The Seven Roots of Russian Transpersonalism: Slavic Teachings on Transcendence and Ecstacy Vladimir Maykov

 
Russia holds a unique position in history, geography, and culture: eleven time zones, a cultural universe bordering on the west with Catholic and Protestant Europe, on the northeast with vast Siberian region populated by ethnicities still practicing shamanism, on the south with Muslim countries, the area of Islamic culture and Sufism. Throughout the centuries, the influence of shamanism and Sufism was quite significant. Via Russia, Gurdjieff brought to Europe the ideas of harmonious development of man. The anthroposophic views of Rudolf Steiner had an enormous influence on the Russian minds and souls of the Silver Age. Looking at the map, we will explore the ways various spiritual practices, knowledge, meaning, and experience of transformation and transcendence entered the spiritual life of Russia.