An Open Place to Ask Spiritual Questions

Decided we needed a more open place to ask about spiritual things.

Also, anyone can offer their opinion, their experience with certain spiritual problems, situations, questions, ect. I think this will offer more complete answers, or at least more guidance, without having to worry about being shut down.

This is an open learning environment. Knock, and the door will be open to you. Speak, and we will listen. For it is in giving that we receive.

May the Force guide this thread.

To everyone: what does "spiritual" mean/what do you mean when you say "spiritual"?

OB1Shinobi wrote: To everyone: what does "spiritual" mean/what do you mean when you say "spiritual"?

Lol, a good question. Really up to personal interpretation, and I really don't want to make this thread another where we debate the definition of a word.

Many would agree the spirit is the essence of what it is to be human. It is who we are, beyond the ego and the physical body. So a spiritual question could be, really, anything that affects us as a person. Things that cause us to question ourselves, that shake us to our core. It can be things that bounce around in our heads, stresses that plague us, ect.

Of course the definition is not really set in stone, and not really looking to debate the definition here.

To me spirituality means my faith. What I hold sacred and what I believe in and how inpracrice my faith. My own definition of the selfless and compassion and virtues of character. Definitions can and will be diffrent from person to person so the more I say the merrier . Whats your definition and how do you use the "spiritual" word?!

Its difficult for me to think about "spiritual" without calling up my Christian roots. Beyond physical I suppose. That which makes a person a "living being". Anything which speaks to or affects out living being.

I realized I just talked myself into a circle because really "anything" can be spiritual, even physical activity depending on frame of mind

@Arisaig:
No worries my friend, Im not asking so that i can tell people theyre wrong

@Carlos:
To me, "spiritual" and "psychological" are completely interchangeable. They are functionally the same.
"In psychology, the psyche /ˈsaɪki/ is the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious. Psychology is the scientific or objective study of the psyche. The word has a long history of use in psychology and philosophy, dating back to ancient times, and represents one of the fundamental concepts for understanding human nature from a scientific point of view."

For me, the mind, the psyche, and the spirit are all the same thing. Im not convinced of immortality of the "soul" or non-organic consciousness for the human being. I believe our consciousness originates/is the result of our biology. Before we understood basic biology, we had a explanations that were limited to "magic". Now we have a little bit more than "magic" and in my opinion we've crossed the threshold out of "spirituality" and into "psychology"
So, when talking about "spiritual disciplines" etc, to me these are behaviors that useful (or not) insofar as they effectively promote psychological development and maturity.

I dont deny the possibility of "spiritual beings" such as ghosts or angels or whatever, and ive had some....odd experiences, perceptually, but ive encountered no evidence convincing enough for me to fully believe in them, to fully accept their truth as a given. Theres always been more than one explanation, in my experience. So for ke personally, when people talk of "spirits" i hear "superstition" or at best "religious faith".
Just my view. Its ok with me if others have different views.

Roz: awesome!
To me, everything has psychological (spiritual) ramifications. All behavior has a spiritual underpinning because it is motivated by our frame of reterence, our "state of mind" and that is inextricably linked to our psychological development.

Please, I would like to know "what is the purpose of being alive?"

Magic - I find this word in my definition amd my practice as a word of wonder. It's magic- that feeling I feel when I swim in the ocean or sit under the stars or near a tree or next to my family. Spirituality can be just the same. That magic. That gift from that one story some one found faith to somber on. I too can when I remember it and share that connection. Spirituality can be found almost anywhere we seek it.

As a wiccan I use magick almost everyday, either im using the energy around me to heal or using magick through stones to help with emotions, magick is in everything just takes an open mind to see it

Carlos: i dig that and i have felt the same about the word but at this time in my life when i think of magic its more like a place holder for "we dont know so we make our best guess".

Rosalyn J wrote: Please, I would like to know "what is the purpose of being alive?"

Ha! You and me and fifty thousand philosophers from ancient Greece to modern day youtube videos lol

All i can say is that i believe it has something to do with evolution, and that i dont believe any of us are smart enough to claim any answer as certain.

When people describe an experience or action with the word "spiritual," I generally interpret them to mean they sense a deep connection to something beyond themselves, and beyond ordinary experience. So, to me, the Jedi pursuit of living in communion with a Force that binds all things together is deeply spiritual (at least when one succeeds at pursuing it ).

Also, it seems to me that that interconnectedness of all things is a reflection of (as I understand it) the Buddhist philosophy of "No-self" -- that the boundaries between what is the self and what isn't are illusions. Or at least not as definite as we typically perceive them to be.

I recently re-encountered Carl Sagan's quote that we are "a way for the universe to know itself." When I first heard that, years ago, I didn't take much notice, but now I find that deeply spiritual.

Rosalyn J wrote: Please, I would like to know "what is the purpose of being alive?"

Obviously I can't answer that completely, but I can give my experience and perhaps help others in the process.

For me, being alive is seizing control. Taking control of your destiny by not settling for less than you know you deserve, by finding your passion and following it, by learning to hear your ego and not knee-jerk follow its whispering. Its a life long journey, and only one I'm beginning on, but one that makes oneself responsible for their own success and failures.

Perhaps there ins't and end purpose. Perhaps after all this it all disappears, our life endeavours meaningless. But until I'm given proof of that, I find purpose in striving ever forward.

OB1Shinobi wrote: To everyone: what does "spiritual" mean/what do you mean when you say "spiritual"?

I live my life and do the things I need to do in order to survive, I go to work and buy groceries and I get a good nights sleep and I exercise. This is "how" I live.

On the other hand, my spirituality is "why" I live. It is my passion, my love my joy my hate, my anger and my connection to everything else through those things.

My body is "what" I am, my spirituality is "why" I am and my constant awareness of that is "who" I am. This is what it means to me.

Anytime I am asked what the purpose of being alive is, I'm always reminded of the touching moment when Forrest Gump is speaking to Jenny at her graveside. He says “I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze. But I think maybe it's both. Maybe both are happening at the same time.”

As for spirituality, I see it as the intersection of the tangible body and intangible Force. It is that place where these physical, biological, living bodies find meaning in the universe by experiencing the Force through emotions like love, hate, fear, and joy. We cultivate and practice spirituality by using our physical bodies to act in response to these emotions with acts of compassion, forgiveness, empathy, and understanding. Spirituality is how we connect our temporary physical presence to the eternal Force. At least that is one way I look at it, but it is always evolving as I grow and learn.

Rosalyn J wrote: Please, I would like to know "what is the purpose of being alive?"

For me purpose must be defined and cultivated. I don't think I have to look externally for that purpose, but that through understanding myself and the relationships that I share with everything within the universe, and the space that it occupies, I realize it's something that blossoms within me. It's not so much that my purpose defines me because I am in charge of molding it. But this requires that selfless ideation, the wiliness to cooperate, and showing compassion because of the fact that shaping your own purpose can come at the cost of hurting so many people if your intent is misaligned.

Kyrin Wyldstar wrote: My body is "what" I am, my spirituality is "why" I am and my constant awareness of that is "who" I am. This is what it means to me.

I like that!

Arisaig: I appreciate your willingness to answer questions that you don't comprehend...on someone else's post so I came to allow you to give your two cents on my question.
My question to Carlos was" if light is to dark; and yin is to yang:: if truth is to false then Jedi is to..?

Since you seek clarification on my question before answering, here you are. If light is to dark ( as in light being the equal and opposite of dark)...then what is the opposite of Jediism?

I eagerly await your answer

I don't think light is the opposite of dark any more than water is the opposite of an empty glass.

Athena_Undomiel wrote: Arisaig: I appreciate your willingness to answer questions that you don't comprehend...on someone else's post so I came to allow you to give your two cents on my question.
My question to Carlos was" if light is to dark; and yin is to yang:: if truth is to false then Jedi is to..?

Since you seek clarification on my question before answering, here you are. If light is to dark ( as in light being the equal and opposite of dark)...then what is the opposite of Jediism?

I eagerly await your answer

I wasn't responding to answer your question, but to perhaps help another better understand the question, as it seemed oddly worded.

But now that I have a full question, I wouldn't know what the opposite of Jediism would be, as the definition of Jedi and/or Jediism is not set in stone, it varies greatly, so the opposite would also flux from person to person.