What Form Does Your Spirituality Take?

[Orbit]

NOTE: Debates about whether or not spirituality is a good or bad thing are not welcome on this thread. If you don't like the idea of spirituality, please don't post about it. This is the designated woo zone.

 

OP: Presumably you are in the Spirituality Forum because you are engaging in some form of spiritual practice. What form does that take? How would you define YOUR spirituality?

[Bhim]

Funny you should ask.  Lately, my spirituality has entered a state of lethargy.  For those who are new here, I was raised Hindu, so when I left Christianity I went straight back to Hinduism.  I've never left again (and do not plan to), but the problem for me has been that I don't believe in God or the supernatural.  And in the past few months I've more or less let my wife take care of the spiritual facet of our lives.  I suppose the "problem" with being part of an established religion is that there are fairly rigorous rules that are prescribed for devotees.  I'm told that if I can't do a puja (Hindu worship that can be done at home or in a temple) according to these prescriptions, it's better not to do it at all.  However as of late I've been feeling a desire to practice my professed religion with more rigor.  Despite that we had a fair bit of Thanksgiving morning cooking to do today, I woke up at the ass-crack of dawn for my wife's daily puja, and successfully followed the recitation of the Vishnu Sahasranama.  I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a more serious religious practice.

 

I'm fortunate to be part of a religion in which intellectual assent plays a minimal role.  I may not believe in any of this stuff, but I think that with sufficiently many years of practice, some level of belief may perhaps come.

[FreeThinkerNZ]

I don't mean any disrespect to the debate. I simply wanted to find out if I fit the description of spiritual.

There are many definitions of "spiritual".  Maybe just talk about what the word means to you.

[mikey101]

When I was a Christian, I couldn't talk about certain things, If I talked about certain things, it was perceived as turning against the faith.  So for me, spirituality is open and allows observations without it being threatened. It's about letting go of attachments.

[Orbit]

Yeah, if you're not interested in spirituality, this isn't the thread for you.

[Bhim]

Well, according to my definition spiritual involves a soul and a spirit and worship or wishing to become one with something greater than oneself. In that case I am not spiritual at all.

There are atheist thinkers who advocate for some form of spirituality. For example, Sam Harris recently wrote a book on this. Are you open to any sort of atheist spirituality? If not, is there another reason you're here, perhaps?

[Orbit]

Why is it impossible to have a spirituality discussion thread without it derailing into "I don't know/believe/understand/like" spirituality?

[Orbit]

Henry I'd be happy to discuss it by PM with you. I meant the thread as a discussion for people who already have an idea of what spirituality means to them. I don't want to derail it into a discussion of what it means in a general sense.

 

Or you could start a thread called What is Spirituality?

 

EDIT: I started the thread for you

[Orbit]

Funny you should ask.  Lately, my spirituality has entered a state of lethargy.  For those who are new here, I was raised Hindu, so when I left Christianity I went straight back to Hinduism.  I've never left again (and do not plan to), but the problem for me has been that I don't believe in God or the supernatural.  And in the past few months I've more or less let my wife take care of the spiritual facet of our lives.  I suppose the "problem" with being part of an established religion is that there are fairly rigorous rules that are prescribed for devotees.  I'm told that if I can't do a puja (Hindu worship that can be done at home or in a temple) according to these prescriptions, it's better not to do it at all.  However as of late I've been feeling a desire to practice my professed religion with more rigor.  Despite that we had a fair bit of Thanksgiving morning cooking to do today, I woke up at the ass-crack of dawn for my wife's daily puja, and successfully followed the recitation of the Vishnu Sahasranama.  I'm hoping that this is the beginning of a more serious religious practice.

 

I'm fortunate to be part of a religion in which intellectual assent plays a minimal role.  I may not believe in any of this stuff, but I think that with sufficiently many years of practice, some level of belief may perhaps come.

 

Hi Bhim-

What are you getting out of your practice that keeps you going, even without believing? Do you experience any feeling of connection, anything emotional?

 

I confess to having quite an interest in the underlying Hindu philosophy. The Hindu Creation story seems analogous to the Big Bang (there was nothing, and then there was the universe--and later in which Veda or Upanishad I can't remember, it says "no one knows where creation came from" which I find refreshingly honest. I also like the concept of Brahman, which translates into the mystic Christian Ground of Being, and is appropriated by George Lucas as "the Force". It brings the Higgs field to my layman's mind, but I'm sure that is a terrible analogy.

 

I'm attracted  to Hindu thought, though I recognize daily practice is very different from the underlying philosophical stuff.

[FreeThinkerNZ]

My spirituality takes the form of awe and reverence for the cosmos and its complexity. I seek to know its origin. I am spellbound by the sheer size of the cosmos and a possible multiverse.

I am in awe of the origin of consciousness in the human brain.

My spirituality is very similar to yours.  I explain this a bit more in the other thread.

[Ellinas]

As far as I'm concerned spirituality is the process of trying to understand my own psyche and how it relates to wider reality.

 

I choose to do go through that process in the framework of a belief in the existence of the non physical (whatever that might mean), though I am not dogmatic of its' existence.

[Bhim]

Hi Bhim-

What are you getting out of your practice that keeps you going, even without believing? Do you experience any feeling of connection, anything emotional?

 

I confess to having quite an interest in the underlying Hindu philosophy. The Hindu Creation story seems analogous to the Big Bang (there was nothing, and then there was the universe--and later in which Veda or Upanishad I can't remember, it says "no one knows where creation came from" which I find refreshingly honest. I also like the concept of Brahman, which translates into the mystic Christian Ground of Being, and is appropriated by George Lucas as "the Force". It brings the Higgs field to my layman's mind, but I'm sure that is a terrible analogy.

 

I'm attracted  to Hindu thought, though I recognize daily practice is very different from the underlying philosophical stuff.

Glad you asked; answering these sorts questions helps me to contemplate my own spiritual practices and, in essence, to perform some level of self-evaluation.

 

I would say that the primary benefit I derive from my own practices is a connection with Indian culture.  Having been born and raised in the United States, it is otherwise difficult to truly understand the ethos of India, and this is exacerbated by the fact that I don't speak any of the languages, and wasn't raised particularly 'Indian.'  One of the things that really pushed me away from evangelical Christianity is that my conversion felt like a true, almost final, fusion with Western European culture, and that wasn't something I wanted.  Practicing Hinduism is a way to identify with India, so this alone provides a pretty strong motivation.  So in a way, the connection I feel to my spiritual practice is purely emotional (or perhaps "sentimental" would be the better word).

 

Regarding the Hindu creation myth, you may be referring to the Rig Veda, Hymn 129, verse 7:

 

He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it,

Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not.

 

To me this reflects an epistemological statement posed by modern cosmology, namely that there may not be a single, definable moment of creation.

 

As you say, the daily practice of Hindu worship, or bhakti, is somewhat disparate from the philosophy.  I find that among the more pensive Hindus, people either specialize on worship or theology, and often do not synthesize the two.  Yet in the Gita, a variety of yogas are prescribed, seemingly as independent means of moksha, so perhaps this disparity is acceptable.  That said I claim no expertise on my own religion, so maybe what I'm saying would be regarded by ancient rishis as utter BS.

[Guest Furball]

 

[seven77]

 

Hi Bhim-

What are you getting out of your practice that keeps you going, even without believing? Do you experience any feeling of connection, anything emotional?

 

I confess to having quite an interest in the underlying Hindu philosophy. The Hindu Creation story seems analogous to the Big Bang (there was nothing, and then there was the universe--and later in which Veda or Upanishad I can't remember, it says "no one knows where creation came from" which I find refreshingly honest. I also like the concept of Brahman, which translates into the mystic Christian Ground of Being, and is appropriated by George Lucas as "the Force". It brings the Higgs field to my layman's mind, but I'm sure that is a terrible analogy.

 

I'm attracted  to Hindu thought, though I recognize daily practice is very different from the underlying philosophical stuff.

Glad you asked; answering these sorts questions helps me to contemplate my own spiritual practices and, in essence, to perform some level of self-evaluation.

 

I would say that the primary benefit I derive from my own practices is a connection with Indian culture.  Having been born and raised in the United States, it is otherwise difficult to truly understand the ethos of India, and this is exacerbated by the fact that I don't speak any of the languages, and wasn't raised particularly 'Indian.'  One of the things that really pushed me away from evangelical Christianity is that my conversion felt like a true, almost final, fusion with Western European culture, and that wasn't something I wanted.  Practicing Hinduism is a way to identify with India, so this alone provides a pretty strong motivation.  So in a way, the connection I feel to my spiritual practice is purely emotional (or perhaps "sentimental" would be the better word).

 

Similar sentiments led me to leave Christianity. I am of Native American ancestry. Given the history of the states and particularly the forced conversions of my ancestors, I just never felt comfortable in a majority white church. I've tried to explain this to friends still in the church, but no one really understands it. One friend said "What about black churches?" and I was like "What about them?" It's deeper than race. It's about the history of one's people, the culture connotations are much more complex and the mental gymnastics quite exhausting.

 

I've considered going to the sweat lodge with my cousins who practice some form of Cherokee tribal faith. I've just not done it yet. For one thing, I'm not a member of their particular tribe, so some rites are off limits to me. For another, it would involve me going to another state to do so. I am still into the idea of following some sort of tribal faith based on the creation myths of one of the tribes of my ancestors. So if I were going to choose a definitive path of spirituality to follow, tribal based faith would likely be "it".

 

-----------

 

Currently, I am a Satanist. I agree with most Satanist philosophy to some degree. I am also a futurist, which is considered to be a form of spirituality by some in the community. However, I identify as atheist most of the time and am open to the idea of there being something beyond, a higher plane of reality.

 

I do not perform Satanic ritual, do not belong to a coven, or any of that. Satanic philosophy is basically a form of weak hedonistic humanist atheism. We're about doing what's best for ourselves and not wasting love on ingrates. We are fans of science, technology and logic, have disdain for stupidity, and like having a good time. I don't talk openly about my beliefs or lack thereof much these days. I've found that if I mention Satan or Satanism, people automatically jump to conclusions and associate me with sick shit like animal sacrifice, baby raping, and the like.

 

Is Satanism spirituality? Not really, but close enough, I suppose.

[FreeThinkerNZ]

7, I have never heard Satanism described like that, in a way that makes me want to find out more about it.  There is nothing in what you describe that I would have a problem with, at first glance.  I particularly like the focus on one's own interests, as that is the area where xianity fucked me up the most.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[TrueFreedom]

http://churchofsatan.com/nine-satanic-statements.php

[mikey101]

You're still buying into the Christian myth by associating yourself with Satanism. Satanism is childish and selfish. The polar opposite to what Jesus says you should be.

 

I disagree, I think Satan is badass.

 

Satan isn't something out there, it's deep inside you, in your heart. It's what makes us not want to go to work, and want to stay up all night having sex.  It's that little voice inside you that says "fuck you" to the people you hate.   

[FreeThinkerNZ]

You're still buying into the Christian myth by associating yourself with Satanism. Satanism is childish and selfish. The polar opposite to what Jesus says you should be.

 

It's just an intellectual concept to play with, to explore.  Associating oneself with Satanism does not equate to buying into the xian myth; if you learn about what it actually is, you'll see it has nothing to do with xianity.  Childish and selfish?  So what?  Xianity is the ultimate in childishness... Satanists are athiests, prepared to face the world as adults, responsible for themselves.  What is so wrong about selfishness?  And who gives a rat's ass what the literary character Jesus is supposed to have said?

 

Really this thread is meant to be for sharing what we see our own spirituality as, not for critiquing what people are sharing.  It's personal for each person.  Live and let live, ok?

[FreeThinkerNZ]

Ok, altruism drives me to accept other people's beliefs provided they do not harm others.  Insofar as Satanists' beliefs do not lead them to harm others, I accept them.  Like xianity, as soon as harm is involved, I oppose it.

 

Balance can be a good thing.  Xianity taught me to be unselfish to the point of undermining my wellbeing.  Toying with ideas about Satanism helps me balance that out.

[mikey101]

One has to be altruistic. Satanists are hedonistic and selfish.

I would say that makes them honest.  Honesty is a rare trait these days. A nice change from the usual 'pretending to be good' bullshit.

[Ellinas]

If I might make a suggestion - Sevens77's thought process sounds like the LaVeyan flavour of Satanism.  The Satanic Bible is quite compact and reading it would give the best idea of what it's about.

 

My own view is that it was not as internally consistent as it sought to be; I find it difficult to reconcile the ritualistic element with the idea of simply fulfilling a human need for ritual and mystery and it seemed to me to be in danger of lapsing into a form of mysticism that it otherwise sets itself against.  That impression was increased by reading the Satanic Rituals.

 

Having said that, there is, actually, a strong humanist morality revealed in the thought processes within the book, and it is perfectly in order to ignore the ritual element.

 

That's just my take on it - Seven may have very different views.  Best for each to decide for themselves.

[♦ nivek ♦]

I believe on two Masters.

 

Parker O. Ackley

 

John Moses Browning

 

Two of such worth devotion to arts and sciences that they are commemorated every weekend possible in further explorations of their inventions.

No further use for me to consider any other worthy of such praise and admiration.

 

kL

[GypsyMoon]

Before writing my post, I have to say how interesting it has been to read.

 

I have only recently delved into spirituality, probably in the last year or so. I have always veen enterested in it, but I suppose it took me a long time to figure out where it fits for me, and how.

 

Ive explored many different paths since leaving that one book behind. Ive explored atheism, deism, satanism, atheistic satanism, buddhism, islam, hinduism, new age, wiccan, etc.

I still havent finished. What ive done is taken bits that clicked with me and I guess taken them on board. I am not religious, but definitely spiritual.

 

I mean I do beleive in the supernatural. I think we all know I don't mean in the xtian sense. I believe uin things like karma, the psychic world, ghosts, the law of attraction, conciousness, and the universe.. However the universe is not a god as such, and I'm on the brink of changing my belief to beleiving that it isn't even a higher power. I simply beleive that there is more to this world than what the human eye can see, and that spiritually we all can determine our fate to a point..

 

Its a pretty hard question to answer really.

 

My spirituality goes as far as tuning in to what I call "the other universe" and apso meditating, on nothing in particular. I also fiddle around with energy.

 

I dont beleive in anything that I havent experienced, so my beliefs are constantly changing... Thats what life is meant to be about right?? Accepting situations, learning from them, and taking what we can out of it for the future? At least thats what I beleive.

 

My views go deeper than this but its still robably too much to put here.

[Geezer]

I don't believe my thinking would even qualify as a form of spirituality. It's probably something closer to sci-fi on steroids. My spirituality, or whatever it is, tends to lean towards the hope, not a belief, just a hope that the theoretical multi-universes, multiple dimensions, and holographic universes will someday be proven to be true and that there is life in these other theoretical realities, maybe even existence here is duplicated in other dimensions & universes.

 

Kind of like the Groundhog day movie. We just repeat our life in another reality with different outcomes and this process never ends. I know I would prefer that to heaven. Unfortunately, the evidence indicates when the final light goes out that is just the end. We simply cease to exist, but that sucks so I hope there is something else.

[Ellinas]

Gypsy Moon, where your say "... my beliefs are constantly changing... Thats what life is meant to be about right?? Accepting situations, learning from them, and taking what we can out of it for the future?" I would broadly agree.

 

To my mind, being open to possibilities and experience, and to re-assess your own position in the light of that is key to how I would view the world.

 

I'm not so sure about some of the other ideas you express - but neither have I any authoritative knowledge to contradict you.  It's all down to how the individual sees the world.