THE MYSTICAL ARCHITECTURE

Essay by Arch. Eric Bogantes / September 2021

Mystical

Adjective • masculine and feminine noun

[person] Who aspires to achieve or believes in experiencing the union or contact of the soul with divinity.

I intend to define and understand which material elements, space organization, and design techniques we can represent to make mystical designs. I call mystical all kinds of experience and sensation embodied in the design that inspire us to balance spaces and natural, sensorial, and mental harmony.

I find it exciting to describe the intangible, trace the invisible, and identify the spaces that evoke deep serenity.

September 27, 2020:

Atenas, Costa Rica. Submerged in the pandemic, finding your friends again was a luxury and a privilege; in search of the perfect house for a party, my friend Dj. Octa managed to find a house full of mystical experiences. The house is the last of the condominium, inside a Mountainous Valley; when we reach the parking lot, stairs lead us to an open garden with large rocks and a central garden that divides the house into two wings. There is a Japanese flavor in the garden. The view was a center, a vertical axis in the middle of the landscape between two big mountains full of clouds. The house feels on the edge of the precipice, illuminated by the moon, subtly disguised in nature. Staying there until dawn was a message of profound balance.

The place’s message is unified and clear. It is so beautiful that it is impossible to miss the sunrise. The perception of time is slowly progressive. The transition from the moon to the sun feels like a continuous film of memories and a message of captivating serenity

"And how would it help us to discover our mystical side? Seeing our pure connection with a whole makes us understand that the human capacity for creation is infinite and unimaginable."

The Message

Ancient civilizations discovered a biological and cosmic message within our brains. This understanding is not tied to any religion or belief system. Instead, it represents a form of spirituality that is deeply connected to nature and involves a profound awareness of our being, as well as a sincere pursuit of enlightenment in our lives.

How would it help us discover our mystical side? Seeing our pure connection with a whole makes us understand that the human capacity for creation is infinite and unimaginable. The human being is a beautiful machine of creation intimately related to the nature of a whole.

When encouraged to discover the mystical world, there is a state of mental and physical fulfillment. Our human sensibilities and what we are capable of feeling; a sea of emotions. Our senses are highly capable of perceiving information, and our mind has a vast world of ideas and concepts. The human body has a high capacity to experience an awakened awareness of what surrounds us.

The frame of our reality

Surrounding our being with an emotional, physical space and combining it with nature would be a way of living in balance and accepting that we are passengers of cosmic time, trapped by our awakened consciousness in a physical space of time, but with a knowledge that can be sufficient to enjoy our short and fleeting flash of light in this world. If we consider that our reality is framed by space-time and that our lives are merely a passage in the journey of our spirit, it makes sense to focus our energies on making this journey balanced and pleasurable.

Our intentions and thoughts are the energetic force of our being. A definite purpose, a dream to achieve, and a constant appreciation for life make us able to overcome our being, be more aware, more active, and more capable of internalizing ourselves on a higher plane—to be more enlightened.

There are other ways of seeing that it is not only light; there is a language of an energy pattern capable of giving us another concept of reality, a sensitive and tactile version of architecture, an Omnipresent architecture in the same space.

Resources to create a mystical architecture:

1. The portal

The portal is a physical demarcation of time in a visible and invisible space. It would be nice to be tactile in the concept.

2. The light sources

Light is the energy of full intensity. Light degradation can create a series of different emotions that transcend as we move within a space. Enough light can make a hue and an intention.

3. The moon and the Sun (The transition of time)

You must have a clear and present connection with the outside. The reason is that the built materials are artificial, but the exterior can be natural; its clear connection gives an idea of the transition of time and an evident appreciation of the present. Nature will play a determining role in appreciating the transition of time.

4. The continuity of experience

There must be elements and materials in specific quantities and limited textures. A continuous experience of the space’s message must be created without losing its identity. There may be connections, which serve as bridges to help preserve the concept.

5. The balance

Balance is the artistic composition of mystical architecture. Everything should be designed with intentions of balance, perception is mass and emptiness, including energy tensions. Balance is the perfect composition, the eternal search. The symmetrical pattern might reinforce it, but an instituted balance can nurture it.

6. Increased senses

All the senses are part of the experience. The texture to the touch, the smell of the materials, and the clean look, among others, add up; the greater the amount, the more experience. For this reason, spaces that encourage our senses will be seen as mini-temples; in them, the human body transforms. Altered frequencies of music have also detected the transformation of space.

7. The earth-sky axis

The connection will not be only on the horizon. The vertical axis of our positioning is essential. For them, rescuing items at our feet or above our heads will also be an efficient message point.