Performance and transformation
Book Description
Performance and Transformation invites readers into the rich spiritual landscape of medieval mysticism through an innovative lens that reveals how sacred experiences were embodied and expressed. This scholarly exploration examines the mystical writings of the later Middle Ages not merely as texts to be read, but as dynamic performances that engaged the whole person.
The book's contributors approach medieval spirituality from fascinating angles, investigating how mystical experiences unfolded through dramatic expression, physical movement, language, and sacred space. Rather than viewing these spiritual practices as abstract concepts, the authors demonstrate how medieval mystics actively performed their encounters with the divine, creating tangible ways to convey profound inner transformations.
What makes this work particularly compelling is its focus on the active role women played in shaping and transmitting these spiritual practices. The authors reveal how female mystics were not passive recipients of divine experience but creative agents who developed and shared powerful methods for spiritual expression and ritual construction.
Drawing from contemporary scholarship on ritual, performance theory, and embodied spirituality, this collection offers fresh perspectives on how mystical experiences were communicated and evolved over time. For readers interested in the intersection of spirituality and creative expression, this book illuminates how our ancestors integrated body, mind, and spirit in their quest for divine connection, offering insights that remain relevant for contemporary spiritual seekers exploring authentic ways to express their own transformative experiences.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~10 hours)
📄 Length: 361 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore mystical experiences
- ✓ Explore Theater, religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore History
- ✓ Explore History of doctrines
- ✓ Explore Theater
- ✓ Explore Feminist theology
