VLADIMIR STATE UIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION STUDIES

ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF ESOTERICISM AND MYSTICISM

(ASEM)

ХIV Conference with International Participation

Mystical and Esoteric movements in theory and practice:

Religious Practices and “Mystical Experience”

July, 2 – 4 2024

online & offline

Vladimir, Russia

First Information Letter

It would be hard to imagine esotericism and mysticism without their practical component. All mystical and esoteric movements have their practical side, be it ritual, self-suggestion or visualization. These practices may result in what is often called “mystical experience”, which determine the life of those who managed to obtain it. Besides, esoteric and/or mystical practices largely determine the tenets which regulate the life of the adepts.

How does theory and practice relate to each other in mysticism and esotericism? What is the difference between magical and mystical practices both in the West and in the East? Does practice constitute the core of esotericism? Is it possible to have esotericism with no practical side whatsoever? What are the consequences of the received “mystical experience”? Al these questions require rigorous study and its results are to be discussed at the present conference.

Participation in the colloquium may be of interest to anthropologists, literary scholars, philosophers, historians, scholars in the fields of culture and religion studies, psychologists, sociologists, and, of course, scholars of esotericism.

The range of topics to be discussed at the conference includes:

• relation of mystical and esoteric, mystical and magical practices;
• study of practical aspects of mystical and esoteric movements;
• practical side of the Eastern and Western mystical and esoteric movements, their similarities and differences;
• religious practices in modern esotericism;
• description of mystical experience and mystical practices in fiction and art;
• religious practices in modern mass culture;
• the influence of practices on the everyday life of the esotericists.

The working languages of the conference are Russian and English. Applications for participation in the conference as speakers (as well as round table organizers) are to be filled in online at https://aiem-asem.org/conferences prior to June, 1, 2024.

The fact of application does not guarantee its acceptance into the program of the conference. The organizing committee may request additional materials from the applicants in order to clarify the whereabouts of the application. The decision regarding each application will be made by the committee during the week following the deadline and will be sent to the applicants via e-mail.

Prior to the start of the conference a program will be sent to the participants with the names of the speakers and the abstracts of their presentations.

The participation fee is due for:

• ASEM members as speakers – 1000 rubles
• non-ASEM members as speakers – 2000 rubles
• ASEM members as listeners – 500 rubles
• non-ASEM members as listeners – 1000 rubles

The fee is not paid by the members of the organizing committee, the conference working group and the administration of Vladimir State University.

The listeners should specify in their applications their names, the form of their participation (online or offline), their place and country of residence, and their Zoom nickname in case of online participation.

Graduate and postgraduate students of Vladimir State University, as well as university staff may attend the conference free of charge.

In order to pay the fees the participants should contact the secretary of the organizing committee in advance before the conference via e-mail esoterra.asem@gmail.com.

The committee favors offline participation at the conference. The number of online participants will be limited and each application for online participation will be considered individually.

The materials presented at the conference will be published as a collective monograph indexed by Russian Science Citation Index. The articles limited to 25000 characters (including blank spaces and notes) will be received after the conference. The prospective authors will be informed about the due date. Participation in the conference as speaker is mandatory for the material to be published.

All travel expenses are to be covered by the participants or their donors.

The organizers may provide consultation in regard to accommodation in Vladimir.

All questions are to be sent to: esoterra.asem@gmail.com

The organizing committee: E. I. Arinin (grand PhD), S. V. Pakhomov

(PhD) – co-chairmen, A. S. Timoschuk (grand PhD), Dr. Prof. N. Radulović

(Beograd), S. A. Zubkov (PhD), D. D. Galtsin (PhD), E. L. Kuzmishin (PhD), S. S.

Petrukhin (secretary).

Conference working group: Yu. V. Sergievskaya, N. L. Mariani.

The address of the conference: Vladimir, Russia, ul. Gor’kogo, d. 87, aud.

211 – 1 (main building).

The e-mail address of the conference: esoterra.asem@gmail.com