How to reconcile depression and spirituality?

Hi All,

I am a new member, glad to take part in this form. Happy to share my experience and knowledge. I deal with numerous aspects of what I call "crossing over" as did Ever the great great grandfather of Abraham (Our Biblical forefather). Often the concepts or ideas of God that society has placed on us puts us in a state of confusion, that in turn brings us to a depressive state. Often people are faced with not knowing where to start. Though if you are searching, this is the first step to awakening. Faith, Knowledge and Understanding are key catalysts that allow us to start on our individual ascent. I understand that these are generalities that all of us understand to some level or extent. Though again if you are searching that means that your awakening has started and God is calling on you to start your unique journey leading to Him. Firstly, I would highly recommend to start with reading the Ten Commandments. Though just reading them is not sufficient, you need to try and discover the hidden mysteries of the Ten Commandments, best to start from 10 - 4, leave 3 to 1st commandment for later as they require rectification prior to being able to truly understand them in depth. I also recommend to start your day with a prayer and end your day with a prayer. Make a small altar in your home, this simply a small table about waste high, can be any table you wish but it must be used only for this purpose and always kept clean. Better to have your altar in place where you have some privacy, keep a bible there and your own prayer book which you should begin to write as your heart will desire it, on the altar. The altar should preferably face eastwards no matter where it is located in the house, best close to window. Wear something to cover your head as sign of respect to God. Try to open your heart before God and thank Him everyday for sustaining your body and soul. Repent for your sins for 7 days (repentance comes through understanding, not through crying, ranting or any other negative emotion or action.)

Those who wish to do as I have suggested start on your journey. I will be happy to provide further details and go more on depth on the spiritual work that can be done by each one of you for your personal development on your path. Keep in mind that we are all part of our Creator, we are like the stars that fill the skies, all different but all are beautiful in our own unique way. We are created in the likeness of our Creator, what this means "Is that we are first and foremost mental beings" we have been given the ability to create, in fact we can refer to mankind as the small creators. We first create at the mental level and then we realize this by using various physical means, materials and energies provided to us from the dawn of creation. Though, these teachings and knowledge of how we can develop on our paths as individual spiritual beings to become one with God's creation and fulfill His Intent for us, have to a large extent been lost over the last 3000 years. Leaving modern day man and woman often in state of confusion, asking questions such as What do I do? and How do I do it? Who am I? and Why me?

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Victor ben Mark

Often the concepts or ideas of God that society has placed on us puts us in a state of confusion, that in turn brings us to a depressive state.

Often people are faced with not knowing where to start. Firstly, I would highly recommend to start with reading the Ten Commandments. Though just reading them is not sufficient, you need to try and discover the hidden mysteries of the Ten Commandments, best to start from 10 - 4, leave 3 to 1st commandment for later as they require rectification prior to being able to truly understand them in depth.

Better to have your altar in place where you have some privacy, keep a bible there...

That was one stretch of a segue: the topic of depression as the means whereby you then proceed to tell us all about your religious beliefs and rituals, right down to the waist-high Bible table. I am being 100% serious right now, dear Victor ben Mark... religion is one of the main causes of depression in the first place. God-judgment and sin beliefs. It causes mind illness. People become sick from the fundamentalism aspect. Depression in many ways is the result of 2000 years of mental and psychic suppression, a result of religion, now coming back to haunt humanity.

Dear Baile,

Religion is really a word that I don't use. There is simply faith, religions have taken ancient teachings and turned them into an instrument. But the Bible existed long before religion. Religion came about later and for the most part I agree created a great deal of woes for humanity. I am talking about the spiritual aspects of faith. Though of course there are elements incorporated in religions that have nothing wrong with them. And keeping an altar at home is simply your way of expressing your commitment and respect to God.

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Victor ben Mark

Dear Baile, I am talking about the spiritual aspects of faith.

Yes, if this is it, then we are on the same page. I though don't call it faith. I call it knowing. Absolute certainty in the reality of Spirit and our eternal soul. This alone can heal depression as it shifts the consciousness paradigm itself.

Depression and mental instability is often the result of pressures of society on person's mental state, often contradicting their own internal desire for spiritual growth and development. Society pushes persons to be alike, act alike, follow the same religion, maintain a similar set of beliefs, take meds to solve health problems and etc... The impact of society in our day and age is far greater than it was 3000 years ago. In the ancient times man had far greater capability to ponder on God's Creation and understand his place in it.

This does not mean that society only instills negative in us or has only negative impact on the human condition. Simply put, society is a mixture of competing homogeneous and non homogeneous states of being, conditions, perceptions and beliefs which often dominate simply based on number and not based on quality or understanding.

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Victor ben Mark

In the ancient times man had far greater capability to ponder on God's Creation and understand his place in it.

I see now we hold similar views, we just speak in different languages. I have a rock, shell and feather alter outside in my garden BTW. No Bible though.

Baile,

Fully agree, I think we understand each other. The absolute certainty you mention is in fact the condition of Emunah. This is as you call it "Knowing" the reality of Spirit. This is how our forefathers were able to ascend and achieve great insight, gain knowledge and understanding. Sad to say much of it has been lost, misinterpreted, misconstrued, misused and misunderstood. For the most part we live in an ego driven world, though the paradigm shift in consciousness is taking place and hopefully we can further assist others to start on their journey. Consciousness is collective and even though we see our self as individual spiritual beings we are part of this collective consciousness that influences us and impacts every aspect of our lives. Therefore focusing our efforts on furthering the shift in collective consciousness is what ultimately will bring about collective spiritual awareness and ultimately change. Again this brings us back to God our Father as the collective focal point creating the necessary condition of modalities in consciousness for the paradigm shift you mention.

Hehe, that will do. I am trying to imagine what it looks like.

No bible, is fine too. Good for start.

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Victor ben Mark

Sad to say much of it has been lost, misinterpreted, misconstrued, misused and misunderstood.

Therefore focusing our efforts on furthering the shift in collective consciousness is what ultimately will bring about collective spiritual awareness and ultimately change.

Again this brings us back to God our Father as the collective focal point creating the necessary condition of modalities in consciousness for the paradigm shift you mention.

This really is the key. The difficulty for humanity in this new consciousness age is that not only do people struggle to comprehend these truths (a result of understanding that has been lost), but many are in fact actively engaged in opposing these understandings. It is the id that now directs the human being. Not gratitude for life. Not love of Spirit. Nothing that extends outward in a prayer-like manner.

Just the id. Expressions of the human being's disorganized instinctual drives, all for the purpose of self-gratification. That's what we are seeing in life today. That is the root cause of the ever-increasing turmoil that is now happening in the world and that appears to be spinning out of control. My own view is that these are not portents of an approaching apocalypse and demise of humanity, but merely the most extreme expressions of the (necessary) consciousness growing pains that come with our collective evolution.

The topic of how all of this ties into the depression epidemic we also see in the world, hasn't even been broached. Nobody is really talking about it. You said it, it's a consciousness dilemma, 3000 years in the making. And people think we can fix it with pills.

[Baile]

And this is where your ritual and alter advice comes into play. To counteract the disorganization-energy of the id world we are now immersed in and surrounded by, one looks for opportunities to create organization and order in one's life. I sit by the ocean each day and listen to the rhythm of the waves, that's one thing I personally do.