Mysticism and Mystical Encounters - Essay Example

Mystical Encounters Mysticism involves divine knowledge, emotion and intellect in relation to personal experience and understanding in oneness regarding the nature and a supreme being. It is the experience of having contact with the divine nature or God. According to Christianity, the process involves having connection with God, attained through believing on Jesus Christ, on His death, loves for humankind, with significant emphasis laid on faith in Jesus as the savior of humankind, and believes on His resurrection. It brings out awareness of spiritual truths and experiences and creates awareness of ultimate reality of aspects of life thus, shaping ones character in unison with supernatural being. It is an effort of persons achieve perfect knowledge and gain ultimate knowledge and communion with the Supreme Being, through personal encounter with the supernatural being. The major concern of mystic is attaining realization of a union and submission to the Supreme Being. It is essential to note that the mystics in one way or the other affect individuals and communities as a whole, in the effort of attaining their goals by shaping character. This experience changes how a person view life and what they affect them as individuals or a group, thus the experience is more of personal. It can thus challenge the communal goals because, through it, individuals forming the commune obtain their character, experiences and belief. The religious belief, which the community abides by, reflects itself through the action of that community, what they encounter through the belief of the divine nature, thus mystical encounters. Mystical encounters involve any occurrence with a being without physical forms; these beings manifest it in different forms. They are normally inhuman or human forms, they maybe in the form of rocks, animals and tree spirits, which have extraordinary abilities to act differently under different situations. There are different types of mystical encounters experience by a believer these include prophetic dreams, apparitional manifestations, transfigurations, premonitions, automatic writing, spirit journey, instantaneous healing miracles among others (Dan 120). The believers of these mystics cannot explain how things happen; it is beyond human ability and understanding. The belief that the main purpose of mystics is to help its believers and followers understand how to act and approach issues accordingly. Failure to abide to the rules and regulation of mystic may lead to discrimination from the group, as it is a sign of rebellion and lack of respect to the divine nature (Porete 300). These encounters have played a vital role in bringing up brilliant scientists and civilization. Early civilization has its origin from the spiritual encounters and contact with the spiritual world, through revelations, dreams and miracles. Through these encounters, successful discoveries and innovations witnessed in this area of concern are of considerable significance in attaining the goals of mystical experience. Through these discoveries, truth concerning different religious doctrines and believes realized and provided to people to chose and decide for themselves the religion to join. Christian mysticism is the ultimate mystical form of mysticism. According to Christianity, the Christian asceticism is essential for every Christian to attain salvation, without it, the religion has no meaning to lives of its followers and believers. Christians consider prayer as a spiritual discipline, practiced by all for the purpose and ultimate reason of attaining of its goals. Other spiritual discipline, which must be, observed by every believer include meditation, contemplation, fasting and almsgiving (Dan 800). Without these disciplines, one cannot claim mystical experience in pursuing of faith with the aim of attaining this experience and mystical encounters with the divine nature. Mystical experience is the paramount concern in mysticism, human encounters with the Supreme Being lay emphasis on these experiences. Mystical experience involves the individual’s feeling of the divine power they attribute their feeling and experience, the event occurs to an individual within a religious setting. This experience is a crucial element of any religion as it guarantees its validation. Mystical experience, though different from one religion to another share common features and insights; they have a sense of unity, a sense of timelessness, sense of sacredness and a sense that one cannot adequately describe the richness of this experience (Dan 200). Mystical experience share common characteristics across all religions these common characteristics are a reason for unity and coexistence among members from different religious backgrounds. The experience is noetic its believers and followers view it as a valid and genuine source of knowledge, and they trust it with no doubt. The experience is also ineffable; there are no terms used to describe it implying that it is beyond human understanding, for example, the reason behind the occurrence of fate. Mystical experience being a religious encounter implies that it abides by theological rules and regulations when executing its activities, hence do not engage in unholy practices thus guaranteeing the experience to be holy. According to Christianity, mystical experience is essential for every Christian, it is necessary for every Christian to experience the love of God in their lives (Porete 235). This experience meant to assist individuals put the experience into perspective as God’s creation. The experience categorization is either as spontaneous or sought-after (Dan 200). Mystical experience, which involves putting into practice the attributes and virtues gained through meditation for producing the intended expectations and in executing morals in the society and individuals. Christian mystical experience, for example, has the main role of influencing the teaching of Jesus Christ on God’s love for humanity. Mystical, religious experience cuts across all religions of the world it is universal and not limited to Christianity alone. The major role of this experience is for the continuity of God’s love and the oneness with God and the universe (Dan 240). Love is the main goal for Christianity love for the creator and humankind is the requirement for every believer, without it, goal attainment is not possible. Mystical experience consists of three principal classes: theistic mysticism, monistic mysticism, and pantheistic mysticism (Dan 350). Theistic mysticism, which is an outstanding class of mysticism, entails viewing and attributing presence of a force, which is usually a super power, normally the highest form of power. The highest power can be in the form of human, semi-human, animal or natural form. Christianity as a religion views God as a supernatural power. Anything, which happens in their lives, mainly attributed to God; they believe that He is the reason of all the happenings in one’s life. They believe that He gives success and guidance to those who believe in His name. They normally describe mystical experience in relation to what God has done in their lives. Monistic mysticism as a class of mystical experience involves the belief that the world and its people concentrate on a central point. There activities both internal and external touching on their daily lives relates to that central point of what they believe. Mystical experience in this class of mysticism normally described by the happenings or turn of events within an unusually short period, example of experience in this class may include, “I saw everything fall away and be absorbed, I saw an infinite becoming and an infinite disappearing in every moment” (Porete 215). This mystical experience normally describes the existence of events in nature, the reason behind this existence normally attributed to the central point, which is the point of focus. Pantheistic mysticism, a class of mystical experience involve individuals viewing themselves and the external world as the greatest power. The person believes that god is all-powerful and thus part of totality in life. Mystical experience in this class manifest itself by the ability of an individual to feel and describe what nature offers, persons describe the experience as, “I felt myself one with the grass, the trees, birds, everything in nature” (Dan 60). They believe that oneself expectations and belief. Opportunities that the world offers are the only things they need in life, and they attribute their existence to this belief and presence of the divine power. The three classes of mythical experience lay emphasis on the need for maintaining a union with the divine nature or authority. This divine nature is the focus as it offers a feeling of completion and satisfaction to the person and a source of the solution to their daily problems. Mystical visions attract individuals to focus on it, as they tend to concentrate on their experience. The visions express itself in different forms, corporeal vision and interior vision (Porete 250). Recent studies on mystical, religious experiences have been successful, modern researchers especially the social scientists have carry out intensive studies on the topic. The research focuses its studies on people’s view and experience of God’s power. The results disagree with earlier research, where they concluded that the mystics have mental problems and that religion is superstition. The recent studies, as opposed to the earlier researchers shows that the number of children appreciating God’s presence decline with age, as one grows older they cease to believe on divine powers. These scientists concentrate their research on the mental health of the mystics, the results that they are health. This disagrees with the ancient research, which believes that mystics normally have mental problems. The results also shows that the researchers have also found that the number of mystics have decreased with time, with the modern world being hostile to spirituality (Porete 300). Individuals tend to shift away from the spiritual world, they lay emphasis on the world desires and pleasures. Mystics create knowledge and understanding, which may create tension between individuals and communal goals. Individual goals derived from personal, divine understanding, experience and belief may not be in line with the communal expectations (Dan 120). The experience has faced problems, which comes due to political influence among the believers thus leading to division and segregation among different religious groups. Some deceived by the ideologies to abandon the religion, and some even decides to challenge the truth and existence of the Supreme Being in pursue of earthly pleasures. Misunderstanding amongst religious groups about the true religion and false religion is a point of focus on how groups views their religion as the right one and disregard some as false religions. This has brought problems to both individuals and the community as a whole (Porete 525). Some abandon their religious belief in pursuit to the one they believe as the right one. The experience seen as a beginning of unity amongst all religions and communities is the vital role of religion. Jewish religion, for example, owes its origin of mystical encounters to the diversity of its culture. The diverse culture of religion, which normally manifests itself as a blessing and a curse to mystical experience, is paramount in personality building and motivation (Dan 300). It is a blessing as it brings unity among its followers, as a curse the experience has posed challenges to the religion. Cultural diversity has resulted to the institutional division within the Jewish community. Complexity among the patterns of adjuration is a serious challenge facing the religion’s mystical experience. These have had a significant impact on the religion as divisions mainly witnessed amongst the believers. Some mystics have even opted leaving the religion and join other religious groups, others have opted abandoning their faith. Mystical experience not only enables an individual to lay focus on the divine power and God as a source of life, but also rid fears and anxiety of death and fate in life. The experience changes an individual’s perception of death as a threatening event to human survival; the mystics will appreciate death as a stage in life. Research also shows that when mystics faced with a death of close family members or friends, they do not encounter adverse problems, as opposed to nonmystics. The reason comes because of stability in social, affective and cognitive skills gained through the knowledge they gain in their religion. The presence of these stabilities stabilizes the affected thus no fears of death, thus a reason for robust health and long life. Mystical belief on union and oneness is beneficial to both the peaceful co-existence in the community and a health relationship of an individual with other members. This spirit creates a mutual co-existence and positive view of life and to the world. The relationship also helps individuals live positively in life, shift from fear, and embrace love, from confusion to clarity, from panic to creative problem solving and from negative thinking to positive power (Dan 500). Wisdom acquired from mystical experience and encounters, helps one face issues and difficulties encountered, using this knowledge enables them to find a long-lasting solution to such problems and challenges (Porete 550). Mystics normally face life problems with courage and find sound ways of solving such problems. Every human being through his mystical experience, emotion and intellect, may seek to pursue divine love, knowledge, peace and health, and his mode of attaining may seem inappropriate to the community. Conflicting understanding and ideologies among various units forming the society may cause the tension and problems. These different ideologies and misunderstanding brings disagreement in the society, which might eventually lead to conflicts. Personal belief, knowledge and understanding, are also particularly prone to bias and everyone’s understands the subject according to his experiences and beliefs. It may also lead to another problem of dividing the society into groups, with each group made up of members having same experiences and beliefs (Porete 86). Mystical encounters also have advantages to individuals and the community at large. Its experiences and understanding may pull the society towards a common belief thus, creating communal unity and togetherness. The unity and togetherness in the community provides a nourishing environment for efficient problem solving and understanding in any given set up. Through these encounters, there has been peaceful coexistence in the society; vices such as discrimination and jealousy avoided through such co-existence. The divine knowledge also natures the conduct of the individual and society thus, prescribing an acceptable code of conduct amongst them and those they interact. Mystics can thus form the premise for religious laws and morality; good morals normally embraced and extended through these experiences without deviating from the set norms and regulations of that religious group. It lastly creates common sense of unity, knowledge, reality and understanding of the communal bond and togetherness. Mystical experience is thus the beginning of virtues in the society. A society without these experiences normally deemed death; there will be no norms and regulations for maintaining and upholding of morals in the society. These experiences in every society play a crucial role in maintaining law and order, people will try to abide by the moral standards and regulations. This experience thus shapes and nurtures the society as a whole; thus, cases of immorality in the society reduce. Thus, mystical experience is a blessing to the society. Works Cited Dan, Joseph. The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences.ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2002. Porete, Marguerite. The Mirror of Simple Souls. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1993 Read More