Experiences of “Soul Journeys” in the World’s Religions: The Journeys of Mohammed, Saints Paul and John, Jewish Chariot Mysticism, Taoism’s Highest Clarity School, and Shamanism.

Authors

Roger Walsh, University of California

DOI

10.24972/ijts.2012.31.2.103

Abstract

“Soul journeys” are a central practice of shamanism. However, they have also been important

in many other religious traditions and have exerted a major impact on religions, cultures, and

history. This article surveys some important journeys in the world’s religions such as those of

Mohammed, the Christian saints Paul and John, Jewish Chariot Mysticism, Taoism’s Highest

Clarity tradition, and shamanism. The article explores the experiences of these journeys, techniques

for inducing them, culturally specific features, and the range of metaphysical interpretations of

them. It also examines some of the surprising ways in which journeys are currently impacting

Western culture, ranging from political movements to our understanding of states of mind.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Walsh, R. (2012). Walsh, R. (2012). Experiences of “soul journeys” in the world’s religions: The journeys of Mohammed, Saints Paul and John, Jewish chariot mysticism, Taoism’s highest clarity school, and shamanism. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 31(2), 103–110.. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 31 (2). https://doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2012.31.2.103