For most of us, most of the time, the way in which life operates is routine and ordinary. Day after day, things work just as we expect them to. We wake in the morning, go off to accomplish the tasks of the day, and retire to sleep at night without anything extraordinary to break our routine.

However, this isn’t always the case. From the recorded descriptions and handed-down tales of others, we know that it is possible to have surreal moments of awe that not only shake-up our routine, they overwhelm, fascinate, and alter our perspective of Reality forever afterward. These moments are what we call the Mystical experience.

“Divinity lies all around us, but society remains too hidebound to accept that fact… The mother sea and the fountain-head of all religions lies in the mystical experiences of the individual.” – William James

 Describing the Indescribable

What is a mystical experience? Well, it’s hard to pinpoint, exactly. Describing an intangible concept is always a difficult task, but putting into words an occurrence that Defies Normal Reality may be even more so.

Because the mystical does not follow the rules of ordinary life, and it isn’t an experience shared by everyone, many people find it hard to believe that they ever occur at all.

Couple this with the reluctance of the experiencer to open herself up to the skepticism, or even condemnation, of others who don’t believe or understand them, and you can see why describing the mystical is no easy task.

But thankfully, that hasn’t stopped people from trying.

Often deemed as religious ecstasy or supernatural awakenings, people report the mystical experience as a moment of intimate divinity, a flash of bliss, a peek into heaven, a temporary communion with the Absolute, a dissolving of the ego, an awakening, rapture, or a sudden realization of the interconnectedness of all things.

“I firmly believe that all human beings have access to extraordinary energies and powers. Judging from accounts of mystical experience, heightened creativity, or exceptional performance by athletes and artists, we harbor a greater life than we know.” ~ Jean Houston

Those who have these experiences often see them as a signal from the universe that there is an underlying intelligence behind the flow of life. They often relate that the event left them with a peaceful knowing that some higher power not only exists, but that it is aware of, loving, and supportive of each of us.

With tales such as these, a mystical experience seems like a great thing to have. Have you ever had one? How do you know?

Here are 14 Signs of a Mystical Experience:

1. The experience is extraordinary and defies normal reality. There is no physical explanation for what is occurring.
2. You have never experienced anything like it, nor have anything to compare it to.
3. Time feels as though it stands still, speeds up, or the duration of the experience seems to fall outside of time all together.
4. You feel an expansive connection to everything, and it makes you realize that you are much larger than your individual identity.
5. There is a surreal and magical quality to the moment. Reality is not what you normally know it to be.
6. The details of the experience remain sharp and easy to recall afterward.
7. There is a crystal clarity to the experience, as if life makes perfect sense for a moment.
8. Your physical body reacts to the experience. You may feel as though your hair is standing on end, your body is tingling, or you have goose bumps.
9. The moment seems infused with extra energy, and you distinctly feel a boost of vitality which remains with you long after the experience ends.
10. There are no words to describe what occurred. Language seems to trivialize it.
11. You are deeply affected by the experience. Your perception of life is forever altered.
12. The moment seems private and sacred to you. You feel no need to share it with others, knowing that they would not understand.
13. You cherish the experience and feel grateful for it, viewing it as a gift.
14. You are left with a sense of wonder and the knowledge that there is more to life than meets the eye.

The Gift of the Mystical

If you’ve ever had a mystical experience, whether you choose to share it with others or keep it to yourself does not matter. Whether you understand what occurred, or how, does not matter. What does matter is that you recognize it as the gift that it is, embrace it, and allow it to work its magic.

The gift of the mystical experience lies in its ability to increase your capacity for the extraordinary.

It forces your senses wide open, expanding your awareness to encompass the connective nature of all life, opening your mind to enjoy an endless fascination with all reality, and opening your heart to the sensation of love that permeates the canvas of it all.

Once this happens, you can see that all is touched by the Divine – that all is of one, loving and eternal source. Knowing this is to know comfort, security and peace as you live out the rest of your life.

“The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is good as dead.” – Albert Einstein

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Featured image : Meditation by Hellbrume 

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