The Mystical World
Our modern worldview has its roots in the Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century.[1] It is based on the laws of nature and is interpreted with mathematics. The world of ancient and medieval people, on the other hand, was created and maintained by God or the gods. It had a physical side that everyone could see, but also a spiritual side filled with gods, angels, spirits, and demons. It was mystical and magical, and here entirely different rules applied.
For the scientist, the goal is to understand. But for the mystic, it is the path towards understanding that is the goal. The scientist seeks to understand by breaking down and simplifying; only then are the parts reassembled and seen as a whole. The scientist sees simplicity as something beautiful. The mystic, by contrast, sees everything as connected (holistic). For him, it does not make sense to extract individual parts from its complex context. The mystic experiences the beauty in the connectedness.
"Mystical" means "hidden or secret", something that is only for the initiated. Prophets, oracles, and holy men and women have always tried to understand their mysterious world – to interpret destiny and the gods' plans for mankind. They did so by the use symbolism. Some of the most important elements of this mystery and symbolism are listed below:[2]
The world is divine.
Man and the world are created and governed by something greater than man himself.
Everything consists of matter and spirit.
Everything and everyone has both a physical and a spiritual nature, including humans and the world itself.
Everyone and everything has a destiny.
Destiny is defined at creation or at birth. Without a destiny, there is no existence.
Everything is connected.
The world is divided into three parts, a heaven, an earth and an underworld. What happens in one place must also happen in the other. Som på jorden så også i himlen.
It is, what it looks like.
If something resembles something else, then there is a connection between them. It is called 'Law of Similarity' or 'Imitative Magic'.
Properties are transferred by touch
If a body or an object touches something else, then properties are transferred between them. It is called 'Law of Contact' or 'Contagious Magic'.
Any action has a consequence
It is cause and effect. The good are rewarded and the bad are punished.
The family and the clan are the center of everything.
The ancestor of the people, tribe, and lineage is originally created or conceived by a deity. The ancestors are indeed dead, but they are always spiritually present.
Everything repeats itself.
Whatever happens now has already happened to the gods or the ancestors, and is thus only a repetition of what originally happened.
The ancient worldview was generally created for a society of kings or chieftains, but later forms of belief and society altered the understanding of the elements in the list. The shift from monarchy to republic in ancient Greece and Rome necessitated an adjustment of the worldview and its symbolism. The same was the case with the belief of the Jews and the Christians in only one God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Both of these transitions are explored in the book 'The King Mystery. Yahweh and the Daughter of Zion.'
Also the question of man's own free will (to sin or not) challenged the idea of a predetermined destiny.
"The mystical worldview was not confined solely to ancient times and the Middle Ages; it persists in our own time as well, based on the same fundamental elements. This is because religion and spirituality require a mystical world that essentially adheres to the same rules.
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