Participation and the Mystery: Transpersonal Essays in Psychology, Education, and Religion

by Jorge N. Ferrer

A groundbreaking and hopeful new look at contemporary spirituality, transpersonal psychology, integral education, and religious diversity and pluralism.

Participation and the Mystery is both an introduction to and expansion of Jorge N. Ferrer's groundbreaking work on participatory spirituality, which holds that human beings are active cocreators of spiritual phenomena, worlds, and even ultimates. After examining the impact of his work since the publication of Revisioning Transpersonal Theory , Ferrer discusses the relationship between science and transpersonal psychology, the nature of a fully embodied spirituality, and the features of integral spiritual practice. The book also introduces a participatory philosophy of education and applies it to the academic teaching of mysticism and a novel approach to embodied spiritual inquiry. Critically engaging the influential work of Stanislav Grof, Ken Wilber, and A. H. Almaas, Ferrer concludes with an original solution to the problem of religious pluralism that affirms the ontological richness of religious worlds while avoiding the extremes of perennialism and contextualism, offering a hopeful vision for the future of world religion. Participation and the Mystery is an invaluable resource to anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of participatory approaches to transpersonal psychology, integral and contemplative education, contemporary spirituality, and religious studies.

“…these brilliant new essays are required reading for anyone seriously interested in spirituality, psychology, religion, mysticism, philosophy of science and education … the volume is highly stimulating and thought-provoking in articulating a participatory perspective across a number of disciplines and challenging us to become more integral, embodied and responsible..” — Paradigm Explorer

“…a fine book, serving as a compelling addition to Jorge Ferrer's distinctive approach to transpersonal psychology. For those who are unfamiliar with the field, this volume might well serve as an initiation to further reading. For those conversant with transpersonalism, there is a rich and wide-ranging engagement here with relevant fields of research, and Ferrer advances and elucidates his previous work in a number of new and valuable ways.” — Reading Religion

"The range of ideas expressed in this compelling series of papers is extensive..” — Journal of Analytical Psychology

"In Participation and the Mystery , we are given the opportunity to dive into the engaging, provocative, and stunningly erudite thought of Jorge N. Ferrer, arguably one of the premier transpersonal theorists of our time. Building on the key essays written after the publication of his seminal work, Revisioning Transpersonal Theory , Ferrer shows us how his compelling and extremely fertile participatory model can be applied, with intriguing and rewarding results, to multiple, highly distinct fields of discourse. Read this book if you want your worldview to be both challenged and enriched..” — G. William Barnard, author of Living The Metaphysical Vision of Henri Bergson

"Ferrer is a leading figure in transpersonal psychology. His participatory perspective explains both the deep commonalities and the creative diversity of spiritual traditions. It provides a way to understand the general phenomenon of spirituality without falling prey to ideological dogmatism or the tendency to privilege one's own spiritual tradition or practice over others. Ferrer's work deserves to be widely read..” — Michael Washburn, author of Transpersonal Psychology in Psychoanalytic Perspective

Genres: Psychology

386 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2018

About the author

I was born in Barcelona, Spain. After obtaining my degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Barcelona and the University of Wales, College of Cardiff (U.K.), I carried out doctoral research on mindfulness meditation with the support of a fellowship from the University and Research Commission of the Catalonian Council.

In 1993, I traveled to the USA to obtain a Ph.D. degree at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) under the auspices of the prestigious 'la Caixa" Foundation Fellowship Program (Catalonia, Spain). I began teaching in 1998 at both the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and CIIS, and in 2000 became core faculty at CIIS, where I also served as chair of the Department of East-West Psychology and launched a concentration in Shamanic Studies.

In addition to dozens of articles, I have authored three books: Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality (State University of New York Press, 2002), Participation and the Mystery: Transpersonal Essays in Psychology, Education, and Religion (State University of New York Press, 2017), and Love and Freedom: Transcending Monogamy and Polyamory (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), as well as co-edited The Participatory Turn: Spirituality, Mysticism, Religious Studies (State University of New York Press, 2008). Many of my books and articles have been translated into several languages, such as Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Finish, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.

I was a leading scholar at the Esalen Center for Theory and Research, California, where I have also offered various talks and workshops. In 2000 my work received the Fetzer Institute’s Presidential Award for its seminal contribution to consciousness studies. In 2009 I was selected to become an advisor to the organization Religions for Peace at the United Nations on a research project aimed at solving global inter-religious conflict.

In my international private practice (in English and Spanish) I assist individuals and couples to achieve more satisfying intimate relationships, as well as support individuals in processes of spiritual integration, transformation, and awakening.

I regularly offer invited talks, podcasts, workshops, webinars, and interviews in both English and Spanish.

Learn more at www.jorgenferrer.com​

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