Emerson and Mysticism

Quinn, Patrick F.

doi:10.2307/2921904

American Literature

1950

DOI: 10.2307/2921904

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Emerson and Mysticism

Patrick F. Quinn¹

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2024

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“…Finally, the mystic "is not immediately concerned about the world, creatures, or human affairs", but is focused instead on a supernatural reality that is distinct from normal, everyday reality. In sum, he holds that "mysticism is the special kind of religious experience which is undergone by a person who has become deeply aware of, and in love with, an objective spiritual reality-usually conceived of in the West as God-and who actively engages in the disciplines by which he attains, or believes he attains, union with God" (Quinn 1950).…”

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confidence: 99%

That Which Was Ecstasy Shall Become Daily Bread

Andrews¹

2017

Religions

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This paper attempts to answer three questions: (1) Was Emerson a mystic? (2) If so, what is the nature of his mysticism? (3) How has his understanding of mysticism influenced by Unitarian theology and spiritual practice? In doing so, it draws upon historical and contemporary studies of mysticism and mystical experience, including those of William James, Leigh Eric Schmidt, and Bernard McGinn among others; the writings of Emerson, including his essays, lectures, and journals, and, finally, the testimonies of his contemporaries and succeeding generations of Unitarian religious leaders. Answering the first question in the affirmative, the paper examines Emerson's understanding of mysticism as a departure from a devotional form of mysticism focused on relationship with a personalized deity and toward a naturalistic, transpersonal type of mysticism, and traces its influence within the context of Unitarian history.

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That Which Was Ecstasy Shall Become Daily Bread

Andrews¹

2017

Religions

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Evokers of the Divine Message: Mysticism of American Transcendentalism in Emerson’s “Nature” and the Mystic Thought in Rumi’s Masnavi

Ansari

Jahantigh

2019

TPLS

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Mysticism, religion and mankind’s relationship with an all-absolute deity has been a prominent part of the human experience throughout history. Poets such as Emerson and Rumi were similarly concerned with this question in creating their works. Although Rumi’s thought stems from the Quran and Emerson’s manifestation of Nature takes roots in the ancient eastern philosophies such as Buddhism, their works seem to share some explicit characteristics. Rumi (1207-1273) lived most of his life in Konya and Khorasan and Emerson (1803-1882) lived in America, but their immense geographic and temporal distances did not surpass their analogous attitudes as mystics. The biggest and the most obvious affinity between these mystic thoughts is believing in Monism as a spiritual practice. Although Emerson read and was influenced by classical Persian poetry of Hafiz and Sa’di, there is no evidence suggesting that he was familiar with Rumi’s poetry. Moreover, thematic analogies between Rumi’s Masnavi and Emerson’s essay on Nature result in a shared ideology which includes themes varying from monism, kashf or unveiling, attitudes towards language and the uninitiated. These concepts, observed in both works, point us toward the realization of universal features of mysticism.

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Restful Souls: The Representative Men (Yunus Emre and Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Kaçmaz

2024

Söylem Filoloji Dergisi

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Abstract Yunus Emre, the prominent Turkish poet who left his mark on the 13th century, stands out as the most significant folk poet producing poetry in vernacular Turkish. On the other hand, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American essayist, is recognized as one of the most influential thinkers of the 19th century. Despite living in different centuries, the commonality between these two representative figures is love, more precisely Divine love. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the intellectual realms of Turkish Sufi poet Emre and American thinker Emerson through their profound exploration of love. Focusing on Emre's impact in Turkish Islamic culture and Emerson's role in American Transcendentalism, both are examined as representative men of their eras. The article introduces the similarities of Divine love in the teachings and worldviews of these influential thinkers, and illustrates their contributions to humanity's cultural and intellectual development. Emre and Emerson’s intellectual legacy forms the primary focus of the article and offers a perspective on how their understanding of love significantly shaped humanity's collective consciousness.

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Emerson and Mysticism

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

That Which Was Ecstasy Shall Become Daily Bread

That Which Was Ecstasy Shall Become Daily Bread

Evokers of the Divine Message: Mysticism of American Transcendentalism in Emerson’s “Nature” and the Mystic Thought in Rumi’s Masnavi

Restful Souls: The Representative Men (Yunus Emre and Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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