Are You a Mystic?

Mystics and mysticism:  the words are more commonly used, but many people don’t know what they mean.  Today, I am exploring mysticism.  Are you a mystic?  Maybe you are and don’t know it.  Please join me in this conversation by watching the video.  Thanks.

The following is a text version of this blog.

I find the writings of various mystics to both inspire and touch me deeply.  Among them are Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Christian mystic; Hafiz, a Persian Sufi poet; Abraham Heschel, a Polish-born Rabbi who lived in the last century.  Of course, there are others.  Even though they came from very different religious traditions, they had one thing in common:  they experienced the presence of God.  They were mystics.

People often are confused by the terms mystic and mysticism.  Growing up, I was taught that mysticism was something rare.  But I don’t consider mysticism rare.  What I have found is that many people aren’t open to or are afraid of mystical experiences.

A mystic is traditionally defined as someone who has a direct experience of God.  That experience could be as simple as a feeling or sensation.  For others it could be a voice or vision. English mystic Julian of Norwich was known for her visions.  So was German mystic Hildegard of Bingen.  But Teresa of Avila?  Her experience was deep within her, not about visions or voices but an awareness of an encounter with the Divine that was difficult to put into words.  I think most mystics are like Teresa of Avila:  they have a deep experience that’s difficult to put into words.

People have thought about mysticism in terms of experiencing God in a traditional sense.  The writings of most mystics reflect the religious tradition they come from.  I understand that because religions provide a vocabulary for the mystical experience which itself is difficult to put into words.  But I don’t hold a narrow or dogmatic view of what it means to experience God.  For many mystics, while their language reflects their religious tradition, what they are describing is not dogmatic.  Instead, the mystical experience is an experience of something Other than ordinary life, an experience of both wholeness and or mystery.  It’s the experience of a Presence that doesn’t have a limit.  It’s an experience that takes people out of their usual mindset and into the experience of something that seems to be limitless and timeless.  Perhaps you will choose to call that God, or Mystery, or Essence, or something else. 

We develop this awareness of mysticism in our daily lives, particularly when we are engaging with spiritual practice regularly.  It’s not that there’s a recipe to make the experience of mysticism happen.  Instead, spiritual practice opens us to experience something more.  In the process, we need to be willing to go with the experience when it happens and simply to be in the moment.  When we try to control it or analyze it or direct it, the experience seems to vanish.

I often hear people talk about different mystical manifestations or read in online forums about people trying to have some sort of a mystical experience.  They want a vision or to hear voices.  I find that to be problematic.  It’s another way of attempting to control an encounter with the Divine.  Don’t mistake the manifestation for the actual encounter.  Instead, allow the encounter to unfold.  Perhaps the manifestation will be a deep sense of peace and wholeness.  Or perhaps you’ll have a vision of something you can’t imagine. Or it may be an experience of something familiar.   But also be aware: the manifestations may change at different times in your life.  The more you let go and stop putting things into categories or rankings, the more likely this dimension of your life will grow.

Can someone live a balanced, fulfilled, and well-integrated life without mystical experience?  Of course they can.  But many people do have mystical experiences, sometimes occasionally and sometimes regularly.  Few people discuss this openly. But once someone begins to engage in regular spiritual practice and begins to experience something more, something deeper, something almost limitless, then that person has entered the realm of mysticism.  Are you a mystic?  Only you can know that because it’s about your experience.  Does it make you better than others?  No, not at all.  It’s simply a different way of experiencing the mystery of the Divine in life, a mystery that I believe is around us and permeates all of life.  In fact, I believe that it is the mystery that is life itself.