What is a mystic?

"Mysticism is the art of union with reality." - Evelyn Underhill

Since I began writing here on The Scattered Mystic, I have received several responses expressing confusion, and even strong objections, to the word "mystic". For some, the word conjures associations with fortune tellers, snake-oil, and magical illusions. For many Christians, this association immediately places mysticism in the red-flag categories of heresy or occult practices. While mystics tend to be more esoteric in their language than many of us are used to, we should understand that they are attempting to put into words something that is ultimately ineffable and mysterious. This is the realm of poetry, paradox, and symbolism. Words like mystery and mystical experience should be familiar to those in any religious tradition. Those who embrace these mysteries or have experienced something mystical that transcends our usual categories are often described as mystics.

Within Christianity there is a long history of mysticism that predates most modern denominations. Aside from the mystical experiences described by the biblical authors in divine visions and apocalyptic dreams, the mystical tradition can be seen in numerous early church leaders like Athanasius and Gregory of Nyssa, the desert mothers and fathers, 14th century figures such as Meister Eckhart and Julian of Norwich, and numerous mystical works in the Renaissance period by figures such as Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. More recently, mystics such as Thomas Merton, Cynthia Bourgeault, and Richard Rohr have reintroduced the mystic tradition to western Christianity. Judaism has its own mystic traditions in Merkabah mysticism, Hasidic Judaism, and Kabballah. Likewise, Islam's Sufi mysticism has been popularized by beloved poets like Rumi and Hafiz.

"Theologians may quarrel, but the mystics of the world speak the same language." - Meister Eckhart

The Oxford English Dictionary describes a mystic as "a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect." This description contains three concepts essential to understanding mysticism - namely contemplation, divine union, and transcendence.

Mystics are often called contemplatives. Contemplation is a form of meditation or attentiveness to the present moment. It involves quieting the mind in order to listen and observe what is happening within us and around us. This can happen during prayer, reading sacred literature, or mindfulness exercises such as focused breathing or body scanning. Silence, solitude, and stillness are all helpful ways of focusing the mind on the present moment while minimizing distractions that might pull us away from being fully present.

A common experience of contemplative practice is a deeper awareness of our identity - those things that are true about who we are, as well as false identity markers that we have placed on ourselves. Contemplatives often discover that they are deeply interconnected with the world around them. As we begin to see the lines of our self-identity blur, identity markers like our career, economic status, and social distinctions become but a shadow of what is real. We begin to see that we are part of a whole - a whole that some call the universe, ultimate reality, oneness, or God. In surrendering our separate "self", we find our true identity engaged in a dance of giving and receiving with the whole of reality - forever inhaling and exhaling, forever discovering death giving birth to new life.

The experience of oneness with God doesn't eliminate our experience of individuality, but it does transcend it. The categories of "you" and "me", and even our categories of "good" and "bad" are transcended in various ways as we see the complexity and interconnectedness of reality. Those things that previously seemed like hard distinctions - sacred/mundane, human/divine, material/spiritual, us/them - now overlap and are inseparably united. Above the divisions we experience and witness in the world, we now have a vision of something more true that reorients our relationship to the world around us. We now have new eyes with which to see reality.

This shift in our awareness may begin as a trickle or a flood, but in either case it starts with an embrace of the present moment with all of its pain and joy, and setting aside for a moment the many ways in which we cling to the past and the future. As we let go of yesterday's regrets and our fears about tomorrow, our eyes and mind are set free to see the beauty that is unfolding right before our eyes. Perhaps its the chaotic energy of a child, or the unpredictable forces of nature outside, or the ever-changing state of our own body - all of these present an opportunity to bring our awareness to what is happening right now and embrace it with love.

Evelyn Underhill speaks of an "ordinary contemplation" that assures us that anyone can be a mystic saying, "It is a natural human activity, no more involving the great powers and sublime experiences of the mystical saints and philosophers than the ordinary enjoyment of music involves the special creative powers of the great musician." Mysticism, simply put, is enjoying and embracing the music of the world around us. It is a humble and affirming "yes!" to life in all of its complexity and mystery, an acceptance that we don't need to mentally master the whole of reality in order to receive this life as a gift.

Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out. Breathing in, I calm myself. Breathing out, I feel at ease. Breathing in, I smile. Breathing out, I release. Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment. Breathing out, I feel it is a wonderful moment. - Thich Nhat Hanh