Crowley, the Orient, and the Occult

This chapter examines the life and work of the British magus Aleister Crowley, focusing on the place of Orientalism and the subtle body in the development of his magical system. After a short biographical section where the chapter traces his life to the age of thirty when his occult vocation began in earnest, the chapter shifts to Crowley’s interest in the Orient, analyzing his engagement with Kabbalah, Daoism, yoga, and Islamic mysticism. The chapter then zeroes in on Crowley’s presentation of the subtle body in his magnum opus before moving on to theoretical analysis of the basic philosophical tenets of Crowley’s system, interrogating his skepticism and inductive method in engaging with occult and Astral phenomena. The chapter ends with a brief discussion on the process of cultural transformation, following the subtle body as it moves from a term of translation to a creolized fusion (ala Blavatsky) where Oriental terminology forms a sort of veneer over a Neoplatonic concept, to a fully hybrid concept (as in Crowley) that is neither fully a Neoplatonic idea nor an Oriental import, but something in between.

Rethinking Conceptual Sufism: A Synthesis of Islamic Spirituality, Asceticism, and Mysticism

Far from being a school or a sect, Sufism is an ideology, a mode of life, a set of principles, and a ‘faith in practice.’ Sufism has been addressed and presented by scholars countless times. It has been primarily defined as either Islamic mysticism or as the spiritual dimension of Islam. Yet, as much as mysticism is ineffable as much as the published research is full of tangled definitions that only scholars can comprehend. The traditional approach to the study of Sufism makes the topic burdensome and mentally unattainable to the learned public. This article explains Sufism without using complex terminology or intense presentations of mystical states and stations. It is a scholarly attempt that is ultimately designed to provide a straightforward definition of Sufism. It presents Sufism in a three-fold manner, as a synthesis of three Islamic principles: Islamic spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism. Each of the three dimensions is explained in an Islamic context to demonstrate the validity of the Sufi trends as being purely Islamic. Spirituality, asceticism, and mysticism are all discussed within the frame of Tradition, that is, the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Essence of Mysticism in The Study of Tasawwuf

Sufism is another name for mysticism in Islam. the western orientalists it is known as Sufism, which is a special term for Islamic mysticism. Then the word Sufism does not exist in the mysticism of other religions. Sufism or mysticism in Islam is inherent in life and develops from zuhudan life, in the f amali Sufism, then philosophical Sufism. Sufism is the most important aspect of Islamic teachings, because the role of Sufism is the key to the perfection of the practice of Islamic teachings. In addition to the aspect of Sufism, in Islam there are other aspects, namely faith and sharia, or in other words what is meant by religion is consisting of Islam, faith and ihsan, where these three aspects are a unity. To know Islamic law, we have to refer to sharia / fiqih, to know the pillars of faith we have to refer to ushuludin / faith and to know the perfection of ihsan we enter into Sufism. The research method used in this research is literature review. For the results of this study that overall the science of Sufism can be grouped into two, namely tasawuf ilmi or nadhari, which is theoretical Sufism. The second part is Sufism amali or tathbiqi, which is applied Sufism, which is practical Sufism. It is not just a theory, but demands practice to achieve the goals of Sufism. As for what is meant by human relations and spirituality, namely humans think more deeply. Self-reflection will be awakened along with life's problems. Political, cultural and other problems will be resolved well with a cool head. A clean soul will radiate a clean implementation too. Meanwhile, the meaning of man's closeness to his God is based on some of the words of Allah SWT which are contained in the Al-Qur'an explaining that Allah is one with his servant (Al-Hulul / Wahdatul-Wujud).

The Boiling Circle, the Rotating Circle (Two kinds of symbols of the Circle in Islamic Tradition)

In theological sources, many symbols are used to explain the transcendent truths of existence. Among the shapes, the circle has the most use of a symbol which is important for Religious, philosophers, and mystics. However, what is refer mostly to the shape of a circle is the rotation of a circular line that begins at a point on a surface and ends at the same point; then, the most superficial and intermediate symbols of facts are explained with it. Contrary, the present article proposes a novel way of drawing a circle, and with this approach, examines some philosophical concepts. We call this drawing "Boiling Circle", because, the rays are coming out boiling from the center. We also have analyzed and introduced a unique example of a mystical-philosophical-religious Architectural building, during which a circular spring has been built. Its water comes out boiling of the center and fills the five circles within itself and twelve eyes around it. This article begins with the drawing of a boiling circle, continues with explaining the philosophical symbols of the boiling circle and boiling spring according to Islamic mysticism, and ends with comparing and expressing the differences between the symbols of the two circles.

SUFI PRACTICES IN CONTEMPORARY KAZAKHSTAN: TRADITIONS AND INNOVATIONS

We deemed it necessary to write about the Sufi tradition in Kazakhstan and its unfolding transformation into new practices. Religious revival in Kazakhstan has made Sufism, its teaching and practices very attractive. Its traditions have survived in the Soviet past and were revived in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. Pilgrimage to holy places, first and foremost within Kazakhstan, and veneration of saints have gained popularity as prominent features of Sufism. The same process is unfolding in the neighboring states—in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the Northern and Southern Caucasus, and Turkey. In Soviet times, in Kazakhstan, however, the Sufi tradition was partly crushed by repressive secularization practiced by Soviet authorities, which explains why Sufism is sometimes revived in the form of pseudo-Sufi teachings. Sufism is a multi-dimensional phenomenon, therefore, the forms of its revival should be studied in depth to tap its spiritual and moral potential for the purposes of our country’s cultural development. No wonder that Sufism and its profound spiritual teaching of Islamic mysticism have stirred up a lot of interest in both Muslim and Christian regions in the country’s western part. The article examines the forms of revival, traditions and transformations of Sufism in our country. In our analysis we relied on scientifically proven information from open academic sources and our field studies carried out using the methods of participant observation and in-depth interviews.