What is a Spiritual Experience?
A spiritual experience, or mystical experience which is the more historical name, is not easy to define. In fact, spiritual experiences typically fall under the category of “you’ll know it when you see it” types of experiences. Still, there is a little something we can go on here. Spiritual experiences, broadly speaking, are any experience that leads to a greater depth of one’s personal spirituality. If that sounds like a wide definition, it is! One of the major purposes of this website is to assist in broadening our perspectives to see the spiritual side of life wherever we may be.
More narrowly, we can locate spiritual experiences along a spectrum or continuum of experience. I have briefly introduced the spiritual experience spectrum previously here. While there is quite a range of experience that can be considered spiritual or mystical, there are a few notable criteria that are common among almost all spiritual experiences:
- Spiritual Experience is exceedingly difficult to describe, and it is usually discussed through the use of analogy.
- Spiritual Experience consists in the communication of knowledge of some form. Typically, this “knowledge” is not knowledge in the traditional sense; rather, it is a change of perspective.
- Spiritual Experience does not last long in any individual instance; it is fleeting.
- Spiritual Experience is not a practice which a person does; it happens to a person. In this sense, Spiritual Experience is unpredictable.
While these criteria are present to many varying degrees within an individual spiritual experience, they do give us something solid as a starting place to categorize some experiences as specifically spiritual in nature. If you would like to see an example of how these criteria show up in a specific example, then check out my video: Anatomy of a Mystical Experience.
What is Mystical Reflection?
As you may be able to tell from your own experiences or the criteria listed above, spiritual experiences are often confusing and difficult to discuss. There are few avenues for how to interpret spiritual experiences. One of the most tried-and-true methods is to build a one-on-one relationship with a spiritual director. That spiritual director may be a clergy person with whom you are familiar or a person who specializes in spiritual direction. However, it is not always feasible to embark on this type of relationship.
As an alternative, I have created a method for individual and group use which I refer to as Mystical Reflection.
For some, how to understand your spiritual experience may be quite obvious to you. For others, it may seem quite obscure. While a spiritual director can definitely aid you in understanding your own experience, ultimately, the meaning of your spiritual experience is up to you. The problem typically happens when you try to communicate that experience to others. Often, they may simply be speechless, having no idea what to say in response. At other times, they may try to tell you their “take” on the experience, assuming that you have asked for their help in interpreting your own personal experience. Either way, at the point of talking to others, there is often a sticking point. Mystical Reflection is a small group method to help move past that sticking point so that everyone can be enriched spiritually whenever anyone has a spiritual experience.
How do I learn Mystical Reflection?
Simply put, I have blended the methods of lectio Divina and centering prayer for use in a group setting, so that each member of the group can be led to reflect when a person tells the story of his or her own experience. In each meeting, the method would follow these steps:
- Settling into the Space
- Prayer for Guidance
- 1st Reading/Telling of a Mystical Experience (ME)
- 1st Centering Prayer period
- 2nd Reading/Telling of an ME
- 2nd Centering Prayer period
- Sharing Time
- Ending Prayer for Guidance and Parting
You can learn about Mystical Reflection by watching this video in which I describe the basic process of the method. In addition, I have a book coming out soon, Thinking Spiritually: The Practice of Group Mystical Reflection, that describes everything surrounding this process in great detail. I am also available for workshops and seminars to describe, teach, and demonstrate the method for various groups.
What happens when mystical experiences stop? — The Dark Night of the Soul