Tell me more…
Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by what lies beyond us, beyond what we can see and imagine. Who or what is bigger than the universe? Who or what contains the universe in the palm of their hand? You could call this power or being God or god, or a force, or the Universe, or love. You could give it a name like Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed or Gary. You could try to capture it in a church or synagogue or temple but it feels to me like we are all trying to grasp at that which is beyond us – perhaps it’s Ultimate Reality.
I’m wondering if many of us have had experiences and encounters with that which is beyond us – experiences of the transcendent. Many of us have, but we might be too embarrassed to talk about it because we could get labelled religious or weird. And in the West despite our post-modern cleverness, it seems like we are still transitioning out of modernist-type boundaries, explanations and language. However the more I create spaces to talk about these often awkward moments the more I find that people have encountered transcendence in some way or another.
Usually these experiences happen in the ordinary everyday hum-drum of life. Sometimes they are triggered by a sublime moment as someone beholds a sunset or climbs to the top of a mountain and sees the overwhelming view before them. Others have had these experiences through taking mind-altering psychedelics that have opened them up to these enchanted moments.
Are we all talking about the same thing? Does my experience of the transcendent point to the same thing as your experience? Maybe that’s one of the interesting questions. Why do we often rationalise these experiences away? We say they are a product of our brain reacting to stimuli and we are quick to point out that are wired that way because of evolution – for our survival. Is that not a modernist answer in a world that actually longs for some kind of magic? Are we still happy with answers like “Our brains are just wired to react that way”? I’m wondering if we are in a season of our collective humanity where we are searching for something more. Perhaps more magic. I’m wondering if we are all ordinary mystics in one way or another.
This is going to be the topic of my next book. I’ll be writing short posts on topics around transcendent experiences and I will reveal more about this book over the next year. I’d love you to interact with these thoughts!
So for now the question is: Can you remember having any personal experiences of transcendence which really stood out to you?
Rev. Dr Karina Kreminski, Mission Catalyst – Formation and Fresh Expressions, Uniting Mission and Education. Karina also blogs at An Ordinary Mystic.
