Modern Day Mystic

Modern-day Mystic is a track where I talk about what it is to be a mystic in the modern world, and why you would even want to, and then I take you through a brief guided meditation and exercise to tap in and create space for spiritual experiences to come through in your life!

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to my mini class.

The topic is on what it is to be a modern day mystic and how you can start to be one if you would like.

And when we hear the word mystic,

We may think of someone who spends a lot of time in solitude or in deep,

Deep search of truth or magic or esoteric wisdom,

Things that may feel kind of far removed from your world might sound like fantasy,

Like just make believe or pretend.

But the Wikipedia definition of mysticism is becoming one with God or the absolute,

But may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness,

Which is given a religious or spiritual meaning.

Right.

And so by that definition,

Mysticism has to do with altering your state of consciousness of waking up,

Being able to see the world through new eyes and having that ecstatic union with source.

And so that might still sound kind of far off from what you experience in your day to day life,

But that's okay.

I'm going to start with a little bit of a story,

A little bit of a talk on this topic,

And then we'll get into a meditation to help you take a step forward and bringing more of that into your life today.

So I'll start with my personal journey.

And really this topic is kind of near and dear to my heart because when I was a young kid,

Like many of you probably experienced something similar,

I felt very connected to nature,

Very connected to the stars,

To divinity.

Right.

And I just had this innate feeling that there was magic in the world,

That there was meaning,

That there was more than just the body,

That there was more to the story.

But as I grew older and older,

It seemed that there was less and less evidence that would show me that that was true.

And I started to long for my cosmic connection,

Long for that magic to come back into the world,

To be able to experience it.

And so I started to sort of become disheartened.

You know,

Worldly things didn't really captivate me.

You know,

They only lasted so long before I grew bored of them or realized that it wasn't what I was more deeply searching for,

What I more deeply needed.

And so when I was younger,

I turned to psychedelics as a way to see what I had hoped would be a greater reality to open up my mind.

Right.

Maybe a journey that some of you have tried as well.

But I pretty quickly learned that that too was a dead end.

You could get to a mystical place or a mystical state,

But you couldn't stay there for long.

And it wasn't something that you could really take back with you either.

And so rather than it being a solution,

It just made the longing more and more severe,

Made the world seem more and more fake.

Right.

And so I was desperately crying out for answers,

Crying out for a greater truth.

I knew that I didn't know what this was all about.

And I had faith that there was something more.

And it wasn't something that I could find in religion or that I could find in my own brain or that any of the adults around me could really talk to me about.

And I just tell you this story because it's a common start to a mystical path.

Maybe not the exact details,

But coming from a place in your lives where you know that there's more,

Where you're crying out for truth,

Where you're opening up to the unlimited and surrendering to the unknown.

And you're just left to lose,

Or you're just in a dire state.

Like,

Okay,

I've tried and tried.

By all my own efforts,

I can't get there.

I can't break free or through to this next thing that I need.

So I'm going to surrender.

I'm going to ask a question from deep within my heart and surrender to that answer.

Right.

And that's a place from which we can oftentimes have breakthroughs.

Sometimes mystical experiences can come to us just through that alone,

Just through that really sincere,

Genuine longing to know the truth and putting that above all else.

Right.

And so for me,

That's where I came to.

My deep desire to find more led me further and further down a rabbit hole until I wound up being guided to the right people,

The right places,

Almost by magic.

Everything just came together so perfectly.

Not that it was easy or necessarily a fun journey at first,

But it came together to bring me my first true enlightenment experience.

And then following that,

The awakening of my psychic or intuitive gifts.

And that can be true for a lot of people.

Again,

That's why I share after we go through that dark shadow period where all hope is lost and we come out the other side of whatever that big shift in your life might be.

That's when you can have the biggest awakenings and start to harness your own intuitive gifts,

Which is really how you start to live a mystic life in the modern world.

You get to see through psychic eyes.

You get to see the multi-dimensionality of the world around you,

Or you get to see the deeper meaning of it.

Right.

And so we get to be mystics,

Not only through these big breakthroughs into ecstasy or altered states or oneness.

That's part of it,

But it's also through the long-term work of cleaning out the cobwebs of our mind bit by bit.

So we can know more and more of who we are,

Who God is,

And to be free.

So being a mystic doesn't really come from doing some plant medicine ceremony or some one-off retreat.

Those can maybe be activators for some people if it's right for your path,

But rather through a lifetime of practice and awakening,

Unfolding,

Do you get to embrace that and live more and more of a mystic life.

Right.

And so that's what I learned to teach and have been teaching for the last decade.

That's what I really live for because without this path,

I would have just been really lost and depressed,

Felt really alone in the world and just decided to say,

Okay,

Maybe there's not any answers.

So I'll just keep on going the way that everybody else is going and I'll just close off.

I'll just disassociate.

I'll just walk around,

You know,

Only half,

Half alive,

Half asleep.

And so that's what I want to help to wake people out of,

Bring them out of,

Right.

So that we can open back up to that part of us that is never lost,

Was only,

Was never lost.

Right.

We only ever imagined that we became disconnected from source,

From the whole.

And so we can open to our cosmic nature,

To our gifts.

We can remember that oneness within us that's never left.

And through that connection,

We can live a truly mystic life.

And so it might sound kind of far out there,

But I can assure you that it's not.

After practicing for years,

My life is full of daily miracles and mystical experiences that for some people would be a once in a lifetime experience.

I get to see them and be a part of them almost on a day-to-day basis.

And so can anyone else.

Yeah.

Right.

And so I'll guide you through a meditation to just get a glimpse into that realm of what that can be like,

But know that it's more in my private mentorship that I'm able to help people really deeply walk this path,

Really deeply implement the tools and awareness to be able to do that to the full extent.

But let's go ahead and step into meditation and go on a quick guided journey to start to open up right now.

So go ahead and find a nice comfy place to sit.

Let yourself sit upright where you can stay awake,

But also relaxed and comfortable.

You can give yourself a nice deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth.

And just start to follow that breathing pattern,

Letting yourself gently be guided inward.

And one of the first steps towards bridging the divine with your day-to-day life is making room for the bright light that you are to come into your body more,

To come into your life more.

And one way that we do that is by creating a safe inviting space to bring that light into.

You might call that bringing more awareness or more presence in.

Rather than just hoping for that to happen,

You can command or ask for that to happen.

And so let's start by imagining a nice open scenery right there in the center of your head,

Behind your eyes and in between your ears.

Let the most remarkable nature scenery open up.

Whatever feels most inviting to you,

A place that you would want to be,

That you would want to hang out.

And know that there can be infinite amount of room here.

It's not a physical space.

It's not limited to the size of your head,

But rather it's an energetic space,

An energetic scenery.

And so give yourself a deep breath into this place.

Letting the inner sunshine brighten in here.

And using your power of intention,

Would you say hello to your higher self,

To that part of you that is deeply connected to the divine?

Deeply connected to that bright light that you are.

And would you simply with your intention invite that light down into this landscape,

The light of the higher self?

Would you just notice what that looks like?

What experience you start to have?

You can take another breath into that place as you let your light shine.

And let that light shine into your heart.

And let that light shine into your heart.

As you let your light shine.

And there's spiritual qualities or essences to that light.

And they may come through as qualities.

They may come through as bliss or peace or an energy of unconditional love.

Notice what spiritual qualities come through for you as more and more of that light starts to fill your head.

And as it fills your head,

Your thinking mind gets to drop into your heart,

Becoming more and more silent.

And if there are any sort of negative thoughts or feelings,

Sensations that arise to the surface as this light comes in,

Just recognize that that's the energy that's releasing in order to make more room for more of your true self.

If you want to bring some amusement in,

You're allowed to be amused in meditation.

It doesn't have to be serious to be sincere.

So you could picture or imagine that thought,

That feeling,

Sensation,

That memory,

Whatever it is that's getting activated.

You could see it as a banana peel that you can just peel right off and just let it go.

Letting it be fun,

Letting it be silly as you let those things go.

Don't have to fight it.

And then you can just tune back into the vibrations that are uplifting.

And maybe that light wants to even permeate beyond that inner landscape.

And maybe that light wants to permeate into the space that you're in.

And maybe that light wants to even permeate beyond that inner landscape.

Wants to make its way into your throat,

Your heart.

And now that you're here,

More present,

More aware,

Let's tune our attention to a part of your life that maybe you consider it the least mystical,

The least sacred.

And I promise there's a point to this.

I'm going to do some healing work here,

Shifting some energy.

And so think of what that is.

It could be a daily task,

Something mundane feeling,

Repetitive.

Maybe you even so much as resist doing this thing.

Go ahead and visualize this task out in front of you as if you're looking out from that inner landscape,

Looking out from that spiritual sanctuary,

Just viewing this allegedly boring part of your life.

And if you start to get a little serious or start to blip out,

Become uncomfortable,

Just gently call yourself back.

Part of this practice is realizing that you get to sit inside that personal safe haven,

That inner landscape full of your light.

Even while viewing things in your world that maybe you don't like or that you resist.

You don't have to become the task.

You don't have to become the doer.

But instead you get to stay in observation.

You get to stay the witness.

You get to stay in connection to the wholeness of self while being an observation of this maybe unpleasant thing.

You can breathe into that space,

Knowing that this is one of the most fundamental pieces of spiritual practice.

And your ability to imagine this unpleasing task is really the same as if you were really there doing it.

When you encounter something like this in your life,

It's just the same.

It's a hallucination or an image that's being created in your mind.

You get to stay that witness.

And so this may be a little simple,

But it's also very profound if you really practice it.

And so maybe you can see or anticipate the different feelings or energies that lie around the situation.

Maybe it's levels of going unconscious,

That sort of feeling of blipping out.

Could be energy of complacency,

Assuming you already know everything there is to know about the situation.

Assuming you already know everything there is to know about this thing that you're viewing.

Or maybe it's even stronger.

Maybe it is resistance,

Annoyance,

Fear,

Whatever else.

And I know that doesn't sound very fun to meditate on.

Might feel a little bit more like torture than meditation.

But see if you can imagine those feelings as little colored clouds.

See it as a cloud,

Give it a color so it has some individuality to it.

It's almost as if you can see a small you out in front of you doing this thing.

And you can see your feelings kind of like a movie.

Almost as if it's animated.

Where you could see,

Oh,

There's me.

There's me resisting or me blipping out.

Me staring at my phone instead of being present with the situation.

And just witness what that looks like.

How does that animate for you?

It doesn't have to just be those clouds.

You could see it in other ways.

Could be some exclamation marks.

Could be a little bit of a smile.

And now we're going to work the energy.

We're going to shift it.

Here's the release and relief.

So imagine or visualize a bubble forming around that little version of you that you're seeing out in front of yourself.

And that bubble,

It can start really small.

It can start really big.

It can start really small.

And that bubble,

It can start really small.

So small that it's just surrounding your body.

And then let that bubble grow slowly bigger and bigger.

Knowing that as you watch that bubble grow,

You're energetically making space for all of those feelings.

Those thoughts,

Those energies.

They can be there.

But that's your story of how you reacted to that situation in the past.

Not the present.

And so as that bubble grows,

Just let it start to take off any charge from those feelings.

Where you're deeply compelled by them.

Letting them become more neutral.

Have no charge.

They're just there.

They lose their grip.

They lose their power.

For only you can give power to a thought or emotion.

You're what gives it life.

As you bring your energy and awareness back to this inner sanctuary in the center of your head.

Back to that witness within.

It starts to lose its power.

And that bubble can just continue to grow.

Until this unpleasant task or situation that you're viewing can also become a safety net.

Until this unpleasant task or situation that you're viewing can also become a sacred environment.

Something you can be present with.

You can view without reaction.

View without pain.

Letting that bubble grow until you no longer resist this task.

Doesn't mean you have to be excited about it or love it.

But you can at least be at peace.

You can let it be what it is.

While you get to be what you are.

So give yourself another breath.

Start to tune back into that center of head sanctuary.

And once again just invite more of yourself,

More of your light to be present here.

Saying hello to that sacred part of you.

Knowing that it gets to exist no matter what you're doing in the world.

Knowing that everything is happening from you,

Not to you.

And that you are the power that gives meaning to each thing in your life.

You are the force that makes something more or less sacred.

So let's go ahead and take one more step in this meditation.

Many times in my life I've been fortunate enough to have had deeply mystical or spiritual experiences.

And they weren't necessarily something that I brought up at will.

Can't really force a miracle or a deep experience.

You don't get to choose your moments of deep awakening.

However,

You can make room for them in your life.

You can make space for silence.

And you can do practices that ignite that divine spark like a flint striker.

And you strike it time and time again through your practice.

Not for the sake of trying to create the flame,

But just for knowing that the practice is part of your journey.

You're not the doer anyway.

And eventually from those strikes,

From that practice,

You catch an ember.

And you get that flame of that mystical experience or breakthrough.

And part of what I go through in my life is and part of what I credit to my success in having such profound experiences is not some special ability or gift,

But rather a genuine desire to experience truth.

An unshakable belief that there's more to life than what we normally experience.

And a humility to know that I didn't really know anything.

I could empty my cup so that it could be filled with divine truth or with these experiences.

But it's that genuine desire that maybe matters most.

Being able to ask the universe big questions.

And I just share that because I think that's the attitude of many mystics throughout history.

They're committed to the truth above all else.

They don't assume that what they know about the world or themselves is absolute truth.

They stay open and even hungry for truth.

And finally,

They ask the right questions.

So let's do exactly that.

Go ahead and imagine that you can empty yourself out of any preconceived notions.

Any beliefs,

Any titles,

Assumptions that you've held about yourself or reality.

And you can visualize that however you want.

Again,

I like to use amusing visual cues to keep the mood light.

So you could see it as a cup just pouring out those thoughts,

Those ideas,

Those identities,

Letting them fall away.

And after you are empty,

Genuinely ask yourself,

With the intention to receive an answer,

An answer not as a mental thought,

But as a deep heartfelt experience,

Who am I?

And allow the experience to be a deep,

Heartfelt experience.

And allow the experience of that answer to present itself in whatever way it comes.

If your answer came in the direct experience of the truth of who you are,

Congratulations.

If you got an answer that brought your awareness to a pain or a sensation in the body,

Started to drift,

Started to think of answers,

Maybe that you heard from a book or a podcast or a teacher,

Just start to acknowledge that you're the awareness of that sensation or thought,

Thing that you think you're supposed to be.

Because really,

If your mind was active at all as part of that answer,

It's not ultimate truth.

It's not really who you are.

For that can only be experienced.

So rather,

It's your awareness,

Observing the mind's answer,

The thoughts that are there.

Any mental answer isn't a direct experience.

It's a thought,

A picture in the mind.

And so see that picture in the mind,

Whatever it was,

See it become a butterfly and take flight.

Let it fly away.

And then let's ask the question one more time,

Again,

With the intention to directly experience the truth of the answer.

Who are you?

And then you may speak your answer out loud if you're in a place where you can do so.

And feel how it is to speak it.

Does it deeply resonate through your whole body and being?

Or does it feel a little off?

It's okay if your mind was still active during this.

It doesn't matter if it's still active.

It took me five days of doing this straight and with no breaks,

No social interaction or communication to have my breakthrough.

For some people it can come just,

It comes in a moment.

It comes in the here and now.

It can happen at any point in time.

And so if you do this exercise for longer periods of time,

Your mind will eventually be able to do it.

And so if you do this exercise for longer periods of time,

Your mind will eventually go further and further out on a limb until it eventually drops.

You exhaust all the thoughts about who you think you are.

And the mind falls away,

Leaving you with the most profound experience possible.

That experience of directly experiencing the truth of who you are without any obstructions.

And going beyond the mind is the doorway to mystical experiences and a mystic life.

And this is just one simple but powerful way to thin out the mind.

There are plenty of other ways to do so in a more gradual way.

And so give yourself one more deep breath in,

Holding it at the deepest inhalation.

And then exhaling out of your mouth.

And allow yourself to come out of meditation slowly.

It's my hope that if you take only one thing away from this meditation or this class,

It's the reminder that if you're truly hungry for truth above all else,

You will be guided to the people and experiences that you seek.

And the truth is that you need to find it.

When you're curious in the truth of who you are above all else,

Then enlightenment will find you.

So thank you for listening,

My friends.

I hope this meditation helped you in some way.

And as always,

Feel free to reach out with questions or to get further support on your spiritual journey.