You will often notice my references to mysticism. I dislike the term "mystical" because it naturally gets associated with magic, and the supernatural. But, in point of fact, "mystical" is a technical theological term dealing with a religious movement that cuts across all religious lines. Every religion has its mystics. Mystics seek direct access to the Divine via practices that often stand outside the normal traditions of a given religion. These practices are usually meditative-contemplative. Mystics' beliefs range from idiosyncratic to orthodox, but their practices are almost always out of the norm.
One way to help people understand what mysticism is, is to contrast it with the prophetic. The prophetic experience is an experience of God as "wholly other", as so separated and different from mankind that the only way we can know anything about Him is if He bridges the gap by reaching across it and choosing to reveal Himself to us. Thus all knowledge of God is a free and chosen gift from Him.
Mysticism inverts this. For the mystic, God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Finding God is just a matter of "letting go" and looking within, realizing a reality, experiencing a reality, that is always present: The Oneness of God, and his presence within our souls.
I believe both sides are necessary for healthy and true religion. It takes complexity of thought, but one way to understand this is to say that God is qualitatively other, but quantitatively close. In practice, I try to live in both spheres: spending time studying scripture, praying, confessing sin, and reflecting on my nothingness before God; but spending other times studying my dreams, meditating, and seeking the presence of God within. Mystical practices have been of enormous use to me, but I recognize the danger of mysticism, and the constant need for a process of prophetic criticism and self-criticism.
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