Will Colston’s Presentation

Topics in Mysticism

Some Personal Experiences and Their Possible Relationship to Mysticism

I.                   Introduction

·         Tell near-death story and my recovery

·         Describe accompanying visions

·         Relate these visions to some elements of mysticism

·         Get your input

II.                Illness & Treatment

·         Medical problem

·         Diagnosis of lymphoma (50/50)

·         Treatment—extensive chemotherapy

·         Near death twice

·         Massive prayer support

·         My reaction-pledge

·         Good & bad news/more prayer

·         Resolution

III.              Visions/Types

·         Persons standing by mybed

·         Two nurses/nuns (Teresa/Julian?)

·         Some images of Jesus

·         One like Virgin Mary holding out her hand

·         Some babies or large dolls

·         Joggers/runners

·         Writing hands writing Eastern characters left to right.

·         Two voices only

·         Some objects

·         One distinctly diabolical

·         One pulled my arm

IV.             Visions/Conditions

·         Most were figures standing by my bed

·         Some elsewhere in room

·         Ghost-like but with clearly defined figures

·         Always appear when I open my eyes, stay briefly then disappear

·         Some explode, others dissipate, some run away

·         Hundreds of incidents over two years, sometimes ¾ in one night

·         Definitely not dreams

·         Sometimes appear attached to wall/door etc.

·         Almost never felt fear

·         Outside my head (expand)

·         Can poke my hand through them!

V.                Issues/Questions

·         What is going on here?

·         What am I seeing?

·         Are the apparitions/visions caused by the chemotherapy or other medications?

·         Are they religious in nature?

·         Are my recovery and the visions somehow related to the prayers for me?

·         If so, how and why?

VI.             Similarities/Dissimilarities of my Experiences to Some Common Elements of Mysticism.

·         Immediate experience of the Divine? (maybe/maybe not)

·         Connected to prayer for my healing?  (maybe/maybe not)

·         My visions are much simpler w/ no complex message

·         Not connected to strong religious feeling or rapture

·         No sexual symbolism

·         No Ascent, Levels or Union

·         Symbolic in a simple way

·         William James’ criteria for a mystic experience

-          Ineffability (cannot be expressed in ordinary words)  What’s there I can describe

-          Noetic quality (insights into vital truth)  No.

-          Transiency (appear and disappear quickly)  Yes.

-          Passivity (come to me)  Yes.

VII.          Where  I Think I am at This Point

·         William James (VRE):  “…Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness, as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the flimsiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different.”

·         James believed in mysticism

·         I believe he would say that my experiences were a very low level of it.

VIII.       What should I do?

·         Is there a message in all this for me?

·         Is there something I am supposed to do?

·         Teresa’s comment on “second chance”:  Was I about to die because I had lost my motivation to live before my illness, but was called back to do more for mankind when I offered to do so?

·         What I am doing.

·         What would you tell me if I came to you as my spiritual adviser?