Mystics Aren't So Mystical After All...
So, what exactly is a Modern Mystic?
I get asked this frequently and trust me, I don't blame you.
It's not like there's a mystic at a booth on career day, slotted between the accountant and the firefighter.
That's because mystic is more of a descriptive word than it is a job title. Kinda like those who identify as witches.
There's no professional witch. There are witches who have a profession; a CEO, an accountant, a firefighter.
You can get paid for things you create in your craft, but you're still then a CEO of a business, Entrepreneur.
In other words: Modern Mystic is a descriptor of my personal and spiritual growth journey.
So what IS a Modern Mystic?
First, let me start off by saying that before there were scientists, there were mystics.
These are people who value education, learning and seek to understand and quantify concepts and ideas to explain the world they live in.
In short, mystics are now known as scientists.
However, I am not a scientist. I am a modern mystic.
Rather, a mystic in the modern world.
The way I see it is a pyramid: science being top-tier knowledge. These are proven facts on how the world around me works, and I base everything first and foremost on proven facts.
The energy of plants and herbs, the studies around meditations' positive effects on the brain, the studies around epigenetics (which are still not conclusive but they are making headway).
Underneath that top tier is the study and consideration of anecdotal evidence. This is where a Modern Mystic begins to diverge from the majority of the scientific community.
At the risk of man-splaining: anecdotal evidence is evidence collected from personal stories or experiences.
Meaning, Modern Mystics will take into consideration anecdotal evidence whether it be their own personal experience or someone else's.
For example: if a person claims to have seen a ghost, that would suggest that ghosts exist. But because science can't quantify it for certain, the evidence is disregarded. A modern mystic isn't so quick to write these accounts off, rather, we seek to understand if and how that's possible.
Modern mystics are open to saying, just because we don't know for certain, doesn't mean it's not real, and it doesn't mean the person who saw the ghost is lying.
Modern mystics believe that it's just a matter of time before we come up with a logical explanation for anecdotal evidence in mystical fields; like psychic phenomena, space, and time, etc.
After all, we make new discoveries all the time.
I believe there is a place for spirituality, but I am honestly more interested in how that belief influences a person's mind and body.
I'm very interested in the "placebo effect" and I am also extremely interested in experiencing the inexplicable myself. Because if I can experience it, I can study it.
That's why you see my list of certifications that are longer than your CVS receipt.
I love to play fact or fiction.
I'm open to what I don't understand, but I've also got a hypersensitive BS meter.
I love to ponder and listen to theories. I love science, history, psychology, and philosophy. I love mysteries and most of all, I love, covet, and uphold the truth.
Truth is irrefutable. That is why I appreciate the scientific fields so much.
However, I think it is dangerous to be so closed off that you miss something and equally as dangerous to be so wide open that you are swayed by illusion. Our brains are extremely malleable. Which is great for re-programming limiting beliefs, but can be extremely dangerous in creating illusions of truth that have no root in quantifiable fact or evidence.
As a modern mystic, I feel it is in integrity to be transparent and honest about my own personal experience, but with the caveat that my experience is anecdotal, and that others must come to their own conclusions through careful examination and lived experience.
So are psychics real? Science would say no. As a modern mystic, I would tell you yes, but probably not in any magical way like we often think they are. Even after I take away the experiences of people. I know and trust who have experienced some sort of psychic phenomena, I personally have had too many experiences to say I don't believe something is going on. Is it something that everyone can develop? I would also say yes.
Do I believe it's some gift bestowed from our divine soul created by one source of all?
Unfortunately, no, I don't. I think there's a more logical explanation that is far less "exciting" than that.
Do I believe in manifestation?
Yes, again, it's probably less exciting than you'd think. I have a whole blog post on this, go check it out.
Do I believe we are working directly with God, this divine person in the sky who is pulling all the strings?
No, I don't, at least, not in how organized religion would put it. Again, I think there's a more logical explanation that is far less "exciting". I do believe that manifestation has to do with how we perceive the world around us and how deeply we believe in what we desire. And I do think energy is involved, but again, math, physics, and science will be able to explain it one day.
Do I believe in a higher power?
Yes, but it's personal, and I'm not interested in convincing anyone else that it does or doesn't exist. If you must know, I believe it's more of a collective energy source that connects us all. That's about the extent of my "spirituality". However, I believe the more important question to ask here is, what belief would bring you peace of mind?
Because the only real truth at this point is that none of us really know, so who is literally anyone to say you are right or wrong in your belief of God/a higher power? And who are they to say I am right or wrong?
If it brings you peace and it hurts no one, do you.
So what about astrology?
Ahhh Astrology... honestly... it's a blast to learn about, and it's also FASCINATING how accurate it is when you actually learn it. I'm not talking about your Tween TigerBeat magazine horoscope. I'm talking about the whole mother-effing chart... it's a mystery to me. I do believe there's something there, I really do, which is why I bring it into my practice.
Coincidence or Mercury in retrograde? The last 3 times IG has gone down it's been during a Mercury in retrograde which governs technology and technological glitches. I don't know... seems a little too coincidental to me but again, that's up to you to decide.
Practically speaking, people WANT to see what they want to see, and people want to be seen and feel like they belong, so astrology provides a good and healthy dose of that. I think if we are looking at Astrology critically, we cannot ignore that fact, that's why everyone (used to) love talking about their Hogwarts house.
Humans like to be identifiable.
You get the idea.
I believe if you believe it to be true, then in one sense, it is true, because our brains can't tell the difference between what is really in front of us and what is imagined. And that is why we need science to ground us in fact. The world of science is the only way to see, for certain, what is true.
That being said, the power of belief is a force to be reckoned with, and that being said, I choose to deepen into those realms of understanding.
Lastly, I have a deep focus on history and historical accuracy. These tools and practices deserve a great level of respect and care. This work is not a "trend" and should not be treated as such. If you like the aesthetic of a thing, fine, but please take the time to understand what you're taking and from whom you're taking it.
This is part of our work to decolonize and dismantle cultural appropriation. I am not your teacher on this, but if you'd like resources, I'd be more than happy to share them with you.
The tools I use, including my intuition, have taken me years to develop and vast amounts of research, resources (time, energy, and money). I say this to indicate my dedication to these practices, and desire to make them accessible to all.
The tools you'll see me using like tarot and ritual are more for psychological purposes than anything. Meaning they are vehicles to travel down the psychic channels/intuition/6th sense that already exist. They help to quiet the noise and hear the wisdom that comes through. It's been staggeringly accurate for me in my own personal life, and then in my friends' lives as I tested on them, and therefore, I've chosen to bring it into my work for my clients.
My promise to you is this: No matter how fanciful the language or concepts are or seem, I will always have a practical, grounded, and scientific explanation for the tools I use and why it works.
For example, when we engage in rituals to shift out of an old limiting belief, we are engaging all of our senses in making this shift. This disrupts the neural loop that creates a habit in the brain and indicates something is different. Over time, this new routine becomes the new norm that our brain adopts thus rewriting the limiting belief to be one that is supportive of the life we wish to lead and live.
Modern mystics respect ancient cultural practices and do not write them off just because they are "old". I believe our ancestors knew a hell of a lot more than we give them credit for and disregarding it stems from colonization and white supremacy.
As I've deepened into my ancestral roots to decolonize my practices, I uncovered this phenomenal book:
To Speak for the Trees by Biochemist and Botanist, Diana Beresford-Kroeger
In this book Beresford-Kroeger shares the ancient Celtic wisdom about plants she learned as a young girl and tests it against science, only to discover how exceedingly accurate the ancient wisdom was.
P.S. If you are considering reading this book, and you have the extra income, PLEASE check out your independent bookstores and libraries first.
If you want to see change and really hit Bezos and the other big biz where it hurts, it starts with your choice to shop elsewhere.
*steps off soapbox*
How old were the footprints you ask? 23,000 years old!
Do you know who isn't surprised by this news? Indigenous peoples who have passed down this knowledge, but because we often disregard ancient wisdom and knowledge (again, due to colonization and white supremacy) this has left the scientific community flabbergasted.
Change the textbooks everyone.
I mean... this is kinda HUGE.
Don't get me wrong, again, I'm all for proving things right, but to not even consider the knowledge in the first place because it's "anecdotal" well... now that puts us in a bind doesn't it?
The point of the story here is that once again, science finally caught up, and this is why I call myself a Modern Mystic. Because I seek to bridge the gap between spiritual, ancient wisdom, and practical, modern science.
Why?
I've seen firsthand the amount of inner healing we deny by not including the spiritual and ancient wisdom side, and I also have seen the amount of wounding and chaos going balls to the wall in spirituality without consideration for science and fact can get.
I think it's safe to say we all have to some degree or another.
There's a place for both, and it's my mission in life to show the greater populous that we can strike a balance that supports our mental and emotional healing without getting caught up in fairy tales and nonsense.
I think it's also important to share that this is MY take on a modern mystic and that you'll have to ask other mystics what they believe, though, from my research and sense, we all fall somewhere along the same lines more or less.
You can call me a witch, you can call me a psychic, intuitive, medium, mystic, all of those are true in their own way, but please, do not call me a spiritual teacher, spiritualist, healer, guru, or coach. I am none of those things.
So the cat's out the bag, Modern Mystics are just people who strive for a middle ground and are tired of extremes that never work out in the long run. Chances are, you're a modern mystic too, you just didn't know it.
Now, I must go, a batch of chocolate chip cookies is just waiting to be baked and eaten, also my cat is sitting on my keyboard making it impossible to type.
Till next time.
Your mystical bestie,
Jenna