Hildegard of Bingen (1098 to 1179) was a German Benedictine abbess, Christian mystic, composer, theologian, natural philosopher, and one of the most remarkable intellectual figures of the Middle Ages. From an early age, she reported experiencing vivid visions that she understood as revelations from God.
A whisper in the silent night, a flame that flickers, soft yet bright. Beyond the words, beyond the mind, a path where Truth is undefined. No map can chart the seeker’s way,no scholar’s tome, no light of day.For in the dark, the soul takes flight,through shadowed veils to boundless Light. A drop dissolves into the [...]
Does mysticism mandate theism? Or can one be an atheistic mystic? Is mysticism either theistic or atheistic, or something else?
I created a graphic to better illustrate the evolution (or devolution) from mysticism to religion to politics, and back again, as originally modeled by David Steindl-Rast.
What is the relationship between mysticism and religion? It is perhaps a cycle, which begins in mysticism and ends in fundamentalist dogmatic religion, and politics, where it begins again.
Yes, actually, I think there is a Way. But it's perhaps not the Way that most people think, desire, or hope, but I suggest it is Divine.
Modern physics leads to mysticism. Why? What do we find when we pull apart reality? Perhaps that we can't ultimately pull it apart.
Can we know anything absolutely? Is there an absolute objective truth out there? What does mysticism say about this?
My ideas about the Divine have shifted in recent years as my spiritual practice has deepened. Here are some thoughts about how I currently interpret "God."
Did the idea of "God" only arise with humans? And if so, what does that say about the reality of God, and our relationship with God?