In my counselling I embrace spirituality – if and when it suits the client and if and when it serves what they bring into the room, or if they explicitly raise the issue themselves. Yet, in my writing I usually shy away from references to the Divine because I can’t, with my mind or my vocabulary, grasp sufficiently what those concepts mean.
I am an agnostic, and I have great respect for deep, genuine spirituality. A spirituality not of the type of escape or refuge from the daily grind and pains and discomforts of life, but a spirituality that allows me to feel and see and process, and stay as close to the flames as my ego can afford at any given time. My teacher in South Africa made it very clear to his students: “We are not warriors of the Light, we are workers of the soul, cleaning up our own rubbish.”
Influence of Mystics
In my own agnosticism, I find great inspiration and pointers for my own meandering through life in the writings and understandings of some of the great mystics: Meister Eckhart, Rumi, Hildegard von Bingen, Thomas Merton, Rainer Maria Rilke, Paul Tillich, and others. These spiritual luminaries, with their profound insights and poetic expressions of the divine, provide a roadmap for my own spiritual journey, even as an agnostic.
Meister Eckhart, a 13th-century German theologian, philosopher, and mystic, is known for his profound and enigmatic teachings. One of his most famous quotes, “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me,” encapsulates his mystical philosophy. To understand this statement and Eckhart’s mysticism, we must delve into his teachings and the broader context of Christian mysticism.
Mysticism, in its simplest form, is the pursuit of a direct, personal experience of the divine. It’s about transcending the physical world and the limitations of human understanding to experience God directly. Christian mysticism, specifically, seeks this direct experience within the framework of Christian belief and practice.
Unity of the Soul with God
Eckhart’s mysticism is characterised by an emphasis on the unity of the soul with God. He believed that the soul’s deepest ground is God Himself, and thus, the soul and God are not two, but one. This is where the quote, “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me,” comes into play.
This statement can be understood in two ways. First, it suggests a profound unity between the human soul and God. When we look at God, we are not looking at a separate entity, but rather at the divine essence that is also within us. This is not a physical seeing, but a deep, spiritual understanding or realisation. It’s about recognising the divine within us and realising that this divine essence is the same as that of God.
Second, the quote implies a mutual recognition between God and the individual. When we see God, God also sees us. This is not about a literal seeing, but about a deep, spiritual connection and understanding. When we truly see God, we are fully open and present, and in this state of openness and presence, God also sees us in our truest form.
Emptiness and Nothingness
Eckhart’s teachings emphasise that this realisation is not achieved through intellectual understanding but through letting go of all thoughts and desires. He taught that to truly see God, one must empty oneself of all worldly thoughts and desires and become a “pure nothingness.” Only in this state of emptiness can one truly see God and realise one’s unity with Him.
This concept of emptiness or nothingness is a key aspect of Eckhart’s mysticism. He believed that to experience God directly, one must let go of all images, concepts, and thoughts of God. This is because any image or concept of God that we have is limited and thus not truly God. God, according to Eckhart, is beyond all concepts and images, and to experience Him directly, we must go beyond these limitations.
Resonance with Other Spiritual Traditions
Eckhart’s teachings, while deeply rooted in Christian theology, also resonate with many other spiritual traditions. The idea of the unity of the soul with God is found in various forms in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, and other mystical traditions. Similarly,the practice of letting go of thoughts and desires to experience the divine directly is a common theme in many forms of meditation and contemplative prayer.
Meister Eckhart’s mysticism and his statement, “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me,” offer a profound perspective on the relationship between the human soul and God. They invite us to look beyond our limited human understanding and experience the divine directly, to realise our unity with God, and to see ourselves as God sees us. This is not an easy path, but for those who embark on it, it offers the possibility of a deep, transformative experience of the divine.