MULTIDIMENSIONAL LIVINGMULTIDIMENSIONAL LIVING
MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE
by Christine Andrews
By choosing to identify with the temporal world man has had to earn the awareness again of what is infinite - that which lasts forever, that which has eternal existence. Mystics through the ages are those who have had experiences that have transcended the commonly accepted limitations for existence. This is vitally important for Reasoning Man because it stimulates the imagination. When the imagination is stimulated possibility thinking occurs. The Law of Infinity operates when anyone explores unseen and unknown possibilities. This enables consciousness to expand so the individual can identify with the permanent and lasting rather than the temporary.
Man has been entrapped in the physical sensory world since the Atlantean time period. Throughout this time period, however, there have been souls who have transcendent experiences. Mystical experience has been part of every culture on the planet for millennia and is the manifestation of the Universal Law of Infinity.
Dr. Barbara Condron describes mystical experience this way.
“The mystical experience unites the consciousness of Self with the consciousness of the cosmos. This can only be known by releasing the separateness of self consciousness by entering into the transcendence of the cosmic consciousness . . . the mystical experience embodies the love which courses throughout the universe in the fiber of all creation. The joy experienced in the transcendent state wells from within having no beginning or end. It is the innate and unpremeditated response to the boundless love of your maker as it flows through universal consciousness . . . By unifying consciousness with the essence of creation, the point of origin is revealed . . . When immersed in cosmic consciousness the Spirit awakens to the dynamic power which feeds the universe. The source of all being is known.” (Kundalini Rising, Condron, p. 209-10)
The truth that we are connected with God and all creation, that our consciousness can encompass all creation with full awareness is evident in these experiences. Some have command of these experiences such as masters like Jesus and Babaji. Some have spontaneous experiences, perhaps only one in a lifetime. The common link is the individual is forever changed after mystical experience.
What brings mystical experience to someone? In some cases it is the culmination of lifetimes of effort to know the Self and the experience is spontaneous. In some cases it is through ritual such as dancing or chanting. For masters, transcendent states of awareness are regularly achieved through the practice of meditation.
Primarily the urge and the teaching of the mystic is to transcend the physical world and matter completely. Wanting direct experience with God’s love and infinite power is a common link for all mystics. The desire to experience God and love is a passion. Will and love are the impetus for spirit in existence. The mystic usually comes to the powers of the supernormal through extra-ordinary experiences. The experiences go far beyond the five physical senses.
Islamic Mysticism
Islamic faith is based on the belief that God is the Creator of all things. Muslims also adhere to the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. Within this faith tradition the mystics are known as Sufis.
Huston Smith writes this about the history of Sufis:
“A century or two after Muhammad’s death, a number of Muslims who were especially attached to the spiritual teachings of the Koran began to wear course woolen garments - for which the name Sufi, for suf means wool - to protest the silks and satins of sultans and califs. Alarmed by the worldliness they saw overtaking Islam, they wanted to purify it from within. Externals should yield to internals, matter to meaning. “Love the pitcher less,” they cried, “and the water more.”
(The Illustrated World’s Religions, Smith, p. 171)
Sufi’s are best known for their practice of whirling ecstatic dance. The practice of Sufism is traced to the 14th century poet Rumi. His impetus was the love he felt for his teacher and how he expressed his grief when his teacher died. In his despair Rumi walked to a pillar that he grasped with one hand and began to walk around it. As he continued he went into a trancelike state and began to recite poetry that his students recorded.
His love poetry has lasted for centuries. Through poetry the mystic expresses his own experience of never ending love. The images are vivid and speak to every soul who reads them in the Universal Language of Mind.
Rumi writes:
“Listen to the story told by the reed,
of being separated.
Since I was cut from the reedbed,
I have made this crying sound.
Anyone separated from the one he loves
understands what I say.
Anyone pulled from a source longs to go back.”
In the Universal Language of Mind this symbolizes the soul’s separation from God and the yearning to be whole in united awareness. How does Rumi’s story relate to the Universal Law of Infinity?
Rumi’s is a love story. He loved his teacher so dearly that his whole life centered on how he would express this love. Love is the essence of infinity. Love is what brought us into being. Love was emanated from our own Creator, who was probably conceived himself in Love, and is the core of our existence as spirit. The masters throughout the ages have all taught that love is the most important.
Mystics are connected to this divine Love. To the higher flow of energy that emanates from the source of our being. They are mystical because their connection transcends time and space as we identify it in the physical world. The mystics serve as examples, motivators, stimulators to the masses of what can be. They embody the Universal Law of Infinity because their experiences defy what is commonly accepted or normal - regardless of the time period.
The connecting link among mystics is the direct experience of a deeper, higher Love that goes far beyond the bounds that emotional love has. In my research for this paper I have come to think of the Universal Law of Infinity as the law of Love. In the beginning and in the end the essence of our existence is love. God created with Love, we live our lives to become aware of this Love. The journey that lies between is how man throughout history has expressed understanding and awareness of the Love.
The Universal Law of Infinity is the continuity of Love. Virtually everything in all existence is connected by Love. The importance of mystics through the ages is that they inspire man to lift his eyes to what exists beyond the physical world.
Rabi’a, an eighth century Sufi poet discovered that
“God’s love was at the core of the Universe. Not to steep oneself in that love and reflect it to others was to forfeit life’s supreme beatitude.”
(The Illustrated World’s Religions, Smith,p. 171)
Sufis believe that love is most evident when the object of love is absent. Their identification with the finite is what propels them into the infinite. Rabi’a writes this:
“My God and my Lord;
Eyes are at rest, the stars are setting, hushed are the movements of birds in their nests, of monster in the deep.
And you are the Just who knows no change, the Equity that does not swerve, the Everlasting that never passes away. The doors of kings are locked and guarded by their henchmen. But your door is open to those who call upon you. My Lord, each lover is now alone with his beloved. And I am alone with Thee.”
(The Illustrated World’s Religions, Smith,p. 171)
Mystics throughout the ages have yearned for connection with the Divine. Their desire to experience God, the Creator, the High Self has brought transcendent experiences. We know these as mystical experiences. For thousands of years this has been reserved for a chosen few - usually spiritual initiates. Their experiences inspire many to elevate their consciousness as well. Sometimes the experiences have been spontaneous - suddenly the attention is everywhere yet the initiate is unable to reproduce the experience or understand what caused it.
When I was twenty I visited Chaco Canyon, New Mexico while travelling with an anthropology class. Chaco Canyon is a magnificent site where Anazazi Indians lived a thousand years ago. The largest kiva (a sacred ceremonial structure) known in North America is here and it is also one of the best preserved solstice markers on our continent.
After a day of classes, hiking and studying I sat with my classmates enjoying the warm glow of the campfire. At one point I looked up into the night sky. The moon was right above me and the stars were brilliant. As I gazed up I felt drawn into the universe. Suddenly I felt like my awareness was everywhere. I was existing beyond my physical body, our planet, our solar system, our galaxy. I felt connected to everything. It was awesome to me and lasted only a few seconds. I was overwhelmed by the immensity of it all and my attention snapped back to my body. I looked around to see what the others were doing. They carried on talking and singing as before. I was amazed by what I had just experienced and was awake long after the others went to sleep remembering the feeling of infinity.
This experience is as vivid today as if it had just happened. Beyond time and space, beyond any physical phenomena I had ever known I was aware of existence from a whole different perspective. Within two years I had found the School of Metaphysics and souls who would teach me how to use my mind for the greatest good of all, Enlightenment.