May 16, 2011
The Purpose of Mystical Experience (Quote of the Week)
As I see it, the purpose of mystical experience is to convince us, at a soul level, that our true nature is Spirit—to convince us so deeply that we are liberated from existential doubt. Why? So we will finally be available to participate, consciously and wholeheartedly, in the greatest gift we’ve been given . . . which is the life we are already living right now.
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Andrew Cohen is a spiritual teacher, cultural visionary, founder of EnlightenNext, and the author of 
Yes Andrew
to be free to live right now for the highest purpose possible
“When a man has at last found himself, when he has no longer any need of an outside human Symbol but passes directly to his own inner reality, he may stand shoulder to shoulder with the teacher in the oldest, the longest, and the greatest of struggles” P.Brunton
But why do we need a convincing,if we are already on the path?Our being on the path itself suggests that we are convinced that we are a spiritual being,on a material journey here.
The mystical Spiritual Awakening is a revelation, revealing to the unwakened the reality of the Spirit, dormant till being roused from its slumber.
For many, the spirit may be recognized by hearsay and not really acknowledged until a dramatic Awakening.
A true awakening should act to reveal the individual’s connection to the universe, to other fellow humans and to all of Creation. This connection acts to connect and bind us to the welfare of All, in my own experience.
This revelation may sometimes ebb and dim and in time may even become a faded memory but spiritual development will not be denied. If the “Pilgrim” is sincere, further progress will ensue and may involve long plateaus where no progress is discerned. Dark nights of the soul may be experienced and suffering may be part of the journey.
But when a fervent expectancy is maintained, further progress will occur when the faith is kept.
Keep the faith, O Pilgrim!
AWSome what a hit of reality to my soul
The very word mystical means purposeless. Mystical experience is a love affair with Existence, it is love and love does not need any purpose, any convincing. Vice versa, purpose and convincing are against love, they destroy love’s fragile fabrics of trust and devotion.
Only love can go into the unknown, the uncharted, only love can take the risk to jump into the emptiness. Mind can never do that, mind is a coward, a calculator, an analyzer of pros and cons. That is why mystical experience is a state of No-mind, when one has gone beyond the mind and has become pure love.
Hi Aliya,
Your (too) liberal categorical use of “only” disturbs me.
In any pioneering and creative effort, and in science as well as in spiritual matters and love, a leap of faith is often taken by those who fearlessly pursue the resolution of something they want to resolve, driven by curiosity and a need to know.
Aliya, I like what you wrote. You seem very insightful. I’m curious, how common are mystical experiences? I have had two. As far as I know, I haven’t met anyone who had one.
Andrew,
I’ve respected your unique philosophy for many years. I guess I’ve missed your Religious Science side. We humans anthropomorphize. We see human traits in other parts of nature. We invent gods to reinforce our beliefs.
I’d not ever expected a person of your experience and competence to believe in a living god actively influencing the minds of individual humans.
Nor, for the wishful thinking of a universe actively supporting certain behaviors over other behaviors of any beings of any specie on any world.
I will treat your future notes with cautious skepticism.