The celestial path of a mystic

Deliverance is not for me in renunciation. I feel the embrace of freedom in a thousand bonds of delight. — Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali

In the chaos that prevails around us the most authentic hope comes from mystics whose poetry and philosophy combines the virtuous message of formal religion with the transcendental values of love and harmony. The mystical path is an uncovering of the highest form of love, an awakening to our own capacity to love and be loved. For centuries mystics have demonstrated the transformative potential of divine love. Love draws us back to love, love uncovers love, love makes us whole and love takes us home. This is the deepest secret of being human, the bond of love that is at the core of our being.

God reveals himself only to those who are internally pure. Mysticism shows us the path by which we can access the light of our soul — the beautiful light with which we came into the world. In this quest we make an inner relationship with spark of our divine nature — the spirit that is within each of us. Through this relationship we come to know our true self and get nourished by the deeper impulses of our soul.

The message of Meister Eckhart sums up the path of a mystic: “The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.”

Moin Qazi is a wellknown banker, author and Islamic researcher.