An “upside” of this life might be a “downside” for mysticism. Some ideals that many people were taught are to be independent, to gain self-confidence and be self-sufficient. Yet, the very independence of our individuality, augmented with assuredness and autonomy, can minimize our interdependence on one another and may lead us away from both full spirituality and consciousness in divine union. It can build our egos into blinders, closing out the true Reality.
We might recognize the blinders of other people. Some persons seem to move through this life unaware of many matters which we believe to be important. Our list might include material concerns, ethical and moral considerations, sensitivity to their surroundings, and/or care for the well-being of themselves and others. However, we are too seldom aware of our own blinders, or we are unwilling to rectify all of our already acknowledged shortcomings.
Many people prefer to “go with the flow,” finding conformity much easier than looking into their inner self. The need to “fit in,” to be accepted by others and to not “cause waves” could diminish their individuality. Unfortunately, there are those who have a poor self-image and are debilitated by self-doubt, insecurity, and racked by guilt, real or imagined. They may be said to create their own hell.
Mysticism seeks to remove the blinders of this life, to expand our horizons beyond usual and accepted norms, to surpass restrictions of conditioned sentiments, ideas and sensations. Diffusion of the One into the many, which the Kabbalah calls the “breaking of the vessels,” is a cause for the sufferings of humans which the Buddha strove to overcome. Attachment to the fictions of this life, which Hindus call maya, prevents the compassion and mercy of the divine, sought by Muslims, from entering our lives. Seeking to satisfy our superficial ego ignores the “kingdom of God” within us which Jesus urged us to discover. Each of us create the barriers to our own spiritual realization.
There seems to be a paradox to mystics’ vision. On the one hand, they say that we must find our own inner self, or soul, a true self-realization which discovers the divinity inherent within us. On the other hand, they also say that all souls are One, that there is unity to all existence beyond multiple and individual manifestations. This paradox exists only in rational consciousness, which tries to explain everything with reason, logic or images. That limits our experience.
Suprarational consciousness, complete intuitive insight realized in divine grace, is aware that our soul and all other souls are divine and that the spirits of the many are united in the Spirit of the One, without contradiction. Certainty of oneness overcomes most of the uncertainties of this life; liberation from ego and individuality leads to a freedom seldom experienced in worldly existence. Many of the downsides of ordinary living become upsides during divine living.
In this life, most people move much like a small boat in an ocean, rolling up on a wave of happiness, then sinking down with sadness, punctuated with pleasant calm seas and the occasional turbulent storm. Confusing feelings too often reign in the individual, ego self.
Opening up our self, which is an act of courage or faith, allows the divine Love, Truth and Reality to enter. We typically close them out in a desperate attempt to hold on to our sense of uniqueness. Divine Love is constant and never ending, unlike ups and downs of loves in daily lives. Divine Truth does <