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mysticism
mysticism
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Also known as: mystical theology
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The Ecstasy of St. Teresa
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa
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Category: History & Society
Key People:
St. Francis of Assisi
Philo Judaeus
Emanuel Swedenborg
St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Related Topics:
meditation
ecstasy
emptiness
dark night of the soul
nature mysticism
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mysticism, the practice of religious ecstasies (religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness), together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them. The term mystic is derived from the Greek noun mystes, which originally designated an initiate of a secret cult or mystery religion. In Classical Greece (5th–4th century bce) and during the Hellenistic Age (323 bce–330 ce), the rites of the mystery religions were largely or wholly secret. The term mystes is itself derived from the verb myein (“to close,” especially the eyes or mouth) and signified a person who kept a secret. ...(100 of 8782 words)

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