Exploring spirituality

[Arch]

2 minutes ago, katrinka said:

I don't think it's a focus. When you see somebody who needs help - the stranded motorist, the guy asking for spare change, etc. - you try to help. It's pretty simple.

 

Yeah sure, and that makes sense out of the observation I've made that my patterns of behaviour always strays from my ideals in this area.

The focus is always on an abstract ideal of what is "right", but my being just does regardless.

[TheLoracular]

@Arch @katrinka @Mab

This is a really good discussion and I sat back and considered your perspectives.  Even if my own paradigm is skewed in a different direction right now on some of it?  There were some important take away messages for me in it all, things I read in your words and I'm re-typing in mine.

1. Stay freaking humble and don't assume your answers are the right answers for anybody but you. 

2. Just help the stranded motorist on the side of the road when there is one.  Getting on social media and proclaiming "We all need to start helping stranded motorists more!" isn't practical or useful. 

3. Help, advice, whatever you are giving out?  It needs to come from your function not your dysfunction.  

I really, really, really despise Grifter Gurus.   I -hate- the Wellness Industry for being a wellness Industry and all the messaging out there that you can buy your way into wellness.  This is so entrenched in it all that it makes me really cynical on a lot of topics.  So does seeing someone who can write really good books about topics of wellness, self-transformation, spirituality, empowerment but they end up being as selfish, bigoted, socially combative as everyone else.  I think all humans are going to have selfish, bigoted and socially combative moments, there's no perfection to be had as a living human and that's okay.   But at the end of the day, its how people act in their day-to-day life to their friends, families and everyone else in ripples beyond that impresses me and not the words they say or type.


 

[euripides]

 

On 12/27/2020 at 5:01 AM, TheLoracular said:

1. Stay freaking humble and don't assume your answers are the right answers for anybody but you. 

2. Just help the stranded motorist on the side of the road when there is one.  Getting on social media and proclaiming "We all need to start helping stranded motorists more!" isn't practical or useful. 

3. Help, advice, whatever you are giving out?  It needs to come from your function not your dysfunction.  

 

 

Such yes. It's hard to be humble (... 80s comedy song comes to mind... ha... )  ... when you seem to always come up against /waves hands at the world and the internet.../ all of that..

 

Most of the people shouting 'we need to do x' aren't doing anything. We're all sitting here at our keyboards. There's a certain irony here as I work online. But yeah. Doing a thing vs talking about a thing. We have such inertia. Talking about it makes us feel better and it's easy.

 

And this last point: "it needs to come from your function not your dysfunction". Oh, now that is an interesting idea. That's an insight. I see so much of the converse going on. I've a lot of thoughts about this that I can't articulate right now.

 

 

Quote

I really, really, really despise Grifter Gurus.   I -hate- the Wellness Industry 

I claim to do so too, yet somehow their books inhabit my shelves.
 

[euripides]

On 11/4/2020 at 3:11 AM, and_it_spoke said:

 

1. Read poetry. We live in a world where narrative and instructional writing are king. That's why your self-help sections and even spirituality sections are filled with "how-to" guides, "simple steps" books and other forms of guide based material. These are rational, practical and formal guides.

 

The problem is that the spirit, or soul, or whatever name you choose for it, is none of these things. It has it's own language, and the best way to start to become familiar with how that type of language works is to steep oneself in poetry. Poetry is not linear, it is impression over instruction and can change the way you perceive this formalist world we live in.

 

 

oh this is such an insightful thought. Thank you, thank you. I've so many neglected poetry books on my shelves and I think this has been missing from my life of late.

[Guest]

On 8/23/2020 at 10:23 AM, Grey0_0girl said:

I really want to expand my knowledge on spirituality. I use tarot for a deeper insight however I want to find peace and help others. I have worked on myself to level my emotions however now I wish to grow. Any advice on how to start? 

There are not a lot of people in the spiritual world that I have met who DON'T want to help others and I really believe it is an addiction. Of course, in most cases when you see someone in need you help them, but wanting to fix people as a mission is nothing more then feeding the ego. Be careful of the Spiritual Ego. Spiritual paths/practices and concepts become a slave of the ego. It is very much like religion where your path is the only path and you can no longer see beyond it. I have always avoided joining spiritual groups, or doing spiritual things in groups even. Spirituality is not outside yourself, it is inside you and you really don't need an external thing. But it is human nature to look and most of us look all our lives in different directions never finding anything and it can make you miserable. 

[euripides]

36 minutes ago, Pink said:

 Spirituality is not outside yourself, it is inside you and you really don't need an external thing. 

 

I don't know that I agree; I mean - this is valid for you, clearly; this is a matter for personal interpretation. For me no person is an island. We are all connected, and spirituality is about being connected to the universe, the world, and each other.  Isn't it interesting how we experience things so differently.

 

What you mention about the addiction to helping others is an interesting point. It can become even a 'martyr'. Sometimes we want that validation. I wonder if it sometimes comes from that childhood indoctrination about sin and the idea that we can absolve ourselves. Why do we feel so responsible for others? The savior complex...

Edited July 8, 2021 by euripides

[Card_Flipper]

“Some issues I struggle with right now, is the notion of being humble vs being arrogant.

Also I wonder how far I can or should care about others rather than being indifferent.

Of course there are no set answers to these questions, as each persons experience of arrogance, humbleness caring and indifference will differ.

Also their manifest behavior will differ with the same perception of humble/arrogant.

I may feel very humble or arrogant, and yet to others come across as the complete opposite.”

 

I am in the same place with humility and arrogance.  In my self love and self acceptance journey I lost all my friends and most of my family because I have gone thru big change.  I am either scapegoated and blamed or if I am not open to being thrown under the bus then I am sensing I am acting like a know it all and that turns people off.  So I am more okay with me, but I am acting like I am above others, and my view is superior.  I am working on forgiveness too soothe my pride.

[Guest]

11 hours ago, euripides said:

 

I don't know that I agree; I mean - this is valid for you, clearly; this is a matter for personal interpretation. For me no person is an island. We are all connected, and spirituality is about being connected to the universe, the world, and each other.  Isn't it interesting how we experience things so differently.

 

What you mention about the addiction to helping others is an interesting point. It can become even a 'martyr'. Sometimes we want that validation. I wonder if it sometimes comes from that childhood indoctrination about sin and the idea that we can absolve ourselves. Why do we feel so responsible for others? The savior complex...

I understand where you are coming from and I know in the spiritual world people always use the sentence: "We are all connected". For me it is a blind spot.  I don't feel we are all connected. We may share the same planet, share energy and breath in the same air but by no means do I feel connected to everyone. You can't survive being connected to everything and everyone. It would kill you. The emotions, the pain, the suffering in this world is overwhelming. Are you really connected to it?  And yes, it is really interesting we all have such different views

[Guest]

11 hours ago, Card_Flipper said:

 

“Some issues I struggle with right now, is the notion of being humble vs being arrogant.

Also I wonder how far I can or should care about others rather than being indifferent.

Of course there are no set answers to these questions, as each persons experience of arrogance, humbleness caring and indifference will differ.

Also their manifest behavior will differ with the same perception of humble/arrogant.

I may feel very humble or arrogant, and yet to others come across as the complete opposite.”

 

I am in the same place with humility and arrogance.  In my self love and self acceptance journey I lost all my friends and most of my family because I have gone thru big change.  I am either scapegoated and blamed or if I am not open to being thrown under the bus then I am sensing I am acting like a know it all and that turns people off.  So I am more okay with me, but I am acting like I am above others, and my view is superior.  I am working on forgiveness too soothe my pride.

Don't be too hard on yourself. We all feel superior sometimes. It makes us human. There is nothing to forgive. The purpose of life is to learn.