Practical Mysticism · Chapter
I: What Is Mysticism? explained
This chapter defines mysticism as the art of union with Reality, arguing that it is a natural human faculty accessible to all, not just saints or visionaries.
What happens
This chapter defines mysticism as the art of union with Reality, arguing that it is a natural human faculty accessible to all, not just saints or visionaries. It contrasts the 'practical man' who lives in a world of labels with the mystic who seeks direct, intuitive communion with deeper levels of existence. Through the parable of Eyes and No-Eyes, it illustrates how attention and desire determine one's perception of reality, and invites the reader to a practical mysticism that sharpens consciousness and emancipates from illusion.
Themes in this chapter
Union with Reality
Central definition of mysticism as the art of union with Reality; explored through examples of poets, saints, and philosophers.
Perception and Illusion
Contrasts the practical man's world of labels and appearances with the mystic's direct apprehension of deeper reality.
Contemplation and Action
Distinguishes between analytic thought (cooking the hare) and the primitive act of union (catching it), emphasizing the primacy of contemplative contact.
Characters to notice
- The Practical Man
The primary audience addressed; he is depicted as living in a world of labels and superficial knowledge, needing to be persuaded to look beyond appearances.
- Walt Whitman
Cited as a mystic who achieved passionate communion with deeper levels of life, thrusting past current notions to the Fact.
- St. Teresa of Ávila
Mentioned as a saint who declared union with the Divine Essence itself, exemplifying the mystical claim.
- William Blake
Listed among mystics who exhibit different forms of contemplative consciousness.
- Plotinus
Included as a philosopher-mystic who passes beyond thought to pure apprehension of truth.
- St. John of the Cross
Mentioned alongside other mystics as an example of the contemplative consciousness.
Key passages
“Mysticism is the art of union with Reality.”
Mysticism is the practice of achieving direct, intimate connection with what is ultimately real.
This is the chapter's core definition, presented as covering all genuine mystical experience.
“We know a thing only by uniting with it; by assimilating it; by an interpenetration of it and ourselves.”
True knowledge comes from merging with and absorbing the object of our attention, not from detached observation.
Underlines the participatory nature of mystical knowledge as opposed to analytic thought.
“The old story of Eyes and No-Eyes is really the story of the mystical and unmystical types.”
The parable of Eyes and No-Eyes illustrates the difference between the mystic, who perceives the richness of reality, and the non-mystic, who only sees the surface.
Used to make the mystical attitude accessible and relatable to the practical man.