Having a definition for mysticism doesn't do much to help you incorporate it into your stories, unless you're planning to write The Untold Adventures of William James. This week, I'll cover some examples of the kinds of experiences that have traditionally been called mystical as well as a few ideas on how you might use mystics in your creations.
I've picked four basic examples: mystical union, cosmic perspective, divine love, and direct revelation. The first is a good example of the experience itself; the second, of an insight into the nature of the world that comes from mysticism; the third, of the experience of the mystic in relation to the deity; and the fourth, of visionary experience. These are my own categories rather than any academic arrangement, by the way. If you go looking for books on the subject, you'll likely find them organized differently.
Mystical Union: The mystic's sense of self dissolves, replaced by the absolute presence of the deity. The general theme of this form of experience is the gulf that exists between the impermanence of human life and the reality of the eternal divine. In some traditions, this union is the goal of mystical practices, but as James' definition suggests, it can also come suddenly and unexpectedly.
Rumi, "A Garden Beyond Paradise":Cosmic Perspective: The mystic becomes aware of a fundamental truth of the universe. In historical religions, this might be an understanding of the interconnectedness of all things, the workings of divine order, or the nature of time. In the Hindu example below, it's the realization that Brahman is the only reality, and that all apparent divisions in the universe are illusory.
Pass again from the heavenly realm
and plunge into the ocean of Consciousness.
Let the drop of water that is you
become a hundred mighty seas.
But do not think that the drop alone
becomes the Ocean—
the Ocean, too, becomes the drop!
Avadhut Gita, Chapter 1:Divine Love: The mystic describes his or her relationship to the deity as one of intense, passionate longing. The style of the literature can be almost indistinguishable from love poetry, and the mystic might act in all the ways that someone hopelessly in love would be expected to. Because this is such a common expression of mysticism, I've included three examples.
31. On the destruction of a jar, the space therein unites with all space. In myself and Shiva I see no difference when the mind is purified.
32. Brahman alone is, as pure consciousness. In truth there is no jar, and no jar-space, no embodied soul, nor its nature.
33. There are no worlds, no Vedas, no Devas, no sacrifices, no castes, no family tribes, no nationalities, no smoke-path, no shining-path.
34. Some there are that prize non-dualism, others hold to dualism. They know not the Truth, which is above both.
35. How can the supreme Reality be described, since It is neither white nor any other colour, has no qualities such as sound, and is beyond voice and mind?
The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, Chapter 19:
16. Our Lord was pleased that I should have at times a vision of this kind: I saw an angel close by me, on my left side, in bodily form. This I am not accustomed to see, unless very rarely. Though I have visions of angels frequently, yet I see them only by an intellectual vision, such as I have spoken of before. It was our Lord's will that in this vision I should see the angel in this wise. He was not large, but small of stature, and most beautiful—his face burning, as if he were one of the highest angels, who seem to be all of fire: they must be those whom we call cherubim. Their names they never tell me; but I see very well that there is in heaven so great a difference between one angel and another, and between these and the others, that I cannot explain it.
17. I saw in his hand a long spear of gold, and at the iron's point there seemed to be a little fire. He appeared to me to be thrusting it at times into my heart, and to pierce my very entrails; when he drew it out, he seemed to draw them out also, and to leave me all on fire with a great love of God. The pain was so great, that it made me moan; and yet so surpassing was the sweetness of this excessive pain, that I could not wish to be rid of it. The soul is satisfied now with nothing less than God. The pain is not bodily, but spiritual; though the body has its share in it, even a large one. It is a caressing of love so sweet which now takes place between the soul and God, that I pray God of His goodness to make him experience it who may think that I am lying.
Ramon Llull, The Book of the Lover and the Beloved:
76. The secrets of love, unrevealed, cause anguish and grief; revelation of love brings fervour and fear. And for this cause the Lover must ever be suffering.
87. Sick with love was the Lover, and a physician came in to see him who doubled his sorrows and his thoughts. And in that same hour the Lover was healed.
Rabia al-Basri:Direct Revelation: The mystic is shown the workings of the sacred realm and its beings. Arguably, this is a subtype of the experience of cosmic perspective, but I think it's worth making the distinction in cases where the universe is being guided by personified forces rather than metaphysical laws.
If I adore You out of fear of Hell,
Burn me in Hell!
If I adore you out of desire for Paradise,
Lock me out of Paradise.
But if I adore you for Yourself alone,
Do not deny to me Your eternal beauty.
1 Enoch XVIII:Now that you've got a general idea of what kinds of experiences mystics can have, what do you do with them? As characters, they can be interesting figures, because the nature of their encounters with divinity can operate completely outside of the usual religious hierarchies. The passive quality of mysticism includes the idea that it could happen to anyone, and because the experience is so intensely personal, there's no way to verify it.
11. And I saw a deep abyss, with columns of heavenly fire, and among them I saw columns of fire fall, which were beyond measure alike towards the height and towards the depth. 12. And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no firmament of the heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it: there was no water upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place. 13. I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains, and to me, when I inquired regarding them, 14. The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth: this has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven. 15. And the stars which roll over the fire are they which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord in the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times. 16. And He was wroth with them, and bound them till the time when their guilt should be consummated (even) for ten thousand years.'
That opens the door for mystics, like prophets, to make statements that are entirely at odds with the religious establishment. With a sufficient following, they could break away to create their own sect; without one, they could be condemned for misleading the community or simply dismissed as insane. A third option is for the religious authorities to acknowledge the mystic's experience, but separate it from the general experience: to say, in other words, that while there is a truth to it, it's not a truth that the majority of practitioners can or should have access to.
You can also use a mystic to reveal what you, as the creator of your setting, consider to be the ultimate truth about the world. If you're writing Lovecraftian existential horror, it's the mystic who pierces the veil of ordinary perception to get a glimpse of the void. If you're dealing with urban fantasy, it might be a streetwise visionary who sees the work of faeries when no one else can. You have to be cautious, though, in trying to balance whatever information you want to communicate to your audience with the ineffability of the mystical experience itself. Even if it's a true message, there's no guarantee that it will be passed along clearly.
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