Mysticism II

Mysticism is for many an uncomfortable word, because it is more than a concept that can easily be accepted by the mind.

The dictionary defines Mysticism, taken from the Creek “to conceal.” In the Hellenistic world, which followed the Creek Classical period, ‘mystical’ referred to “secret” religious rituals.

A more detailed Explanation of mysticism is communion, identity with, or conscious awareness of Ultimate Reality, Divinity, Spiritual Truth or God, through experience, intuition, instinct or insight.

In early Christianity the term came to refer to “hidden” interpretations of Scriptures and to hidden presences. We can see this in the words of Jesus.

“And he said, unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand”.

                                                                              (KJV) Luke 8:10

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

                                                                              (KJV) John 16:12

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him .....

                                                                                 Corinthian 2:12 –14

Buddhists, Christian Mystics and Yogis show us the way to mystical experiences through a process of discipline of the mind and the senses in order to experience higher levels of consciousness. They speak of emptying of the mind of all things. Emptiness is not what is known in Western thought as nihilism. It is rather the idea of renouncing one’s own ideas. This for many people is scary as they would have to give up their own ego involvement in order to attain emptiness. The mind needs to be empty of all phenomenon.

A way to achieved this is through meditation, prayer and stillness.

Let us envision for a moment a world where anything is possible, than accept that things are not just possible but also probable. We often fail to see possibilities arising because we are so attached to our limited, re occurring thought patterns, our ego and its pathetic predictability, that we impede any progress toward higher levels of consciousness.

We need to realize, that there is a higher force acting upon us at all times, call it spirit or whatever you want to name it, and that we can connect with that something only when we suspend our own thoughts and our own ego. By doing so, we open up a Divine gap of peace and silence, where the power of the Infinite can enter the picture and do it’s magic.

It is through meditative practice of emptying ourselves of every thought and every attachment, as both Eastern sages and Western mystics have taught for thousands of years, that we can make leaps into the realm of the unimaginable, the land of true creativity.

When we open ourselves in silence to this higher force and accept its guidance, we will soon realize that we live in accordance with the will of God.

 It is here where the much debated discourse of free will fits in, since we open up the possibility of Divine direction in our lives. We now talk about freedom from choice rather than freedom of choice. This Divine direction gives us freedom to rejoice every second of our existence without the stress of being confronted with our own choice, for everything always flows gracefully in an ocean of infinite bliss.