Do you believe in the mystical?

[Gambit]

Merriam-Webster defines "mystical" as "having a spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand" or "mysterious."

Question:

Do you believe in the mystical? That is, do you believe there is something that has spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand? That there is something that is mysterious and defies any attempt at a complete explanation?

 

[LuisDantas]

That is a vague meaning, much too dependent on interpretation.

Had you asked whether I believe in the supernatural, I would say "no".

 

[NulliuSINverba]

Merriam-Webster defines "mystical" as "having a spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand" or "mysterious."

Question:

Do you believe in the mystical? That is, do you believe there is something that has spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand? That there is something that is mysterious and defies any attempt at a complete explanation?

No.

 

[godnotgod]

'Mystical' is better defined by saying that it is union with the divine nature within one's being. Even better, it is the realization that one is that very divine nature itself. The Hindus use the metaphor of dye completely dissolved in water, which leads to the statement: 'tas tvam asi', ie; 'thou art that'.

Realization is not belief; it is an experience.

It is difficult to see because that which is looking for it, is that itself.

"That which you are seeking is causing you to seek"
Cheri Huber, Zennist

 

[Bunyip]

I voted yes, the mystic does not conflict with my atheism at all. There is always an unknown, and the unknowable.

 

[Sunstone]

Merriam-Webster's definition strikes me as rather limited in scope.

 

[LuisDantas]

'Mystical' is better defined by saying that it is union with the divine nature within one's being. Even better, it is the realization that one is that very divine nature itself. The Hindus use the metaphor of dye completely dissolved in water, which leads to the statement: 'tas tvam asi', ie; 'thou art that'.

Realization is not belief; it is an experience.

It is difficult to see because that which is looking for it, is that itself.

"That which you are seeking is causing you to seek"
Cheri Huber, Zennist

That may be a better definition, but it is still not very useful, at least for one to go by the text alone. There is little to no agreement on what "divine" means.

 

[Sunstone]

"Mystical" means different things to different people. Some folks use the word to refer to paranormal stuff, like clairvoyance or remote viewing. Others use it to refer to the experience of the oneness of all things that apparently occurs when subject/object perception abruptly ceases while experiencing in some sense continues. And other folks mean other things by the term.

 

[Caligula]

Question:

Do you believe in the mystical? That is, do you believe there is something that has spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand? That there is something that is mysterious and defies any attempt at a complete explanation?

It is of no concern for me if "there is something" at all. Existence of anything at all, by itself, is irrelevant. I'm only interested if that existence produces material effects and if those effects influence, in any way, my life or the way I view life. If the influence is minor or not at all perceivable it does not require scrutiny. Because I fail to see "mystical" as influencing my life and its potential existence would have only a minor impact in regards to the way I view life - it doesn't require cognitive effort.
To be more precise, I've established that the effort of assimilating "mystical" is not in accordance to the potential influence it could have on the way I view life.

My final response: I don't care if such a thing as "mystical" exists.

 

[godnotgod]

That may be a better definition, but it is still not very useful, at least for one to go by the text alone. There is little to no agreement on what "divine" means.

As I said, it is an experience, not a belief. Let us say what it is not: it is not the experience of the finite personal self of identification.

 

[Orbit]

The mystical isn't something you believe, it's something you experience. In the Abrahamic religions, it is direct, unmrdiated experience of God. In Hinduism it is direct experience of the true self, the Atman which is also the Brahman. Both are considered divine. To an atheist, it means connecting to your own deep consciousness.

 

[NulliuSINverba]

I voted yes, the mystic does not conflict with my atheism at all. There is always an unknown, and the unknowable.

It's interesting to note that many etymologies (here, here, and here for starters) indicate that the English "mystic" is derived from Greek "mystos" which is defined as "to keep silent" or "to close the eye" (from the Greek "myein").

In light of that, it seems to me that "mystic" comes out of the box freighted with conflict for most thinking beings (and especially atheists).

 

[NulliuSINverba]

The mystical isn't something you believe, it's something you experience.

And who'd believe their own experiences, right?

 

[Quintessence]

Do you believe in the mystical? That is, do you believe there is something that has spiritual meaning that is difficult to see or understand? That there is something that is mysterious and defies any attempt at a complete explanation?

Curiously, one could regard all of reality as defying complete explanation given humans are non-omniscient and non-omnipresent.

 

[Vinayaka]

That definition doesn't jive with mine, but I still voted 'yes'. Most likely we have about 10 different understandings of 'mystic' here. Going by Webster's definition, I would have voted no.

 

[Gambit]

That is a vague meaning, much too dependent on interpretation.

Had you asked whether I believe in the supernatural, I would say "no".

That's not the subject matter of this thread..

 

[lovemuffin]

And who'd believe their own experiences, right?

The point is that the belief is not the same thing as the experience. The distinction becomes important to the understanding of mystical experience (and especially to inter-religious dialogue) because the interpretation of an experience is not "absolute" or unmediated in the way the experience is in itself.

 

[LuisDantas]

That's not the subject matter of this thread..

Call it its meta-subject then. What does "the mystical" mean?

But if you don't mind people saying "yes" or "no" to what is in fact a dozen or so different questions melded into a single one, then so be it.

 

[lovemuffin]

it turns out "mystical" is a very mystical subject

 

[roger1440]

General Characteristics of Mystical Experience
Mystical experiences are marked by all or some of the following feelings/insights.

• 
  
  
  • A sense of unity or totality
  • A sense of timelessness
  • A sense of having encountered ultimate reality
  • A sense of sacredness
  • A sense that one can not adequately describe the richness of this experience

Have you had a mystical experience? | ReligiousForums.com April, 30,2012