This article continues an earlier argument that Western Esotericism contributed to transpersonal psychology by comparing the work of Roberto Assagioli, founder of psychosynthesis, with that of ritual magician Walter Ernest Butler. It presents ritual magic as a spiritual practice and highlights parallels between Assagioli's psychological methods and Butler's magical practices. The paper draws on scholarship in consciousness and transpersonal psychology.
This essay offers an anthropological perspective on a neuroepistemological account of mystical experience. It first describes features of mystical experience, such as distortions in time- and space-consciousness. It then examines the epistemology of mystical experience, focusing on the debate between constructivists and decontextualists. The authors develop a neuroepistemological framework and show how it might inform that debate. Finally, they discuss methodological challenges—like phenomenological naiveté—that can impede such an account, and outline the attributes needed in researchers to address these challenges.
Transpersonal Psychology shares key characteristics with Western Esotericism, particularly the modern occult revival. The article argues that ideas from several key transpersonal psychologists align with Antoine Faivre's definition of Western Esotericism. It then examines whether this association is appropriate, discusses its implications, and explores the potential for re-synthesizing the two traditions.