| Practically every philosophy of our existence can be | | | | experienced. In the ancient world such knowledge was |
| placed into one of three broad categories: scientific, | | | | usually maintained by various "mystery cults," such as |
| mystical, or spiritual. Of these, mysticism and spirituality | | | | those associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis or |
| often overlap as components of one's religious | | | | with Dionysus in Classical Greece. |
| heritage while science generally maintains that | | | | As time passed, new civilizations replaced older ones |
| mysticism and spirituality are only "psychological | | | | (such as the Roman conquest of Greece) and many |
| remnants" from our pre-technological societies and | | | | mystical beliefs found their way into the religions and |
| therefore should not form the basis for explanations of | | | | philosophies of other peoples. The basic tenets of |
| events in the world around us. | | | | mysticism have survived into the modern era was well. |
| Science emphatically rejects the concept of a | | | | Mysticism, for example, lies at the heart of Islamic |
| supernatural (which can be defined as anything not | | | | Sufism or the study of the Kaballah in Judaism, but can |
| existing in the physical, everyday, world) explanation for | | | | also be found in practically every religious faith. |
| any observable phenomena. All science is based on | | | | Spiritualism, broadly, is the belief that supernatural |
| the premise that the world around us can be explained | | | | knowledge is freely available to all who seek it. In many |
| in terms of physical laws that do not require the | | | | cases it is difficult to separate spiritualism from a more |
| existence of anything, or any being, that cannot be | | | | formally organized religion because they will share |
| subjected to unbiased testing. This insistence on "hard" | | | | many basic tenets such as the belief in a single, |
| data that can be evaluated by others in a different | | | | omnipotent God or the belief that God exists within |
| location and at a different time is sometimes referred | | | | each living object and thus the contention that "all are |
| to as "scientific empiricism." | | | | holy." In doing so, spiritualism tends to reject the notion |
| Mysticism can be defined as the belief that there are | | | | that one must accept one philosophy or organized |
| two distinct levels, or "planes" of knowledge. The first | | | | religion as superior to another. Rather, it holds that all |
| plane, and the most commonly experienced or | | | | equal but that each tends to focus on one aspect of |
| "knowable," is that of the physical world. To mysticism, | | | | the "eternal" and thus, by accepting all as equal to |
| this knowledge is sufficient for understanding that | | | | each other, knowledge of the "supernatural world can |
| which can be seen. The second plane, however, can | | | | be attained. |
| only be experienced by those who have "prepared" | | | | Obviously, there are many areas in which the basic |
| themselves to receive this "hidden" or otherwise | | | | divisions mentioned here will overlap but, by |
| "secret" knowledge, and usually only after long periods | | | | understanding the basic concepts of each, it will be |
| of study or self-sacrifice. | | | | easier to recognize points of both commonality and |
| Mysticism is probably one of the oldest attempts to | | | | difference. |
| gain knowledge of what cannot be directly | | | | |