Christian mysticism, rooted in the word mystery, is an expression of Christianity focused on being in and feeling the presence of God and forming an intimate relationship with Him - with the goal of spiritual transformation.
What Does Mysticism Mean?
Mysticism is a term for the belief within various religions that one can know God intimately and powerfully, directly with their inner spirit. Within the Christian tradition, this takes on a particular form.
What Is a Christian Approach to Mysticism?
1. Christian mysticism emphasizes union with God in will, spirit, and love. This often includes losing much of one’s identity and, instead, finding identity in the character and personhood of God.
2. Christian mysticism practices solitude and silence. Solitude is a way to physically separate oneself from the world, be with God, and reflect on one’s life and any sin of the heart. Silence is a way to quiet and discipline the tongue, and eliminate any distractions to focus on God.
3. Christian mysticism encourages contemplation of God, leading to more personal intimacy with Him. During contemplation, God imparts a deep awareness of himself. Mystics claim to interact with God in a more direct and immediate dimension that goes beyond traditional forms of prayer, the sacraments, Bible reading, etc.
4. Christian mysticism can involve physical asceticism—like fasting and living simply (sleeping on the ground) to more extreme measures like inflicting bodily pain to repress the flesh’s and the world’s desires.
5. Christian mysticism intensely incorporates all five senses and sometimes sexual feelings. It is so deeply personal and ineffable that it cannot be described with words, partly because of how sacred it is.
6. Christian mysticism usually involves a type of spiritual ecstasy described as “enthralling,” “God infusing his love,” “being absorbed into God,” “a divine flowing,” “glorious,” or “heavenly.”
7. Christian mysticism often includes visionary experiences with saints, angels, or the Virgin Mary, that can transport the soul to a type of out-of-the-body experience. Its final goal is the ‘beatific vision of God,’ the face-to-face encounter with God in heaven, as described in 1 John 3:2; Revelation 22:4; and Matthew 5:8).
Are Contemplative Practices Christian Mysticism?
Christian contemplative practices (like the meditative practices that Richard Foster describes in Celebration of Discipline) are similar to Christian mysticism in a few ways. In both cases, they:
1. Encourage the believer into a deeper union and understanding of God’s love and spirit.
2. Place a high value on silence and solitude to contemplate God and one’s life.
3. Use the five senses as a sacred experience to awaken the mind and heart to reveal who God is. This can occur in many contexts, such as in God’s creation (observing a sunset, bird watching, smelling a flower, listening to the wind rustle the leaves, feeling a stone) or observing a piece of art.
However, contemplative practices also focus on stability, community, hospitality, stewardship of the earth, prayerful and slow reading of scripture (Lectio Divina), meditative prayer, and the sacraments.
In contrast, Christian mysticism focuses on physical asceticism, visionary experiences, and a deeper experience with God that goes beyond prayer, the Word, and the sacraments.
According to ContemplativeChristians.com, “contemplative practices may also share similarities to some mystical experiences, but not necessarily…One may be a contemplative without being a mystic; yet it is probably impossible to be a mystic without also being a contemplative.”
Who Are Some Famous Christian Mystics?
1. Teresa of Avila. She founded fourteen monasteries and wrote three books. She describes entering another dimension with God—where the soul, united to God, finds perfect peace and the deepest suffering.
2. Julian of Norwich. A spiritual counselor whose book, Revelations of Divine Love, comprises sixteen visions received in 1373. Julian reports seeing Christ bleeding before her and receiving a deeper understanding of His suffering and love.
3. John of the Cross. A fifteenth-century mystic-poet who, while imprisoned, wrote the Spiritual Canticle, a description of the ecstasy of mystical union with God.
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4. Thomas Merton. An American Catholic monk, who died in 1968, incorporated eastern religions and Native American spirituality into his writings.
5. The anonymous author of The Way of the Pilgrim. This book tells a pilgrim’s journey in the 1800s traveling through Russia and Siberia and reciting the Jesus Prayer, a practice of ceaseless prayer to commune with God.
Five Foundational Scriptures for Mystics
Christian mystics may cite various Scriptures that discuss intense experiences with God or the experience of becoming unified with him. Here are five of the most common ones.
“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (John 14:20)
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13)
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)
Eight Pitfalls of Christian Mysticism
1. Mystics often look for mysterious or hidden meaning when reading God’s Word that isn’t necessarily there. Also, they focus less on God’s authority (transcendence) and emphasize His presence in their lives (immanence). They can favor his love and downplay His holiness.
2. Mystics can become so introspective that they neglect to do the work of God in the world. They can be excessive in their pursuit of solitude and, along with their unique engagement with God, isolate themselves on the fringes of the church and society in general.
3. Mystics can view their experiences with God, like visions, revelations, and deep communion, over or equal to the authority of the Scriptures. All religious experiences must align with the objectivity of the Word of God, or they become entirely subjective. Even though mystics can hear from God, sometimes they can make grandiose claims of what God is saying for their own life and the life of others.
4. Mystics can muddy their distinction between God and themselves. Because they seek “oneness” with God, they can view themselves as morphing into God’s metaphysical nature instead of taking on His moral and spiritual character.
5. Mystics can neglect the study and the intellectual pursuit of the Bible in favor of contemplation and illuminating their own spirit. They can emphasize experiencing love for God over reason, partly because of distrusting the human mind.
6. In seeking God, mystics can feel superior to other Christians because they feel they alone are worthy to connect with God on another plane that others aren’t privy to.
7. Mystics can be prone to intense asceticism, become dogmatic, and measure their relationship with God based on how harshly they treat themselves.
8. Most mystics throughout the history of Christianity have been Roman Catholic, and their writings often include the more controversial side of Roman Catholic theology (worship of Mary, a belief in the need to do penance for sins).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/kitzcorner
Nate Van Noord is from Detroit, MI, a graduate of Calvin University, and has taught high school history for many years. He loves to bike, run, and play pickleball, has been to about 30 countries, and is a three time winner of NPR's Moth Detroit StorySlam competitions.
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