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by James Tunney (Author)
This book is principally written in the form of lines of 17 syllables like modern haikus or contemporary sutras. Spiritual and mystical expression has a long history of short sentences like building bricks. All around the globe, mystics seek to explore their inner world and share it through words or actions. The method of the poet and the brevity of single lines allow truths to be stated, simply or in more cryptic ways, e.g:
- Spirit is silkie on land seeking and knowing the sea is sought.
- Wisdom from wherever found, the strangest people, places world around.
- Transhumanism is humans in trance to be machine enslaved.
- Freedom is always a state of mind and not the mind of the state.
- Most mystic roses were born to blush unseen, we don't even know they have been.
What are we? Who are we? Are we just some kind of lucky animal that evolved and are now almost too clever for our own good? Does evolution explain everything? Religion? The Mystical Accord argues that the history of mysticism gives us a consistent pattern to help answer the biggest questions. Spiritual evolution is ignored with the growth of technocratic societies. Mysticism means a number of things as outlined in the book's extensive Introduction/Gateway, which is followed by 12 chapters of Spiritual Lines or Sutras.
Mysticism deals with inexplicable, supernatural, metaphysical domains beyond limitations of reason. Mystics deal with spiritual growth and the meaning of life. Mysticism is a vision of an individual, spiritual, inner pilgrimage towards enlightenment and revelation. A quest seeking knowledge and the secret of life, often involves mystical words of power. Being individual does not mean the mystic is outside religious traditions, indeed they often cause and contribute towards it. Mysticism overlaps with psychology, metaphysics, magic and esoteric studies. History, ancient wisdom and practice demonstrate a recurrent process with lessons for modern life. When the idea of the spirit, free will and consciousness is under attack, we must reflect on what is at stake.
The Mystical Accord suggests that we acknowledge being spiritual beings. We are individual, conscious beings, beneficiaries of pre-existing consciousness. Science has failed to explain the nature and origin of consciousness. From those foundations we see a similar pathway indicated by most spiritual traditions. That involves looking at our self and working to discard what is false, negative and destructive to come to our true self in a process of transcending the ego. True self is closer to our spirit, soul, original consciousness and allows 'nexus to the numinous'. Mystical perceptions reflect perennial philosophy and parallel the hero's journey. It is necessary to comprehend spiritual growth when opposing forces of control seek to diminish the spirit. Science, technology and material prosperity produce undeniable benefits but need to be balanced. They are servants not masters. Hostile to our own spiritual dimension we may sink into a straitjacket of technological servitude. The quiet voice of conscience is often the gift of the mystic.
The Mystical Accord suggests the need for an accord or alignment between our head and our heart in the process of spiritual evolution. Mystical traditions suggest that the fruits of the spiritual path pursued in a disciplined way, lead to profound clarity and inner peace, joyous and persistent. We may avoid confronting great existential questions but they never go away. Looking at universal experiences of mystics, we discern positive messages and knowledge that helps us and give us mystical insights. The Mystical Accord is a structure superimposed on existing spiritual systems like a transparency that does not seek to disturb them. The mystical poems of Tunney, sutras to the heart, here they are The Mystical Accord.
