Guest Ramos28 Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Hey guys, Just wanted to know if anyone has ever struggled with 'magical thinking' and superstitions, and how did you overcome it. It causes me a lot of stress as I think that 'if i do this, this will happen', 'if i say this something bad will happen', 'if i feel like that I invite a disaster into my life' and so on and so forth. What is your view on carma, attracting negative energy, or some other laws of the universe that if you do something, this can happen to you, if you act like that you will get what you deserve type of thing. Really need some advice on that as it's creating a lot of trouble in my life. Thanks a bunch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I think that because life is basically a mystery, we all have magical thinking to an extent. We are faced with unexpected and unplanned for events. I have a problem myself with planning things out in my head too much, so I relate. I think this is a coping mechanism to help us feel safe in the middle of ever changing circumstances. I believe it is natural, but if taken to the extreme it can be very debilitating and limiting on our life. Karma is not about attracting negative energy or reward and punishment. My advice, forget about karma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hereticzero Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Spoken and written words are very powerful and affect emotions. I do not believe that Karma affects everything we do. It does when working with other people or committing acts of random mayhem. The Christian concept is you sow what you reap. Act like a jerk and you will be treated like a jerk. There is cause and effect. Sometimes we do invite disaster. We know what is right and wrong and if we do wrongly, then the effects of doing wrong, will come back to us. I do not see this as magical by word, but the outcome of behaving badly. Want to avoid bad Karma? Then, do good to others just because that is the good thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
par4dcourse Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Karma is yet another attempt by our forebears to explain what they didn't understand. Saying "things couldn't possibly get any worse" will not make anything happen, contrary to belief. The fact is, we individually are one insignificant human on an insignificant planet in an insignificant solar system in a great big galaxy in a great bigger universe. It is doubtful that anything any of us say or do makes any difference except to us. And Santa Claus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted May 10, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted May 10, 2009 I think positive or negative thinking can affect outcomes, but it has to do with your expectation of good or bad results. A positive mindset can make you work a little harder and ignore little setbacks, while a negative attitude can make you stop your efforts at the first setback because all along you just "knew" it wouldn't work anyway. Though there is cause and effect, there is no evidence of anything "magical" ever happening. If you treat people badly, they will respond in kind, making your life less pleasant. Treating people like that may cause you problems but you won't end up breaking your leg as payback for doing wrong to someone. It's not a magical karmic justice system. Prayer is one of the most widely accepted magical practices, but all studies have shown that prayer has no effect on outcomes that are greater than chance. Yet, the belief and hope still exists because we can feel so powerless in a huge and random universe. Superstitions vary widely around the world, and throughout the ages. People practicing those various beliefs, rituals and superstitions have no impact on reality, but it makes some feel empowered. In some cultures, a black cat will bring bad luck. In others, it's a good omen. Of course, it's just a cat, and has no real effect on your life. Of course, none of that logic keeps me from picking my "lucky" numbers on the lotto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youngster84 Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Sounds like very distressful fear of punishment. I don't know if this is related to it, but I had for many months a strong fear/panic I could suddenly fall with my head hitting the ground. I don't know why it came and left, but I think such strong fears can be repressed/dissociated fears of past threats, or body symptoms when we are currently, for example in danger of something. This is my personal opinion, but I think magical thinking, superstition and more are a coping strategy of our brains when we can't bear certain realities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddinhead Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 What helped me the most was to counteract all the religious superstition with science. The book that really changed the way I perceive reality was "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. Your library probably has it. Helped to cure that little scared girl inside who tried to find demons around every corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergei29 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 What helped me the most was to counteract all the religious superstition with science. The book that really changed the way I perceive reality was "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. Your library probably has it. Helped to cure that little scared girl inside who tried to find demons around every corner. I'm waiting for it to come i bought it on Amazon. It sucks, its like every words can have a lethal effetc on my life, every thoughtcan bring dissaster, and some thoughts or emotions can get a demon in me and let him affect my future...Sounds like a crazy paranoia right, but I guess it is, even though i appear normal on the outside, inside i have this junky thoughts and emotions. Its really pissing me of and even though I realize it i can't fight it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergei29 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 What helped me the most was to counteract all the religious superstition with science. The book that really changed the way I perceive reality was "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. Your library probably has it. Helped to cure that little scared girl inside who tried to find demons around every corner. I'm waiting for it to come i bought it on Amazon. It sucks, its like every words can have a lethal effetc on my life, every thoughtcan bring dissaster, and some thoughts or emotions can get a demon in me and let him affect my future...Sounds like a crazy paranoia right, but I guess it is, even though i appear normal on the outside, inside i have this junky thoughts and emotions. Its really pissing me of and even though I realize it i can't fight it... ups...that was my old account that I stopped using...Ramos28 is my new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdog Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 What helped me the most was to counteract all the religious superstition with science. The book that really changed the way I perceive reality was "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. Your library probably has it. Helped to cure that little scared girl inside who tried to find demons around every corner. I'm waiting for it to come i bought it on Amazon. It sucks, its like every words can have a lethal effetc on my life, every thoughtcan bring dissaster, and some thoughts or emotions can get a demon in me and let him affect my future...Sounds like a crazy paranoia right, but I guess it is, even though i appear normal on the outside, inside i have this junky thoughts and emotions. Its really pissing me of and even though I realize it i can't fight it... I haven't read your whole story, but I know from personal experience when I was a born again christian, I was becoming more obsessive with my thinking pattern, over thinking and analysing every thought and action. More and more things were becoming evil and sinful and my world got smaller and more constrained. It may not be quite the same as you are describing, but I want to assure you that you do have the ability to take control and fight it. Just some effort and it does take time, but you do have the power to not let 'it' have the power over you. I have anxiety and ocd, depression etc. I am in counselling and do take meds, and I must say the obsessive 'crazy' thinking has subsided a great deal. The religion practice just exasperated the anxiety that I had and just didn't suit my personality at all. Anyhow if your life is impaired by these intrusive thoughts and it is bothering you to a great extent, consider some kind of counsel and support. It can help us to regain some balance and put things into perspective. And of course reading logical material found here and other sources to help to dispel all the crap. I was talking to someone the other day who was raised Catholic and remembers that a nun told him that he needed to lower his head everytime he thought of Jesus and then he heard somewhere else, probably from another catholic kid, that he wasn't to walk on the cracks in the pavement, otherwise he would go to hell, so there is this kid, bowing his head and skipping the cracks while he was walking, and it became this stressful thing for him. So we and other people create these superstitions and 'rules' but we can also break them and not fall for that mind fucking shit. And if we do fall for it, we can re-wire our brain and de-programme and get our sanity back. So hang in there friend. If you can, get out in nature, listen to the birds, look at trees, get around flowers and such, it has helped me to become calmer. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShallowByThyGame Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 All occurrences are governed by the immutable laws of physics. Things happen because they were caused by detectable matter and energy. Nothing has ever happened that has been proven otherwise. Thousands of mysteries are now explained by science and reason where superstition was before, and this pattern continues as we observe the Universe. Just keep telling yourself that when you come up against superstition, maybe it will get through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwc Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 What is your view on carma, attracting negative energy, or some other laws of the universe that if you do something, this can happen to you, if you act like that you will get what you deserve type of thing. For me it was understanding how the brain works and facing things head-on. Read up on things like "confirmation bias" and keep track of all this for awhile so you should be able to see that your life should be running at about random just like everyone else's (unless you're skewing the outcome through "self-fulfilling prophecy" but you should be able to spot and correct for that). mwc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ramos28 Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Today was a shitty morning... example of some of mine OCD based fears and phobies, that are also based on superstitions. Example #1) I was driving in a car and listening to a radio talk show, where listeners were responding to a topic of gangs in the city and recent shootings. I had this anger and hate towards gangs and their members for doing what they do, but then right away I thought that they will get mesomehow, in someway, somewhere, and that I have caused it by hating them. Example #2) I was dressed nicely, got a hair cut, and overall looked good in my opinion. So I would look in a mirror and check myself out (yeah, i know its pathetic ), but then I would think that something will happen that will take away my looks, because I was proud and thought too highly of myself. This caused so much struggle this morning, that it wasn't even funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Doll Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I tried many different religions after I left christianity, from deism to wiccan and about everything in between. I finally realized I just don't know and it doesn't really matter. But I have a good imagination and part of me hopes that what we have here isn't just organize chaos, that there is some reason behind our existence and that things happen for a reason. I don't know if this is true or not but I want to think so and at the same time I realize that it doesn't really matter. I used to believe that every little thing I said and did was going to somehow magically bless me or curse me. Not so much anymore. I just do the best I can to make it in this life, have fun with it, dream dreams, help people when I can, and if my imagination and thinking there's some life after death, karma or whatever does me personally some good, then hey whatever. I don't worry about getting smacked or whatever because I did or said something I shouldn't have anymore though. I try to think positive. Hope that makes sense. Lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Genesis Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I have to admit that I sometimes still fall into superstitious thinking. Like I'm somewhat superstitious about the number 13 and worry that the number will cause me bad luck. I know it's silly and there's nothing magical about numbers. I oddly don't find anything superstitious about the number 7 or the Chinese bad luck belief in the number 4. Sometimes I can ignore it, but other times my worry about the number 13 will get to me. Like for example, if there's a forum thread that has only 12 posts in it, sometimes I'll wait until somebody else responds to the thread because I worry that something unlucky will happen if my post is post number 13. I know if anything bad did happen after doing something related to 13, it would be pure coincidence and that there's nothing magical about numbers. I just can't help it that I sometimes fall back into this superstitious belief. I'm not even sure where I picked this superstition up from as I'm pretty sure nothing majorly unlucky has happened to me involving the number 13. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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