In process of being edited

Note: concept to be included – eastern mysticism is trying to connect with self. Western prayer is trying to connect directly to the Godhead through the intercession of the concept of the Heavenly Father being the love of God and the Lord Jesus Christ being the Wisdom of God. The meditative process is a different one but the purpose is the same. In our times the benefit of using both, is an even greater tool towards that end.

Christian Mysticism Contains All Other Mysticism

With most of its wisdom largely untapped, Christianity is a sleeping giant waiting to awaken.

Humanity had always believed in a God of sorts with priesthoods of every kind representing every possible aspect of metaphysical practices; some valid, some flawed, some fraudulent. As those practices corrupted themselves over time to the point of near uselessness, they needed to be reset in the same way as you would reboot a computer that has been corrupted to the point of no longer being capable of functioning. This has happened several times in history, the  coming of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy being a case in point. Jesus Christ presented Himself as the incarnated Eternal God of antiquity making His teachings and Himself the central figure of Christianity. This event established a very distinct departure from all other religions before it, without taking anything away the validity from those that had been founded on a sound footing before. The fault was not in any old scripture. It is always with how human beings had corrupted ancient scriptural concepts, interpreting them to suit themselves to the point of complete incomprehensibility.

The God that had been an indescribable mystery up to that point, had showed Himself in Human form to be at once familiar, approachable, loving and giving rise to a clearer concept of God. Before that, it was not uncommon for religions and philosophies to have conceptualized God simply as Nature itself, as the energy that is behind Nature, to have expressed the various aspects of that one God as separate Gods, worshiping them as separate idols or, to have made Deity something so completely undefinable as to be completely inaccessible. Up until that time intercession was done through the various priesthoods which by the time of Christ’s coming had again developed into a very lucrative business of little actual spiritual worth other than empty traditional rites and rituals. Much of these practices and perspectives of God were based in either complete truth or the fragments of it that remained from the mysticism that was from before antediluvian times so, it would be unfair to call it altogether invalid. But, it had gotten to a point, at least in the Western world that so little was left of the original teaching that it was time for a “reboot.”

Jesus being in human form and having human characteristics both in appearance and sometimes in emotion suggested to some the same limitations and frailties of a normal human being. Some asserted that to have accepted Him as God as He appeared in human form, would be as much as to place limits upon the Infinitness of the Deity Itself. That by defining or suggesting what God is, in any way, would mean that the Unlimited had been given limits, effectively removing the divinity from the Divine. These are all valid philosophical points were one’s concept of God not to recognize the primordial and mystical concept that associates the microcosm (human) with the macrocosm (God).

Conclusions like these derived from strictly one sided intellectual or, epistemological mental exercises are very thin at best and very narrow in scope. Some presume that because they are being scientific that all things can be explained through that methodology. They fail to realize however, that their conclusions and the force with which they hurl them are as dogmatic as some of the religions they exist is protest of, and accuse of believing in things that fly in the face of reason.

Philosophical constructs like Pantheism, Panentheism, even Atheism hold these type of views. To their credit, those identifying with these labels consist of people who have at least examined their beliefs and are often open minded enough and very capable of debating intelligently on topics related to religion, beliefs in general, philosophy and even the Bible. Some are well acquainted with the Bible which is more than can be said about many Christians. They are mostly very logical and reasonable in their definitions of what they postulate Deity as being, not being or, being at all. They generally would have nothing to do with anything theological, claiming it to be unfounded in anything provable, often regarding it as superstition for the weak of mind.

As intellectually astute as some of these thinkers are, they would rather live with the uncertainty of not knowing, than to believe what is not physically provable, preferring instead scientific explanations even if they sometimes are inconclusive. There certainly is some merit in this as it prevents unfounded beliefs and superstitions. Yet, they readily quote philosophical sources to shore up their propositions that have Hermetic roots, not realizing that Hermetics is contained within Christianity and its mysticism which they also insist does not exist. But, then again, most Christians have no concept of the inherent mysticism within their own religion either and rarely contemplate it beyond mere Sunday attendance.

These are quite content to be left with a very “bare bones,” skeletal belief structure that negates all that is not physically provable; a philosophy more than a belief system that, being without any kind of concept of multidimensional trascendance other than being physically recycled back into Nature without any kind of identity of self remaining.

These beliefs can vary considerably. Some have a concept of soul or spirit that is about as well defined as the typical traditional “believer,” which is to say, that they are about on par as far as the development and knowledge of spiritual concepts go. Although one would have expected more of a screaming protest against Catholicism; but no, many of these seem to exist more in protest of other Christian sects like American Evangelical, Baptist and similar denominations from having had horrible experiences with them.

Some of these philosophies are very much like taking a beautiful car and then stripping it down to a chassis, an engine and a gas tank; no body work, no seats, no steering wheel and no brakes and having it sitting up on blocks. It certainly runs and can run for a long time but, it cannot take you anywhere and you cannot meaningfully interact with it. So, of what value is it really?

Because it does not participate in anything but their own physical experience in something that they do not care to understand because to them it is unknowable anyway and, even with this lacking, they feel they are fully or even more a part of all that is, since from their perspective there is no need to search for anything because, even without a clear concept of soul, spirit, physical existence or Deity, in their thinking they already exist in a state of “being” that represents all that is. A sort belief, without beliefs; a mysticism without mysticism. As personable as many of them are, at some point the discussion cannot go any further from having arrived at an impasse because of the inherent and ironical philosophical limitations that they insist they have been freed from because to them God is everything.

The biggest irony here is that Christians often have a similarly empty belief and make little effort to become more intimately acquainted with. Their beliefs may differ only in creed but not in substance. To have faith that there is a God and that Jesus Christ is that God incarnated but not acting according to the goodness that He was preaching is to have Faith without Charity, Belief without love for your fellow man, gasoline without octane or voltage without wattage to give them power through a practiced principle.

As astute as they are in their reason, their conclusions are the fruit of a very limited and limiting sort of human reasonings that Emanuel Swedenborg calls “memory knowledges” a strictly humanly deduced reasoning and reality.

Given the sometimes shallow, even unreasonable actions, beliefs and even political involvement based on selective or narrow Biblical interpretations of some, it is easy to see why many have rejected Christianity altogether. The effort of seeking some measure of truth on one’s own does not take away from the good hearted nature of people. It is often to their benefit. On the whole those who have taken it upon themselves to investigate spiritual matters on their own are much easier to have an intelligent theological discussion with than those having a stiff, dogmatic approach to things they themselves do not fully understand but insist on repeating mindlessly.

Biblically, God is clearly defined as the “All in All” so, there is little to suggest any limits to Divinity within a Christian context. To attribute a limit to God because Jesus claimed to be God incarnate indicates a lack of scope and a completely misunderstood concept of Deity and the relationship between the human being and what we call the Universe; something understood and accepted in mystical teaching since ancient times.

The incarnation of Christ is a restating of the ancient Hermetic axiom: As Above, So Below; the human being created in the image of Divinity manifest. Having incarnated, the human being can more easily identify with it’s Creator for the purpose of ultimate unification. This is unique to Christianity. It has given us more major points of recognition between man and God with plenty of clues that God might be better understood by His Creation. The clues are alluded to with the usual Biblical Yin Yang paradoxes for each individual to formulate a deeper understanding of God and our place with Him for ourselves. There are infinite ramifications from this that nearly 2000 years after the fact, most of Christendom is not prepared to accept philosophically, intellectually or practically even if the seeming paradoxes keep the controversies and discussions very much alive.

Based on Biblical teaching Jesus Christ is simply God incarnated for the purpose of, among other things, showing Himself to created human beings, presenting the possibility of direct interaction between the Deity and human beings without the need of an intercessor. In so doing, the Divine had, for the first time, made God accessible without removing any of what is infinite, omnipotent, omniscient or omnipresent from the Deity, without confining God to the physical  5 to 6 foot physical human frame of a carpenter. This is the essence of Christian Mysticism – a new way of conceptualizing and relating to God providing an opening into Eternity that had never existed before the Crucifixion and Resurrection. The significance of these events are profound; without altering anything in the Old Testament nor the Sacred scripts of any other major religions.

The infinite significance of these concepts cannot really be taught in their totality as most, being caught up in their doctrinal understandings will not see it for what it is. A person has to be willing to step outside of their comfort zone so that they can encompass the immensity of the implications through a different paradigm of Christian belief that can only be described as and through Christian mysticism. This is where Christian Mysticism starts for those who identify with Christianity and want to go deeper into the Christianity of Christianity.

Most Christians will not pursue Christian Mysticism. Having heard only the repetitive indoctrinated view of what Christianity is for millennia and not being used to thinking on their own, they would rather be told what to think, than exercise their free will to think for themselves. Christian mysticism sounding so unlike what they have been used to associating with Christianity, becomes something foreign, something to fear rather than to embrace and study. Not everyone is up to it.

Self Discovery Is A Process As Important As Finding God! Both Involve Mysticism; Religion simply defining the intellectual concepts, tools and points of reference.

It never hurts to seriously think or contemplate on things. A little agnosticism is healthy along the road to discovery. It is okay to question what exists, what might exist, what might not be, what others have written or said or what we may have been taught. It forces us to think for ourselves without throwing out the “baby with the bathwater.” But in questioning, a person has to be able to substantiate their position at least to themselves because nothing is really provable in purely physical terms and there is no end to the intellectual contortions that people will go through to prove or disprove what ever their pet philosophical position of the moment might be. But, a faith that consists of little more than, “that’s what I was taught growing up!” is sometimes as good as having no faith at all.

Those who go to the trouble of thinking about what their position is on belief would have at least contemplated it carefully. By contrast, you will find that the belief of many Christians is based on blind faith which is as good as being spiritually dead which is at least one reason why so many wars and other otherwise unchristian actions once justified by twisting Christianity into anything but what it really is, have found so many Christian participants. You may soon find yourself asking, “would I rather be in the company of a good hearted atheist whom I can speak to intelligently or a mean spirited Christian incapable of rational thought?” Needless to say, Christian mysticism is lost on the latter.

It is sad to see otherwise valuable concepts like “Jesus Saves,” “Living Faith,” “Born Again,” being dropped like over-hyped supermarket “Specials.” They’ve become empty, meaningless cliches to fill churches to get donations. They mock Christianity by these things seem effortless. If earning a living requires effort, what would make anyone believe that a spiritual re-awakening or rebirth wouldn’t?

That process of searching to confirm what is real from a spiritual point of view, to anyone is never totally scientific. It finds it’s rationale in the inner experience, something that is somewhere where no one can see or examine to question but, it certainly needs to be cold blooded and sober for it to have any validity to the individual. Passing a written test, is not a spiritual experience. It’s just arbitrary human validation.

A person, in order to be active in Christian mysticism needs to dare to challenge accepted interpretations of what it means to be Christian at all levels; even if they wisely choose to do it in the privacy of their own mind.

Whatever is unknown to anyone can rightfully be called a mystery. We need to distinguish between what is physically unknown and what is spiritually unknown to us. But that does not mean that either is unknowable. It only means that it will take some effort to get to the bottom of it. All that we see around us exists and is therefore knowable at least as far as we can experience it and as far as we can analyze it. It is not fantasy. What is going on within our mind and feelings is just as real because to deny it would be to also deny our experiencing things physical through it. What it may be. How we define it and what context we put it in is part of self analysis because no one else can really experience it for us or through us except for us through ourselves. How we do this and are aware being able to do this is another dimension of mysticism that should not be excluded from Christian mysticism.

People constantly insist on things being scientifically proven in order to be regarded as real. What nonsense! The scientific process is nothing more than a formalized and disciplined method of physical measuring and recording of what is physically manifest. Until it finally arrives at a sound conclusion it is nothing more than a process; a form of externally focused mysticism. When it succeeds, that form of mysticism arrives at a workable explanation of reality but, only partly. (science is often highjacked) That end revelation is a mystical product derived at by using the intellect as a tool of the thought process. A tool you cannot see or hold in our hands, but is nevertheless very real. What else could a non-physical tool that renders tangible results be, if not something mystical?

When those efforts are focused internally for the purpose of inner discovery, possibly through the use of various disciplined meditative techniques what is revealed or experienced through it is a still mystical process albeit, internally focused and intangible to anyone else. Who would deny the presence of their own faculty as not being part of their own being? Not being scientifically measurable or definable is quite immaterial.

How does what we discover about ourselves from introspection for the sake of knowing ourselves better from our desire to find self, differ from our search for God or what God is? If it is the purpose of mysticism to arrive at conclusions about this from within ourselves in a very small way, then, being made in the image of God, this inner exploration would suggest, intimate or, teach more about God, and from that, the inner workings of Creation. After all, Jesus Christ did say that, “the kingdom of heaven (and therefore God) is within.”

There is no scientific proof of existence – it can only be measured. Most of what is, is based on belief. All we have is curiosity and the desire to explore possibilities. The thought process, being itself mystical,

even when we call it scientific, because it still does not yield an absolute truth only a statistical probability of an expected purely physical outcome, proves little. Some would refute the use of the word mystical in a scientific context more out of prejudice than anything else. At least the word mystical is optimistic, in that, even if a full physical understanding is not possible to be known at the moment, the possibility that it may have an explanation above what is currently known in purely physical terms, it may eventually come through further exploration or even intuitive inspiration is just another unacknowledged possibility through a mystical process.

In this way mysticism is to religion, what mathematics and arithmetic are to numbers. It is a systematic and logical “putting into practice” by the use of our faculties, through an exploration of belief or, an extrapolation to arrive at an understanding of what existence is, for the purpose of rendering it into a philosophy or model of a living reality that is workable. Who is to say that it lacks logic when to deny it would be arbitrary and just as illogical.

All religions have their own mysticism based on their beliefs. The irony is that if examined all religions are at least similar enough to all have that same ultimate purpose; unification with Deity.

Christian Mysticism coming out of Christianity differs from most other belief systems only in the belief that God showed Himself to Humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. The ramifications of that have been huge. The beliefs laid down by Christianity are few but basic. So much so that when thought over very penetrating. In the body of Christian belief one will find Kabbalah (Tree of Life), Egyptian concepts of Deity (Trinity), Taosim (male and female as personages and in principle – Yin and Yang), Hermetics (the concept of sin as elemental disequilibrium and it’s removal) and much more. They are never talked about in church or in Bible study because they are not explicit. It would seem that they were never meant to be.

These were the sacred mysteries of old that had been profaned by the people of old that eventually brought down their nations and empires. Christianity has been given relatively little that is obvious in the way of sacred mysteries for it to profane. Yet, as hard as it is to profane; A) love God above all else and B) your fellow man as yourself, people do it in epic style. It is understandable why the first Christian church, the Catholic church called itself Catholic. Catholic means universal and with such simple teachings one would think that all could easily live by them. Yet, people squabble over nothing and kill each other out of anger or to gain possession of other person’s property. And, they profane God in word and deed almost non-stop directly or indirectly.

Where does this leave mysticism and Christian mysticism? It leaves people to explore with less danger of unintentionally profaning something because you cannot profane what you do not know to be sacred. And, sure enough Christendom may have contributed a lot to world but, it also left a lot of blood and misery in it’s wake through no fault of Christian teaching itself.

At one time human beings were constrained by social cast or religious doctrine to a sometimes narrow scope. Limited by illiteracy, access to a broader range of intellectual concepts and the means to explore them, most, confined by their circumstances never had the opportunity to explore their minds or their world. For the first time in a long time a human being is now relatively free to examine all that there is to be seen and known, to integrate it through rational reason without being in conflict with creation or Creator. The West has been doing it ever since, albeit rather slowly and often destructively.

 

It is highly individual because no two people can have the same inner experience and express it in exactly the same way.

Christendom is the external expression of Christian Religion out of Mysticism . Spiritual Attainment Is Achieved Through Mysticism. Christian Mysticism Applied Towards Spiritual Grown Is Unknown To Most Christians In Spite Of Bible Study

Mysticism is your own personal experience found through a religion that you devote yourself to provided and intentionally live and apply. Spirituality is too vague a term for this as it applies to any higher belief. Mysticism is an interpretation of spiritual knowledge to make it applicable, practical and tangible. It’s purpose is to come closer, more intimate to and with the source of that knowledge which ultimately leads to a workable philosophical structure of life and existence.

In the Orient, the extension of their spiritual belief through mysticism has led them to  that spawned Kung fu, Tai Chi, Herbalism and other such practices as extensions of their prime spiritual concepts as permanent fixtures in their cultures.

Getting from a belief to a physical manifestation of that belief is to interpret those beliefs and to then transform them into tangible concepts derived out of them. This is an external representation of belief through mysticism. In order for the external to manifest, the expression must first be tangibly conceived internally.

Often mysticism is mistaken for having an intellectual understanding of a belief system found in sacred script.

These have been extracted from the personal experiences of those who had dedicated themselves to the study of their finer beliefs.

The same fine extrapolations have not been made with the Christian West. Mysticism in general is not understood and often discussed by those who have never experienced it or are work towards it. How can anyone speak intelligently about what they’ve never done, seen, experienced or believe is even possible?”

 

Religious Beliefs can be quantitative or qualitative. The quantitative beliefs are for those who choose or need to believe in what is physically tangible; an icon or a ceremony to confirm or give form to their belief. The qualitative believer finds it hard to replace God with an icon and so looks within; away from the physical world to find their peace and to actively commune with God. That process is mystical by definition and in the Christian context is the beginning of Christian Mysticism. The belief organizes our thoughts and actions. christian mysticism establishes context.

Christian Mysticism is nothing more than an organized process whereby a human being can become whole again, not from having to beg or supplicate endlessly for it but from gradually coming to know God and being in complete awe of what God is and the recognition that we have been made in the same image as that God. Rebirth recognized that very intimate unity that already exists but we have remained distant or ignorant of.

That recognition and the inborn desire arising form it is the meaning of the word “religion.” It means to re-connect with God. Anything less than this removes it’s fundamental purpose. Without mysticism religion degenerates into a social event, an empty ceremony a meaningless membership.

In the Christian context many feel that belief is enough. Having belief but not the willingness to live by being charitable towards their fellow man makes them part of the “Christian club.” Some will even say that by accepting Jesus that they are saved or that they are reborn.

Sad to say but, they have been mislead. Belief is not the same as rebirth; many believe but, few act like it! A “born again Christian” may have reaffirmed or renewed their Christian faith in Jesus Christ but, spiritually, except for knowledge of Christ, they are no more reborn in spirit than anyone else of any other religion.

Mysticism is an inner process that leads to what in the Christian world is called rebirth and in other cultures might be called enlightenment. Nice words and sentiment but without an understanding of the workings of the soul and spirit there is no Christian Mysticism to provide the working knowledge of the mechanics that lead to spiritual rebirth.

The process of rebirth has been given to the world and to all cultures and is essentially the same. For Christians to call what other cultures believe  “evil” is to not act in godliness or love for our fellow man. External Christian worship is the quantitative part of what is known as Christianity. Christian Mysticism is hidden, the qualitative part of Christian religion and belief. If you strip away all ceremony, all pomp, all church politics, and all dogma from Christianity you are left with just yourself and God; a God that is eternal and almighty who for the first time deliberately manifested Himself physically in the person of Jesus Christ out of Love for human beings, that they might see Him and know Him. That is the start of Christian Mysticism for Christians.

The idea that a God that had always presented Itself as a distant entity to have shown and explained Himself to the beings that have eminated out of Him is a huge shift away from what had preceded Christianity. Since, the birth of Jesus Christ more and more writings have come into being that have progressively given us more and more information about what God is. This progressively more intimate revelation is creating a greater familiarity between Divinity and mankind to restore a unity between Creator and created, possibly to be as intimate as it once was at the times of Adam.

Truth and Goodness are the Male And Female Aspects of Christian Mysticism

All of that exists is about the male and female principles and their interaction. The male and female aspect that are in God are also in us. This idea greatly expands Christian Mysticism by giving both men and women and equal footing even if they have an inherently different perspective born out of gender. The male polarity symbolizes truth while the female polarity is an express of goodness. The two have a need and a desire for one another. The male truth, mingling with the female goodness is returned to him as Wisdom that came out of goodness. This simple expression of Christian mysticism out of the writing of Emanuel Swedenborg changes many of the previously misconceived notions of the presumed superiority of men over women.

When a man is mentioned in the Old Testament it is to express truth, and the woman, goodness. Goodness alone is naive. Truth alone is harsh, unbending and merciless. But, with truth you can determine what is good but goodness alone will not find the truth. This is the reason why men have been traditionally permitted to be priests. This is not to say that all men are wise; far from it. What it does say is that within every man and every woman there exists both a male and female polarity within their separate being. Giving each intellectual autonomy and both a measure of truth and goodness that they may avail themselves of both.

These things are mentioned in the Bible often only symbolically because they lead to ultimate high wisdom. This seemingly simple and even obvious allegory and explanation leads to much deeper mysteries; something that was kept from the general populous to protect it from profanation. Sadly, what came of it was the harsh degradation of women to almost second class status.

Christian Mysticism, Prophets, Religions and Scholars

• The Benefit of Church Teachings
• Hermetics as part of Christian Mysticism
• Some credit to the Roman Catholic Church
• The Words of God are Not Afraid

The Word of God Cannot Threaten Itself. If a genuine prophet writes, he will never contradict any part of what has already been written with respect to holy script. It only builds upon itself.

The sole reason why spiritual script exists is for the benefit of human beings. God doesn’t need them; He already knows His own laws. The Bible is one of several valid spiritual texts from other cultures that exist on Earth. The Bible differentiates itself from other writings in that it has a New Testament. All other ancient traditional sacred texts were written before the New Testament. All religions that preceded the New Testament are Old Testament religions. They depict God in much the same way as in the Old Testament.

The New Testament represents a new covenant between God and human beings because until the physical manifestation of God in the person of Jesus Christ; God remained a distant, indescribable Deity. In Christ, God has shown Himself to the world and through His teachings His Love was made manifest. That Love, assumed all previous trespasses and through the crucifixion forgave and removed them. Before that moment every human being everywhere in existence could not address God directly and personally but, needed an intercessor. After, the Resurrection, anyone who wishes to address God through the person of the Father or, Jesus Christ can do so entirely on their own without judgment. These are the points that differentiate Christianity from all other religions. To comprehend the enormity, scope and ramifications of this would require a mystical understanding of it.

It would also seem that a God with this much concern, love and caring would want to be in constant communication with His loved ones – US! Why then does it seem so absurd that He should awaken prophets to be his scribes for the benefit of all especially after the resurrection and leading towards the critical times of revelation? After all, even with the words of God in their possession, human beings have a nasty habit of getting themselves “lost” spiritually. If this happened often in the Old Testament, are we, in the times since truthfully say that we are immune to it?

1) No one should dispute that the Bible is the word of God. But, in the same way that the word “gay” now has an entirely different connotation from what it had only 50 years ago and conversely the phrase, “Git ‘R’ Done” would be completely baffling to anyone of only 50 years ago; is it too much of a stretch to accept that after several thousand years many parts of the Bible, especially the Old Testament are difficult for the average person to understand for the exact same reason? Or, that many parts of the Bible are written from an entirely spiritual point of view and remain incomprehensible even to the brightest minds. Example: Genesis has little or nothing to do with physical creation.

The Bible is Divine but, does it explain absolutely everything? Is it always to be interpreted literally? Are we sure that it is as complete today as the day all of its individual texts were written? In the past prophets have tended to fill in the gaps without scrapping the old religion and starting a whole new religion of their own. In the Biblical sense, prophets who start their own religion are never real prophets – at least not prophets from God.

In scientific methodology, a person or a team will research a topic without prejudice irrespective of source materials to arrive at a useful and useable understanding. Bible study is seldom seen as a purely spiritual study. Unfortunately, the same scientific cold bloodedness and tenacity is often put aside and replaced with a dogmatic boundary that will often exclude a possible information source because it is deemed uncertain, or unfit out of nothing more than blind prejudice.

Science is often fearless so, why shouldn’t sincere spiritual pursuits be? God will always remain God no matter what anyone does. No one can or is about to put a dent in Him. So why should a person be afraid to explore what God Himself had created for our own benefit. Did creation come into being that we should be completely ignorant of it? No! The sciences have made great strides in physically understanding and then implementing that understanding and using what is physically present. Are we as spiritual beings, finding ourselves confined and living in a physical realm, often having non-physical experiences within our own being, not willing or able to explain or understand them, their source or, their purpose? Yet, we have been created this way. There must be logical, explanations for all things, otherwise they would not be and we would not be able to observe them at all. They are there to make us yearn for something more. Furthermore and more importantly, if we are to aspire to being children of God, spiritually speaking, then we ought to be capable of understanding the simplest physical phenomenon which is far below matters of the spirit. All humans have and are capable of non-physical experiences. Non-physical experiences are all hidden from physical view and are therefore “occult.” There is nothing negative in this labeling. Thoughts, feelings, prayer are all neutral yet, occult activities.

The entire spiritual endeavour of reading or studying the Bible is that it might reveal more to the reader of what God is or who we are and what we are in relation to God. The warm enlightening feeling that accompanies an inner Biblical revelation is elevating, edifying and reaffirming. When that type of revelation happens it is, in the truest sense of the word, an actual occult experience; not because it is evil, as some dictionary challenged Christians would believe but, because it is an experience that is hidden from everyone’s view. This is elementary mysticism in action.

Can’t you just see a minister somewhere cringing at the thought?

If a Student of the Bible believes the Bible to have been inspired from a Divine source; it would make sense that that Divine Being remains active presently and eternally. And, as the Biblical message of Love comes from that Divine Source, it would also make sense that, in keeping with the nature of love, that that Divine Source perpetually seeks to make itself known to its creations. Therefore, in addition to the Bible there has to have been additional Divinely inspired writings to complement the Bible not only in the sacred script in all other cultures during the time of the Old Testament but also since the time after the Christ’s ascension. There were prophets in the Old Testament, how could there be none after the New Testament?

Understanding that Biblical study is a study of the Bible itself it often ignores everything else often because of a set of scholarly rules that can be as binding and blinding as they are useful. A person studies the Bible either for their own enlightenment or for scholastic endeavour. The former by its very nature is an inner search; the latter is often an elaborate external exercise seeking to prove a hypothesis by using and often quoting what others may have already stated in order for their treatise to have credibility among other scholars. It is odd that credibility in matters spiritual has to pass through a gauntlet of Earthly wisdom to find validation.

The spirit is generally defined as the impetus or source for all things that exist in any conceivable dimension and as having absolutely no limits; the Bible, as a spiritual text is sometimes regarded as the only “real” spiritual text that exists and that counts, to the exclusion of all other beliefs and sacred writings – Christian or otherwise. For millennia the Bible was presented by the Christian world to be and to contain “everything” to the exclusion of all other writings. It would not be an indictment against the Bible itself nor would its wisdom be diminished or superceded if it were to be complemented by other prophetic or inspired script? Only the institutions that rely on the Bible for their existence get insecure about the Bible and whether it is going to be believed and lose its worth and purpose as a Spiritual stimulant and guide book for the sake of their own institutions only.

The words of God are not and cannot be intimidated by anything! Therefore, the Bible as the word of God can never lose its worth. Surely there have been attacks on the Bible, and their have been many false prophets, especially in recent history, but, the question remains have there really been genuine prophets since the writing of the New Testament? If there have who is to say whether their work is genuine? No authority can determine this for certain; everyone should investigate for themselves. The word of God is not afraid of itself – it is not in any danger of canceling itself out. Any sober person who genuinely recognizes the Divinity in the words of the Bible will also recognize Divine words everywhere else they might be written. They need not be a scholar or theologian to recognize them either.

God calls to the heart of His children and they hear Him. Those who do not recognize God’s words anywhere but within familiar, prescribed confines lack the daring to actively ask, seek and knock. God will never penalize anyone who is looking for Him or, seeking a deeper understanding of themselves or Him; this being one and the same pursuit.

Christian Mysticism

The Christianity within Christian Mysticism is a very misunderstood subject that relatively few people ever endeavor to explore deeply. One possible reason is that Christian Mysticism is made into an elite philosophy at the hands of religion, religious sects, theologians and scholars. For all their attempts at trying to explain what they essentially do not possess nor understand, they study Christian Mysticism as a history not as a living or real subject in itself, confusing the history with the subject. They see the fruit, are fascinated by its skin, and write volumes about it because it is all they can perceive and quantify, while ignoring the seed, which is the subject, because they can neither see it nor conceive of it. They ignore it and ultimately throw it away never realizing that they have never touched the heart of the matter. It can also be compared to someone writing a book on carpentry without ever having seen wood.

Very few of the historical mystics were in fact Mystics. Most were church saints canonized for propaganda purposes by their church or they very likely may have paid for their title of sainthood; a very common practice. Some were philosophers which means very little as far as mysticism is concerned.

Christ Himself did teach the mysteries to the Disciples to better show them His kingdom. (In the New Revelation in the Great Gospel of John these teachings are clearly described.) What was left of those teachings lived on in some of the Gnostic sects until they too were persecuted into oblivion by the Church. This subject matter which was part of the original Christian mysticism became disassociated with Christianity altogether because of the persecutions of the Church. As tragic as all this sounds; this was not all bad since this type of knowledge in the hands of the immature can cause unwanted mischief. All references to do with Hermetics or hermetic knowledge, Christian Kabbalah Evocation Alchemy, have been systematically marginalized, given heretic status, blotted out and presently labeled occult knowledge to be shunned by “good” Christians altogether.

Mysticism is the knowledge implemented towards the conscious awakening of an inner life. Even though the principles of mysticism are precise, they cannot be taught like mathematics or carpentry because the maturing process occurs entirely from within – invisible to the outer physical world. There is an incredible amount of scholarly jargon borrowed from an endless line of writers used to describe this process – some scholarly, some very “puffed up” and, thankfully, some genuine.

The scholarly work is not entirely without merit. It primarily gives a historical perspective and is generally very speculative and detached from the subject matter itself although often referring to it. To know the scholastic jargon does not bring one any closer to the actual experience and few of the writings and authors depicted were themselves “mystic.” Therefore the scholars write about something they themselves have likely not experienced.

Biblical apologetics also fall into this category. The many works and authors of biblical or Christian apologetics written mainly by scholars remain largely unknown and are destined to fall into complete obscurity for good reason – they contain very little substance and often miss the intended meaning of the scriptures often laboring over such things as history rather than the Christian message or its mysticism. Proof of this is that there is little that can be applied from these works towards a spiritual rebirth which is the main purpose of Biblical script. They talk about it but, do not tell you how it is done, or what it means to be reborn. In order to credibly teach about rebirth, one would have to have been reborn themselves.

The list of authors presenting in this web site have been carefully collected over decades of consideration. Based entirely on their writings one could conclude that some if not all may be actual prophets who’s works span centuries. Who is and is not a prophet is not for churches to decide because historically they have looked after their own interests and their own perpetuation. The prophets and the works of prophets usually reveal the misguided deeds of people in general and the churches and are always persecuted for revealing this. Paracelsus, Jakob Lorber, Franz Bardon and the others are prime examples in more recent times but, in the old testament there were several; Daniel being very note worthy. The works of Franz Bardon and Jakob Lorber are relatively modern books that offer an actual instruction into the Christian mysteries with a logical and sequential clarity. They are good for bible study and are at least worth a fair investigation. Even these superlative works for the modern day seeker, like those that preceded them are useless unless they are embodied from within. Jakob Lorber in particular gives a day to day account of the life of Christ often explaining Biblical text, explaining why Christ acted as he did in a given situation. If the Bible is your thing, an elaboration is always useful. God chooses His own prophets and does not need a scholars to explain Himself. The rest is left up to our own belief.

The Benefit of Church Teachings

Christian Mysticism is not to be confused with present or past Christian Church Teachings. Church teachings are not necessarily bad in themselves but, they offer only a very rudimentary guidance. Offering only very basic information that can serve as a foundation to plant a small but important kernel of belief. This belief remains in its infancy with church teachings alone.

Acting on a belief can lead to knowledge. This is true in any endeavor. If you believe that something reasonable is possible it will in time manifest. In Biblical teachings it states that “the kingdom of God needs to be taken by force.” This force is created by a disciplined will acting in belief that compels towards searching for this Kingdom. Christ clearly stated that the “Kingdom of God is at hand.” If this kingdom is supposed to be “at hand” and yet there is little if any evidence of it being present on Earth then, it must not be on Earth but, perhaps within ourselves while being one Earth. This, in itself, is an example of a mystery the pursuit of which is mysticism. If this kingdom is within as Christian Mysticism teaches, then the kingdom is already within us waiting to be awakened through spiritual rebirth. Once awakened there is no more “death.” because the Spirit within us does not die and therefore lives in eternity. Eternity is not a physical concept. To live in eternity is not based on or measured in time. Eternity is a conscious life in the Spiritual world only possible with an awakened spirit, a reborn spirit, and enlightened spirit, all of which are the same – where there is activity but by definition no death. Unknown to most Christians, this is the goal of Christian belief – to achieve this state.

From this very good inception we start to teach ourselves by seeking out for ourselves within this fundamental framework. To discover Christian Mysticism, a mature person will not be satisfied with church teachings alone. Church teachings serve to establish and nurture belief which is invaluable. As children our parents raise us to be honest, good, trustworthy, not to lie and to have many other positive traits – if you have good parents. But when we leave home we should build on this base. We soon realize that although what they taught was good  – the world proves not to be as pure as we may have been taught. We must then make use of the solid foundation they provided to affront the less than straight forward business of life.

Church teachings are similar to this. But if we do nothing but attend church without searching for a spiritual purpose it would be like being well taught by our parents and never leaving home. At home there can only be a limited, or at best a stifled growth because we cannot discover who we are as people as long as we are told what to do by our parents.

Spiritual growth requires some basic searching.

Do not be afraid of the effort involved in seeking for yourself. A detached “cold blooded” questioning of teachings requires that one look deeper, past the teaching. The Biblical words contain enough truth in them to lead towards a very complete Mysticism but they need to germinate from within.

If you are already Christian this process should strengthen your belief in the Divinity of God as you will create within yourself a clearer understanding of why you believe what you believe. Mysticism takes you to a closer participation with God and the mechanism of creation by laying out the Laws of existence and rendering them tangible, understandable and useable. Through diligence this leads to Eternal Life, which is nothing more than the ability to knowingly differentiate while working simultaneously in the Physical, Astral, and Spiritual levels of existence for the Glory of God and the benefit of your fellow human beings. As was promised by the Lord Jesus Christ at this level of maturity and having acquired these abilities one has acquired Christian Mysticism – death will no longer exists. This exalted journey begins with a disciplined, informed and humble belief. All church dogmas have always been a dead end road.

Hermetics as part of Christian Mysticism

Event though Hermetics is part of Christian Mysticism and the Christian Mysteries it is understandable that because of the distortions made to modern day Christianity through time one might not recognize this as such. It should be remembered that there is only One leader of Christianity and that is Christ. All others are imposters and do everything in their power to keep Christianity from the world. This statement need not be believed. One simply needs to look at history and observe the behavior of those who have called themselves or made themselves the leaders of Christianity. Paracelsus says it best! -“do not be surprised, that those who proclaim that they are Christian, are against Christianity.”

Belief in Christ, to live by the Commandments, to sincerely love God and ones fellow man are the only prerequisite to being Christian. This is not and was never expected to be a blind belief. Only the institutions of Christianity expect and have enforced a blind belief. Having been endowed with Free Will we are allowed and are compelled by an inner need to search deeper for the Truth ourselves.

Some credit to the Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic church has been much maligned throughout history and especially recently but it does deserve some credit for faithfully having taught the New Testament accurately and faithfully according the actual words of the New Testament to all. Most of the concepts in the Catholic Catechism are also in keeping with Christian Mysticism but some are not. What the Catholic Church may have done in it’s upper echelons, in politics, power brokering and money making is another matter which God will judge in due time.

The Catholic Church taught a strict belief, obedience to that belief, and discipline. The Catholic Church taught the New Testament to often completely illiterate people. By the efforts of the parish priests, and all of the stained glass, oils on canvas, and fresco art murals depicting New Testament allegory they managed to accurately instill these images and their meaning to a large populace. With over 1 billion members, some active some not, no other Christian denomination can lay claim to this deed to the same extent as the Catholic Church.

The schisms from the Catholic Church were a direct result of the hypocrisy, heavy handedness, all manner of corruption, political influence and power brokering, the very open avarice of the Church and the monopolization of spiritual thought, rather than its strictly Biblically based teachings.

In addition, it is a little known fact that within the Catholic Church tradition there were mystical undercurrents. Many priests practiced the mystical arts. It was passed down from teacher to student on a one on one basis to whomever was inclined and willing to undertake the very rigorous disciplined training. Some of the more humble priests who acted for the benefit of the needy through their acquired abilities often said, “never trust a priest, you do not know what they might be capable of.” This of course was to mean that if they had knowledge of the mystical arts, while the humble priest would serve their flock in honour of God, the unscrupulous would serve themselves through the malicious implementation of the same arts. These hermetic practices by the Catholic priesthood were well known among the rural people of Europe and should not be confused with the superstition of the ignorant. For the sake of clarification the latter, those who act in maliciousness are actually sorcerers. Sorcery being the deliberate act of using the mystical arts for an evil purpose. As the mystical arts can be used for evil, the can also be used for good. Anyone who is too zealous to realize this will also have a hard time recognizing the good that the Roman Catholic Church has done for the Christian world.

Enjoy the Christian Mysteries as they are presented by various Mystics and Prophets – They provide details into Christian Mysticism; the laws that govern existence, and their relation and surprising conformity to the Bible, religious and scholarly dogmas aside. Jakob Lorber is an excellent starting point.

Franz Bardon	Hermes Trismegistus	Michele de Nostradamus	Robert Fludd	Paracelsus
Jakob Lorber	Emanuel Swedenborg	Karl von Eckartshausen	Gottfried Mayerhofer	Jakob Boehme

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