Mysticism and the Spiritual Life: Reflections on Karl Rahner's View of Mysticism
Toronto Journal of Theology September 1, 2001 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3138/tjt.17.2.110 via OpenAlex
Summary
Mysticism differs from ordinary religious experiences, which are shaped by cultural and historical contexts. The abstract explores the relationship between mysticism and everyday faith, questioning the role of mystical experiences in spiritual life and their implications for theology. It compares Rahner's perspective on mystical experiences with everyday mysticism and discusses Michael Washburn's transpersonal theory regarding psychological aspects of mystical transformation relevant to Christian theology. The conclusion offers reflections on contemporary theology of mystical experience.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | Mysticism is fundamentally different from ordinary religious experiences, raising important questions about its role and significance in spiritual life. |
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Abstract
[…]mysticism is quite different from religious experiences in ordinary faith, where the relationship with the Divine is mediated through normal categories of experience given in a person's culture and history. This difference raises the question of the relationship of mysticism to ordinary religious experiences. What is the role and status of mystical experience in the spiritual life? What, if anything, does the mystic teach us about spiritual reality and the spiritual ideal? What are the appropriate terms of a theology of mystical experience? I will begin to explore these questions by comparing Rahner's view of mystical experiences with what he calls ordinary "experiences of the spirit" or "everyday mysticism." I will then outline the transpersonal theory of Michael Washburn, in briefly exploring a question Rahner poses regarding the possible relevance of a psychology of mystical transformation in the development of a Christian theology of mystical experience. Finally, I will conclude with some qualifying reflections about mysticism that I believe to be pertinent to the development of a contemporary theology of mystical experience.