Mysticism vs. Magick

The Raven(ous) Society: A Magical, Cozy Mystery Haven

Kirsten Weiss

Jun 21, 2025

I’m highly susceptible to musical earworms.

(I’ve been told this means I’m prone to clairaudience, however, this has not been my experience).

The latest song to grip my brain has been Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill.

I’d heard the song—a romcom soundtrack favorite—many times.

But I’d never listened to the lyrics until it played on my car radio two weeks ago.

(And shame on me).

Maybe because I recently finished writing Whispers of the Witch, which explores both mysticism and magick, I finally noticed what the song’s about—a mystical experience.

I haven’t talked much about mysticism, mainly because most people get funny looks on their faces when I do.

But mysticism and magick are close cousins.

Mystics and magicians both work within the multilevel worlds of the soul and the subconscious.
Mystics and magicians both traverse those inner landscapes, following the symbols to transform themselves.
Mystics and magicians are both believed to gain extraordinary or paranormal powers post-transformation.

The difference, however, lies in the motivations.

The mystic seeks to transform himself to see the Divine. The magician seeks to change himself (or herself) to change the world.

As far as I can tell, there are two types of mystic experiences, which I’ll classify as involuntary and intentional.

(If you know of others, please let me know in the comments).

“Professional” mystics are intentional, using meditation or repetitive prayer or movements to alter their mental state and touch the Divine.

The involuntary is more the realm of us non-professionals.

We don’t do anything intentional to shift into the extraordinary. One moment, it just… happens.

You might have a Big Dream that opens your soul.

(Like pornography, Big Dreams are tough to define, but you know it when you’ve experienced one).

You might experience a sudden moment of union, when the world glows with a beauty you’ve never seen before, and the shock of it opens your heart to connection with the Universe.

This involuntary moment is what Peter Gabriel describes in Solsbury Hill.

While each experience is unique, mystic encounters tend to follow certain patterns.

First, there’s a change of vision. Suddenly, you’re seeing the world around you as if for the first time, and you’re really seeing it.

Your heart shifts, it opens, and everything changes.

And then you return to normalcy.

Afterwards, you might tell a few people.

But soon you realize that no one “gets it,” and you just look a little nutty.

After all, there’s a reason the word “ineffable” exists.

Some things are impossible to describe, because without the shared experience, the words are meaningless.

So you shut up about it.

You might take the lesson from your moment of revelation and try to share that.

But often people try to recreate the mystic experience.

That’s what I did.

When I was around 17, I had a mystic experience.

I tried to tell a few people, but no one understood.

Or worse, they said they understood but obviously didn’t.

So I dug deep into the esoteric world, chasing the meaning, chasing the experience, trying to understand so I could recreate it.

I never did find my way back, (though maybe I care a little less now if people think I’m woo).

In an interview which I now cannot find but I swear I didn’t imagine, Peter Gabriel said the message he received on Solsbury Hill was about letting go.

He’d just left the band Genesis.

Gabriel had to let go of the past to become what he was meant to be.

Today, I understand that trying to relive that glimpse of the Divine was a fool’s errand.

I needed to let that desire go.

The experience was a gift.

But the lesson it revealed was what mattered.

What do you need to let go of?

Murder Mystery Party Game!

You’re invited to my pre-launch party for Whispers of the Witch on July 13th! I’ll be running a murder mystery party game, and YOU can try to solve the crime.

There will be fun!

There will be prizes!

There will also be witch cozy mystery author Ellis Elliott for a rousing discussion on writing witchy!

The Zoom party is a Sunday, and I’m hope you’ll be able to make it at 2 PM PST, 5 PM EST.

Registration is free and it’s HERE.

How do we go on when our world has collapsed?

Mitzi’s lost her marriage, her home, and her career. Teaching photography on a Georgia barrier island might be the do-over this midlife influencer needs.

But her fresh start soon takes a dark turn. When she stumbles over the body of a supposed drowning victim, she realizes the idyllic island isn’t everything it seems.

Haunted by the dead woman and mysterious messages from a mystery school, Mitzi must solve the mystery of her own magic. Because a killer is on the island, and his work has just begun.

Whispers of the Witch is an interactive, metaphysical mystery from the Mystery School Series that will leave readers spellbound. If you were inspired by the quest in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, discover a path where women find their magic through connection and love.

Kirsten Weiss’s Substack

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