Book Knowledge vs Experience

Happily, I found early on that spiritual books had a lot wrong. So I never trusted them. They were theories to be tested and my NLP background gave me the ability to do that.

In my experience, even authoritative sources such as Barbara Ann Brennan's books are only 80% accurate. Some sources are less than 50% accurate.

Likewise, there is a lot of misinformation on these forums and people who don't bother to verify the beliefs they try to install into others.

Hence I was delighted a couple of days ago when gypsymistique demonstrated a rare understanding of verifying one's beliefs.

Originally Posted by Toolite

Im not one to think truth is as a hidden.. Spirit has never lied.. man is a factor in truth in many different ways but, still truth shines through.. If we think something is true and it is not true Spirit will at some point make truth cross our path but, i

Perhaps it's a matter of constantly questioning, rather than simply accepting what we're taught.

While spirit never lies, many of us have accepted religious, historical or political dogma for decades, and eventually discovered it's precepts as false-distorted-limited.
Many of the beliefs regarding our true spiritual, eternal nature, as taught by schools, orthodox religion,are incomplete and false. And many religious texts conceal deeper teachings or edit them out. As I understand.

Traditional teaching , secular & religious, is mostly egocentric , with man, earth as the focus of the intelligent universe... an attitude that's far from the truth.
This has sufficed for eons, but no longer serves us.

Many ancient indigenous tribes know better, and have never forgotten our true place in the universe, and understood our unity with earth.

Till we see ourselves as part of the earth and a member of the galactic family our self concept will remain limited...

Perhaps spirit reveals what we're individually prepared to see-understand.
,as co-creators.

(what philosophical differences we may all have, in this discussion, are unimportant, and largely semantic,,,and no one possesses the complete picture anyway) if such a things exists... since we all create our personal universe.

Originally Posted by Aquarian

Happily, I found early on that spiritual books had a lot wrong. So I never trusted them. They were theories to be tested and my NLP background gave me the ability to do that.

In my experience, even authoritative sources such as Barbara Ann Brennan's books are only 80% accurate. Some sources are less than 50% accurate.

Likewise, there is a lot of misinformation on these forums and people who don't bother to verify the beliefs they try to install into others.

Hence I was delighted a couple of days ago when gypsymistique demonstrated a rare understanding of verifying one's beliefs.

I personally use discernment but, please share if you dont mind briefly how gypsymistique verifies a belief?

All The Glory Belongs To God Forever!

Originally Posted by Henri77

Perhaps it's a matter of constantly questioning, rather than simply accepting what we're taught.

While spirit never lies, many of us have accepted religious, historical or political dogma for decades, and eventually discovered it's precepts as false-distorted-limited.
Many of the beliefs regarding our true spiritual, eternal nature, as taught by schools, orthodox religion,are incomplete and false. And many religious texts conceal deeper teachings or edit them out. As I understand.

Traditional teaching , secular & religious, is mostly egocentric , with man, earth as the focus of the intelligent universe... an attitude that's far from the truth. This has sufficed for eons, but no longer serves us.

Many ancient indigenous tribes know better, and have never forgotten our true place in the universe, and understood our unity with earth.

Till we see ourselves as part of the earth and a member of the galactic family our self concept will remain limited...

Perhaps spirit reveals what we're individually prepared to see-understand.
,as co-creators.

Truth is only good as the interpretor.. the interpretor is where the problem lies because Spirit does not lie.

I am a respector in others beliefs, thoughts an opinions and hope they are respector of mine.. I dont just say things I usually tell individual how I arrived at that conclusion and definately would if asked.. The world is complicated and thats because we as people make it that way.

I dont believe in religion period.. any type of religion it feels too much like a club of rules and regulations.. individuals that will come together to attack a person that does not think like them..lol.. but, again those are just my views or opinion..

All The Glory Belongs To God Forever!

Originally Posted by Toolite

I personally use discernment but, please share if you dont mind briefly how gypsymistique verifies a belief?

Ditto
A new thread, on individual truth discernment methods, would be timely& useful.
We can certainly learn from one another, and improve on what works.
Refining these skills are something we all can benefit from.

I trust my heart-internal guidance regarding spiritual realities but could certainly refine my discernment in many earthly matters.

Originally Posted by Toolite

There is a difference between book knowledge and actual experience. I do think reading is important but, here is where I think it creates a problem.

Individuals who read about experiences attempt to stand on the other person's experience..or take ownership of that experience because they read it but, that doesnt add up.

A person who reads an experience cant elaborate outside of what they have read and a person who has had the experience can actually answer questions in dept or to a deeper degree because an experience answers question that have not been asked.. Its when you revisit the experience you see different pieces that you didnt see originally.

I would encourage others to seek the experience for themselves because that way no man can sway you back or forth.

All The Glory Belongs To God Forever!

Your post took me back to my own beginings of my journey when I read just about every book I could get my hands on in relation to personal development and others experiences. In many ways as I stepped into my own expereinces along with the knowledge I had taken through others paths, I saw that that openess to take in as many paths as I could allowed me to retain aspects that were very important for my own journey. In many ways reading allowed me to gather bits and pieces that served me greatly. I think the end result was that I didnt limit my intake of knowledge to just one path..I opened to many paths and during my biggest experience of opening, I saw that all those paths served me to stay in faith and trust that I would make it through.

When you said it is through experience we can revisit and see different bits and peices, yes I find myself doing that now and gathering new information as I revisit quite frequently..often times the expereince itself allows me to expand at a more accelerated pace..just by revisiting.....I can link up the experiences to the new space..and its clear to me.

Some experience is to be lived, and others to be avoided. Some are receptive to sound instruction, others will live a life unappreciative of any instruction, despite any experience to the contrary.

It all depends on the book and how much merit the author is given.

Originally Posted by Toolite

I personally use discernment but, please share if you dont mind briefly how gypsymistique verifies a belief?

I guess you could call this principle independent verification -- somebody else making an accurate assessment where the similarity cannot be otherwise explained.

Like if you perceive a distinctive feature in auras over time, and later read a book by an expert who describes exactly the same thing, you can be confident it's a real phenomenon.

There are lot of other ways. I'm somewhat tempted to write an article on it and get it published somewhere because without some of the rigour of science, this field is never going to get taken seriously.

Actually this entire topic presupposes we ARE truly separate from one another, and unconnected.

To a significant degree, we become one with the writers recorded experience and
DO experience what they did. Same as for movies. (speaking of documented personal experiences, not theoretical texts or informational documentaries)

While the experience is somewhat different from first hand phenomena we DO feel similar emotions as the writer (I DO) and in some sense make those experiences our own. Movies are sometimes even better examples of this)

Similarly.... dreams are often difficult to distinguish from recalled "real" events.
I've had at least 2 series of dreams that have been incorporated in memory, as temporal extensions of relationships that had ended... as I'm sure others have experienced. (unfinished emotional "business" that was resolved in dreams)

Perhaps we can and DO learn from others experiences in ways we don't quite realize...
Are emotional or mental experience the most personally valid ones, I wonder, for a soul's growth?
And perhaps "second hand" experience can awaken memories-knowledge as effectively as personal experience...if we are sufficiently awake. Our soul can judge truth better than mind, in most cases.

Perhaps the differences are more subtle than we expect.
I certainly have had "dream" experiences more emotionally validating than "real" ones..
Ones that shaped my internal belief system to a significant degree..

I respect others that disagree,,,but for me... this is the case.

Through the oneness we can experience-learn anything. How and IF we incorporate that experience only we decide.

Originally Posted by silent whisper

Your post took me back to my own beginings of my journey when I read just about every book I could get my hands on in relation to personal development and others experiences. In many ways as I stepped into my own expereinces along with the knowledge I had taken through others paths, I saw that that openess to take in as many paths as I could allowed me to retain aspects that were very important for my own journey. In many ways reading allowed me to gather bits and pieces that served me greatly. I think the end result was that I didnt limit my intake of knowledge to just one path..I opened to many paths and during my biggest experience of opening, I saw that all those paths served me to stay in faith and trust that I would make it through.

When you said it is through experience we can revisit and see different bits and peices, yes I find myself doing that now and gathering new information as I revisit quite frequently..often times the expereince itself allows me to expand at a more accelerated pace..just by revisiting.....I can link up the experiences to the new space..and its clear to me.

Im a firm believer now when Spirit gives an experience there are many messages in that experience and as we grow and are ready we discover them.. Thats like souls when they come to you their not just giving that primary message there are messages we may not be aware that they are giving too.. I just think anything that Spirit does is just amazing and powerful.

All The Glory Belongs To God Forever!