Monistic Mysticism

mysThe term mysticism, comes from the Greek word meaning “to conceal.” In the Hellenistic world, “mystical” referred to “secret” religious rituals. In early Christianity the term came to refer to “hidden” allegorical interpretations of Scriptures and to hidden presences, such as that of Jesus at the Eucharist. Only later did the term begin to denote “mystical theology,” that included direct experience of the divine. Typically, mystics, see their mystical experience as part of larger undertaking aimed at human transformation and not as the terminus of their efforts.
Mysticism refers to the initiation to spiritual truths and experiences, and is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity,
spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on practices intended to nurture those experiences. Mysticism may be dualistic, maintaining a distinction between self and the divine.
Mysticism is usually thought of as being of a religious nature, which can be either monistic or theistic.
The objective of monistic mysticism is to seek unity and identity with a universal principle; while theistic mysticism seeks unity, but not identity with God. The ultimate expression of monistic mysticism is perhaps best displayed in the Upanishads of India, as in the concepts of “I am Brahman” (the all-pervading principle) and tat tram asi “that thou art,” meaning that the soul is the eternal and Absolute Being. Monistic mysticism is also found in Taoism, which seeks unity with Tao, the ineffable way. Theistic mysticism, unity with God, characterized Christianity, Judaism (in the Kabbalah), and Islam (the Sufi sect), and is also found in
Hinduism.
In general, ‘mysticism’ would best be thought of as a constellation of distinctive practices, discourses, texts, institutions, traditions, and experiences aimed at human transformation, variously defined in different traditions.
The point I found interesting was the theistic aspect of mysticism.
Theistic mystics seek to unite with God rather than identify with God. “Union” with God signifies various experiences rather than a single experience. “Union” involves a falling away of the separation between a person and God, though short of identifying with God. Saint Theresa Avila admitted that she did not understand the process, and could not make distinctions, such as between soul, mind, and spirit. She believed that she had a Spiritual marriage with God. The marriage between God and an individual means the union between the soul and God. I, being of indigenous faith, have never experienced that aspect of mysticism; being completely absorbed in God that I cannot distinguish between myself and the Spirit. My own faith does not quite follow Christian traditions in the sense that I have never experienced God in any spiritual way whatsoever. I have, however, experienced a moment of insight where I believed that there was something more out in the universe. It was when I was at a ceremony for an accident I experienced (I fell off a tree when I was 14 and bit through my tongue). During the ceremony the ha na tath nee (the singer or the medicine man) asked me if I felt anything wrong within myself, I told him that my stomach hurt and it felt as though I was going to throw up. After the question was posed he got up and walked out of the Hogan and threw up, he came back in and asked if I felt better, I told him
yes in a surprised tone. It wasn’t until later my mom explained that the medicine man found something inside my stomach and he took it out of me by proxy. I was astonished, to say the least. Afterward I was fine and since I haven’t felt pain or unease in my stomach. I’m not sure if that qualifies as a mystic experience, but ever since then I know that there is more out there whether it be God or some other cosmic power. In my religion we rely on our medicine men to cure us of our afflictions, we pray to our “Gods” and asked to be healed. In the Navajo tradition, there is a cause and effect for every action we do and intentions of others.