Source: Evolutionary Philosophy

The Doorway to Mystical Experience

The Mystic knows that the key to entering into mystical realms of experience is the ability to let go of the familiar. Our ordinary and familiar perception of reality is exactly what we must learn to see beyond if we are to taste the miraculous. To do this we must discover how to consciously not know.

The habit of knowing in us is so strong. We compulsively feel the need to know everything. When confronted with even a small amount of uncertainty we tend to become uneasy and immediately scramble to know again. The experience of knowing is a relief from the discomfort of uncertainty. When we find ourselves not-knowing we begin to sift through ideas until we find thoughts in our heads that explain reality to us. When we find an adequate explanation the feeling of uncertainty disappears and we relax.

If we look more closely at the experience of not-knowing we will see that there is more than just the uncomfortable tension of uncertainty. When we do-not-know we are open, receptive and awake. Because we do-not-know we are looking, our senses are wide open, and we find ourselves feeling into reality in search of knowledge. This open and receptive stance is exactly the stance that the mystic is able to consciously adopt in relationship to the possibility of the miraculous.