Early Influences
Guy Mystic has been a spiritual nomad for many years. His spiritual journey starts with his childhood, growing up in a small sect in the tradition of the Anabaptists. The sect grew out of the Mennonite/Amish tradition. Guy’s grandfather was one of the church’s lay ministers for many years. Although his grandpa was a farmer and welder by occupation, he read widely and attempted to teach himself what Guy would come to understand was a fundamentalist reformed theology. Guy recalls seeing the entire Thru the Bible five volume commentary by J. Vernon McGee sitting by grandpa’s chair. McGee’s folksy approach to the Bible and theology had a significant influence on grandpa’s sermons and was the basis of his fascination with the dispensational view of the “end times and the rapture.” Guy listened to hours of conversation and debate between his grandfather, father and uncles each Sunday after church. These discussions were foundational to his spiritual development.
Religious Studies
After high school, Guy left that church and joined the reformed Baptist tradition, still fundamentalist. After high school, he decided to further his spiritual education by receiving a B.A. in Biblical Studies from a college that had a staunchly separatist and fundamentalist statement of faith.
Guy met Alexandra, a most fascinating woman, during his first year of college. They fell in love, married and began this journey together, always in parallel. Each coaxing the other toward deeper and more significant mystical insights. Now four decades later this parallel journey continues.
Shortly after graduating with his B.A. in Biblical Studies, Guy experienced several life experiences that threw him into a full on dark night of the soul. He traveled this dark night for several years.
One of the first stops along this journey was the book Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey. Toward the end of the book during the discussion of the Spirit, Guy experienced what he would come to understand, several years down the road, as a spiritual awakening, a satori. He recalls the recurring question that emerged from this awakening, “If God is in me, why do I need all of these rules? Why do I need to attend a formal church organization? If God is in me, isn’t church wherever I am?” He came to understand this experience of Spirit as panentheism. This was the start his mystical collaboration with God.
Down the Mystical Rabbit Hole
The next most significant stop along the way was when he came across Integral Theory by Ken Wilber. With Integral Theory, Guy was able to merge his enlightenment experience with the developmental models he had learned as part of his undergraduate program in Human Development. His introduction to God in the first, second, and third person made sense. Giving context to his experiences of the gross, subtle and causal realms allowed him to adopt practices for more stable states in his mystical experiences.
Soon after his spiritual awakening, Guy adopted a universalist study of the Wisdom traditions, taking up the study of Buddhism more seriously (with Alexandra, choosing this tradition as the spiritual anchor for their children, while encouraging them to explore on their own). This study of Buddhism introduced him to the ancient consciousness technologies that help us stabilize our subtle states, interact with the world with more equanimity, and seek to help alleviate suffering. Along the way, Guy investigated several other esoteric traditions as well.
As a result of his studies and practices, Guy concluded that the preponderance of the evidence from all these traditions seemed to be pointing to a similar universal experience cloaked in unique cultural practices. Each had developed or adopted technologies that directed one to the ability to have direct experiences with God and its many manifestations.
Guy decided to merge the Buddhist concepts and practices he’d studied and adopted with the Christian tradition of his youth. The language of Christianity is his native tongue. However, the lens through which he views this tradition can best be described as The Way of the Mystic. Seeing anew the anti-empire teachings of Jesus and understanding how radical Jesus was by siding with the marginalized, led Guy to see that the promise of the Christian mystic flows from the same Spirit as the the Buddha’s Bodhisattva vow to relieve suffering and promote communities of compassion.
Living as a Mystic
Now as he merges mystic traditions and personal practice, he is reminded of the metaphysics of Alfred North Whitehead and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, to whom he was introduced during his study of Integral theory. Whitehead’s Process thought and theology make room for God to enter into our lives as we co-create our lived experiences. God is not outside of our experiences but an active participant. This eternal energy that makes up all that is, doesn’t dictate or predetermine our realities, but rather experiences it with us. When we are present and give attention to our creative impulse, we are able to give rise to events, relationships, and experiences that help increase flourishing and reduce suffering across the universe.
This understanding permeates Guy’s mystic practice, fostering a deep sense of interconnectedness. He sees every interaction, every fleeting thought, and every physical sensation as a potential point of divine encounter. The silence he cultivates during prayer and meditation isn’t merely an absence of noise, but a space where he can perceive the subtle dance of creative energy within and around him. He learns to listen not just with his ears, but with his whole being, attuning himself to the whispers of the universe, the gentle nudges of divine co-creation. This awareness transforms his perception of reality, shifting from a sense of isolated individuality to a profound recognition of his role within a vast, evolving cosmic symphony.
This perspective also influences his ethical framework. He understands that actions aren’t merely personal choices, but ripples in the fabric of existence, affecting the collective flourishing. The reduction of suffering becomes not just a moral imperative, but a practical expression of mystic practice. He sees empathy and compassion not as an abstract ideal, but as a tangible force, capable of shaping reality. Every act of kindness, every moment of empathy, becomes a evolutionary conscious contribution to the ongoing creation of a more harmonious and fulfilling universe. He lives, breathes, and acts as a participant in this grand, unfolding narrative, aware of his integral role in its divine becoming.
The Journey never ends…