'The purpose of life is ... for us to become God' (Modern Mysticism - Michael Gellert)

Name: zebra

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	Modern Mysticism - Michael Gellert
Date:	05/08/00 (82 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A very illuminating and readable study of a modern understanding of mysticism.

Disadvantages: none

So says psychotherapist Michael Gellert in Modern Mysticism which is a fascinating study of the spiritual realm and the unconscious. In the forward Gellert explains that many people have 'religious' experiences which confuse them and he suggests that the role of the therapist is "to help people understand the distinction between losing their grip on reality and experiencing a different level or aspect of reality." Here I will admit to both having had an experience and having been confused about it. Although I did not feel the need to go to a therapist I certainly wish that I had found this book sooner rather than later. But this book is not only useful for those who have had such experiences but to everyone who is interested in their own inner reality,

The basic argument of the book is that the unconscious mind is the seat of religious experience and that 'religious experience is a realisation of inner, hidden resources and helps us to understand ourselves.' The aim is to show that the unconscious is a window to the soul and to God, to the magic and mystery that is within each of us.

The major question which arises is whether what we call 'God' is really a projection of our unconscious minds? The answer, which is not given explicitly, is as every mystic knows both Yes and No.

The book is divided into two parts: Flowers of Paradise and Mysterium Tremendum. In the first part Gellert looks at dreams and other types of experience which have great effect on those who have had them. In the first chapter he recounts his own dream experience as a five year old he analyses it rationally and then raises a question mark over the potential dangers of scientific reductionism. Chapter 2 looks at the 'genius' factor of the unconscious and gives examples of dream experiences which assisted people in excelling, solving problems or creative activity. Examples include Jack Nicklaus' golf swing and Paul McCartney
's composing Yesterday. The third chapter in this section is entitled 'Untapped Possibilities' and opens with some of Gellerts' other 'psychic' experiences of precognition. To unravel the possibilities he delves into the complementary fields of pyschology and physics to explain such phenomena. He uses the analogy of the fact that one can hold a book, which is or contains in effect the whole thing, in one's hand and select any page to read from it but only if you read it from beginning to end will you really understand it.

The second half of the book Mysterium Tremendum refers to the 'awesome mystery and power of God'. Gellert recounts in great detail an experience which took place in Calcutta in India. Although my own experience did not take place in such interesting surroundings or circumstances I recognised and related to Gellert's description as if I had been there with him. I shared with him the experience which he says others have described as 'divine love'. He says, "Whatever the grand purpose of life may be, it became clear to me that it has much to do with learning to love with such a depth and capacity. This is not to raise the world to God's level, or even to see the world as God. Rather, it is to see the world as it is."

The remaining chapters deal with topics such as when such experiences are most likely to occur which according to Gellert are when one is so totally absorbed in a discipline, which can be anything from carpentry to athletics, that one loses oneself. The Twilight Zone gives an example of a UFO experience, something which is on the increase, Jung's explanation of these and then his own interesting analysis. Trick or Treat highlights the dangers of being carried away with the miraculous or missing the point and he differentiates between 'magical' and 'mystical' with the latter being 'very ordinary'.

In the epilogue the autho
r points out that psychology as a discipline is less than 150 years old and I will conclude by pointing out that the very first words in the Hebrew Bible, usually translated 'in the beginning' can in fact be translated 'In the head God created...' Perhaps psychology is not quite so new after all!

The book concludes with an appendix on keeping a dream journal and a helpful suggested reading list.

Modern Mysticism: Jung, Zen and the Still Good Hand of God, by Michael Gellert (York Beach, Maine: Nicolas-Hays, Inc., 1994) Originally published under the title The still good hand of God, 1991.

Summary: