Brianne Donaldson

Depths As Yet Unspoken

Philosophy

“Whitehead’s ‘mysticism’ reintroduces us to the concrete universe in which we exist; it is the formless relationality constituting all form, the creative advance that ‘un-structures’ all substance, the multiplicity ‘hidden’ in each transient unity. Faber calls readers—from science, religions, philosophy, or the arts—to cultivate new sensitivities to a world always-in-process. Conceived in this way, ‘mysticism’ becomes the most adequate—indeed, the most rational—practice of seeking, learning, speaking, and responding.”

The Cosmic Spirit

World Religions

“If Reality contains multiplicity in a togetherness of difference, The Cosmic Spirit invites readers to become likewise, seeking the many-sidedness of existence in their own contexts. Relationality moves from a universal abstraction to an embodied, emplaced practice: how do I enlarge my particular multitude—of views, living beings, competing claims, and contradictions of self—in a dissonant unity with less loss? This ‘spirit’ is a verb or activity, providing an experimental model by which to expand the sense of Self, diversify modes of knowing, and enlarge the political sphere of ethical concern. This text looks through the lens of multiple religions toward transreligious practices that might co-shape planetary communities to come.”