You may be wondering what it means to be a Modern Day Mystic. It’s not easy to describe, but some of you reading this may already be a modern mystic and not even realize it. A mystic is someone who recognizes that all is not as it may appear to be, and what we see, hear, and experience with our physical senses may not be all that there is.
A modern mystic uses extra sensoria to perceive. She acknowledges that everything is alive. Rocks, trees, the air. There is living energy in everything, and she feels her way through life as if blind. The owl is one companion of the mystic because Owl can see at night in the dark. She opens her awareness in order to receive information through a metaphorical lens making meaning out of synchronicites and chance encounters.
Just today I was at the beginning of my walk, and two crows started squawking loudly. I could have dismissed them since they are just crows after all, but the mystic in me stopped and wondered what all the fuss was about. For me today, Two Crows was beseeching me to stay in present awareness on my walk instead of hurrying along letting the busy, monkey mind have its way. I heard the message and was able to drop into the present moment i.e., non-ordinary reality.
Ordinary reality is when you are going about your day managing details, planning and getting things done. Making that shift to non-ordinary reality is very important for the modern mystic because she knows that the way to transform the world is by transforming herself. Non-ordinary reality is the gateway to the mystic realm. The mystical realm arises from a different mode of perception than the one we are used to in our ordinary way of going about our day. The mystic has the intention of bringing consciousness to her life as much as possible because that’s where the alchemical juice is. She opens herself up to natural and archetypal encounters knowing that there is more than just this body, this mind, this ordinary reality. It is not a belief system, however.
The mystical realm lies beyond all dogma and beyond the evidence of the physical senses and, as Marianne Williamson says: “The mystic is a spiritual practitioner, seeking not merely to understand the principles of spiritual awareness, but to embody them as best he or she can.”
The mystic may have experienced hardship and adversity that has positioned her at a crossroads, where she has had to choose the road less traveled. Often she has been called to a journey, but this is a mystical, inner journey to the heart and soul of life itself. She learns how important it is to keep her heart open even when she finds herself in hell! She knows that this is the key to personal transformation, and personal transformation is the key to world transformation.
The modern mystic has learned the hard way how important it is to cultivate the sacred in the midst of the great and small difficulties of our daily existence. In order to do this she has to let go of attachments and expectations. The sacred gives her a cloak of courage that allows her to face everything and relax into the matrix of the All.
All is well!
Blessings of the Mystical Journey!
PS: I hope that gives you a little taste of what it means to be a modern mystic. To experience more first hand for yourself, please consider coming to this mini-retreat I am offering this Saturday, May 15th.
or behavior that was not loving was a signal to let the fear into my awareness and stay with it as long as possible. The first time I tried it, my attention was drawn to an area of chronic pain in my hip. I stayed with it, and a memory surfaced from my 20s, when I was terrified walking to my car after evening seminars at graduate school. There was a news story at the time about the Night Stalker, who had raped and killed many women. I would have one of my keys ready to defend myself just in case I got attacked. Letting go of all that built up fear was intense, but very rewarding because as I did, I simultaneously felt a great sense of expansiveness and aliveness move into the old contracted tension in my body. Now I make sure to check in with my hip every so often, and consciously release any holding in that area.
getting enough oxygen are: low energy, overthinking, panic, anxiety, depression, forgetfulness, irritability. Conscious breathing is the fastest, easiest and most readily available way to significantly impact your energy, your wellbeing and your mental health.
And Oscar nomination to Amy Cooper for playing the role of privileged white person so beautifully! The arrogance, entitlement, disrespect, and abuse of power could not have been more accurately portrayed. (Even the poor dog got caught in the drama.)
Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is where you expand your awareness beyond your mind, and your physical body, and then energetically connect with the living energies that surround us. According to this practice, everything, even inanimate objects, are alive with energy or spirit, and you can relate to them if you open yourself up to this world beyond the veil. All it takes is your conscious intention. No pixie dust or mind altering substances required. Let me teach you a method I use called Flipping the Switch.
up was trust. (It may be different for you, so just go with whatever comes up for you.) Sinking down a little deeper, I could feel the resistance to the whole thought-feeling-body sensation experience of trust. The resistance comes from the current reality that the present moment is most probably fraught with tons of unanswered questions, insecurities and unknowns. The present moment is inherently and excruciatingly uncomfortable!