Ecologies of Ecstasy: Mysticism, Philosophy, and Vegetal Life

Name: Ecologies of Ecstasy: Mysticism, Philosophy, and Vegetal Life
Price: 35.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Kotva, Simone
ISBN: 9780231213974

✍️ Kotva, Simone

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📚 ABOUT THE BOOK

Discover how the silent wisdom of plants illuminates the deepest mysteries of human spirituality.

Simone Kotva's groundbreaking work invites us to reconsider religious contemplation through the lens of botanical existence. She argues that spiritual practice intrinsically mirrors the life-generating processes of the Earth. Delving into the history of Christian mysticism, Kotva reveals how figures like Hildegard of Bingen understood mystical union as a profound dissolution of self and world, a state akin to vegetal being. This book unearths a forgotten tradition where the very essence of life was seen through contemplation, an idea subsequently marginalized by religious orthodoxies. It's a fresh, radical perspective on our spiritual heritage.

Key themes

{'title': 'Vegetal Mysticism Unveiled', 'body': "Kotva recasts religious contemplation not merely as an internal human act, but as a form of 'vegetal being.' She explores how spiritual practices, particularly Christian mysticism, have historically been intertwined with the life cycles and silent existence of plants, suggesting that profound spiritual states echo the interconnectedness found in the natural world."} {'title': "Mystical Union's Green Roots", 'body': "The book meticulously traces the concept of mystical union—the ultimate loss of distinction between self and world—back to its ecological and vegetal origins. Kotva demonstrates how various mystics perceived this merging as an embodiment of the Earth's generative processes, a spiritual state deeply embedded in the natural environment rather than solely transcendent."} {'title': 'Reclaiming Suppressed Wisdom', 'body': "Kotva excavates historical instances where the profound spiritual significance of plants, animals, and other creatures was acknowledged as foundational to existence, only to be later suppressed. She highlights how religious orthodoxies sidelined these 'ecologies of ecstasy,' offering fresh, critical readings of pivotal mystical texts through a modern, interdisciplinary lens."}

🏛 Columbia University Press 📅 2026 📖 288 pages 🌐 en 📐 Paperback ISBN: 9780231213974

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Fun fact

Kotva's 'Ecologies of Ecstasy' is a breathtakingly original work that challenges conventional understandings of mysticism by rooting it firmly in the botanical world. It excels at interweaving ancient spiritual texts with cutting-edge philosophy, offering a truly fresh perspective. Readers seeking easy answers or a purely historical account of Christian mysticism might find its philosophical depth challenging. However, for those eager to explore the radical implications of ecological thought for spiritual practice, this book is an indispensable and transformative journey into the green heart of devotion, firmly establishing itself as a seminal text in eco-spirituality.

📝 Description: Ecologies of Ecstasy: Mysticism, Philosophy, and Vegetal Life

What might religious practice learn from plants? Recent years have seen the emergence of critical plant studies, and philosophers have found a radical mode of thought in vegetal life. Ecologies of Ecstasy recasts religious contemplation as a form of vegetal being, arguing that spiritual practice is rooted in the generation of life on earth. Simone Kotva explores the role of vegetal life in the history of Christian mysticism and the practice of contemplation, demonstrating its significance to the concept of mystical union, which rests on the loss of distinction between self and world. She shows that plants, animals, and other creatures were once understood to exist by virtue of contemplation and examines how religious orthodoxies suppressed this idea. Ecologies of Ecstasy provides fresh readings of texts by figures such as Plotinus, Evagrius of Pontus, Hildegard of Bingen, Marguerite of Porete, the Helfta mystics, and Jeanne Guyon in light of contemporary philosophies of vegetal life and critical plant studies. It brings together feminist, queer, and ecocritical readings of Christian mysticism with continental philosophy and the works of Michael Marder, Emanuele Coccia, and Luce Irigaray. Entwining Christian contemplation with philosophies of vegetal life, this book offers new ways to understand mysticism and spiritual practice.

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⭐ Esoterica editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

If you are a seeker interested in the intersection of philosophy, ecology, and spiritual traditions, or if you're looking for a radical reinterpretation of Christian mysticism, this book offers a verdant path to deeper understanding. Prepare to have your perceptions of religion and nature…

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❓ Frequently asked questions

While it draws heavily from Christian mystical texts, Kotva's analysis is highly interdisciplinary, weaving in philosophy and critical plant studies. Its insights on ecological spirituality and the nature of contemplation will resonate with anyone interested in deep connections between humans and the natural world, regardless of their background in specific religious traditions.

Kotva re-frames contemplation as a form of 'vegetal being,' suggesting a profound, embodied connection to the Earth. This offers a radical, historically informed perspective on mindfulness, inviting practitioners to consider how their spiritual presence might mirror the silent, interconnected existence of the plant kingdom, moving beyond purely mental exercises.

📖 Who should read this

🎯 Key themes and symbolism

Vegetal Mysticism Unveiled

Kotva recasts religious contemplation not merely as an internal human act, but as a form of 'vegetal being.' She explores how spiritual practices, particularly Christian mysticism, have historically been intertwined with the life cycles and silent existence of plants, suggesting that profound spiritual states echo the interconnectedness found in the natural world.

Mystical Union's Green Roots

The book meticulously traces the concept of mystical union—the ultimate loss of distinction between self and world—back to its ecological and vegetal origins. Kotva demonstrates how various mystics perceived this merging as an embodiment of the Earth's generative processes, a spiritual state deeply embedded in the natural environment rather than solely transcendent.

Reclaiming Suppressed Wisdom

Kotva excavates historical instances where the profound spiritual significance of plants, animals, and other creatures was acknowledged as foundational to existence, only to be later suppressed. She highlights how religious orthodoxies sidelined these 'ecologies of ecstasy,' offering fresh, critical readings of pivotal mystical texts through a modern, interdisciplinary lens.

💬 Quotes from the book

«To truly contemplate is not to ascend beyond the Earth, but to sink roots into its very soil, to breathe with the silent green lung of the world.»

«The mystics, in their most profound surrender, often echoed the plant's quiet embrace of its environment, dissolving selfhood into the greater, pulsating web of life.»

📜 Historical context

This work re-situates Christian mysticism within a broader philosophical and ecological tradition, challenging conventional understandings of its development. By drawing on critical plant studies and continental philosophy, Kotva connects ancient mystical insights from figures like Plotinus and Hildegard to contemporary thought, revealing a continuous, yet often obscured, lineage of ecological spirituality that transcends conventional theological boundaries.

📚 Glossary

Vegetal Life
Mystical Union
Critical Plant Studies

📔 Questions to reflect on

{'q': "How might understanding your own spiritual practice as a 'vegetal being' shift your relationship with the natural world and your sense of self?"}
{'q': "Consider a moment of profound connection with nature. How did this experience blur the lines between your individual self and the environment around you, echoing a 'mystical union'?"}
{'q': 'Reflect on historical or cultural narratives that have marginalized the spiritual significance of plants or animals. What might be gained by re-integrating these perspectives into contemporary spirituality?'}