[blackraven]

Originally Posted by Gem

When we speak of the spiritual dimension of life, there is something truthful occurring within us as we explore deeper in ourselves.

Even though it's not a personal conversation, but a topical conversation, the nature of the subject requires us to be aware of our inner arisings, and it requires skills to move through these.

If we talk about nice things, joke about and so forth, it's all smooth sailing because no one is required to encounter what is true of themselves. But the spiritual conversation reveals home truths, and that, as we already know, can be a stormy sea.

If we speak seriously about the spiritual subject we are talking about the deepest aspect of ourselves, and therefore we encounter obstacles that 'stand in the way' so to speak. As navigating such obstacles requires a careful and gentle way, we would go about things in a similar way as we would thread a very fine needle. Just as this delicate task requires fullness of attention and care, so too does the 'spiritual task' I allude to.

Rather than being nice and comfortable, this sort of discourse is truthful, and that can be discomforting because each one faces their own home truths. No one faces the home truths of anyone else, so psychoanalysing, accusing, and 'you language' in general does no good for anyone, and only presents risks of harm. Caveat being, complimentary remarks can be encouraging.

As we speak more deeply on the spiritual dimension of us, we are bound to hit on obstacles which hold emotional contents in ourselves, which makes it a difficult topic, so it requires our best skills, both in how we transverse our inner worlds, and in our expressed conversation.

The spiritual conversation is indeed difficult and requires much awareness of both self and the audience to which one is addressing. Spirituality is uniquely personal and because of that, it’s sometimes hard to put it into words that others understand or can comprehend with their own context of experience.

First problem is I have to define what spirituality is for myself. Perhaps I can’t define it, because it exists at a deeper emotional, felt level. It then is an intimate dance when coming forward on a forum with what I might believe are other like-minded persons. But how can that be? No two people can think alike or experiences alike. Sometimes it may feel futile, but that’s only if one doesn’t care to open up conversation to other’s experiences and truly listen, learn and accept. But in the end, there remains my own personal life experiences in the arena of spirituality, which again, is hard to define. Yet, I do gain insight from sharing because there is feedback and it allows me a brief view of other’s spirituality and what that means to them.

It’s a one of those touchy topics because it’s the whole of one’s life experiences all wrapped up into one mind and one mindset. It then becomes subject to judgment, which is why it’s advised to share only what one feels comfortable with. It’s odd to me that judgment enters into a conversation about what spirituality is for individuals. Some people think it’s universal or can be defined categorically, but in all actuality, it can’t.

I can share my paranormal experiences in that area of the forum, but again it’s a story telling thing that others either believe me and relate or they don’t and form an opinion.

I guess on forums thick skin must be developed. I can’t care what others think or perceive of my personal and private experiences. Equally so though, because I protect myself like this I also have the insight to protect other’s definition of spirituality as well. Mutual respect can be achieved, but again, it’s a delicate dance. As pointed out earlier “you” statements automatically put me on defense because I don’t have to justify my life experiences or why I’m here. It’s all I know and it’s as real as I get, so “you” statements just get thrown out and I tend to move on to listeners and respecters.