Practical Christian Mysticism

Angels and demons pop-up every now and then in modern culture. People always have a fascination with what lies “across the veil” of our current reality. It’s hard because we know enough to know there is something there… but we don’t much more than that. Cult groups, pop-fiction novels, and celebrity psychics (psychos?) come around now and again to provide us tid-bits of lore and pique our interests. The real reality is that things are “across the veil” for a reason, and while it is tempting to try, they are best left there. I call this “mystic humility”, and it can save your sanity.

This topic has come up in several of my conversations as of late, and so I felt compelled to write this. It is always fun to talk and explore the possibilities, and even try to deduce a few things, but it is easy to get carried away. The bottom-line is that we just don’t know the true nature of reality beyond our senses. It is arrogant for us to try to tear down the veil ourselves.

A movie came out several years ago called The Mothman Prophecies, which is centered around a reporter trying to uncover and understand a series of supernatural events in a small town. The movie is based on true events and is, unintentionally, the best movie I have ever seen on demonology. It is the best, not because it gives answers, but because the conclusion of the movie is “you just can’t know”, or better “you aren’t allowed to know”.

The biggest step we have to take is to realize that God put us in our present reality for a reason. It is human nature to want to understand everything, but we just can’t. When we do attempt to understand everything, we get ourselves into trouble.

Those spirits which are for our good, such as angels, play by the rules. They stay hidden unless appearing for specific reasons. Malevolent spirits, such as demons, may be more inclined to “come out and play”, but when they do it is by their own rules. Spirit mediums, psychics, channelers, etc. are usually phonies, which is bad enough, but even worse when they are genuine.

The main character in The Mothman Prohecies, John Klein, is played with the entire movie and lead along with ambiguous clues by a “mothman” until he realizes he is way out of his league and walks away. The movie doesn’t make the connection between the “mothmen” and demons, I am doing that based from experience. Whenever people seek out “spirit guides”, channel the dead, or whatever, they put themselves at the mercy of beings who may or may not have their best interests in mind (usually not).

It is fun to think about Angels, spirits, ghosts, and the world behind the veil, but stay humble. Realizing our own limitations can make the difference between some small and beneficial knowledge of the world beyond, and having your life controlled by someone or something else.