What fascinates me about my mystical mentor Ole
I
In my encounters with Ole, I rejoiced in some things while I was confused about other things. But there was one thing in particular that deeply moved me: The sincerity with which he seeks out the image of God in every human being—in literally every person regardless of how esoteric or sinful or heretical they may be. This image may be blurred in some people, even to the degree that it is no longer recognizable, but Ole‘s eyes are able to see it nevertheless. And he wants to help these people transform this image into the original beauty that the Creator intended. Ole‘s eyes are trained eyes. They see things that other people don‘t perceive. The focus on the image of God in other people has transformed Ole‘s eyes into loving eyes.
Graphical representation of the mystical style: It is essential to understand the positioning of this style within the Trinitarian Compass. Christians with a mystical style should take into special consideration the two opposite styles (doctrinal and Scripture-driven) as these throw light on the dark side of the mystical style.
On the one hand, the mystical style belongs to the blue style family; on the other hand, to the aesthetic style family. Depending on its leaning toward one of its two neighbor styles, it can manifest itself in a more enthusiastic or sacramental variety. For Christians with a mystical style, it is most natural to express their spirituality through a focus on the inner person (“Christ in us”). The strength of this style is its appreciation of the mysterious dimension of faith; the peril is an overestimation of inner enlightenment (spiritualism).
Christians with a mystical style experience greatly the work of the Holy Spirit within them. Mystical spirituality is characterized by practices that advance inner contemplation.
To those approaching the mystical style from the opposite side
If you have the doctrinal or the Scripture-driven style, defining boundaries is definitely important to you. The boundary between truth and error. Between life and death. Between light and darkness. If there were no error, we wouldn‘t have to speak about truth; if there were no death, we wouldn‘t have to broach the issue of life; and only on the background of darkness can we appreciate light. In your spiritual style this boundary is strongly stressed—not in order to exclude people, but to motivate them to cross this boundary—from error to truth, from death to life, and from darkness to light.
Since this is important to you, you have difficulty with spiritualities that either don‘t set any boundaries or at least don‘t stress them very much. The mystical style is just such a spirituality. It is a spirituality in which borderlines are blurred, dissolved. At its center, mystical spirituality is the experience of oneness, of unity. In addition to this, in mysticism the subject—and consequently, subjectivity—plays a far more prominent role, when compared with your own spiritual style. Maybe the encounter with mystical experiences will even confirm you in your view of how important it is to set clear boundaries!
Your skepticism toward the mystical approach is not unjustified; rather, your criticism hits the mark: These are the exact dangers of mysticism, as can be studied in church history. However, at this point we don’t want to speak about the dangers of mysticism, but about your own dangers, the dangers of the doctrinal and Scripture-driven styles. Even in your case, the dangers are nothing other than the downside of your strength. The legitimate emphasis on the objective element in the Christian faith—faith is not to be confused with our changing feelings and moods—can lead to a neglect of the inner life. The exclusive focus on God speaking to us through Scripture can result in no longer perceiving God‘s voice within us.
Your starting point, when exploring the mystical style, is an ideal one. Your own style has fixed, clear, objective standards at its center. On this foundation you are not in danger of sinking into the ocean of a mystical experience of oneness. Rather, interaction with the mystical style can help you correct the one-sided approach of your own style. In other words, this learning process aims at making you a better representative of the doctrinal or Scripture-driven style. Since the biblical standards are deeply rooted in your life, you can afford to take your own subjectivity more seriously than you have in the past.
Further topics in the above chapter of the full version of the book
Ole, my mentor for the mystical style - Between enthusiastic and sacramental - Symbols and liturgy - Reluctance to set boundaries - Seeing the image of God in others - The core of the mystical style: Discovering "Christ in us" - Mistrust in systems - The two wings of the mystical style - The strengths of the mystical style - The perils of the mystical style