Mystic Consciousness or Conscious Mystics?
 | Perspectives from Theology, Psychology, Philosophy and NeuroscienceInterdisciplinary Symposium |  | |||
| Practical information |
Introduction by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anne L.C. Runehov |
One day, when Saint Francis of Assisi was walking in the country side, he passed a little forgotten church (the church of S. Damiano). He went in to pray. As he felt down before the Crucifix, he experienced the painted picture of Christ Crucified speaking to him, calling his name: ‘”Francis” it said, “go, repair my House, the which as thou seest is falling into decay”’ (Underhill 1912: 218). Francis obeyed. His entire worldview had changed for ever. There are plenty of similar descriptions of life-changing experiences. One finds such stories cross religions as well as in non-religious worldviews. The experiences seem to come spontaneously or are obtained by way of long term meditation, yoga and prayer. They are not only found in history but also occur today.
The question is how we could understand these experiences. Can different theories on what we have come to call mystic consciousness or higher states of consciousness, deriving from different disciplines broaden our insight into this realm of human reality? Is such reality simply “the reality of faith” as Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) and Meister Johannes Eckhart (1260-1328) called it? Their demystification of mysticism will be presented by Dr., Rev. Rose-Marie Tillich. What kinds of verbal expression refer to the inexpressible experience of the divine? Is part of the answer contained in verbal phenomena such as syncretism, flexibility, neologisms, and metaphors as Prof. Dr. Antoon Geels will show? Is Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872) right in that there really is a universal consciousness, free of individuality, which according to Thomas Merton (1915-1968) solitude is able to bring about? This is the topic of Prof. Dr Catharina Stenqvist’s presentation today. Yet another view, discussed by Dr. Roland Karo was provided by Sigmund Freud. He held that spirituality – mystical experiences included – is nothing but a recanalization of suppressed sexuality. Could there perhaps be a point also in his view? Lastly, can neuroscientists, studying the neurophysiologic correlates of such experiences tell us more about this extraordinary nature of consciousness? And how could mystical thinking and non-ideological spirituality contribute to a new science of consciousness? This is what Prof. Dr. Thilo Hinterberger will talk about.
I want to round off this short introduction with a poem written by a young man called Adam, on his spiritual journey:
Now, I am returning to myself a child,
Solitude’s child
A child of solo resignation
Threading the thin pencil line
Of his existence.
I realize,
It was your silence
I misunderstood.
Program
Saturday 28 May
9:15-9:30 Introduction of the symposium by Anne Runehov
9:30-10:30 Rose-Marie Tillisch
Cand.Teol. Ph.D.
University of Copenhagen
Department of Church History
What is Reality? Demystifying Mysticism in Selected Sermons of Bernhard of Clairvaux and Meister Eckhart
Neither Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) nor Meister Johannes Eckhart (1260-1328) would have called their sermons and other writings mysticism. What they were trying to describe was the reality of faith. To this purpose they both used the imagery of the mystical union, unio mystica, the union of the human soul with God in faith. Their understandings of unio mystica are differing in a very distinct way. While the mystical union for Bernard always would be a union of incompatibles, for Meister Eckhart the unity made God and man one. Though both rooted in Augustinian neo-platonism the two theologians belong to two different traditions. Bernard’s tradition is monastic. He is Cistercian which means that his background is the School of Love, where relation and Christology are in focus. Meister Eckhart’s tradition includes Bernard’s writings but is rather scholastic and vernacular than monastic. He is Dominican with the scholastic Dominican Thomas Aquinas as his closest predecessor. His theology has thus a more speculative direction. The paper will take a close look into differences and similarities in selected sermons, looking on the perception of reality in the two theologians’ concept of faith.
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:00 Antoon Geels
Professor, Dr. History and Psychology of Religion
Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
University of Lund
Mystic Consciousness - New Psychological Perspectives.
We all know that a beautiful poem, when “translated” into straightforward language, loses many of its dimensions.The poem flattens out and becomes rather banal. Mystical literature is rife with poetry. In their attempts to express the inexpressible the mystics do their best to widen their verbal dress, using imagery, metaphors, paradoxes, and neologisms. A considerable part of mystical language aims at referring back to mystical experience. The scholar analyses these texts. In order to understand the mystical states of consciousness the texts refer to we are bound to have tools. A psychologist of religion searches for psychological tools. The model suggested is a combination of cognitive psychology and depth psychology. The latter provides us with the partly unconscious primary process cognition, while the former offers a multi-dimensional model of cognitive activity called “Interacting Cognitive Subsystems” (ICS), usually depicted as the secondary process, i.e. our rational self. These two complementary theoretical perspectives are applied to the analysis of both historical and contemporary examples of mystical experience. Questions asked include: What can the scholar learn about mystical consciousness by studying texts of the mystics? What kinds of verbal expression refer to the inexpressible experience of the divine? Part of the answer is contained in the following verbal phenomena: syncretism, flexibility, neologisms, and metaphors.
12:00-13:00 Lunch
14:00-15:00 Roland Karo
Dr. Theology
Dept. of Theology
Tartu University
M&Ms, or Mystical Mindscapes: the Awkward Problem.
About 100 years ago, Sigmund Freud lashed out the claim that spirituality – mystical experiences included – is nothing but a recanalization of suppressed sexuality. This provoked fury, sarcasm and denial despite the fact that ascetics and mystics have always been aware of a link between spiritual practices and sex. As a matter of fact, well known and respected religious figures (e.g. Bonaventure in Christianity) have reported that spiritual ecstasies sometimes produce real sexual fluids.
It is this somewhat awkward link that I shall be exploring in my presentation. I shall bring together what is known of the underlying neurophysiology of ecstatic states with the phenomenological insights gained from the psychology of religion, literary criticism and fine arts. The starting point will be that spiritual imagination and sexual fantasies form a seamless continuum – an idea easily confirmed by running a standard Google picture search for keywords such as angel, fairy and the like. My conclusion will be that far from being neurotic, mystical ecstasy is a part of the most healthy and transforming mystery on the planet – the truly divine and truly sexual mystery of conceiving new life.
15:00-15:30 Coffee Break
15:30-16:30 Catharina Stenqvist,
Professor, Dr. Philosophy of Religion
Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
University of Lund, Sweden
Cultivating Solitude: Thomas Merton and Ludwig Feuerbach on Solitude and Loneliness.
Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872) argues that Christianity has nurtured a concept which has turned the individual into being autonomous and independent. This has brought about an experience of no need of others. Thomas Merton (1915-1968) stresses the contemplative monk who lives in solitude. Merton resents the collectivism of the modern world. According to Merton, the monk in solitude, sees his needs and is able to truly relate to others, to nature, to the world. Feuerbach loves the empirical, social world. Merton loves the world, but not the world forgetful of its creator. Feuerbach´s world is here and now, imminence. Merton´s world is here and there, transcendence. Feuerbach believes in a universal consciousness, free of individuality. Merton wishes to develop universal consciousness: “The monk seeks to realize in himself a kind of universal consciousness… it is, the monk´s task to develop this universal consciousness and to inject it, as far as he can, into the communal consciousness of man which is above individual and national differences.”
Feuerbach and Merton detest the concept of the individual for different reasons but seem to be in conversation when it comes to the concept of the person. Merton writes: “True solitude is the home of the person, false solitude the refuge of the individualist”.
I will explore the concept of solitude and its capacity to overcome loneliness and being able to bring about a universal consciousness.
18:00 - : Dinner
Sunday 29 May
9:15-10:15 Thilo Hinterberger
Prof. Dr. Neuroscience
Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
Schwerpunkt Angewandte Bewusstseinswissenschaften
Researching Consciousness - the Science of Privacy
From a phenomenological perspective, the essence of consciousness is its privacy. Conscious experience is an act of observing a mental construct which can more or less be a reconstruction of a world that is experienced as an objective one. Here, objectivity is defined as a shared consensus in personal observations between individuals. The motivation and justification of (natural) scientific research is based on the assumption that all experience that can be put into an objective consensus constitutes the physical world and all knowledge that can be objectively described thus contributes to the scientific knowledge. From this perspective science and consciousness seem to be two domains which are in principle incompatible to each other. The field of psychological research and neuroscientific research has tried to tackle this problem with statistical methods and with investigations of neurophysiological correlates. However, from my perspective the limitations of these approaches should be clearly addressed in order to save the extraordinary nature of consciousness. Finally, I will show how mystical thinking and non-ideological spirituality can contribute to a new science of consciousness.
10:15-10:45 Coffee Break
10:45-11:45 Concluding panel discussion
12:00-13:00 Final lunch
Departure 13.00-14.00
Practical information
Arrival and registration will be possible Friday evening 27.5 from 19:00h. This evening we will have an unofficial socialising with wine and cheese, which are included in the conference fee. It is also possible to arrive Saturday 28.5 after 9:00h.
Venue
Dalum Landbrugsskole
Landbrugsvej 65, 5260 Odense S
We will start with first lecture Saturday at 9.30
Arrival will be possible either Friday 27.5 from 19:00h.
Or Saturday 28.5 after 9:00h
If you can’t participate in the full symposium please contact Kees van Kooten Niekerk, The Danish Science-Theology Forum, KKN@teo.au.dk for information.
Prices
- 27/5-29/5 (Including cheese and wine Friday evening)
Shared Double room: DKK 1,435.00
Single Room: DKK 1,935.00
- 28/5-29/5
Shared double room: DKK 980.00
Single Room: DKK 1,290.00
The prices include full accommodation, symposium fee and program
Prices without accomodation
- 27/5-29/5: DKK 1,050
- 28/5-29/5: DKK 950
Vegetarian/diet meals: You will have to provide a diet plan and a extra cost on 20.00 DKK pr. meal.
Students may have the possibility of a price deduction of DKK 1,000. Please contact Anne Runehov for further information: aru@teol.ku.dk
Payment
Payment should be made by the 24 May to the following account: Registration no 9860 account no 8929703716
Registration
to Bente Kejser: Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, Tåsingegade 3, 8000 Aarhus C,
e-mail: bk@teo.au.dk
Deadline for registration is Tuesday 10 May
Terms of cancellation
Free until Tuesday 24 10:00h. Thereafter the full amount must be paid.
Directions
If you come by car from Jutland or Seeland, choose exit no 50 on the motorway
Get detailed directions on KRAK http://map.krak.dk/
By train or bus
From Odense Banegård, take bus nos 21, 22 or 23, direction Stenløsevej/Odensevej. Bus nos 21 and 23 stop at Landbrugsvej.
See the timetables of the buses http://www.fynbus.dk/wm141591
Taxa from Odense Banegård amounts to about DKK 100.
A Warm Welcome to this Exciting Spring Event from the directors:
Kees van Kooten Niekerk, The Danish Science-Theology Forum, KKN@teo.au.dk and
Anne L. C. Runehov, Copenhagen University Network of Science and Religion, aru@teol.ku.dk