Mysticism

Nicholson & Lee, eds. The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse. 1917.

. From ‘The Ancient Sage’
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892)

IF thou would’st hear the Nameless, and wilt dive
Into the Temple-cave of thine own self,
There, brooding by the central altar, thou
May’st haply learn the Nameless hath a voice,
By which thou wilt abide, if thou be wise,
As if thou knewest, tho’ thou canst not know;
For Knowledge is the swallow on the lake
That sees and stirs the surface-shadow there
But never yet hath dipt into the abysm,
The Abysm of all Abysms, beneath, within
The blue of sky and sea, the green of earth,
And in the million-millionth of a grain
Which cleft and cleft again for evermore,
And ever vanishing, never vanishes,
To me, my son, more mystic than myself,
Or even than the Nameless is to me.
And when thou sendest thy free soul thro’ heaven,
Nor understandest bound nor boundlessness,
Thou seest the Nameless of the hundred names.
And if the Nameless should withdraw from all
Thy frailty counts most real, all thy world
Might vanish like thy shadow in the dark.

‘And since—from when this earth began—
The Nameless never came
Among us, never spake with man,
And never named the Name’—

Thou canst not prove the Nameless, O my son,
Nor canst thou prove the world thou movest in,
Thou canst not prove that thou art body alone,
Nor canst thou prove that thou art spirit alone,
Nor canst thou prove that thou art both in one:
Thou canst not prove thou art immortal, no
Nor yet that thou art mortal—nay my son,
Thou canst not prove that I, who speak with thee,
Am not thyself in converse with thyself,
For nothing worthy proving can be proven,
Nor yet disproven: wherefore thou be wise,
Cleave ever to the sunnier side of doubt,
And cling to Faith beyond the forms of Faith
She reels not in the storm of warring words,
She brightens at the clash of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’,
She sees the Best that glimmers thro’ the Worst,
She feels the Sun is hid but for a night,
She spies the summer thro’ the winter bud,
She tastes the fruit before the blossom falls,
She hears the lark within the songless egg,
She finds the fountain where they wail’d ‘Mirage’!

I found an old book buy C.F.E Spurgeon, Don't know where I am headed with this topic yet.

She finds the fountain where they wail’d ‘Mirage’!





[edit on 073131p://bSunday2010 by Stormdancer777]

Every truth is only the husk of a deeper truth, symbolism allows us to catch a reflection of the truth which we are not capable of apprehending in any other way.

Christ used nature symbolism,

The harvest,
The sower and the seed, the leaven and the loaf,
The grain of the mustard seed,
The lilies of the field,
fire, worms, moth, rust, bread, wine,
The wind unseen yet felt,

William Blake - Auguries of Innocence

To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.

www.artofeurope.com...

Poetry is good but for it's true meaning read Peter Kingsley, Ph.D. -- In the Dark Places of Wisdom, tracing the real purpose of poetry in Ancient Greek philosophy peterkingsley.com...

Mysticism has a bad rap. But consider:

-In essence, pure mysticism is totally compatable with science, and thus can bridge the gap between science/religion.

-Every major world religion has a mystical tradition as well as an othodox (i.e., textual fundamentalism) tradition. Mystics of every religion have more in common with each other than they do with their more literal-minded co-religionists. Mystics can thus bridge the gulf between religions, and mysticism's universiality is powerful proof of its validity.

-Mysticism "feels right." Anyone can "do" it, any time, any place. People rediscover its core over and over, in every era. They clothe it in different guises and words, but the essence is the same. In fact, its easier to do than not to do. All you have to do is let go and let the divine manifest within you. You can use the rhetoric of any religious tradition, or even achieve it secularly through a profound sense of raw awe. What are you waiting for?

Originally posted by silent thunder
Mysticism has a bad rap. But consider:

-In essence, pure mysticism is totally compatable with science, and thus can bridge the gap between science/religion.

yes, i agree with this point the missing factor is tech to bridge the gap

Mysticism means so much, so much that quite often I lack the words need to describe what it means to me...



maybe Walt Whitman can explain.

Originally posted by drew hempel
Poetry is good but for it's true meaning read Peter Kingsley, Ph.D. -- In the Dark Places of Wisdom, tracing the real purpose of poetry in Ancient Greek philosophy peterkingsley.com...

Thank you Drew, I will check that out, I stepped away from the topic, to clear my head.

[edit on 033131p://bThursday2010 by Stormdancer777]

reply to post by silent thunder


profound sense of raw awe.

I love your quote,

Yes, Mysticism transcends religion.

One can practice it unaware.



[edit on 033131p://bThursday2010 by Stormdancer777]

Originally posted by gaurdian2012

Originally posted by silent thunder
Mysticism has a bad rap. But consider:

-In essence, pure mysticism is totally compatable with science, and thus can bridge the gap between science/religion.

yes, i agree with this point the missing factor is tech to bridge the gap

I agree, what is more powerful then the imagination?

reply to post by 2theC

Mysticism means so much, so much that quite often I lack the words need to describe what it means to me...

Exactly.

That was beautiful, thank you, love that song also.



[edit on 033131p://bThursday2010 by Stormdancer777]

The Nameless... I like that alot. It's one of the problems I have in expressing my beliefs concerning Divinity. I have no name for It. The One... The Source... The Nameless...

Excellent post, Storm... S & F!!!

Originally posted by JaxonRoberts
The Nameless... I like that alot. It's one of the problems I have in expressing my beliefs concerning Divinity. I have no name for It. The One... The Source... The Nameless...

Excellent post, Storm... S & F!!!

HI Jaxon, thank you so much.

Page 11,

True Mysticism,

is incommunicable, to those who have not experienced it,

" the flight of the alone to the alone,"

Plotinus

Shakespeare was a Metaphysician, because , the Metaphysician seeks to know the beginning or causes of things,

"The Mystic,
feels he knows the end of things, that all nature is leading up to union with the one,"

Mysticism is most keenly expressed in poetry, yes?

and yes it is a personally journey,

You know how we let others influence our journey, and damage our innocence,

I went looking for answers, and they discouraged me,

Life was once more beautiful,

Love - Devotion
Feeling - Emotion
Love - Devotion
Feeling - Emotion

Don't be afraid to be weak
Don't be too proud to be strong
Just look into your heart my friend
That will be the return to yourself
The return to innocence

If you want, then start to laugh
If you must, then start to cry
Be yourself don't hide
Just believe in destiny
Don't care what people say
Just follow your own way
Don't give up and use the chance
To return to innocence
That's not the beginning of the end

That's the return to yourself
The return to innocence

www.youtube.com...