Basic Concepts of Christian Mysticism
Dec 31 2007
Basic Concepts of Mysticism
All is One
At the root of all mysticism is the idea that all things are connected and do not exists independently of one another. Hinduism refers to this concept as “Karma” and Buddhism calls it “Emptiness”. A mystic seeks to discover and be aware of how their life is effected by their environment other living beings, and in turn how they effect the environment and other living beings. When a mystic says they are seeking to “become one with” they are more accurately seeking to be aware of their oneness, as a mystic also knows that reality cannot be changed.
“Everything in the universe is full of Tao
and leads to Tao,
just like the water in rivers
that flows into oceans.” – Lao Tzu
Truth is Absolute and Unattainable
Mysticism is about the never ending pursuit of truth or the “ultimate reality”. Unlike “New Age” thinkers, mystics do NOT believe in relative truth or subjective reality. Mystics believe that truth exists independently of our perceptions, and that we must always change our perceptions when confronted with truth. However, mystics believe that a complete understanding of reality and life’s mysteries is a never ending journey.
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” - Buddha
Mysteries are Sacred
Closely relating to the previous concept of truth, mystics believe that the mysteries of life and reality are sacred and must not be made light. Man seeks to understand and know, and wants to have answers to everything. A mystic believes that wherever an answer cannot be truly found, a mystery must remain. To take a mystery that is beyond human power to answer, and claim to have solved it, is one of the greatest perversions man can commit.
“I seek not to know all the answers but to understand the questions.” – Kwai Chang Caine
Enlightenment and Awakening
Mysticism believes that man is born “asleep” or unaware of himself and reality. We begin life as little more than animals who live based on carnal senses and cravings. A mystic seeks to “awaken” or become “enlightened” to the greater reality and possibilities beyond carnal existence. This journey begins with the human spirit becoming discontent with the material reality they are presented with. Thoughts like “There has to be more to life!” and “What is the meaning to all this?” are believed to be the soul within a man urging him to awaken.
“Knowing others is wisdom; Knowing the self is enlightenment; Mastering others requires force; Mastering the self needs strength” – Lao Tzu
Basic Concepts of Christian Mysticism
God is One
Christian mystics believe that God is one with His creation. To a Christian mystic, the pursuit of truth, the pursuit of being one with the Universe, and the pursuit of being one with each other is all the pursuit of God. Christian mystics believe that we are to train ourselves to see God everywhere and in everything. We learn to see how the characteristics of God are interwoven into all life so that we may “Walk with God”.
“For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20
God is an Individual Consciousness
As opposed to “New Age” or “New Thought” movements, Christian mysticism holds that God is a person, maintaining an individual consciousness. God is not the sum total of human conscious, nor are we just part of a larger conscious or “God consciousness”. We are made in God’s image, and are capable of forming a close relationship to God. Some people may confuse these concepts, but the easy way to distinguish them is to realize there is a vast difference between “Walking with God” and “Being God”.
God is Eternal
Many Christians in western civilization consider eternity to mean “forever”, but this is false. The Biblical concept of eternity means “without time”. The Godhead lives outside of time, as time was created just for our own existence. Eternity refers to a state of existence that is timeless and without boundaries. Jesus Christ does not define eternity as “living forever” but rather as “knowing God”.
This is the answer to the question that if God created the Universe, then who created God. God was not created, because linear concepts such as beginning and end do not exist except in our own Universe. That is why one name for God is “I AM”, because God simply exists. Jewish mystics refer to this concept as “Ein Sof” which means “without end”.
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful!” – Revelation 1:8
Jesus Christ is Eternal
The greatest concept in Christian mysticism is that Jesus Christ is eternal. Even though Jesus Christ existed as a person who lived, died, and was resurrected in the human timeline, His nature is eternal. Jesus Christ’s eternal nature is referred to as “Logos” or “The Word”. Jesus Christ embodies the “ulimate truth” of the universe. Eastern mystics call this “the Tao”. Jesus Christ actually refers to himself as “The Way”, which is the literal translation for “The Tao”.
In Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), God created this world with a hidden truth or message. The purpose of Jewish mysticism is to search for that truth or “key” to understand the Universe. Christian mystics make the claim that Jesus Christ is that “key”.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it.” – John 1:1-5
Truth is Inevitable
Christian mystics are less inclined to proselytize or seek to “convert” others. We simply seek to purify ourselves to let truth be shown through our own lives more and more clearly. A Christian mystic believes that all those who seek truth will inevitably find it. Therefore, we do not rush those who are on their own journeys toward truth but rather do all we can only to encourage and nourish them. A Christian mystic only takes a position of intervention in another’s life if a person is in self-deceit and self-destruction, but even then only after one has earned the right in the eyes of the other to do so.
“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” - Deuteronomy 4:29
Mysteries are Sacred
Christianity and the Bible have their own mysteries. A Christian mystic believes those mysteries are sacred and not to be made light of my those who wish to have all things answered. There is enough in Scripture that is plain and understandable such as “Love your neighbor as yourself”, that to spend time trying to calculate the time of the Second Coming or quarrel over predestination is foolishness.
For example, many Christians seek to explain the relationship of the “Trinity” or more accurately the Godhead. A Christian mystic believes that the relationship shared by God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit cannot be fully understood or explained. Claim to have done so is a sacrilege and great offense. This also applies to Biblical prophecy, as some people often spend time foolishly trying to “decode” the revelations of Scripture.
Christian mystics also love the mysteries and spend a great deal of time meditating and pondering them. However, all revelations a mystic receives concerning mysteries are meant to be kept personal or discussed only in friendly circles.
Sin is a State of Being
Christian mystics do not think of sin in terms of actions and “do or do-nots”. We believe sin is a state of being. We “live in sin” when we have greed, envy, hate, lust, and fear in our hearts and thoughts. While these evils, when left unattended, manifest themselves in actions such as discrimination, violence, betrayal, and adultery the problem isn’t the actions themselves.
Christian mystics seek to purify themselves by seeking to practice and nurture virtues in themselves such as humility, charity, material detachment, patience, and self-control. We do this through prayer, meditation, confession, and penance. A mystic who commits an outward manifestation of sin, does not try to resist the action, but rather seeks to know it’s cause.
Likewise, Christian mystics do not seek to be “moral” as morality is about outward actions. Instead, we seek to be pure so that our outward actions naturally become edifying and beneficial to those around us. I want to be clear that the acknowledgment of sin, especially our sinful state of being, is an essential part of Christianity and Christian mysticism.
“Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!” – Matthew 23:26
Salvation is a Journey
Christian mysticism does not think of the concept of salvation as an on-off switch. There is no ritual or initiation that “saves” someone. Christian mystics believe that Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross is what allows man to repent of sin and receive forgiveness from God that he may begin communion with God.
Eternal life does not begin when a Christian dies and “goes to Heaven”, but rather begins at the moment of repentance. We are not saved from “going to Hell”, we are saved from living hellish lives. While some Christian’s believe a man’s journey ends at being “saved”, and mystic believes that we are saved so that we may start the journey.
Even more so, a Christian mystic does not believe that Jesus Christ lived a sacrificial life so that we are free to live however we want. Rather, we believe that Jesus’s life is to be imitated be all who follow Him. Christians mystics believe that we ourselves take up our own Crosses and live to sacrifice ourselves for others. This is several mystics in Christian history add “of the Cross” to their names (i.e. St. John of the Cross).
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’” – Matthew 16:24
Continue Reading – Resources for Christian Mysticism >>
A great article that I will happily recommend to those seeking to learn more about this tradition.
In Peace always…
um. i like the title of your site. i even like some of the content. but i disagree with your (and the OED’s) definition of mystic and mysticism.
have you even READ st. john of the cross?
i mean, where is the mystical part of your site? it sounds like vanilla spiritual teaching.
if you want folks to understand mysticism–demonstrate it.
i’m sorry. but your blog title is an oversell.
but maybe it’s a matter of semantics. i see ‘mysticism’ not as ‘pursuit of union with the divine’ or ‘understanding spiritual truths using other than reason’ but as something far more organic. mystics don’t necessarily ’seek out god.’ god just finds them. mystics don’t necessarily seek union with god—that’s what hermetecists theurgists do. mysticism is about imagery, visions, ecstatic experiences of god, yes. there is nothing PRACTICAL about it, is there? i don’t see it.
what you describe as mysticism seems co-extensive, in my view and in my read of your stuff thus far, as nothing other than vanilla spirituality. i’m sorry, but ‘mysticism’ is not just ‘intense spirituality.’ i don’t get you or your site (yet?????).
but i’ll kick the tires a little bit more and see what happens. but at the moment, i’m only slightly less irritated with you and your site than i am with those atheist journalists looking for the next free-loving, zen-tristic, anti-papist monks that occasionally pretend not to want to get interviewed for human interest stories.
perhaps next time i’ll tell you how i REALLY feel.
a.p.
@apollo
“vanilla spirituality”!!!????? I prefer cookie dough.
Your website interests me to dig deeper into Christian Mysticism. I like what I read. I have felt unsettled in my Christian walk and think this is what I am missing. Tell me more…
I recently came to similar conclusion about the connection between the tao concept (found in tao te ching) and christian mysticism.
I actually found your site after looking for a christian mysticism site to buy so that I can also write my own thoughts about these true christian mysticism as opposed to christian fundamentalism and it is nice to see that I am not alone in my thoughts.
All,
I am just beginning my spiritual journey and I am finding myself drawn to Catholicism as a foundation and also find myself Drawn to Mysticism. Forgive my ignorance but would like to pose a few questions if I could?
1. Does the Catholic Community accept Christian Mysticism?
2. What books or resources do you recommend for beginners to this path?
3. What is the difference between Gnostic’s and Christian Mystics?
Thanks in advance I have searched for the basic answers to these questions but am not able to find answers that are not confusing. Thanks for the insightful posts and god bless.
1. Yes! In fact, a majority of the “staple” authors behind Christian Mysticism are Catholic. St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, Thomas a Kempis, and Thomas Merton are all Catholic. When I was in the evangelical church, calling yourself “mystic” was a liability, but since I have been in the Catholic Church, it has been almost an term of honor. Of course, there are exceptions, but as a whole, mysticism is a large part of the Catholic community.
2. All the book written by the above mentioned authors. Beyond Catholic Mysticism, I recommend Lao Tzu, C.S. Lewis, and Evelyn Underhill. My favorite books are “The Dark Night of the Soul” by St. John of the Cross, “Letters to Malcom” by C.S. Lewis, and “The Way of Chaung Tzu” translated by Thomas Merton.
3. Gnosticism is VERY different from Christian Mysticism as it is, at it’s root, mostly secular and humanistic. Gnosticism is based in the belief that the things Jesus was “really” trying to teach are secret, and only smart people like them, can figure them out. They do not trust the Church’s portrayal of… anything, and consider fringe documents, like the gospel of Thomas, as more reliable than even Scripture. Of course, all this isn’t really about mysticism at all, but rather a theological issue.
Hope that helps!
Christian mysticism looks at the world from a different angle giving meaning to life, not rejecting anything or waving a fist with scorn and resentment.A good source for contemporary Christian mysticism is the book “Evolution of Consciousness by John Kuykendall.
Jesus is not God, jesus realized the divine within him, he became the logos after his baptism,a dn the logos is an ancient greek philosophy, its about wisdom itsnot a soul its a concept.. ejsus is not our God our cosmic concoious is our God .. infact chrisitnaiyt is a pagna religion about a dyingd savior born of a virgin and resurrected.. this was there thousands of year bc and it is a pagan idea about many gods.. the bible is fake
Yaholo do you have a response to Rana? I’m curious as to your opinion on his/her statements. Especially “the bible is fake”
@Seeking – Saying “the bible is fake” is not an argument, it is a rant. It doesn’t even make sense. Fake how? Or better yet: A fake of what? I might as well respond “no, it is not”. I can respond to an argument, but not a rant. It would be like little children yelling “Yes it is!” “No it isn’t!” “Yes it is!” “No it isn’t!”… I tend to just ignore these things. If someone posts an intelligent question, argument, or point I will respond.
Does one have to be catholic to be a Christian mystic? I find MANY things wrong with the RCC… How does one practice Christian mysticism without being Catholic? Thanks!
Simplest answer – If you had to be a Catholic to be a mystic, I would have called the blog “Practical Catholic Mysticism”.
Catholicism does not a mystic make. Many people are Catholics and avoid mysticism like the plague, they are not tied to each other. I simply express that I have found many more cultures and traditions within the Catholic Church more supporting of mysticism than other Christian organizations.
I am reading the complete works by Meister Eckhart which is an excellent source of information on Christian mysticism. I am beginning formation as a Trappist in a few weeks. The monastery I am going to places a heavy emphasis on meditation and they also sit regularly with Tibetan Buddhists. Not all trappist monasteries would do this. I look forward to formation.