Rhenish mysticism
Rhenish mysticism is a medieval spiritual and theological movement that developed mainly in the Rhine region of Germany in the 13th and 14th centuries. It is characterized by an intense search for mystical union with God, and emphasizes the direct inner experience of divinity, beyond the institutional rites and dogmas of the Church. Meditation occupies an important place in the teaching of Rhenish mysticism, as it is a privileged means of attaining the mystical union with God advocated by the masters of this spiritual current. It draws its inspiration from the Church Fathers and the Thomist Dominicans of the school of Albert the Great, as well as from the Flemish beguines.
What is Rheinland mysticism?
According to Rheinland mysticism, influenced by Neoplatonist philosophy, the divine is immanent in all things, and the human soul can access God through direct, inner knowledge. This approach contrasted with the spiritual currents of the time, which insisted on the mediation of the Church and the sacraments as the preferred means of reaching God. Moreover, contrary to the beliefs of the time, this union with God could be achieved in the present life through intuitive, spiritual knowledge.
The central figures of Rhenish mysticism developed a theology that emphasized detachment from worldly desires and self-forgetfulness as pathways to the contemplation of God. Master Eckhart, one of the most influential thinkers of this movement, preached that true knowledge of God can only be attained through a total abandonment of the ego and a plunge into the abyss of inner divinity. A very topical thought, after all, which recommends rejecting the ego and forgetting oneself.
Although Rhenish mysticism was criticized and sometimes suspected of heresy by the Church, it had a profound and lasting influence on Christian spirituality, and even on Western culture. She opened the way to a more inward and personal understanding of faith, marked by mystical experience and a quest for inner transformation. Her influence is still present in modern theological and spiritual thought, offering a model of spirituality centered on direct experience of the divine, deep meditation, and the search for unity with God.
How to meditate with Rhenish mysticism?
In this tradition, meditation is not simply a contemplative practice, but a path of inner emptying and detachment from the material world, enabling the soul to free itself from all that distances it from divinity. It engages the individual in deep introspection, an inner listening that goes beyond words and images, to access an intuitive and direct knowledge of the divine presence within. Through this meditative act, Rhenish mystics seek to transcend the barriers of the ego and enter a state of spiritual quietude, where the soul can unite with God in total inner silence. Meditation thus becomes an essential tool for purifying oneself, drawing closer to the pure divine essence, and realizing the mystical experience of absolute unity between the human soul and God, beyond the dogmas and rituals of institutional religion.
Who are the representatives of this movement?
Major figures in this movement include Master Eckhart, and his disciples Jean Tauler and Henri Suso, all of whom explored the intimate, personal relationship between the human soul and God. Master Eckhart, in particular, is known for his sermons and writings that defy the theological conventions of his time, insisting on the idea that the human soul carries within it a divine spark, and that union with God can be achieved in the spiritual life of the soul.union with God can be achieved in the present life through contemplation, detachment from worldly desires, and a deep understanding of the absence of duality between Creator and creation. Although the Beguines are not officially considered part of Rhenish mysticism, they can be considered mystics of the same period, since they largely inspired the figures of this current.
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