Those who have
experienced and have come to recognize life in all its diverse forms to be One Being, without a second, are commonly known
as mystics. Because their numbers are small
and their experience is contrary to our normal sense of the world as divided
into separate things, over the centuries mystics have been reluctant to
identify and explain themselves, and have often been the target of religious
persecution.
While in the east
mysticism has been more central to religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Taoism and their scriptures, in the west Christian mystics have often been
considered heretics, as have the Sufis and other mystics within Islam.
Aldous Huxley’s 1947
book, “The Perennial Philosophy,” brings together statements
by mystics from most of the world’s religious traditions that describe their direct
experience of and identity with the Divine, increasing our understanding
of mysticism considerably. A link to an online copy of this anthology is
available on the website www.unitiveself.blogspot.com.
In spite
of several well-known mystical sayings by Jesus in the New Testament, including
“the Kingdom of God is within you,” and “What you do to the least of these you
do to me,” as well as Old Testament sayings such as, “I Am What Am” and “Be
still and Know that I am God,” not until more recent times has there been
openness in the west to the presence of a single Being within all life.
In our current age of relative openness as well as our increasing acceptance of
the unitary nature of the physical universe as demonstrated by modern cosmology
and quantum physics, the writings of Eckhart Tolle, a
German-born mystic now living in Canada, have become #1 best sellers, even chosen
as a book-of-the month by Oprah Winfrey.
Tolle’s
teachings in “The Power of Now” and “The New Earth,” along with those of many
other mystics, offer an experience of life that remedies the intense internal
and external conflicts that alienate us from others and from our own
identity. In a world of increasing
divisions and need for reconciliation, the realization of a deeper unity within
and beyond our apparent diversity is an important potential for everyone that
is also of current interest to many.
Those
who have had either an intuition or a direct experience of this reality, or are
simply open to this possibility, may be interested in a public Study Group on
the Unitive Self that has begun meeting
on Thursday evenings, sponsored by the recently formed Noetic Council.
The goal
of this group, which is open to everyone, is to increase public understanding
and recognition of the one Self, and to deepen its direct experience. As there are infinite facets to the Self,
the group will meet weekly to consider selected topics, with each new topic
announced publicly to encourage those with a particular interest to attend. Topics will be led by different members
and chosen by the full group. In
addition, there will be shelf space available for sharing books and other
materials that may be useful to participants, as well as time available before
and after meetings to look through or borrow those of interest. The meetings will also include a period of meditation, which is an
almost universal practice of those seeking to become more aware of the Self.
When mystics
are asked to explain how they experience or seek to experience reality, in most
circumstances they have difficulty being understood. As one member of the Noetic Council active in
a local church put it, “My Christianity is different from most. While the goal of others is to have a
relationship with God, my goal is identity with God.”
It is
useful for all of us to have relationships with those who are capable of understanding
and accepting us. If you are a mystic or are interested in mysticism but have
been reluctant to talk about it, you are invited at this point to come out of
the closet, and to share your experience and interest with others. It will be a benefit to all of us if you do.
