Mysticism and the Spiritual Life: Reflections on Karl Rahner's View of Mysticism

Mystical experience differs from ordinary religious experience, which is mediated through cultural and historical categories. This distinction raises questions about the role and status of mystical experience in spiritual life, what it teaches about spiritual reality and ideals, and the terms of a theology of mystical experience. The author compares Rahner's view of mystical experiences with his concept of 'everyday mysticism,' then outlines Michael Washburn's transpersonal theory to explore the relevance of psychology for a Christian theology. The article concludes with reflections for developing a contemporary theology of mystical experience.

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Abstract

[…]mysticism is quite different from religious experiences in ordinary faith, where the relationship with the Divine is mediated through normal categories of experience given in a person's culture and history. This difference raises the question of the relationship of mysticism to ordinary religious experiences. What is the role and status of mystical experience in the spiritual life? What, if anything, does the mystic teach us about spiritual reality and the spiritual ideal? What are the appropriate terms of a theology of mystical experience? I will begin to explore these questions by comparing Rahner's view of mystical experiences with what he calls ordinary "experiences of the spirit" or "everyday mysticism." I will then outline the transpersonal theory of Michael Washburn, in briefly exploring a question Rahner poses regarding the possible relevance of a psychology of mystical transformation in the development of a Christian theology of mystical experience. Finally, I will conclude with some qualifying reflections about mysticism that I believe to be pertinent to the development of a contemporary theology of mystical experience.