Research
Neurotheological Approaches to Jerusalem Syndrome: Spiritual, Cultural and Cognitive Dimensions of Religious Experience
Published December 2023
This paper investigates Jerusalem Syndrome, a unique behavioral phenomenon observed in pilgrims visiting Jerusalem, by examining its defining features and the cognitive, cultural, and neurological mechanisms underlying its manifestation. Using the framework of neurotheology—an interdisciplinary field exploring the relationship between brain function and religious experience—the study situates the syndrome within broader discussions on the neurocognitive foundations of spirituality. Drawing on the work of Persinger, Newberg, and recent developments by McNamara, it analyzes how altered neural activity in specific brain regions or networks may contribute to religious ideation, hyperreligiosity, or delusional states. The analysis also considers how temporal lobe epilepsy—a condition frequently linked to heightened spiritual experiences—may intersect with sociocultural and symbolic stimuli to precipitate symptoms consistent with the syndrome. While environmental triggers are essential contextual factors, the paper raises the need to further investigate whether susceptibility to Jerusalem Syndrome may be shaped by neurological factors or by biologically influenced spiritual predispositions. This research offers a multidimensional interpretive model for Jerusalem Syndrome that synthesizes insights from psychiatry, neuroscience, and religious studies.
Spheres, Graphs & Diagrams: Mapping Knowledge at the Intersection of Spirituality and Science in Kabbalah & Jesuit Illustrations
November 2023
This paper delves into the symbiotic relationship between visual representation and epistemology in the mystical frameworks of Kabbalah and the Jesuit intellectual tradition. By tracing the shared iconographic techniques of mapping abstract concepts—from the intricate sefirotic structures of Kabbalistic diagrams to Athanasius Kircher's allegorical "Philosophical tree"—the paper examines how these traditions sought to render the metaphysical tangible and the spiritual intelligible. Through a comparative analysis, this study reveals a mutual visual lexicon that emerges at the nexus of science, art, and religion, reflecting an epistemic ambition to reconcile empirical observation with metaphysical inquiry. The paper further interrogates the cultural shift from these complex, symbolically rich representations to modern schematic forms, probing the epistemological and aesthetic implications of this transition for contemporary understandings of knowledge.
The Garden of Google-Earthly Delights: Chance in Art, Music, Computers, and Psyche
Published January 2021
This paper interrogates the aesthetics of chance and the collision between randomness and intention in contemporary digital art. Focusing on Jon Rafman's "Nine Eyes" project, which appropriates accidental imagery captured by Google Street View, this paper explores the interplay between the subjective, interpretive gaze of the artist and the impersonal, mechanized eye of the camera. It draws parallels to the automatism of the Surrealists and the aleatory principles of Dada, wherein randomness and unexpected juxtapositions are embraced as mechanisms for subverting conventional aesthetics and eliciting novel affective responses. By situating Rafman's work within this lineage, the study critically examines how digital and algorithmic processes engender new modes of seeing, interpreting, and constructing meaning in an era increasingly mediated by technology. Ultimately, the paper posits that chance functions not merely as a catalyst for aesthetic innovation, but as a fundamental force that challenges and reconfigures the boundaries of artistic practice and visual culture.
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Archive
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The Synthesis Codex
A zine that about the mapping of knowledge, letters, mysticism, and science, offering an exploration of how we represent and visualize ideas. It considers both conscious and unconscious graphic connections, inviting readers to reflect on the interplay between visual language and conceptual/spiritual understanding. Printed January 2023.
