New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove Jun 14, 2026 Arthur Versluis is Professor of Religious Studies at Michigan State University. Among his many books are American Gnosis: Political Religion and Transcendence, American Gurus, Magic and Mysticism: An Introduction to Western Esotericism, The New Inquisitions: Heretic-Hunting and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Totalitarianism, Wisdom’s Children: A Christian Esoteric Tradition, American Transcendentalism and Asian Religions, and Alchemical Lightwork: A Guide to Creating Cultures of Light and Spiritual Awakening. He is the editor of JSR: Journal for the Study of Radicalism. He is also the founding president of Hieros, a nonprofit focused on spirituality and cultural renewal. This conversation is based on his book Platonic Mysticism. Arthur discusses the Platonic mystical tradition from Plato through Plotinus, Dionysius the Areopagite, Christian mysticism, and the American Transcendentalists. He explores the contemplative path of realizing truth, the concepts of transcendence, emanation, and the One, while examining how mystical traditions have been marginalized within modern academic culture. Versluis also considers the future of contemplative science and the possibility of integrating ancient wisdom with contemporary approaches to consciousness research. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:06 Platonic mysticism and the eclipse of Plato 00:10:43 Mystery traditions and the roots of neoplatonism 00:16:05 Contemplative practice and the via negativa 00:26:13 Emanation, archetypes and consciousness 00:35:32 Dionysius the Areopagite and Christian mysticism 00:46:07 The eclipse of mysticism in modern academia 00:51:10 Literature, art and the flowering of transcendence 00:58:44 Contemplative science and consciousness studies 01:05:34 Conclusion (Recorded on May 26, 2026)