Mystics and the Mystery

[Fool]

i would suspect most have wrestled with something in the darkness and having finally at some point seen the dawning and coming forth of light?


and like alice in wonderland stepped into the reflection? the journey is inward, introspective?

 

[Ella S.]

In my opinion, mysticism isn't about light. It's about darkness.

Objects in the light are apparent to our vision. Objects in darkness are harder to find, and take more searching and investigation.

Often, people put their best faces forward in the light and sweep all of their secrets into the darkness to obscure them. We even hide many things from ourselves in this way.

It's not about bringing light to the darkness. It's about delving into the darkness and understanding it on its own terms. It's about seeing the place it has in our world and the role it plays in our lives. From darkness, all things came, and to darkness all things shall return.

Reality isn't light and happy. It's heavy and grim. We live in a world of darkness. In my opinion, we should sit with the solemn weight of the world and take it seriously. We should feel the raw, visceral nature of the cosmic wilderness we inhabit. That's reality.

All of this talk about turning towards the light, towards love, towards happiness, it's avoidant. It's not wisdom, but the total opposite. It's escapism and ignorance. It's spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity. It's a Just World fallacy with a sprinkling of pathological people-pleasing.

It takes strength to dip into the unknown and the sequestered. Doing so will change us, but in a way that gives us perspective. That's wisdom. Not this fluffy, feel-good crap about light.

 

[Fool]

In my opinion, mysticism isn't about light. It's about darkness.

Objects in the light are apparent to our vision. Objects in darkness are harder to find, and take more searching and investigation.

Often, people put their best faces forward in the light and sweep all of their secrets into the darkness to obscure them. We even hide many things from ourselves in this way.

It's not about bringing light to the darkness. It's about delving into the darkness and understanding it on its own terms. It's about seeing the place it has in our world and the role it plays in our lives. From darkness, all things came, and to darkness all things shall return.

Reality isn't light and happy. It's heavy and grim. We live in a world of darkness. In my opinion, we should sit with the solemn weight of the world and take it seriously. We should feel the raw, visceral nature of the cosmic wilderness we inhabit. That's reality.

All of this talk about turning towards the light, towards love, towards happiness, it's avoidant. It's not wisdom, but the total opposite. It's escapism and ignorance. It's spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity. It's a Just World fallacy with a sprinkling of pathological people-pleasing.

It takes strength to dip into the unknown and the sequestered. Doing so will change us, but in a way that gives us perspective. That's wisdom. Not this fluffy, feel-good crap about light.

psalms 36:5-9

Wait a minute baby
Stay with me a while
Said you'd give me light
But you never told me about the fire
Drowning
In the sea of love
Where everyone would love to drown
But now it's gone
It doesn't matter what for
When you build your house
Then call me home - Sara - Fleetwood Mac

 

[Esteban X]

In my opinion, mysticism isn't about light. It's about darkness.

Objects in the light are apparent to our vision. Objects in darkness are harder to find, and take more searching and investigation.

Often, people put their best faces forward in the light and sweep all of their secrets into the darkness to obscure them. We even hide many things from ourselves in this way.

It's not about bringing light to the darkness. It's about delving into the darkness and understanding it on its own terms. It's about seeing the place it has in our world and the role it plays in our lives. From darkness, all things came, and to darkness all things shall return.

Reality isn't light and happy. It's heavy and grim. We live in a world of darkness. In my opinion, we should sit with the solemn weight of the world and take it seriously. We should feel the raw, visceral nature of the cosmic wilderness we inhabit. That's reality.

All of this talk about turning towards the light, towards love, towards happiness, it's avoidant. It's not wisdom, but the total opposite. It's escapism and ignorance. It's spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity. It's a Just World fallacy with a sprinkling of pathological people-pleasing.

It takes strength to dip into the unknown and the sequestered. Doing so will change us, but in a way that gives us perspective. That's wisdom. Not this fluffy, feel-good crap about light.

Mysticism is about Darkness and Light. The Darkness holds the Mystery which is revealed by the Light.

Lucifer was the Light-Bearer. As Prometheus he gave man fire from Heaven. The Light enables us to explore the Darkness, to challenge it. The refiners fire draws Gold from the dross. There is much of value in the Darkness but it takes the Light to reveal it.

I'm no Master but I know enough to eschew neither Light nor Darkness. To accept both and to rise above them is the goal of the Great Work.
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At least that's my feeble understanding. Considering all the volumes that have been written over the centuries, I think we have the basis for vigorous discussion.

 

[Fool]

Mysticism is about Darkness and Light. The Darkness holds the Mystery which is revealed by the Light.

Lucifer was the Light-Bearer. As Prometheus he gave man fire from Heaven. The Light enables us to explore the Darkness, to challenge it. The refiners fire draws Gold from the dross. There is much of value in the Darkness but it takes the Light to reveal it.

I'm no Master but I know enough to eschew neither Light nor Darkness. To accept both and to rise above them is the goal of the Great Work.
******************************************************************************************************************************************************

At least that's my feeble understanding. Considering all the volumes that have been written over the centuries, I think we have the basis for vigorous discussion.

Love said, "Let there be light".

The Hermetic alchemists asserted that the Great Work was an opus contra naturam;[11] Paul's use of "against nature" (παρὰ φύσιν, Romans 1:26) may have been given a similar allegorical meaning by the Naassene exegete. It is certainly possible that the Naassenes viewed homosexuality as exemplifying their concept of androgyny. Carl Jung remarked, "such a disposition should not be adjudged negative in all circumstances, in so far as it preserves the archetype of the Original Man, which a one-sided sexual being has, up to a point, lost."[12] But as to evidence of any "unseemly" acts, Hippolytus writes that in every way, "they are not emasculated, and yet they act as though they were."[13]

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

i would suspect most have wrestled with something in the darkness and having finally at some point seen the dawning and coming forth of light?

My personal opinion is that it's a common theme, and that I've experienced it before, too. However, I still don't necessarily think it's something which the majority of people have experienced.