What Is an Ordinary Mystic?

Becoming an ordinary mystic isn’t about chasing mystical experiences or withdrawing from the world—it’s about seeing the world as it actually is, unfiltered, unspectacular, yet brimming with sacred depth. It’s about waking up to the life you already have, bowing at the feet of ordinary existence, and learning to be fully present in the tension between disappointment and beauty.

Here’s how you can step into that way of being:

1. Bow to the Mundane

We’re conditioned to believe the sacred is found in mountaintop moments, in deep revelations, in epiphanies. But mystics see divinity in the dishes, the laundry, the morning light slipping through the blinds.

Try this: Make one ordinary moment sacred today. Pour your coffee like it’s a holy ritual. Wash your hands like you’re cleansing your soul. Tie your shoes as if you’re preparing for pilgrimage.

Mysticism is not about escaping life; it’s about waking up to it—this life, this moment.

2. Befriend Silence

Most of us aren’t afraid of silence; we’re afraid of what we’ll hear in it. Noise drowns out the unsettling truth that we are often restless, uncertain, or lonely. But silence holds the space where wisdom and healing unfold.

At first, sitting in silence will feel unbearable—like you’re doing nothing. But sit anyway. Start with two minutes of simply being. No phone. No goal. Just listen to the air in the room, the sounds of your own breathing.

Mysticism isn’t about hearing the voice of God in thunder; it’s about hearing the whisper underneath everything.

3. Release Your Need for Answers

The ordinary mystic doesn’t chase certainty; they embrace mystery. They let go of the need to “figure it all out” and instead become profoundly comfortable with not knowing.

Try this: Let a question remain unanswered. Instead of Googling or problem-solving, let the question itself be your teacher. What does it reveal? How does it change if you sit with it longer?

A mystic trusts that wisdom comes not in the rushing, but in the resting.

4. Let Go of the Scorecard

We live in a results-driven culture: measurable progress, visible success, tangible rewards. But mysticism is found in presence, not performance. It doesn’t care about your productivity—it cares about your beingness (YES, I made that word up).

Today, do something without tracking it. Walk without counting your steps. Write without needing to post it. Pray without expecting an answer.

A mystic knows that the holiest things—love, wonder, peace—are beyond measurement.

5. See God in the Faces Around You

The most mystical act is not escaping to a monastery—it’s paying attention to the person in front of you. To really see them.

When your child speaks, listen like their words hold ancient wisdom. When the barista hands you coffee, receive it as a sacred gift. When a stranger crosses your path, recognize the divine in their face.

Because mysticism isn’t about seeing God in the heavens. It’s about seeing God in the human sitting across from you.

Your Call to Being

The ordinary mystic doesn’t seek to be extraordinary. They don’t chase visions, miracles, or divine encounters. Instead, they wake up here.

To the holy in the laughter of their kids.
To the sacred in the burning of their morning toast.
To the divine in their own tired, unfinished, messy self.

They learn that what they were looking for was never out there. It was always right here.

So today, pause.

Breathe.

Bow to this moment.

And welcome to the path of the ordinary mystic.