Changing beliefs is not spiritual awakening

[Tuesday]

So... It seems that many people mistake changing their beliefs (to starting to believe in vibrations, twin flames, New world order, vaccinations being bad, organic food being healthy etc.) to be spiritual awakening.

True spiritual awakening has nothing to do with your beliefs. It has nothing to do with taking Jesus into your heart, atheism or theism. It it the shredding of beliefs that is true spiritual awakening. It is the giving up every belief you have, giving up yourself while at the same time becoming more yourself than you ever were. But beware! Also giving up beliefs can become a belief itself. A delusion if you may.

True spiritual awakening is very rare. It is something that happens to only few people in a century.

If Reiki and meditation and all that were as powerful as people think, we would all be enlightened by now.

[linen53]

For me my spiritual awakening is just that. I am awake to what is going on around me regarding spiritual matter. period.

[Tuesday]

What is spiritual Matter? For me, there's no distinction between spiritual and everyday life.

[Emm]

Originally Posted by Tuesday

So... It seems that many people mistake changing their beliefs (to starting to believe in vibrations, twin flames, New world order, vaccinations being bad, organic food being healthy etc.) to be spiritual awakening.

True spiritual awakening has nothing to do with your beliefs. It has nothing to do with taking Jesus into your heart, atheism or theism. It it the shredding of beliefs that is true spiritual awakening. It is the giving up every belief you have, giving up yourself while at the same time becoming more yourself than you ever were. But beware! Also giving up beliefs can become a belief itself. A delusion if you may.

True spiritual awakening is very rare. It is something that happens to only few people in a century.

If Reiki and meditation and all that were as powerful as people think, we would all be enlightened by now.

Beliefs come in all shapes and sizes, from superstitions to the belief that the body ages with time...its not the giving them up but being consciously aware of what beliefs are at work in your life, getting to the root of thought that dissolves them I feel. So, Conscious self awareness is what I deem as Spiritual Awakening...awake to self. The mind is a powerful tool, we don't give it enough serious credit.

Originally Posted by Tuesday

So... It seems that many people mistake changing their beliefs (to starting to believe in vibrations, twin flames, New world order, vaccinations being bad, organic food being healthy etc.) to be spiritual awakening.

True spiritual awakening has nothing to do with your beliefs. It has nothing to do with taking Jesus into your heart, atheism or theism. It it the shredding of beliefs that is true spiritual awakening. It is the giving up every belief you have, giving up yourself while at the same time becoming more yourself than you ever were. But beware! Also giving up beliefs can become a belief itself. A delusion if you may.

True spiritual awakening is very rare. It is something that happens to only few people in a century.

If Reiki and meditation and all that were as powerful as people think, we would all be enlightened by now.

Have to disagree on this basic point.
"True spiritual awakening?" As far as I can see there's no universal "true". It can only be speculated on. How do I know? Because there have been thousands of religions and belief systems each claiming it has the truth. These truths may actually be variants of the same thing but whatever, it comes down to interpretation of purpose.

Whether you want to call it spiritual awakening or not, whenever we discard a belief - something we've been taught (even by our selves) because we've discovered a more appropriate way or belief we've "woken up" to it, opened our eyes; a new awareness had come upon us. We abruptly see something in a different light. That's an awakening.

I don't believe that awakening comes in one vast Eureka! moment. Yes, there are a few of those and mini-Eurekas now and again, but it's a continuum or a series of steps, just small things affect our flow of life, our awareness, how we review past experiences and so on. So it seems to me.

I'm not claiming that no one encounters the big bang awakening - some possibly do. So we can agree on the sort of awakening of which you speak is quite rare. There are other possibilities. Most of us grow. That's why the Hermit shields his lamp: to light our way little by little so not to blind people with a sudden all-encompassing light.

☼

[linen53]

Originally Posted by Tuesday

What is spiritual Matter? For me, there's no distinction between spiritual and everyday life.

matter=information

[Tuesday]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

Whether you want to call it spiritual awakening or not, whenever we discard a belief - something we've been taught (even by our selves) because we've discovered a more appropriate way or belief we've "woken up" to it, opened our eyes; a new awareness had come upon us. We abruptly see something in a different light. That's an awakening.

What i'm saying is that this belief, opening up to something else is *not* awakening. It's changing your beliefs. No matter if it's closer to the truth or not. Yes, we can have moments when a new belief seems like awakening. Hell, a month ago i read about the awakening of someone realizing the earth is flat. That's a belief. Has nothing to do with advancing to a higher level.

I'm not claiming that no one encounters the big bang awakening - some possibly do. So we can agree on the sort of awakening of which you speak is quite rare. There are other possibilities.

Yes, there are many paths to enlightenment, each their own but the core is the same: Letting go.

Linen:
Information is not spiritual awakening. It is information, it is knowledge. Spiritual awakening is increasing awareness.

Originally Posted by Tuesday

What i'm saying is that this belief, opening up to something else is *not* awakening. It's changing your beliefs. No matter if it's closer to the truth or not. Yes, we can have moments when a new belief seems like awakening. Hell, a month ago i read about the awakening of someone realizing the earth is flat. That's a belief. Has nothing to do with advancing to a higher level.



Yes, there are many paths to enlightenment, each their own but the core is the same: Letting go.

Linen:
Information is not spiritual awakening. It is information, it is knowledge. Spiritual awakening is increasing awareness.

I'll leave this discussion now as it's verging on sophistry.

Isn't abandoning a belief (in a spiritual context) letting go? Otherwise... letting go of what?

I keep hearing "higher level". Why higher? What's high? It sounds a bit hierarchical to me. I read it as greater refinement, distillation; a new, more appropriate belief that clarifies understanding of the cosmos a little more deeply/inwardly and our relationship within it.

Like, I mean, I'm gnostic. I can't think of anything in your terms that's "higher" than that but there's refinement to be done to assure my purity and how things fit together. Obviously it isn't as simple as that - but neither is "moving to a higher level" if only we knew what these discrete steps are that constitute these levels.

So, there it is.

By the way, linen53 could be right. In strict terms information is anything that reduces uncertainty. Unused knowledge isn't information - closer to data. To me an important distinction because the acquisition of information in a spiritual context can mean reduction of uncertainty re the progress of one's path.

Anyway, thanks for your comment.

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by linen53

matter=information

In most traditions..

Matter = form/Shakti/energy/light.

Information is just another thought.

Silence thoughts and one begins to feel how thoughts are flows of energy.


So I would agree with Tuesday that beliefs aka thoughts is not awaking in any spiritual sense.

Awaking would more generally be, awaking to the energy that is you, that is everything. So when someone opens their heart and is able to feel energy in practices, opens the 5th chakra and is able to feel the energy from around them, from others. That I believe is a much better definition of awaking than.. yeah, I changed my beliefs today.. no longer a Hindu.. call me a Buddhist... err well just love and light everyone

[Tuesday]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

I keep hearing "higher level". Why higher? What's high? It sounds a bit hierarchical to me. I read it as greater refinement, distillation; a new, more appropriate belief that clarifies understanding of the cosmos a little more deeply/inwardly and our relationship within it.

We can use another word if you feel more comfortable with it.

What comes to hierarchy. There are people who know more, who understand more, who can do more than other people. It can be about being an athlete, a mathematician, a musician. Why would spiritual development be any different?