Re: Daily Practices
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:43 pm
I couldn't agree more loona!loona wynd wrote:I agree. I believe that our spirituality should be fluid and should be constantly evolving. While I do have a concept or frame work that I have been working through and in I don't let that framework be what limits my experiences. I understand all experiences I have will be understood within that framework, but if I find a philosophy or trance exercise I want to explore that is not typically found in or associated with various forms of witchcraft or pagan practices I will give it a try.
I dont let my religious path limit my experience nor do I let the concepts and framework of witchcraft limit all of my experiences. I am open to exploring non witchcraft magical practices and the like. Hoodoo is one example of a non witchcraft magical path I am exploring. Though I understand my exploration and experiences will be colored by my work and life as a witch. Does that make sense?
In the end there are two true constants in this world. Change and death. If something doesn't change in this world it stagnates and eventually dies. In religion and spirituality this can mean the death of a persons spirit. So if a person no longer feels that they are getting anything out of their current spiritual path and direction they should start looking elsewhere or their connection with their spirit will fade and they can loose that part of themselves. So by having a fluid spirituality that is not stuck in a specific pattern or focus a persons spiritual path will never stagnate and die.
We can go beyond the boundaries of every religion. Learn and explore every knowledge we could possibly find in different paths! Adopt some of them and own our beliefs. That is to say that if we have accepted a belief system from religions and paths on the basis of someone's interpretation but our own then it cannot be truly ours and we should not accept it until it is a part of us and we are part of it.
We should not let other peoples' limitations become our highest expectations.
There's a difference between believing in something we have never had explore and experience with and believing in something we have had explore and experience with. Exploring and experiencing is the ways to understanding. You can believe in the possibility and never realize it (make it real or know it as real). If the time comes when our belief was no longer limited to an idea of what's possible, let it become a truth of our exploring and experience which will give true meaning to our previously limited understanding.
Yes I agree with you! I think we all have to allow our beliefs to change and grow as we change and grow in the experience of life. Perhaps for many reasons your beliefs should precede your experience. Because as you said, "If something doesn't change and grow in this world it eventually dies. Wow! I love it!
I shared my experience and practice here: Power of Mindfulness, but what the heck. I post it here too, how's that?loona wynd wrote:Can you think of any examples you can share?
I am practicing it, even in my simple ways. Taking a shower, for instance -- as I gather my toiletries I begin to bring my thoughts to the task at hand. Stepping through the door into the bathroom, I shed the past and the future along with my clothes; by the time I step into the shower, I'm completely in the moment, noting how the water feels on my skin, the scent of the liquid bath soap I used, the warmth on my shoulders. I get some of my best "aha" moments while I'm in the shower.
When I first turned my attention to exploring who, what and where I am as a spiritual and magickal being, one of the first objectives I set for myself was to find a way to incorporate spiritual and magickal awareness into my everyday consciousness and how spiritual mindfulness suddenly changes when my attention is drawn to the more earthly and secular aspects of life. Having made a habit of using rituals (daily routines) to bring myself to the present moment periodically throughout the day has done more for the stability of my spiritual and magickal connections than any other practice. It's a simple thing, and it works.
I hear you loona. Not long after I first came to recognize my own spiritual path and to explore my spirituality, I set that goal for myself. At the time I had no idea how realistic that goal might be. Turns out it it's do-able, having open and ongoing spiritual awareness, although it's not easily attained or maintained, and it certainly has its drawbacks.loona wynd wrote:I agree completly here. I personally have been guilty of using my spirituality and my spiritual skills as an escape from reality and mundane life. I had things I was unable to deal with and getting that involved in my spirituality to me became a distraction. The real world faded away and all there was to me was my spiritual studies.
While I did get a lot of experience during that time I also forgot to simply live my life as well. My only real connections to the real world were my college classes (which I was looking at as a requirement to do the academic and anthrpological approach to my spiritual studies). Even my work in my folklore literature and analysis work started to reflect this component.
Conversely I have also had my mental health get so bad that I have been unable to do anything spiritually being so focused on the pain and the physical world. I was so out of sorts. I knew that performing a meditation or working on a prayer or spell would help change things around. I knew this and I desired to do the work. I just couldn't mentally and physically and emotionally drive myself to do the work, so my connections suffered. I knew something was there but I couldn't feel it or see it.
Neither of those are good places to be. Having experienced both of those positions in my life I can find that balance now.I am slowly starting to piece together what I want my life to be like when my spirituality and life are fully intertwined. Once I have a clear picture I can start doing more formal ritualized work to set the energies into motion while also doing little actions to work towards the goal at the same time. It can take some time and effort but that is where I would like to be and go with my life.
Still, I'm fairly comfortable with my progress, and I've accepted that it's an ongoing process, that I'll never really "get there" if total and consistent spiritual awareness is my goal for this life (which it isn't). I perceive the value of my human life as no less and no more than any other aspect of my existence, and I accept that my humanity places a natural veil over my spiritual perception, and that the lifting of that veil is not something I can do just once and have it stay that way. My attention turns toward the mundane, the physical, and my connection with and awareness of spiritual reality slides over to the periphery quite often.
Yeah, life issues often distract us. They make us think that things aren't through enough. We are so easy to disconnect from ourselves when we experienced bugs and glitches, our surroundings; so much easier to disconnect from spiritual reality and allow the veil to slip on down. I also reached a point in my life where my stressors have exceeded my ability to cope. Now, yes, that's a borrowed phrase straight from the Book of Psychobabbology, but oh how apt it is!
But I always tell to myself that I gotta love 'em, coz the alternative (hating them?) just seems too melodramatic.
Yes, it brought a dark-night-of-the-soul kind of experience, however I was always reminding myself that these were all very valuable even though it's more than a little difficult. Remembering to breathe and trusting in the ultimate balance of all things has helped tremendously.
Sometimes when I'm experiencing this "disconnection", I feel as though I've been "nudged" by someone unseen, perhaps a spirit community member or some other type of spirit being. Although I have my fair share of random muscle twitches, there are times when I'm poked or tapped or touched by unseen hands. The difference between these and mere muscle twitches is on a vibrational level; when it's caused by someone (a spirit being) external to myself, there also comes a corresponding vibrational "nudge" that tells me the contact is significant.
I've become accustomed to these kinds of communication, the gentle prod that tells me I need to pay attention.
Also, another realization I got is even when I'm more on track -- well connected, the veil is lifted, and I'm mindful and aware -- I still need to make time to pause, sit in quiet meditation and delve deeper. Easy to allow too much time to pass between the deeper moments, and I do so to my own detriment.
That's exactly the form of worship I'm referring!loona wynd wrote:What do you mean by worship here? I do think celebrating each day is a great way to go. I wrote a prayer for the God of the Sun in the morning as well as the ancestors, and the heart and home spirits. I ask all of those forces to bless me and help me to enjoy the day and learn their lessons. I need to rememorize/learn the sun prayer and the hearth and home prayer. I only recently started to recreate that shrine for those spirits, considering the place I live was given to us by them, it only seemed appropriate.
loona wynd wrote:And that is how I believe religions and spiritualities really should be. I believe that they are guides and paths for us on how we should and can live our lives with other humans and the world in general around us. I believe the actions in the physical world are important. I also believe online behaviors are important as well.
loona wynd wrote:Religion can be joyous though. Religion doesn't have to be drugery. If your religion feels like a burden than your in the wrong belief system.
Yeah, I just don't like the idea of having an "religious authority figure", who tells other folks the supposedly "correct" theories, practices and experiences you have to learn and do. His theories, practices and experience are the only one accepted, even though we can't intellectually accept or understand his teachings and they don't resonate with us. There's really no free discussion of ideas, if there is, it's very limited. Members are led like ignorant children to believe only one "official" theory and practice. There's no room for disagreement, contrary opinions, alternative point of views or questions.loona wynd wrote:A good teacher will never define religion or spirituality for a person. They will give guidelines and exercise that show a person where to look so that they will have their own experiences. Any teacher that says a path has to be X unless practicing an orthapraxic religion like traditional Wicca is not doing themselves or their students any good.
But from time to time, I meet like-minded individuals (both online and personal) who also express their personal dissatisfaction with this system. So, one day, I told these folks: "Why don't we form a small pagan circle on spiritual and magickal matters? But it will be different from any other existing today. No teacher will instruct us what or what not to believe or to practice. We shall express and share our new explorations, revelations, ideas and opinions and not try to convince each other to believe it and adapt it. We will not allow heated debates to condemn one another and prove that I am right and you are wrong -- just involved discussion. We will respect differences in beliefs, especially those contrary to our own. No attempt will be made to convert others to our own belief system or spiritual views."
"In addition, there will be no teacher and student. We are all equals, all students on the same boat, all will be a lightworker. Each will be as a torch light to the other. This way, everybody grows fairly in consciousness and awareness and no one is spiritually or intellectually superior to the other."
These characteristics are what make our Friday Circle unique. Our group became very effective, orderly but friendly community.