Mystical Realism
The Mystical Realist Manifesto
§1. Mystical Realism is not Magical Realism (sometimes called Mystical Realism). Do not confuse the two. “Mystical” is not used in the sense of “odd”, “weird” or “magical”, but in the sense of that – whatever it is – which is prior to the senses, in which all sensory experience arise.
§2. Mystical Realism is not art. Art is either simple handicrafts, a vain voice for social change, intellectual snobbery, avantgardist vanity and/or exhibitionist flaunting of the personal ego. Mystical Realism deals with the absolute reality of the mystical, which is prior to the ego and beyond all relative definitions of the mind. It does so in any shape or form it can find in the relative existence of form. It may look like art – it may even look like magical realism. But it is not. It is Mystical Realism.
§3. Mystical Realism is not philosophy, nor is it some form of spirituality. Mystical Realism is not a worldview, model or system claiming to depict reality. It is a finger pointing at the moon (in this case the moon is absolute reality, in which all models, worldviews and concepts dissolve in pure being itself). The one staring at the finger misses the moon. The finger can appear as philosophy or spirituality. But it is not. It is Mystical Realism.
§4. Mystical Realism is not Mystical Realism. Realism regarding the mystical (the absolute reality, prior to all concepts, beyond all language and relative form) is impossible, as absolute reality cannot be defined or depicted with any kind of concept, idea, image or form. In relative existence (the world experienced in a mind of concepts), the most effective way of pointing to the absolute reality of Mystical Realism, is by using negations, by saying what it is not. One can even say this: Mystical Realism is not not Mystical Realism. Therefore: Mystical Realism is Mystical Realism, even though it is not.
§5. Another way of pointing to the non-existing absolute reality of Mystical Realism is using paradoxes, consisting of polar opposites, negating each other back to the nonexistence of pure undefined reality. Consider this: Mystical Realism is a joke; you should take it very seriously. Ha!
§6. Mystical Realism is based upon these two principles (which are essentially one): If it is real, it does not exist; if it exists, it is not real. Absolute reality is eternal, prior to all definitions, beyond all form. It is as empty as pure consciousness itself. Therefore it does not exist (relatively to anything else). Relative existence is finite form, defined and identified by the mind. Therefore it is not real (without inherent reality). Mystical Realism is the bridge between the two.
§7. Therefore: Mystical Realism is not a style or a statement; it is an act, a verb, a way of re-linking with absolute reality, which naturally produces objects in relative existence, without the identified “me”-subject, with all its agendas, getting in the way. It can be described like this:
1. The Mystical Realist establishes a state of emptiness and openness, allowing love, beauty and/or pure mystery to murder his or her ego, whenever it chooses to do so.
2. Mystical Death. The Mystical Realist's separate personality, appearing in relative existence, is dissolved into the total unity of absolute reality. This means temporarily letting go of the illusory state of being a separate part of relative existence, in order to disappear completely in and as the eternal nothingness of absolute reality. This can symbolically be described as a journey from the "mind" into the "heart".
3. Mystical Realism happens. This part can not be experienced or remembered by the mind, as the aware subject, and all objects to be aware of, has died into the infinity of absolute reality. All that remains is the verb, the act and the power of creation itself. Therefore: Mystical Realism can only be experienced and mystically remembered by the heart. No concepts remain, only pure inspiration, without any agenda.
4. Resurrection. Returning to the world of form. Rebirth into relative existence. The journey from the heart back to the mind. The Mystical Realist again allows the mind to define and divide the infinity of reality into bits that exist, but are unreal. (Appearing in infinity they are infinitely small. In other words: What the mind sees and creates has a reality that is infinitely small; therefore the reality of it is not there at all. Ha!)
5. Creation. Reassembling the world means automatically bringing new forms into existence. This is the Mystical Realist work, whether it is music, text, a picture or something entirely different. The creation of a mystical realist artifact mimics the creation of existence itself. It is an icon in relative existence, created in the image of absolute reality.
6. Letting go of all attachment to what has been created, allowing it to play whatever role it wants to play in the huge game of relative existence. Mostly none at all.
§8. Mystical Realism has no meaning, no message, no agenda. It's only function is to direct the mystical realist's point of self-identification from the mind's identified subject (which is really an object), back to the verb, the true source of pure consciousness – the one aware of this “me”-subject. The viewer/listener/reader of the Mystical Realist artifact being pointed in the same direction is of secondary importance.
§9. Even though Mystical Realism declares all defined existence as unreal, do not believe Mystical Realism finds existence evil. No, via a Mystical Realist act, via the verb, absolute reality became relative existence and it saw it was good. It was just not real. In other words: It was a joke one should take very seriously. Ha!
§10. Mystical Realism is extremely cheap, as the Mystical Realist does not believe in the reality of money. Still it cannot be totally free, as the Mystical Realist still believes in the existence of money.
