Sonja - This is what I know - "Mysticism" is all the things about spiritualism that are not Intellectual. (I am editing this post because the question is so broad, it requires sub-topics... I'll touch on a few in my answer in a number of posts).
An example of the Beginings of Desire to really Know God
In Sunday School one learns to recite Bible verses and the concepts behind those Bible verses become more profound as one grows older. As we get older, the different levels of understanding and interpretations give us the "A-ha!" moments that curious minds crave. Learning about God gives depth and meaning to our understanding of God, our lives, and how we are influenced by God and all other stimulus in our lives. There is a satisfaction at "feeling enlightened" and also there is a hunger for more.
Frustration can set in ~ Desires for greater involvement with God are only limited by the imagination... and the rules that are attached to one's faith-choice."God" in any faith seems very complex and elusive. There is no physical manifestation you can touch and talk with like a fellow human (or an idolatry object which modern belief systems cringe at). Even though most people will agree that if you boil the concept of God down into one meaning it would be "Love" or the Greek word for this type of love "Agape".
Mysticism is anything having to do with the feelings people are seeking to get closer to God somehow. We learn that "God is Love" and we also know what it is to "fall in love", but God's bond with us is not exactly the same thing as us bonding with a human. Yet we yearn for "feelings" to inspire us, such as God touching us in some special way. God's love is so complete, so perfect, we want to not just know it, we want to feel it.
Many people use the text from the Bible to connect with God. We know that God is somehow "with us" so humans desire some form of intimacy with God. Holding the Holy Text is a connection to God. The words are puzzle pieces to put together, chapters and books of data with promises of greater connection and understanding.
To increase a connected feeling, those learned bits of scripture are often accompanied with prayer asking for further insight, life guidance, and sometimes with hopeful sought support from a Pastor, Priest, or other learned figure. But sometimes that is not enough... mysticism builds a bridge to a meeting place between heaven and earth where people can "be" a
little closer to God.
We are in earthly bodies with our five senses where we connect to the world, and to God. We see images of God and Holy People in various churches. We hear song, prayer, and sometimes God's voice in our heads. We feel candles in our hands, sacrament in our palms, and taste the blood of Christ. We smell incense, ladies perfumes and men's shoe polish. These senses connect us to the full experience that includes mysticism. This is why there is a desire for it. The limitations of our brains and bodies are a frustration when we want to fill our life with a "God" experience. Humans invented Mysticism to bridge the void.
Mother Clair Watts explains Mysticism (in two minutes):
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