Curiosities
Mysticism has always attracted a lot of people, and mystics are mentioned throughout history. It’s a fascinating thing to read about, but does it have any basis in reality? First, let’s figure out what a mystic is and then we’ll tell you about some of the greatest mystics of all time. Mystics are people who believe that they have insight or have means of attaining insight into things that are beyond ordinary human knowledge. These people often are tied to specific religious or spiritual views and believe that they can communicate with deities or peak into the future. Mystics are often described as having powers or mystical abilities, often to do with magical healing powers or fortune-telling.
Grigori Rasputin
Rasputin is one of the most famous mystics of the 19th century. He was born to a poor family in Siberia. His parents were illiterate peasants and Rasputin himself had no formal education. He only learned to read and write as an adult. He believed he was a holy man, or so he proclaimed. His eyes were his prominent feature, people believed that he could make people do whatever he wanted as long as they looked into his eyes. He became close to the family of Nicolai II, who was the last emperor of Russia. He was seen by the emperor and his wife as a man of God and they trusted him with their most important thing — the healing of their child. He was also quite a controversial figure. Some believed him to be a mystic, others thought he was no more than a mad man. There are rumours that he might’ve had an affair with the wife of Nikolai the II, and possibly has a political motive and influenced Nikolai’s decisions.
Madame Blavatsky
This lady (Elena Blavatsky) was considered to be a scientist and philosopher by some, and as a member of the occult by others. She is said to have travelled around the world three times and was always interested in the mysterious and esoteric. In her travels, she claims to have masters of ancient wisdom that took her to Tibet and taught her how to gain a deeper understanding of the world and the synergy of religion, science and philosophy. Elena started her own religion called Theosophy, which is a blend of many religions, intertwined with philosophy. Blavatsky, however, refused to call it a religion, to her, it was a system of views and beliefs. Theosophy is all about retrieving ancient knowledge. Their logo has the words “there is no religion higher than the truth” on it.
Count Alessandro Cagliostro
Alessandro Cagliostro was an Italian occultist, adventurer and mystic. He claimed to have healing powers, magic abilities, played around with alchemy and claimed he could see into the future. Some viewed him as a glamorous and mystical European figure, others openly stated their disregard and disrespect for him calling him a trickster and a quack. He featured in the Affair of the diamond necklace and was even prosecuted in the French court.
Aleister Crowley
Crowley is an infamous English occultist. He founded a religion called Thelema that urged people to find their true self and follow their true path. He was also a ceremonial magician, a poet and a prolific writer. He viewed himself as a prophet who will lead the people into the new age and claimed that his wife was contacted by a being out of this world and dictated to him The Book Of the Law, which listed the main principles of this new religious movement he started. There are rumours that Crowley was hired by the British Intelligence and was also a spy.
Joan Of Arc
She’s a famous girl, that’s for sure. She claimed to have started getting visions as a child and that “gift” only kept on giving. She was sure she had religious powers and that saints communicated with her and gave her instructions and most people that met her believed that. One of those visions led her to believe that three different saints wanted her to support Charles VII. And as you know she convinced him to let her lead the army. The rest is history.
Nostradamus
Nostradamus was a man of many talents. He was a physician, an astrologer and also a mystic, or an oracle. He was known for giving insightful and wise advice, but he also liked to predict the future. His book “Les Propheties” apparently predicted a lot of events that he couldn’t possibly know would happen. Critics say that a lot of the things he predicted were very vague, so they just fit a lot of events, others say it’s all because of the mistranslation. Either way, you’ve heard of him, he’s definitely one of the most famous mystics of all time.
