A New Look at Spirituality

Abstract

The article examines the theme of spiritual transformation in three poets (Lazzarelli, Augurelli, Mantuanus) writing in the context of hermeticism, alchemy and monastic spirituality. Building on current scholarship on Western Esotericism and religious pluralism, the article argues that: 1) whether it occurs in hermetic, alchemical, or hagiographical contexts, spiritual transformation is characterized by recurring linguistic features and motifs consistent with Antoine Faivre’s definition of esotericism; 2) the presence of spiritual transformation and its corresponding language outside of proper esoteric contexts, suggests approaching this theme as a discursive strategy, whose features correspond to von Stuckrad’s definition of ‘language of experiential knowledge’. In a dialogue with Michel Foucault and Pierre Hadot, the article suggests taking this phenomenon as part of the Renaissance rediscovery of philosophy as a way of life, and an instance of a broader notion of spirituality.