CO-SPONSORSHIP: Mysticism Unit and Religion and Disability Studies Unit

Mysticism and Vulnerability 

This co-sponsored session invites proposals reflecting on the intersection/s of vulnerability and mysticism through lenses of disability, race, gender, sexual orientation, and other forms of social marginalization. Mystics have traditionally sought out mystical states not for the experiences in and of themselves, but for the knowledge of reality gained from these experiences. In response, mystics embody transformation, seeking to live a life aligned with knowledge encountered in a mystical state. Popular perceptions of mystical knowledge often correlate such states with power and efficacy. But paradoxically, accounts of mystical experiences often also entail a state of openness, vulnerability, and interdependence. While unsettling, this vulnerability can transform understandings of openness and interdependence as positions of personal strength. For example, reflection on one’s vulnerability may be a part of a mystical encounter, especially where one is known by a power greater than oneself. Likewise, mystical states where one has a loss of a sense of self may result in ongoing vulnerabilities after the experience.