The value of mystical experiences

Are mystical experiences just spiritual “kicks” that ultimately lead us nowhere? Or are they maybe an encouragement to keep going on our spiritual paths? Do they bring us closer to God in some sense? Do they have other functions?

Before moving on, I want to clarify that I don’t believe that mystical experiences are necessary for living a rich spiritual and/or religious life. We can live and grow with God through prayer, through consciously allowing God to be with us in our everyday lives or through meditation, for example, without anything extraordinary happening. 

There is a discussion to be had about what constitutes a mystical experience. It could basically be anything from an ecstatic union with God to the simple feeling that an everyday event holds some meaning beyond the actual experience.

In this context though, I wish to talk about experiences that constitute a significant shift, away from our ordinary way of perceiving life and the world. 

An interesting thought in this context, is that dr. Joe Dispenza writes in his book Becoming Superhuman, that mystical experiences alter our way of functioning, because they expand our realm of possibilities. Once we see that there are ways of seeing and experiencing that go beyond our normal state, they become in a sense part of our overall experience. They expand our idea of the possible.

Another writer, James Defranco, says that through these experiences we move ourselves out of our normal frames that we experience the world from, and by doing so we dissolve rigid thought patterns. What does this mean? When we start noticing that we do not just have habits in our outer lives, but also with regards to our inner lives, it’s easier to understand what this means. Our minds have habitual ways of functioning. And when something happens that brings us out of our normal ways of operating, it becomes easier to start thinking in novel ways and thus see things from new and more expanded perspectives.

I would also add that these experiences, while not necessary, adds encouragement and reassurance that God is with us. As such they should be treasured as the gifts they are. And I would see it as more or less a duty to use these experiences to help others in their spiritual lives. 

Everyday life and the spiritual life are one

I’ve noticed that many mystically inclined people tend to frown upon more “regular church goers” or their equivalents in other religious traditions. And many of those church goers for their part, seem to look at mystics with some suspicion. As if mystics somehow operate outside the boundaries of acceptable religion and thereby associate themselves with dark forces. 

What I’ve come to realize is that most of us need a little bit of both. Some of us might be more inclined towards just being good people that strive to follow Jesus in our everyday lives. While others might sit in meditation, experiencing higher realities throughout most of their days. But for most of us, I think our spiritual needs are best being met by being somewhere on a scale between these two extremes. Most of us can’t have mysticism without the everyday-part. Because our everyday lives are spiritual lives. We don’t just meet God in meditation, yoga, contemplation, prayer, the reading of sacred scriptures and other spiritual practices. We also meet God in our everyday lives. We meet God in our interactions with other people. We meet God when we share meals, work or when we go to the gym. 

But most of us also need to truly feel a connection with God that goes beyond mere belief. For some it can be to simply see a deeper meaning in events in their daily lives, where others just see random accidents, while for others it can be experiences of total bliss and ecstasy as they completely let go of the world and merge with God. Or anything in between. 

I believe that there is a reason why Jesus focused so heavily on ethics and why the more mystical aspects of of his teachings were toned down or veiled in symbolism or allegory. If we don’t allow our spiritual experiences to shape us as individuals, our character and how we conduct ourselves in our everyday lives, these experiences become empty. But we also want to avoid that our lives become consumed by dry, spiritless legalism, that many of the pharisees served as a warning against. 

I believe that this is ultimately a question of the importance of letting the brain and the heart work together. 

Different layers of reality and attention

Everything is the same energy. We just decode it on different levels. The higher levels are just as real that this physical level and can be perceived as such. We have just focused exclusively on the five sense, physical reality our whole lives, which is why we mainly or completely perceive it as real. The more we focus on other levels, the more we will perceive them. What you focus on grows. You can, for example, start focusing more on what goes on in the body. When you feel the energies that run through it constantly, focus more on them. You will see how they are connected to the the outer reality and how there is no sharp distinction between you and everything else. What you focus on grows.

All is one

I’m going to try and make sense of this in some way. I had an experience the other day where I was still in my body. And yet, I couldn’t tell where I began and ended. This has sort of lingered with me. When I meditate, my sense of boundaries fades pretty fast. Just if I close my eyes and stay focused, so that I don’t drift away into thoughts about the past or future, I feel this. The funny thing is that I’m not at all afraid of losing my identity, the way I was when I heard about this type of state. I’m still me. But I’m also one with everything else.