Continued
You are so welcome here. Your posts are beautiful. Many of us are experiencing a deep spirituality that may or may not include organized religion. Christianity has always been part of my life. Prayer and worship bring me such a sense of peace and joy, so much so that it’s hard to describe. Yet at the same time, my consciousness is expanding with my spiritual growth and I know there is much more to life and afterlife than described in Christian tradition, more than I can even imagine. Mysteries abound and I’m good with that.
Hi @luminous if you are looking for a sense of community that a church setting provides but with an open and inclusive belief system that allows you to explore your spirituality, try taking a look at Unitarian Universalism.
(Disclaimer: I was raised Catholic but am not a member of any organized religion)
I agree with you - my spiritual awareness is expanding and struggles to be limited to religion, but at the same time, I struggle with the isolation of going through what I have experienced on my own, and spirituality can sometimes seem a lonely journey. That is why it is nice to discuss things here and to discuss our spiritual experiences.
I will take a look, thanks.
Yeah I did briefly. I dont think it is as popular here in the UK as it is in the US.
For now, I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed I guess with the things going on right now, hence my feeling of retreat back into Christianity going back and fourth in my mind at the moment. But I know deep down, there is so much more going on and I feel that I am restricting myself by staying inside a belief system.
This is actually the same issue I had when I realised the illusion of reality through spirituality. Everything I came to know and understand was shaped by human made belief systems, and I then realised, that a lot our struggles and suffering were as a result of these systems of beliefs.
I think I am in some kind of transition phase, and I am struggling to let go of this aspect. So there is a lot of back and fourth going on right now in my mind.
I get the struggle between human-made belief systems and realities and illusions of realities. I thought for so long that thinking outside the box of religion would send me straight to hell.
So as usual, now, something Biblical pops into my mind.
From St. Paul, who must have struggled, too, to the Corinthians:
@luminous I love the suggestions of UU and Quakerism. I have a third which is a relaxed form of Buddhism. The Insight Meditation Society has been a godsend for me. They have a few sites around the country.
When you speak of loneliness, I think of the Three Jewels, one of the many tenants of Buddhism.
The Three Jewels are
1. the Buddha (teacher),
2. The Dharma (the path or teachings) and
3. the Sangha (the community). The community you meditate with forms a godsend of connection.
I meditated with a small group in town for three years. We didn't do anything socially outside of our meditations, but once I was upset about something that happened to me, and after meditation I burst into tears. I knew I could cry there. They were kind and I felt safe with them.
That may be happening with a core group who are showing up M-W-F at the Circle of Light. It is easier when the meditations are in person than on zoom, but a bond is forming.
I think you read my mind, very recently I have purchased a Buddha candle holder for my bedroom.
I have looked at Buddhism before, especially since many of the books I've read on spirituality refer to karma and reincarnation. It probably is the closest thing if I'm honest, in terms of spiritual practice, that fits many of the things I have learnt about. I have also felt very interested in Taoism as well.
@luminous There are many sects of Buddhism. I like the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) because they are so relaxed about your practice, not so strict.
Vipassana Center which is another form of meditation, they have many all over the world and they are all free, but did not like the fundamentalist approach which was just too strict for me.
Zen is also pretty strict in terms of how you meditate, i.e., they have a right way and that's what you are supposed to do.
It's up to you what is the best fit. IMS is the best fit for me. When I arrive at the steps of IMS in Barre, Massachusetts, I feel a wave of peace and love there, and once I burst into tears of relief when I entered the building.
Sharon Salzberg is one of my favorite IMS teachers, and Tara Brach, another IMS teacher who runs the center in Washington D.C., created an Americanized version of the traditional Buddhist loving Kindness meditation that I use in my meditation posted on this website and in the M-W-F Circles of Light. Both Saltzberg and Brach have a practical, psychological yet spiritual approach to Buddhist teachings that fits for me.
Salzberg once said to me in a private meeting when I fretted about the anxiety that plagued me, "Anxiety is just energy, Jeanne." Those words changed my life.
She also told us about a 94 year old Buddhist monk who led a meditation there in which for two hours he thanked every single part of his body. She said it was humorous but the guy was 94 and still traveling the world, so perhaps there was something to his daily gratitude practice.
I can listen to her speak all day.
There is also a center in Cambridge, MA run by another teacher I love, Nurayan Lieberman. The IMS teachers travel around the county so you can do a retreat with them in different places. Right now, everything is on Zoom.
Wow, lots of useful info there. I will have to do a bit of research now and see which resonates with me the most.
Hopefully next year when the covid19 situation has improved, and there is a return to some normality, I can visit some temples here in the UK.
Interestingly, my mother who now practices reiki, was told by a clairvoyant that there is a Tibetan Monk around the family who is helping spiritually.
There is a documentary film about Buddhist mindful meditation that was taught in a high security Alabama prison that influenced me to start doing retreats. The Dharma Brothers.
Look what I found..an interesting take on the dawning of the age of Aquarius.
Planets Will Align Causing Rare 'Christmas Star' to Appear in the Sky This December
On December 21, Saturn and Jupiter will align into a beautiful bright star. This will be the first time they align like this since the Middle Ages.
According to Forbes, the two planets will look like a "double planet" and provide an extraordinary amount of light. The last time these two planets aligned like this was on March 4, 1226, according to astronomer Patrick Hartigan at Rice University.
"Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to be to one another. You’d have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky," Hartigan said in a statement.
The spectacular sighting will be viewable from anywhere on earth.
“The planets will appear low in the western sky for about an hour after sunset as viewed from the northern hemisphere, and though they’ll be closest on December 21, you can look each evening that week. Although the sight will be sinking towards the horizon, it will be bright enough to be viewed in at twilight. All you need is an unobstructed view to the southwest, and to look to the southwest from about 45 minutes after sunset where you are," Forbes states.
To catch it in the night sky, you'll need a regular telescope at a minimum. But for a brighter view, an astronomer's telescope or a university telescope feed would work better.