RosicRucian - AMORC

practices? No, not at all. Mysticism is related tometaphysics, philosophy and psychology. Thoughin these other categories it may not be termedmysticism, certain of their fundamental elementsare similar to it.In religion, prayer is made to be the keyto mysticism. It is understood to be a bridgebetween you and how you conceive your Godto be. Yet in most formal religious sects, thereis a distinct difference between the followers’practice of mysticism and the fundamentals ofits true nature. As a rule, religions generallydefine God for their followers, and it is often saidthat prayers must be directed to certain sacredpeople e.g. saints. These people are claimedto be intermediaries between the individual andGod; whereas in pure mysticism no sect or creedis necessary for you to have a direct mysticalcommunion with your God.Religion encourages prayer as an instrumentfor the ascent of the consciousness to what istermed “God awareness.” But the insistence offormalised religion that this experience can beattained only through its own channels and ritualsis contrary to pure mysticism and the personalimmediacy which it provides.The Pharaoh Akhenaten discarded the Egyptian pantheon forthat of the Aten disc.This sense of union with the Cosmic orSource can provide a regeneration of the selfresulting in an influx of inspiration, as wellas stimulating the imagination and the powerof creativity. These values, in the scholarlyand psychological explanations of mysticism,are termed noetic; simply, it means when youexperience a sudden illumination that floods yourconsciousness and clarifies any former doubts. Itis an inspiration that provides a practical chain ofthought.It may seem to you as though a curtain hasrisen in your mind. This is the noetic aspect ofthe mystical experience. The so-called mysteriesof life to which you may never have giventhought, will now challenge your reason andinvite inquiry. Therefore, the mystical experiencecan be an illuminating one for better preparingyou to confront the vicissitudes of your daily life.Formalised ReligionShould we view mysticism categorised as primarilya religious element that is restricted to theologicalDetail from a Greek vase c.350 BCE: Demeter the goddess ofgrain is depicted as the Queen of the Eleusinian Mysteries,with a four-headed Eleusinian torch in her hand. Her sonPloutos, here labelled Eniatos (Year), holds a cornucopia(horn of plenty) in his hand.4The Rosicrucian Beacon -- June 2009