--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mystical experiences nearly always lead…" description: "\"Mystical experiences nearly always lead one to a belief that some aspect of consciousness is imperishable. In a Buddhist metaphor the consciousness of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/marilyn-ferguson-4496_aspect_mystical-experiences-nearly-always-lead_1520321.jpg" --- # Mystical experiences nearly always lead one to a belief… ![“Mystical experiences nearly always lead one to a belief that some aspect of consciousness is imperishable. In a Buddhist metaphor the consciousness of the individual is like a flame that burns through the night. It is not the same flame over time, yet neither is it another flame.” quote by Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/marilyn-ferguson-4496_aspect_mystical-experiences-nearly-always-lead_1520321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/marilyn-ferguson-4496_aspect_mystical-experiences-nearly-always-lead_1520321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/marilyn-ferguson-4496_aspect_mystical-experiences-nearly-always-lead_1520321.jpg) > “Mystical experiences nearly always lead one to a belief that some aspect of consciousness is imperishable. In a Buddhist metaphor the consciousness of the individual is like a flame that burns through the night. It is not the same flame over time, yet neither is it another flame.” [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mystical experiences suggest consciousness is enduring, like a flame that persists despite change. **In simple terms:** Mystical insight hints at lasting consciousness. Key Takeaway Explore the nature of enduring consciousness. Themes spirituality consciousness impermanence Mood curious reflective Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - psychology - philosophical inquiry Key Concepts metaphysics Buddhist symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What does “imperishable consciousness” mean to you? - How do you reconcile changing identity with continuity? A Different Perspective Interpretations of consciousness vary across cultures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Buddhist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) [Buddhist Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist-metaphor-5617434/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Consciousness Imperishable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-imperishable-5617435/) [Consciousness Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-individual-2159346/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Metaphor Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-consciousness-2526136/) [Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical/) [Mystical experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical-experiences/) [Mysticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysticism/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) ## Related quotes > [...I sense that stepping into the light is also a powerful metaphor for consciousness, for the birth of the knowing mind, for the simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/i-sense-that-stepping-into-the-light-is-also-a-powerful-metaphor-for/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Using painting as a metaphor for consciousness is what I'm interested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-cooke/using-painting-as-a-metaphor-for-consciousness-is-what-i-m-interested/) [Nigel Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-cooke/) > [Every one of us is a mystic. We may or may not realize it, we may not even like it. But whether we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-teasdale/every-one-of-us-is-a-mystic-we-may-or-may-not-realize-it-we-may-not/) [Wayne Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-teasdale/) > [Mitchell had answered that, as far as he understood them, mystical experiences were significant only to the extent that they changed a person's conception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/mitchell-had-answered-that-as-far-as-he-understood-them-mystical/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [When sex involves all the senses intensely, it can be like a mystical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/when-sex-involves-all-the-senses-intensely-it-can-be-like-a-mystical/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [Divinity lies all around us, but society remains too hidebound to accept that fact...The mother sea and the fountain-head of all religions lies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/divinity-lies-all-around-us-but-society-remains-too-hidebound-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Poetic experience is distinct in nature from mystical experience. Because poetry emanates from the free creativity of the spirit,it is from the very start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-maritain/poetic-experience-is-distinct-in-nature-from-mystical-experience/) [Jacques Maritain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-maritain/) > [If you are ready for mystical experiences, you have them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/if-you-are-ready-for-mystical-experiences-you-have-them/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [Synchronicities, epiphanies, peak, and mystical experiences are all cases in which creativity breaks through the barriers of the self and allows awareness to flood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-david-peat/synchronicities-epiphanies-peak-and-mystical-experiences-are-all/) [F. David Peat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-david-peat/) > [So the Buddha is presenting awakening not as a single mystical experience that may come upon us at some meditation, some private moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/so-the-buddha-is-presenting-awakening-not-as-a-single-mystical/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [I don't think the mystical experience can be verbalized. When the ego disappears, so does power over language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/i-don-t-think-the-mystical-experience-can-be-verbalized-when-the-ego/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [What was considered a peak mystical experience a few years ago is today the basic platform of sanity from which our exploration begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjuna-ardagh/what-was-considered-a-peak-mystical-experience-a-few-years-ago-is/) [Arjuna Ardagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjuna-ardagh/) > [For the person who wants to get to the mystical experience directly, Tantric Buddhism is the path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/for-the-person-who-wants-to-get-to-the-mystical-experience-directly/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Videos are tricky because stuff sounds amazing on paper and it seems like it's going to be this mystical experience and you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-bruno/videos-are-tricky-because-stuff-sounds-amazing-on-paper-and-it-seems/) [Aaron Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-bruno/) > [Mystical experiences (unlike scientific conclusions) cannot be communicated from one person to another. Philosophers and little children are continually amazed that we, unaccountably, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/mystical-experiences-unlike-scientific-conclusions-cannot-be/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) ## More by Marilyn Ferguson > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/ultimately-we-know-deeply-that-the-other-side-of-every-fear-is-freedom/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [People are seeking more power in the individual and less in government and institutions; they want more cooperation and less competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/people-are-seeking-more-power-in-the-individual-and-less-in/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [You can be more productive, confident, comfortable with insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/you-can-be-more-productive-confident-comfortable-with-insecurity/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Whatever the rationale, the suppression of unorthodox cancer therapies and the sustained persecution of their proponents by government and colleagues runs counter to freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/whatever-the-rationale-the-suppression-of-unorthodox-cancer-therapies/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Making mental connections is our most crucial learning tool, the essence of human intelligence; to forge links; to go beyond the given; to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/making-mental-connections-is-our-most-crucial-learning-tool-the/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [ General Systems Theory, a related modern concept \[to holism\], says that each variable in any system interacts with the other variables so thoroughly that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/general-systems-theory-a-related-modern-concept-to-holism-says-that/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The East contemplated the forest the West counted the trees...the mind that knows that trees and the forest is a new mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-east-contemplated-the-forest-the-west-counted-the-trees-the-mind/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The difference between transformation by accident and transformation by a system is like the difference between lightning and a lamp. Both give illumination, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-difference-between-transformation-by-accident-and-transformation/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Most of us are having to invent, discover, and create the next steps of our lives without a light, a map, or a relevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/most-of-us-are-having-to-invent-discover-and-create-the-next-steps-of/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Cynics know the answers without having penetrated deeply enough to know the questions. When challenged by mysterious truths, they marshall 'facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/cynics-know-the-answers-without-having-penetrated-deeply-enough-to/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Many artists have said that when life itself becomes fully conscious, art as we know it will vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/many-artists-have-said-that-when-life-itself-becomes-fully-conscious/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Spirituality is a kind of virgin wisdom, a knowing that comes prior to experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/spirituality-is-a-kind-of-virgin-wisdom-a-knowing-that-comes-prior-to/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Fear is a question: What are you afraid of and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/fear-is-a-question-what-are-you-afraid-of-and-why-just-as-the-seed-of/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The struggle to make people understand the need for change is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-struggle-to-make-people-understand-the-need-for-change-is-over/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) [Explore all 110 Marilyn Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## More Aspect quotes > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It is according to the shapes that I lay the plans for victory, but the multitude does not comprehend this. Although everyone can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-according-to-the-shapes-that-i-lay-the-plans-for-victory-but/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I believe that simple, consistent shifts in our thinking and actions can lead to the miraculous in all aspects of our daily lives, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/i-believe-that-simple-consistent-shifts-in-our-thinking-and-actions/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/there-is-so-much-temptation-to-hold-on-to-my-career-even-more-now-to/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [I do miss the social aspect of sitting in a pub with a pint but you know what when I get down to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-do-miss-the-social-aspect-of-sitting-in-a-pub-with-a-pint-but-you/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) [Fernando Bujones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [I love fall because I love the whole cuddling aspect of it, and a sweater dress has that vibe of I'm going to hunker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-love-fall-because-i-love-the-whole-cuddling-aspect-of-it-and-a/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I didnt like the Survivor shows because of the mean-spirited aspect, and women certainly were part of whatever conflict they would create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/i-didnt-like-the-survivor-shows-because-of-the-mean-spirited-aspect/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [MAC allowed me to have complete freedom on the collaborations—from the shades, the look-and-feel, to the campaign visuals. I have to admit that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-treacy/mac-allowed-me-to-have-complete-freedom-on-the-collaborations-from/) [Philip Treacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-treacy/) > [I mean family is more important than anything in life. Family is important than my crew, D-Block, my rap career anything... It's the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/i-mean-family-is-more-important-than-anything-in-life-family-is/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 3,171 Aspect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mystical experiences nearly always lead one to a belief that some aspect of consciousness is imperishable. In a Buddhist metaphor the consciousness of the individual is like a flame that burns through the night. 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