Are You a Mystic?

Are you a mystic?  What does it mean to be mystical? Before I became a mystic, I had no idea what mysticism was.

According to Father Thomas Keating, mysticism is a synonym for contemplation. The word, contemplation, has both secular and religious connotations. Although I have found many quotes to help me understand the meaning of the word, “contemplation,” the most succinct and meaningful to me originates from Thomas Merton: Contemplation is, above all, an awareness of the reality of an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant Source (my paraphrase from his book “New Seeds of Contemplation”).
 
Mysticism is believing what is hard to know and knowing what is hard to believe. Believing happens in the rational part of the brain. Knowing occurs within our whole being. Knowing can occur without believing. In fact, knowing may precede believing. Believing begins with doubting what the body or the spirit or the whole already knows. As the truth contained in our unconscious being gains mass, its gravity slowly brings the conscious mind into its orbit.

A mystic willingly opens his or her mind to a position of receptiveness; to be subject to the being or the soul, whose body of knowledge and conception of reality is exponentially greater than that of the mind. When we say something boggles our mind, that is an indication that the mind has realized the minute proportion of the reality that it perceives, let alone comprehends. When the conscious mind accepts that it is not the master portrayer of reality, but only a part of the tripartite whole – mind, body, and spirit – than we have become a mystic.

Jesus lived his life on his earth as a mystic, and we are called to follow in his way, so if we profess to be Christians (Christ-like), then we should be mystics, too.

We should not be afraid or hesitant about taking on this frame of being. Some people may confuse or conflate the word mystic with mythic or magic. These three words all deal with mystery, or an incomplete or unintelligible perceiving or understanding or portraying of reality. But “mystic” is the only term among the three that specifically relates to a spiritual or divine connection.

Magic refers to an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source, and may include connotations of sorcery or assistance of evil spirits.
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Myth is a usually traditional story of supposedly historical events that is told in order to express the worldview of a people or explain a cultural practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.

Interestingly, myth is a synonym for parable, which Jesus used exclusively in his teaching, because he said it was the only way that people could grasp spiritual truths.

That’s why Jesus used parables to describe the kingdom of God, a way of being which lies beyond our ability to comprehend.
As a mystic, we experience awe and wonder at reality, we believe that there is a power, meaning, and reality beyond the reaches of our senses or intelligence, and we seek a direct, personal communion with a living God or ultimate reality.

For centuries, this sense of mystery has been overshadowed in many Christian churches by teachings and desires to profess beliefs with certainty, squeezing out the mystery. The premise of the Enlightenment was that all things could be known and thereby controlled, and therefore, people were deluded into seeking God through their rational understanding. In the process, the mainstream church lost its mystical essence.
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Centering Prayer is a practice that helps us to re-establish this personal connection and experience of God through the Word and the Spirit. We are all part of a movement in the world today to return to the ancient practices of experiencing God through body, mind, and spirit, not solely or predominantly though the very limited, rational ability of our brain.