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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > Mysticism
Although Stuart Cumberland (1857 1922) was renowned for his
mind-reading skills, he was a staunch critic of related
spiritualist practices. He claimed that many s ances and other
events that he had seen confirmed his suspicions that 'the chief
basis of the movement was money-making'. So he decided to launch
his own campaign to uncover the truth about the methods of
spirit-mediums, and in this work, published in 1918, he explains
many mediums' tricks, such as making tables move using special silk
thread, not spiritual aid. He lectured about the subject in places
ranging from Cambridge University to Lambeth Palace, and attributed
his own success to his ability to read muscle movement, rather than
any supernatural communication. Providing a fascinating picture of
the changing spiritualist movement, this work illustrates the
extent of the social and political influence of some spiritualists,
but also how credibility about their practices was being
challenged.
This is the fourth in an influential series of volumes on mysticism edited by Steven T. Katz, presenting a basic revaluation of the nature of mysticism. Each presents a collection of solicited papers by noted experts in the study of religion. This new volume explores how the great mystics and mystical traditions use, interpret, and reconstruct the sacred scriptures of their traditions.
The Sufi Orders in Islam is one of the earliest modern examinations of the historical development of Sufism. Trimingham offers a clear and detailed account of the formation and development of the Sufi schools and orders (tariqahs) from the second century of Islam up until modern times.
In the study of Judaism, the Zohar has captivated the minds of
interpreters for over seven centuries, and continues to entrance
readers in the modern day. Yet despite these centuries of study,
very little attention has been devoted to the literary dimensions
of the text, to formal appreciation of its status as one of the
great works of religious literature. The Art of Mystical Narrative
offers a critical approach to the Zohar story, seeking to explore
the interplay between fictional discourse and mystical exegesis.
Eitan Fishbane argues that the narrative must be understood first
and foremost as a work of the fictional imagination, a
representation of a world and reality invented by the thirteenth
century authors of the text. He claims that the text functions as a
kind of dramatic literature, one in which the power of revealing
mystical secrets is demonstrated and performed for the reading
audience. The Art of Mystical Narrative offers a fresh,
interdisciplinary perspective on the intersections of literary and
religious studies.
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