There has been an Awakening, have you felt it?

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6 years 1 month ago #314216 by
In a most enjoyable discussion with Kyrin, I came across the thought of a spiritual awakening. When analyzing scientifically what we have in front of us and when we have an unexplained event, are we awakened in any sense?

I would be very interested in hearing about spiritual awakenings that others have had. I do feel a necessity for some ground rules in this discussion as I could see very different points of view being expressed, so what I would like to encourage is this...

Express what it was that has awakened your spiritually and how that has guided your beliefs as you see them today. What powers do you have, what rites or sacrifices are there in your belief. What is the goal of your belief, your afterlife. Is there a saving element, a plan or destiny to what you believe? Is there a beginning, an end? How was life started and how can world peace ever be attained. And finally how does this church affect and effect what you currently believe?

To the reader and/or commentators, respect that this is the truth to the poster and is not meant to be flamed or disproved in anyway. It is not meant to convert you to that way of thinking, but consider that everyone does look at things similarly and completely opposite of one another. Instead I would encourage you to help the writer explore more into what they describe and how they believe. You may question their insight but not their beliefs as they would not question yours, but allow all of us to really consider who we are and where are we going.

If you don't feel like you've experienced an awakening express where you feel you are in relation to your spiritual self. Where do you feel you need to be going. Follow the same kind of questioning of those that have experienced an awakening and see where that takes you.

I'll happily go first in the next reply to this...

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6 years 1 month ago - 6 years 1 month ago #314217 by
In my days I have experienced many people of many religions and cultures, and one thing that always seem to stand out to me are our similarities. But to me what really awakened my spirituality was the first time I dealt with the aspect of no afterlife. We are here in this life for such a short time, can it really all just end at the end?

I contemplated this for most my adult life, yet experiences in my youth as well as my adult life were counter to the belief of THE END. This made me more interested in the concepts of the afterlife. Considering the types of God's I had learned about, a vengeful and wrathful God, a merciful and forgiving God, the slew of elemental Gods, and what it all would mean towards death.

I began to consider that if I am expected not to judge, to forgive my fellow man, and be honest in my dealings any God would need to maintain that as his standard as well. So what can be said about anything in this life? I am very analytical in much of my thinking so why should faith be any different? I enjoy following scientific processes and theory. So I thought I should consider science first. What is the Earth, what is space, what is time, what is human, and what is consciousness? In all these areas, more and more continues to be discovered.

With this I began to consider that science can't explain anything to me currently about how I began and what will happen when I die. It was still a significant place to draw knowledge from though, and I continue to weigh things against science for an explanation to that which can be explained. However, this did not discourage me from considering things that could not be explained.

When I began to consider that The Force could actually be an influencer to what I perceive around me with some scientific foundation more and more became clearer to me, spiritually.

We are all composed of energy and energy does not just end, but transitions to another form of energy. We have abilities beyond what we can rationally act upon, strength, perception, motion, talents, and skills, variables to the same structural beings all around us. And these abilities can be exaggerated in certain circumstances as they are needed. Can this be an aspect of the force?

Many spiritual needs are needed from us to others, not just for another's well being but for our own spiritual wellbeing. Performing a spiritual act, is expressing your spiritual belief beyond yourself. This should also impact your spiritual growth that you are working in accordance with your own beliefs. I believe that I can accomplish things outside the realm of science to improve myself and others through these rituals. That understanding who to perform these are instructed by the force. The force being the energies of those who have passed before.

I do believe that we are all connected and are all composed of the same energy that provides life to all things. That by treading on another being is just as damaging to myself. That if this way of thinking was in everyone, there would be no need for thing like vanity, envy, greed, or indulgences. By seeing that we are all created equally of the same substances as the rest of the world, it would enlighten everyone to accept everyone for who they are and not for what they do.

Where did life begin and where will it end, I don't know this yet, but thanks to my acceptance here I feel that I will be able to learn this for myself.
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6 years 1 month ago #314228 by
I don't know if I would consider it an awakening but one thing that this place helped me feel and accept was letting go of the Christian guilt that was drilled into me during my time growing up. I always had this guilt that if I stopped believing in God and all that jazz, bad things would happen to me and my family. It seemed like any time I sat and doubted my faith, something bad would happen that would made me immediately regret what I said.

Once I started here and started diving deeper into mythology and other religions (which I had read on before coming here but just touched on), I was able to sit and talk to myself and think about what it was that I really believed in. I told myself, "If there is a God that loves us no matter what, then why would he punish me for not believing in these certain things?". It's a bit hard to explain and I can't really put it into words, but somewhere along the way I realized that I still have my faith in God and strongly believe that the Force is the power of God (which isn't far'fetched, as I learned in one of my studies of Essence-Energy Distinction as is believed in Orthodox theology. . Reading that, and, of course, digging more into Taoism, Buddhism and all that, really strengthened my belief that there was more out there than what I was raised with.

That feeling of 'Christian Guilt' is gone. Every once in a while, I do find myself thinking "what if?" but I brush it off immediately. So, yeah, I don't know if this counts as what you are asking but I thought it would be interesting to share and I hope that other people who read it realize that, yes, if you have that Christian guilt, it's ok, let it go, you will be fine!

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6 years 1 month ago #314230 by Zenchi
https://youtu.be/VFzsSbdS7Sk

Last week I experienced only what I can call my Luke Skywalker existentialist moment. I was doing Corpse yoga immediately after waking in bed, something I do on a daily basis, and within 15 minutes I entered what was the most lucid state I've ever experienced in my 45 years...

Due to my regular consumption of Marijuana, this was the first time I'd entered the lucid state in about 2 years. I recognized it fairly early, along with my degree of contol, and as usual took off like a bat outta hell. I immediately noticed something was wrong seconds into the experience. I had total control, and yet I was still terrified, something was up. As enjoyable as the experience was, I realized I needed to check my body, all was not well...

Focusing on my fingers and toes, I simultaneously felt my physical body while still in the lucid state. My heart felt as if it were ready to jump from my chest, and the blood pounding in my head was far from pleasurable. The most enjoyable experience of my life, and I was forced to cut it short...

It's quite the reality slap the day you realize you can die from simply entering the lucid state while dreaming or awake. I had, as a result of the bitter winter limited my exercise regimen, my cardio has suffered for it quite a good deal. Add the fact I'm 45, and literally feel everything I eat now, I'm not in the best shape. I began to let myself go, and wasn't even aware of the fact until I came close to a full on heart attack and/or stroke...

This by far wasn't the first awakening I've experienced, but certainly the most profound. It almost cured my addiction to social media, junk food, and a few other unhealthy pastimes. Nothing like an out of the body near death experience to cure you of all life's little problems while putting everything into perspective...

My options were obvious, I could continue the downward spiral, and give up on ever experiencing that state ever again without the risk of leaving this physical plane of existence, or change everything, and I mean everything...

I ate salad for the first time for dinner the other night, no carbs. I had yogurt for breakfast and two oranges for lunch. My gut cries out in anguish over not being sated to the point I fall into a food coma, but the benifits are worth it. I have more energy, my mind is not prone to the mood swings brought on by a fist full of carbs, and I'm more consciously aware as a result...

The near death experience has also brought upon the realization that my time here is short, stress is no excuse not to live life to the fullest, like every day is my last. I've remembered the forgotten lesson I learned a year ago, about letting go, not being swept up in other people's drama, and setting the best example to my students I can provide..

The experience has reminded me not just how short life is, but how powerful the human experience can really be in that short time frame, so naturally I'm doing everything in my power to ensure I have those more frequently. Nothing compares in regards to waking you up from your own mental funk than realizing you have the power to change your life at will, today. It is a complete paradigm change, a hard reboot of the psyche, and one I look forward to having as soon as possible...

Just without the near heart attack/stroke. As awesome and transformational as the experience was, I'm not at all ready to leave this incarnation Luke Skywalker style, not just yet...

My Word is my Honor, and my Honor is my Life ~ Sturm Brightblade
Passion, yet Serenity
Knighted Apprentice Arisaig
TM- RyuJin
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6 years 1 month ago #314232 by
I'm calmer and less stressed by life's unexpected events if that means anything.

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6 years 1 month ago #314236 by
My spiritual awakening took place in 1996, when I really watched Star Wars for the first time and paid attention.

There wasn't much to do on the internet back then, but I found my way to some chat rooms and met some other Star Wars fans like me. They turned me onto the Expanded Universe novels. Eventually I ended up at the Mos Eisley Cantina chat room where I met my mentor Mitth. He taught me how the beliefs in the Force could be used in real life.

I had had no real religious or spiritual beliefs before that, so I was working with a clean slate. My life took on a whole new meaning. Suddenly I had purpose. Peace and justice were my new reasons for being alive.

Being the non-religious sort, I have no rites or rituals. No set philosophies, other than the idea of the Force being everything and that we are One with it. Afterlife, plans and destinies are all irrelevant to me. Beginning and End are one in the same. I see no limitations, no restrictions, no paths that must be followed. The only thing I seek is liberation, and in that seeking I am liberated from the need for it.

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6 years 1 month ago #314237 by
My awakening keeps happening, over and over again, like waking from a dream when you thought you were already awake, only to awake again... and again... and again.

The first major time was about a year ago, the first time I astral projected. Until then, I thought it was a bunch of baloney, but I'm curious by nature so I tired what is called the "Rope" method. I sat for what felt like hours, trying until I gave up, only to realise you can't force it. It was in that moment that I projected for the first time. I opened my eyes and my room was so much smaller than I was used to. I looked down and realised I was look at the top of my own head.

But, me being me, I wasn't sure if it was legit. Did I dream it? It took time for me to recognise it as legit, but it did take a long time before I was ever able to do it again.

The second time I was way too early for class. This was a few months ago. So I decided to meditate some time away. I eventually found I was walking about the classroom, despite being physically perfectly still. I only realised what happened when a classmate walked in and I, for a brief moment, saw them from two locations in the classroom at the same time, from the back of the class, where I was watching the construction outside, and from my desk.

Until these moments, I was simply a Christian. Things like astral projection was shunned by my parents as "evil". But I always wanted proof of more. Now I have it, despite having no evidence besides my own experience to back it up. But I need not prove anything to anyone. I have my answers, and that was when I moved on from being Everett and became Arisaig.

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6 years 1 month ago #314240 by Kobos
I have had several but, I like to think of them as perspective shifts.

The first major one I can say in sureness was when i first learned to jam properly with the bass. when I finally figured out and could hear the multiple lines of music I remember literally feeling the harmony and then for some reason thinking and feeling that even after we were done that nature has a similar harmony. All it takes is a little focus to hear and feel it.

The second, and take this for what it is. I was still in my experiment with psychedelics phase, I was on a small dose of Acid and at a party not normally a good combination. However, at one point I had a third person perspective of myself sitting in the room with everyone I was chilling with. I could feel others emotions by looking at them. Then in all of the confusion of reading the others emotions I realized we all had one thing that flowed between us and the each of us was simply there, it didn't matter how we felt we were there in a physical and yet different form. (yes I was tripping so like I said, take it with a grain of salt.) We were all connected and yet like rain drops individuals on our way to rejoin each other in the puddles on the ground.

The most recent was after completing my first book for my apprenticeship and it is still occurring now, the changes keep coming. I realized the only thing that matters is the now, yes I have goals, ideas ect. about the future and I have triumphs and failures from the past but the are almost always inconsequential to the reality of now. This includes understand the difference of emotional reality and reality reality. Trying to put this into practice while the waves of recent events in my life has been exceedingly difficult however, it is simply amazing the very fundamental changes of perspective and approach to situations I have recently had. This to me is an awakening and a sign of growth to come. "Once the seed sprouts the root. It will soon push up through the dirt." - I think I may have just made that up :)

What has to come ? Will my heart grow numb ?
How will I save the world ? By using my mind like a gun
Seems a better weapon, 'cause everybody got heat
I know I carry mine, since the last time I got beat
MF DOOM Books of War

Training Masters: Carlos.Martinez3 and JLSpinner
TB:Nakis
Knight of the Conclave
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6 years 1 month ago #314266 by
I have thought about this a lot today. And I have come to one question I can't seem to get past. What exactly do you mean by "spiritual awakening"?

In the other post you stipulated that you felt a requirement for an awakening was an acceptance in a supernatural or spiritual force that drives certain events in our lives.

If that is truly a stipulation, than I have no room for participation in this thread. So I guess i thought I would ask...

What is a spiritual awakening?

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6 years 1 month ago #314268 by Adder
The experience of lucidity in dreams in my late teens (as a result of repeated visualization exercises in my mid-teens) started it. I went from sports visualization for sailing and military stuff into dream lucidity and then Tibetan Buddhism.

But then I did go through a dedicated 'all in' chemical romance phase after that, but since I'd started spiritual work before chemical work, I felt like I understood the difference enough to realize it was not spiritual IMO. So it was not a spiritual eye opener but rather a physical one - the body is capable of amazing things if specific systems are spooled up above normal operating ranges!!! At some risk... though the distinction between physical and spiritual was a false dichotomy I was under at the time.

Then that baselined for decade and a bit, while I worked hard to get ahead in life.. until I had the free time to get enough sleep to start having good dreams again and go deeper in research of spiritual cultures - which together with my application of my Jedi path drove new experiences in perceptions and processes to another level entirely. I've made the biggest progress in the later phases, but its a conservative process building on the past progress so genuine commitment really is a footing for progress IMO.

For since the brain rewires itself to some degree based on 'how' you think and 'what' you exercise, a path can shape progress... but also trauma or chemicals can also shape change in a less controlled manner, which is probably what makes bad habits, bad. But whatever the source of change, the trick is making it positive change, or at least making the change be positive as much as possible.

Knight ~ introverted extropian, mechatronic neurothealogizing, technogaian buddhist. Likes integration, visualization, elucidation and transformation.
Jou ~ Deg ~ Vlo ~ Sem ~ Mod ~ Med ~ Dis
TM: Grand Master Mark Anjuu
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