Vision (religion)

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This page is about inspirational renderings in a religious context. For other meanings, see vision.

In religion, visions comprise inspirational renderings, generally of a future state and/or of a mythical being, and are believed (by followers of the religion) to come from a deity, directly or indirectly via prophets, and serve to inspire or prod believers as part of a revelation or an epiphany. Many mystics take the word vision to be synonymous with apparition.

For religious visions as a literary form, see apocalyptic literature.

Religious visions are generally categorized as miracles. Like speaking in tongues and unlike raising the dead, visions can be readily forged.

Artistic inspiration may provide a special category of the ecstatic vision: traditionally in such cases the semi-divine Muses may transmit the visioning to their loyal followers.

Visions generally have more clarity than dreams, but traditionally fewer psychological connotations.

Entheogens (such as peyote) have traditionally assisted in the generation of visions among diverse cultures, as well as in modern western culture.

Some could consider visions to be a manifestation of the 'aha' (lightbulb going off) type of learning associated with Picture thinking or Visual Spatial thinking.