10 a.m. - noon, Wednesdays, Oct. 9-23

The religions of the world all have a concept of an ultimate state of being or consciousness. The concept of "merging with the ultimate" is generally called "mysticism." There are mysticism traditions in both Western and Eastern religions as well as what might be called "spiritual mysticism" which is not attached to any particular religion. These traditions have much in common, including a transcendent reality and the possibility for humans to experience a merging with that transcendent ultimate being or consciousness. This course explores a few examples of mysticism from different ages in world history, examining mystical theories and methods.