Speaking Authoritatively Out of Ignorance
My Mystical Path, Part 1
Around 1998, I was talking with someone in my new church about some small group gatherings that were about to start. Keep in mind that I had just joined the church for the first time, so a lot of what happened inside the walls was new to me. She recommended the centering prayer group because she thought I would love it. So I signed up.
Outside of church, I was talking with a friend and told him I'd signed up for this group. He came from a charismatic branch of Christianity. His response was one of warning. He told me that things like transcendental meditation and mysticism would open me up to demons.
Okay, so…
I recognize that there are many Christians out there who come from a fundamentalist and charismatic perspective that leads them to truly believe that the practice of silence opens us to evil.
I can also safely say that they are speaking from a narrow-mindedness that results from adherence to a cultic worldview.
Let’s put this into perspective…
If someone tells me that the moon is made of cheese, I'm simply going to ignore them. The bottom line is they don't know what they're talking about. And it is the same with those who say that contemplative disciplines open you to evil. In fact, it is quite the opposite. In fact, contemplation and the mystical path can trigger powerful spiritual transformation as you become aligned more with the heartbeat of God.
Enter the mystic
Before that group, I had no idea that Christianity had such a rich mystical side. I learned about Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating. Later I would discover about the desert fathers and other mystics.
I fell in love with Lectio Divina and centering prayer (also known as “contemplative prayer”), and began walking the path of the mystic. It took a long time to develop (and is still developing), but it was definitely the path for me.
You see, I had just come from a very heady approach to Christianity. I was coming out of a fundamentalist mindset where it was all about understanding God through the Bible.
Centering prayer introduced me to the discipline of letting go of everything in order to open myself up to divine transformation. This approach was radically different from what I knew before.
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A confession
For what it’s worth, I’m certainly no guru when it comes to the contemplative lifestyle and practice. In fact, despite the fact that I embraced this mystical path many years ago, one of the things I’ve failed to do is immerse myself in the writings of those who have gone before me. It's unfortunate because I have missed out on a lot of wisdom. It's just that my reading endeavors took me in different directions.
So, I must confess that my discussion of mysticism comes largely from a place of ignorance. I have not done due diligence and listened to the wisdom of the Christians before me. Instead, I chose to dive right into the practice and have read but a few of the relevant texts. Don’t get me wrong, I have read some. Most recently, I have been leisurely working my way through the writings of Meister Eckhart, a 14th-century Christian mystic.
Nonetheless, this lack of knowledge may mean I am doomed to forever only be an “armchair mystic”, as I like to refer to myself. If so, I’m okay with that, because…
Strangely fitting
Somehow, talking about mysticism out of ignorance seems strangely fitting. After all, part of the idea of mysticism is that it is impossible to wrap our minds around God. Finite beings cannot comprehend the infinite.
So, technically, anytime anyone speaks authoritatively about mysticism, they inherently speak from a position of ignorance, and they recognize that they do so.
So this month, I want to talk not so much about “mysticism” but about “my mysticism”. I want to talk about the most important parts of my mystical path and how I see it transforming my life.
And if you are interested in participating in centering prayer—the discipline that opened my eyes to an entirely different way of being Christian—I invite you to join us for Lectio Divina Online. This gathering is free (though you can throw me a tip if you like). We meet on the first and third Sundays of the month at 7:00 p.m. CST. You can RSVP for the upcoming one on July 7th here.
I hope you journey with me this month as I share the highlights of my journey.
Peace, Bo
www.evolvingchristianfaith.net
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Credits
Thanks to Leonardo.AI for the cover art