The essence of mysticism is the sense of some form of contact with the divine or transcendent, frequently understood in its higher forms as involving union with God. Mysticism has played an important role in the history of Christian religion, and it has once again become a noticeably living influence in recent times. Encyclopedia Britannica Mysticism is concerned with the nature of reality, the individual's struggle to attain a clear vision of reality, and the transformation of consciousness that accompanies such vision. Undoubtedly, a mystic is someone who has a direct experience of the divine. In addition, many mystics are broad-thinking, intelligent and have a good grasp of the concepts of infinity and transcendence.
Many people today see mysticism as a facet of new-age or Eastern religious thought.
However, Christian mysticism is as old as Christianity itself. Possibly the first Christian mystic was St John the evangelist. The Gospel of John presents a mystic's view of the life and work of Jesus. Jenny Smith Mysticism, immediate, direct, intuitive knowledge of God or of ultimate reality attained through personal religious experience. The authenticity of any such experience, however, does not depend on the form but solely on the quality of life that follows the experience.