Direct knowledge of creation, the inspiration that comes to some people in a flash is known in most religious traditions.

Do we need to necessarily have a graven image in front of us or a mantra in the mind to be able to get into that particular groove?

People who've had a near-death experience and survived usually seem to report the event as an encounter with beauty.

Do animals have mystical moments, that fleeting ineffable sense of a cosmic connect? Despite the fact that this may sound laughable to some...