What is a mystical experience?
They typically refer to encounters with something that cannot be described by our language, often involving an encounter with the divine, a deepened awareness of the interconnection between all things, and perhaps even a return to the “source” of existence. They have been around for a long time and typically are regarded as spiritual or religious in nature. They have not been studied much by science.
Participants in studies at John’s Hopkin’s University Center for Psychedelic Research report that high enough doses of certain psychedelic compounds (namely, psilocybin) produce mystical experiences in psychedelically naïve participants. In these events, participants describe an overwhelming sense of unity, oneness, and interconnection within the world, both seen and unseen. They often cannot describe what the experience is like (the literature refers to this quality as ineffability). Still, many people are transformed by the experience for an enduring time (this is called transience). These individuals, though they were merely participating in a research study, walk around with more reverence for the world–they see things in a way they haven’t seen them before, and their behavior changes as a result. (I heard about these studies from the man who conducted them in this Jordan Peterson Podcast).
When Saint Ignatius of Loyola was meditating on God’s love on the banks of the Cardoner River, he, too, endured a mystical experience. He, supposedly, met God. One of the key takeaways from his experience was the dictum “Find God in all things” where he encouraged believers to extend their understanding of sacredness outside of churches and into the created world, for everything can be inevitably and undeniably traced back to God. he also reasoned that this God he loved and encountered by the river in a wholly ineffable way must be the source of all goodness, an idea perpetuated by his predecessor in faith, Thomas Aquinas.
Aquinas was the most prolific Catholic theologian and natural philosopher in history, setting the groundwork for the bulk of the philosophically sound Catholic tradition. After being nicknamed a “Dumb Ox” in primary school and proving his dedication to become a priest, he wrote ferociously for most of his life, often dictating to multiple scribes at once for different books. Towards the end of his life, he, too, had what can only be described as a mystical experience in a chapel. After his encounter with God, he said the famous line about the massive literary cannon he contributed to the faithful: “It is all but straw.” He never wrote again, save a few letters.
How can there not be a connection? I can’t help but think that this “Finding God in all things” idea of Ignatius is the same interconnectedness the psilocybin participants experience. And I can’t help but wonder about the transience of Aquinas’s encounter–to never write again, even though that’s what his life’s work during his time as a Dominican. His entire contribution to the intellectual tradition of humanity, all but straw. To never write again is something I can’t comprehend yet.
There’s a connection here. I’m convinced. These things have the substance and power to change the fabric of our society. This is why we must tread lightly and continue fighting the good and faithful fight towards legalization and curious study. Maybe, in time, we will find out some answers that not only satisfy our minds but our spirits.
For now, let’s try to Find God in all things. That’s ALL things, not just things that are convenient.