Spiritual? Hmmmmm...

[Anchor]

Posted by Finefeather (here)
I think we should all read this post from Tony first before we try to classify ourselves as anything. Thanks Tony, great post.
The ego knocks profusely when we choose to give ourselves names, "Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor."

It is an interesting thread for sure and highlights a potential pitfall of self-labelling.

What, though if you do know that you are not enlightened yet at the same time you know why that is and why you are what you are ?

Lots of us are here to play a role, and we actually are sure we know that and we know what we and why we are doing it but are still not in a position to see our way clear to the enlightenment end game - we still engage in all the normal, mandatory slings and arrows that life can manufacture for us.

In playing that role we assign labels to what we choose to do. That seems perfectly valid and genuine to me, and not necessarily a "pitfall" that I will now go and have to soundly chastise myself about because I admitted I was "something" and therefore, quite obviously - and I agree - not enlightened.

I am glad I am not enlightened. Can you imagine the pressure that would involve? Besides I am enjoying the journey! Life is great and this is because I choose to look more on the positive and less on the negative - I see a new world forming before my eyes moment to moment and its AWESOME.

Enlightenment angst - just say no!

Much happiness.

(When I say lots of us, I mean many in the world, but on forums like this, the majority of people I would place in this category.)

[christian]

Posted by Fred Steeves (here)
Hi there my fellow "Misfit Toys". Do you realize how many whacky misconceptions the term "spiritual" can inspire in people's minds? Oh man, let's see here:

-Maybe he's a student of Madamn Blavatsky.

-Maybe he sits cross legged on a cushion all day.

-Maybe he consults a Ouija Board every morning at dawn..

-Maybe he goes to church and speaks in tongues.

-Maybe he worships the sun.

-He doesn't ACT all spiritual and stuff, maybe he...

You with me? Any ideas for a term besides "spiritual"?

I think people with those particular attitudes should find new labels for their schtick.

This is what Webster's says:

-- spiritual --
1 : of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit : incorporeal <spiritual needs>
2 a : of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs> b : ecclesiastical rather than lay or temporal <spiritual authority> <lords spiritual>
3 : concerned with religious values
4 : related or joined in spirit <our spiritual home> <his spiritual heir>
5 a : of or relating to supernatural beings or phenomena b : of, relating to, or involving spiritualism

I don't wanna bend to make people comfortable in their misconceptions, I wanna stand simple and straight to help people to orientate and get rid of their confusion and prejudices.

---

To me 'spiritual' means in essence acknowledging, that there is a non-material realm. And from that comes the intention to work on that realm etc. in a variety of ways.

[bogeyman]

Im finding it difficult sometimes with labels, be it spiritual, indigo, psychic. These terms have pre conceived ideas about what the these terms are. It is very difficult to place peoples awareness, and experience in what they have witnessed or have felt through their lives. Can we real place into a confine box these experiences? And hence place a meaningful word them?

[Spiral]

"Spiritual" isn't a word you ever want to use to describe yourself, there are some words that describe a person that can only be given by others, and that is one of them.

[Finefeather]

Posted by Anchor (here)
What, though if you do know that you are not enlightened yet at the same time you know why that is and why you are what you are ?

Lots of us are here to play a role, and we actually are sure we know that and we know what we and why we are doing it but are still not in a position to see our way clear to the enlightenment end game - we still engage in all the normal, mandatory slings and arrows that life can manufacture for us.

In playing that role we assign labels to what we choose to do. That seems perfectly valid and genuine to me, and not necessarily a "pitfall" that I will now go and have to soundly chastise myself about because I admitted I was "something" and therefore, quite obviously - and I agree - not enlightened.

I am glad I am not enlightened. Can you imagine the pressure that would involve? Besides I am enjoying the journey! Life is great and this is because I choose to look more on the positive and less on the negative - I see a new world forming before my eyes moment to moment and its AWESOME.

I believe we are fully equipped for the roll we play in each life......, yes we do grow by learning and practising to become better in many different ways, but that is for our own personal growth.
If this growth enhances our awareness, our attitude, our knowledge in such a way that it becomes beneficial to those that come into contact with us, then we just become a better source of inspiration to those we come into contact with, than we would have been had we not tried to better our personal selves. But it is always all about personal growth.

I think our mission in life should be to improve ourselves to serve better, but we should never forget who we are inside. What is inside us at any point in time is our personal enlightenment, and we are never ever going to be enlightened in the same way as anyone else. There is no exam to pass and you choose your own speed at which you grow and there is no rush.

It is my belief that the central path that we take in our lives, like the jobs we do, or the environment we end up in, or the people we meet, or any situation, be it good or bad, which we seem to always end up in, or bump into continually, is the very thing we need to work on for our own growth. We often find that situations, or people that we push aside, or try to avoid, somehow always rears it's ugly head again and again until we confront and resolve the issue.....everything else that we do or that happens to us is just part of the broader journey, our time to play.

[Fred Steeves]

Wow, this is getting pretty complicated. Maybe I'd better just keep on drinkin, smokin, and tossin out the occasional f-bomb, so that nobody ever thinks to ask.

[Karunai]

"I don't know"... also a good option. 'Cause if you "know" you'd stopbeing.

[Deega]

Thanks Steve, hmm!, I would suggest ‘enlightenment’, ‘consciousness’, ‘being’, ‘freedom’.

All the best!

[araucaria]

I sometimes get called an extraterrestrial, which is a bit rich considering how grounded I try to be

Maybe a cryptoterrestrial?

[13th Warrior]

I think it makes more sense when you add a qualifier:

Spiritual but not religious

[peterpam]

My question to you all, is what would be a more approriate term than "spiritual", to describe one's self or another? Now I don't know about you, but it just rings badly for me to tell someone that I'm a spiritual person. "Truth seeker" doesn't cut it either, even though it's also very true.

Fred, .

With all due respect, what anybody thinks about you is really none of your business...If you can master that, even a part of the time you will know freedom like you have never known before...pammy

[Karunai]

You can also say you are Tao!

"As we can never remove ourselves from Tao to see it, so we can never explain Tao
As we are Tao expressing itself, so everything we do explains Tao."
from Tao Wow

And if the other asks you what is Tao, you may say "You. Her... him... the car, the tree, the birds, the stars, thaaaaat comet you see over there passing by, my toe, the air, the ether, etc, etc." : D

[Marsila]

Dear Fred Steeves, you will find that some people are experts at putting words in your mouth that you have not said, and then passing it on to whomever they want to 'kiss up to', or to whoever they think will fight a battle with you on their behalf, as you may have said something that they didn't like, but they don't want to just deal with it, SOOOooo it does not matter what you say at all, people hear what they want to.

something almost like that happened with me on this forum last year, but i chose to ignore it, as it was to easy to see through, and tbh it was bemusing how some people just believe anything and even react to it without question, while thinking they are subtle.

So what i am trying to say is, whatever you say about yourself someone will go and make it sound either worst, or sillier, or more pathetic...and at times but rarely better...than what you said. and such you hate labeling to

, this is another line i sometimes use to throw the ball back into the 'labeling fans' court without really playing, but without being rude either

"if you ever find out what this thing i am is called, please don't forget to tell me what it is, because i'd like to know to."