January 30: Mystical Awakening
The real source of wisdom lies in a higher or more vivid realm of divine consciousness that is neither behind us or ahead of us but always surrounding us. Cynthia Bourgeault
Gregg’s Reflection
About fifty years ago, at the very start of my spiritual journey, I came across the Flammarion engraving — a woodcut depicting a traveler breaking through the dome of the sky into a world beyond. I immediately identified with it. I, too, felt I had broken through the bubble of ordinary awareness and glimpsed a deeper reality. The image stayed with me for decades, and when I found it again years later, it stirred the same longing to see beyond the visible world.
Beauty has been a consistent doorway to the divine in my life. I awakened to God’s presence in the Rocky Mountains and canyon country of the American West. Even now, I spend time in nature every day, finding in its grandeur a steady reminder of God’s nearness. Beauty still pulls me beyond myself, expanding my awareness and deepening my relationship with the One who made it.
This awakening is not only about visions or mystical moments; it’s about learning to open my heart and mind to the mysterious Source that “leans and harkens toward us” in love. When I am awake to beauty, I am awake to God.
Scripture
In all thy getting, get understanding.
Proverbs 4:7
My child, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding.
Proverbs 5:1
Ancient Quotes
Beauty is a kind of knowledge, for to love beauty is to see the divine in things.
Plotinus, Enneads I.6
Modern Quotes
The real source of wisdom lies in a higher or more vivid realm of divine consciousness that is neither behind us or ahead of us but always surrounding us.
Cynthia Bourgeault, Wisdom Way of Knowing, p. 25
As we learn to open ourselves deeply to the mysterious source, help will always come, for the source ‘leans and harkens towards us’ with a tenderness of love that is both the medium and the message.
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, p. 26
Journaling Prompts
- Have you ever had an experience you would describe as a “mystical awakening”?
- How did it shape your relationship with God?
- What practices help you stay open to deeper encounters with Him?
- What moments of beauty have opened your awareness to the divine?
- My spiritual director says, “God’s grace is pouring out everywhere, all the time. The problem is, most of the time we are not aware of it.” What spiritual practices help you become aware of the grace that surrounds you?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 5 Reflection: Consciousness/Awareness