What's a mystic or mysticism? Who's considered a mystic?

Answer 1

Anne Katherine Emmerick and Mary of Agreda were both mystics. They were both lived the life of a religious (nun). Anne Katherine Emmerick "saw" everything from Genesis, to the life of Christ to the future ever since she was a child. A four volume set of books intitled, THE LIFE OF CHRIST is available from TAN Publishing company. Mary of Agreda also "saw" the life of Christ and the Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary....although the books that describe her visions are much harder to read. Mary of Agreda was a dear friend of King Philip IV of Spain. They shared much correspondence. These are just two examples.

Answer 2

Almost all major "religions" include a mystical sect. The Jews had the Kabbalah, With Muslims it is the Sufi branch of Dervishes, The Christian Mystics could include some of the Pentacostals (the Snake Handlers) or some of the older Monastic branches. The idea of Mystics generally include a thought that you can get to a "secret" that is beyond what is taught to the masses. It usually involves heavy meditative techniques wich is why most people associate Mystics with the New Age Movement.

Of course there is a Womens Basketball team called the Mystics also.

Answer 3

Mysticism is about approaching religion from the experiential side, of trying to know the divine through direct experience. Many 'mystics' throughout history (especially the Christian ones, I think) have received their experiences spontaneously, or through pray and fasting. Others use meditation, dance, ritual, etc.

There are mystical traditions in most religions.

Wikipedia has a long list of mystics. Some interesting ones in there.

Answer 4

a mystic is not just a christian. though there are mystic Christians. there are many other religions such as buddism and judaism that have mystics as well. the judaism mystics are called Kabbalah followers. Agnostics are mystics as well.

Answer 5

Thank you for asking this question. Through reading the other answers I have learned and am going to be learning more things that lead me down my path. Because I just learned that I am a mystic. I didn't know what word there was to describe my experience.

Answer 6

Meister Eckhart was a mystic from the XIIIth century

Answer 7

mysticism is the practice of putting oneself into, and remaining in, direct relation with God, the Absolute, or any unifying principle of life. mysticism is inseparably linked with religion. because of the nature of mysticism, firsthand objective studies of it are virtually impossible, and students must confine themselves to the accounts of mystics, autobiographical and biographical, or, as the mystics themselves say, they must experience for themselves. the terms mystic and mysticism are used very broadly, being extended to mean magic, occultism, or the esoteric.
the primal difference between a mystic and a present day philosopher would be that a mystic works towards spiritual fulfillment where as a present day philosopher in some sense works towards academic recognition, i.e. their motivation for their chosen paths are different. a mystic just as every other thinker, wants to help make a difference in the world, but understands the limitations of language. A true mystic then tries to approach the situation by being mystical and hence truthful to himself in his actions.

When we use the word reality it is in itself an oxymoron, as in the above definition where realities (the plural) is used. 2 equivalent definitions of reality are (1) the totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence, or (2) that which exists objectively and in fact. the two uses of the word are contradictory hence making the above definition of a mystic a one sided view.

this is better expressed in Okakura Kakuzo's words. “the ancient sages (mystics) never put their teachings in systematic form. They spoke in paradoxes, for they were afraid of uttering half-truths. they began by talking like fools and ended by making their hearers wise."

good examples of western mystics are William Blake and Ralph Waldo Emerson and good examples of eastern mystics are Swami Vivekananda and Lao Tze.

Answer 8

Mysticism in general refers to a direct and immediate experience of the sacred, or the knowledge derived from such an experience. In Christianity this experience usually takes the form of a vision of, or sense of union with, God; however, there are also nontheistic forms of mysticism, as in Buddhism. Mysticism is usually accompanied by meditation, prayer, and ascetic discipline.

It may also be accompanied by unusual experiences of ecstasy, levitation, visions, and power to read human hearts, to heal, and to perform other unusual acts. Mysticism occurs in most, if not all, the religions of the world, although its importance within each varies greatly. The criteria and conditions for mystical experience vary depending on the tradition, but three attributes are found almost universally. First, the experience is immediate and overwhelming, divorced from the common experience of reality. Second, the experience or the knowledge imparted by it is felt to be self - authenticating, without need of further evidence or justification. Finally, it is held to be ineffable, its essence incapable of being expressed or understood outside the experience itself.

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Many mystics have written of their experiences, and these writings are the best source for our knowledge of mysticism. Poetic language is frequently the vehicle of expression. Fire, an interior journey, the dark night of the soul, a knowing that is an un - knowing - such are the images or descriptions used for communicating the mystical experience. In the Christian tradition mysticism is understood as the result of God's action in persons, an unmerited grace they receive from union with God. Other religions allow for the human achievement of the mystical states through certain methods of contemplation, fasting, and breathing. Only those whose lives are marked by penance and emotional purification achieve mystical states, however, and the experience itself is always of an Absolute that transcends the human efforts or methods of achieving it.

Modern philosophers and psychologists have studied the occurrence of mysticism. William James suggested that it may be an extension of the ordinary fields of human consciousness. The philosopher Henri Bergson considered intuition to be the highest state of human knowing and mysticism the perfection of intuition. Today scientists are interested in the ways in which certain drugs seem to induce quasi - mystical states. Recent studies have added to the understanding of mysticism without fully explaining it in psychological terms.

Among the many Christian mystics who have documented their experiences are Saint Francis of Assisi; Saint Teresa of Avila; Saint John of the Cross; Jacob Bohme; George Fox, founder of the Quakers; and Emanuel Swedenborg. For information on mysticism in Islam, see Sufism; in Judaism, Hasidism and Kabbalah; in the Eastern religions, Taoism, Upanishads, Vedanta, and Zen Buddhism.

Answer 9

Christ was an example of a mystic in his time, because nobody understood him....He spoke of spiritual matters above their understanding.

Answer 10

Mysticism is a way of getting gullible people to part with their money.