MSI Press Blog

  Mystics are unique because they seek not merely to know about ultimate reality, God, or the divine, but to experience it directly . Across many religious traditions, mystics often report certain common characteristics: Direct Experience Most people approach religion through beliefs, doctrines, rituals, or sacred texts. Mystics emphasize personal encounter. They often describe moments of profound union, presence, or insight that feel more real than ordinary experience. A Sense of Oneness Mystics frequently speak of transcending the usual boundaries between self and the world. Christian mystics describe union with God. Other traditions may describe unity with all existence. While the interpretations differ, the experience often involves a deep sense of interconnectedness. Difficulty Putting It Into Words One hallmark of mystical experience is that people struggle to describe it. Mystics repeatedly resort to poetry, paradox, symbolism, and metaphor because ordinary language seems i...

  For those who no longer live inside the structure of organized religion, spirituality doesn’t disappear — it relocates. It settles into the places where life is actually lived. Without formal liturgy, everyday life becomes the sanctuary. The absence of church walls doesn’t create a void; it creates a wider field of attention. When Ordinary Life Becomes Sacred People who describe themselves as spiritually homeless often discover that awareness comes most naturally in the small, physical acts that shape a day. Cooking, walking, caring for others, tending a garden — these become acts of prayer. Not because they are dramatic or ceremonial, but because they anchor the body and quiet the mind. There is no need to “perform” spirituality. There is only the invitation to notice. The warmth of a pan on the stove The rhythm of footsteps on a familiar path The way a plant leans toward light The tenderness in caring for someone who needs you These moments don’t require belief systems. They r...

From: An Afternoon's Dictation: Inclusive Revelation for the 21st Century   (Greenebaum) You cannot live forever, but you can be with Me forever. Time is your measure, not Mine. [God] Book Description In 1999 Steven Greenebaum felt he'd hit the wall. Fifty years old, he could not make sense of his life or the world around him. For several months he angrily demanded answers from God, if God were there. One afternoon, an inner voice told him to get a pen and paper and write. Steven then took dictation - three pages, not of commandments but guidance for leading a meaningful life.   An Afternoon's Dictation grapples with, organizes, and deeply explores the revelations Steven received and then studied for over ten years. His sharing is NOT offered as the only possible way to understand it the dictation. It is offered, rather, as a start. The book's sections include deep explorations into "The Call to Interfaith," "The Call to Love One Another," "The...

A true encounter with God—one of those moments that rearranges the interior furniture of the soul—never leaves a person where they were. It may come quietly, like a soft shift in the heart, or with force, like a spiritual earthquake. But however it arrives, the aftermath is unmistakable: life is no longer lived on the same terms. 1. The Immediate Afterglow: Clarity, Tenderness, and Disruption The first hours or days after such an encounter often feel strangely illuminated. Ordinary things look different. Conversations carry more weight. The heart feels tender, porous, receptive. People often describe a sense of rightness —as though something deep inside has finally aligned. But this clarity is often paired with disruption. Old habits suddenly feel incompatible. Long‑held assumptions wobble. The soul senses that something has shifted, even if the mind hasn’t caught up. A transforming encounter with God is rarely just comfort; it is also reorientation. 2. The Unsettling Middle: When the ...

  Spiritual inclusivity is not about agreeing with every belief. It is about recognizing that the divine breath moves through all creation — that grace is not confined to one tradition, one language, or one way of prayer. When we accept this truth, something within us shifts. We stop guarding the boundaries of holiness and begin to notice its presence everywhere. From Certainty to Wonder The first transformation is humility. Inclusivity loosens our grip on certainty and invites wonder. We begin to see that God’s work is larger than our understanding — that revelation continues in places we never expected. This does not dilute faith; it deepens it. It teaches us to listen, to learn, and to love without fear. The Expansion of Compassion Spiritual inclusivity widens the heart. When we honor the sacred in others — even those whose paths differ from ours — compassion becomes instinctive. We stop asking who belongs and start asking how we can serve. In that widening, we discover that lov...