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Concepts and Definitions

The silent ones in the depths of the soul
Why should an apophatic bother with philosophy?
The term "spiritual"
The numen
Spiritual force or forces

Apophasis
The "organizing force" and bimodal awareness
The natural mystic and her evolution
Universal Empathy
Pragmatic mysticism: mystical practice valued per se

Contentment
Refining the subtle essence of contentment from emotional highs and lows
Cultivating Mysticism with Systematic and Comprehensive Guidance
Surrender

The silent community in the depths of the soul

"He talked all the way from Cleveland to Texarkana. He was telling us why a person could not talk about it." Rawley Creed

Some would think that to define and conceptualize the mystical realm would be to directly oppose the apophatic approach. But the apophatic process does not eliminate defining and conceptualizing, it only subordinates this type of thought process to its specialized and very limited role within the psyche.

Words about mysticism are only shells that make limited sense without direct experience. The words in this presentation can only vaguely translate what is a profoundly esoteric language, an ineffable tongue so abstruse that it can only be completely understood among that tiny community of three who reside in the depths of the soul. This group forms whenever the soul encounters and speaks with itself and the ground of its being.

see also: What is a mystic?

Why should an apophatic bother with philosophy?

The primary reason that the apophatic practitioner treats philosophy, and most particularly ethics, is related to the cultivation of inner tranquility. A mind that is harboring conceptual inconsistencies, whether overt or hidden, cannot attain inner stillness. Cleansing one's psyche of self-contradictions requires a thorough examination and elimination of a plethora of inconsistent beliefs, habitual self-deceptions which one has been taught by one's culture. As Lao Zi said, "The adept unlearns more and more every day." The more unlearning the less the mind is tempted to waste its potential power defending the indefensible.

A mind freed from self-contradictions will have little inner noise and thus will be able to hear and see the outside accurately. An impartial mind is able to grasp this outside world as is, and not skewed by preconceptions that would require it to be otherwise. With clear perception the adept is able to respond with uncanny precision and timeliness (mystically) to the complex world of phenomena moving around him.

(see also: The false divide and Nagarjuna's philosophy)

The term "spiritual"

What does it mean to say that the natural mystic does not frame her practice within a religious doctrine, and yet at the same time to say her practice is "spiritual?" What is meant by "spiritual" is that non-ordinary levels of consciousness are purposefully and systematically employed by the adept. She uses this psychic arena to engage and effectively interact with an unseen dynamic pattern that can be detected in the surrounding world. Furthermore the term "spiritual" suggests that whatever the force is that creates/animates this world, it appears to have placed within each of us an innate understanding, a map if you will, of how the dynamic pattern operates. Having a map of it, we potentially know how to effectively respond to it.

The numen

The word "numen" indicates a dynamic power as well as the perception of that power's presence. It is a useful word to signify the index of or the content of the mystical state of consciousness; it may be used to refer to any of the following: a process, an object (spirit, God, god, etc.); both of these (a process and an object); or simply an obscure artifact of consciousness.

In all cases the numen indicates a perceivable manifestation, it is psychologically and viscerally experienced as a presence. The experience of the numinous is comparable to the phenomenon of sound or smell in that it is a "primary" experience. Like sound or smell, it is a perception whose presence can be specifically noticed. And like those sensations, its essence cannot be described in terms of another primary experience.

The words numen and numinous are "theologically neutral" concepts. They can be used to describe an experience that occurs in the context of various religious and non-religious paradigms. Thus these words are particularly useful in discussions of comparative mysticism. A "numen" signifies the manifestation of something specifically sensed by the psyche, but the word need not define or limit what that something is. "Numen" and numinous" can be used to discuss a presence which is sensed by both theistic and natural mystics.

The numen is not the goal of the natural mystic's practice, but it is highly treasured as the concomitant sign that indicates attention is where it should be.

For more on this topic see meditation

Spiritual force or forces (this one is still on the C & D page)

On one hand these forces may be mentally depicted as individual external personas. (e.g. "gods," "angels," "ancestor spirits," etc.) But they may equally effectively be characterized as the sum total of forces and energies of any surrounding field of phenomena, which when one attains a certain psychic disposition, coalesce to communicate coherent information to the individual. By practice one hopes to become disposed to receive such wisdom.

In either of the above characterizations, the perceiver may refer to these forces as being a numen, the numinous forces, the divinity, or the divine. The apophatic mystic is entirely focused on the relationship between the perceiver and the percieved. Exactly what this perceived "is", is of virtually no relevance to her practice. She is intent on cultivating an intimate relationship with a force which/whom she is content not to define.

Apophasis

Apophasis is an art that is as least as ancient as human consciousness. All of us use this mode of mentation quite commonly. For example when we are driving and observe a red traffic signal, we do not usually say to ourselves, "Oh the light is red, I need to stop." We merely see the red light and our foot moves onto the brake and stops the vehicle. In the mind of the apophatic mystic, this mode of non-discursive thought pervades consciousness and dominates all other thinking processes, processes which may or may not be occurring simultaneously.

Harold Roth has arrived at a definition for apophasis that attempts to include all types of apophatic practice: He writes:

"(Apophasis) has come to be associated with a particular mode of approach to the nature of God in the writings of Christian mystics, the so-called "via negative," in which God is described using negative language. I consider this a subset of "apophasis" and I wish to clarify that I use the term more broadly to indicate a method of negating the self in order to facilitate an experience of the Absolute, however that is conceived."

I find the generic nature of Roth's definition very apt, but in order to apply it to natural mysticism, I would broaden it even further. I would have that: apophasis is a method of reducing discursive mentation and holding in check all preconceptions about self and world in order to facilitate the mystical state.

"Negating the self" has often been understood as dismissing the mind or concern with self; but the mind is a major part of the undifferentiated universe of phenomena that mystical awareness continually subsumes. The act of totally dismissing self-concern that is often advocated in mystical literature is a shell-game, quite implausible. It is more useful to say that the mystic expands awareness far beyond the meager limits of self-reference.

Regarding the term "Absolute," I find that the dynamics of the apophatic state provide a very effective (experience enhancing) way of approaching life, but I am reluctant to give an ultimate value or description to what is, as Roth is quite aware, an ineffable experience. My concern is that attributing metaphysical outcomes to what is sought, needlessly objectifies a process/entity (the lumen) which our ability to identify is strictly limited to the experiential.

Furthermore, placing a value ("absolute") on the outcome of the apophatic practice poses a practical problem that is of particular concern. Any normative value is a PRE-judgment and thus a distraction that will limit the mind's ability to transcend all a priori evaluations and thereby directly and freely engage what is being sought (and what is indeed already available.)

My tentative definition of apophasis is:

Apophasis is a state of mind/body/environment inter-activity that is reached by suspending any intellectual characterization of the identity, meaning, value, source, or ramifications of the living world and any such characterization of the mystical experience itself. As a result of this suspension, which is seldom if ever complete, one is better able to transparently perceive and precisely respond to the compelling force and content of immediate experience.

The "organizing force" and bimodal awareness

"I and the world of phenomena are one" Zhuang Zi

"You are not it
you are it
You see it in the essence of things
Boundless and limited"
Ibn 'Arabi, translator: Michael A. Sells, pg 101

The mystic is an individual nexus of awareness, a being in the midst of a world of phenomena which includes within it, and is apparently animated by, an organizing force. The mystic's endeavor is the cultivation of an ever more intimate relationship between her own being and this guiding force.

The mystic's awareness continually fluctuates between a mode which identifies the organizing force as an entity separate from herself, and an alternative mode where she finds her self-being lost within a completely undifferentiated awareness of all perceptual stimuli. In the separation mode she may conceptualize (and name) the organizing force as, for example, "the real," "the divinity," "god," "dao," or "the ground of being". In the undifferentiated mode of awareness, she finds herself unable to speak of the all-inclusive object of her attention in terms of any conceptual schematic at all. This psychic condition is the so-called state of "pure awareness."

These two mystical modes have come to be called the "kataphatic" and the "apophatic", the latter being the mode of undifferentiated awareness. Although the mystic leans heavily toward the apophatic mode, neither the cultivation of mysticism, nor human survival itself, are possible without the kataphatic (separating) mode of awareness.

In terms of mystical cultivation, kataphatic activity includes prayer, chanting, visualizations, etc. Apophatic activity is ineffable, you simply recognize it when it occurs.

The natural mystic and her evolution

The journey of the natural mystic begins when the seeker decides to take a close look at both world and self, and then assesses the quality of her existence. She notes that she is aware of existing, and is aware of a surrounding world. Her consciousness finds itself surrounded by a world that appears to be ultimately unknowable. The source, purpose, meaning, and ultimate durability of her consciousness and the world her consciousness is inhabiting are all open questions.

With this outlook, she notices that the primary elements of her experience are satisfaction and dissatisfaction. She notices that the source of such feelings seems to relate directly to how she interacts with the surrounding world. Thus a natural primary desire arises within her: to get along with this world by employing the most satisfactory method that can be found. Contentment then is the criterion which the natural mystic uses to guide her practice, her exploration of life.

Several things are notable about her path: A lack of a priori metaphysical beliefs that would have told the mystic what she "should do." No assumption that the natural mystic's goal is of any elevated sanctity; her desire to achieve contentment is qualitatively no different from that of any other creature. She is not on the noble or "high side" of any dualistic moral scheme that posits a distinction between honorable and less honorable pursuits, motivations or aspirations.

The mystic will proceed toward her goal on an strictly empirical basis. She will be intently seeking whatever works, and will be open to anything. And with no apparent external guidance the extraordinary secrets of life will begin to unfold.

Universal Empathy

"Queller hated just about everyone he knew, and one day he took a closer look in the mirror and suddenly understood who all these detestable people were and exactly why and where they had come from." Rawly Creed

In natural mysticism conventional values are often turned on their heads. In this paradigm there is no assumption that the mystic will have compassion for others, there is no reason posited as to why she should, and there is no imperative for her to do so.

In mysticism empathy is not an ethical prescription but rather somewhat surprisingly turns out to be an unavoidable result of the practice. The accomplished mystic ends up with a fondness for every being and every other aspect of this world; this pleasure she finds with all things cannot be completely accounted for in logical terms. Without fully knowing how it happened, the finished mystic finds that the idea of despising any being has simply become implausible.

To speak in practical terms, somewhat like Will Rogers, the mystic finds that she has never met anyone she doesn't like. This pleasure she finds with every being can be partly explained by her deep grasp of the nature of all things and their interrelationships. She has discovered what appears to be a universal trait: exactly like herself, every being is doing the best they can with the information they have.

Again, a merely cognitive explanation of mystical compassion is not completely convincing. I recommend testing the model yourself. And if you do indeed become an accomplished mystic before I do, and it turns out that there is still someone you don't like, that information will surely become a valuable piece of data for a possible revision of the paradigm. Such a discovery would very likely provoke further phenomenological studies on this mystery which is presented as follows by Pa-tab Scan-jet, a 17th century painter:

"When the mind is transparent and pure as if reflected on the mirror-like surface of the water, there is nothing in the world that you would dislike. When it is serene as the light breeze in the sunshine, there will be no one whom you would like to forget."
(Translation by Change Chug-Juan)

This is interesting, the above text has been altered by an internet gremlin, the name of the painter is Pa-ta Shan-jen, the name of the translator is Chang Chung-yuan

Pragmatic mysticism: mystical practice valued per se

"Being purely pragmatic, he was prepared to abandon pragmatism on a moment's notice." Rawley Creed

Most mystical traditions are incorporated within a religious doctrine that advocates a purpose far beyond the enjoyment of the mystical experience itself, for example: immortality, gnosis, deification, union with the ultimate ground of reality, or a final liberation from the limits of materiality. Pragmatic mysticism, however, is interested in what seems, as far as the mystic can tell, to be available at hand right now: her purpose is gaining a continually increasing ability to be content with, as much as possible, existence as it is unfolding in the immediate world around her. In the pragmatic view, if mystical practice amounts to a way of increasingly enjoying the world as it is, then it is to be valued as an activity in and of itself. It is self-validating; the attainment of the mystical state is valued per se.

Specifically the pragmatic mystic's effort is to become as satisfied as possible in the present moment, and to find a continuing and increased satisfaction in the succeeding moments. The motivation propelling the mystic to proceed on this path arises innately, and hence this form of mysticism is also called natural mysticism.

The typical pragmatic is not interested (at least for the time being) in the goals sought by most other forms of mysticism, simple because she sees no practical way to determine if any of these aims, (see above,) is or is not, a plausible possibility. (cf. Zhuang Zi: "How could I know something is truly so? How could I know it is truly not so?") Being pragmatic, she is not willing to put off the immediate pursuit of contentment for a distant promise which she, so far, has found no way to prove will be kept. But still, even this conclusion, just as all of her conclusions, is provisional. The pragmatic is ready to completely change her approach if and when any other approach would appear to become more satisfying.

Contentment

"Circumstance cannot expel the sovereign joy of the sage." The Huainanzi

Setting personal contentment as the central purpose of spirituality would be viewed as a heresy by many religious traditions. To enjoy oneself is often seen as a relatively base motivation, paling before the spiritual heights of such ends as "self-realization", "enlightenment," or "salvation." But the attainment of personal satisfaction is precisely the most immediate aim of natural mysticism.

The accomplished mystic is nearly always in the emotional state of satisfaction; her effortless equanimity appears to be relatively unaffected by the world's chaotic flow of circumstances. This contentment is rooted partially in the mystic's perspective on the events that happen to her, and partially in the enjoyment of psychological immediacy, the heightened mode of awareness with which the mystic processes reality.

Conceptually, the mystic has realized that without exception, all of the events and entities which others call "good" and "bad," are essential pieces of a world that works only as a integrated whole. This whole would not exist as it is, if it lacked any of these interrelated pieces, either the ones which are perceived as fortunate or those seen to be disastrous.

The mystic further realizes that what she calls "me" would not exist without the world in exactly the condition it is in. Her precise identity is embedded in the unique attributes of the world she inhabits. And the answer to "why is there evil?," is that without "evil" the world would not only lack character, it would lack any animation. For without gain and loss, nothing can move. Such a world might make a lovely "still-life," but it would be a completely inert landscape.

A second conceptual element that contributes to the mystic's ability to be nearly continuously satisfied, is that she notices the usefulness of each moment of life. Within each moment, she is either content, or else she has found another opportunity to cultivate the increased ability to be content. Every unpleasant experience is valued because it provides a clue that can help her detect a needed change. And she has found that every experience, "good" or "bad", provides the essential material for psychic transformation.

The mystic's unshakable satisfaction is partially a function of how she perceives the world and her approach to the world. But the mystic's immutably positive attitude toward life, is actually more a function of the immediate psycho-neurological and spiritual dynamics that operate during her mind's processing of each moment of reality.

The mystical state involves a psychic process that takes place in the immediacy of each moment before any kind of conceptualization is formed. By entering the mystical state, the mystic continually encounters the immediacy of her world, and in so doing achieves a psychic condition that is called "ecstatic wholeness." "Ecstatic wholeness" is a visceral experience of the surrounding world as part of one's own person: The mystic senses her entire surroundings as a unified force that is grasped as "this right here," not "that out there." The radiant and resonating intensity of this intimate encounter with and embodiment of the world, reduces the experience of the specific content of any detail of that world, no matter how dramatic it would seem to be, to relative unimportance.

The sages' ability to have an undauntably positive experience of each moment of world was described by the mystic Zhuang Zi: "They were content if successful and content if unsuccessful." The nature and durability of this "ecstatic condition" cannot be entirely explained by conceptual constructs; the resplendent psychic glow arises primarily from the scarcely understood affective-visceral dynamics that transpire within each instant of mystical awareness.

Refining the subtle essence of contentment from emotional highs and lows

The mystical path commonly proceeds like a roller-coaster. An extreme up often foreshadows a nasty crash. Non-contingent contentment (the wish-fulfilling jewel) is not accomplished by trying to hold onto the highs nor escape the lows. It is captured rather by immersing the psyche within both highs and lows and distilling that subtle enduring glow of warmth which is born of a continual surrender to mystery.