Mysticism is a religious path where a person tries, through prayer, sitting quietly, or deep meditation, to know what is true and to come so close to God that the two are not felt as separate. It is less about arguing from a book, and more about experience. You find it in many faiths — Christian mystics, Sufi Muslims, some Hindus and Buddhists — though each tradition has its own way. In careful English, mysticism is the practice; a mystic is the person. Though actually, people stretch the word. In loose talk it can mean anything spiritual and hard to put into words, even when God is not in the picture. Then it starts to mean only mysterious, which is a different idea. Real mysticism can look quiet and ordinary; it does not have to be magic, incense, or a secret club.