What Is Abrahamic Mysticism?

The greatest ambition of

the mystic is to
passionately seek God.
Rather than rely on the
mediated doctrines and
rituals of external, or
exoteric,
religiousexperience, the
mystic wants a direct
unmediated experience
with the divine.
Typically popular
misconception betrays
mysticism as irrational and
delusional. We imagine the
intense prayer and contemplation of the isolated permit or the
passion of the Sufi. Arguably the rationalistic scientific worldview
which demands verification for all things, would see the
passionate pursuit of an unverifiable divinity seen as an act of
avoiding life. To some extent all religion seeks a knowledge
beyond the empirical and so face the same charge. However
much of human experience cannot be verified how can one
empirical in measure the phrase “I love you”? Or can ww deny the
very real emotional appeal of art simply because it cannot be
measured? In the mystic would claim that such reductionism
tragically cuts out much of the human experience arguing that is
all her relationship with the divine is holistic, a suprarational
experience that is closer to reality.
Although visionaries and ecstatic is our part of the mystic
tradition, the popular image of an emotionally unstable permit in
a state of constant ecstasy is far from the truth. The pursuit of a
passionate personal relationship with the divine was practised by
people of all levels of intelligence society and emotional health.
Some mystic literature demonstrates exceptional intellectual
rigour, just as art can also demonstrate exceptional skill. Just as
art can be appreciated by skilled artisan or a person barely able
to hold a paintbrush, the genius of Beethoven and the majesty of
Bach can be appreciated by people of various levels of technical
proficiency. In the same way, esoteric traditions have been
practised by people of varying ability.
Throughout history the relationship between the exoteric practice
of the church synagogue or mosque has been both synergistic
and at times tense. Arguably mysticism and organised religion
have existed in a state of mutual dependence. Each form of
religious expression has grown in response to the other. For, some
of the most influential religious literature is a product of the
fervent search for a fervent, intimate love for the inexpressible
divinity. With the re-popularization of the works of Sufi
Mohammad Jalal al-Din al-Balkhi al-Rumi, the West has been
reacquainted with the fusion of intense eroticism that expresses
the fusion of a love for the divine with a passion between lovers.
Nevertheless mystic mystical literature gets within the historical
framework of the exoteric religious tradition of the time. Also,
although mysticism is a personal experience it flourished in the
community's Halachic observers Christian monasteries and Sufi
fellowships.
To many in the West the esoteric traditions of the Abraham in
religions have been largely forgotten. People identify mysticism
with the video key sitting in the lotus position or the meditating
Buddhist monk. Judaism Christianity and is lamb are seen as
active external community focused traditions of ritual prayer
religious law and morality. Yet it would be remiss not to remember
that Eastern traditions also have strongly developed principles of
law ritual and morality.
Religion is a way of life organised around experiences and
convictions concerning an ultimate power. The community life of
exoteric religious practice includes shared ritual myth doctrine
codes of morality and sacred books that mediate the power of
religious experience in indirect and nonthreatening ways. The
believer is our sable to experience God at a distance so as to not
be destroyed by it. In contrast, mysticism is an individual and very
personal search for direct unmediated contact with the divine.
Through the term of mysticism derives from the Greek Mister S or
one who has been initiated into a cult being granted access to the
status in law unavailable to the uninitiated however deterministic
is usually apply to the individual suggesting access to a realm of
knowledge not available to others or able to be fully expressed.
For although pray is the practice of human communication with
the divine mystic creator often transcends speech either through
ecstatic utterance or prayers of silence. This intense
contemplation meditation and silent prayer transcends the
common community prayer petition praise confession the out
bowel or him practised in a church synagogue or mosque
According to your Joachim Wach, “ religious experience is the
response of the whole person to what is perceived as ultimate,
characterised by a peculiar intensity, and issuing inappropriate
action.” That is, the believer's response derives from a conviction
in the religious experience and is not a self generating fantasy.
The religious experience is not merely a matter of ideas of will or
emotions that involves the whole person including his or her body.
The religious experience is subjective and being perceived as
ultimate transcends all goes beyond normal experience, with an
intensity and a perceived reality that may not be able to be
explained by the believer but the believer knows a certain that he
experienced it. Unlike an intense emotional response to beautiful
music the religious experience has the power to organise the
believer's life. Arts may elicit a powerful emotional response but
rarely will a change a person's life.
Mysticism presupposes a dimension of being the is greater and
true than what is perceived by the five senses. It presumes an
innate capacity within humans to gain this reality and at this
access can be instructed by those who have already obtained
experience
The differences and similarities within Abrahamic religious
traditions are explained at
http://esotericmystery.blogspot.com/