What is a mystic?

The term mystic means someone who seeks unity with the divine and experiences of the divine through ecstatic states of being. The origin of the term is in mystery cults (mysteria) which were spiritual groups that often took initiates through rituals designed to reveal the divine to them in stages. Each initiation ritual functioned like a play in which the initiate played a role so they could experience the divine through allegory. These were very popular in Ancient Greece and Rome, for example, the Eleusian Mystery cult and the cult Mithras which was very popular to people in the Roman Empire’s Army.

In the modern day, a mystic will often engage with the divine alone rather than with the help of initiations, but the initiations are a popular method of introducing people to Witchcraft, Ceremonial Magic, Hermetics, and Freemasonry.

See also other types of Magical Practitioner.