While we're on the topic of mysticism

[andrewlittle]

Originally Posted by Zerbie

If there is any tradition/precedent for viewing the holy spirit as a kind of raw 'knock your socks off' power. ...
I was wondering when I started this thread if raw rushes of non-ordinary experience are part of the vocabulary of christian experience, if there was a name for pointing to such. This spirit power thing would seem to be the place to describe it, if there is one.

Pentecostals generally believe deeply in the raw power of the HS - matter of fact, some groups (like the Brethren) require that kind of "born again" experience.

Others may refer to it as "radical conversion" in a case like mine.

Liberal and many mainline churches generally have very little room for this kind of experience, however. I found blank stares and eyes rolling back in heads when I tried to talk to people about it. That is why I attended both liberal and conservative churches for a number of years. The conservative church could understand and help me put my experience into language. The liberal churches helped keep my head on straight theologically.

This is only one kind of experience of the HS. It is important to note that, when people are receptive, the Spirit can move in very gentle ways.

[Elodlek09]

Sister Cyounus,

Granted while this is your opinion, it is not the opinion of Islam. The Prophet was infallible according to Islam. I will ask Brother MPR to come on and elaborate because he is much more versed in this topic than I am.

God bless US ALL

Lion

[koneill08]

I'm really enjoying reading this thread although it hasn't been responded to in a while. Forgive me because I don't always remember who posted what responses. However, someone on here stated about how the HS works. I agree, my own personal story is I've had times where I experienced a very perceptable reaction to when the HS was moving on or in me. For me, I've seen flames (that fire of God you're talking about) in my minds eye, even others have had outside visions of flames as they watched with their human eye but seen something in their minds eye where thy saw flames as well. I've had physical reactions where my body will shake, I will feel very heavy like I ran a marathon and can't stand on my legs any longer. There have been other times when I was feeling washed, cleansed, light, like a gentle spring rain doing it's job with nature.

To answer your questions about whether the HS works strictly within the confines of seasons or waves as you speak. In the book of John the HS again is described as wind and it goes whichever way it wants to, and nobody can direct it. So yes I think there are times when the HS follows a seasonal pattern (not always matching an actual physical season like spring or winter) but rather you may be going through a season (however long it lasts largely depends on you, but not totally) where you are being stripped of negativity or pride or fear, or whatever (we would call that a fall season) but then you can move into a very nonactive season where it feels like nothing is going on in your life (winter) and then things start picking up and everything seems like it's going good or right. However, the HS isn't limited to working in this method only. There are also other symbologies, numbers for instance, pictures, etc. I used to see my favorite number for about 1 1/2 years. Everytime I was dealing with decisions or something in my life, I would know that something was a right decision number one because of the peace I would sense inside, and then I would get these "confirmations" outside because this number would pop up everywhere in unexpected places and ways. It was the number 8 which has historically symbolized new beginnings. I don't stricly use that as a method of measuring success, but during that time period it was something the HS used to help guide me. I haven't seen that number in quite a while.

In any event, I digress. Back to your questions. Yes, it has been my experience that the HS can cause a physical reaction in a body but it is not constant (nobody could handle living that way all the time, honestly). It's that light, energy, photon thing you described before. It can be a tangible experience. And because we are each differnt that physical experience can be very different between individuals, and also because the HS is so differntly faceted that he likes variety too.

I hope I added something to this discussion, it's a very interesting topic and I love the analogies and descriptions that have been given. I love the description about the tension in the paradox and that we aren't supposed to be deciding on which end of the hire wire is right, but that the truth lies in the inbetween space in the paradox. It's cool!!!