Insights of Sages and Masters
“That sages, widely separated geographically and with diverse environments and temperaments, should arrive at the same general conclusions attests the accuracy of their findings.”
–Manly P. Hall (American Theosophist, Freemason, Writer and Lecturer, 1901-1990)
Living In A Unified Field
“Scientists – now familiar with field theory, ecological dynamics and the transactional nature of perception – can no longer see man as the independent observer of an alien and rigidly mechanical world of separate objects. The clearly mystical sensation of self-and-universe, or organism-and-environment, as a unified field or process seems to fit the facts.”
–Alan W. Watts (English-born American Philosopher, Writer, Speaker and Expert in Comparative Religion, 1915-1973)
“Behold the Spirit: A Study in the Necessity of Mystical Religion” (Alan W. Watts)
To Love Is To Know and To Act
“When mystics use the word love, they use it very carefully, in the deeply spiritual sense, where to love is to know; to love is to act. If you really love, from the depths of your Consciousness, that love gives you a native wisdom. You perceive the needs of others intuitively and clearly, with detachment from any personal desires; and you know how to act creatively to meet those needs, dexterously surmounting any obstacle that comes in the way. Such is the immense, driving power of love.”
–Eknath Easwaran (Indian-American Spiritual Teacher, Professor and Author, 1910-1999)
Mystics and Scientists
“A physicist who rejects the testimony of saints and mystics is no better than a tone-deaf man deriding the power of music.”
–Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Indian Philosopher and, from 1962-67 President of India, 1888-1975)
The Unity of Experience
“In some reports, particularly of the mystic experience or the religious experience or philosophical experience, the whole of the world is seen as unity, as a single rich live entity. In other of the peak experiences, most particularly the love experience and the aesthetic experience, one small part of the world is perceived as if it were for the moment all of the world.”
–Abraham H. Maslow (American Psychologist, 1908-1970)
“Toward a Psychology of Being, 3rd Edition” (Abraham H. Maslow)
The Maps of the Mystics
“In the world of the mystics there are some profound and beautiful maps which appear not to suffer from the ravages of time. Here we find a host of ancient and modern disciplines as widely different as Taoists, Gnostics, the Sufis and the monks of Zen. This diverse spectrum of human experience has been handed down through living teachings and scriptures with an admirable thoroughness. They all, of course, differ in details, yet the major landmarks and the terrain are uncannily similar.”
–Yatri (a.k.a. Malcolm Godwin, English Artist, Spiritual Seeker and Writer, 1936-)
“Unknown Man: The Mysterious Birth of a New Species” (Yatri)
Universal Doctrines
“Behind the veil of all mystical allegories of ancient doctrines [teachings], behind the darkness and strange ordeals of all initiations, under the seal of all sacred writings…in the cryptic emblems of our old books on alchemy, in the ceremonies practiced at reception by all secret societies, there are found indications of a doctrine which is everywhere the same.”
–Eliphas Levi (a.k.a. Alphonse Louis Constant, French Writer, Historian and Magician, 1810-1875)
Feeling Wholeness
“See yourselves fitting into your rightful place, giving what you have to give to the whole, and so feel part and parcel of that wonderful wholeness, no longer separate or divided, One in thought, word, and deed.”
–Eileen Caddy (English Spiritual Writer and Co-Founder of the Findhorn Community in Northern Scotland, 1918-2006)
Expressing Your Potential
“Each life expresses one of nature’s emergent potentials that may prove significant for the whole.”
–Edgar Mitchell (American Scientist, Apollo 14 Astronaut and Founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, 1930-)
Committing Your Gifts
“Whatever the Source is, however it is named or imagined, the truth is the same: Our gifts are donated from that originating point. Each interpretive system of spiritual and mystical culture understands this. The crucial point in life is to use these gifts wisely: not to squander them, but to commit them to the benefit of the whole community of life.”
–Wayne Teasdale (American Catholic Monk and Proponent of Interfaith Dialogue, 1945-2004)
“The Mystic Hours: A Daybook of Inspirational Wisdom and Devotion” (Wayne Teasdale)
