Two types of spirituality

Originally Posted by trixiewilbury

I interpreted DeepForest's post to just read this: that a spiritual experience is divided up into two categories: real or unreal. Initiated by spirit, or self imagined. C'mon, we can all admit into reading "too much" into a situation that feels spiritual, only later to find out we'd gotten carried away. And I'll bet all of us here have been approached by the genuine article, so much that it's beautiful, of light and love, and we long for more. I think Deepforest might have given the wrong impression by his examples in his original post.

It's understandable to want to categorize spirituality. It is rather difficult though, and also very personal, which I think is why all the backlash is happening.

Thanks. I agree with your interpretation. This - what I have written - is one way to view things. I don't claim any of the categories are good or bad.

And we move back and forth between the categories.

Then it is not written in stone :-)

I think the make-believe phase can be overdone, but I also guess it can serve as a tool, and that it is a part of the mental day to day activities of the spirituality engaged person.

(Duplicate post, remove)

Originally Posted by DeepForest

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dict...h/make-believe

Definition: "believing or imagining things that appear to be attractive or exciting, but are not real"

Example given "The ideal of a perfectly fair society is just make-believe."

I was a little unsure of the term, but by this definition I think it fits well.

Well, it depends on what exactly you're attempting to describe. I don't see how this in any way fits spiritual belief.
You are touching on some deeper questions to do with the nature of belief, nature of reality etc, so in that sense I don't mean to discount where you're going with the question. Just that I don't agree with your choice of term here.

[wstein]

Originally Posted by DeepForest

One category is for strange or psychic experiences not intentionally initiated and sustained. The experience of sudden telepathic awareness in a non-spiritual person for example.

These are experiences, not spirituality.

Depending on your view, spirituality is generally considered the search for 'god'/'higher power'/'source' or a search for your true (inner) nature. In a looser sense searching for the nature of reality can be considered spirituality.

Originally Posted by DeepForest

1.One category is for strange or psychic experiences not intentionally initiated and sustained.
2.The other category has its foundation in make believe.

Upon both lines given,
I think I favour the first category,
rather than one starting at the second.
But the second is also necessary for further spiritual development.
To the ones who hasn't been through the first category to begin with,
I would still say Good on them! to be interested and to bother enough.
But yes, I see the pitfall of the second category where there's the chances of somebody deluding him/herself with all the make believe practices he/she can get into.

Originally Posted by dreamt

Well, it depends on what exactly you're attempting to describe. I don't see how this in any way fits spiritual belief.
You are touching on some deeper questions to do with the nature of belief, nature of reality etc, so in that sense I don't mean to discount where you're going with the question. Just that I don't agree with your choice of term here.

It fits in the way that imagination and belief plays a role in spiritual belief, and that the belief and imagination is not the same as the experience of something that is real. The psychic experiences are more real in comparison.

Some people have experiences that can be described as God, but I also claim people have, and act by, fantasies about God.

Originally Posted by wstein

These are experiences, not spirituality.

Depending on your view, spirituality is generally considered the search for 'god'/'higher power'/'source' or a search for your true (inner) nature. In a looser sense searching for the nature of reality can be considered spirituality.

Yes.

In my view I include psychic experiences in spirituality as these experiences seems to turn up when a person starts searching, and these experiences seems influence later understanding of the own spiritual quest.

I include the experience of oneness and selflessness in this (category one) as well.

Originally Posted by Niebla0007

Upon both lines given,
I think I favour the first category,
rather than one starting at the second.
But the second is also necessary for further spiritual development.
To the ones who hasn't been through the first category to begin with,
I would still say Good on them! to be interested and to bother enough.
But yes, I see the pitfall of the second category where there's the chances of somebody deluding him/herself with all the make believe practices he/she can get into.

Fully agree.

I am sure I have deluded myself a few times. But it's just a step on the path to do so, in my view.

I think both categories serve a purpose.

I am also thinking the experiences in category one need not necessarily to be extravagant. Maybe it can be things like anxiety and depression and joy etc. And in relation to these mundane experiences we still exercise belief and imagination (category two).