consider myself to be a mystic, although of a strange, eclectic kind. I tend to think of it as "active mysticism" as you have no doubt noticed by now. I am definitely not a contemplative although I do practice forms of contemplation and meditation when time is available and adequate sleep is possible. In an earlier time and in another society, I would probably have been a shaman. While I have achieved ecstatic states of union and highly value the experience, I don't isolate my mysticism into a particular tradition, goals or a limited part of my life. I have never been able to commit myself to a single tradition. No single one appears able to get me where I want to go. And that is, a true and direct understanding of the Nature of God, the Nature of Ultimate Reality and how things really work and fit together as a whole. What I have come to understand about the nature of God ~ Ultimate Reality colors all of my life, not just some part of my time spent on "spiritual" or "religious" activities. If you really know that you (and everything else) are part of God, then this must alter how you live your internal life, even if it doesn't show to (or you conceal it from) the casual observer. It alters my external life as well. Likewise, my being an engineer obviously colors my approach to mysticism and the reverse. I have always approached engineering problems on the basis of really understanding what was going on, the principles, how it really worked, as opposed to a standard solution from a book. It seems to be that I am an engineer and a mystic as opposed to being someone who makes a living as an engineer and has an interest in mysticism.

 have received several "gifts" over the course of my life. One was a view of the nature of Ultimate Reality in my youth. This was in the form of poems which I (thought I) wrote (but rather gifts of knowledge I received, as I later realized). I now think of this as Ultimate Reality as Universal Mind. Another gift was an alternate view of the nature of Ultimate Reality in my 40's. This was in the form of a path of 8 steps taking us through communication to Union with God. I now think of this as the Universal Path to God for Humans, based on my increased understanding in the 20 years since then. The basic information in both these gifts is included and freely available on this web site as linked above. To have received two such viewpoints in my lifetime has been an especially valuable gift in permitting me to directly see and experience the fact that more than one viewpoint can be true while superficially in conflict. It is also utterly clear, since I have experienced two viewpoints which appear true while conflicting, that others can each have their own personal viewpoint which is equally true to them. Since then I have experienced the third viewpoint that I presented as version one of my Short Model and my revised version two of my Short Model. These were also gifts of ever more inclusive scope in their viewpoints and the goal of this exploration.

Page 7 of 13.

Prev., Page 6   Next, Page 8 

Copyright 2002,3,4,5,12 by Ted Vollers. All Rights Reserved.