What are the basics of spiritual development?
 

How does a person go about developing spiritually?

I have been reading 'Life in the World Unseen' by Anthony Borgia.

He talks about dark realms where those who have been evil dwell.

I am just confused as to what to do - to be a spiritually advanced person?

Just looking for some input here.

What interests you? Is there anything within the whole spectrum of life and spirituality that you feel drawn too?

Well a few things:

I am schizophrenic, so do have an interest in mental health
i am a vegetarian, so i do have an interest in animal rights.
My profession before the illness took a grip was software engineering and it does interest me. i love tech and computers.

I guess because of my illness I can't lead a normal life, and was scared that i would be condemned to the dark realms. :icon_frown: :icon_eek:

There is an entire universe beyond the 'dark realms'.

Explore it.

Well that is a natural fear and makes much sense.

Where your interested can propel you creatively and spiritually as one.

Is there any body that inspires you to listen to online? Not to attach too, but more listen and gain ideas from that might support and reflect some of your own struggles. Once you manage and make peace with your health and other struggles as one source, it can be quite liberating and expand you more freely without fear in place.

Find a worthy mentor. Go through as many teachers as you need to until you find the one whom you connect with enough to call a mentor. The mentor/student relationship is as important to spiritual life as the husband/wife is to family life. so many people make the mistake of not realizing this though, either because of pride or willful ignorance.

Practice in a disciplined and determined way. That means pick a practice or a handful of practices then do them at regular times for long periods of time. Make a commitment and stick to it.

Find a teacher.
Practice every day.

those are the two that came to my mind first. I'm sure there are other ones, but in general a lot of other things can come from those two things. Maybe add

Meditate. Or have a practice of solitude and inner reflection/inner awareness.

If I was you I would be looking into schizophrenia and shamanism. Loads of stuff on Google ;-)

I guess that answers everything you need to know about Spirituality.

How do you define a 'normal' Life? In a world full of madness being called 'not normal' isn't an insult it's a compliment. Some would say that being Spiritual is 'not normal'. I used to work in mental health with the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, and when you start looking into it schizophrenia is more common than most would believe. I was also told I was schizophrenic by a mental health professional but it turned out I was clairsentient. There are so many aspects of Spirituality that could be construed as 'delusional' or 'not normal'.

The 'dark realms' are only dark because people won't 'go there', if they did they'd realise that they're not so dark after all but another level of experience completely. Once upon a time schizophrenia and Spirituality would have been considered as 'dark realm' stuff, the same as so many other things that are more widely understood in this day and age. And who is going to condemn you to those 'dark realms', other than yourself?

I would guess that you can Live a Life despite your illness, so many do after all. Recently I lost a friend to cancer, but give him his due he Lived on his own terms since the day he was diagnosed. That's the Spirit.

How true. I can remember being in a group discussion and someone
declaring me "You're just weird" and I had to reply "Looking around at you lot,
if you're normal I'm glad I'm not."

The story of my life.. Lol

People always call me weird, it's so strange they do it as a slip of the tongue, so I know it's an honest observation.

An example was my driving instructor, we were out one day and he just said all of a sudden," you are weird", he then said I'm soooo sorry I didn't mean that and trying to explain what he ment, I was just laughing as it happens so often.

Maybe SF is a safe space for all us weirdo's ;-)

yep no fealin bean bradded a wedio nealy all my lif coz way i dress way i go on way i hav food it lst on sf
peplee get me thy do

The dictionary definition of normal is 'average'.

When did being average become such an ambition?

Abraham Lincoln said "All men are born unique, but sadly most die copies." Sadly, it appears that is 'normal'.

I have a small bag of marbles that I pin to my belt loop with my holographic guardian angel, the story never gets old.
"What's that?"
"It's my bag of marbles."
"Why do you carry marbles with you?"
"So I know where they are."
"You're crazy/nuts/bonkers."
"Do you know where your marbles are?"

Being the crazy old git around people who are supposed to respect their elders is great fun.

Copies of a Spiritual should-be?

Difficult because just anything might trigger it and it's then you start looking around for any prop to set you on a path - one that will probably expand rapidly with your discoveries. Well, if you've been/you are a software engineer You'll be able to ask questions until you're getting the output you need.

Then...it's a lifetime pursuit - doesn't necessarily mean intense and all hard work. There'll be times to take breaks, times to take it easy; forget it for a while - and times when you go up blind alleys, have to reject stuff and pick up from some earlier checkpoint. But you'll take on a different view about how you conduct your life.

As for dark realms - a subject more problematic to discuss in that it may tie in with your mental state. I'd say (and correct me or discuss if you think I'm wrong) that you will only get dragged into something if you allow it. The fight may be hard at times (and there's a dark side to us all that needs to be faced if we're to consider ourselves spiritually whole) but (this is where the schizophrenia may affect things) for most, we can venture into dark realms and if we encounter something horrible we can snap out, take a few breaths or a walk, then ponder on it; try to rationalise it. Look on it as an "abend" which you have to investigate. It may not get rid of it but will help understand or at least recognise it.

A most interesting topic. As I quoted a few times here, the first question you really have to ask is what do you want? What do you hope to get from it (being spiritually attuned)?

= = =
Edit: Though I think the New Age has become fragmented and compartmentalised, a browse through the many sections of this forum may be inspirational.

Surrender...

A beautiful answer of faith :smile: (if details are to be worked out)

What is "God" to you, dear Jyotir?

Very nice :hug3:

What? You're reading Anthony Borgia!!!! Oh, if everyone would! :hug3:
Don't forget "More in the World Unseen".

Forget about any darkness, forget about confusion.
Want love, want kindness, want Truth, want knowledge of what is Real.
And you'll do fine.
You'll be led to the right teachers that will inspire you.
Trust that God wants you way more than you want Him...He knows how to
pull you in...opening doors for your heightened awareness of what Is.
'He' will work His magic to undo the ego...that makes you believe you are separate from 'Him'...
and take you out of this Dream!

Of course, if I put my .02 in...I'd say...ask the Creator every day for His Divine Love....that
is what has the power to transform the human soul.

That's my input. :smile:

Was thinking about this.

You really don't need anyone to tell you or to confirm what to do. You don't need anyone to tell you how to go about it. The hardest thing is to speak it. Make a list, write out in briefing points. How many can you come up with. One or two or three things to write down. Put it as few words as possible, no more then 10 words.

I've started a list of things to do.

-
-
-

As you see, the above is empty....lol. Anything can be put on your list but don't let each thought exceed 10 words in length. Keep the list handy and in front of you so you can refer to it because it was actually very hard to write, wasn't it. We know what we want but not how to go about it, that's the first thing to see.

I've been preached to and taught over and over again, maybe too much. Too much because I then became reliant on others. I could no longer think for myself because I was guilty not doing what I was suppose to. I never made a list, I let you make it. I let you tell me and that was comfortable. :smile:

- Realize some things you were told were false.