christianmystics.com

 

"Spiritual life is like living water that springs up from the very depths of your own spiritual experience. In spiritual life, everyone has to drink from his or her own well."

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

As I've said elsewhere, there are fewer words more misunderstood than "mystic," although, I think, the word "Christianity" runs a close second! Put them together and, for some people, you've got some real confusion!

What is going to happen in these small articles is that we're going to take a look at the various kinds of mystics and how they fit into the overall picture of Christianity (if and when they do) and, beyond that, to draw in some of the other "wells" St. Bernard of Clairvaux speaks of, those beyond the Christian tradition.

I admit, there are a few assumptions we are going to make right off the bat. First, we are not going to limit God's ability and Love to any particular geographical tribe or group of people. Instead, we're going to begin with the sense that God speaks to whomever God wishes to in whatever way the person can understand. Another way of saying that is to reverse things a bit -- each of us touch the same Transcendent in our lives, but our own cultural and traditional filters determine the language that is used to express those encounters with the Presence. No one person sees it all, but rather peers "through a glass darkly" and the limitations belong not to God, but to the individual.

What types of mystical spirituality are we talking about? I'd like to suggest a few:

(1) Natural mysticism. This is a spontaneous experience of the Divine, an experience that does not involve learning this or that creed or working within the framework of any one religion -- or, for that matter, religion at all. It can be found in all cultures.

(2) Theistic mysticism. This focuses on God's Presence and is found in a variety of traditions, with the exception of Buddhism and Jainism. Understandably, it is a rather broad category and has to be broken down into two or more approaches, detailed below.

There is an interesting division in Christian mystics regarding Theistic mysticism. Many people believe and practice what the consider a "pure" form, meaning that, like Jesus, all devotion and the desire for union with God is directed towards God, not toward an individual (such as Jesus). Other people have found their mysticism directed specifically at Jesus as object of their attention, either through choice or through accepting a belief such as making Jesus an earthly form of the complete God.

(a) Mysticism of Love. This is quite common in Christian and Sufi approaches and is present throughout the Christian mystical tradition. There are numerous examples such as the infamous Song of Songs, the lover's longings and pursuit being equated with the devotee's love for God. One can also find this in the Hindu tradition in the stories of Krishna and his loving devotee, Radha.

One can find this reflected in the classic Cloud of Unknowing in Christianity, in which the person seeks to place a cloud of "forgetting" between him/herself and the world and turn the attention to the Cloud of Unknowing that exists between the person and God. It is through this "cloud" that one is to "throw darts of love" based on the belief that "God cannot be known, but can be loved." In an Eastern Orthodox tradition, it is said this way, "God cannot be grasped by the mind, but God's emanations can be known, and those emanations are love."

This corresponds not to the earlier and more primitive projections onto God found in parts of the Old Testament, but rather to the reveled God as shown in Jesus of Nazareth's life, teachings and death.

One can find a corresponding sense of this type of mysticism in the tradition of Bhakti Yoga, that of love and devotion, as well as in tamer versions of poetry by the great Sufi, Rumi.

(b) Bridal Mysticism. This format differs in degree and intensity from the Mysticism of Love and involves much of the culture of the middle ages from Victorine and Cistercian monks. This is a rather deeper sense of intimacy and union with God. Often, mystics have described their relationship to Jesus as a marriage and even a few have referred to "Christ, The Mother." This impulse inspired the courtly love tradition celebrated by the knights and troubadours of wider medieval society.

(3) Mysticism of Knowledge. At first glance, this is the mysticism most often found in a Buddhist approach and does not relate to the concept of God or even of a divine being. This emphasizes the realization in consciousness of ultimate wisdom and compassion.

There should be a clarification, though, in that this can also be applied in a more Theistic environment to the Gnostics, a group which predates Christianity and then was fused into the early movement by a number of practitioners and teachers. At the heart of this is that there is a "gnoisis" or "knowledge" that is hidden, as Jesus said when explaining that the parables were more for public consumption while, beneath it all, was a much deeper and perhaps more direct form of teaching given to Thomas and other disciples.

(4) Mysticism of the soul. Often featured in Hindu thought, this emphasizes the eternal nature of the self, with the soul (atman) being equated to the universal soul (Atman). The self becomes a pathway for union with the divine.

This is not just an approach found in Hinduism to the exclusion of Christianity. Several Christian mystics have embraced it -- including the great Meister Eckhart, as well as Augustine and the Rhenish sage Jan van Ruysbroeck. Ruysbroeck's name and writings are not well known by people studying today, but he has had a remarkble influence on thinkers such as Evelyn Underhill and others.

Likewise, there are hints here of the Sufi tradition and Rumi, as well as many anonymous Jewish sages.

These are not meant to be hard and fast boundaries, merely some general observations as to the different types of mysticism. Another article looks at the varying elements within mysticism itself.

In addition, although they are mentioned here, many Christians (at least historically) do not extend their experiences to encompassing other religions or traditions. It is the approach here, however, that God can be experienced and "interpreted" in a variety of ways and from different angles to suit the individual's culture, abilities, language and metaphors.