Mysticism is defined as a religious and philosophical doctrine that teaches immediate and direct communication between people and divinity. It also refers to the state of a person who is very devoted to God and spiritual things.
SYNONYMS FOR Misticismo
- Spirituality
- Religious doctrine
- Religious fanaticism
ORIGIN OF Misticismo
The word misticismo comes from mística, which in turn comes from the Greek verb myein “to enclose” whence mystikós, “closed, arcane or mysterious”.
It originally refers to the kind of very elusive experience in which the highest degree of union of the soul to the Sacred is reached during earthly existence.
It appears in the pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite (5th century) and signifies the perfect knowledge of God that takes place when the soul, leaving everything and forgetting itself, unites itself to the lights of the divine glory.
This knowledge is not reached by reasoning, but by a mystical doctrine that impels towards God.
This concept is found in monotheistic religions (Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam), as well as in some polytheistic religions (Hinduism) and in non-theistic religions (Buddhism), where it is identified with a maximum degree of perfection and knowledge. Each one gives it a different connotation, depending on their beliefs and deities.
However, in recent times it has acquired a somewhat negative connotation, that is, one can think of mysticism when referring to someone who is fanatically dedicated to spiritual and religious things, neglecting other areas of his life or who associates any circumstance of his life to spiritual explanations, discarding the physical, scientific and material.
CURIOSITIES OF Misticismo
It is associated with holiness, mysticism may be accompanied by manifestations known as miracles, extrasensory perception and, in other cases, stigmata (marks that Jesus suffered before and during his way to the crucifixion).