What is a mystic?

[Jaded Sage]

I consider myself a gnostic.

But you don't know anything. Surely, that makes you an agnostic.

Much like Socrates.

[Jaded Sage]

Do you consider yourself a "mystic" Jaded Sage?

I consider myself a gnostic.

Do you "shun the material world and embrace the spiritual world"? Would that be an accurate definition of Gnosticism?

I am agnostic BTW when it comes to "spiritual" matters.

I do! Works for me.

[Gary Childress]

Do you "shun the material world and embrace the spiritual world"? Would that be an accurate definition of Gnosticism?

I am agnostic BTW when it comes to "spiritual" matters.

I do! Works for me.

What is meant when people talk of a "spiritual world" and how does it differ from what people talk about when they refer to a "material world"? Or what is the difference between "spiritual" and "material"?

BTW, should you have any questions about my agnosticism, I'll do my best to respond to them.

[Jaded Sage]

Do you "shun the material world and embrace the spiritual world"? Would that be an accurate definition of Gnosticism?

I am agnostic BTW when it comes to "spiritual" matters.

I do! Works for me.

What is meant when people talk of a "spiritual world" and how does it differ from what people talk about when they refer to a "material world"? Or what is the difference between "spiritual" and "material"?

BTW, should you have any questions about my agnosticism, I'll do my best to respond to them.

For me it is Plato's visible (material) and intelligible (spiritual) world.

Officially, I'm an agnostic myself, from a philosophical standpoint.

[Harbal]

I consider myself a gnostic.

But you don't know anything. Surely, that makes you an agnostic.

Much like Socrates.

If that's how you want to interpret it.

[Gary Childress]

I do! Works for me.

What is meant when people talk of a "spiritual world" and how does it differ from what people talk about when they refer to a "material world"? Or what is the difference between "spiritual" and "material"?

BTW, should you have any questions about my agnosticism, I'll do my best to respond to them.

For me it is Plato's visible (material) and intelligible (spiritual) world.

Officially, I'm an agnostic myself, from a philosophical standpoint.

Interesting. Myself, I sort of have a tendency under some circumstances to divide things up between what is "material" and what is "mental" (for lack of a better term). For example: the computer on my desk is "material" but the experience I have when I look at the computer is "mental". I am skeptical of attempts to "reduce" mental things to "material" things.

I guess when I think of "spiritual" I have a tendency to think of particular religions and how many religions seem to profess certain beliefs about the world that seem very suspect to me. And that anyone who doesn't have "faith" in these beliefs, which are unprovable, can't be a part of that religion or are "evil" or "heretics" or mistaken in some way or whatever. One example is whether a God even exists at all. I will agree that my mind exists in some manner (maybe not in a "material" sense) but it's difficult for me to affirm the existence of an all powerful supreme being out there that I don't see or seem to come into contact with. I'm willing to be agnostic about whether a God exists.

[Jaded Sage]

You and I think a lot alike, Gary. I do consider myself a mystic by the last three of the definitions I offered, and sometimes by the first.

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[Gary Childress]

You and I think a lot alike, Gary. I do consider myself a mystic by the last three of the definitions I offered, and sometimes by the first.

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Have you had "a direct experience of God?"

[thedoc]

You and I think a lot alike, Gary. I do consider myself a mystic by the last three of the definitions I offered, and sometimes by the first.

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Have you had "a direct experience of God?"

I hope you don't mind if I chime in here, but I have had an experience many years ago, that i can only attribute to the Holy Spirit, and I reasoned that if the Holy Spirit exists, then the other parts of the Trinity must exist as well. I understand that my experience was only relevant for those present, and I don't expect anyone else to accept it as valid, but it was a direct experience.

[Jaded Sage]

You and I think a lot alike, Gary. I do consider myself a mystic by the last three of the definitions I offered, and sometimes by the first.

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Have you had "a direct experience of God?"

Stigmata of the feet. Also, there's a holiday called Epiphany where Christ appeared to the disciples. I used to have many mental epiphanies. I consider them the same thing. I think I remember others involving ecstasy, but it's been too long.

[Gary Childress]

You and I think a lot alike, Gary. I do consider myself a mystic by the last three of the definitions I offered, and sometimes by the first.

image.jpeg

Have you had "a direct experience of God?"

I hope you don't mind if I chime in here, but I have had an experience many years ago, that i can only attribute to the Holy Spirit, and I reasoned that if the Holy Spirit exists, then the other parts of the Trinity must exist as well. I understand that my experience was only relevant for those present, and I don't expect anyone else to accept it as valid, but it was a direct experience.

What was the experience like? What lead you to believe it was an experience of a/the "holy spirit"? Obviously feel free not to answer but I am curious (though also reserve some right to be skeptical).

In my own life I have had moments (maybe describable as "heightened" states of mental activity), which I am afterward told were "delusional" when I thought I was onto something uniquely special or important about the Bible. I was given pills and those thoughts went away. Some of them were paranoid and extremely scary so they needed to be eliminated for my own good. Looking back some of my delusions really seemed unfounded or even so abstract that I can't remember much about them now and I am sort of under the impression now that it was more like a waking dream I was experiencing than a "reality". but when I was in the mental state I was in while having the experiences, things seemed very "real."

[Gary Childress]

You and I think a lot alike, Gary. I do consider myself a mystic by the last three of the definitions I offered, and sometimes by the first.

image.jpeg

Have you had "a direct experience of God?"

Stigmata of the feet. Also, there's a holiday called Epiphany where Christ appeared to the disciples. I used to have many mental epiphanies. I consider them the same thing. I think I remember others involving ecstasy, but it's been too long.

What was the stigmata of the feet like? Were your feet actually bleeding with no discernable wounds on them? Looking back, are you sure it wasn't a dream or maybe you were having a delusion?

[Jaded Sage]

I did some research. It's not like in the movies. Here's the description I share.

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[Gary Childress]

I'm not sure I understand. Were there some sort of marks that appeared on your feet without reasonable alternative explanation? Or were you simply thinking to yourself that you must have known what it felt like for Christ to walk or something? Or did you have some sort of experience where you felt like Christ was in some way "inside" your body and somehow knew this with utmost certainty?

[Jaded Sage]

No marks. I heard there were no nails in his feet.