How I came to TOTJO

scott777ab wrote: How I came here, is an interesting mystery that I was asked about in the Chatroom, so I thought I would try to explain it to the best of my ability here.

So first let me give you some of my background.

The earliest memory I have about being in any religion was around the 2nd grade. I was raised up in a Southern Baptist Church. I was told and taught that God is real, and Jesus loves me. By the time I became a teen-ager I was given the choice of going to church or not going. I chose not to go.

Inbetween that time, when I was in the 4th grade my mother and father were divorced. Later when I was in the 10th grade my mother warned me that if I failed she was sending me to live with my father. I failed and off I was sent.

My father had become a hard-core Fundamental Baptist, and was remarried. I was forced to attend church once again. But at this time even though I tried to truly believe in Christianity something was always missing.

We moved to Chipley Florida where I became involved with the Jehovahs Witnesses and again tried to believe that faith, but something was missing.

Years later I had moved back down to Ocala and my step-sister was in the picture then with her husband. They both were/are Mormons. I attended the Mormon faith for quite some time.

After this I discovered the Pentecostal faith and tried again to believe it. Always though something simply just seemed to be missing. And I always felt at the time where I was it was right for that moment.

Later just browsing the bookstore I came across the book, "To ride a Silver Broomstick, by Silver Ravenwolf." This book was about wicca, but more than just wicca too.

Somewhere along the line I came across, "The Secret Doctrine, by Blavatsky." This book kind of showed the similarities between all faiths. This sent my mind reeling.

So after this I began searching for something just never knowing what it was. I started to become full of hate towards God, and that became my motivation for living.

Then a book fell into my lap figuratively speaking. This book was called, "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, by T Harv Ekor." Now understand I did not and do not believe in get quick rich crap. But there was some good ideas in the book about how to budget your money and other things to begin to take control of your life. Within this book also was the framework of a different type of thought system.

After this my Mother one day came into my room and we started talking and she asked me a series of questions. These questions made me realize that many of the things that I had been doing and thought were separate actions and not related were related. It was as if a light switch had gone to on position in my mind.

Shortly after this, I stumbled upon the book, "The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne." This book was about the Law of Attraction. After reading the book and looking back in my life I could see how everything that has come into my life I have attracted in some form or fashion. Like wrecking my truck, the brakes failed. Well I asked for that by not keeping the brakes in good repair. If my brakes had been good I would not have hit the other vehicle.

Anyways, my involvement with many different religions and faiths became a journey in of itself.

Now to try to get to the point.

During all this time I have alway felt some type of presence or feeling behind me. Not behind my back, but behind me, that which is me within. It would sorta be like saying a shadow of myself standing behind myself but all within my head. Its this other-self, that is beyond description that I talk about.

This other-self I have always felt as though it has led me and directed me in the best possible paths and outcomes without denying my main conscious self of free-will.

So now to how I came to TOTJO. I was doing my normal browsing of the web on religion not sure how TOTJO came up but I sort of stumbled on to the site.

Now understand I believe that all things happen for a purpose, so I took a serious look at the FAQ and the basic beliefs and it was like another light bulb went off in my head. Here is a place that I can explore muliple beliefs, talk to others about my beliefs and not be told, "your going to hell."

During all these explorations I have always felt "LED." Led, drawn, tugged at, soft voice saying don't go that way. This "force" has always kept me from SERIOUS harm, but also has also let me reap the bad from my own personal bad decisions.

I do believe that "the force," or as Watts calls, "IT," is "GOD." I believe GOD has led me and directed my life to finally coming here. I understand that many do not believe the force is intelligent or even conscious but I do. Anyways that is how I've come here.

What I hope to gain from being here at TOTJO is a better understanding of how each faith relates to each other and how they are different from each other. How their myths developed over time to teach certain concepts to man, and what those concepts were. Were their certain issues that were being considered during that time, like certain conditions for the survival of life. Was there conditions or whatever that caused these people to change their views on life?

So my reason for being here it to better understand the reasons behind the myths, and why and how they developed.

I am posting this in my journal and in the general forum.
For those who read this in the general forum, I ask you, "How did you come here to TOTJO, and what is it that you wish to gain here?"

Thank you Scott

Same here. There's an energy field created by all living things.

I also came to TOTJO on my own journey of spiritual discovery. I grew up in a rather eclectic family. My mother and father are split up, and my dad remarried. They have traditionally been conservative, Catholic Italians, while my mom's side has always been a tad more liberal. While I learned the Catholic party line from my step mom and dad, I was given a chance to explore and learn about other spiritual viewpoints and cultures from my mother. This gave me a pretty balanced viewpoint on spirituality, and in addition I've always taken a rather secular and scientific stand as well. Despite this, however, I've never been able to consider myself an atheist because despite my rejection of Catholicism, I always have in fact believed in something. In Grade 11 World Religions class, I learned about Buddhism and it was as though a light switch flicked on. Aha! Finally, a philosophy that made sense to me! At that point, I began the transition from angry, resentful post-Catholic teenager, to truly embarking on my own spiritual journey.

Over the years, I continued learning and growing, coming to synthesize science and spirituality in my world view as one compatible thing. Then last year I had a breakthrough. Just as I thought my path had reached an impasse, my employer decided to send me on an extended work trip to a small town in northern Alberta, Canada. Now, I'd always had a passing interest in Wicca and Paganism, even if I didn't put serious stock in it due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. While out west, however, I had a chance to join a Pagan group and learn their worldview. It changed my life, and as I examined it, I discovered many similarities between Pagan concepts such as magick, universal energy and balance and the philosophies of the Jedi from Star Wars. Again, a lightswitch clicked in my brain, and it was as if I knew. I had come HOME to my true spiritual path, and found a way to continue learning about all others as well.

At that moment, I knew I was a Jedi.

Since then, I've found that, in addition to my continued learning about Buddhism and Paganism and my incorporating of those into my worldview, there are five lines that speak to me and help guide me daily:

There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.

May the Force be with you all.