Where does one start with spirituality?

[pumashared]

hello guys. im a new member here. very glad i got accepted to this forum.
had some question for you guys. im looking to start with spirituality and psychic powers. i honestly dont know where to start off for a newbi and i looked around but seamed like most of the things were very advanced. any recommendation?

[Heartsong]

Where are you now?
Would you just like to know about it? or Would you like to have psychic powers?
You must know yourself and your intentions before you begin.

[ghostrider]

first I would say , know yourself , and know you are a spirit in a body , a spiritual being having a human experience ... then look to nature , it can tell more than any book could ever tell you ... being driven by the spirit and not by the flesh takes work , prayer/meditation and fasting , and study , and lots of valleys and trials , and skinned knees ...

[Mark]

As Heartsong said, intentions are key. Intentions clue is in on what our orientation is. Once you determine what your orientation is, what you desires are, what your goal is, your studies can begin. They can be quite pointed eventually, but first perhaps it would be fruitful to explore the pre-christian traditions of your genetic line. The ancestral traditions that run through your bloodline. Find out who you are, who your people are. Those traditions will lead you invariable to the universal truth that all spiritual systems possess. That will lead you into an holistic study of the fundamental reality and how to manipulate it.

Just to reiterate once again because it is important, intentions are key. Why. And once you determine that, where to begin your search will come clear.

[Shamz]

I'd say do as people above me said... and then head to Spirituality Section on this forum ... lol that will be good start...

Click Here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/forumdisplay.php?18-Spirituality)

Spirituality starts with you and ends with you...look no further but inside you

[lizfrench]

Start by closing your eyes and looking up into the darkness, you should start to see some white light that will fade in and out, you have to focus your attention up into this light...that is your third eye. Once you are able to maneuver this light, you will see some moving pictures. Doing this helps to awaken your psychic abilities and/or things in your life will become a little more synchronistic. Your spirit is your inner child, it is that part of you that cries when you think about a loved one who has passed, it is that part of you that is your intuition that helps you feel. You can talk to your spirit when you are in pain. For example, when I am in pain I imagine a tiny person (me) inside my body who swims toward the muscle or area of pain and hugs it (the muscle) and loves it and talks to it. Your spirit is the beautiful you that can go outside your body and travel to the different realms at night or during meditation. Always remember you have your body (vessel or ship), spirit, and soul. There is a very coordinated effort in this world to separate the three of them; it is up to you to reconnect them because they hold tremendous power. Hope that helps. :)

[shadowstalker]

In order to truly understand anything, you must begin with your beginning,
Forgo what folks say about you and find out who you are.
Then look in the mirror (your heart) and find out what you are..
What you see from there is a new beginning in understanding on what you wish to become...
All is free will choice at the end of the day.

From there are your own steps to something awesome

[pumashared]

I'll be honest with u guys as I know nothing about spirituality.
I see about of people recommend to look into my past. How ever I have to be honest and tell u I'm very ashamed of things that have happened to me in the past and I pretty much have subconsiusly hid them.I hate thinking about the past cause it only brings back horible and painful memories.

[shadowstalker]

If you don't work with your pain you can not truly move forward, you need to forgive yourself and others to make things work out for the betterment of your possible future and others who may be involved..
But take your time with it, there is no time frame for any of this..
All is a life lesson, just take it as such, if you can...

[gripreaper]

The core imprints from your past are the keys to open the door. These are the beliefs and the subsequent blocks you carry from many lifetimes, layed down into your core at birth and through your childhood. Open up to these, as they will return you to the wholeness of who you are as you clear them. More energy will be yours and more insights and more psychic abilities awaken as you connect the dots.

Make a commitment to meditate and open up to your inner core. Go for a walk for at least a half hour in the woods before you sit down to meditate, letting your mind wander and chatter the whole time you are on your walk. When you sit down to meditate, be still and gently ask your mind to be quiet. Be sure and intention a sacred column surrounding you, as you breathe deeply in the inbreath, breathe in life force, and on the outbreath, expand the column. Connect deep into the core of the earth, and up into the celestial realms as far as the Great Central Sun. Invite your I AM presence and your higher self into the column, and allow whatever feelings, images, and connections to come. You are safe in this space.

Be gentle with yourself, take all the time you need. The body is like a five year old child. It takes time to teach this child and to allow it to emerge. Take all the time you need. The imprints of many lifetimes do not clear in a day.

[markpierre]

Get real. Get more and more Real. Then get honest about how unreal you still are. Get so honest that you can't stand yourself and the world you live in.
If you think 'psychic powers' are power, you can't have them. They're gifts from God to gift on to God's children.
Become the only thing in your world that has integrity. No one and no thing in the world has more power or authority than you.
Everything that undermines you is doing it because you're asking it to. Take full responsibility for the whole rotten mess,
then beg for help from the only thing in the universe that can fix it.
And then get out of the way.

Start there. Find a guru or whatever, but start with honesty. Hey it works.
Have a cup of tea.

[centreoflight]

hM32ZN_vnPc

Beloved,
I created this video about a year ago. Enjoy.

Love Always
George

[greybeard]

Spirituality and psychic power are two different things.
Try the thread on ego what is it?.
Start at the beginning and work through ---I did--- laughing.
The only thing that feeds pain, guilt, misery and fear is the ego.
There are loads of videos and various teachers on that thread--- something for every level of spiritual seeker.

Best wishes
Chris

[skippy]

Get real. Get more and more Real. Then get honest about how unreal you still are. Get so honest that you can't stand yourself and the world you live in.
If you think 'psychic powers' are power, you can't have them. They're gifts from God to gift on to God's children.
Become the only thing in your world that has integrity. No one and no thing in the world has more power or authority than you.
Everything that undermines you is doing it because you're asking it to. Take full responsibility for the whole rotten mess,
then beg for help from the only thing in the universe that can fix it.
And then get out of the way.

Start there. Find a guru or whatever, but start with honesty. Hey it works.
Have a cup of tea.

Great post, thanks :)

[eaglespirit]

Hello Pumashared, Wishing You Well : )

...from the Elf Transmissions
http://www.bbsradio.com/files_byothers/ELF_Transmissions_061707.pdf

If those of you reading this book care to take a proactive approach for yourself in relationship to these concepts, we suggest that the first step is to disengage any and all connections to the “re-binding” systems we have discussed in this part. In every re-lig-ion we have taken oaths and vows that have bound us to the laws of the gods, to their rules, regulations, external authority and their limitations. From these must we first unleash ourselves from such binding constraints. To do so, simply center oneself in a meditative state, go inward and call upon your true and only Solar Christed Self, or however you wish to name or denominate such, the only requirement being a full and absolute recognition that you need no outside approval or authority to allow this to take place, that you alone are the controlling element and any preconceived concepts, names or judgments about what your full divine Self really is must be discarded completely. Then upon that foundation declare your intention to be free and sovereign in this and all other realities and universes. Then declare that you are forthwith rescinding any and all vows such as vows of poverty, chastity, bodhisattva vows, oaths of allegiance, fealty, subservience, and so forth. Feel and embody this declaration and allow it to truly permeate your entire being, with passion and commitment to your True Self. Really feel it as the shackles and bonds of illusion fall away from you. Declare to yourself, inside and out loud, “I hereby rescind any and all oaths and vows, throughout all time and space, that I or any other incarnation of my whole larger Self has taken, in this reality and universe or in any other parallel, alternate or separate reality or universe.” Observe your reactions and emotional content of what comes back to your perceptions, and gain the understanding that that provides. Declare yourself to be a sovereign being, one that retains full rights and responsibilities, full power and authority over yourself and your reality, including and founded upon the principles of self-governance, self-responsibility, self-generating capacities, self-sustaining life force and self-correcting processes as you return back to wholeness and balance. A true sovereign being embodies and lives upon these principles, and honors the life force and equivalent foundational principles in all other beings, not projecting their power and authority outside of themselves and taking full responsibility for all their acts and deeds, thoughts and manifestations. Upon that foundation we become free and sovereign beings and can no longer be controlled by outside forces, and upon that foundation first our individual reality will begin to rearrange itself to accommodate this new found freedom, and then the larger whole will in turn begin to entrain itself around the center point of such higher organizing principles as we come more fully into ourselves.
Know thyself and to thine own Self be True.


...synopsis of the 'transmissions':
The intuitional basis of this work has been
tempered by a continual pursuit of leading
edge information in science, integrated with
a sense of the poetic nature of life, the
ineffability of our Life Force as expressed
in this world. It is a work guided by little
elves that dance and sing and play in and
around the synaptic junctures of our minds,
tapping us in our dreams and caressing our deepes
t desires to return to wholeness. They
did not sign a treaty with those nasty reptilian godlings and Annunaki system masters and
Draconian warlords, priests and popes just to
watch us suffer. They signed the treaty to
put enough pressure on us to wake us up for our
return to wholeness. And the concept of
the “treaty” may very well be nothing more
than a metaphor, an ephemeral drift of a
dream that is there for no other reason than
to stimulate the thought processes of being
inside a crucible of time and space. So wh
ether there was a real signing ceremony, a real
treaty, real events at Newgrange and Versa
illes, or only metaphoric thought forms, the
difference is meaningless and not germane to th
e point. The intent, overall, is to facilitate
the extension of our capacity to envision a world beyond the current one we have created,
a world where the sanctity of all beings and the very sanctity of Life itself is held
paramount above all other things. In such
a world where all beings are so honored, then
such a radical thought might be consider
ed commonplace, and all human beings who
walk upon this Earth might return to their
center, by way of a Doorway to Freedom, the
doorways of our inner selves, of our heart
centers, of the gaze into each other’s eyes,
through the radiant doorway guarded by two Li
ons with fiery manes like blazing Suns,
beyond which are infinite fields of creati
on and splendor and lives to be lived beyond
reckoning. And, of course...
The Only Way Out Is IN!!!

[Anchor]

hello guys. im a new member here. very glad i got accepted to this forum.
had some question for you guys. im looking to start with spirituality and psychic powers. i honestly dont know where to start off for a newbi and i looked around but seamed like most of the things were very advanced. any recommendation?

Your question demonstrates the answer.

You start with questions.

The path of spirituality is about seeking.

Seeking answers to questions.

So, basically, you are already on the path, like it or not!

> im looking to start with spirituality and psychic powers.

Elaborate on this please. Also why are you looking to start there ?

[TraineeHuman]

The goal of any worthwhile form of spirituality is tough to reach, pumashare. It's very tough. Although I'm not a Christian, let me say you may have read a sentence or two from the teachings of "Jesus" where he says things like the road to achieving the goal of spirituality is "strait" [difficult] and "narrow", "and few there be that find it" [i.e., that truly succeed]. That seems to be his number one point, if one reads the gospels. Total dedication required.

So, what's important is your attitude and your commitment, and not how much you know or what you've experienced so far. The Zen Patriarch, Shunryu Suzuki, wrote a book about the practice of spirituality and he called it "Zen mind, beginner's mind". At the start of the book he explained that the goal of spiritual practices was to ideally never lose all the good qualities one had as a beginner -- a profound willingness to listen, a total sincerity, and so on and so forth.

The fact that you're asking your question suggests you've not only "heard the call", but you're looking at accepting it. I guess maybe you're in for a shock, though, because I would suggest "the call" was a call to face absolutely everything and avoid nothing -- particularly with regard to yourself. Are you made of the right stuff to look into the x-ray laser mirror and not get burnt by your reflection? Are you willing to inwardly give up not less than everything, internally within yourself? If you really want to make it at spirituality, sooner or later you'll discover that no less than this is involved, for everyone. It's much tougher than just leading a very ethical life. It's much tougher than practicing physical austerities, such as monks and nuns do. It's more arduous because, you'll find, it only works if you undergo inner work which is initially more arduous than any physical austerities. And yet it's pretty much necessary to learn how to be very kind to yourself as well, at the same time.

Equally, though, let me assure you the rewards are kind of unbelievably good. You have to be willing to make yourself "broad" enough to accept them too, but that's not so tough. Discovering that there really is an unimaginably blissful and supreme consciousness which you can actually become and actually experience in this world and not just beyond -- that, and other stuff like that, is kind of unimaginably cool.

If you're truly willing, and you're ready to make this the number one thing in your life, then teachers will appear to help you. Because the universe is actually rather magical.

[Mu2143]

.........................

[Kalamos]

..........

[RMorgan]

Hey my friend,

In my opinion, the essence of spirituality is knowing yourself.

With this in mind, there's not better tool than meditation.

Meditation can be confusing. There are a lot of both fancy and simple methods out there. In my opinion, the simple ones are the better and most effective.

So, start with meditation. It might take a couple of years to really start mastering it, but it's worth it.

Spirituality is in the inside. Looking for answers on the outside can rapidly make you run around in circles, and, believe me, some people spend their whole lives chasing their own tails regarding spirituality.

There's no better teacher than yourself, in this case, but you've got to try to find out who you are first...This is one of these cases where the trying is more important than the achieving, but you have to really try, not pretend you're trying.

That's the tricky part...It's really hard to discern if you're really trying or if you're just fooling yourself by pretending to try to find out who you are...The line is extremely subtle, if you can call it a line, actually....It's more like a blur.

So, here's a good start. It's what worked for me when I started with meditation:

-Lie down on your bed, preferably in a dark and quiet room.

-Relax...Try decreasing your heart rate by breathing slow and deep.

-Pay attention to the feeling of the air filling and leaving your lungs.

-Don't try to block your thoughts....Let your thoughts flow freely...Don't repress any thought...Just let them flow, without focusing on any of them (this might be hard at first, but don't give up).

-Now, this is the crucial part: Try, gradually, to increase the space between thoughts...It will happen naturally if you succeed on letting your thoughts flow without focusing on any of them... What's there between one thought and the other, is nothing and everything.

That thing of meditation being about not thinking is a myth...You just increase the space between thoughts. The more you practice, the bigger this space gets. This is the part where you get to really know yourself and get to feel things which are utterly impossible to describe with words.

So, that's it.

Cheers,

Raf.

[13th Warrior]

Getting started is this simple:

Don't know where you are going? Any direction will take you there...

Look at your world through child eyes; then feed your curiousity.

Hint: reading is meditation.

[Billy]

I'll be honest with u guys as I know nothing about spirituality.
I see about of people recommend to look into my past. How ever I have to be honest and tell u I'm very ashamed of things that have happened to me in the past and I pretty much have subconsiusly hid them.I hate thinking about the past cause it only brings back horible and painful memories.

You have brought into the light your starting point. The journey begins when you lift the carpet that all negative issues has been swept under for many years.

The Key words you expressed that require healing within are, Ashamed, Hid, Hate, Horrible and painful.

Take the journey within through meditation and face those archetypes that you have allowed in to effect your life. Breath in and out deeply and slowly. Forgive yourself and all others you met on your journey. Say thank you for lessons learned but feeling ashamed does not serve my higher good anymore. I let all hidden, hateful and painful emotions to transcend through me into the light and i let them go with love. So be it.

When you do this You have just transformed darkness into light. And began a great journey.

Journey well.

peace

[S-L]

hello guys. im a new member here. very glad i got accepted to this forum.
had some question for you guys. im looking to start with spirituality and psychic powers. i honestly dont know where to start off for a newbi and i looked around but seamed like most of the things were very advanced. any recommendation?

Welcome!

I have a few thoughts to share on the matter. Let me know if you agree with them.

Firstly, focusing on getting psychic powers can hold your spiritual development back. Why do you want psychic powers? Fundamentally, spiritual development will cultivate your mind and body to the state they need to be in to be able to make your contribution to the world, what some may call your life's purpose. If psychic powers are needed to achieve what you came here to do, then a proper path of spiritual development will inevitably develop them. You don't have to worry about it. As you progress, they will come naturally to you. If there's special training you must undergo, then you will be shown the way and it will feel natural to you.

Focus on your spiritual development. I suggest finding a spiritual practice that feels right to you. What's important is that it's not one you invent for yourself. People that follow their own eclectic approach tend not to go very far. They end up confirming and strengthening what they already believe in. They just walk around in circles. A proper path or teacher are vital to your spiritual growth. Either of these can take you where you've never been before. That's what growth means.

I can't speak for any other paths, but I've been following the Steps to Knowledge (http://www.newmessage.org/steps-knowledge-the-book-of-inner-knowing) spiritual practice for 3 years. I have noticed many changes, so I know it is working. This is the path that resonates with me most, but like I said please do some research and find your own way.

Best of luck my friend. Let's find each other up that mountain when we get there.

[deridan]

psychic powers could be compared to some form of spiritual momentum. this movement, use it to create and mold life, getting other facets in order, then this momentum or what otherwise we refer to as psychic powers when we've observed others in that moment, would act,..to help others or what not .....that's not even my voice.

anycase. the vast spiritual realities you've inquired into (the first of the two instances you enquired about, the second being those psychic), well, my iquisitiveness lead me to enquire how old these are {i.e. I held or knew of my intention to know, ..and have randomly been coming across material that charts this or alters my overall mo-ment towards this, if I had inquired actively I'd have built up a different picture}....the talk of timelines gnosis etc. is very old, has been hidden in ancient materials (eastern religions or hidden western traditions), has even been in the fantasy of writers, but has only be popularized now by various sayers {though its nothing like coming to the depth ofthe calamity, and understanding why we found the preset to it that we have before coming to this life fraame}

the religion and psychism anti thesis
in the latter instance, we see a system of free-boaters. the characteristic of the system being by that,
of religion, same movers, same powers, but just an effort to be fixed, to not be weideled around

one in the same clothby my standard.

hopue you understand what i'm trying to indicate (now that is my voice, muddled!, for now)
it is you approach things, and reflect on things as they find resonance within yourself

[Loren]

You have chosen a great place to start ,here. Great comments by all. Intention , be here in the moment. When you are ready the teacher will appear. True knowledge can only be planted and absorbed when you are truly ready to receive. L

[pumashared]

wow . so many great responses all of them given with such passion. i truly appreciate everyone input. many have asked why i wanted to psychic powers. to be honest i think it would be cool but no i understand that psychich powers are not learned but rather found through the journey of self discovery. so for not i will put this on hold.
I dont want to sound like im looking for love or anything but its very hard for me to come to grips with the things i have done in the past. in my old life i hurt many people emotionally and physically when i think about my old life it really hurts me that i was able to do those things. i feel so ashamed that i almost sometimes deny it, trying to force myself to believe that i am a kind person but in reality i know i done the bad things.

like many of you suggested, i will start with the meditation. i will accept the fact that i was a bad person but now im better perhaps.
thanks again guys.

[Hervé]

My, my my...

Well... since you are starting from scratch...

... why not start at the foundation on which all the previous comments are based on... "SPIRITUALITY"... the word itself... what the hell does it mean??? You know... spiritual... spirit... and what does the meaning of such a word implies???

... and, maybe, you'll be able to see for yourself on your treck that the physical universe is as spiritual as that flimsy view of a "spiritual" universe since the latter begot the former...


Many happy meanders on your way!

[Shezbeth]

IMO and Experience - There are no shortcuts, or 'optimal starting points'; The starting point is where you are. The next step is where you choose to go. You could read Eckart Tolle or you could go buy a donut. Either/any direction contains the potential to learn.

[Anchor]

so for not i will put this on hold.

Another step on the path well taken ;)

Psychic powers are like ET, one may consider, on the basis of indirect evidence in such large and corroborating amounts that evidently they do exist but you may or may not see or find them, and it isn't really that important.


I dont want to sound like im looking for love or anything but its very hard for me to come to grips with the things i have done in the past. in my old life i hurt many people emotionally and physically when i think about my old life it really hurts me that i was able to do those things. i feel so ashamed that i almost sometimes deny it, trying to force myself to believe that i am a kind person but in reality i know i done the bad things.

Many people have done what you have done and wont even admit it or think about it.

You appear to have uncovered a fully functioning conscience - and it is giving you some trouble. It is meant to! Your heart is guiding you on your next steps.

If you cant shift the impacts of what has been done at the hand of your shadow side, it may be that some forms of counseling can help speed things up.

I have been in a similar situation eventually I found it therapeutic to write it all down. You definitely don't need to post it, it is just an exercise for you, pretend though you have an audience. Write the story. Dress it up as fiction if you like, it doesn't matter.

Ultimately the healing starts with forgiveness. You are allowed to forgive yourself. You are allowed to love yourself. You are allowed to apprehend that in the world of incarnation - sh*t will happen.

[Bubu]

Spirituality starts with you and ends with you...look no further but inside you

"spirituality" is a simple word that will confuse you bigtime. I'd say don't look everything you need is there somewhere inside you beside you; above you. just feel it, whatever you need for the instant will show itself .

[Rocky_Shorz]

Spirituality begins when you realize you have a Spirit...

your growth starts when you start listening to your spirit...

your psychic abilities start when you start listening to Spirits of others you want to communicate with...

everything beyond these three lines is where it gets confusing for all of us... ;)

[Crazy Louie]

there is no start - there is no end - spirit has always been a part of you even if you have not been part of it (consciously) - the dirt bag ideations of past life can be used like a library for you to look back on and see things from then that can only have meaning to you now. there is a verse in pslams that says god set eternity into men's heart's - it does not say he set men into eternity - thus we can see that we have always been - we being here now is part of the total picture - game in play - etc - it would seem there is little to worry about in terms of forever. I think it would behoove a person on a quest to just direct that truth in his heart for that quest towards the ether of the shadow of god - and then direct your words then feelings then spirit into just quietly watching what happens to you. I shy away from human wisdom and understanding - the stuff you seek is not what others have pulled from the shelves from their own shopping list. have no list - have an empty cart and just push it up and down the isles - eventually things will find their way into it.

[Rocky_Shorz]

wow . so many great responses all of them given with such passion. i truly appreciate everyone input. many have asked why i wanted to psychic powers. to be honest i think it would be cool but no i understand that psychich powers are not learned but rather found through the journey of self discovery. so for not i will put this on hold.
I dont want to sound like im looking for love or anything but its very hard for me to come to grips with the things i have done in the past. in my old life i hurt many people emotionally and physically when i think about my old life it really hurts me that i was able to do those things. i feel so ashamed that i almost sometimes deny it, trying to force myself to believe that i am a kind person but in reality i know i done the bad things.

like many of you suggested, i will start with the meditation. i will accept the fact that i was a bad person but now im better perhaps.
thanks again guys.

just in recognizing you have wronged others in the past and are feeling bad about it means you are looking to forgive yourself...

all of us and the big guy already have... ;)

the best you can do for those you've hurt is to send them prayers for forgiveness...

they will hear and understand, whether consciously forgive you or not...

the pain will reside with time, but look forward to being who you are now, a kind person wanting to do right...

[jounai]

Do a meditation and ask your guides/angels w/e to show you what needs to be done for expansion in consciousness for you right here and now. :) You always have all the assistance you ever could need...you just need to ask for it and then act on it. Meditation, surrender, intention, attention. These are terms which will need to be explored probably. :) Ask questions all the time. "How does this serve me?", "What can I learn from this?" and the most powerful one: "Why did I choose this?" :)

Most important of all is that you have fun and enjoy life however. Enjoy and be grateful for what is your life right now...this will open you up to many new possibilities...just the act of being grateful. :)

[Bubu]

The way I see it. All of the above advice are theories of the advisor who have started long ago and haven't found it yet.
But by all means , look because only then you will realize that you'll never find it.

Problem starts when we start associating words with something that can't be sense physically.

Start by defining "spirituality"

And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

[Mark]

Hello again, Pumashared,

Thank you for sharing. It seems, according to your last post, that you are in a heart-centered space now. It also seems that self-forgiveness is on the table for you. This can be a difficult one to get through, as it does require one to go in and look at the things you've done and how you are indeed responsible for causing pain to others. The tendency is to continue to dwell upon the past and to go through a repetitive process of recrimination and guilt and a lot of people never leave this stage their entire life.

Being able to truly accept the things that you've done and then being able to truly forgive yourself for doing them is a big step and one that it seems you are experiencing right now. It is not easy. Saying you forgive yourself in your mind and then moving on does not do the trick. The key to moving through this stage is to actually re-experience the traumas that you inflicted upon others and feel what they felt from their side of it, and then, as others have stated, seeking their forgiveness in person or through intention projected out into the quantum void. Releasing the feelings of guilt and shame then will come naturally as you can feel the unconditional love replacing it and you can move on then into your spiritual explorations with a steady mind and a heart full of compassion for the human condition.

You have experienced the darkness, now it is time to replace it with the light. I wish you the best on your journey to completion.

[Rocky_Shorz]

The way I see it. All of the above advice are theories of the advisor who have started long ago and haven't found it yet.
But by all means , look because only then you will realize that you'll never find it.

Problem starts when we start associating words with something that can't be sense physically.

Start by defining "spirituality"

And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

those walking with eyes closed should not be teaching others how to see my friend...

[Heartsong]

As Maya Angelou said, "when you know better, you do better".

Acknowledging, understanding, and releasing the past is perhaps the greatest step and the most difficult. It can be a journey of a lifetime.

[Shezbeth]

those walking with eyes closed should not be teaching others how to see my friend...

:pound:

A blade that better cuts both ways I have never seen. Thanks for a good belly-laugh.

Pumashared, obviously there are a variety of differing opinions on the matter. I can't say whether a particular exponent's motives are consistent with your initial inquiry, but allow me a caveat.

In posing your question, you have given a venue for individuals to express their psychological predisposition. Not all of these predispositions involve "Answering your question adequately". Whatever the case, use YOUR discernment - the world at large and Avalon in particular is rife with nonsensical/irrelevant advice.


And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

IMO, this is the soundest expression you'll likely find on this thread.

[Crazy Louie]

wow I am flabbergasted at the last few posts.
Proverbs 18:2 - Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
I think bubu has been proven correct.

original poster - give it a fair shake here and do not pay much attention to post count - high numbers do not represent wisdom.

[greybeard]

The way I see it. All of the above advice are theories of the advisor who have started long ago and haven't found it yet.
But by all means , look because only then you will realize that you'll never find it.

Problem starts when we start associating words with something that can't be sense physically.

Start by defining "spirituality"

And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

those walking with eyes closed should not be teaching others how to see my friend...

Which is why I rely on those who are enlightened Ramana Maharshi for example.
Eckhart Tolle would be a modern best bet---simple but effective or there is Adyashanti.
Many videos of them to be found on utube.

http://www.adyashanti.org/

The path of enlightenment is spirituality---freedom from ignorance.
Thousands of years of consistent advice.
Tim on his thread echo's this.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?43027-Enlightenment-A-direct-succinct-account-of-what-occurs...&p=456904&viewfull=1#post456904

Best wishes Chris

[S-L]

The way I see it. All of the above advice are theories of the advisor who have started long ago and haven't found it yet.
But by all means , look because only then you will realize that you'll never find it.

Problem starts when we start associating words with something that can't be sense physically.

Start by defining "spirituality"

And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

those walking with eyes closed should not be teaching others how to see my friend...

Which is why I rely on those who are enlightened Ramana Maharshi for example.
Eckhart Tolle would be a modern best bet---simple but effective or there is Adyashanti.
Many videos of them to be found on utube.

http://www.adyashanti.org/

The path of enlightenment is spirituality---freedom from ignorance.
Thousands of years of consistent advice.
Tim on his thread echo's this.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?43027-Enlightenment-A-direct-succinct-account-of-what-occurs...&p=456904&viewfull=1#post456904

Best wishes Chris

Hey Greybeard,

I second both of your recommendations. Two others people that are "the real deal" to me are Marshall Vian Summers and Sadhguru. What are your thoughts on them?

[Dorjezigzag]

Where do you start?

There is no start as there is no finish

spirit is infinite and eternal

[greybeard]

The way I see it. All of the above advice are theories of the advisor who have started long ago and haven't found it yet.
But by all means , look because only then you will realize that you'll never find it.

Problem starts when we start associating words with something that can't be sense physically.

Start by defining "spirituality"

And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

those walking with eyes closed should not be teaching others how to see my friend...

Which is why I rely on those who are enlightened Ramana Maharshi for example.
Eckhart Tolle would be a modern best bet---simple but effective or there is Adyashanti.
Many videos of them to be found on utube.

http://www.adyashanti.org/

The path of enlightenment is spirituality---freedom from ignorance.
Thousands of years of consistent advice.
Tim on his thread echo's this.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?43027-Enlightenment-A-direct-succinct-account-of-what-occurs...&p=456904&viewfull=1#post456904

Best wishes Chris

Hey Greybeard,

I second both of your recommendations. Two others people that are "the real deal" to me are Marshall Vian Summers and Sadhguru. What are your thoughts on them?

By Coincidence I posted Sadguru here a few days back

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?860-Enlightenment-The-Ego-what-is-it-How-to-transcend-it.&p=748324&viewfull=1#post748324

I haven’t studied Marshall or much of Sadhguru---- without doubt they bring something of value to the table.

Chris

[Sunny-side-up]

Putting it simply:
You sound like you wan't to evolve and connect, you are here!

Have an overall view of your self and your energie/powers? so:

1) Breathing (Daily every day) Plenty of Real Deep-Breathing (and just awareness of you breath).
I recommend 'Cyclic Breathing' first. Concentrating on breathing is the key to life/health/energy and connection to the universe, macro and micro!

2) Meditate
I got into meditating just by concentrating on breathing! The rhythm of life.

3) Intent
Intent for all not just for your own needs and desires.
Good intent for all leads to a healthy clear happy mind!

4) Relax
Relax and feel life, relax and merge into nature. Just relax your mind and don't push for Powers.
Relax and great energies/powers and awareness will come, you will connect.

5) Focus
Focus on Love, see Love all around you, be Love, You are Loved!

5) See the bigger picture behind emotions and realize people do harmful things to each other, I view them as Damaged/unbalanced/Ill and I can forgive all actions that people have done in my past, I let them go and reclaim the energies for myself. All is Love, you are Loved

This is my path to spirituality

Hope this helps from a simple path, while on that path new contacts will happen and guide you to a fuller life and spirituality my friend.

Friendship, Love and Warm Healthy Hugs.

[TraineeHuman]

Yep, it's certainly a good idea to find a good teacher and/or therapist or counselor when you're starting out, pumashared.

The paradox, though, is that spirituality means finding, and getting ever more and more strongly in touch with, your true self. In some ways all that a teacher can give you is another self. You'll most likely have to reject some of what they say eventually, because you'll discover it doesn't seem to "fit with" the real you. Or you may not be ready to use something yet. Or you may not need not need to work on or emphasize certain things which were big for the teacher.

I agree meditation is essential. There's some good material in various places in the Spirituality thread. For instance, the following thread started by Bram: http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?58856-How-to-meditate&p=6700908&viewfull=1#post670090
You might also like to look at this description of how to meditate: http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?52121-OBEs-What-are-they-how-to-make-them-happen-and-where-does-the-Higher-Self-fit-in&p=628399&viewfull=1#post628399


To the best of my understanding, there are at least three quite separate varieties of "meditation" or "contemplation" that I believe any beginner would be well-advised to work on. Trust me. One of the three involves just watching all your thoughts like you were at the movies and the screen where your thoughts take place is separate from the part of you that is watching. Just calmly watching from a distance, and taking note of each thought as it comes up. And letting it go ASAP. No judgment, just acceptance that this is (inner) reality now, and that's a fact, and it's OK.

Hopefully, you'll eventually discover that there are a number of levels to the stream of your thoughts. At first you'll notice mostly the "chattering" of a part of your mind that's mostly worried about your physical safety and survival, and not forgetting appointments etc, and also your social survival -- what impression you made on someone, or are likely to make.

A second type of "meditation" is something also known as "contemplation". Here you just keep holding a single topic or idea or object in your mind. If you are doing this with a topic, you simply concentrate on thining *and feeling about) only that topic. In your case I suspect a great topic might be "self-acceptance". You concentrate on going with the non-verbal "energy" that's connected to that topic for you rather than worrying about what words are coming up in you. Eventually (yes, it takes some patience), you should hopefully get the insight that however terrible the things you did were, you only did them because you had been manipulated and brainwashed (maybe since birth) into acting that way. You'll know when you've "graduated" on this topic when you can learn to really like yourself, warts and all.

This second form of "meditation" ties in with self-enquiry and self-psychotherapy and various other essential things. No-one can afford to neglect working on themselves in this way.

The third form of meditation I suggest you (like everyone) need to practice as well -- gasp! -- is to practice emptying all thought from your mind. Yes, there is a "chattering", as I've already mentioned, that continues to go on somewhere in the background. Ignore it. The aim is to free the inner you from any slavery to mechanical thinking. The second link I gave above (near the beginning) describes in detail how you do this.

[Kalamos]

..........

[Kalamos]

..........

[rickyc]

Spirituality and psychic power are two different things.
Try the thread on ego what is it?.
Start at the beginning and work through ---I did--- laughing.
The only thing that feeds pain, guilt, misery and fear is the ego.
There are loads of videos and various teachers on that thread--- something for every level of spiritual seeker.

Best wishes
Chris

Totally agree. My spirituality came from humility. Once I agreed that I was not the center of all things but only a product of a divine decision I had my start. The ego-centric mind cannot lead to spirituality. When we forgive and forget the past, stop worrying about the future, and live in and enjoy the present ( doing our best to live up to high personal standards), we have acquired the basis of spirituality and can map our own progress from there.

Good luck, grasshopper:-)

[Rocky_Shorz]

The way I see it. All of the above advice are theories of the advisor who have started long ago and haven't found it yet.
But by all means , look because only then you will realize that you'll never find it.

Problem starts when we start associating words with something that can't be sense physically.

Start by defining "spirituality"

And do not forget to cheer up, you'll never loose if you do.

those walking with eyes closed should not be teaching others how to see my friend...


By now, I'm sure you along with many others are wondering why my response and it's simple... never and forever take just as long...

imagine if someone looked at George Bush junior and said dude, you are dumber than a box of nails, you'll be lucky if you can hold a job as a ditch digger...

a quick slip can change another's future...