8/11/2019 Mystical Moments 10 Ways to Feel More Engaged and Alive

1/4

Mystical Moments: 10 Ways to Feel More Engaged and Alive

ByAndrew Andestic

Your daily life is your temple and your religion. Wenever you enter into it ta!e wit you your all."

#$alil %i&ran

I had to learn the hard way that you dont have to walk across hot coals or move to the desert and eat locusts and

honey in order to have a mystical, life-changing experience.

As a young man ' was an(ious and driven) always loo!ing aead to anoter goal) always oping to find

some ultimate e(perience. ' &elieved tat life was a callenge tat needed to &e constantly tac!led. *ften)

tis meant feeling overwor!ed and pulled+apart) and ' failed to en,oy te ,ourney of life.

I joined the Peace Corps with the nave goal of saving the world and finding some kind of grand purpose. Instead,

the complexity of our worlds pro!lems !efuddled me.

I went a!road to help people and they ended up helping me.

1

http://tinybuddha.com/author/andrew-andestic/http://tinybuddha.com/author/andrew-andestic/http://tinybuddha.com/author/andrew-andestic/

8/11/2019 Mystical Moments 10 Ways to Feel More Engaged and Alive

2/4

"rowing up surrounded !y wealth, I didnt understand true kindnessuntil my poor neigh!ors shared their simple

meals with me. #aised in a culture where we are encouraged to hoard our wealth, I did not understand generosity

until strangers welcomed me into their crum!ling homes and offered me gifts right off their shelves.

As '-ve gotten older) ad !ids) and e(perienced successes and failures) '-m still learning tat te true

measure of our lives is te way we en,oy te simplest e(periences.

Perhaps the gap !etween rich and poor does not matter as much as the gap !etween those who can enjoy the

moment and those who cant. $nd this is what the great mystics have always said.

$fter trying to clim! mountains, I learned that sometimes the simplest, most down-to-earth things, like how you eat

an orange or enjoy the smile of a child, are the moments that make life ama%ing.

A mystical e(perience is any e(perience were you pause and touc te perfect) wonderful present moment

in a tangi&le and fres way. ife is full of great opportunities. /e an instant mystic. ere are ten simple ways

nudity and drums optional2.

1. Play with a child. Play like a child.

Children are the ultimate &en masters. 'hey come out of the wom! fully enlightened, completely living in the

moment, taking every experience in without all the extra layers of thought and worry we pile on. 'hen, sadly, they

!ecome adults.

(ut you can get some of this !ack !y dropping the rake, the !ills, and the dishes in order to push toy cars, throw

leaves, and make snow angels. )ose yourself in the moment.$ct silly. *ake a fool of yourself.

*ystics often are mistaken for idiots. +o kids availa!le I can loan you three, or Im sure you have a friend or

neigh!or who would o!lige as well.

2. Laugh hard.

umor is a great way to shake off painful emotions and transcend the everyday.

$fter a tough day, my wife and I will hit the internet and watch a few Saturday Night Liveskits or some of the Colbert

Reportjust to loosen us up and remind our heads that life should not !e taken too seriously. $ family tickle fest

never hurts either.

3. Attend a new spiritual service.

istorically, church functioned as a weekly stopping point for people to reflect and connect. 'hats great. (ut church

can !ecome a rut, especially if you go every week to hear the same !ook read !y the same person who usually

says the same stuff.

2

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/a-small-act-of-kindness-can-make-a-big-difference/http://tinybuddha.com/blog/33-ways-to-be-childlike-today/http://tinybuddha.com/blog/a-small-act-of-kindness-can-make-a-big-difference/http://tinybuddha.com/blog/33-ways-to-be-childlike-today/

8/11/2019 Mystical Moments 10 Ways to Feel More Engaged and Alive

3/4

'ry a new service. nitarian. /iccan. (uddhist. Catholic. I recently tried out a 0uaker service. /e sat in complete

silence for an hour. $t first, I was petrified. I wanted to run out screaming. (ut then I settled into this !eautiful state of

relaxed peace.

4. Read a mystical book by an enlightened person.

'here are so many great spiritual !ooks out there that can help you step out of your frantic, everyday life and get

you to look into to the soul. 1ckhart 'olle is a current !est-selling author with lots of good stuff. 2r. $nthony

3e*ellosAwarenessis wonderful and challenging. I love reading $llan /atts as a way to stretch my spiritual

imagination.

Pick up a &en !ook, likeZen Flesh, Zen Bones, and pu%%le over some of the classic riddles 4called 5oans6. 7r gra!

a classic in mystical living !y the likes of (rother )awrence, *eister 1ckhart, #umi, or )ao '%u.

. !alk alone in the woods or by a river.

+o headphones. +o talking. /alk slowly. 8oure not working out your !ody9 youre working out your soul. sea simple mantraor mindful phrase, like :In-7ut, 3eep-;low, Calm-1ase, ;mile-#elease,< to stop your incessant

thinking.

;piritual master 5rishnamurti once summari%ed the essence of all mystical practices in two words= :dont think.