Modern Messages from the Mystical Saints

Inspirational Articles

By Kathy Ryndak and Gord Riddell

As the veil becomes thinner to connecting with the other side we have the privilege to communicate with many magnificent beings from higher dimensions in the non-physical. I, Kathy, love to connect with the mystical saints from many centuries ago since I find their spiritual guidance and holistic philosophies still relevant to 21st century spiritual thought. The sacred concepts they worked with are non-dogmatic and pertinent to any spiritual tradition, regardless of one’s religious background. These mystical saints were also very human, often rebels, and iconoclastic. They were also ecologists and extremely creative, embracing the sacred arts and healing practices of natural, holistic health. They lived outside of the box, even if that meant the borders between genius and madness were sometimes blurred. As pioneers, they were definitely ahead of their times. In this article we will explore four mystical saints who have a great influence on modern day spirituality.

St. Teresa of Avila was a Carmelite nun who lived in Spain during the 16th Century. A colourful character, she was charming, vivacious and a mad flirt initially, until her mystical conversion at 39 years of age. She loved to sing, drum and dance, and voraciously enjoyed the pleasures of food.

Her famous book “The Interior Castle” explored the seven mansions of the soul and how they relate to the seven chakras. St. Teresa believed in the need to excavate our “false gods” who she called “reptiles”, to transform our fears and illusions. We need to live a congruent life, have soul stamina, practice relentless self-inquiry and examine the falsehoods of the ego. She also practiced the power of humility, which is the opposite of pride, and fearlessly dove into the dungeons of her soul, transforming those ‘reptiles’ that are so cleverly self-deceptive. St. Teresa believed that we cannot break attachments with force but that they fall away with very little effort when the inner hunger disappears.

She knew that reason and the intellect could impede the mystical experience. Able to attain states of ecstasy and rapture, St. Teresa often levitated and experienced out-of-body illuminations through connecting to the Divine. She led life through the mystical, cosmic or sacred heart, meaning she embraced a Christ consciousness: unconditional love, impersonal love for humanity, forgiveness, compassion and non-judgment.

Understanding that a single loving thought can affect all of existence, St. Teresa saw life and the universe as a hologram. She was realistic, knowing that at times we cannot avoid life’s chaos or the suffering which can stem from not listening to divine guidance. St. Teresa is a role model for us; she lived life large, boldly taking her soul into the world and allowing God to work through her.

St John of the Cross was a soul companion to St. Teresa and worked with her to reform the Carmelites. He was imprisoned for nine months for his teachings and called on heaven in his despair and isolation. He experienced and coined the phrase the ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ which most earnest spiritual seekers and modern mystics go through. During the “dark night” we become disconnected from the divine; paradoxically, this can result in profound transformation and insight. The negative ego goes through a mystical death and we become “soul guided” instead of “ego driven”.

St. John fully embraced the process of transformation and the need for the injured ego to be healed. He believed that the root cause of pain was the resistance of the light and our inability to love. However, through the soul’s suffering, more light can shine through, taking us into divine sweetness. With the power of the love of the cosmic heart, resentment can be turned into compassion.

Hildegard of Bingen was a German medieval Benedictine nun and a musician, poet, dramatist, playwright, healer, composer, singer and chantress. Her creativity was passionately inspired by the divine guidance she received through her music and chanting. Though this connection she was ‘showered with the gentle raindrops of divine inspiration.’

Hildegard practiced natural medicine using herbs, gem stones and crystals for healing. Her herbal recipes are still renowned today. Like the contemporary Matthew Fox, she practiced “creation spirituality” which acknowledges that God is in all things and nature. As an ecologist, she thought the ultimate sin was to abuse the Earth and to fail to recognize our oneness with creation. She embraced sacred sensuality and believed in the ‘sweating power’ of earth – we need to stay juicy, wet, green, moist and good humoured. On the other hand, she was also a ‘Holy Anorexic’, receiving nourishment from spirit only. Her three books merged science, art and spirituality into one. Hildegard said we are “a feather on the breath of God” and we all have wings to fly. We should shout with joy simply because we have been created.

St. Francis of Assisi started the Franciscan order of monks and originally was a playboy who came from a very wealthy family in medieval Italy. He renounced materialism, became an ascetic and worked with the sick and poor. He experienced stigmata, a manifestation which emulates the bleeding of Christ during his crucifixion, through resonating and identifying with this consciousness.

He too, was a creation spiritualist, an environmentalist and most renowned for his “Dr. Doolittle” interactions with animals. He preached to birds, animals and reptiles about God’s love and would attract an audience of creatures who became tame in his sacred presence. St. Francis is now the patron saint of animals. We can call upon his energy for animal communication and healing. I often work with the combination of St. Francis and Archangel Raphael when my dogs have been ill. Their energies are very healing, calming and soothing.

The most prominent spiritual contribution St. Francis gave us was the prayer known around the world, “Lord make me an instrument of your peace…Where there is hatred, let me sow love…”

I encourage you to tap into the powers of the mystical saints through prayer and meditation. Their energies are quite phenomenal and actually palpable to experience. Even though they lived many centuries ago, their teachings are still relevant, for they were spiritual mavericks channeling both timeless wisdom and knowledge from the future. While being very mystical and divine, these saints also let us know that it is perfectly okay to be hu