Ecologies of Ecstasy (Paperback)

Simone Kotva

ISBN 10: 0231213972 / ISBN 13: 9780231213974

Published by Columbia University Press, New York, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. What might religious practice learn from plants? Recent years have seen the emergence of critical plant studies, and philosophers have found a radical mode of thought in vegetal life. Ecologies of Ecstasy recasts religious contemplation as a form of vegetal being, arguing that spiritual practice is rooted in the generation of life on earth. Simone Kotva explores the role of vegetal life in the history of Christian mysticism and the practice of contemplation, demonstrating its significance to the concept of mystical union, which rests on the loss of distinction between self and world. She shows that plants, animals, and other creatures were once understood to exist by virtue of contemplation and examines how religious orthodoxies suppressed this idea. Ecologies of Ecstasy provides fresh readings of texts by figures such as Plotinus, Evagrius of Pontus, Hildegard of Bingen, Marguerite of Porete, the Helfta mystics, and Jeanne Guyon in light of contemporary philosophies of vegetal life and critical plant studies. It brings together feminist, queer, and ecocritical readings of Christian mysticism with continental philosophy and the works of Michael Marder, Emanuele Coccia, and Luce Irigaray. Entwining Christian contemplation with philosophies of vegetal life, this book offers new ways to understand mysticism and spiritual practice. Ecologies of Ecstasy recasts religious contemplation as a form of vegetal being, arguing that spiritual practice is rooted in the generation of life on earth. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780231213974

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Ecologies of Ecstasy (Paperback)
• Publisher: Columbia University Press, New York
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0231213972
• ISBN 13: 9780231213974
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

What might religious practice learn from plants? Recent years have seen the emergence of critical plant studies, and philosophers have found a radical mode of thought in vegetal life. Ecologies of Ecstasy recasts religious contemplation as a form of vegetal being, arguing that spiritual practice is rooted in the generation of life on earth.

Simone Kotva explores the role of vegetal life in the history of Christian mysticism and the practice of contemplation, demonstrating its significance to the concept of mystical union, which rests on the loss of distinction between self and world. She shows that plants, animals, and other creatures were once understood to exist by virtue of contemplation and examines how religious orthodoxies suppressed this idea. Ecologies of Ecstasy provides fresh readings of texts by figures such as Plotinus, Evagrius of Pontus, Hildegard of Bingen, Marguerite of Porete, the Helfta mystics, and Jeanne Guyon in light of contemporary philosophies of vegetal life and critical plant studies. It brings together feminist, queer, and ecocritical readings of Christian mysticism with continental philosophy and the works of Michael Marder, Emanuele Coccia, and Luce Irigaray. Entwining Christian contemplation with philosophies of vegetal life, this book offers new ways to understand mysticism and spiritual practice.

About the Author

Simone Kotva is senior lecturer in the Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion at the University of Gothenburg. She is the author of Effort and Grace: On the Spiritual Exercise of Philosophy (2020).