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12/30/2011

Christian Mysticism

The struggle to define mysticism


By nature, mysticism is linked to God, to mystery and to spirituality subjects which already defy easy explanation Every description will be inadequate. Every definition will be filled with contradictions.

What do we learn from the Christians mystics of the past and present?
We believe the wisdom these mystics offer can literally unite us with God Or at the very least, mysticism gives us such a powerful experience of Gods presence that it can revolutionize our lives.

The purpose of such transformed lives is not primarily to achieve a goal (like enlightenment or spiritual bliss), but rather to participate in the Holy Spirits ongoing activity embodying the flowing love of Christ, love that we in turn give back to God as well as to our neighbors as ourselves.

Christian mysticism is never an end in itself


The point behind Christian mysticism is not to dazzle the mind with ecstatic wonders and unusual experiences. The goal is to foster real and lasting changes (conversion) for the purposes of becoming more like Christ. Mysticism is not about quests for secret knowledge or hidden teachings that are supposed keys to higher realities All that is necessary for union with God has already been revealed in Christ.

Christian mysticism invites you to do more than just know about God or Christ or spiritual transformation. It invites you into God, into Christ, and into the experience of transformation that can come about only through the love and grace of God.

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Mysticism moves one into the realm of mystery


It pushes beyond the limits of human thought, human logic and human rationality. It goes beyond the limits of philosophy, theology, psychology and other sciences.

Christian mysticism is about having a relationship with God


This is what distinguishes Christian mysticism from other forms of mysticism where God is not a part of the equation. Even though we cannot fully know or understand God (the unknowable God), we are invited deeper and deeper into the realm of the mystery of God.

Quick definitions:
Mysticism is the art of union with God. Mysticism is the experiential core of spirituality, contrasted with religion, which is an organized assembly of rituals, beliefs, and codes of conduct that are derived from spirituality. Mysticism is the heart of spirituality where all religious differences are resolved and we find unity in the Sacred.

American Heritage Dictionary


Mysticism: immediate consciousness of the transcendent or ultimate reality of God.

Evelyn Underhill
Mysticism, according to its historical and psychological definitions, is the direct intuition or experience of God; and a mystic is a person who has, to a greater or lesser degree, such a direct experience one whose religion and life are centered, not merely on an accepted belief or practice, but on that which he regards as first-hand personal knowledge.

Margaret Smith

The word Mysticism itself comes down to us from the Greeks and is derived from a root meaning to close. The mystic was one who had been initiated into the esoteric knowledge of Divine things, and upon whom was laid the necessity of keeping silence concerning his sacred knowledge. The term :mystical, then might be applied to any secret cult revealed only to the initiated.

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Harvey D. Egan, SJ
Christian mysticism is a way of life that involves the perfect fulfilment of loving God, neighbour, all Gods creation, and oneself It is an ordered movement toward ever higher levels of reality by which the self awakens to, is purified and illuminated by, and is eventually fully united with, the love of God.

Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy


Mysticism is concerned with the possibility of personally encountering a spiritual reality which is hidden from our normal awareness like the sun behind the clouds. It is not concerned with propounding philosophy that may be believed or doubted. The mystics tell us that higher consciousness is available to everyone, and by setting out on our own journey of spiritual exploration we can experience it for ourselves.

Swami Abhayananda
Mysticism is that point of view which claims as its basis an intimate knowledge of the one source and substratum of all existence, a knowledge which is obtained through a revelatory experience during a rare moment of clarity in contemplation. Those who claim to have actually experienced this direct revelation constitute an elite tradition which transcends the boundary lines of individual religions, cultures and languages, and which has existed, uninterrupted, since the beginning of time.

F. C. Happold
Mysticism is the manifestation of something which is at the root of all religion and all higher religions have their mystical experiences.

Andrew Harvey
Mystical experience is the direct, unmediated experience of what Bede Griffiths beautifully describes as the presence of an almost unfathomable mystery This mystery is beyond name and beyond form; no name or form, no dogma, philosophy, or set of rituals can ever express it fully. It always transcends anything that can be said of it and remains always unstained by any of our human attempts to limit or exploit it.

Orienting Generalizations on Mysticism


This is a term Ken Wilber uses to describe a broad and basic way of speaking about a difficult topic. While not a precise definition, they help by providing ways that point to an understanding.

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Even when experts cannot agree on something, their perspectives may have enough commonality that orienting generalizations can be drawn from their differing viewpoints. Wilber identifies some orienting generalizations about mysticism in his book Integral Spirituality

1. Mysticism as peak experience or epiphany


Mysticism can refer to a particular type of experience a peak experience of God, which can also be called a peak experience in that it provides a glimpse of previously unimagined possibilities. The Bible recounts numerous examples of such epiphanies Many, if not all, of the great Christian mystics experienced epiphanies of their own.

2. Mysticism as heightened consciousness


Mysticism also refers to a particular level of consciousness. This altered or heightened state which has been known by many names, including enlightenment, holiness, sanctification, and unitive life is not an isolated event, but rather represents a fundamental shift in awareness to a higher/holier state. Unlike an epiphany, which is transitory in nature, mysticism as heightened consciousness suggests a more or less permanent or longer-lasting change in awareness or knowledge of God. It may mean an ongoing sense of being united with God.

3. Mysticism as a developmental line


Mysticism may also refer to a particular type of ability what Wilber calls a developmental line. Just as some people are naturally gifted at music or sports or mechanics, so mysticism is a particular aptitude for which a person may exhibit a greater or lesser degree of innate skill.

This suggests that a mystically gifted person has an innate ability, not only to experience the presence of God, but also to manifest extraordinary spiritual abilities to heal, to prophesy, to teach or influence others through a deep spiritual charisma, to live a holy or sanctified life. Such mystical ability, like all other aptitudes, exists on a continuum. You do not have to be a mystical genius to have some capacity for the mystical.

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4. A mystical attitude
Mysticism refers to a particular attitude that has more to do with values than with experience, consciousness, or ability. In this sense, being a mystical person may mean nothing more than being serious about your belief that God is real and at work in your life, or having a clear conviction of the world as operating in harmony with Gods plan, or consistently being more forgiving than judgmental about others failings.

Whereas the previous generalization all seem to indicate that mysticism is something largely outside of your control, a mystical attitude rests more on choices and intentions you make. If you immerse yourself in mystical literature, if you are deeply engaged in the life of faith, if you choose to pray and meditate on a daily basis, you are cultivating an attitude of mysticism even if you never have an extraordinary experience, or a sense of heightened consciousness, or display any supernatural ability.

5. Mysticism as the inner dimension of religion


This may not be as dramatic a view of mysticism, but it has the virtue of being within the reach of the average person. Many Christian mystics, in fact, understood the spiritual life, not as something awesome and extraordinary, but as something humble, down-to-earth, and in many ways very simple and small. Mysticism refers to the inner dimension of religion. The worlds great contemplative wisdom traditions typically are embedded in a larger and more ordinary religious or philosophical culture. Christian mysticism emerges within Christianity; Vedanta within Hinduism; Kabbalah within Judaism; Zen within Buddhism; Sufism within Islam.

However, religious practices do not necessarily lead to mystical experiences. But religious practices might help you be more open to mystical experience than if you never bother with religious exercises at all.

The key to making sense of these differing perspectives is to remember that, to some extent, they are mutually exclusive.

We are more likely to encounter the mystery at the heart of mysticism if we remain open to all its paradoxes and possibilities.

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