Christian mysticism?

[Blain]

So I came across this term recently and I have never heard of it before so I did a google search on it and it says this

It involves practices and theological understandings aimed at preparing the individual for, and facilitating, an intimate encounter with the divine. This encounter is often described as a union with God, characterized by divine love and presence, but within the framework of maintaining a distinction between the Creator and the created.
Further explanations say.....
Core Concepts:

• Direct Experience of God:
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  Christian mysticism emphasizes the possibility of experiencing God's presence directly, rather than relying solely on intellectual understanding or ritualistic practices.
  
  
• • Union with God:
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    While maintaining a distinction between God and the individual, mystics seek a profound union with God, characterized by love, intimacy, and a sense of oneness.
    
  • Spiritual Transformation:
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    Mysticism involves a process of spiritual growth and transformation, often described as stages (purgative, illuminative, and unitive).
    
  • Love as the Driving Force:
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    Love is central to the mystical experience, with God's love being the ultimate focus and the source of transformation.
    

Practices:

• • Prayer and Meditation:
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    Christian mystics engage in various forms of prayer and meditation, including contemplative prayer, lectio divina, and practices that aim to quiet the mind and open to God's presence.
    
  • Fasting and Asceticism:
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    Some mystics practice fasting and other forms of self-discipline to detach from worldly desires and focus on God.
    
  • Contemplation:
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    Mystics engage in contemplation, which involves focusing the mind on God and allowing God to reveal Himself.
    
  So unless I am mistaken it seems to be a more personal and interactive form of Christianity
• which to me is what it should be in general anyways a intimate personal and interactive relationship but maybe I am not understanding it does anyone have any insight on this?

 

[Magenta]

So unless I am mistaken it seems to be a more personal and interactive form of Christianity which to me is what it should be in general anyways a intimate personal and interactive relationship but maybe I am not understanding it does anyone have any insight on this?

Christian mystics used to be revered in their communities. Here as you know, they are reviled.

People such as Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola, Julian of Norwich, Francis of Assisi, and Meister
Eckhart etc, have explored and articulated these experiences in their writings and lives. It is an interesting study.

 

[ResidentAlien]

It actually leads one away from a true relationship with God and His Son. It makes a person turn inward, not outward toward others. It talks a lot about love; but it's not the Christ kind of love that would lay down its life for a friend. It involves a lot of asceticism, but in my experience it never helped me to overcome the flesh. It's very deceptive. It makes a person think they're making a lot of spiritual progress, but what they're doing is moving further and further from the true God.

 

[ChristRoseFromTheDead]

It actually leads one away from a true relationship with God and His Son. It makes a person turn inward, not outward toward others. It talks a lot about love; but it's not the Christ kind of love that would lay down its life for a friend. It involves a lot of asceticism, but in my experience it never helped me to overcome the flesh. It's very deceptive. It makes a person think they're making a lot of spiritual progress, but what they're doing is moving further and further from the true God.

I have to admit I had a similar experience. At one point I thought I could hear God breathe. Then he thrust me into many years of hardship, and through that I learned that the supreme law and ultimate justice (righteousness) is to do to others what we want done to ourselves. So simple, but that in a nutshell is Christ.

 

[Magenta]

I have to admit I had a similar experience. At one point I thought I could hear God breathe. Then he thrust me into many years of hardship, and through that I learned that the supreme law and ultimate justice (righteousness) is to do to others what we want done to ourselves. So simple, but that in a nutshell is Christ.

Hearing God breath? That sounds like a mental illness. Christian mystics often served their communities through various acts of service, spiritual guidance, direction and teachings to others, and by providing a model for a deeper, more personal relationship with God.
Their deep commitment to God and a focus on love and compassion served as a powerful example for others to follow. Christian mystics often experienced God in profound and personal ways, but did not withdraw from the world, rather sought to integrate their mystical experiences into their service to others and their communities.

 

[Magenta]

“Vision – The Music of Hildegard von Bingen” won the Billboard Classical/Crossover album of the year
award in 1994, which was the same year I got clean and sober. It must have been some time around
then when one of our "regular" professional photographers brought in a photo of the first MacDonald's
in Moscow, which I wanted a copy of for my brother, because he trained the people that were going to be
working there (years earlier, since Russia and Micky D's became acquainted in 1990). Anyways, in exchange
for a copy of this Muscovite Micky D's, the photographer wanted a case of a certain type of beer. I asked at
the Legion near where I worked but they did not carry it, so I walked along a popular avenue a few blocks
to the nearest neighbourhood pub to check to see if they had it there (they did!). But before I got there,
I passed by a used record/CD store, and popped in to see if anything caught my fancy. Well, a CD with a
picture of a nun that had a kite flying behind her piqued my interest, so I asked to listen to it, and was
mesmerized by the very first thing I heard! I did not hesitate to buy it. I have his second release of her
music also (done by Richard Souther), called Illumination: The Fire Of The Spirit. I have listened endlessly
to both for many years since then, recorded it to share with others, sent it to perfect strangers, and generally
never lost my love for what he did with her chants.

Hildegard von Bingen is a woman worth looking into. She was born in Germany in 1098 and tithed
to the church by her parents, being the tenth child in her family. From early childhood, long before
she undertook her public mission or even her monastic vows, Hildegard's spiritual awareness was
grounded in what she called the umbra viventis lucis, the reflection of the living Light. She grew up
to become the Abbess of the Monastery where she lived and she removed all the nuns from the presence
of the monks in an act of independence unknown in her time. She was well versed in the healing power
of herbs and gemstones, and understood the workings of the human body better than most men of her
time. She had visions that she turned into artwork, and they may have informed some of her musical
writings as well. She did write in Latin, so that is the language of Richard Souther's arrangements
of her music. The CDs come with quite extensive little booklets translating the lyrics into multiple
languages as well as showcasing some of her artwork and writing about the musicians.

This is what I first heard of Hildegard

 

[Cameron143]

People tend to fear what they do not understand, and retreat from it before understanding. The union of every believer to Christ is a mystical union with a very real spiritual reality. Relating to an invisible God requires it to be so. If we cannot engage with God on a spiritual level we cannot worship Him, nor can we know Him. If it is true that God is at work in us, willing and doing of His good pleasure, how else can we know what He is doing and work out what He is performing? Additionally, any outward conformity to the image of Christ begins with the inward reality of a changed heart. We would all do well to learn the spiritual nature of ourselves and the blessings that come from the inside out.

 

[Daisy2]

Hearing God breath? That sounds like a mental illness. Christian mystics often served their communities through various acts of service, spiritual guidance, direction and teachings to others, and by providing a model for a deeper, more personal relationship with God.
Their deep commitment to God and a focus on love and compassion served as a powerful example for others to follow. Christian mystics often experienced God in profound and personal ways, but did not withdraw from the world, rather sought to integrate their mystical experiences into their service to others and their communities.

I just don't think people understand it and its probably weird to them. my mom liked reading about the saint that suffered allot one of her favorite was saint veronica. Now saint veronica is not a saint the average Christian should read because they wont understand it. they just wont.

Allot of these saint that experienced Mystism shunned all comfort to seek our Lords Jesus face. They were ascetics who hardly slept caring for others and doing many penances that more people might repent. However some people when they pray may feel some devine love or euphoria which is pure love from the father to us like these saint experience and many Christians have experience dreams and vision.

 

[Blain]

So from what I gather I would be considered a Christian mystic because I have a lot of personal spiritual experiences and encounters with God. I have felt his deep rich love many times have had visitations have met Jesus several times have had many powerful visions and dreams and love is the main most crucial thing in my faith and relationship with God.

U also have heard his laughter been in his arms several times had glimpses of heaven had spiritual weaning inside my soul and spiritual fasting inside my soul as well, I love to help others to but that is just my personality I don't think it has to do with anything else.
And on top of that I have a very close connection to the spirit's voice so if I am not mistaken that would make me a Christian mystic then correct? and some say it is to be avoided and is deceptive others speak highly of it so I wonder if I would be warned against it by Jesus or embrace it it?

 

[Leastofall]

I don't think there is anything mystical about God. I believe that he has made himself known.
I find that certain practices are instructed in the Bible. On the other hand certain ones can be boarder line occultic.
As we all know we have one mediator between us and God...Jesus, ....and this Jesus gave us a helper the Holy Spirit .
A Christian walk should adopt certain behaviors. Meditation on h

 

[Blain]

I don't think there is anything mystical about God. I believe that he has made himself known.
I find that certain practices are instructed in the Bible. On the other hand certain ones can be boarder line occultic.
As we all know we have one mediator between us and God...Jesus, ....and this Jesus gave us a helper the Holy Spirit .
A Christian walk should adopt certain behaviors. Meditation on h

Have you ever encountered God on a powerful znd supernatural level? ever felt his love so deeply and richly filling you up overflowing out of you? ever basked in his holy presence as if it surrounds you like a thick fog? have you ever experience divine encounters?

The point of a mystical Christian is to have a experienced and intimate relationship with him to have a love with him that is unlike anything else to have a real friendship with Jesus as if he is a real person and would even sit and eat and drink with you yes for him to be that real to you.

There actually is something mystical about him if you ever experience his wonder and magesty to a level that it boggles your mind that it overwhelms you because he is that deep and mysterious unfathonable beyond the stars and galaxies beyond the universe his wonder and mysteries depth go far beyond even that

Believe me he is mystical and that is just a small portion of who he is

 

[ResidentAlien]

So from what I gather I would be considered a Christian mystic because I have a lot of personal spiritual experiences and encounters with God.

You may see yourself as a mystic, but I wouldn't say you are in the strict sense. Mysticism is a longstanding tradition with prescribed beliefs and practices. I don't know what I would call you. Christian freelancer maybe?

 

[Melach]

It actually leads one away from a true relationship with God and His Son. It makes a person turn inward, not outward toward others. It talks a lot about love; but it's not the Christ kind of love that would lay down its life for a friend. It involves a lot of asceticism, but in my experience it never helped me to overcome the flesh. It's very deceptive. It makes a person think they're making a lot of spiritual progress, but what they're doing is moving further and further from the true God.

i agree. these all sound great but in practice being a hermit somewhere in a monastery is the biggest waste of one's life. you are serving nothing and no one and not even spreading the gospel. you are in fact worthless.

 

[Leastofall]

Have you ever encountered God on a powerful znd supernatural level? ever felt his love so deeply and richly filling you up overflowing out of you? ever basked in his holy presence as if it surrounds you like a thick fog? have you ever experience divine encounters?

The point of a mystical Christian is to have a experienced and intimate relationship with him to have a love with him that is unlike anything else to have a real friendship with Jesus as if he is a real person and would even sit and eat and drink with you yes for him to be that real to you.

There actually is something mystical about him if you ever experience his wonder and magesty to a level that it boggles your mind that it overwhelms you because he is that deep and mysterious unfathonable beyond the stars and galaxies beyond the universe his wonder and mysteries depth go far beyond even that

Believe me he is mystical and that is just a small portion of who he is

Well my friend i have had many experiences with the Lord. Some good and some not so good.
I've been overwhelmed on many occasions as the Lord taught me to be still and know that ...(He Is)....I Am.
But here's the thing that makes me ignorant I guess in this conversation,
God came to man, man did not go to God throughout the Bible. It seems to be his chosing.
In the garden in the cool of the day, at Mt ZION. The prophets spoke of the Lord coming upon them sharing visions and dreams.
At Pentecost for a example.
So to be fair not knowing a great deal about this it to me seems like enchantment which I may be wrong and showing my ignorance
but a red flag just goes up.

 

[Edify]

People tend to fear what they do not understand, and retreat from it before understanding. The union of every believer to Christ is a mystical union with a very real spiritual reality.

BIG difference between mystery & mystic.
I would NEVER use the word with the word christian knowing all the evil it represents in the world.
And don't use Daniel as an example. His kings called him different names, but that doesn't mean he was.

 

[Cameron143]

BIG difference between mystery & mystic.
I would NEVER use the word with the word christian knowing all the evil it represents in the world.
And don't use Daniel as an example. His kings called him different names, but that doesn't mean he was.

The definition of mystical is inspiring a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination. I don't see the problem.

 

[SomeDisciple]

A lot of people do have a problem with the semantics; but mystic(ism) describes people with beliefs and practices that interact with a spiritual/supernatural/unseen world.

While it's true that there are shamans, witches, pagan priesthoods and so forth that practice wickedness; Christians may be categorized with "mystics" simply because we also believe in spiritual things- for the most part this is only to contrast mystics as a whole with rationalists who believe only in the material universe.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

“So from what I gather I would be considered a Christian mystic because I have a lot of personal spiritual experiences and encounters with God”

you know those people you can show a hundred verses and they tell you it’s wrong and god revealed other things to them ? That’s mysticism . They rely on thier own understanding of God rather than what the holy scripture inspired by gods spirit says .

It allows them to agree with certain scriptires , and then reject others and tell you it’s based on thier revelation from thoer personal relationship and connection with him

as if God says one thing in scriptire but then comes to you and tells you all different things it’s just another label and design to be able to justify rejecting the doctrine found in his words that promises salvation to all who believe

mysticism is much like the prophets of Jerusalem it’s speaking from one’s own heart and ideas and not speaking the word of God

 

[Edify]

The definition of mystical is inspiring a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination. I don't see the problem.

The world may catagorize christians with being mystics, but no christian should allow it or accept it.
It labels us with the wise men of Babylon, the wise men of Egypt, & the old mystics of Europe. It involves witchcraft and occultism from the earliest times.
Do you practice white magic?

 

[SomeDisciple]

The world may catagorize christians with being mystics, but no christian should allow it or accept it.
It labels us with the wise men of Babylon, the wise men of Egypt, & the old mystics of Europe.

Yeah but so does the word "human"; but it would be really weird to object to being called that (even though I have at times, I never said I was normal).