Yesterday, 02:31 PM
I might be misunderstanding, but are we referring to the exposure to intense psychological turmoil to facilitate or prompt a spiritual experience?
Ritualization is, in my opinion, only a facet of practice... many people appear to have achieved spiritual 'awakening' via stress and even pain. The methods vary with the means...
I first saw this in "primitive" shamanistic practices, especially those that lead communities. Whatever rationale or narrative evoked, it always seems to culminate in something that could easily be described as psychological turmoil... from dancing until exhaustion, to walking on coals, to painful piercing or burning, extended strenuous effort to the point of collapse... even sleep deprivation (hello Lunatics,) dangerous fasting, etc... all the way to get to the point of 'perceptual explosion.'
But inherently, there is some discrepancy in the idea of risking injury to achieve the state desired. The damage to oneself can be irreversible.
Ritualization is, in my opinion, only a facet of practice... many people appear to have achieved spiritual 'awakening' via stress and even pain. The methods vary with the means...
I first saw this in "primitive" shamanistic practices, especially those that lead communities. Whatever rationale or narrative evoked, it always seems to culminate in something that could easily be described as psychological turmoil... from dancing until exhaustion, to walking on coals, to painful piercing or burning, extended strenuous effort to the point of collapse... even sleep deprivation (hello Lunatics,) dangerous fasting, etc... all the way to get to the point of 'perceptual explosion.'
But inherently, there is some discrepancy in the idea of risking injury to achieve the state desired. The damage to oneself can be irreversible.
