The purpose of 'new age' spirituality?

Originally Posted by Lynn

Hello

So many times I come to find the word "new" attached to something that has its roots in things very old. Being that I run a Non Profit Metaphysical Society and we book guest speaker I come to find the word "new" a lot. New healing, new meditations, new faiths ext ext. When they get up and speak on the "new" I see the roots to the old, to something they have adapted and made new so that they have something to offer that is fresh.

There is nothing wrong in new ways of thinking and doing things, but one must always I feel remember one's roots to the past. Respect that there is always new approaches but maybe everything did have a common root that it all sprang from. Such is us as Man ....we are all the same DNA make up, we are all human beings yet as that we seem at times so pulled apart.

The purpose of SF came to mind as I try to clear the fog from so wanting to just go back to bed after feeding my demanding cat.....I came to fine more conflicts here. We do not have to take as a basis the ideas of another and the state of the World shows me we have a long ways to go, but we can here take the small steps of respect. In that small step that might well spread more and more.

In the work I take on I have come to leave all judgments at the front door, to be an open mind that what I hear might well not fit to me on the path that I be on but I hold not the right to have that shut down in another view. I sit and listen and when I listen without the EGO of judgements I might just hear something that I can apply. I can shed being blind to the Light of new ideas.

We can all take on the role of Judge and Jury but we do not need to take on the role of "Executioner" . That is a role in life's past I did have, and its not one I hope to repeat in hitting a "closed" button.

Lynn

SF Admin (not a role I like to step in with.....I like more the Member Lynn)

Greetings Lynn--it is good to see you!

We are in complete agreement--in my Tradition we recognize that--if we want others to respect our right to choose our own path and think for ourselves--then we must Honor and Respect the rights of others to do likewise.

That being said--I feel the line of respect has been crossed--any time one person attempts to force their opinions upon others--regardless of the path they choose to tread.

One of the things I love most about SF is the diversity of our Members and the opportunity to share different ideals and practices.

Ever your friend,

LadyTerra

[Nameless]

I have been on SF for several years now, and it has helped me to change my opinions of religions and the religious in a very non confrontational way (not that I was ever confrontational, but as I learned what I was learning, I ran up against my judgements - that judgmental part of myself.)

I learned, when I was arguing (or speaking my side of things) with the Christian community about their opinion of LBGT's, I felt right and vindicated for about one second, then it didn't feel good. It never dawned on me back then that I was perpetuating what I was "fighting" against.

As I began to knock down and stomp out my judgement of others, I began to realize there was so much that I judged. I had no idea.

Jesus teaches to turn the other cheek. Not only was I not turning the other cheek, I was knee deep in the war.

I have learned that to turn the other cheek just means to not put my attention on someone else's beliefs and try to talk them out of them, but just to listen to my own inner being, my own beliefs.

I credit SF with helping me come to the realization of my own judgements. I don't think I could have dealt with them realistically in the "real" world.

I am not saying I am free from judgement, but I have come a long way....

It no longer bothers me that there are others that don't understand my point of view about anything, because their point of view is equally valid, from their point of view.

Every day I am learning this, everyday it is real to me that when I let go of my judgement of someone else, I gain something about myself.

These past few weeks I have learned this in my own "real" life.

Just because I don't understand something doesn't make it wrong. It just makes it different.

Without SF, I think it would have taken me much longer to get to this new perspective, this new way of thinking about life.

Underneath all of the beliefs, we still have love. That never changes.

Love is underneath everything. Sometimes we have to dig harder within ourselves to find it.

And the old becomes new again.

Originally Posted by Nameless

I have been on SF for several years now, and it has helped me to change my opinions of religions and the religious in a very non confrontational way (not that I was ever confrontational, but as I learned what I was learning, I ran up against my judgements - that judgmental part of myself.)

I learned, when I was arguing (or speaking my side of things) with the Christian community about their opinion of LBGT's, I felt right and vindicated for about one second, then it didn't feel good. It never dawned on me back then that I was perpetuating what I was "fighting" against.

As I began to knock down and stomp out my judgement of others, I began to realize there was so much that I judged. I had no idea.

Jesus teaches to turn the other cheek. Not only was I not turning the other cheek, I was knee deep in the war.

I have learned that to turn the other cheek just means to not put my attention on someone else's beliefs and try to talk them out of them, but just to listen to my own inner being, my own beliefs.

I credit SF with helping me come to the realization of my own judgements. I don't think I could have dealt with them realistically in the "real" world.

I am not saying I am free from judgement, but I have come a long way....

It no longer bothers me that there are others that don't understand my point of view about anything, because their point of view is equally valid, from their point of view.

Every day I am learning this, everyday it is real to me that when I let go of my judgement of someone else, I gain something about myself.

These past few weeks I have learned this in my own "real" life.

Just because I don't understand something doesn't make it wrong. It just makes it different.

Without SF, I think it would have taken me much longer to get to this new perspective, this new way of thinking about life.

Underneath all of the beliefs, we still have love. That never changes.

Love is underneath everything. Sometimes we have to dig harder within ourselves to find it.

And the old becomes new again.

This is so well spoken and beautiful--thank you for sharing your experience.

Will you share something else with me...it would help me (very much)...what do you do when someone refuses to accept your right to define yourself and be your own person and keeps trying to bate you to the point of hounding you?

Thank you (in advance) for sharing your perspective & insight...

Ever your friend,

LadyTerra

[Nameless]

Originally Posted by LadyTerra

This is so well spoken and beautiful--thank you for sharing your experience.

Will you share something else with me...it would help me (very much)...what do you do when someone refuses to accept your right to define yourself and be your own person and keeps trying to bate you to the point of hounding you?

Thank you (in advance) for sharing your perspective & insight...

Ever your friend,

LadyTerra

Thank you for your kind words, and I will be a honest as possible.

I put them on "ignore."

Some might say that is burying my head in the sand. I have another perspective of it. I have a long list of ignores, but I think of it as, I am designing my experience here as I want it to be, as what I came here for. I want to speak with people who uplift me, who are uplifted by me, who get where I am coming from. I think most of us do. It is okay to ignore someone else, if they are saying things that completely conflict with where you are on the subject, who keep pushing your buttons.

If only we could do that in "real" life! But doing it here taught me how to do that in "real" life. Suddenly, it matters to me that I feel good, and I began noticing when I didn't, and what caused that. I have been through a lot with my family since then, and we all managed to come through it and out the other side of it still loving each other, but know we love each other in a deeper sense, because we respect each others boundaries and feelings.

I learned how to speak my truth to those I loved, and not to care what they thought of me, or what I should be doing or saying. I let myself say things I had never said.

I learned about myself, and how I react to things. I found the patterns of thought, and patterns of behaviors that made up how I lived my life, and changed them. It was not easy on anyone.

I learned how to deal with rejection. I didn't know that is what it was, for a very long time. But at the core of it was rejection. So I googled it one day, and found out it is normal to be rejected, and not everyone has a problem with it. I had no idea everyone feels rejected as some point, and it is normal. Just knowing that freed up something inside of me, and I read articles on how to deal with rejection. And it was simple and easy. All I had to do was find out how I dealt with it, and do it differently the next time.

That started my journey with not caring so much what others thought, and caring what I thought about myself.

I had to start with it somewhere. My husband of 32 years didn't understand when I told him I didn't care what he thought anymore! I tried to explain it, upside down and sideways, so that he wouldn't take it personally. It took him two years to understand, but now he doesn't care what I think, and we have a much healthier relationship. It sounds really strange, but it is true.

Anyway, hope this helps. I am in a never ending journey of opening up to love, and I first had to find it for myself. I still have a ways to go, but it is getting easier the more I try.

When someone baits me, I leave. I had to physically leave with my son, and with my husband once. We had some old patterns of behavior that no longer were working, and so I left. Believe me, they were shocked, but it worked. I had to set my own boundaries.

Thank you so very much for your response--Nameless.

I have a few people on ignore--but not many--(perhaps) I should consider using that button a bit more often.

I have parted company with many loved-ones in my life--so (ironically enough) it seems to be easier for me to do that in real-life--than online.

Go figure.

I hope to see you around the message boards. I really enjoy your openness and thoughtfulness.

Ever your friend,

LadyTerra

Originally Posted by Lynn

Hello

So many times I come to find the word "new" attached to something that has its roots in things very old. Being that I run a Non Profit Metaphysical Society and we book guest speaker I come to find the word "new" a lot. New healing, new meditations, new faiths ext ext. When they get up and speak on the "new" I see the roots to the old, to something they have adapted and made new so that they have something to offer that is fresh.

There is nothing wrong in new ways of thinking and doing things, but one must always I feel remember one's roots to the past. Respect that there is always new approaches but maybe everything did have a common root that it all sprang from. Such is us as Man ....we are all the same DNA make up, we are all human beings yet as that we seem at times so pulled apart.

The purpose of SF came to mind as I try to clear the fog from so wanting to just go back to bed after feeding my demanding cat.....I came to fine more conflicts here. We do not have to take as a basis the ideas of another and the state of the World shows me we have a long ways to go, but we can here take the small steps of respect. In that small step that might well spread more and more.

In the work I take on I have come to leave all judgments at the front door, to be an open mind that what I hear might well not fit to me on the path that I be on but I hold not the right to have that shut down in another view. I sit and listen and when I listen without the EGO of judgements I might just hear something that I can apply. I can shed being blind to the Light of new ideas.

We can all take on the role of Judge and Jury but we do not need to take on the role of "Executioner" . That is a role in life's past I did have, and its not one I hope to repeat in hitting a "closed" button.

Lynn

SF Admin (not a role I like to step in with.....I like more the Member Lynn)

As a gnostic I was taught always to respect the beliefs of others, recognising they have their own paths, their priests, gurus and aims - but here that respect isn't always met with respect. I suppose the problem is that in discussion views may be disparate and at times, heated.

But what if someone presents a statement that is clearly wrong. Is it disrespect to point it out or question it? A few posters sometimes bring delicate and deeply personal problems here hoping for advice. If misled their plight could be worsened.

There was an example recently when a poster stated that "Anger and rage are always fear-based." It patently isn't true. There might be a tenuous link between anger and fear in certain cases, but residual anger could also be caused by high blood pressure and a number of other things.

The point is, if a person is aware of their anger and and wants to deal with it, a visit to the doctor may be the answer rather than experimenting with spiritual practices that probably won't work, at least not in anything like the same time-frame.

Am I being disrespectful in pointing that out? Or in asking someone to clarify some new scheme they're positing? Or for more details?

I think sometimes such questioning is looked upon as disrespect when it isn't meant that way. This seems a place of learning through discussion; and broadmindedness is a key to wisdom, so questions will be asked. It's part of examining whether a view or practices is viable to further our paths.

A difficult subject and no one surely envies the work of a moderator of a site like this, massive as it is, having to preserve a balance between sincere, if heated, discussion and overheating.

...

[Baile]

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

But what if someone presents a statement that is clearly wrong. Is it disrespect to point it out or question it?
There was an example recently when a poster stated that "Anger and rage are always fear-based." It patently isn't true.

That's not a wrong statement, that's their belief. Whereas "The sun rises in the west" is a wrong statement. It's really quite easy as I see it. One can:

1. State their opinion.
2. Tell someone they're wrong.
3. Accuse someone of being ignorant.

If people simply stuck to the first option, there would be no need for moderators on these internet forums.

[Touched]

Originally Posted by Baile

...One can:

1. State their opinion.
2. Tell someone they're wrong.
3. Accuse someone of being ignorant.

If people simply stuck to the first option, there would be no need for moderators on these internet forums.

Quite right. IN MY OPINION the latter two are attempts to control others. The first is simply being oneself.

[r6r6]

Originally Posted by Baile

1. State their opinion.
2. Tell someone they're wrong.
3. Accuse someone of being ignorant.

1) In a disscussion of specifics I do not see the problem with telling someone there incorrect/wrong and giving a rationally logical explanation--- if not also common sense --of why their incorrect.

2) In a dissscussion of specific statements/comments, I do not see the problem with telling someone their ignoring-- ergo ignorant --if they do not acknowledge those specific comments as stated.

Isn't ignorance an aspect that stems for ignoring?

I see the problem arising more, when there is no cessatation of this kind of back-n-forth after more than one email regarding the same contetual specifics.

r6

[Baile]

Originally Posted by r6r6r

1) In a disscussion of specifics I do not see the problem with telling someone there incorrect/wrong and giving a rationally logical explanation--- if not also common sense --of why there incorrect.

I agree, but I was more or less outlining what's allowed here on this forum. In a real-world conversation where adults can and do to challenge each other in that way, it's quite different. As for calling someone ignorant: unless the person is being a proper sob, no, I don't see the need to ever confront someone in that way.

Originally Posted by r6r6r

I see the problem arising more, when there is no cessatation of this kind of back-n-forth after more than one email regarding the same contetual specifics.

That's the real problem, yes.