In the past month, I’ve really begun to feel the weight of the responsibilities in my life…..I just want God to make my life better – not super or even great – just plain steady and peaceful – of course I want it right now too.

J.H.

This is from a dear friend of mine, a generous, beautiful man who will gladly give you everything he has if you need it and expect nothing in return. So my friend, let’s see if The Practical Mystic can be of any help to you….in five minutes or less, preferably.
Continue Reading…

I have seen much confusion about prayer based in misinterpretations of the following verse from the Bible:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours Mark 11:24

Often taken out of context, this has led many to ask me: “Is my belief just not good enough? Why doesn’t God give me what I ask for?”

Here.s what I have learned: Prayer is not anything like wish-full thinking. Prayer is neither easy nor reflexive. Prayer, the sort of prayer that God hears and longs for, changes us. It is a discipline we grow into and grow from and we need a life time to learn it.
Continue Reading…

We are cautioned to be wary of paranormal phenomena throughout scripture. The Powers Triolgy by Walter Wink and the People of the Lie by M. Scott Peck give deep insight into these matters. I do not trust phenomena. Magicians and fakirs, mood-altering drugs, and some types of deep meditation can create phenomena that divert us from our divine calling. Things like “speaking in tongues” from the charismatic tradtion, or the use of mediums to speak to the dead in occult practices can feed our ego’s need for attention and create a psuedo-spirituality.

Paranormal activity is NOT evidence of spiritual maturity or even of being a “spiritual” person. We are all, according to the divine image, spiritual beings living in these mortal bodies. This is not to say that paranormal activity isn’t real but it isn’t necessarily of Christ, the Divine Light. Beware of such things.
Continue Reading…

How have you proceeded to develop your relationship with God and enhance your sense of His presence – is meditation the central method or other means?

This has been a very, very long journey. Having been grounded by a chronic illness (fibromyalgia) I have had a great deal of time and inclination to go deeply into spiritual practice. In addtion, I allowed myself to ask questions of faith and to not be afraid of the answers, nor to be afraid of there not being any answers. I can point to books and spiritual practices (see Resources) However, each person needs to “carry their own cross,” i.e. live one’s own indivitual life with all your own foibles and frustrations.
Continue Reading…