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Innie or Outie?
by Mark Havenner
There really is a difference between western and
eastern mysticism and it is not whether or not a mystic chooses to use
a cross or a statue of Ganesh. The objective for both movements is the
same, however the process is completely different. Western Mystics look
“outward” to find divinity whereas Eastern Mystics look “inward”.
Certainly it is a bit more complicated than only that, but at the core
of it all that is where the true difference remains.
Neither
perspective is better than another and it ultimately depends on what
works for the mystic. For some people it is more natural to discover
the nature of things by exploring one’s environment and role in the
environment whereas for others it makes sense to look inside one’s own
experience to find answers. The truth lies in both the microcosm and
the macrocosm, so it doesn’t really matter which way one looks.
And
why should such a difference matter? Well for a number of reasons.
Firstly, if one mixes and matches different forms of Mysticism they are
likely to get confused if they don’t understand the source. For
example, a Western Mystic would say “healing comes from plants” whereas
an Eastern Mystic would say “healing comes from personal balance”.
Certainly both things are true but what conclusion does one draw from
two apparently different prescriptions?
Mystics, despite the
root, should and do use philosophies and experiences from both sides of
the compass, however without fully understanding the intent the results
can sometimes be inconsistent.
Another reason the difference
between West and East matters is because they both have a separate and
unique experience. It’s more fulfilling to know you are having both
experiences instead of only one. How would you know what you’re missing
if you only took Western Mysticism as a path? Most
books attribute Western Mysticism to mystical Christianity. There was a
lot of that, especially when the church was still a toddler. Some
Christian mystical traditions stayed strong in groups like the
Rosicrucians. But even before then, Christian mystics had a huge amount
of control in Europe through the Knights Templar. Additionally, to stay
safe, some secular mystics called themselves Christians and are often
lumped into that category.
Western Mysticism does not only apply
to Christianity. As a matter of fact, the tradition can be traced
directly to Graeco-Roman traditions (pagan) and to Hellenistic Greece
and Egypt before that (also pagan). Many groups held onto the pagan
routes throughout the life of the Christian traditions and they often
fell into conflict.
It was hard to separate religious mysticism
from secular because the people of those times did not consider
religion as an institution or even an influence. So in that sense it
isn’t really fair to call Christian or Pagan mystics “religious”. They
were using religion as the only thing they knew to describe the world
they lived in and to understand divinity.
It was Western
Mystics, religious and secular alike, that sought the philosophical
answers in the world. Their conclusions brought them to the breeding
fields of modern science where the secrets of medicine, physics, and
chemistry were all born. Many of the mystical principles conjured up in
the days of alchemy and archaic medicine are still used today in the
modern world. Western Mystics also sought out social solutions to their
questions and were responsible for bringing about economic and
political theories that are also still in use today.
The reason
mystics like Isaac Newton (discovered prime physical principles), Adam
Smith (conjured economic and political systems), and Leonardo da Vinci
(discovered the secrets of anatomy) succeeded in these monumental
achievements is because Western Mysticism looks “outward” for divinity.
All of these philosophers, alchemists, artists and social leaders of
the day that followed mystical traditions in the form of
Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry or Christianity found answers in the world
they lived in.
Where Western Mysticism often fell short was
placing one’s own self in the midst of that world. That is where
Eastern Mysticism comes in handy.
The patterns of Western
Mysticism begun with Ancient Egypt and the Mystery Schools, moved into
Greece after Alexander and then was revived in the Christian world.
Mystical Organizations passed knowledge from the Templars to the
Freemasons and Rosicrucians and uncovered ancient Jewish, Christian,
and pagan paths to divinity. It was this journey through history that gave birth to modern science, politics, economics and social theories.
While
the western roots of Mysticism gave us a great deal, we cannot forget
about our own role in it all. As Eastern Mysticism fuses into our
western roots we can have a more complete picture.
This work by Mark Havenner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Photo courtesy of parhessiastes at flickr.com. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.
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