From The Storyteller
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April 2, 2018, Surprised
It happened at a training event for church mediators several years ago. It was day three of the three day event. We are on a break, and I am sitting alone enjoying a view of the garden. One of the trainers comes over, sits down, and shocks me with her question. “Are you a Mystic?” I would have been less surprised if she had asked me if I was a penguin. I had never met the woman prior to the training (nor ever encountered her afterward), and after only three days as a group trainer, she felt the need to ask me if I was a “Mystic”. Whatever her motivation, she asked and without much additional thought I simply said “yes.” When I thought about my surprise at the question, I found it rooted in my years of training in proper church etiquette. Traditionally the word “Mystic” identified people who had experienced the Sacred on an intimate level, and continued to be open to that connection. Over the years’ however, the word began to imply a sort of super spiritual status. Thus to actually declare oneself to be a “Mystic” would reflect spiritual pridefulness - which of course is very bad. Since good church manners required spiritual humility - the word disappeared. When I consider the traditional definition and how well it seems to describe my spiritual life, my answer to her question continues to be “Yes”. While it is not something I command or control, when the connection happens, the experience is one of joy and peace. A “Mystic” is a person found at the foundation, not at the top of the bell tower. I would bet the traditional definition describe you too. Moral: Connection is the beginning of relationship, not the end. |