As a mystic I live in two worlds. One of the Mystery. One of the everyday. As a counselor I bridge the gap between the two and would like to share this experience with you.
What does being a mystic mean? I essentially experience life with the ever present need to nurture my connection to the Mystery, which can be interpreted as God/dess, the universe, or some form of a higher power. This connection is known through experience and not from theory or belief. For as long as I can remember I have felt this connection.
What about Mysterium and Consiliarius? They are the Latin words for Mystery and counselor. Mystery I have defined above, and as an example of experiencing it, it is a kind of wonder and awe felt when coming into contact with something unknown. Moments in nature, in sacred or spiritual places, during the profound experiences of life, these are examples of coming into contact with Mystery or the Mystery.
What is your approach or style to counseling? I have always been a naturally empathetic person, and for counseling this has meant I align with the works and words of therapist Carl Rogers, who pioneered the use of conscious empathy, unconditional positive regard, and being genuine with others for positive change to occur. I also follow the principles outlined by Carl Jung for how our psyches work. Both Rogers and Jung believed in our own abilities to heal, to grow organically towards wholeness. Jung believed in the power of the unconscious and how it reminds us of our needs and wants for what will bring us to this wholeness.
Beyond their ideas I enjoy seeing people being who they are or perhaps becoming who they are for the first time. With my natural empathy I feel I can read or see people quite well, and I care about them just as much. The process becomes working through the obstacles to who you are, but also going towards and affirming and fulfilling the path of being yourself whole.
What does a mystical counseling experience look like? From the outside, it may not look like much, because there is a chance we will be in meditation in session. This has been a way for most of my life to distill myself down to more of the truth of who I am, lessening the effect of any worldly influences or concerns that may be going on at the time. I would be happy to share this practice with you and have enjoyed doing this with others during the eleven years of my counseling. A mystical counseling experience becomes a dialogue about reality as well and of what makes up a truly meaningful life. I am not opposed to presenting alternative ways of knowing during our time, and I have a growing library of books and tools that I am selective about, but I feel they are a genuine reflection of and a way to connect with Mystery.