surrounding Woolf’s mysticism by and large focuses on a psychoanalytical approach. While this paper will somewhat attempt to move away from a psychoanalytical methodology, it is valuable to examine the existing scholarship and the departures from this approach. Within this theoretical structure, the critical discussion further breaks down into two separate, though not incompatible, groups: those who see Woolf’s use of mysticism as a feminist
Expanding the Common Ground of the World's Mystical Traditions missing works cited ABSTRACT: This paper addresses religious epistemology in that it concerns the assessment of the credibility of certain claims arising out of religious experience. Developments this century have made the world’s rich religious heritage accessible to more people than ever. But the conflicting religious claims tend to undermine each religion’s central claim to be a vehicle for opening persons to ultimate reality.
It was a dark moonless night as I drove down highway 34. I was fatigued with the eight hour drive and the tiresome boredom of the never ending road. Then out of nowhere a deer jumped in front of my vehicle. I slammed on the breaks hoping to stop the inevitable. The front end of the car slammed into the side of the deer. With the sound of a loud “thunk” and metal twisting, smoke snaked out from under my hood. I cursed under my breath and stepped out of what was left of my car and examined
the Green Knight's axe. Sir Gawain is the noble knight who accepts the challenge, so at the same time the following year, he must find the Green Knight and keep his word. Throughout the tale, there are a number of mystical references that foreshadow the ending of the poem. The mystical aura of the Green Knight is the first hint of magic in the poem, but there are also other events suggesting that there is more to this tale than meets the eye. After a year, Sir Gawain begins his quest for the Green
it is his smile which most deeply impresses Siddhartha, for in it the peace and saintliness of the Buddha is epitomized. The narrator comments that Siddhartha was to remember this smile for the rest of his life. Vesudeva also possesses the mystical smile of peace and harmony. A man of very few words, the ferryman often allows his smile to speak for him, and it is a more effective agent of expression than any words could possibly have been. Like the Buddha, Vasudeva is satisfied that he is at
hardships of reality. In the play 'As you like it'; by William Shakespeare, the playwright indirectly compares the Forest of Arden to the Forest of Eden by exploring the theme of illusions, the idea of the forest as a place of refuge and Arden's mystical powers. The two forests are not only related by the fact that they sound similar but the many imageries and ideas that were mentioned in the play are somewhat related to the story of Genesis. In Duke Senior's first speech, he refers to 'the penalty
space are unifying, interlocking, affirming and redeeming. The mystical language employed reveals a kind of “interpenetration.” That this epiphany comes at the moment when she is discussing her own rape with the man that raped her shows the way in which she thinks about her experiences. Also, this passage shows how Jim speaks to her in ways that produce thoughts and feelings that she cannot seem to find words for annunciation. Her mystical language contrasts sharply with Jim’s straightforward sentences
Transcendentalism was recognized as having an "underlying relationship to the Romantic movement as a whole."4 Three of the most obvious or well known sources or origin of Transcendentalism are neo-platonism, German idealistic philosophy, and certain Eastern mystical writings which were introduced into the Boston area in the early nineteenth century."5 Transcendental beliefs focused on "the importance of spirit over matter."6 Ralph Waldo Emerson, a well known Transcendentalist, felt that "all men aspire
Religion and the Igbo People The Igbo are a profoundly religious people who believe in a benevolent creator, usually known as Chukwu, who created the visible universe (uwa). Opposing this force for good is agbara, meaning spirit or supernatural being. In some situations people are referred to as agbara in describing an almost impossible feat performed by them. In a common phrase the igbo people will say Bekee wu agbara. This means the white man is spirit. This is usually in amazement at the scientific
Before mystical experiences happen, there are breeding grounds that would prepare the mystic to receive them. The first major step before a mystical experience is meditation: “Christian tradition had always regarded meditation as a valid preparation for mystical experience” (Riehle XIII). Wolters also claims there are “preliminaries” such as “hard work, penance …ascetic discipline” in the view of arriving at the stage of mystical experience (22). Taking these two claims into consideration, meditation
Night’s Dream . They are potrayed as foolish and fickle , acting like children and requiring a parental figure to guide them . The parental figures are Hermia’s father , Egeus , and figuratively Theseus , the mortal ruler , and Oberon , the mystical ruler. Demetrius is a fool because he is unaware that his love changes through out the play. We learn from Demetrius that he has loved Helena before bestowing his affections on Hermia ( 1.1 106-107 , 242-243 ). It is not for nothing that he is termed
Geoffrey of Monmouth produced the History of the Kings of Britain, in which he devotes the last third of the book to King Arthur, with the first two thirds leading up to this climax. Although Monmouth's history contains passages which can be deemed 'mystical' in nature, especially in regards to Arthur, the preceding pages leading up to King Arthur's appearance, read as straight history as opposed to mythical tale. I found this not only hard to follow but also hard to swlaoow. I htink it’s all in the
across the world. The founders of each religion developed every creation story, and as religions vary greatly in beliefs, so do their stories of how the world and mankind were created. Although many of these creation stories differ, they have a close mystical and spiritual bind that brings people together. Two particular creation stories from very diverse religions are that of the Native Americans and the Christians. Unlike Christians who worship one god, Native Americans worship two high gods as well
Feminism and Insanity in Virginia Woolf's Work The critical discussion revolving around the presence of mystical elements in Virginia Woolf's work is sparse. Yet it seems to revolve rather neatly around two poles. The first being a preoccupation with the notion of madness and insanity in Woolf's work and the second focuses on the political ramifications of mystical encounters. More specifically, Woolf's mysticism reflects on her feminist ideals and notions. Even though she ultimately associates
to choose its sinful course. The soul must reverse that course, tracing in the opposite direction the successive steps of its degeneration, until it is again united with the fountainhead of its being. The actual reunion is accomplished through a mystical experience in which the soul knows an all-pervading ecstasy. Doctrinally, Neoplatonism is characterized by a categorical opposition between the spiritual and the carnal, elaborated from Plato's dualism of Idea and Matter; by the metaphysical hypothesis
professor working there because he was the only one who appreciated his work in geometry. Pascal began work on conics and published several papers to do with geometry. In fact, in June 1639, Pascal has already made a significant discovery with his “mystical hexagram”. In 1641, he began to suffer from problems of health that delayed his research for a year, but he recovered and continued his work. In 1642, Pascal began to create a machine that would be similar to an everyday calculator to help his father
reality. Daisy becomes the embodiment of that dream because she is the personification of his romantic ideals. For him she represents his youth and is the epitomy of beauty. Gatsby, "with the religious conviction peculiar to saints, pursues an ideal, a mystical union, not with God, but with the life embodied in Daisy Fay" (Allen, 104). He becomes disillusioned into thinking the ideal is actually obtainable, and the realization that he will never be able to obtain his dream is what destroys him in the end
the relative commitment to help others directly correlates to the stage of practice and sacrifice. Additionally, an intriguing comparison will be made between these concepts within Buddhism and very similar concepts with the Jewish tradition of mystical or contemplative death. Basics of Buddhism When exploring the specific function of sacrifice within Buddhism, it will be necessary to understand some of the fundamental beliefs that lay the groundwork for the religion as a whole. The Buddha
"Kubla Khan", whose complete title is "Kubla Khan, or a Vision in a Dream is a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is a poem of expression and helps suggest mystery, supernatural, and mystical themes. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, author of the poem Kubla Khan , was born on October 21, 1772 in the town of Ottery St Mary, Devonshire. Coleridge was a English poet, critic, and philosopher. He, as well as his friend William Wordsworth, were of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England. Coleridge