Spatial Schemas and Religious Thought in the Mysticism of the Ladder

Monday, May 13th 2013, 12:30pm

Olga Louchakova, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology and Comparative Religion
Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA

Among the descriptions of experience in the Mysticism of the Ladder in Late Antiquity, Theophanes the Monk gives a striking account of the direct perception of spiritual realities. Phenomenological analysis of his account provides us with unique data concerning the stratification and spatial organization of the egological (self-aware) consciousness in the process of introspection, complementing Merleau-Ponty's thesis of the "flesh of the world." These findings indicate a close connection between the structures of self-awareness and the genesis of religious concepts in a variety of forms of mysticism.

Bring your lunch, the GTU Dean's Office will provide drinks.

Moore Library, Easton Hall, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, 2401 Ridge Road, Berkeley

Any questions, please contact Angela Munoz in the GTU Dean's Office, amunoz@gtu.edu or 510/649-2440.