Lucid Planet Radio 31: The Psychology of Mystical Experiences and Spiritual Awakeningwith Andrew Vidich PhD
As a psychologist. Dr. Kelly has always been interested in the signs, symbols and archetypes of the Divine. Over the last 5,000 years, inspired leaders and saints of all the great spiritual traditions have produced a rich collection of writings describing the transcendent states they have experienced. They have used poetry, prose, and sacred art to illuminate their experiences.
Andrew Vidich’s book Love is a Secret draws on all the great traditions, from Taoism to Christianity, from Sufism to Judaism, to describe the psychology of humankind’s deepest spiritual encounters.
On this show, we discuss what it means to be a ‘mystic’ and have a ‘mystical experiences‘ as well as what it means to experience spiritual awakening and begin the journey to ‘enlightenment.’ We also talk about qualities to look for in a spiritual ‘master‘ or ‘guru’ and how to manifest that teacher into your life. Finally, we discuss the psychological states common to all religious experience, a study of the specific characteristics of each state reveals that sages from widely different theologies, times and cultures have experienced Divine love in remarkably similar ways.