Mystical or Not at All

Throughout history, some men and women have been opened more fully than others to the mystery of creation, to a deeper knowing that is beyond words or images. They have had glimpses of a deeper reality, of the way that things can be and are meant to be. These mystics have appeared within all major religious traditions and outside of them. Some mystics have been the inspiration for or founders of a new religion, sect, or order—Lao Tzu, Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus, Jelaluddin Rumi, or George Fox, among many examples. Others have been artists, poets, philosophers, humanitarians, politicians, and scientists—Plato, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Albert Schweitzer, Dag Hammarskjold. Many have been simple, ordinary people who are not widely known, and there are many living among us today.

The essential message of the mystics has been remarkably consistent. St. Martin of Tours, a fourth-century monk and pioneer of Western monasticism, commented that "all mystics come from the same country and speak the same language." At a core level, their message transcends theology and time. It comes with a certainty, a depth, and a passion that does not waver. Unfortunately, the world has largely not heard their message. Or, when heard, it has often been dismissed as impractical, illogical, or irrational. Even when it has been heard, over time it has typically been distorted or covered with so much dogma that the true essence has been almost lost. Unfortunately, our world has now reached a critical state where I believe we must pay serious attention to that message. I believe that it offers us the only real hope of saving our Earth and life as we know it.


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