Individual Spirituality

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Yoshiaki_Abe

Here's some brainstorming on my part:

Has anyone here actually developed a spirituality totally unique to what is "out there" now? I realize this question is vague, but by unique I mean one that doesn't combine recognizable elements from diverse traditions into a whole. I mean to ask if anyone has been successful in creating their own spiritual tradition that---while likely influenced by other traditions---does not import beliefs or elements from other traditions directly, or focuses entirely on beliefs or elements that have not been utilized before.

Though I recognize this is hard to do and requires a lot of effort and creativity, are any members here aspiring to do this? How many prefer to be "their own religion" instead of joining with an "organized" tradition? It'll be interesting to see where this thread goes.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: astral_light21

Good to see this topic pop up, I thought about trying to start one with basically the same topic but decided not to.

I've actually been struggling to "create my own religion", although what I have found is that the more I try to think of what it is I want to do and what my personal philosophies amount to...is already out there, packed, labeled, and dispatched.

The thing with me though is...it's like all the systems of Majick I look at are great and wonderful and yield good results from what I've tampered with. Although, I just can't help but say to myself, "there has to be something more, all this stuff sounds like it was created for somebody else".

So, I'm currently aspiring to break my self loose from all I've read and heard about Majick and arm myself with a good pen and hefty notebook...and start getting creative. Although, I realize that pretty much whatever I think of will probably come out having close resemblences to all the other stuff out there, but it's really just in the fact that it will be a system "by me" and "for me" with as much "outside" stuff away from it.

I haven't made much progress at all, although I guess time will definately tell.
So really its like...Chaos Magick in one of its most true essences. Ultimately, its what all the shamans(and cochroaches for that matter) had to do...ADAPT TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT. Not somebody else's.

Sorry if I rambled and was incoherant a bit, I'm a bit riled up about it as it is. lol

I'm glad to see others having the same ideas as I am though.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Yoshiaki_Abe

No, you didn't ramble, don't worry. That's precisely the sort of response I was looking for. I'm just curious because I'm having an interesting inner dialogue about religion, especially now in the age when people are able to create their own.

As far as everything already being done, you can always do something in a different way. When I was talking about not using direct elements of different traditions, I meant using something like the sephiroth or preexisting deities. I didn't mean general interreligious concepts like the creation of the world or reincarnation or magic.

Here's an extremely simple example. Just because creation of the world has been done, it doesn't mean that some tradition believes the world was created by a pink dragon. Details like that make otherwise "normal" concepts more unique (and you can err to the side of humor or seriousness as you please) and "you-centered." I think the most important thing to be said here though is that creativity is by far the most important part.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: astral_light21

I think the most important thing to be said here though is that creativity is by far the most important part.

Absolutely!

As far as everything already being done, you can always do something in a different way. When I was talking about not using direct elements of different traditions, I meant using something like the sephiroth or preexisting deities. I didn't mean general interreligious concepts like the creation of the world or reincarnation or magic.

Yup, I was getting at that, but I did it in a bit too much of a round-a-bout fashion. As a matter in fact... a while backI created a very lovely poster of the tree of life and just last night...I ripped the sucker right off the wall!

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Draginvry

[QUOTE=Yoshiaki_Abe;351490]
Has anyone here actually developed a spirituality totally unique to what is "out there" now? [/QUOTE]

Not really unique, per se. My current spirituality is the evolution of several dozen different paradigms into a metaparadigm that is significantly different than each of the originals that the individual elements are no longer distinguishable, although I may sometimes use similar names for concepts. Here are the basics:

1) Everything is thought.

2) Thought exists on four levels. Mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.

3) All levels affect one another. What you think affects how you feel, what you feel affects what you do, and what you want to do affects how you think.

4) The purpose of the soul's existence is to collect wisdom. The Wisdom is the combined experience of all thoughts ever obtained by an entity.

5) There is no reason for Wisdom. It exists solely for the purpose of being obtained.

6) Wisdom exists on multiple levels which can be experienced simultaneously in the four levels of thought. These levels are material existence, pain, humility, power, love, joy, knowledge, and understanding (enlightenment).

7) Wisdom is never exclusive. One can have pain and enlightenment at the same time, just as one can have power or humility at the same time.

When enough wisdom is obtained, one becomes the master of their own destiny. They are in complete control of their brain, their body, and their emotions. Such a being can do anything they want here, or they can even enter other dimensions if they so choose, and continue exploring Wisdom elsewhere.

9) There is no ignorance, only the illusion of ignorance. Everything that has ever been done is a chance to learn Wisdom. If one is ignorant, it is only because they have no allowed themselves to learn.

-------------------------------------------------

Here is a simple example. I may have a desire to move (spiritual). I then think about going outside to exercise (mental). I go do some freerunning (physical). I then feel light and free (emotional).

When the entire thought is aligned in such a way, one gains Wisdom.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Yoshiaki_Abe

Well, that is a certainly interesting idea that I had never considered. I really think that it would be more healthy (for both humanity and the world) if more and more people split from organized religion and followed their own paths.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: KaosSwirl

i practice magick through understanding and working with my psychic abilities "aura reading and empathy".

i believe that magick is possible because of our inate need to project
our ego onto our reality, therfore the manipulation of vibration is easily done
by both seeing energy and feeling energy and associating that vibration/energy to self.

ive always practiced magick not through ritual but through feeling anothers emotions, watching how they interact or react to there surroundings, in another words the two abilities aura reading and empathy for me lend themselves well to magick where your in direct contact with the group or individual or surroundings.

over time whats considered "direct contact" has slowly changed where visualizing a person or a person sending to me is enough for a energy contact/exchange, by exploring and observing how everything has a vibration that means everything can as well be explored and therby manipulated by mental visualization and energy projection.

this technique although useful is imo to narrow in its implamentation, a series of images have to take place while in meditation in order to conjure the correct vibration i wanted something more spontanious, something that could be used without preperation of sitting and meditation.

i then started learning/teaching myself how to associate mental images to vibration, and observing how it would react and interact with the aura of people and objects through techniques of sending and recieving, i started noticing more and more often that a "universal symbol" of vibration to sound seemed to keep coming up which brought my curiosity and intrest into using instruments, drums, ambient nature sounds as a means of energy manipulation.

im now working on a method of using magick through clairaudience, which consists of using/manipulating vibration by corresponding sound and color to mental images, this method for me doesnt take any preperation or meditation but simply observation.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Draginvry

[QUOTE=davidmncc;356808]Time is precious, and making Maple Story Mesos isn't easy in MapleStory.[/QUOTE]

I challenge this statement. Time is only a matter of perception. With my more enlightened understanding of time, I have found that there is no need to rush when farming for meso. The only reason you'd ever need large amounts of meso is if you're trying to get perfect stats on items with scrolling.

But if you're that much of a perfectionist, you should probably reconsider how you are spending your time, and exactly how much actual benefit you gain from those extra stats in MapleStory.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: AbbadonSteel

Yeah, I've always had a bit of a conflict as to what to call myself. I've always wanted to use the word "druid" because I want to stick as closely as I can to traditional western european celtic practices without all the neo-pagan intermingling of hindu and buhdist concepts like chakras or mendalas which seems to permeate most modern wicca litterature. The problem is, I really have no idea exactly what the ancient druids practiced or believed.

I've found a few good books that are historically based, but I've had to fill a lot of holes and invent a lot of ideas and concepts myself in order to make a system which feels right to me.

So am I being completely original? No, but I don't think there's anything wrong with getting a little eclectic in the search for things with meaning to you.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: CyberCandyGirl

I believe in the white light, the master and that these are higher powers. I also believe the universe belongs as one, in that all the molecules were spun by the same hand. I believe that only time can teach wisdom. I believe in the devil and in a place opposite of the universe, known as hell. I believe all people have a soul and that all souls are connected: including those of animals. I believe in past lifes and reincarnation. I believe in karma. I believe in the supernatural, such as psychic abilities and telepathy. I believe all souls belong as one, but each soul is at a different stage in the class of learning and that we're all destined to be the white light once our time is up: at least in our present lives. I believe in universal love and that all people have value and that there is no right or wrong: just different opinions and perspectives. I believe supernatural events are part of the order of the universe. That's MY religion, at least.

[Occult Forum Archive]

Original post: Ognamus

lol, if you look long enough, you'll eventually stumble upon somebody who's thought the same way as you before, or in a similar enough fashion that practices aside, you could actually put name to what it is you believe.

[Shaam]

My spirituality is my own...developed thru many years.

My spirituality is also comparable to many others. There are core values. Basically, this spirituality follows the earth mother...although it also follows the universe and beyond. It spreads out..it recognizes everything, every spirit, resonance, energy signal from everything...on, under, thru, above and around .

That's really the only way I know to describe it. It fulfills me and fills me. To me it is my Life.

I am pretty much dedicated to following my path alone, after all these years...and the experiences I have had in my life..good and bad. It is just path as I was told to walk it. ...so my thots may be a little different from other folks. I don't often describe it to this degree...and even then, I can't do it justice...lol. My life has seen a lot and I am of the age...I know the path I walk. I have no doubts about that. 25 years ago...yes...I would have told you...I would never walk such a singular path. But..now...it is where I belong...without doubt.

[Zelos]

Honestly I always went my own way as far as my own ideas on reality and myself, based upon experience and self inflection... though relatively recently I found out rather on accident that there are many correlations between my own view of the world and aspects of some of the classical greek philosophies, namely Platonism... though that very well may be that it's simply one of the better known ones out there.


I personally am of the strong opinion that everyone should learn all there is to know for themselves, without allowing the doctrine of others to corrupt their own views of the world. Only once one has built a strong foundation for themselves, based upon their own will, can one hope to look at everything objectively, for without such your foundations may very well not be of yourself.

[Vashta]

Personally, I believe all spiritualists develop their own systems of doing things. We may all start at a common point, but the nature of humanity leads us all to find our own paths sooner or later.

On a side not, I've just spotted that gold-farmer post, I'll delete that now

edit: well, no, not quite all at one common point, but at a variety of common starting points

[Shaam]

Zelos...that is an excellent post.

Only once one has built a strong foundation for themselves, based upon their own will, can one hope to look at everything objectively, for without such your foundations may very well not be of yourself.

A strong foundation is a must....I agree with that absolutely.

Vashta...

the nature of humanity leads us all to find our own paths sooner or later.

Yes indeed, that's the way it should be. However, I believe there are those who seemingly never do.

I think that comes from not being Grounded correctly....and also, from what has been posted...paying too much attention to what other people say or do, reading on whatever subject anyone talks about (not that this is bad...but the priority should really be on listening to your heart).

[Kath]

Original post: Yoshiaki_Abe

Here's some brainstorming on my part:

Has anyone here actually developed a spirituality totally unique to what is "out there" now? I realize this question is vague, but by unique I mean one that doesn't combine recognizable elements from diverse traditions into a whole. I mean to ask if anyone has been successful in creating their own spiritual tradition that---while likely influenced by other traditions---does not import beliefs or elements from other traditions directly, or focuses entirely on beliefs or elements that have not been utilized before.

Though I recognize this is hard to do and requires a lot of effort and creativity, are any members here aspiring to do this? How many prefer to be "their own religion" instead of joining with an "organized" tradition? It'll be interesting to see where this thread goes.

Yes.
yes to all of your questions.

I am on an individual path or 'non-path' might be more descript. My goals, methods, beliefs, understandings, etc. are all highly personalized and self derived. I do learn from another, I am being taught a mystery school, but my teacher is not a physical person... so while it's not FULLY original, since I am very heavily influenced by this teacher, it is original as far as human beings and their religions are concerned.

Numerous facets of my path strike me as very original in terms of content & application. And its not for lack of study of religious/magical paths.

I do find some bits of human religion overlap with my path somewhat. These would especially include tantra, taoism, shaktism, & shamanism. But I do mean 'overlap', there's not a lot of direct parallels, and my path is separately inspired.

I tease people that I'm Kath-o-lick
seriously though, i've given a lot of thought to establishing my path as something which others could participate in if they wanted to, so I do need a catchy name for it. In my own practice it needs no name though, labels are just pretext.

[Mist]

I really like what I read in this topic!
However I don't like to share my spirituality for personal reasons.
Not out of selfishness or to provoke curiosity, but well...
Let's just say that I had to lie severely in an effort to not be judged insane by those whom I live with. ( Don't start to think I hurt something/-one or stuff like that xD )
I still believe that an individual spirituality is one of the best things a person can hold onto, even though it is sometimes hard in a world where people have the tendency to have a "monopoly" on sanity.


... Maybe I'll feel the need to post the whole story when I'm drunk enough.

[Venefica]

My teacher always told me, he would teach me methods to use until I developed my own path. I think that pre existing systems can be a very good inspiration, but that ultimately the best is to make your own Spiritual path and take as many of those inspirations with you as you need and make up the rest yourself.