Author Topic: Any book recommendations on mystical experiences/testimonies?  (Read 243 times)

Dominik

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Any book recommendations on mystical experiences/testimonies?
« on: February 16, 2020, 11:51:45 am »
Vallicella once mentioned mystics literature where the validity of ones expereinces can be examined according to the tradition. I am interested in such books with examples and testimonies. Any recommendations?

guest2

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Are you referring to empirically, rather than theologically, based investigations of mystical experience? The classic works in that vein are probably those of William James and W. T Stace, though there are quite a few who have followed in that tradition.

Brian

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Not sure if you're familiar with Wolfgang Smith, but he has a book called Christian Gnosis that sounds like something you might be interested in:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1597310921/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i9

The other good place to look is to the mystical saints who knew their tradition extremely well, and wrote about their experiences in that light: St. John of the Cross, Theresa of Avila, Catherine of Genoa, St. Theresa of Lisieux...  These four examples in particular come from the book Christ, The Original Mystery by Jean Borella, that probably has a good bit of what you are looking for in the last 100 pages of the book, but the first 300 may not be at all relevant to what you are looking for.