What “mystical practices” means
Mystical practices are the disciplines people use to seek direct experience of the divine or ultimate reality, and to be changed by it. They are not a single technique. They include contemplative prayer, meditation, chanting, ritual movement, fasting and study, often combined and adapted to a given tradition. For the wider background, see what mysticism is.
Mystic or mystical? A note on the words
“Mystic” is usually a noun for a person who practices mysticism, and sometimes an adjective. “Mystical” is an adjective describing things connected to mysticism, such as a mystical experience or practice. In casual use they overlap, and “mystical” is also used loosely for anything mysterious. Here it means connected to the pursuit of direct spiritual experience.
Common categories of practice
- Contemplative prayer. Silent or repetitive prayer aimed less at asking and more at resting in God’s presence.
- Meditation. Training attention through breath, a word, an image or open awareness.
- Chanting and recitation. Repeating names, phrases or sacred sounds, often with rhythm or breath.
- Movement and ritual. Bodily practices such as prostration or turning. See whirling dervishes and the Sema ceremony.
- Fasting and simplicity. Reducing comfort or appetite to focus attention. See asceticism and mysticism.
- Study and reflection. Reading and interpreting sacred texts and the writings of earlier mystics.
Practices by tradition
- Christian: contemplative prayer, repetition of short prayers such as the Jesus Prayer in Eastern Christianity, and lectio divina, a slow, prayerful reading of scripture. See Christian mysticism.
- Sufi: dhikr, the remembrance of God through repeated phrases, and in some orders music and movement. See Sufism and esoteric Islam.
- Jewish: meditation on divine names, letters and the structure described in Kabbalah, alongside prayer.
- Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist: breath and posture practices, mantra, concentration and insight meditation, and inner cultivation. See Eastern mysticism.
Esoteric meditation: what makes it “esoteric”
“Esoteric” generally means intended for a small circle or passed on through initiation. In meditation, it often refers to methods taught within a lineage or order, with instruction from a teacher, rather than techniques presented to the general public. Meditation itself is old; for its possible origins, see the most ancient form of meditation.
Teachers, ethics and community
Most traditions place practice inside a larger framework: ethical conduct, a teacher or community, and a path with recognized stages. Without that, practice can drift into a search for interesting states. The staged view in many Christian writings is covered in the three stages of the mystical path.
A note of caution
Intensive practices such as long retreats, extreme fasting or breath-holding can be demanding, and some people find intense meditation distressing. If you have a mental or physical health condition, speak with a qualified professional and an experienced teacher before attempting anything intensive.