Is it possible to take spirituality too far?

[Tomma]

Originally Posted by Jack of Spades

Well, you emphasized not being judgy, so I just wanted to emphasize the other side of the coin, which is being overly tolerating.

Gotcha!

[Jyotir]

Originally Posted by Mystik

So I went to this place that was supposed to have meditation. However, I got more than I bargained for. I just wanted to see what it was all about and there was no charge. However, the "teacher" went on about all these deep spiritual things that don't really have much to do with meditation. At one point he asked if I was a space man or something like that and told me that aliens were standing behind me. I didn't really know what to say.

Anyway, he also said something like there's no such thing as time and everything is happening at once and that things just bounce around. I've heard the time is not linear thing before. Fine. But when he said Jewish people were volunteering for the holocaust and stuff like that(I guess he saw it as karma) as well as the aliens are standing behind me and abduct me in my sleep I think that's maybe just going a bit too far. Maybe this guy wants an emotional reaction out of people I'm not sure.

My point is that although I consider myself spiritual I get frustrated when I go to events like this and hear people say stuff that just seems to go too far and seems too far out there. Does anyone else on here think it's possible to take things too far and be so far into spirituality that you lose touch with reality?

Hi Mystik,

If you are hungry, and someone tries to serve you sand, is that going too far?

It seems that the culprit isn't 'going too far', but a lack of discrimination and/or cheerful persistence.

You need to discriminate what is truly satisfying and resolutely step away from what isn't authentic to necessity.

At the same time if you restrict exploration you may get cynical and that leads to despair.

Try to persist, but be detached. Be open, but discerning.
Observe what isn't appropriate, and then move on.
Ask for what is appropriate and then utilize it.
That is the practical essence of spiritual life.

Don't make the mistake of blaming the ignorance of others and the world (and dwelling on the 'injustice' and absurdity of it) for your own dissatisfaction. Just observe, follow your heart, let go of what doesn't work for you, seek what satisfies the divine in you, and keep at it. This is the journey, and it's endless.

~ J

[7luminaries]

Originally Posted by Jyotir

Hi Mystik,

If you are hungry, and someone tries to serve you sand, is that going too far?

It seems that the culprit isn't 'going too far', but a lack of discrimination and/or cheerful persistence.

You need to discriminate what is truly satisfying and resolutely step away from what isn't authentic to necessity.

At the same time if you restrict exploration you may get cynical and that leads to despair.

Try to persist, but be detached. Be open, but discerning.
Observe what isn't appropriate, and then move on.
Ask for what is appropriate and then utilize it.
That is the practical essence of spiritual life.

Don't make the mistake of blaming the ignorance of others and the world (and dwelling on the 'injustice' and absurdity of it) for your own dissatisfaction. Just observe, follow your heart, let go of what doesn't work for you, seek what satisfies the divine in you, and keep at it. This is the journey, and it's endless.

~ J

Well said. Ideally, this is a journey that you make with full realisation that we walk alongside others, as opposed to an illusory perspective where we journey in isolation and/or where the interconnectedness of all is ignored.

In living in alignment with our centre, and in regular practice and self-reflection, "seemingly paradoxically", we find ourselves ever more resonant and aware of all that is in every sense, and our focus naturally expands to include that which is most resonant with the highest good of all equally to the self. And vice versa.

Peace & blessings
7L

[calisushi810]

Depends. I find people who troll others by making disingenuous claims about spirituality , particularly about entities and haunting spirits to be a bit off touch. Take it too far.

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by Mystik

[To be spiritual, one has to make their critical thinking a bit more flexible than one would if they were to stick to the strictly scientific world view. Unfortunately, for many people, this seems to equal torching all their capability for criticism and believing everything from medieval medicine to conspiracy theories to marketing scams.

I don't even know if it's possible to promote spirituality without accidentally promoting such anti-intellectual side-effects. It's something that bothers me a great deal personally.]

It seems that you get the point I'm trying to make. I might not have expressed it in the most succinct way but basically there has to be some kind of balance between the world as we know it and the world that we can't fully understand. I consider myself to be somewhere in the middle. Maybe sort of like an agnostic when it comes to spirituality and things that are considered spiritual and mystical. I know that there's more than just what science explains or at least it's my opinion that there is but I don't try to proffer my spiritual beliefs as facts the way many spiritual "gurus" seem to. There are a lot of possibilities out there and I'm open to that and I don't mind being challenged to a degree but talking about aliens standing behind me seems to go too far as do other things that are in my opinion mere speculation(ie multiple dimensions and universes etc).

Through my own personal experience of myself moving through life and awakenings to more, I notice that often those things outside of myself reflect something I have within that decides for itself the meaning behind all that for me and my own personal process.

What you shared about being in the middle of the what we know and what we don't understand, makes sense, the middle way often leads us back to a more neutral aware place, not necessarily aligned to one or the other, but walking aware of life as life can be and is. Even as I know what I know so far in the experience of myself and others as they share, there is life as a mystery that lays within all that, which often cant be fully identified with, but I think it keeps me more grounded and real.

When I was going through a deeper awakening process where I ventured far out of myself and into other dimensions etc. I had to come back down to reality and learn how to be aware and live a life more in balance of all that. It was like I did go as far as I could, it felt like a turnaround point. Where any further investigation of my own psyche or the mystery itself, would simply send me nutters.. I am now aware that the mystery itself/or the unknown requires one to live more in harmony and balance with what is, simply by just being aware, not being contained by it, but more move through life with it and balance allows for this to occur, no matter what the world creates the world as being and what it means.

In the end its my own meaning that matters to the creation I bring into this world.

[naturesflow]

Originally Posted by Mystik

So I went to this place that was supposed to have meditation. However, I got more than I bargained for. I just wanted to see what it was all about and there was no charge. However, the "teacher" went on about all these deep spiritual things that don't really have much to do with meditation. At one point he asked if I was a space man or something like that and told me that aliens were standing behind me. I didn't really know what to say.

Anyway, he also said something like there's no such thing as time and everything is happening at once and that things just bounce around. I've heard the time is not linear thing before. Fine. But when he said Jewish people were volunteering for the holocaust and stuff like that(I guess he saw it as karma) as well as the aliens are standing behind me and abduct me in my sleep I think that's maybe just going a bit too far. Maybe this guy wants an emotional reaction out of people I'm not sure.

My point is that although I consider myself spiritual I get frustrated when I go to events like this and hear people say stuff that just seems to go too far and seems too far out there. Does anyone else on here think it's possible to take things too far and be so far into spirituality that you lose touch with reality?

Welcome to the world of others as they see and feel.

The nature of process is that most often what is, is a changing face as life progresses. So what is right now through the experience your meeting is something for you to reflect on and grow beyond that space. So as you might see, the world supports you in some form to open and decide for you how you see and feel about the world around you.

These people are taking things to what their process relates too. It doesn't mean they have taken things too far. More they have markers in themselves creating things from what is in them. Sometimes awareness of the external stuff takes time to bring people into a more aware state, that they are the ones creating this for themselves to grow through. In the shared space, it offers you something to decide for you in how you wish to be and what you wish to engage with.

Choices come in lots of ways. The stories people tell are real for them until they are no longer real.

Then often a new story is created to deal with the next process.

I have been involved with many groups and its part and parcel that we learn how each of us have our own ideas about reality when your in them. Finding groups that have the same awareness is often difficult until you learn the reason your landing where you are and move along from it in yourself.

[Shivani Devi]

There is no limit to what can become sheltered under the umbrella of spirituality, as the concept itself cannot be defined, even broadly.

People make many claims that just don't seem to 'sit right' with us...like how I shudder whenever I read David Icke..but all this does, is strengthen us inside about knowing what it is we believe in and what we want, by being exposed to those things that we don't want...and this is different for everyone.

So, if that meditation teacher makes you feel uncomfortable, you say "thank you for your time" and go and see if there are other meditation classes in your area that teach what you want to learn.

[Starman]

Spirituality cannot be defined nor does it have any limits. When we start placing strict interpretations on spirituality, we begin to enter the realm of religion. Religion is the codification of spirituality. Religion puts spirituality in a box of do’s and don’ts.

When in my opinion, everything that we do, think, or say, has spiritual ramifications. Spirit is always at work in our lives regardless whether our behavior is deemed moral, or appropriate, or not. There are no limitations to spirituality. There is only our judgment, or opinions, of spirituality. Spirituality is frequently codified according to prevailing human values or religious tenets.

Most people who embrace the term “spirituality” believe that it is a narrow path; and they usually have morals and values that they have placed on spirituality. But does spirituality place limits on us or do we just place limits on spirituality?

In my experience of what I call “spirituality,” a deeper presence takes over my life, a sweet and peaceful presence that renders an extremely positive feeling, among other things. I have found that in the presence of what I call “spiritual” inner silence is the best way to proceed; this is the only limit that I want to place on spirituality. My spiritual experience moves me to do certain benevolent things.

Although, there have been many wars fought here on Earth, that were called “spiritual wars” or “religious wars” and millions of people were killed in those wars; with people shouting it was "God's Will!" I learned a long time ago that peace is much more than just the absence of war. No matter how esteem a teacher, or person, may be considered, if they are here on earth, they still have work to do on themselves.

[Spirit bird]

Originally Posted by Mystik

So I went to this place that was supposed to have meditation. However, I got more than I bargained for. I just wanted to see what it was all about and there was no charge. However, the "teacher" went on about all these deep spiritual things that don't really have much to do with meditation. At one point he asked if I was a space man or something like that and told me that aliens were standing behind me. I didn't really know what to say.

Anyway, he also said something like there's no such thing as time and everything is happening at once and that things just bounce around. I've heard the time is not linear thing before. Fine. But when he said Jewish people were volunteering for the holocaust and stuff like that(I guess he saw it as karma) as well as the aliens are standing behind me and abduct me in my sleep I think that's maybe just going a bit too far. Maybe this guy wants an emotional reaction out of people I'm not sure.

My point is that although I consider myself spiritual I get frustrated when I go to events like this and hear people say stuff that just seems to go too far and seems too far out there. Does anyone else on here think it's possible to take things too far and be so far into spirituality that you lose touch with reality?

Like many here have said as well, you need to feel what is right for you. Always trust your feelings (vibes) and not your rational brain thinking (that is the ego talking). If the feel for you is wrong then politely extricate yourself from the situation. Is it possible this teacher and his class could be something more off the mark as you say? Sure absolutely! But it may equally be possible that he has travelled through his own experiences on his journey that he wishes to share and perhaps possibly this class having already been established have advanced to the point of where his conversations were at and that they feel he is speaking truths, and what he says may not be shocking to them.

I will agree that for being a newbie to this class you attended and for just joining up with them it was very assertive and without forthought on his part to make the bold statements he did that may dissuay someone from coming back. But don't rule out that he is wrong no matter how outlandish what he says may sound.

I strongly feel that being open and receptive to what "could possibly be" is a battle we all have within us where our human side (ego/brain) is in battle to being open to our higher self. Just go with what you feel, not your head (what you think), but truly WHAT YOU FEEL. Then if you don't sense any ring of truth or even possibilities to what you hear maybe being true then it is not for you. But just be sure to decide by feel and not thought.

[Mystik]

Originally Posted by Jyotir

Hi Mystik,

If you are hungry, and someone tries to serve you sand, is that going too far?

It seems that the culprit isn't 'going too far', but a lack of discrimination and/or cheerful persistence.

You need to discriminate what is truly satisfying and resolutely step away from what isn't authentic to necessity.

At the same time if you restrict exploration you may get cynical and that leads to despair.

Try to persist, but be detached. Be open, but discerning.
Observe what isn't appropriate, and then move on.
Ask for what is appropriate and then utilize it.
That is the practical essence of spiritual life.

Don't make the mistake of blaming the ignorance of others and the world (and dwelling on the 'injustice' and absurdity of it) for your own dissatisfaction. Just observe, follow your heart, let go of what doesn't work for you, seek what satisfies the divine in you, and keep at it. This is the journey, and it's endless.

~ J

If I am hungry and someone tries to serve me sand? Seriously?

I agree with some of what you say though. Here's the thing. It's good to be skeptical but I think the truth is maybe in the middle. Atheists and skeptics are one extreme that I don't agree with although I do feel it's good to be skeptical to a point but also feel it's important to have faith. On the other hand just being spiritual for spiritual's sake without any kind of discriminating and believing everything you hear is just as bad. Am I really supposed to believe there are aliens standing behind me just because some self appointed guru says so? I'm just looking for the balance. I try not to be too cynical but it just seems to me that there aren't many communities or people who feel the way I do. I think I did see something once online about some kind of hybridization but it seems rare. You either believe in all the loopy stuff or you are an atheist who believes that when you die you are buried and everything goes black and that's it. No afterlife no nothing. No god either needless to say. I'm just trying to find that happy medium which seems to elude me these days.

Also, maybe this site isn't for me. Some of what I am reading here sounds almost as delusional as the dude who thinks I was abducted by aliens from the future in my sleep. SMH.