How Mysticism Serves Man

MYSTICISM often is thought of in terms of application to an inner world of man. It has been referred to as an unseen, unheard communication with that which is beyond this earth plane, as contrasted to the outer world in which man physically is observed to conduct himself.

Mysticism is considered to be a process through which direct knowledge of a supreme being and spiritual truths is obtained. This knowledge is thought to be attained through the thinking and reasoning powers and the logic man applies to his seeking in the outer world. Since man has always been more comfortable with what he can see, hear, and touch, the inner world has remained mysterious to many-a dark cavern better left unexplored or, better yet, left to the few who dare to penetrate it.

But man is dual in nature, hung between a heaven and an earth. Psy­chology recognizes that man is dual in nature-partly spiritual and partly physical-even though the spiritual nature of man is more hypothetical and not measurable. Man's relationship with himself and others is often diffi­cult to understand, and the science of psychology with all its theories, proposi­tions, and hypotheses does not profess to know all the answers. One means for man to understanding himself is available to him through professional guidance, but in the final analysis it is only through himself that he can come to know this self.

Psychology recognizes the powers of the mind and its influence in that man determines his present and even his future through his thinking. He has a mind and a body, and, even as more and more is learned today about the wonderful mechanism of the body, there is more and more learned about the workings of the mind.

One of the basic principles of psy­chology is that man needs to feel secure within himself and to be accepted by others if he is to become a balanced individual in harmony with his world. Man needs to be accepted by others for who and what he is and, of extreme importance, he needs to be able to accept himself. By studying himself and his relation to others, or through guidance by someone qualified in this direction, he is one step toward this acceptance.

But as he studies or is counseled he may become or be made aware of self ­knowledge that is not always admirable in quality. However, the realization of shortcomings is one step toward better­ment of the individual and, with con­certed effort to change or adapt, man can become closer to the self he wishes to be.

Psychology continually stresses the need for interaction with others, the need to realize compatibility with others, the need for social communication. Social relationships are important, and one can come to an understanding of oneself through these interrelationships. Security, freedom from anxiety, need for approval and affection-all these are forms of the needs psychologists agree are basic to mental well-being. But while these may be necessary to one's well-being and are needs met by social integration, the inner self also needs an association.

Today, more than ever before, the virtues of meditation are being extolled throughout the country. Man is no longer primarily interested in existing only with the physical complements of society uppermost in his mind. He is on a quest. By approaching the Cosmic with a wide-open heart and mind. the seeker can come to know himself better than by analyzing what books profess to teach. It requires _a concentrated effort. Attunement with the Cosmic enables him to read between the lines. ­The key to man is within man uncovered in the silence he enters; he has only to listen. Long has the known of the virtues of meditation.

The route to the understanding of man is varied according to the theories, but the samene4ss is in the ending. Life as we know it comes to an end quite differently, one man from the other, but the ending is the same. Relationships with others serve only as a means toward that end; man must find the meaning and the end by himself.

Instilled also in man is the need for peace within, the understanding of self, and thus the relationship with the Infinite. The science of psychology is in agreement with the human needs and cannot discount the spiritual needs of man. Accordance with the spiritual makes a part of the whole man.

Mysticism is no longer a word to be whispered with its past connotation of the enigmatic and the occult; it is a word that can mean man is attuned to himself and in tune with the Universe. He begins to know his place in a vast system he knows who he is- he is a spiritual being; he knows where he presently is-he is a material being. His purpose in life unfolds, and his sprit reaches up to the part of the Unknown that is his and his alone, for all such perceptions are unique to the Self who seeks.