Your religious/spiritual journey

in 1953 when I was born, the price of a pint of beer was just more than one shilling -- nearly twenty pints for a pound, lol -- around £4 a pint today
 
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talib-al-kalim said:
It was certainly different. But was it really peaceful?
Things are different today, I hear every mother say (song of the 1960s). There's been war in large and there were small fights, bad gossip, and good things as well. Not so much has changed, but certainly the reach of our actions is less focused today, and the people of today waist more time in unimportant things.
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Sorry, my bad.

When I said ‘peaceful’ I was not referring to the absence of war, but rather to the general atmosphere of the area in which I was raised (Treherbert; Rhondda Valley; South Wales).

As a child, my world was very small. Next to no cars; no home telephones; no TVs; no muzak in cafés; no mobiles phones (of course); no internet or electronic blather. For us, hi-tech communication consisted of two tin cans, held together by a taut string.

The loudest noise – most of the time – was the sound of us kids playing in the streets and alleyways; or by the river; or on the mountainsides.

My wife and I visited Treherbert – on two consecutive Summers – several years ago. Both visits took place on a sunny August Saturday. On both occasions, there was not a single kid at play, not even in the local play-park. Nothing but the noise of traffic; with the clutter of cars, double parked on every street.

With the collieries and chapels gone – and the chronic shortage of work – there is no longer any sense of community.

I came away with a deep sense of sadness.

Blessings.
 
Nick the Pilot said:
Exclusive? No. Every human who has died and gone on to a higher level of consciousness (although no longer “human”) is also part of universal consciousness.

All human thoughts are part of universal consciousness. Any separateness we feel from universal consciousness (and from other people) will disappear once we achieve consciousness at a higher level.
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From my perspective, a thought is an object, and objects are temporary appearances in this universal consciousness. As you have already said that this universal consciousness is no longer human. Thoughts are a function of the brain, and if one is no longer human, i.e. universal consciousness, and the brain ceases to function upon death of the body, how can a human thought be a part of this universal consciousness?

Further "good" and "bad" are concepts exclusive to humans, and discernment between the two requires a brain...a human one. Given, by your own admission, this universal consciousness is no longer human, how can this universal consciousness can tell us quickly if an action is good or bad?
 
Nick the Pilot said:
It seems to me that levels of depression and anxiety in our society are a lot higher than 50 years ago.
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Lord, grant me the peace and serenity to live with the things I cannot change.
Grant me the courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer was used by a lady who lived in London during the blitz in WW2. She knew about the death and destruction that was going on around her. She still had to work and get on with life, she prayed for the peace and serenity to live with the violence around her.
There was very little in her life that she could change, other than what was going on in her head.

The most profound part of the prayer, is the wisdom to know the difference. It was not in her power to stop the bombing, but she did have the power to get on with life even under grim conditions.

There is a peace of the the Lord that surpasses all understanding, it can come in times of great stress, fear and worry. Fear is a choice, living in peace is a choice, the secret is to make the choice you want to live with, I truthfully believe this can happen.
 
EricPH said:
Lord, grant me the peace and serenity to live with the things I cannot change.
Grant me the courage to change the things I can.
And the wisdom to know the difference.

This prayer was used by a lady who lived in London during the blitz in WW2. She knew about the death and destruction that was going on around her. She still had to work and get on with life, she prayed for the peace and serenity to live with the violence around her.
There was very little in her life that she could change, other than what was going on in her head.

The most profound part of the prayer, is the wisdom to know the difference. It was not in her power to stop the bombing, but she did have the power to get on with life even under grim conditions.

There is a peace of the the Lord that surpasses all understanding, it can come in times of great stress, fear and worry. Fear is a choice, living in peace is a choice, the secret is to make the choice you want to live with, I truthfully believe this can happen.
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Attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971). One of my favourite prayers.
 
Niblo said:
Sorry, my bad.

When I said ‘peaceful’ I was not referring to the absence of war, but rather to the general atmosphere of the area in which I was raised (Treherbert; Rhondda Valley; South Wales).

As a child, my world was very small. Next to no cars; no home telephones; no TVs; no muzak in cafés; no mobiles phones (of course); no internet or electronic blather. For us, hi-tech communication consisted of two tin cans, held together by a taut string.

The loudest noise – most of the time – was the sound of us kids playing in the streets and alleyways; or by the river; or on the mountainsides.

My wife and I visited Treherbert – on two consecutive Summers – several years ago. Both visits took place on a sunny August Saturday. On both occasions, there was not a single kid at play, not even in the local play-park. Nothing but the noise of traffic; with the clutter of cars, double parked on every street.

With the collieries and chapels gone – and the chronic shortage of work – there is no longer any sense of community.

I came away with a deep sense of sadness.

Blessings.
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What did you think of health and safety consultants in those days, legislating that three people are required all wearing gloves and goggles and reflective jackets, and authorized scaffolding, in order to change a lightbulb in the workplace?
 
RJM said:
What did you think of health and safety consultants in those days, legislating that three people are required all wearing gloves and goggles and reflective jackets, and authorized scaffolding, in order to change a lightbulb in the workplace?
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I’ve not heard that one.

Reminds me of the time I was Training Manager at Federal Mogul Powertrains Ltd, (then based in Bradford).

We had a second year Electrical Apprentice, name of Anthony.

His first year had been spent full-time at college – with Anthony coming to the factory only during college holidays.

I asked the Electrical Supervisor: ‘Is Anthony in today?’

He looked puzzled. ‘We don’t have an Anthony’, he replied.

You do, I insisted; ‘He’s in his second year.’

More puzzlement. ‘What does he look like?’’

I described him.

‘Ahhh!’, said the Supervisor, his face aglow with recognition, and relief. ‘You mean Gripper!’

In his first year – while at the factory – Anthony (and an Electrician) had been raised some fifteen feet, in a steel cage designed for that purpose.

A terrified Anthony had clung to the rim of the cage, with a white-knuckle grip. Hence ‘Gripper’.

They had forgotten his real name!
 
SalixIncendium said:
From my perspective, a thought is an object, and objects are temporary appearances in this universal consciousness. As you have already said that this universal consciousness is no longer human. Thoughts are a function of the brain, and if one is no longer human, i.e. universal consciousness, and the brain ceases to function upon death of the body, how can a human thought be a part of this universal consciousness?
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It's possible, even likely, that everything we call spiritual is in fact bound to physical phenomena, those physicists are trying to describe.

However, this approach is insufficient for our thinking; we can't and we needn't know about this background. What are the physical phenomena behind when I am writing this text? No clue, still I write.

And you read. As soon as you do so, this, what came out of my brain (with the help of fingers, eyes...) is transferred to your brain (with the help of you eyes), and influence your thoughts, maybe unsignificantly, maybe a bit...

Alike, all we do (and complementary, what we don't do) may have an impact outside our bodies, influencing the physical state of the universe, partly in a way that we perceive or understand on the level of spirit, psyche, consciousness.
 
talib-al-kalim said:
What are the physical phenomena behind when I am writing this text? No clue, still I write.
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I guess the challenge for all of us is, when we hear or read something, what is the intentions behind those words? Are those words inspired by an act of kindness, or some other intention?

Tricky, I am guessing we get this wrong a lot.
 
EricPH said:
I guess the challenge for all of us is, when we hear or read something, what is the intentions behind those words? Are those words inspired by an act of kindness, or some other intention?

Tricky, I am guessing we get this wrong a lot.
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Not me! 🤪
 
Heyyy.

I read your post about leaving Christianity and your history with Paganism.

I was baptized at 21 into a Protestant Church because I thought the Bible was the truth as a teenager but now, at 41 years old, I realize it's just a text. Mythological Ages span 2 thousand years and according to the calendar of Jubilees the so-called Age of Grace ends in 2075.

A note on you creating your own religion... That's exactly what I've done! We have three holy texts, and at the minute I'm doing devotions to Zoroastrian deities based on the days of the Lunar Calendar of my religion. I also do theurgic ritual to complement this.

m
 
I have been to Jerusalem twice, the second time was to search for a greater understanding of ‘One God’

In 1965, most of the city was within the boarders of Jordan. When we arrived at our hotel, we could hear gunshots, the receptionist said, don’t worry, there is always shooting. I remember being shown around inside the Dome of the Rock, but sadly, I didn’t understand much of the history at that time.

I went back in 2009. Most of the Christian holy places are within the Muslim quarters of Jerusalem, this in turn is surrounded by the Jews. I stood by the Wailing Wall, which is a sacred place to the Jews. But when you look above the wall, you see the golden dome of ‘The Dome of the Rock, and the Al Aqsa sacred to Islam. We queued for a couple of hours to go up to the mosque from the Jewish side. We were searched by Jewish police, carrying automatic weapons. By the entrance to the Temple Mount, there is a sign that says – God is always present here. Next to the sign were a pile of riot shields, it seems God needed protecting.

It is said in Judaism that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son in the region of Mount Moriah. God commanded Solomon to build the Temple on Mount Moriah, that will house ‘The Ark of the Covenant’ better known for the Ten Commandments. Jesus prayed on the Temple Mount, and when he healed people, he sent them to the Temple to give thanks. The Temple was torn down twice. The Dome of the Rock, was then built in its place on the Temple Mount, by the Muslims, where the prophet pbuh ascended to heaven to meet all the other prophets. Abraham, Moses, Jesus and many others.

It seems that God has brought all three religions together in so many ways, and Jerusalem seems to be a place to search for God rather than religion. God could have made our lives much easier if he had placed our three religions a thousand miles apart, but it seems that God has some greater purpose by bringing all three religions together in one place.

But why would God link all these things together on the Temple Mount?

The closet analogy I can think of is like a parent with three young children. They buy the latest play station and say to the children, play nicely together and the parents leave the room. The best result would be for the children to share and play together, but often with mankind, it seems in our nature to fight for a greater possession of the things we want.

God made the Temple - Dome of the Rock, a profound place of worship for our three religions. God gave us opportunities to share, the Muslims have Friday for their Sabbath, the Jews have Saturday and the Christians Sunday. The same God clearly made this site sacred to our three religions, I believe as a lesson on how we should find ways to respect and share with each other, despite our differences. As we all worship the same God through diverse ways, is there some kind on 'Unity', we can work towards?

In the spirit of searching for a greatest meaning of One God.

Sorry for the long post.
 
medividedbyyou said:
Mythological Ages span 2 thousand years and according to the calendar of Jubilees the so-called Age of Grace ends in 2075.
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That's an interesting idea, where does this concept of a Mythological Age come from?

medividedbyyou said:
A note on you creating your own religion... That's exactly what I've done! We have three holy texts, and at the minute I'm doing devotions to Zoroastrian deities based on the days of the Lunar Calendar of my religion. I also do theurgic ritual to complement this.
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Wow, that's very cool. What are your three holy texts, if I may ask?
 
Modesty said:
That's an interesting idea, where does this concept of a Mythological Age come from?



Wow, that's very cool. What are your three holy texts, if I may ask?
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Heyyy. Mythological Ages are recorded in the Enochian Calendars. The three Holy Texts are called ORIANO, ORIANO II, and Œuvre. Remember, though, I created the religion so I have to take the blame. ORIANO II can be found here: https://oriano.neocities.org/
 
medividedbyyou said:
Heyyy.

I read your post about leaving Christianity and your history with Paganism.

I was baptized at 21 into a Protestant Church because I thought the Bible was the truth as a teenager but now, at 41 years old, I realize it's just a text. Mythological Ages span 2 thousand years and according to the calendar of Jubilees the so-called Age of Grace ends in 2075.

A note on you creating your own religion... That's exactly what I've done! We have three holy texts, and at the minute I'm doing devotions to Zoroastrian deities based on the days of the Lunar Calendar of my religion. I also do theurgic ritual to complement this.

m
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I'm just reviewing things I missed.
I wasn't very active when you posted this.
I don't know if you're still around, but I'm curious about your texts.
Do you have a link to a website or something?
Also I thought Zoroastrianism was monotheistic?
Curious to know more.
 
talib-al-kalim said:
... seems I am one of the youngest here, which is usually not the case elsewhere. (1966)
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1970.
In many churches I have tried to attend, I have been one of the youngest. That didn't surprise me a whole lot when I was in my 30s, but when it has remained true up into my 50s (whenever I set foot for the first time into any well known Protestant denomination, I am one of the youngest people there, with a few small exceptions, usually one or two people in their 30s with kids)
 
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