The Phenomenon of Late Soviet Mysticism

This article studies the phenomenon of mysticism in Soviet culture of the 1960s – 1980s. The starting point are the elements of mystical discourse in late Soviet cinematography, which captured both Soviet life and the Afghan War. This is surprising since official Soviet ideology strongly rejected mysticism. The very definition of mysticism in Soviet dictionaries was not entirely correct, since it gravitated towards theistic mysticism, focused on experiencing mystical unity with the Absolute. Meanwhile, starting from 1965, the Soviet Union saw a “mystical renaissance” due to the popularization of mystical literature (W. Messing, M. Bulgakov, D. Andreyev). Special mention must be made of A. Martynov, who outlined the paranormal phenomena of the Soviet period. One of the factors of this “mystical renaissance” was the traumatic experience of World War II, which was channelled into the Great Victory cult. This quasireligious practice included the meditative moment of silence, the eternal flame and monuments to the Motherland. Among other factors can be named a certain acceptance of religion as a form of culture and the New Age movement that came from the West. To a large extent, the revival of mysticism in the Soviet Union was facilitated by the crisis of science: the paradoxes of the vacuum theory and synergetics with its idea of generating order out of chaos. The main form of expression of late Soviet mysticism was the idea of a parallel world as a source of “paranormal phenomena”: for Messing and Martynov it is a mystical field, for Bulgakov, the fifth dimension, while for Andreyev, Shadanakar. In the Soviet Union, mass hypnosis associated with telepathy, as well as telekinesis, teleportation, levitation, and poltergeist were regarded as mystical phenomena. In addition, this article analyses the correlation between the notions of mysticism, spirituality and occultism. Their meanings overlap to a certain degree, since all three imply the existence of another world and the possibility of communicating with it. However, spirituality, which is actively used in world religions, belongs to the light side, while occultism is thought of as the dark side of mystical phenomena.

Mediating Medieval Mystical Literature in Interwar Belgium: The Histoire Croisée of Hadewijch’s ‘First Vision’ in the Periodical Hermès (1933–39)

In a context in which various artistic groups resorted to periodicals to stage their public appearance, the editors of the Brussels-based magazine Hermès: Revue trimestrielle d'études mystiques et poétiques (1933–39) mobilized Middle Dutch mystical literature to carve out a space for themselves in the cultural scene of interwar Belgium. Drawing on methods and concepts of transfer studies and research into ethos construction, this article analyses the transfer strategies underpinning the publication of the French translation of the ‘First Vision’ of the Middle Dutch mystic Hadewijch (c. 1240), with which Hermès programmatically opened its inaugural volume. The analysis uncovers a complex histoire croisée which involved confrontations, both collaborative and conflictual, between Hermès and two very different groups of cultural actors: the circle of Brussels Surrealists, with whom the editors of Hermès shared a history, and the Catholic philologists of the Ruusbroecgenootschap [Ruusbroec Society], who equally sought to disseminate Middle Dutch mystical texts to a wider public, albeit with very different goals.

Studying Ibn Sīnā, Performing Abulafia in a Mid-Sixteenth-Century Prison: Emotional, Medical, and Mystical Bodies between Italy and Silesia

Historians often address knowledge transfer in two ways: as an extension and continuation of an established tradition, or as the tradition’s modification in an act of individual reception. This article explores the tension between the two approaches through a case study of Eliezer Eilburg. It traces the footsteps of a sixteenth-century German Jew and his study of the late medieval Hebrew medical and mystical literature composed in the wider Mediterranean. As it uncovers the cultural, political, and social processes shaping knowledge transfer between various Jewish cultures and geographies, the article highlights the receiver’s individual agency. Under the thickly described intellectual traditions, it is the receiver’s lived experience that allows historians to grasp the impact of knowledge on the lives of premodern people—the impact on their body and its relation to the world and to God. Building this argument, this article problematizes the relationship between theory and practice.

POETRY OF IRAN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE THEME OF "DEMONISM" BY M.YU. LERMONTOV: BI-DIRECTIONALITY OF THE VECTOR INTERTEXTUAL CONNECTIONS

Статья посвящена изучению воздействия сюжета и идей поэмы Лермонтова «Демон» на поэтов Ирана, осмыслению причин их неослабевающего интереса к образному воплощению демонизма представителем иной ментальности, иного эстетико-культурного опыта. «Демон» неоднократно переводился на персидский язык, но самым авторитетным признан перевод Т. Таша, сыгравший значительную роль в творческой жизни таких современных персидских авторов, как Нима Юшидж и Мохаммад Хосейн Шахрияр. Масштабы влияния на них поэмы Лермонтова не ограничиваются мотивными и образными перекличками. В лексической и синтаксической структуре, в описании природы, в характере повествования и романтическом стиле иранских стихотворений явно прослеживаются следы лермонтовского воздействия. Вместе с тем в статье затронута проблема двувекторности интертекстуальных связей: ставится вопрос об истоках древнеиранского дуализма в «Демоне», о кавказских фольклорных заимствованиях, в частности, трансформации в лермонтовском сюжете осетинского предания о духе Гуд-горы; раскрыто значение символики Иблиса в мистической литературе Ирана. В качестве методологической основы в работе использован сравнительный метод, способствующий выявлению сходства и единства человеческого духа и мировоззрения. Компаративистский анализ творчества иранских поэтов дает также возможность показать особенности взаимодействия национальных культурных кодов. Постановка на уровне архетипа демонизма проблемы выбора между добром и злом, между сопротивлением искушению и отходом от духовно-нравственных норм поведения проясняет акценты художников в изображении дисгармоничности мира как следствия слепых и разрушительных страстей, в обрисовке изъянов и слабостей человеческой натуры, трагизма бытия отступившего и отверженного. Доказывается, что всемирный характер литературы, позволяющий мыслям одного поэта проникать в душу и разум поэта другой национальности, создает единое смысловое поле. Материал и выводы статьи представляют практическую ценность при изучении литературных связей Ирана с другими народами, могут быть использованы в преподавании курсов компаративистики на кафедрах русского языка в иранских университетах. The article is devoted to the study of the impact of the plot and ideas of Lermontov's poem "Demon" on the poets of Iran, understanding the reasons of the unrelenting interest of Iranian authors in the different embodiment of demonism by a representative of a different mentality, a different aesthetic and cultural experience. "Demon" was repeatedly translated into Persian, but the most credited is the translation made by T. Tash, which influenced such modern Persian poets as Nima Yushij and Mohammad Hossein Shahriyar. The extent of the influence of Lermontov's poem on their work is not limited to motivational and figurative roll-calls. In the lexical and syntax structure, in the description of nature, in the nature of the narrative and the romantic style of Iranian poems Lermontov’ influence is distinctly traceable. Alongside with this, the article touches on the problem of two-vector intertextual connections: the question of the origins of the ancient Iranian dualism in “Demon” and the Caucasian folklore borrowings, in particular, the transformation in Lermontov’s plot of the Ossetian Stories about the spirit of Gud-gori; this article, in parallel with this issue, reveals the significance of Iblis's symbolism in Iran's mystical literature. A comparative method was used as a method of work, which allowed to prove the similarity and unity of the human spirit and worldview. Comparative analysis of the work of the Iranian poets also provides an opportunity to show the peculiarities of interaction of national cultural codes. The choice between good and evil on the level of the demonism archetype, between resisting temptation and a departure from spiritual and moral standards of behavior clarifies the accents of artists in depicting the disharmony of the world as the consequence of the blind and destructive passions, in depicting the flaws and weaknesses of human nature, the tragedy of being estranged and outcast. The results of the study contribute to the development of comparative literary studies. The article proves that the world nature of literature, allowing the thoughts of one poet to penetrate into the soul and mind of a poet of another nationality, creates a single semantic field. The materials and conclusions of the article are of practical value in studying Iran's literary ties with other nations, and can be used in teaching comparative studies at The Russian Language Departments in Iranian universities.

The Scholarship on Spanish Mystical Literature

An engaging critical review is offered of scholarly works on Spanish mystical literature during the twentieth and early twenty-first century in Europe and the Americas. Bringing together for the first time an ample variety of sources, and letting the scholars’ own voices be heard, this study asks how their writings were influenced by their particular notions about mysticism and Spain’s relationship with the Orient. A thematic survey like this one illustrates how ideas are created and re-created throughout time, resulting in the production of a more diverse scholarship. Readers will be enriched with a renewed sense of disciplinary awareness.

Wisdom and Mystical Thoughts on The Mirror-Tiles Art in Safavid Architectural Space and its Relationship With Sufism

The Mirror-tiles artwork is one of the latest initiatives of Iranian spiritual art which with its symbolic expression and mysterious character, conveys the revelations and mystical thoughts in the cover of matter and form to its audience and affects them consciously and unconsciously. This art is an esoteric language to convey intuitive concepts and to remind the way of their inherited life from the predecessors as traditional art has always been based on symbols and allegories and expresses the spirit of its time. The first peak of the Mirror-tiles used in architectural spaces in Iran coincided with the fusion of Sufism and Shi’ism in the early period of the Safavid Empire. The Safavid dynasty had Sufi roots and lineage, and among the Sufis, the inner language is the language of Shari’a and Truth, and the tools of that language are the symbol and indication. Has been rejected or neglected due to a lack of interest and attention to the registration of special documents, the secrets governing this system, new historical conditions, and profound and obvious developments in the realm of contemporary history. With the aim of the influence of the Persian mystical thoughts about the Mirror, this study with the available historical and contemporary sources and analyzing them deals with the hidden meanings in this art and reveals its connection with Sufism and Mysticism through mystical literature and its historical process.

PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS FROM PORTRAIT

The article examines the issue of the portrait of a creative person and its role in psycho-psychological analysis on the basis of the interpretation in literature of the great thinker, sheikh, a great representative of mystical literature, the poet Ahmad Yassaviy. Methods of creating portraits and experiments in this area are interpreted on the form of comparative-analytical method. The combination of images of the hero and his biography highlights the creative human psyche. The monologues, in particular, highlight the artistic-aesthetic and artistic-conceptual role of monologue-memory and monologue-video in illuminating the heroic spiritual-psychological world.

ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION OF MAQAM OF FAQR AND IMAGE OF FAQIR IN THE WORKS OF ALISHER NAVOI

This article examines the artistic interpretations of the status and images of poverty in mystical teaching in the works of Alisher Navoi. The author of the article has first studied the definitions of the status of poverty in Islamic history, the latest mystical teachings, and other areas of thought and opinion. The history and definitions of the word «Faqr» were written by the first authors of mysticism, such as Abu Nasr Sarraj, Abu Talib Makki, Shahabuddin Suhrawardi and Ali ibn Usman Hujviri, as well as from the representatives of the Naqshbandi sect belongs to Alisher Navoi, Khoja Bahauddin Naqshband. In addition, special encyclopedic dictionaries of authors such as Sayyid Ja'far Sajjadi, Abdulboki Hiylaman, Aliakbar Dehhudo and Sulaymon Uludagh were used. Then attention is paid to the various interpretations of poverty in mystical literature. Alisher Navoi's own works were mostly used for comparative interpretations in fiction. Navoi's lyrical works were selected as the main object of analysis, and the ideas in the works of friends and prose before him were involved in a comparative analysis. Navoi's views on the reality of his work are surrounded by artistic interpretations of images such as the poor, the gado, the dervish, which they embody. At the end of the article summaries are made