Both Uses of
mystic
in
Childhood's End
- And the evidence is hopelessly confused with mysticism-perhaps the prime aberration of the human mind.†
Chpt 9 *mysticism = belief in realities that are outside of scientific understanding and normal experience
- Yet your mystics, though they were lost in their own delusions, had seen part of the truth.†
Chpt 20mystics = people said to comprehend reality using supernatural means
Definition:
a person who seeks or claims to have direct spiritual insight beyond ordinary understanding; or an experience that feels deeply spiritual, mysterious, or otherworldly
In common usage, mystic is more likely to be used in reference to a practitioner of a less mainstream religion than a more mainstream religion -- possibly because the former is more mysterious to the writer.