March 17-19, 2026
Los Angeles, California

Mystical authors often speak of the divine within the spaces of the natural environment that surround them. They find God not only inside the recesses of the private self, but amidst vast exterior landscapes, real or imagined, whether scaling mountains, wandering deserts, or navigating the sea. Nonhuman life both contributes to the ambient landscape and dwells within it alongside human communities.

The landscape of Southern California, first known to indigenous spiritual traditions, gathers all three of these influential formations together: mountain, desert, and ocean. Yet it also reminds us of their shared vulnerability to natural and human devastation, given the recent Los Angeles fires. The particular landscape of the Pacific, facing toward the global South and East, invites reflection on other landscapes past and present—whether Mediterranean, European, Atlantic, or otherwise—that continue to influence and inform modes of contemplative life today.

The Mystical Theology Network annual conference in 2026 invites scholars, artists, and practitioners to submit proposals for papers on the theme of the Landscapes of Mysticism.

• How are Christian and other mystical traditions grounded in their respective geographies, both real and imagined?
• How might dialogues emerge across traditions that share similar topographies?
• How do spatial formations enable, limit, or otherwise govern mystical writing?
• How do mystical authors imagine, measure, or travel through spaces and
  landscapes?
• How does nonhuman life form or indwell the landscapes of mysticism?
• How are mystical practices or images mediated not only by interiority, but by the contours of the encompassing world?

We welcome 20-minute paper proposals or 3-paper session proposals on any aspect of the theme and from any methodological perspective. Please send paper or session abstracts of max. 300 words to: mtn2026losangeles@gmail.com. Proposal deadline: October 31, 2025.

In keeping with our theme, MTN 2026 will be convened within a significant local landscape: a Franciscan retreat in Malibu situated in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Serra Retreat provides single and double room accommodations including all meals provided on site. Despite the recent fires in Los Angeles, the Franciscans have maintained their beautiful complex by prioritizing simplicity and sustainability. By offering affordable lodging on site integrated with the conference, we can support junior scholars, reduce our collective footprint, and foster closer exchange among participants. Optional excursions might include group visits to the Getty Museum, Malibu beaches, and local restaurants. Read more about the retreat on their website: https://serraretreat.com/.

The three conference days are March 17-19.
Participants staying at Serra Retreat can check in on March 16 before dinner and check out on March 20 after breakfast.
Registration fees and room rates: Registration will open around October 31, 2025, and close around February 1, 2026. You will find a link to the registration form, along with all information concerning accommodation, here.

Organizer:
David Albertson (University of Southern California; Nova Forum for Catholic Thought)
Organizing Committee:
Thomas Carlson (UC Santa Barbara)
Douglas Christie (Loyola Marymount University)
Sean Hannan (MacEwan University)
Charlotte Radler (Loyola Marymount University)
Brian Treanor (Loyola Marymount University)

Source : Mystical Theology Network