What counts as a mystic
A mystic is generally someone who seeks, or reports, direct experience of the divine or ultimate reality, and who is shaped by it. Many figures below are called mystics by later readers or scholars rather than by themselves. The list is a small selection, not a ranking. For the underlying concept, see what mysticism is.
Christian mystics
- Pseudo-Dionysius (c. 500): an anonymous author whose writings on the “divine darkness” and negative theology influenced later mystics.
- Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179): a German abbess, composer and writer known for her visions.
- Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–c. 1328): a Dominican preacher whose language about God and the soul was bold enough that some of his statements were later condemned.
- Julian of Norwich (c. 1342–after 1416): an English anchoress whose Revelations of Divine Love includes the often-quoted line “all shall be well.”
- Teresa of Avila (1515–1582): a Spanish Carmelite reformer who wrote about stages of prayer in The Interior Castle.
- John of the Cross (1542–1591): a Spanish poet and friar. See the Dark Night of the Soul.
More background is in Christian mysticism.
Sufi mystics
- Rabia al-Adawiyya (died 801): an early woman Sufi from Basra, associated with the theme of pure love of God.
- Al-Hallaj (died 922): executed in Baghdad; remembered for a famous statement often translated “I am the Truth.”
- Al-Ghazali (1058–1111): a theologian and jurist who wrote about the inner life.
- Ibn Arabi (1165–1240): an Andalusian thinker with a vast influence on later Sufi thought.
- Rumi (1207–1273): a Persian poet. See Rumi’s mystical teachings.
For the wider tradition, see Sufism and esoteric Islam.
Jewish mystics
- Isaac Luria (1534–1572): a figure in Safed whose teachings shaped later Kabbalah.
- The Baal Shem Tov (c. 1700–1760): regarded as the founder of Hasidism, which popularized mystical ideas in devotional life.
The Zohar, the central text of medieval Kabbalah, was attributed in tradition to a second-century sage, though modern scholars generally link it to thirteenth-century Spain.
Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist figures
- Kabir (fifteenth century): an Indian poet-saint claimed by Hindu and Muslim traditions alike.
- Mirabai (sixteenth century): a devotional poet of Krishna.
- Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950): a South Indian sage who taught self-inquiry.
- Laozi and Zhuangzi: the traditional authors of foundational Taoist texts. Laozi’s historicity is uncertain.
- Zen teachers such as Dōgen (1200–1253), who emphasized seated meditation.
See Eastern mysticism for the teachings behind these names.
Modern mystics
Twentieth-century figures often described as mystics include Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who wrote widely and engaged with Buddhism, Evelyn Underhill, an English author who wrote a classic study of mysticism, and Simone Weil, a French philosopher. Who counts as a “modern mystic” is a matter of opinion, and some who attract the label never claimed it.
Mystical vs supernatural
“Mystical” concerns experience of ultimate reality and the transformation that follows. “Supernatural” refers to events or beings thought to lie beyond natural explanation, such as miracles or spirits. They can overlap, as in accounts of visions, but they are not the same. Many mystics said that visions and wonders are secondary or even a distraction. See also what a mystical experience is.