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Christian Mysticism and Why Christians have such a hard time finding it in Christianity
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Studies in Christian Mysticism towards a clarified reality.
Christianity is the greatest Blessing given to humanity.
It should not come as a surprise that Christianity is not necessarily synonymous with Christian religion.
Every Religion accommodates the Spiritual maturity of the individual.
People are born into the religion that corresponds to their maturity.
While on Earth they have the opportunity to grow spiritually - to differentiate truth from falsehood or
good from evil.
Please enjoy the Christian Mysteries as they are being presented by
Franz Bardon,
Jakob Lorber and
Paracelsus.
A clearer introduction into the laws that govern existence has never
been made at any time in history. Christian Mysticism has historically
been avoided by church patriarchs while at the same time true Christian
mystics were seldom heard. They were however often suppressed and
persecuted. When they spoke they were often silenced; their writings
burned or banned. Mysticism in general is not the sole domain of the
elite, it is for all who have the courage and will to pursue. Mysticism
is much more than a philosophical or scholarly pursuit because as such
it would remain as theory and find no practical unfolding. In the same
vein, what Christian Mysticism is and what it is not, can never be
determined in this way. A carpenter cannot be a carpenter without
applying his skill in working to making useful wooden artifacts. A
mystic can never be a mystic unless he applies the laws of mysticism
practically. Then he would have earned the right to present or teach
mysticism by virtue of having firsthand knowledge of it. Plenty of
speculative work is written by the scholarly on this subject based on
the work of real mystics without coming to any real conclusions leaving
the reader just as empty as when he started reading. This article is
intended to introduce certain basic concepts as they have presented by
the above mentioned authors. It is hoped that these words might generate
an interest in what has been an age old pursuit of a few that now in our
troubled times is being made available for all.
Franz Bardon
Jakob Lorber
Paracelsus
In our times when we tell ourselves that the old superstitions are dead
in lieu of modern science there are a surprising number of literary and
cinematographic works that delight in toying with the notion of
Mysticism presented as matter of fact human behavior.
The list is a long one. Movies like the Indiana
Jones series, Harry Potter, Big Trouble in Little China, Star Wars, the
various Vampire, and Spiritual Possession genre to name a
few, all deal with certain aspects of the ancient mysteries, ghosts,
powers and abilities that are supernatural, miraculous and generally beyond the norm. Granted they
exaggerate, are very narrow and often very inaccurate in their portrayal of
things spiritual but at times are quite accurate. With few exceptions Hollywood deals
primarily with the dark side of this intriguing topic. Yet, everyone is enchanted by the
subject matter and are drawn to the possibility of it actually being possible.
There are legends of people from all cultures
having miraculous abilities. Those dealing with such forces positively and for the benefit of
others were rightfully called Saints. The very best among them were called Magus
(magicians) or Adepts. None of these prophessed a specific religion even though they
were model Christians.
They dealt in universalities
which
by definition are from a singular source. "Uni - verse - al," meaning "from a
singular word ( or Law - FIAT)." Whatever an individual conceives this Law Giving Source to
be. In the West we use the word God to define this indescribable, unfathomable
concept. Others may call it Tao, Deo, Domini, Dio, Gott, Zeus, Allah, Deus,
Jehovah or Jehovah Zaboath, etc., these different names all mean "God" but, they differ
in sound to culturally express or reflect the different aspects of the same Being. Note:
There are only 72 possible names on Earth by which the Deity can be
defined. (Kabbalah)
Concept of Mysticism - That the Universe exists and
is alive is a fact. It is the Laws that control
it that are the subject of the Mysteries. That God acts and controls creation is also a fact, how He does what He does is
the mystery. Why belabor the former when it is the latter that matters. Whatever brings us closer to God's creation and its workings will also bring us closer to their Maker. A purely physical science will never do.
Modern day physics
only explain a small portion of what is. Within the scope of Mysticism
is also the spiritual side of physics. The New Revelation covers this in
great detail making it part of Christian Mysticism. Modern secular
thought skirts the issue altogether, ascribing the term Mystery to
classifying any phenomenon that they cannot fully explain.
No one group
can exclusively lay claim to the Mysteries.
Christian Mysticism is an intangible topic
in our modern times largely because in Christian societies past and present
it has been largely ignored, discouraged, sometimes regarded as evil or reserved for the elite.
Consequently, it has been relegated to the realm of fantasy.
Rarely if ever will anyone learn about Christian Mysteries from Christian
institutions. What is likely taught is the rudimentary existence of God and
the life and existence of Jesus Christ which of course is true and good; but
this is a very short story. What is more heavily taught are pre-interpreted
scriptural studies that are biased towards their particular Christian sect, the importance and necessity of adherence to
that particular sects customs and ceremonies, the importance of monetary
remuneration towards these institutions, deference towards the hierarchy of
that institution, or instruction on proper moral behavior. These teachings
are not necessarily bad in themselves but they are certainly not mysteries.
Often, their purpose is to hold people to the institutions.
The time is quickly coming when these institutions will be no more. Not
because people will have destroyed them, but because people will gradually
abandon them in lieu of the truer Christianity. The teaching of the Christian Mysteries will
once again return as is foretold in the New Revelation of
Jakob Lorber.
The Christian mysteries are often labeled
by the derogatory term "occult." This term is largely used out of ignorance.
In the past those who dared ask deeper spiritual questions or thought
outside of official Church doctrines were labeled "heretics" and
were quickly
disposed of. This was of course done for political reasons but at times there was some merit to this also. Historically there has been much mischief
created by those who dabbled in things that were beyond their maturity.
Upon investigation the word "occult" is of Latin origin and
means "hidden," or "worshipping in hiding." Clearly something hidden is not necessarily something that
is evil. To simply hide something does not make it become evil. The first
Christians had to worship in secret. They were literally the first
occultists.
Yes, there are those who
dabble in the dark arts having absolutely no idea as to what it is they are
investigating. These arts are by definition no more or less occult than
attending church. Both acts address something non-physical, both actions are
metaphysical, during both acts people are seeking something higher. The
difference is only one of intent. Christian Mysticism is by definition not a
dark art. As its name suggests, it is a body of knowledge that makes
spiritual things active for the Christian seeker. A reasonable cold blooded
investigation of spiritual matters usually does no harm. Ignorance and an
imposed ignorance is by far worse.
Without knowledge of good
and evil we become subject to the actions of others. Knowledge gathered with
love is useful. The mystics of history sought only to disseminate useful
knowledge that people might mature spiritually and come closer to God
Mystics. There have been several genuine Christian Mystics in Europe but their lives
were usually tormented by the religious institutions of the day who saw their
light
and their truth as a threat to the status quo. Some of these were
Paracelsus, Jakob Boehme, Robert Fludd, Roger Bacon, Nostradamus, Emanuel
Swedenborg and in more recent times Jakob Lorber and Franz Bardon.
These personages were labeled the heretics of their day. Yet
today they are highly revered by many but not in religious circles.
These Mystics did not write about mysticism, they wrote about the actual mysteries themselves. This is why
they were mystics. A mystery is nothing more than a higher law of Divinity
by and through which a human being might raise themselves spiritually while
better comprehending the world and existence.
Mystics possess an unassuming humility. Through their humility they are
entrusted by Providence to gaze into God's workshop and actively participate in
it. At times they are permitted to write and talk about it for the benefit
of all. Those lacking this purity of spirit are denied access. No one but
Divine Providence determines who is and who isn't mature enough to access
and work with the mysteries. And, thankfully there is no physical
institution that can determine this.
It is we who are actually excluding ourselves. We are the guardians of
this threshold. If we are not pure we do not allow ourselves access to that
which is pure. We keep ourselves out!
It should be stated that humility is not synonymous with being a
"door mat"
or having extreme religious piety. It is more a respectful and dutiful state
of being with regards to Divinity and fellow human beings.
These mystical insights are not part of the institutional education of the intellect
or through unending repetitive prayer or ceremony. Nothing could be further
from the truth.
Much of what is written about Christian Mysticism is usually written by the
scholarly. They usually are incapable of mystical experiences or
knowledge and often are themselves non believers. What they can do is write about mysticism in general and
Christian Mysticism in particular by simply repeating, paraphrasing, or
otherwise quoting the works of a true mystic. Sometimes this type of work is
useful as a historical narrative but seldom is it illuminating. Very rarely
do these writers understand the actual subject matter itself although they
might know who might have said what, when, and to whom.
Philosophically there are only two religions on Earth. One is for Divinity,
the other is against Divinity. There is mysticism in all religions. In the
religions that are for Divinity you will find that at the highest levels
much of the mystical traditions are very similar. In the religions that are
against Divinity the same mysteries are borrowed and misused in the opposite
sense.
In all religions the mystical practices were always protected from being
defiled by the profane through secrecy. Often times the knowledge died out
because there were so few who were considered worthy to carry it on. There are still
some sects who practice mystical teachings.
(It may be hard to accept that
all present day Pagan religions originated from a belief in a singular God
and natural principles of existence.
Through liberality all religions have diverged away from their common
source, in time creating the most bizarre variations on what was once the same
theme. The priesthoods are responsible for this. In their attempts to
generate more income they franchised the various aspects of God and Creation
into separate personified imaginary beings creating statuary and separately
dedicated temples. Each was worshiped separately and people paid money to
each entity separately. They would pay for fertility, for rain, for war,
love, etc. This is how paganism started in all cultures.)
As regards the subject of Christian Mysticism it should be stated that
Christ was not a mystic. As the incarnation of the Wisdom of God Himself, He is the
Lawmaker and therefore the source of Mysticism itself, Christian mysticism in
particular. Therefore it can
rightfully be stated that it is only through Him that anyone will find
Heaven and the only true Father. (Christ stated; "I am the way.)
The Egyptians taught and practiced the mysteries in their priesthood and
among their royalty.
The Catholic Church using the information in the old testament and Judaism mimicked the universality of the Egyptian
principles in the structure of their
institution and borrowed very heavily from their ceremonies. In this new
context these ceremonies were very impressive, a great propaganda tool, but
none-the-less, quite empty.
Some have even called the Christian religious
ceremonies pagan in origin but this is not entirely accurate. Because of their meaninglessness
and
contextual lacking they can more accurately be termed heathenistic. But this is
not to take away from the pure of heart who worship with a pure belief - "to
the pure all things are pure." If
in such a ritual one feels they are respectfully worshiping Divinity they
should not be scorned for it. In time if they are sincere they will
eventually see the ritual for what it is.
It is interesting to note that the first Egyptians acknowledged a single God and the concept of Christ
within that God calling it KRST.
This makes the original Egyptian religion and their early mystical practices
Christian. Many might argue this point.
In our times, also known as the Latter Days, The End Times the former
divergence is starting to converge back into a unified universal belief,
which will include the Mysteries for those who seek them.
The most complete modern source for these mysteries for our times is in the
combined works of Franz Bardon and Jakob Lorber.
Because everyone of us has personal biases some of these statements may
not seem 100.00% accurate, but the truth is dependant upon ones maturity and these
statements are
being made sincerely and are worthy of further investigation.
