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Abstract

This paper examines how contemporary Christian contemplative discourse integrates two apparently opposed construals of religious experience: relational intimacy with a divine entity and non-conceptual states of pure awareness. We argue that relational intimacy is conceptualized through warmth, connection, spatial proximity, shared will, and resonance, underpinned by a schematic structure. By contrast, non-conceptual awareness is conceptualized through release, falling, dropping out, darkness, and the cessation of attentional movement, while also exhibiting various degrees of -- attenuation. Despite their apparent incompatibility, this paper argues that conceptual blending allows these perceived experiences to be encapsulated within a single framework of belief and practice. Focusing on Cynthia Bourgeault’s (2016) , we demonstrate how her use of the metaphor scenario of entering the cloud, drawn from the Christian mystical classic , offers one such example. The analysis shows how metaphor and blending enable contemporary contemplative discourse to negotiate the social and theological boundary between Christian relational theism and nondual spirituality.

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2026-07-14
2026-08-16

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Blind beholding
John Benjamins ; https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.26002.ric
/content/journals/10.1075/msw.26002.ric
/content/journals/10.1075/msw.26002.ric
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: blending ; religious experience ; schemas ; metaphor

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