...Mysticism means many things to many minds and is undeniably a term that is used in varying contexts with different shades of meanings. Many have used this term to designate a special mark of spiritual disposition, and others have employed it to mark off a higher and final development of life itself. Anyone who reflects God or the Holy Spirit as the vital, determining norm or principle of his or her life could validly be called “Mystical.” Mysticism means, the attainment of higher levels of being in which this knowledge is fully realized in conformity with man’s destiny on earth. Mysticism is a living tradition that continues to occupy a central place in philosophy of the Muslim world. Sufi orders continue to flourish openly in worldwide and its mystical presence is apparent even on the more external plane. In the contemporary world which is full of materialism, Islamic mysticism is...
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...experience they embody through their actions both individually and as a result of the mystical aspects within the religion, is discussed expansively. These thoughts have led to deeply analytical observations of religious followers who allow themselves to have a more intimate embodied experience within their beliefs. In the writings of Friedrich Schleiermacher and William James, both philosophers, important observations referring to the mystical essence of religion were established. These thinkers were revolutionizing the way people thought about the religious experience in their own eras. They scrutinized the concept of mystical experiences that religious followers believe they have embodied. Schleiermacher, who wrote in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, pioneered the notion of an individual mystical experience as what a religion wants to happen. His life as a writer took place during the Romantic Movement, which accounts for his...
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...There are many ways to examine the subject of alchemy, including alchemy as a source of symbolism, psychology, and mysticism. It has also been an influence on the world view of various writers, artist, and musicians. The focus of this report is alchemy as a pre-chemistry, which gave a new impulse towards the preparation of medicinal remedies and also was a major influence on today's scientific investigations. Alchemy is an ancient art, practiced in the Middle Ages. The fundamental concept of alchemy stemmed from Aristotle's doctrine that all things tend to reach perfection. Because other metals were thought to be less perfect than gold, it was reasonable to believe that nature created gold out of other metals found deep within the earth and that a skilled artisan could duplicate this process. It was said that once someone was able to change, or transmute a "base" chemical into the perfect metal, gold, they would have achieved eternal life and salvation. In this way, alchemy turned into not only a scientific quest, but a spiritual quest as well. Although the purposes and techniques were often times ritualistic and fanciful, alchemy was in many ways the predecessor of modern science, especially the science of chemistry. The birthplace of alchemy was ancient Egypt, where, in Alexandria, it began to flourish during the Hellenistic period. Also at that time, a school of alchemy was developing in China. The writings of some Greek philosophers may be considered to be among the...
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...limitations of time and place. In spite of the fact that his literature belongs to the period of 15th century it is still relevant, remembered, quoted and discussed with passion and fervor not only among the connoisseurs of art and literature but also among common man and youth. This article is an attempt to throw light on the various dimensions of Kabir Das’s literature and how it is still effectively communicated and in turn is used for effective communication. This paper contemplates on the varied aspects of kabir’s literature. Kabir’s literature is known for elements of mysticism, spirituality, concept of love, his objectivity in imparting moral education, his attack on vices of human behavior, hypocrisy and materialistic attitude. All these aspects are dominantly reflected in his literary works and are still relevant in today’s social scenarios which are well communicated in the form of his well remembered ‘Dohas’ and poetry. Hence, it is concluded that Kabir’s literature, in spite of being so old and classical is timeless and well applicable and connected with today’s era. His ‘Dohas’ makes an integral part of our day to day communication. Hence, it can be said that, Kabir Das has communicated with the society and is still communicating and will continue to do so through his literature which will never loose its relevance in any of the ages Keywords: Kabir’s literature, mysticism, objectivity, value education, attack on vices of society, communicator, timeless....
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...Mishra 1 Saloni Mishra Prof. K. Dang English, Research Paper 22nd October 2015 Wordsworth and European Society “Rapine, avarice, expense, this is idolatry: and these we adore: Plain living and high thinking are no more” – William Wordsworth. From his choice of words, Wordsworth expresses nothing but disgust and despair. The idea behind this quote effectively summarizes William Wordsworth’s opinions regarding European society during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and acts as a medium for Wordsworth to voice his beliefs pertaining to the world that surrounded him. Humans, on their journey towards evolution, have been distancing themselves from spiritual pursuits to be lured by the never-ending thirst for wealth. Wordsworth is a poet...
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...and philosophy, and a deep understanding of Judaic studies including kabbalah. It is this unique position that allowed him to write books that bridged the gaps between Torah and philosophy and between mysticism and science. It was not until he reached old age did he begin to author books. He published his first book, the Gur Aryeh at the age of 66. The Gur Aryeh is a commentary on Rashi that switches off between explaining basic p’shat and offering deep and mystical explanations of Rashi. Contained within the pages of this masterful work is the a perfect example of what made the Maharl’s work so impactful. He combines scientific proofs, mathematical computations and midrash to analyze Rashi. He perfectly merges his secular knowledge with his Jewish knowledge to offer the most accurate and comprehensive explanation of Rashi. It was books like the Gur Aryeh that would help bring European Jewry out of the dark ages. A major way the Maharal was able to help the Jews of Prague was by gaining respect from non-jewish scholars for his vast knowledge of secular studies such as science and philosophy. Among his friends were the famous astronomers Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe. They introduced him to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Rudolph II. Rudolph was intrigued by Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. Legend has it that the Maharal would often visit Rudolph at night to discuss these subjects. They developed a close relationship, and the Maharal would use this connection to help ensure...
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...affects an individual. The nurse must also be able to integrate physical components of nursing while using holistic approaches to care which focuses on an individual’s needs as a whole and appeals to social, physical, environmental, and psychological aspects The nurse is capable of assessing, diagnosing and treating individuals with mental illness or those with the potential of having an illness. The core of this particular field is to develop therapeutic relationships and communication with the clients while interventions based on needs of the clients. The concept of nursing began in the pre-historic times during 5th Century BC where people believed spirit had possessed one’s body, and as result, had to be “driven out”. During the middle ages, individuals with mental illness were confined to mental asylums as superstitions circulated that they possessed mysticism or were involved...
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...Throughout history, the element of timing has proven to be an essential and instrumental component of any movement. Take the various art movements and art styles of the 18th and 19th century for example. Each movement and each artist came as a result of the current trends of that time period. Artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso succeeded because their art work represented and depicted the movements of that era. Similar to the various art movements, Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope, was introduced in 1977, a time that signified racial and religious trends, as well as trends of the 1970s such as protesting, drugs and hippies. This epic film represents the movement of the 1970s and does a good job in its representation, which contributes to the film’s popularity rating in America....
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...breakdown in a hotel room in Chicago (Joshi, para. 1). Mr. Lovecraft later died, and H.P. was raised by his mother and two aunts. When H.P. was little he suffered from psychological illness, illnesses that could’ve caused him to write the stories that he did (para. 3). He also could’ve been inspired to write about horror from his grandfather, who used to read him scary stories every night. He wrote in a time that wasn’t considered Romanticism, more considered modernism. Even though Lovecraft still created stories that used romanticism, and eventually became one of the more famous writers of that time. What is romanticism? Well, romanticism was an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. Lovecraft was considered a racist writer, and talking about Lovecraft’s racism is extraordinarily easy, because most of his stories include racism, however, there is an argument to be made about racism and Lovecraft. Lovecraft’s writing was not the only writing out there that was based on racism, but when Lovecraft created his stories he lashed out with racism, and stated things that would make oneself feel awkward reading it. The argument is that because Lovecraft wrote about something considered to be racist not does not mean that he was considered a racist writer, and that his stories are based upon racism. It was how Lovecraft was born into thinking...
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...know, I would say is method of observing natural events and conditions so that we can discover facts about them and to formulate laws based on these observations. Another way of defining science is to say that it is the philosophy that the natural world can be known through human reason and that nature is rational, ordered and regular. When things seem irrational in human eyes, the scientific answer is to say that we don’t have enough data to solve the problem. Also, science has several branches under it such as biology, physics, geology, and astronomy, to name a few. Modern science has been evolving since the foundation was laid by the first scientists ways back then. It wasn’t always highly regarded; it emerged from the darkness of mysticism, alchemy, astrology, and better yet, sorcery. Metaphysics was the first attempt to give rational explanations for natural phenomena. Overall any field was used to try to give an explanation to unanswered questions, some people agree with these “answers” and some people don’t. Ancient civilizations practiced what we now refer to as applied science and mathematics. The discoveries made during these times were sought for practical uses. Counting could’ve been the fundamental beginning of recording information. (Isenhour, 2013) Babylonians, Egyptians and other ancient civilizations practiced astronomy and engineering. Astronomy was and is still useful for the prediction of seasons and defining times for planting and harvesting. Geometry...
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...1. Absolute Monarch-form of government where the monarch (usually a king or queen) has absolute power; monarch has unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and it’s people; usually born into power 2. Age of Reason-18th century movement that followed after the mysticism, religion, and superstition of the Middle Ages 3. Agrarian-cultivated land; person who advocates a redistribution of landed property, especially as part of a social movement 4. Akbar The Great (Mughal India)-Mughal emperor from 1556-death; extended power over most of India Continent; united Muslim and Hindu peoples with his policy of religious cooperation 5. Atheists-person who lacks the belief in the existence in God’s or a God 6. Batavia, Indonesia-Fort established in 1619 as headquarters of Dutch East India Company operations in Indonesia; today the city of Jakarta. 7. Calvin, John-1509-1564. French theologian. Developed the Christian theology known as Calvinism - believed in predestination and a strict sense of morality. Attracted Protestant followers with his teachings. 8. Cash Crop-readily salable crop that is grown and gathered for the market (vegetables, cotton, tobacco) 9. Circumnavigation- travel all the way around the Earth 10. Colonization-physical process whereby the colonizer takes over another place, putting its own government in charge and either moving its own people into the place or bringing in indentured outsiders to gain control of the people...
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...personal dramas that have become the staple of news, and celebrity gossip. Two relatively bright spots, sometimes, are “New Age mysticism” and pop psychology. Americans increasingly live in a world where fantasy is more real than reality. Those stuck in this illusion ignore the signs of impending doom, the degradation of the planet, the looming oil crisis, and the collapse of financial markets that only prick the illusions that warp our consciousness. Is it an Orwellian thought-crime to consider whether we exist under a tyranny (yes), whether constitutional militias should be revitalized (yes), whether extra-judicial accountability via polit-ical violence is an appropriate accountability mechanism (yes), or whether we should train ourselves in psychic abilities and for quantum leaps in evolution (yes)? (Yes.) Is it acceptable to seriously discuss mystical states of higher consciousness, immortality, developing supernormal psychic abilities, communicating with plant and animal consciousness, and the vegan revolution overthrowing the biggest industrial corporations in the world, or the quantum revolution preventing environmental doomsday, and displacing fossil fuels and the Internet. These are some of the transformational subjects on the frontier of our society, guiding us out of the cave. ~ ~ ~ What we call the Renaissance (circa 14th to 17th century Europe) was participated in by about a thousand people. That’s astonishing. About a thousand people (out of about 80 million—about...
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...that came into effect during the Medieval times about the two. The book aids us in placing our understanding of medieval magic that was later known as witchcraft. Although heresy was part of the bad image that magic was furnished with hearsay, another was the long-standing Christian teachings that were about magic especially the learned magic that was rampant during the time. This led to later developments of magic turning into witchcraft. The earlier magic was tied to the culture and the way a people flourished. It was through the fear of persecution of magicians that led to a later day persecution of witches. The real stage that was the persecution of magicians set the stage for the purge of the witches especially in the fourteenth century. There was the involvement of various political influences also led to the persecution of magicians. The main question here can be why did a culture...
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...Some connect with God through prayer, others see the divine in the majesty of the natural world, others may not think about God on a daily basis. Each individual's relationship with God is unique and personal. For example there are many different kinds of Jews such as Sephardic Jews; these Jews are from Spain and the Middle East. The word "Sephardim" comes from the Hebrew word for Spain, Sepharad. It is believed that Jews have been living in Spain since (c.965-930 B.C.E.), the Era of King Solomon. However, many Jews fled during the Spanish inquisition. Many settled in Portugal as well as other Middle Eastern countries. Hasidic Jews are a sub -group of Haredi Jews. This category is more about mysticism rather than it is about learning. This movement began in Poland during the 18th century, and was almost completely wiped out during the Holocaust. The last two groups are Reconstructionist and Humanistic Jews. They are...
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... SUBMITTED TO DR. MRS. DEPARTMENT OF FACULTY OF UNIVERSITY OF UYO, UYO AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA. FEBRUARY, 2012 1. INTRODUCTION All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods. These ideas still retain some power, with faith healing and shrines still used in some places, although the rise of scientific medicine over the past millennium has altered or replaced mysticism in most cases. The ancient Egyptians had a system of medicine that was very advanced for its time and influenced later medical traditions. The Egyptians and Babylonians both introduced the concepts of diagnosis, prognosis, and medical examination. The Hippocratic Oath, still taken by doctors today, was written in Greece in the 5th century BCE, Horstmanshoff et al (2004:7). In the medieval era, surgical practices inherited from the ancient masters were improved and then systematized in Rogerius's The Practice of Surgery. During the Renaissance, understanding of anatomy improved, and the invention of the microscope would later lead to the germ theory of disease. These advancements, along with developments in chemistry, genetics, and lab technology (such as the x-ray) led to modern medicine, O'Leary (1939:65). 2. PREHISTORIC MEDICINE Although there is no record to establish when plants were first...
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