Religion vs mysticism

[Magical Realist]

“Religion is nothing but institutionalized mysticism. The catch is, mysticism does not lend itself to institutionalization. The moment we attempt to organize mysticism, we destroy its essence. Religion, then, is mysticism in which the mystical has been killed. Or, at least diminished.”
― Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All

Mysticism is spirituality in its messy firsthand experiential immediacy. Religion is the vain attempt to neatly categorize and organize spirituality into a morally encoded social institution. The most you will ever get out of religion is a comfortable sense of group identity that revels in its specialness in contrast to the rest of humanity. Mysticism otoh takes you to the very throbbing core of spirit, transforming oneself into a vessel for the awe and profundity of just being alive and conscious. Religion is a mask or persona we wear to define one's ego with. Mysticism is a lifelong experience of transcending the ego for the beauty and terror of Being itself.

[C C]

“Religion is nothing but institutionalized mysticism. The catch is, mysticism does not lend itself to institutionalization. The moment we attempt to organize mysticism, we destroy its essence. Religion, then, is mysticism in which the mystical has been killed. Or, at least diminished.”
― Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All

Mysticism is spirituality in its messy firsthand experiential immediacy. Religion is the vain attempt to neatly categorize and organize spirituality into a morally encoded social institution. The most you will ever get out of religion is a comfortable sense of group identity that revels in its specialness in contrast to the rest of humanity. Mysticism otoh takes you to the very throbbing core of spirit, transforming oneself into a vessel for the awe and profundity of just being alive and conscious. Religion is a mask or persona we wear to define one's ego with. Mysticism is a lifelong experience of transcending the ego for the beauty and terror of Being itself.

That's probably applicable with the commercialized and "invented for profit" nature of religion of today.

I go with the Roman meaning of the word to "bind together". It was originally the whole system of beliefs and customs (not all of them supernatural, like maybe everyday morals and political interests) that a specific community had for uniting its members and providing them with a shared identity.

Individual spiritual experiences and revelations -- their irregular and unbridled nature -- obviously can't implement and maintain that kind of societal integration, as well as the personal metrics and private values associated with them not being translatable to the public arena without losing that defining character.

Thus, the conversion to formal standards (fixed and universal interpretations). The external pragmatism of creating, sustaining, and defending tribe/culture and civilization over pursuing inner, non-spatial and non-verbal enlightenment and discovery.