Mystic Mantra: Embrace life with an open mind

Life is like the seasons in the sun, winter, monsoon, or think of what you may. It is simple; it is complex. It all depends on which side of the fence you find yourself sitting. Yet, what is likely seems to be happening at the same time — be it happiness, good health, a sudden illness or job loss. Besides, not everyone within the family would unanimously agree on any given thing.

The most important element in life is not just harmony. It is understanding and empathy — of comprehending what one is going through at a certain point. This holds the key to balance. You’d also think of life metaphorically — like the onion peel overlapping our mind. This is like a set of scales too — of ups and downs, optimism and pessimism. It is all hooked, yet again, to another fulcrum or dimension. This is the spiritual pivot on which our relationships, values, righteousness, mindfulness and purpose of life is engraved. It may appear or present itself as mystical, primarily because it includes things that cannot be fully expounded. It relates to a unique “connect” too — one that exists between us and the divinity residing in us.

The fact also is the whole idea of a distinctive “connect” may not be as intensely mystical as it sounds. More so, when we experience things as they occur — not just because we have experienced them, but also because we have preserved them somewhere within our mind, our “organic” hard disk. Carl Gustav Jung, the psychologist-philosopher, called this the “jig of faith” or synchronicity, which, in simple terms, are meaningful coincidences — one that encompasses not just extraordinary, but also ordinary moments, including cryptic happenstances.

Jung’s profound interest in mysticism provided him the framework to “plumb” into the vast depths, or recesses, of our thinking mind, or the “conscious mind” which often “shelves” that which it cannot comprehensively understand. He gradually realigned the credo and argued — that just because we don’t comprehend something at a certain point in time does not mean that we’ve “dumped” what we don’t understand fully. His insightful interpretation echoed the good old wisdom of Aristotle — that it is our desire, a force, which urges us on towards knowledge. Agreed, that such a desire may not always exert optimal stimulus, yet it plays a significant role in our lives — whether or not one understands the given context at that point. This is all part of the jigsaw puzzle — a component of everyone’s life. To understand it, you need not be the smart, perceptive type or a mystic. All you need is a willingness to embrace the miracle called life without thinking too much of the “hows” and the “whys” of it.