Tell me about Christian Mysticism???

Then I miss read it, lol it sounded like you were yalkingof their own. I'm sorry.

Its been an interesting thread, pardon my interrupion
Please carry on. :)

Human sacrifice among the Aztec was based primarily on the notion that Tonatiuh, the Sun, needed human blood to keep on shining. The Mejica had frequent "War of the Flowers" whose principal purpose was the capture of sacrificial victims. The victims were brought to the pinnacle of the appropriate pyramid, their heart excised, and the corpse tossed down the steep stairs to the butchers waiting below. Sacrifices of this type were carried out almost daily and the number of victims was quite large. The Spanish conquistadors who had the misfortune to be captured ended up with their heads on stakes, as was witnessed by those Spaniards who lived to conquer Tenochtitlan.

As far as mysticism goes, the dictionary says it is "a direct, intimate union of the soul with God through contemplation or ecstasy." I am by nature a mystic in this sense. Whether Christian or a follower of some other belief system, I would think the essential nature of mysticism is simply that: the effort on the part of the mystic to attain direct personal communion with the Divine.

Teresa de Avila, who was famed for her "prayer", says in her autobiography that "the greatest of all prayers is the prayer of silence". This is equivalent to the Eastern practice of meditation, the goal of which is the Stilling of the Mind. Isn't it interesting that Teresa was able to discover this all on her own, without benefit of guide, teacher or guru? The power to do so resides within each of us; it can be awakened when we feed the fire of burning desire. Ultimately, as far as I can tell, this union with the divine only comes to us through grace; but we prepare ourselves to receive this grace by working toward it over time.

It has been an interesting thread and I am enjoying it!

Stilling of the Mind. Isn't it interesting that Teresa was able to discover this all on her own, without benefit of guide, teacher or guru? The power to do so resides within each of us; it can be awakened when we feed the fire of burning desire. Ultimately, as far as I can tell, this union with the divine only comes to us through grace; but we prepare ourselves to receive this grace by working toward it over time.

Greybeard,

This is a nice observation. I like to think that the silence we seek is a catalyst for the connection and that it will be enhanced even more depending on where you are. Personally for me it is different when I am still in my room, as to when I am still in nature.

nightowl

[Uma]

Originally Posted by Greybeard

Teresa de Avila, who was famed for her "prayer", says in her autobiography that "the greatest of all prayers is the prayer of silence". This is equivalent to the Eastern practice of meditation, the goal of which is the Stilling of the Mind. Isn't it interesting that Teresa was able to discover this all on her own, without benefit of guide, teacher or guru? The power to do so resides within each of us; it can be awakened when we feed the fire of burning desire. Ultimately, as far as I can tell, this union with the divine only comes to us through grace; but we prepare ourselves to receive this grace by working toward it over time.

Ahem (clears throat) "without the benefit of guide, teacher or guru"? Who do you think Jesus was to her? Chopped liver? Jesus is the GURU of the Christians. Teresa de Avila practiced a form of devotion (bhakti yoga) and became one with the object of devotion (Jesus, her Guru). A true Guru does not need to manifest in a physical form to transmit his or her energy. Guru is the grace bestowing power of God, and a divine principle - strictly speaking - not a human being. This is an essential component of mysticism.