The “Interior Castle” and Ascent of St. Teresa of Avila

The “Interior Castle” and Ascent of St. Teresa of Avila

Who was Teresa of Avila? “Christ has no body now but yours, no hands but yours…” – St. Teresa of Avila Introduction: In the heated crucible of the 16th century Catholic Reformation, one woman’s spiritual genius illuminated the path of...
The Life and Psychology of the Weaver Sage: Kabir

The Life and Psychology of the Weaver Sage: Kabir

“If God be within the mosque, then to whom shall I call the adhan? If Rahman be not apart, whom shall I then go to name?” – Kabir Who was Kabir? Kabir (1440-1518 CE) was a legendary mystic poet of India whose writings have deeply influenced the...
The Timeless Wisdom of Mani and the Manichees

The Timeless Wisdom of Mani and the Manichees

Who Was Mani? “The Soul that wandereth from body to body strayeth from light to darkness until she hath traveled the Seven Worlds.” – Mani What is Manicheism: Manichaeism was a major gnostic religion that arose in Persia in the 3rd century CE,...
Rumi’s Mystical Poetry and Its Resonance with Jungian Psychology

Rumi’s Mystical Poetry and Its Resonance with Jungian Psychology

Who was Rumi? “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ― Rumi Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, more popularly known as Rumi, was a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi mystic, and Islamic...
The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Plotinus: Insights for Jungian Psychology and the Individuation Process

The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Plotinus: Insights for Jungian Psychology and the Individuation Process

What was Neoplatonism: Plato, the renowned ancient Greek philosopher, can be considered one of the first depth psychologists due to his pioneering concept of the tripartite soul. In Plato’s view, the human soul is composed of three distinct parts: the rational...
Mircea Eliade’s Insights into the Sacred

Mircea Eliade’s Insights into the Sacred

Mircea Eliade’s Insights into the Sacred “A religious symbol conveys its message even if it is no longer consciously understood in every part. For a symbol speaks to the whole human being and not only to the intelligence.” ― Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the...
The Mystical Theology and Cosmology of Jakob Boehme: Insights for Jungian Psychology and the Individuation Process

The Mystical Theology and Cosmology of Jakob Boehme: Insights for Jungian Psychology and the Individuation Process

Jakob Boehme’s Mystical Theology and Its Resonance with Jungian Psychology “For according to the outward man, we are in this world, and according to the inward man, we are in the inward world…. Since then we are generated out of both worlds, we speak in...
Emanuel Swedenborg’s Mystical Visions and Their Influence on Carl Jung’s Psychology

Emanuel Swedenborg’s Mystical Visions and Their Influence on Carl Jung’s Psychology

Who was Emanuel Swedenborg? Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish philosopher, scientist, and mystic who lived from 1688 to 1772, had a profound impact on the development of Western spirituality and psychology. His visionary experiences and ideas about the nature of the...
Sri Aurobindo and Carl Jung: Pioneers of Consciousness and the Implications for Psychology and Psychotherapy

Sri Aurobindo and Carl Jung: Pioneers of Consciousness and the Implications for Psychology and Psychotherapy

Who was Sri Aurobindo? “There is nothing mind can do that cannot be better done in the mind’s immobility and thought-free stillness. When mind is still, then truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of the silence.” — Sri Aurobindo Sri...
Arthur Schopenhauer: A Philosophical Journey Through Pessimism, Existentialism, and Mysticism

Arthur Schopenhauer: A Philosophical Journey Through Pessimism, Existentialism, and Mysticism

Who was Arthur Schopenhauer Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer, Essays and Aphorisms Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy has far-reaching implications for the field of psychology and psychotherapy. His ideas about the...