ORDINARY MYSTIC
Are you aware of the mystic in you? If you have experienced an intimate, spiritual connection of oneness with the Source of life in nature, with another person, within yourself, or beyond the material world, you have accessed your mystical channel.
Mystical experiences are available to everyone! Your body is equipped with a special focal point, a lobe at the center of your forehead, where the right brain allows you to connect with profound insights, new perspectives, and a sense of your divinity. This sacred frontal space is often referred to as, “The Third Eye.”
Many people have had mystical experiences but have denied them due to fear. This is understandable since there are so many stories about saints, sages, and poets, who had extraordinary mystical powers. Most of these mystics lived in a time when few people were aware of accessing their mystical lobe, so they stood out and were placed on a pedestal as extraordinary individuals. Many saints have become spiritual icons and are still honored today as enlightened human beings.
Jesus was a mystic. He said that we would do “greater things” than he did. Did he come to make us aware of our mystical divinity. If so, he was an amazing model of the divine power in each one of us.
John Welwood, in his book, “Love and Awakening,” says that we can no longer afford the luxury of a spirituality that is divorced from “real life.” He suggests that in these times when our world and our very humanity are increasingly at risk, we need a new kind of “grounded spirituality,” one “that arises out of, and addresses itself to, the challenges of ordinary living.”
The journey into your divinity begins with a belief in the mystical part of yourself, and a choice to open to the longing in your heart for an encounter with the Source of life. Divine union, an intimate sense of oneness with Source, yourself, and all creation in the Divine Embrace, is the result of a daily practice of mystical meditation. Contemplating the depths of your soul, the ground of your being, in the stillness of meditation for thirty minutes a day allows you to empty the mind and awaken the experience of the fullness of divine love energy that flows through every cell of your being. In time, your interior life and your outer life will become one, and you will experience the power of creating the reality that you can imagine.
Many spiritual teachers are spreading their valuable principles for conscious living today. What I think is needed now are stories of ordinary people living the mystical experience in their daily lives. I invite you to open yourself to an encounter with the Divine. A new and exciting life awaits you!
© Patty Fitzsimmons, MDiv. (alias Curran Galway) 5/15/2026
Director of Transformation Center for Spirituality Education in Marin.
PO BOX 730 Tiburon, CA 94920
415-602-9189
FROM HOMO SAPIEN TO HOMO SPIRITUS
I believe that humanity is evolving toward a new species! We are moving from HOMO SAPIEN, intelligent humanity, to what I am calling, HOMO SPIRITUS, spiritual humanity. What does this mean? The greatest spiritual leaders of history have one thing in common; a destiny to awaken humanity to the Divine Self within.
Contrary to the beliefs that religion holds tightly to, I think the real reason for the coming of Jesus was to raise human consciousness, to save us from our dark side and help us become aware of who we truly are. He introduced us to the divinity that he had discovered within himself and pointed to the connection and unity with his Father; the Source of all life that is available to be experienced by everyone.
Jesus was a mystic, a person who is one with God and intimately experiences the Source of life. He had a deep relationship with the “Father.” It was a name he used in a culture of familial community. His humanity and divinity were one and integrated into his entire being. Scripture tells us he had a daily spiritual practice of meditation throughout his ministry. He never placed the focus on himself but always pointed to the Father. His motivation for his ministry and his desire for us is outlined in the quote from John (17:22), “The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
Jesus prepared us to be able to make important decisions in our world and to face the challenges that loom over us in the future from a spiritual perspective. What are these challenges? While I believe science and technology are still our allies and have much to offer us, it is important for humanity to face the challenges that science and technology will provide in the future with ethical discernment. The decisions of tomorrow will need to be made by spiritually conscious human beings who are in touch with the divine Source of life, and are able to collaborate with others to discern choices from a higher self level.
Jesus invited all of us to become mystics (one with Source) that we might be transformed daily defining ourselves as spiritual humanity. He taught us about the divine “kingdom within.”This kingdom can be recognized by everyone. The power of divinity and humanity working together in us is what begets the miracles of manifestations. A HOMO SPIRITUS species is unafraid of transformation, has a spiritual practice to ensure personal growth and spiritual evolution, lives to create, to serve humanity, and to be a loving expression of Source in the world. This species is no longer hung up on the “belief” systems entangled in religious organizations because it lives in the daily mystical “experience” of Source. This experience is what differentiates spiritual humanity from religious humanity. It is also the reason why so many people are leaving churches today in search of more than belief systems.
The hope for our future and our planet, belongs to spiritual humanity,
HOMO SPIRITUS. Individuals and groups, who can make decisions involving Spirit, share the miracles of divine experiences and transformation, are responsible for creating the greatest endeavors possible to preserve, protect, and inspire life on earth!
© Patty Fitzsimmons, MDiv. (alias Curran Galway) 4/22/2026
Director of Transformation Center for Spirituality Education in Marin.
PO BOX 730 Tiburon, CA 94920
415-602-9189
Is Christian Religion Holding Us Captive?
Religion needs to liberate seekers, not hold them slaves to outdated traditions, doctrinal belief systems, and conventional rituals. So many people are leaving organized religion today. Is this because it does not offer the direct, heartfelt experience of God that they are longing for? The feeling of intimacy, union, a deep communion with God is what the mystical experience is all about. It must become the center focus of all religions again, in order to liberate seekers and transform them into their truest selves.
Jesus was a mystic. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” (John14:9). He experienced deep intimacy with the Source of life whom he called Father, “The Father and I are one,” (John 10:30). Jesus would often find a quiet place in nature to meditate. The union that Jesus had was a direct connection with his heavenly Father, a mystical experience available to all seekers. This heartfelt relationship was at the center of his ministry.
If the followers of Jesus today seek to imitate him, they must also access the mystical self. As The German Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner, who was present at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) said, “The Christians of the future will have to become mystics or they will be nothing at all.” How do we access this deeper connection? The mystics of the past, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross, spoke of a yearning to go deeper and to connect with God from the heart. They reached beyond their grasp and opened up to receive a direct more intimate relationship with the Source of life, the same connection that Jesus had 2000 years ago.
You might be wondering how I know that a mystical experience is possible. I have had a direct connection to God ever since I encountered an intimate union with the Source of life on the top of a mountain forty-five years ago. I was on a retreat in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but this experience is still with me!
One of the nuns at the retreat center told me about a trail that led hikers to a mountaintop with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. After a “dark night of the soul” I was up at dawn to hike the trail. As I climbed, I thought about my life. I had been invisible for so many years suffering from childhood wounds that left me with low self-worth. As I climbed higher, I remembered my younger years of the humiliating agony that I experienced from my father’s physical and emotional abuse. The bruises on my bottom, the flaming cheeks after being slapped, and the degrading words that shamed me, always made me feel like there was something wrong with me. Was I a bad seed? My father constantly told me I was no damn good. My heart ached, and I felt the devastating pain of the unloved. I continued to make my ascent.
Suddenly, I reached the summit to behold a sunrise that filled the mountaintop with golden light. At this same moment, I looked up at the sky and felt a presence around me with the warmth of divine glory. I didn’t see anything, but I experienced the heavenly embrace of arms around me. Then, telepathically, I heard the words, “You are deeply loved.” A sacred fire shot through my entire being to the core of every cell. For the first time in my life, I felt the love I had longed for since my childhood. It was a direct union with Source. I sat on that mountain for hours bathed in divine light and love. Then my logical mind kicked in, and I began to question my experience. Feeling confused, I decided to ask for clarification. Again, the words came to me telepathically, “I Am! I Am music, Christ is the love song, and the Holy Spirit is the conductor of spiritual orchestration.”
Wondering where I fit in, I asked, “What about me?” The voice continued to inform me that I was a member of the choir and explained that I had a destiny to step out and do a solo performance that would help improve the spiritual orchestration of humanity. (To read more about my experience click BOOKS at the top of the page and go to Amazon.com to order my novel, “Ordinary Mystic: Practicing The Presence” under my pen name, Curran Galway)
I have chosen to lay out the journey of mystical transformation in a story form because I know that readers will identify with the spiritual evolution that occurs in the main characters of my three published novels. (See Amazon novels by Curran Galway) I consider myself to be an ordinary mystic and I want my readers to discover what the mystical experience looks like in daily life.
Jesus prayed for his followers in the upper room before his crucifixion: “That all of them may be one, Father as we are one,” (John 17:21-22). His words are still meaningful Today! Is it possible that the time has come for another “Exodus” from captivity?
© Patty Fitzsimmons, MDiv. (alias Curran Galway) 2/22/2026
Director of Transformation Center for Spirituality Education in Marin.
415-602-9189
Religion needs to liberate seekers, not hold them slaves to outdated traditions, doctrinal belief systems, and conventional rituals. So many people are leaving organized religion today. Is this because it does not offer the direct, heartfelt experience of God that they are longing for? The feeling of intimacy, union, a deep communion with God is what the mystical experience is all about. It must become the center focus of all religions again, in order to liberate seekers and transform them into their truest selves.
Jesus was a mystic. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” (John14:9). He experienced deep intimacy with the Source of life whom he called Father, “The Father and I are one,” (John 10:30). Jesus would often find a quiet place in nature to meditate. The union that Jesus had was a direct connection with his heavenly Father, a mystical experience available to all seekers. This heartfelt relationship was at the center of his ministry.
If the followers of Jesus today seek to imitate him, they must also access the mystical self. As The German Jesuit theologian, Karl Rahner, who was present at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) said, “The Christians of the future will have to become mystics or they will be nothing at all.” How do we access this deeper connection? The mystics of the past, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross, spoke of a yearning to go deeper and to connect with God from the heart. They reached beyond their grasp and opened up to receive a direct more intimate relationship with the Source of life, the same connection that Jesus had 2000 years ago.
You might be wondering how I know that a mystical experience is possible. I have had a direct connection to God ever since I encountered an intimate union with the Source of life on the top of a mountain forty-five years ago. I was on a retreat in the Santa Cruz mountains of California. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but this experience is still with me!
One of the nuns at the retreat center told me about a trail that led hikers to a mountaintop with a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. After a “dark night of the soul” I was up at dawn to hike the trail. As I climbed, I thought about my life. I had been invisible for so many years suffering from childhood wounds that left me with low self-worth. As I climbed higher, I remembered my younger years of the humiliating agony that I experienced from my father’s physical and emotional abuse. The bruises on my bottom, the flaming cheeks after being slapped, and the degrading words that shamed me, always made me feel like there was something wrong with me. Was I a bad seed? My father constantly told me I was no damn good. My heart ached, and I felt the devastating pain of the unloved. I continued to make my ascent.
Suddenly, I reached the summit to behold a sunrise that filled the mountaintop with golden light. At this same moment, I looked up at the sky and felt a presence around me with the warmth of divine glory. I didn’t see anything, but I experienced the heavenly embrace of arms around me. Then, telepathically, I heard the words, “You are deeply loved!” A sacred fire shot through my entire being to the core of every cell. For the first time in my life, I felt the love I had longed for since my childhood. It was a direct union with Source. I sat on that mountain for hours bathed in divine light and love. Then my logical mind kicked in, and I began to question my experience. Feeling confused, I decided to ask for clarification. Again, the words came to me telepathically, “I Am! I Am Music, Christ is the Love Song, and the Holy Spirit is the Conductor of spiritual orchestration.”
Wondering where I fit in, I asked, “What about me?” The voice continued to inform me that I was a member of the choir and explained that I had a destiny to step out and do a solo performance that would help improve the spiritual orchestration of humanity. (To read more about my experience click BOOKS at the top of the page and go to Amazon.com to order my novel, “Ordinary Mystic: Practicing The Presence” under my pen name, Curran Galway)
I have chosen to lay out the journey of mystical transformation in a story form because I know that readers will identify with the spiritual evolution that occurs in the main characters of my three published novels. (See Amazon novels by Curran Galway) I consider myself to be an ordinary mystic and I want my readers to discover what the mystical experience looks like in daily life.
Jesus prayed for his followers in the upper room before his crucifixion: “That all of them may be one, Father as we are one,” (John 17:21-22). His words are still meaningful Today! Is it possible that the time has come for another “Exodus” from captivity?
© Patty Fitzsimmons, MDiv. (alias Curran Galway) 2/22/2026
Director of Transformation Center for Spirituality Education in Marin.
PO BOX 730 Tiburon, CA 94920
415-602-9189