Mystical experiences – an overview and some reflections

I asked ChatGPT 4o for a list of common mystical experiences. The result is pretty good, so I thought I would share it here with some comments. In the section below, the responses from ChatGPT is in regular font, and my comments are in italics.

CHAT GPT 4o ON MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES

Mystics, across different cultures and religious traditions, often share certain common experiences in their spiritual journeys. Here is a list of experiences commonly reported by mystics:

Union with the Divine: Mystics often describe a profound sense of unity or oneness with God, the universe, or the divine essence, transcending the sense of individual self.

Yes, accurate. In our own first-person experience, we are consciousness and the world, to us, happens within and as the consciousness we are.

We can understand this in two ways. We can stay with our own immediate experience and acknowledge that the nature of reality itself may not be the same as our own nature. (Small or psychological understanding.) The other option is to assume that the nature of reality is the same as our nature. (Big or spiritual understanding.)

Ineffability: Mystical experiences are frequently described as being beyond words or ordinary language, leaving mystics struggling to convey the depth of their experience.

Yes, although that’s how it is with everything. Words are pointers. The reason language works for everyday situations is that we have shared experiences and knowledge to draw on. The reason it seems more difficult to talk about awakening is because many don’t have a reference from their own experience.

Intense Inner Peace: Many mystics report a deep and abiding sense of peace, calm, and tranquility, often described as a peace that surpasses understanding.

Hm, yes sort of. Our nature is inherently still, silent, and peace, and that stillness sometimes takes the form of movement (anything that moves in our experience), the silence sometimes takes the form of sound (any sound that’s here), the peace sometimes takes the form of unrest.

Direct Revelation or Insight: Mystics often experience sudden and profound insights or revelations about the nature of reality, life, or the divine, often described as an inner knowing.

That certainly has happened for me. In the days, weeks, months, and years after the initial oneness shift – when I was sixteen – there was an enormous and continuous flood of insights and things I noticed. The essence of what I write about here, in most of the articles, is the same as what I noticed and explored then. These are insights that come from direct noticing. Our nature reveals itself to itself.

Timelessness: During mystical experiences, time may seem to stop, stretch, or become irrelevant, as mystics experience an eternal now or a moment outside of ordinary time.

I find myself as what any content of experience happens within and as, including time and space and whatever happens within time and space. My nature is timeless and sometimes takes the form of change and ideas of time and of past, future, and present. It’s all happening within the timelessness I am, within the timeless now, or however we want to talk about it.

Altered Perception of Reality: Mystics may perceive the world in a profoundly different way, seeing through illusions or experiencing the world as interconnected and sacred.

Yes, in a few different ways. The oneness we are notices itself, the world to us happens within and as the oneness we are, so it will inevitably appear as one, as a seamless whole. It also appears as consciousness, so we may call it the divine, Spirit, Brahman, or similar. (Big understanding.)

I got deeply into systems and holistic views on the world for one or two years before the initial oneness shift. Maybe I intuited the oneness, or it contributed to the shift, or both. (Two important books at that time were The Turning Point by Fritjof Capra and the Norwegian Bak Tid og Rom by Erik Damman.)

Ecstasy or Bliss: Many mystical experiences involve feelings of intense joy, bliss, or ecstasy, sometimes described as a rapturous connection with the divine.

For me, this happened for the first several years into the oneness shift. It was far better than any physical pleasure, and my psyche got a bit attached to it. It was far into the foreground at this time, and then went more into the background. These days, I still notice it although at a low volume. It seems inherent in my nature, or – at least – what happens when my nature notices itself.

I would describe it as a quiet joy independent of whatever else is going on here, although if another experience is more in the foreground, it takes a little more intention and attention to notice it.

Loss of Ego or Self: Mystics often report a dissolution or transcendence of the ego, where the sense of being a separate individual melts away, leaving only the presence of the divine.

There is a lot to differentiate here. This is the essence: This human self is still here with it’s psyche and operating system. It’s just that it’s not what I more fundamentally am.

In the same way, mental representations of an I, a me, a doer, an observer, and so on can be here, and they help this human self function and operate in the world, and they are not what I more fundamentally am.

Visions and Auditory Experiences: Some mystics report seeing visions or hearing voices that provide spiritual guidance or insight, often associated with a particular religious or spiritual tradition.

Yes, I mostly know this from reports from others. As the AI suggests, the form this takes often reflects elements from the specific religion or tradition the person – the psyche – is familiar with and invested in.

Mystical Death and Rebirth: Mystics may undergo a symbolic death and rebirth, where old aspects of the self die, and they emerge with a new sense of identity or purpose.

This can happen several times on our journey and take different forms. This includes death of identifications and maybe also familiar identities, and that what moves us shifts.

Divine Love: A profound experience of divine love is a common theme, where mystics feel enveloped by an unconditional and all-encompassing love that flows from the divine.

When the oneness we are recognizes itself, there is a sense of love. Oneness loves itself as all its many appearances. We can invite our human self to rest and soak in this and the healing and transformation that happens. The Big Mind / Big Heart process is especially helpful here.

Sense of Sacredness: Mystics often perceive the world, including ordinary things and experiences, as imbued with a sacred quality or presence.

Whether we notice or not, the world – as it appears to us – happens within and as the consciousness we are. To us, the world is consciousness. Night dreams and waking life is the same here.

When we notice that the world, to us, is consciousness taking the forms of the world, it’s easy to call is sacred or the divine. We may intuit it and sense a sacred presence. We may recognize it more directly, and say its all the play of the divine.

We may also differentiate between a small and big understanding of this, and say that it inevitably appears this way to me, and I can’t say anything for certain about the nature of reality itself. I can only speak about my own nature.

Heightened Awareness of Paradoxes: Mystics frequently become aware of the coexistence of opposites, such as unity and diversity, or immanence and transcendence, and they often embrace these paradoxes as part of the mystical experience.

There are a couple of different things here. One is that we recognize the nature of thoughts more clearly. They are questions about the world. Their function is pragmatic and to help us orient and function in the world. They cannot hold any final, full, or absolute truth. They all hold some validity, and often different kinds of validity in each case. Polarities are important since both ends of the polarity holds some validity. Acknowledging this gives us a slightly fuller picture and it helps us shift out of old positions.

That, in itself, is not a paradox. It’s just recognizing the nature of thoughts. That said, paradoxes can be experienced in the period following a oneness shift. We are shown that polar opposite thoughts each have validity, so it may appear as a paradox… if our mental field still operates from the assumption that thoughts can hold an absolute and exclusive truth. In my experience, the sense of paradox fades and goes away as the mental field reorganizes within oneness and recognizing the nature of thoughts.

Compassion and Universal Love: Following mystical experiences, many mystics develop an intense compassion for all living beings, feeling a deep connection and a sense of universal love that transcends individual differences.

We are oneness, so there is a natural love for what appears within and as this oneness. It’s a love independent of changing states and feelings. As they say in Zen, it’s the right hand removing a splinter from the left. It’s the love a healthy parent has for their child and which informs their actions even if they may not feel it in the moment.

As with our nature in general, it can be clouded over when a wound is triggered in our psyche, and if we get caught up in those dynamics for a while. That too is natural and part of the process.

Detachment from Material Concerns: Mystics often experience a detachment from material possessions, social status, or worldly concerns, finding fulfillment in the spiritual or inner life instead.

Again, it’s complex. Yes, there is a release of trying to find ultimate fulfillment in possessions, admiration, acceptance from others, and so on. Although parts of our psyche may still operate in this way and that will color our perception and life.

Also, it’s important to be a good steward of one’s own life, as Adyashanti puts it, and that includes taking care of the basics in terms of housing, food, and so on, and also set up a material life that’s comfortable and enjoyable for this human self.

Feeling of Being Guided or Led: Many mystics report a strong sense of being guided by a higher power or inner wisdom in their spiritual journey, often accompanied by a trust in the unfolding of life.

I often have a clear inner guidance on smaller and bigger things in life, a quiet voice that’s there when I check in. I haven’t always followed it, especially if deep wounds and traumas come up. And if thoughts say it’s a big decision, I may not always sense it clearly since it can get mixed up with more personal voices of hopes and fears.

I have also experienced situations where I wonder about being led in a different way. For instance, the way I met my wife has elements of prayer (I prayed for a profound shift in my life), timely coincidences (she was in Norway when I was in New York, and I commented on one of her posts on social media), and a precognitive dream (in my teens, I dreamt I lived in Northern South America and was involved with a local school, and that school from the dream is one of our closest neighbors to where we live now.)

Sacred Synchronicities: Mystics sometimes notice meaningful coincidences or synchronicities that seem to reflect the interconnectedness of all things and the divine orchestration of events.

I have had periods with an immense amount of astonishing synchronicities. I take these as a reminder of the oneness of existence, and sometimes as encouragements on specific things in life.

Spiritual Purification: Mystical experiences are often accompanied by a process of inner purification, where negative emotions, thoughts, or attachments are cleansed, leading to greater spiritual clarity.

Ah yes. I don’t like the words “negative” and “positive” here. I see it more as parts of me coming from wounds, trauma, and separation consciousness. And yes, they come to the surface. They come to be seen, felt, loved, and for them to recognize their nature – which is the same as mine.

This can be immensely challenging, especially if we have a good deal of trauma in our system and a lot of it comes up at once. I have gone through years of this and it has felt overwhelming and unbearable at times, although it is – of course – bearable, I am still here. And it is possible to learn to relate to it in a more skillful way.

Inner Silence or Stillness: Mystics often describe experiencing a profound inner silence or stillness, where the mind becomes quiet and there is a deep sense of inner peace and clarity.

Our nature is inherently silence and stillness, and that silence and stillness sometimes takes the form sound and movement. The consciousness we are is inherently silent and still, takes the form of the experience of movement and sound, and the silence and stillness is still there.

As we rest in and as our nature recognizing itself, a few things may happen. In the short term, the noise and movement of the mind quiets down. Over time, our human self and psyche reorganizes within oneness noticing itself, and may find more healing and peace. We learn to notice the silence and stillness in the different experiences, including sounds and movement. And we find more peace with what’s here, including what – on the surface – may seem very different from silence and stillness.

Awareness of a Deeper Reality: Mystics often become aware of a deeper reality beyond the physical world, sometimes described as a spiritual dimension, the divine ground of being, or the ultimate truth.

This is the metaphorical ground of my own being, which a thought may call consciousness and capacity.

No matter what being in the world I am connected with, in this case this particular human self, I am more fundamentally consciousness in my own first-person experience. I assume this is the case for all “conscious beings”. We are all fundamentally consciousness in our own experience, and the world – as it appears to us – happens within and as the consciousness we are.

Even more fundamentally, I find I am capacity for it all. My nature is capacity for consciousness and all the different forms this consciousness takes.

Whether the nature of all of existence is the same as my nature, I cannot know for certain.

Sense of Purpose or Mission: After mystical experiences, many mystics feel a strong sense of purpose or mission, often dedicated to serving others, spreading spiritual teachings, or living in alignment with divine will.

For me, this has taken the form of passion for life and sustainability. I worked full time with sustainability in Madison for a while, and am now engaged in a regeneration, reforestation, and food forest project in the Andes.

I also have a passion for healing and awakening, obviously, although I have only shared this with others at certain times in my life – giving lots of Breema sessions in Oregon for a few years, working at a clinic in California with inquiry and trauma work, and writing a bit here.

Unitive Consciousness: Mystics may experience a state of consciousness where they perceive all of existence as interconnected, with no separation between themselves, others, and the divine.

To me, the world happens within and as what I am. The consciousness I am forms itself into the experience of all of it. Any boundary comes from the mental field and is not inherent in the world.

Altered Sense of Self-Identity: Mystics often undergo a transformation in their sense of self, where their identity expands to include a greater sense of connection with the divine or the cosmos.

My long-term fascination with the Universe Story, the Great Story, Epic of Evolution, Deep Ecology, and the Practices to Reconnect comes from this. These are approaches that reflect my perception of the oneness of it all, and helps me find a language to communicate it.

Non-Dual Awareness: A common mystical experience is non-duality, where the mystic perceives reality without the usual distinctions between self and other, subject and object, or good and bad.

This has to do with the nature of thoughts. Thoughts are questions about the world, they each have some validity, they each have limited validity, they cannot hold any final or full truth, and reality is always more than and different from any thought. It’s often helpful to find the limited validity in polar opposite thoughts, and none of it is inherent in what they apparently point to.

Also, all of this – the mental representations and what they apparently point to – happens within and as what I more fundamentally am.

Experiences of Light: Many mystics report experiences of divine light, which may be perceived as an inner illumination or as a vision of radiant, transcendent light representing the divine presence.

I often have this when I invite in healing and during prayer. It’s as if this body and the world reveals itself as golden light.

Overwhelming Awe or Reverence: Mystical experiences can provoke a profound sense of awe or reverence towards the mystery and majesty of the divine or the universe, leaving the mystic deeply humbled.

Yes, again, this happened most strongly in the years following the initial oneness shift. A profound sense of awe, humility, and gratitude – for existence itself. It’s still here but more part of the landscape.

Encounter with the Numinous: Mystics often describe encounters with a powerful, mysterious presence, sometimes referred to as the numinous, which evokes a deep sense of the sacred.

For me, this happened very strongly in the years following the initial oneness shift. It’s also very palpable when I engage in more heart-centered practices like the Jesus/Heart prayer, Christ meditation, and tonglen.

Transformation of Ordinary Life: Following mystical experiences, mystics often find that their ordinary life is transformed, with everyday activities and interactions taking on new meaning and significance.

Yes, because it all happens within and as the consciousness I am. It’s all the divine expressing, exploring,and experiencing itself – through and as this human self and his life in the world, through and as what’s here and now.

Resistance and Trials: Some mystics experience spiritual trials, dark nights of the soul, or resistance as part of their journey, often seen as necessary for spiritual growth and deepening their connection with the divine.

Oh yes. I have gone through very dark periods and dark nights of the soul, and am still partly in one of them. For me, a big part of the more recent one – the one that started fifteen or so year ago – has to do with trauma. Trauma is surfacing to be seen, felt, befriended, recognized as love, and recognized as having the same nature as me.

Mystical Integration: Over time, mystics work to integrate their mystical experiences into their everyday lives, finding a balance between the transcendent and the ordinary, and living in harmony with their spiritual insights.

Yes, although I would phrase it differently. One side of it is recognizing that this human self and the world already happens within and as what I more fundamentally am. Another is inviting this human self to transform and reorganize – AKA heal and mature – within oneness recognizing itself. And yet another is living from it here and now, in this situation.

If we are to talk about integration, it’s perhaps more accurate to say that this human self and life is integrated into the oneness I am.

In my case, there is a lot further to go, especially since this human self has a lot of trauma.

These experiences can vary widely in intensity and interpretation, depending on the cultural, religious, and personal context of the mystic. However, they all point toward a profound and transformative connection with a deeper, often divine, reality.

…This is the end of the text from ChatGPT and my responses…

MYSTICISM IS A VERB

To tie this in with the quote from Stephen Fry in a recent post: Mysticism is a verb. It’s an activity. It’s our nature exploring itself. It’s something we all can do, with a little bit of guidance, curiosity, and dedication.

The image is created by me and Midjourney