What is a mystic, and how would mysticism express itself in a professional person, such as an artist, a banker, an educator or a therapist?
The realization of the mystic was pronounced by Walt Whitman, the great American mystic, when he said, "In every man I see myself." A mystic not only sees the unity of all beings and things, she operates this way in practical affairs of life, making her realization real.
The mystical artist would never express himself through his art, but would give form to that essential reality that all people share, touching the depth of his audience and bringing them into harmony through beauty.
A mystical banker would be conscious of the global economic environment in which she is involving her customers through banking transactions. She would take those whom she advises into her protection, responsible for their welfare as long as they follow her advice.
A mystical educator would speak to the heart and soul of her students, knowing that the mind learns the most from the inspiration that bubbles up from within. Instead of giving an answer, she would BE the answer.
So a mystical therapist would see the faults of his client as his own faults. Overcoming all boundaries between client and patient, the therapist would seek to cure the limitations of both people at the same time.
What is mysticism? It cannot be defined easily, but we know it is highly experiential; it leads to the essence of our being. The mystical path of the heart as we teach it in IAM threads through five stages:
1. Concentration,
2. Contemplation,
3. Meditation,
4. Realization and
5. Presence.
In our mentoring process we have this very clearly laid out. (See Mentoring for details.)
(1) Our parents are our first teachers, who teach us how to have good health, relationships and accomplishments. Our success at these aspects of life show our concentration, which begins the path of mysticism. Our failure at these aspects of life make us reach out for help in different ways. At IAM we suggest to work with an IAM Mentor, who is able to help you come to these steps.
An IAM Mentor asks one of his mentees, "What is your pressing need? What does your heart want you to look at? Is it your health, relationships or accomplishments?" Whatever is pressing - a health issue, an issue in your relationship with to your mother, your daughter ran off with a man 40 years older, problems at work with your boss or a threat of losing a job, or financila issues like not being able to pay your mortgage - this is how Life asks you to concentrate.
The path of mysticism begins after earthly success, which is an exercise in concentration. This path does not lead you to give up anything, but rather to expand beyond your own way of seeing things so that your success can turn into service to the world.
"Mysticism begins simply with the first step, with looking outside. And at what does one look outside? At two things.
- One thing is that a person asks himself how all he sees affects him and what is his reaction to it all - how does his spirit react to the objects or the conditions he encounters, to the sounds he hears, to the words that people speak to him? [Concentration]
- "And the second thing is to see what effect he himself has on objects, conditions, and individuals when he comes in contact with them." [Contemplation]
(2) The IAM Mentor helps you to take your pressing need into yourself, to contemplate it by means of of a breathing practice so that you see the issue from a different point-of-view. Sometimes this is all that's needed to know how to proceed - the point-of-view that created the problem also hides its solution.
To a mystic the subject of breath is the deepest of all the subjects with which mysticism is concerned, because breath is the most important thing in life. The very life of man is breath. He lives in the presence of breath, and in the absence of breath man is called a corpse. After death the organs of the body are just the same as before; the only thing that is lacking is breath.
(3) With time and practice, contemplation turns into meditation, in which the person becomes impersonal. This may be done through invocation. You, like everyone, are both a cosmic being and an individual being. Usually the individual being hides the cosmic being, but in meditation, the individual cloak falls away and the cosmic reality is revealed. At this point, your pressing need becomes a universal issue that all people everywhere are wrestling with, each in their own way. The issue is not just pressing you into a response, it is given to the whole human race as a puzzle to solve.
"My teacher once gave me a goblet of wine during a trance, and said, "Be thou intoxicated and come out of the name and shame! Be thou the disciple of love and give up the distinctions of life! Because to a mystic, "I am this or that" means nothing.'"
The path of mysticism is learning gradually to experience unity, in life. No one is your enemy; you can accept all conditions, you experience power, joy, gracefulness, compassion, all at the same time. The finite human being experiences the infinite consciousness, and the unlimited Being experiences itself in the limited human condition.
(4) Now the pressing need opens up and reveals its message. You say, "Ah, this is what Life is trying to tell me!" Your outlook on life changes distinctly. What was bothersome becomes inspiring. Enemies can be treated as friends. Health issues can be cured, and the meaning behind all issues revealed.
Our school recognizes nine steps of realization, like removing nine veils from your eyes.
This may be done by practices with sound in which one becomes a current in the divine ocean, an instrument of the divine music. The path is opened now by devotion. Ultimately this develops the character of a mystic: you accept all, take responsibility for all, and try to improve all.
"The fire of devotion purifies the heart of the devotee and leads to spiritual freedom. Mysticism without devotion is like uncooked food and can never be assimilated. 'I am the heart of my devotees,' says Krishna in the Baghavat Gita."
"Mysticism may be likened to honey. Honey is purifying and so is mysticism; it purifies man of his infirmities, and it is the sweetest of all the different aspects of knowledge that exist."
Realization isn't just a statement that everything is one and all is fine with me; you have to make it work in life. Confront your deepest fears and anxieties and foibles. Die before death! Go through all the possible deaths of what you assumed yourself to be. What are you trying to avoid? Who are your enemies? A mystic is one who has been flooded with all poisons and all delusions and has come out clean through them. You will be rejected and praised to the upmost; this is a treatment. Can you handle it?
(5) This creates the 5th step, which is Presence.
Mysticism makes the mystic tolerant towards other people's opinions, mysticism makes him rise above divisions, mysticism makes him assimilate all that he sees and hears, and mysticism gives him love for God whom he sees in all beings. Mysticism gives him the sympathy by which he is attracted to every person he meets, and mysticism helps him to understand and to admire all things and to appreciate all beings, and in that way to come nearer to all that exists.
IAM is a school of mysticism, training people in the art of the heart and the path of love, harmony and beauty. To those who are tired of seeking, we say, "Let yourself be found!" The path starts in front of your feet - take my hand and let's run together.
(Quotes from Hazrat Inayat Khan.)