Common mystagogical resources in Islamic and medieval Christian spirituality

Abstract

The problem of communication and transmission of spiritual experiences, particularly those related to the ascent of the soul in search of full and absolute union with God, is a common issue in both Muslim and Christian mystical literature during the Middle Ages. The representational forms of the experiences, of the anagogical states and of the speculation about what is to be expected are multiplied in images, metaphors and analogies, which aspire to give a sense of the mystical discourse, either for particular purposes or to teach other souls the relevance of initiating the inner ascensional journey towards the One and the vicissitudes that this entails. The value of the symbolic story with a mystagogic sense is what motivated many spiritual men and women to write or relate to a copyist their experiences in prose, dialogue or poetry. Seeking to make explicit common features in Islamic and medieval Christian symbolism, I will address some of the spatial representations, such as dwelling, castle, garden and palace, used to account for the soul's approach to God. Such an analysis attempts to show the communion of symbolic elements that would venture a possible traslatio of mystagogic resources between spiritual islam and European mysticism.