Sunday, January 17, 2010

Mystical Philosophy - Or, Do-BE-Do-BE

One of the things I've noticed about mystics ... no matter what their background ... they seem to come out of a traditional religious viewpoint, and are somewhat reluctantly dragged into mysticism...! (Paul of Tarsus comes to mind...)

This particular mystic, born before the turn of the last century, was originally a fundamentalist Christian ... and for his entire life, beginning with childhood, he read the Bible daily, finishing it entirely each year of his life. As well, he taught Sunday School. And yet, he was led into experiences he could not explain ... most of which seriously messed with what he was taught to believe. Transforming what he believed ...

He remained a very pragmatic man ... his whole life was devoted to serving and helping others ... he put hands and feet to his beliefs. But he came to see part of the "much more" that Jesus spoke of ...

His basic philosophy is much the same as what I've come to see ... I'll share twelve points, and elaborate a bit on each. If it becomes too long (a relative term, LOL!) I'll turn this into more than one post:

~ Everything is Connected - All is One.
Oneness of all life is the foundation. And yet, this cannot be an empty platitude we toss about, mere words, and then continue living our lives founded more on surface distinctions, rather than the deeper truth of unity. Our distinctions of individuality are merely appearances. "Only in Christ do extremes meet." Only in Christ does duality dissolve. We are challenged to be practical mystics -- to bring the sense of oneness into all we do.

~ Life is Purposeful.
It is our purpose to bring the creative/spiritual world into the daily/material world -- "to make the infinite finite." We each have a mission, or a "soul-purpose." We come equipped with talents, gifts, aptitudes that enable us to have a unique way of being in this life. This way of being leads to our own spiritual awakening, and inspires others to awaken as well. We are born to be of service -- to make a difference in the world.

~ Life is an Adventure.
(I love this quote!) "Life is meant to be a playful search for the truth." We are here to research. We learn only when we test, by experimentation, our ideals. We study and apply what others share, taking only that which experientially works for us. We can't jump to knowledge without experience, any more than we can put the cart before the horse.

~ Choose Compassion over Competitiveness.
Ohhhh, but this goes against the grain of our western life...! Consider this: "Nothing takes us away quicker from the sense of oneness, and therefore away from our own soul-purpose, than the drive for competitiveness." Playing sports is one thing -- but this is a deeper thing .. a comparison of ourselves to others, and making a contest for superiority. Competition paralyzes soul-growth ... it is the opposite of compassion. Compassion is when we are present for another person, and thus experience how we are all the same. Not being responsible for another, but being responsive to another. As we do unto a brother or sister, so do we do unto our Creator.

~ Take Responsibility for Yourself.
While we certainly have help available (all the time), no one can "fix" things for us. We are ultimately responsible for the choices that we make, both consciously and unconsciously. We don't like taking this level of responsibility ... all about us we see accountability being shirked, and blame being flung outward. It's far easier to blame and scape-goat others. It takes inordinate maturity for us to see how we create our own problems. Rather than affixing blame, we can learn from the consequences of our choices. We can ask, "what am I now gong to do with the challenges, limitations and obstacles I face in my life right now?" We can find resources, both within and without, that lead to resolutions. This includes, the responsibility to take care of our health. This body is a gift. Time to treat it like one.

~ Look Forward Rather than Backward.
The only time we have is NOW - this present moment. We cannot live in the past, and we cannot project into the future. Now is all that's real. Too often we squander it by being somewhere else, in our minds. Yes, we must learn from the past. Repeating the same things over and over, expecting different results, is the very definition of insanity. But to dwell on the past, to regret the past, to live in remorse, is to forfeit today. Make choices today, knowing that they affect our, and others', future. What we do, think, and believe, today - matters.

I'll continue with the other half, in the next post ...

Shalom, Dena

12 comments:

Harry Riley said...

I allways said Frank Sinatra was a prophet;)

There was a time when I would describe myself as an Anglican Charismatic Mystic, but now I'm usually lost for words... In fact, I might have to change my moniker!

(Do I get a prize if I guess who the Mystery Mystic is?)

Jokin' aside, that's a pretty fair summary, Dena. I might dispute a few details from my experience, but it's unimportant really.

The basics are simply, Be Here Now. When that's a reality life just works, and all these things you've listed just happen as a natural outworking of that state, because we're focussing all our energy into the only thing that matters; All That Is, in fact.

There are days when I get it, and other days when... I don't;) But it doesn't matter, because I'm becoming more Aware all the time. There's no rush, and there's no hassle. It's meant to be Fun, and when we wake up to that and drop our imagined needs etc., Life is Good.

This is where I'm at, anyway.

Sue said...

I ring like a bell with all of these, and look forward to practising them more and more as I go on (especially the fun part :)

Is it Eckhart Tolle? I think it's funny that most mystics are reluctantly dragged into mysticism, seeing it's so delicious a space to be in, hah. But I wonder how much of that reluctance is because of being aware of what other people's reactions are going to be, that you've fallen into the flaky vat, etc etc.

Harry Riley said...

I think you have a big part of the reason, Sue. There are some folks I know who do get what's going on in me, and others who simply don't and give me Strange Looks.

But I've come to see that it really doesn't matter either way, 'cos I know in my very centre that what is happening is Good, and I see the way I interact with the planet in general improving out of all recognition, even on my 'off' days.

Betcha it ain't ET:)

Sue said...

Maybe Strange Looks is a good land to be in. A bit uncomfortable, sure, but oh well - perhaps comfort is overrated?? (Although I was doing a mental gymnastics in my head last night of thinking about how it would feel if I was really popular and everyone loved me - and I must say, it was a very warming sort of a feeling. But one which doesn't deliver as much as it promises from the outset.

Better to be in the Strange Looks Land I think, personally :)

Come on, Dena, who is it??? :)

Harry Riley said...

If I were liked all the time, it'd make me uncomfortable, Sue. Some folks need disturbing occasionally - I know I do:)

I Know Who It Is. I think she just forgot to tell us;)

Sue said...

Well tell me then, dammit!! :)

Harry said...

Oh, OK then:)
I'm pretty sure it's Edgar Cayce, pronounced K-C.
It had better be, after all that:)
He's quite a character!

Dena said...

LOL - how fun to watch y'all figure it out ...! I didn't mean to make it a guessing game, so much as to not divert the message with the negative bias that many Christians have for this particular mystic.

Yes, it's Edgar Cayce. In my previous "life" (LOL!), I had been taught to associate his name with the anti-christ...! Which is so incredibly ironic. So, I had a bias of my own ... never considered reading him.

Then, I got to know a fabulous woman ... she runs an art gallery in which I'm featured, and she's quite the fascinating person! Very spiritually attuned ... she radiates what she believes. Very authentic and inspirational. Anyway, she let me know (when I inquired) that she'd been mentored by Cayce when she was a child -- as was her father (even moreso). That got my attention. So, I did some researched, was intrigued by some quotes online, and ordered some books ... both by him, and about him.

Now, I confess that much of what he said (during readings) strikes me as odd. Not in my personal frame of reference, nor experience. But -- is not a talking snake also odd...?

So, as with all things, I'm taking what fits, and merely observing what doesn't. Either it's not for me, or it's not for me yet ... not my business ... yet.

I'm open, but I want to honor how I'm being led, AS I'm being led.

I'm just wanting Truth ... I'm not dictating how it's packaged.

Sue said...

That's a good stance I think, Dena.

Hmmmm, have to go away and do some more reading. I must say, Edgar Cayce was certainly in the naughty corner in terms of Christian referencing when I last looked :)

Harry said...

In my brief foray into his writings and life story, he seems like a very genuine fella. But genuine fellas can be just as easily deceived. I'm looking more and more into my heart, and simply discovering how to 'be here now', rather than read too much.

But that's just me:)

Sue said...

I think that's SUCH a big wad of freedom, Harry. I'm half learning that ... or at least understanding how little I need. But of course in this space I realise how I am still rather addicted to reading ... :)

Haha

Harry said...

I find that I know within a few minutes whether what I'm reading is going to take me forward in some way.

Most of it is saying the same things in subtly different ways, and while there may well be nuggets to be found in any writing of this nature, I sense that, yes, I'm just becoming addicted to the tasty nuggets as a substitute for 'being here now'.

My mind - little self - enjoys it, and feeds on the thrill of 'knowing something', but my heart - Big Self - says, 'Been there, done that, got the dvd. Let's just get on and be it.':)

I'm becoming convinced that there's really nothing to learn, just a great pile of 'stuff' to unlearn. Just clear this out the way, then 'I' can see clearly to Live.

It's about becoming what 'I' allways Am at the very core, and that is Aware.

That's All There Is To Be. And there's a song in there somewhere:)