Spirituality 2009

[Caliga]

I know several witches. None of them are all that "magical" :p

But all of them are completely bonkers, eh?

[Sheilbh]

Since the whole point of spirituality is to become aware of things outside yourself perhaps they are interested in it because they are trying to stop being so self-obsessed?

Also critical reasoning skills are pretty essential for exploring spiritual things since the amoung to bullshit out there can easily lead the foolish astray.

I agree with Mongers that the whole idea of spiritual people makes me a bit suspicious.  So many of them seem like Madonna minus musculature.  Spirituality's a middle class hobby for ladies what lunch - a bit like Pilates - or an aesthetic choice like an Indian fabric hanging on the wall.  90% of the time, if not more, people who are 'spiritual' have as much to do with reasoning and the world around them as they have a genuine connection to the origins of the various ethnic fabrics that they own, wear, use to decorate their house.

Though, of course, there are some genuinely very spiritual people.

[merithyn]

I suppose that depends on what circles one travels in. Our group Sunday seemed very focused on thinking beyond themselves and where they fall in the bigger picture. That, at least, is what came out of the night from my perspective. It used to be that those answers came from the priest or minister, but when you drop religion, that tends to get lost, too.

We're hoping to regain some perspective without bothering with the Hell and Damnation speeches.

[merithyn]

I know several witches. None of them are all that "magical" :p

I'm good friends with at least six women who consider themselves "witches". They all believe in "magic(k)" in some form or another, even if it's just manipulating energies. I just have a hard time believing that that's possible, which makes it hard to follow the same path. *shrugs*

[Ed Anger]

I know several witches. None of them are all that "magical" :p

I'm good friends with at least six women who consider themselves "witches". They all believe in "magic(k)" in some form or another, even if it's just manipulating energies. I just have a hard time believing that that's possible, which makes it hard to follow the same path. *shrugs*

I want to punch those 6 women in the nu..stomach.

[Caliga]

I'm good friends with at least six women who consider themselves "witches". They all believe in "magic(k)" in some form or another, even if it's just manipulating energies. I just have a hard time believing that that's possible, which makes it hard to follow the same path. *shrugs*

So I was right about the completely bonkers part.

[Ed Anger]

I'm Raistlin.

[Valmy]

I suppose that depends on what circles one travels in. Our group Sunday seemed very focused on thinking beyond themselves and where they fall in the bigger picture. That, at least, is what came out of the night from my perspective. It used to be that those answers came from the priest or minister, but when you drop religion, that tends to get lost, too.

We're hoping to regain some perspective without bothering with the Hell and Damnation speeches.

Come now surely even in mainstream Catholic and protestant denominations hell and damnation rarely come up anymore.

[Valmy]

I agree with Mongers that the whole idea of spiritual people makes me a bit suspicious.  So many of them seem like Madonna minus musculature.  Spirituality's a middle class hobby for ladies what lunch - a bit like Pilates - or an aesthetic choice like an Indian fabric hanging on the wall.  90% of the time, if not more, people who are 'spiritual' have as much to do with reasoning and the world around them as they have a genuine connection to the origins of the various ethnic fabrics that they own, wear, use to decorate their house.

Though, of course, there are some genuinely very spiritual people.

Yeah for some people it just oozes out of them.

I do not get exactly what you are getting at.  Clearly anything can become an aesthetic choice for those who see the world that way.  Even your work, your children, your family, you hobbies and everything can in the end come down to how one decorates your life.  Certainly tons of people treat their religion that way.

But anyway I just figure since spirituality and religion does stimulate a specific part of the brain it is a physical phenonmena in humans and logically one should explore that part of themselves.

[Valmy]

I'm good friends with at least six women who consider themselves "witches". They all believe in "magic(k)" in some form or another, even if it's just manipulating energies. I just have a hard time believing that that's possible, which makes it hard to follow the same path. *shrugs*

Meh I suppose that sort of thing has some value but I refuse to believe in something that makes no rational sense.  Rituals and things like that can be good in setting your mind in certain ways and empowering yourself but beyond that it goes into the realm of superstition.  Alot of people get that way about prayer.

[Sheilbh]

I do not get exactly what you are getting at.  Clearly anything can become an aesthetic choice for those who see the world that way.  Even your work, your children, your family, you hobbies and everything can in the end come down to how one decorates your life.

Oh of course.  But in my experience people who describe themselves as spiritual are more likely to seem like Ab Fab extras than normal.

Certainly tons of people treat their religion that way.

I don't think so.  Religion takes quite a lot of effort.  It involves going to Church, praying 5 times a day, cooking up a storm at Gurdwara.

[Valmy]

I don't think so.  Religion takes quite a lot of effort.  It involves going to Church, praying 5 times a day, cooking up a storm at Gurdwara.

Well I sort of agree actually.  In my personal opinion spirituality is a social process, since I think it is somehow connected to forming deep companionship among people...which is ironic considering how often we kill each other over it by anyway...so outside of an organized social structure it is more difficult.

[Agelastus]

I'm Raistlin.

Presumably not including the coughing up blood and dying part though.

[Ed Anger]

I'm Raistlin.

Presumably not including the coughing up blood and dying part though.

Considering my luck in the past 3 years, maybe.

[Agelastus]

I'm Raistlin.

Presumably not including the coughing up blood and dying part though.

Considering my luck in the past 3 years, maybe.

I really hope you are wrong about that.