S. L. Frank's philosophy of religion, framed as a philosophical mystical theology, uses a conceptual matrix of 'wise ignorance' and phenomenological method to examine the religious-mystical experience of Christianity. The authors argue that Frank's approach represents a version of contemplative mysticism, not a special philosophical reflection on the diversity of Christian mysticism, and that it functions within a universal Christian paradigm. His individual mystical experiences and their rational categorization are central to his system. The apophatic model of 'wise ignorance' enables theoretical reflection on deep layers of both mystical-philosophical and Christian religious-mystical experience, revealing an essential archetype underlying the diversity of that experience.
Genuine mystical experience, such as dissolution in the Deity or cosmic consciousness, can be distinguished from surrogate quasi-mystical states by examining infra-personal processes (where the self dissolves or spreads) and ultra-personal processes (where personal consciousness disseminates into multiple spirits or projections). Both categories correspond to authentic mystical states and to clinical conditions—confused or floating consciousness in the infra-personal range, and schizophrenic-type disorders in the ultra-personal range. Neo-mystical and occult practices aim to achieve mystical states through accelerated programs, but modern consciousness often inverts the view, mistaking destructive processes for a higher evolutionary stage. This fosters perceptions of science as a new religion and a support for contemporary occultism.