László F. Földényi examines in this classic essay those moments that are described in the Western tradition as mystical, cathartic, shocking, or ecstatic. With a focus on the cultural, religious, and mythical traditions of these experiences, he attempts to describe their role from antiquity to the present day. Földényi reveals that it is precisely these seemingly timeless and placeless moments that illuminate the true nature of life, which is always bound by time and space. In doing so, he seeks to bring to life the moment that also permeates his own writing, treating it not as a neutral object.