Mysticism - The Origin of World Religions

Mysticism is the “opinions, mental tendencies or habits of thought and feeling, characteristic of mystics; belief in the possibility of union with the Divine nature by means of ecstatic contemplation; reliance on spiritual intuition as the means of acquiring knowledge of mysteries inaccessible to the understanding.” In the negative sense it has been applied to any religious belief associated with self-delusion and dreamy confusion of thought, or to philosophical and scientific theories which assume occult qualities, or mysterious agencies of which no rational account can be given. It is held by most observers of mysticism that the general description of mystical experience is preceded by the qualification of “indescribable” and is now regarded as a necessary element of the experience. Linguistically, mysticism and its root mystery are derived from the Greek Myein “to keep one’s mouth closed”, in the sense of a secret or occult truth not to be disclosed to the uninitiated.