44 Spirituality Studies 9-2 Fall 2023 Notes [1] John of the Cross, “Spiritual Canticle,” Stanza 14, in John of the Cross: Selected Writings. [2] Mysticism itself denotes communicable thoughts and/ or actions of living human beings regarding holistic experiences of God. Such experiences involve a unique, sacred mode of perception, an ontological conformity between the mystic and God (Laurendeau 2012b, 344). [3] At times, these beliefs can become so concrete and culturally rooted, so intensely focused on identity and rationalization, that they ultimately depart from spirituality and evolve into doctrines. [4] Although there is a wide range of terminology to describe this itinerary, this one is taken from Contemplative Retreat by Franz J. Jalics. [5] It may seem to us that this type of resource is more common in Eastern traditions, for example kōan used in some Zen schools. However, it should be noted that similar tools exist in Christian contemplative schools, such as mantra or a short vocal prayer traditionally called the ejaculatory. Mantra has a similar function to kōan: to turn away from the reflective path and start upon another way. Its etymology reveals that it is an instrument for cleansing the mind (Sa. man – “mind”, tra – “instrument”). It is assumed by believers as a powerful, sacred, and unique word, the repetition of which helps to penetrate into silence (Cavia-Naya 2006, 96). To contextualize its meaning, we must consider that having a first glimpse of the transcendent throughout mystery history has occurred in three main ways: the way of nature (the image), the way of culture (the word) and the way of silence (without the mediation of image or word). For Christians, the way of the image is the way of God the Father, the way of culture is the way of God the Son, and the way of silence is the way of God the Holy Spirit. The first two would be pre-contemplative ways, and the third would be the contemplative way. [6] The term principle is understood here as “source”, “origin”, or “spirit”. [7] Contributions to the modern contemplative tradition include the Irishman, John Maine (1926–1982) whose World Community for Christian Meditation emerged under his leadership (wccm-colombia.org), and the Spaniard Pablo D’Ors (1963) with his open network of meditators Friends of the Desert (amigosdeldesierto.org). [8] The term “trance” is understood here as the state in which a person’s conscious mental faculties are temporarily suspended. [9] We found them particularly illuminating, for it is not for nothing that it is the poem by a Christian mystic that opens this study and inspires the main research question. However, Laurendeau’s articles also cite other traditions. [10] Together with John of the Cross (Juan de la Cruz), the greatest exponent of Spanish Golden Age mysticism. [11] The word metaphysics used in the title of his article Metaphysics of Singing would need disambiguation, for sometimes it refers to the truly spiritual, other times it speaks of something like magic (which we do not consider to be a spiritual phenomenon), and yet other times it may perhaps be understood in the traditional, philosophical sense. Here we will take the aspect where it really refers to a connection with spirituality. [12] Thus, the Alexander technique or Fendelkrais applied to music in general and singing in particular, follows a similar route. [13] See Rosana Baroncelli (vocevera.org).
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