In my opinion, this writing boarders on the edge of enlightenment. As if a butterfly is emerging from its chrysalis. How better than to build a framework to support the "starting point" of this journey. I give credit to all the personal "work" which the author has given across the years of turmoil, trials and tests. From those many turmoils, trials and tests now steps forward a person much more refined. Dare I even say, more Christ like?
Yet in all this glory, has the desired "goal" been reached? Likely not, for the veil still is drawn. Yet the veil has been pierced by many before us. Thus, we walk in faith that maybe, just maybe our turn to see behind the veil will soon occur. Take comfort in knowing that we are NOT the first to desire to live beyond the veil.
In my attempt to find Oneness with Jesus I will drop a bread crumb. This crumb is the first paragraph of the introduction to the book "Not of This World, A Treasury of Christian Mysticism, James S. Cutsinger, World Wisdom, Inc 2003."
"My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Guided by these words of their Master, Christian mystics have never been at home in this world. Far from being escapists, however, the best of them have always kept a firm hold in the important word ‘this’. God’s kingdom is certainly not of ‘this’ world -the fallen world of corruption, competition, and death. But beneath the surface of ‘this’, the gospel teaches that there is also a ‘that:’” a world “so loved” (John 3:16) by God that He has entered it fully in order to make it one with Himself. The true mystic confirms this teaching, assuring us that we can partake of that oneness even in the midst of our present life. Somewhere on the other side of what seems – right in front of us, if we would only look – there exists something more: an “Other World that ‘now’ is”, infused with Diving presence and power, and shimmering through our most cherished moments of beauty and love.”
Wow Ken! I see a “Mystic” in the making with you. You are so eager to be one with God and I truly think that is the only pre-requisite for this “mystic” life.
What you wrote carries something more than agreement. It carries recognition. The image of the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis is not accidental. That is the language of transformation, and it tells me that you are not only reading this work, you are seeing yourself inside of it. That is where this kind of journey truly begins.
I also want to gently affirm something you said about the “goal” not yet being reached. You’re right. The veil is not fully removed. But what strikes me is this: you are no longer standing outside the veil wondering if there is more. You are pressing up against it. You are aware of it. And that awareness itself is already a form of grace. Scripture tells us, “Now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), and yet even that partial seeing is an invitation into deeper communion, not a barrier to it.
Your quote from James S. Cutsinger is beautiful, and you chose it well. That tension between “this” and “that” is exactly where the mystic lives. Not escaping the world, but perceiving that the world is layered, that beneath what appears ordinary there is a reality already infused with divine presence. This is what Jesus points to when He says, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21). The veil is not only something we wait to pass through one day. It is something that becomes thin, even now, as our perception is transformed.
And here is where I want to gently ground this, because you are touching something very real. The mystical life is not ultimately about achieving a moment where the veil is fully lifted once and for all. It is about becoming the kind of person who can live in relationship with God within the veil. It is about learning to recognize His presence in the hidden places, in the ordinary, in the very places where our psyche is still being formed and healed.
This is where your desire for oneness with Jesus becomes so important. Because in the Christian vision, oneness is not absorption or disappearance. It is union in relationship. Jesus prays, “That they may all be one… as You, Father, are in Me and I in You” (John 17:21). That kind of union does not erase you. It refines you. It brings you more fully into who you were created to be.
So I would say this to you, Ken. Keep following that hunger. That longing for oneness is not something you manufactured. It is a response. It is the echo of God already drawing you to Himself. The mystics you referenced did not begin by seeing clearly behind the veil. They began exactly where you are, with desire, with glimpses, with a sense that there is more than what meets the eye.
And perhaps most importantly, do not overlook what is happening in you now. The refinement you named, the sense of becoming more Christlike, that is not something to rush past on the way to some future unveiling. That is the work. Paul says, “We all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Notice that it is from one degree to another. Not all at once, but progressively, relationally, and often quietly.
You are not behind in this journey. You are in it.
And I am really glad you’re here walking it with us.
In my opinion, this writing boarders on the edge of enlightenment. As if a butterfly is emerging from its chrysalis. How better than to build a framework to support the "starting point" of this journey. I give credit to all the personal "work" which the author has given across the years of turmoil, trials and tests. From those many turmoils, trials and tests now steps forward a person much more refined. Dare I even say, more Christ like?
Yet in all this glory, has the desired "goal" been reached? Likely not, for the veil still is drawn. Yet the veil has been pierced by many before us. Thus, we walk in faith that maybe, just maybe our turn to see behind the veil will soon occur. Take comfort in knowing that we are NOT the first to desire to live beyond the veil.
In my attempt to find Oneness with Jesus I will drop a bread crumb. This crumb is the first paragraph of the introduction to the book "Not of This World, A Treasury of Christian Mysticism, James S. Cutsinger, World Wisdom, Inc 2003."
"My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Guided by these words of their Master, Christian mystics have never been at home in this world. Far from being escapists, however, the best of them have always kept a firm hold in the important word ‘this’. God’s kingdom is certainly not of ‘this’ world -the fallen world of corruption, competition, and death. But beneath the surface of ‘this’, the gospel teaches that there is also a ‘that:’” a world “so loved” (John 3:16) by God that He has entered it fully in order to make it one with Himself. The true mystic confirms this teaching, assuring us that we can partake of that oneness even in the midst of our present life. Somewhere on the other side of what seems – right in front of us, if we would only look – there exists something more: an “Other World that ‘now’ is”, infused with Diving presence and power, and shimmering through our most cherished moments of beauty and love.”
Wow Ken! I see a “Mystic” in the making with you. You are so eager to be one with God and I truly think that is the only pre-requisite for this “mystic” life.
What you wrote carries something more than agreement. It carries recognition. The image of the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis is not accidental. That is the language of transformation, and it tells me that you are not only reading this work, you are seeing yourself inside of it. That is where this kind of journey truly begins.
I also want to gently affirm something you said about the “goal” not yet being reached. You’re right. The veil is not fully removed. But what strikes me is this: you are no longer standing outside the veil wondering if there is more. You are pressing up against it. You are aware of it. And that awareness itself is already a form of grace. Scripture tells us, “Now we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12), and yet even that partial seeing is an invitation into deeper communion, not a barrier to it.
Your quote from James S. Cutsinger is beautiful, and you chose it well. That tension between “this” and “that” is exactly where the mystic lives. Not escaping the world, but perceiving that the world is layered, that beneath what appears ordinary there is a reality already infused with divine presence. This is what Jesus points to when He says, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21). The veil is not only something we wait to pass through one day. It is something that becomes thin, even now, as our perception is transformed.
And here is where I want to gently ground this, because you are touching something very real. The mystical life is not ultimately about achieving a moment where the veil is fully lifted once and for all. It is about becoming the kind of person who can live in relationship with God within the veil. It is about learning to recognize His presence in the hidden places, in the ordinary, in the very places where our psyche is still being formed and healed.
This is where your desire for oneness with Jesus becomes so important. Because in the Christian vision, oneness is not absorption or disappearance. It is union in relationship. Jesus prays, “That they may all be one… as You, Father, are in Me and I in You” (John 17:21). That kind of union does not erase you. It refines you. It brings you more fully into who you were created to be.
So I would say this to you, Ken. Keep following that hunger. That longing for oneness is not something you manufactured. It is a response. It is the echo of God already drawing you to Himself. The mystics you referenced did not begin by seeing clearly behind the veil. They began exactly where you are, with desire, with glimpses, with a sense that there is more than what meets the eye.
And perhaps most importantly, do not overlook what is happening in you now. The refinement you named, the sense of becoming more Christlike, that is not something to rush past on the way to some future unveiling. That is the work. Paul says, “We all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Notice that it is from one degree to another. Not all at once, but progressively, relationally, and often quietly.
You are not behind in this journey. You are in it.
And I am really glad you’re here walking it with us.
So grateful for the restack!!