SageTree

Would you say it helps "Create order from chaos'?




I agree that it helps one cope with that 'loss'

Perhaps.... we 'control' some small things in form of a practice, like saying 'I will meditate today', which can organically effect how we see the world.

Ultimately though.... being open to the fact that one might not make it to see the time we plan to sit... or... tomorrow is kind of a different level or extent of 'losing control'.

I think we have 'free will' over choosing to sit... And maybe that would be a better word for what that choice really is..


But to be in the OP's posts:

Merc uses 'manipulate', which I take to mean even more than 'control', maybe even more in line with 'to distort', even.

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Roach

this brings to mind a brief discussion I had that came from nowhere.

sitting on a patio this summer in the morning, someone commented on the noise the locust were making at that moment. I clarified to say those are crickets, which then led to a debate on how I could question what the other person was hearing. They insisted the sound permeating the area was locust, and I repeatedly pointed out the sound was obviously a mass number of crickets ( and it was crickets...locust have a distinctively different sound)

this was a simple case of the other persons misperception of the sound, however it does point out how totally believable/and undeniable their misperception was to them.

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לזיין את הקופים

SageTree

Life is a pretty personal experience for sure.... but maybe that just my perception!

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Mercury

I'm in almost complete disagreeance. I believe that people are afraid of their own spiritual powers.

Have you ever seen how terrified a simple Ouiji board can make some people feel? I've seen people run out of the room at the sight of one, and it's a freakin parker brothers board game!

It's the same concept that I mean in my OP. Not being afraid to dive into the realm of spiritual rituals and practices that are meant to connect you to the higher powers and other realms which surely exist.

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Mercury

You're right. I may have given the impression that I was referring to spirituality in terms of quality of life, goodness to others, peace of mind, etc.

what I really meant was the actual ritualistic acts that accompany all religions. Whether it be praying on your knees before bed, wishing upon a lucky star, chanting, reading tarot cards, etc.

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Mercury

I do do this and I have gotten very good at it over the years. I've got it down to a pretty good science. What I do is I sleep strong for 5-6 hours and then when i feel the natural urge to wake up I do but only for a few minutes, then, if I want, I force myself to sleep for another hour or two and those last couple hours are very easy to manipulate because I'm still tired and able to dream but I've also activated my concious mind by waking up for that little bit.

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Grieves

You eat...You shit...


that is the extent of my spirituality.....

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Mescalito

Being spiritual is pretty vague in its definition.

And to your question.. is it even possible not to practice your beliefs by virtue of their nature? Beliefs are deeply ingrained through life and are constantly reinforced as they are fed.. so... maybe one day you find a new belief that you like.. and want to practice.. it isn't so easy to replace an old belief that possibly contradicts the new one. I can say I believe this and that.. but maybe what I'm really saying is that I would like to believe this and that. We 'see' what we want to see.. and everything else we see is inextricably entwined to what we saw before.

Oh and I don't think people are afraid of any potential powers they might have.. but more the negative consequences that might result.. but maybe that is what you were trying to say. Most people don't indulge in entheogens because they can be fucking scary. To follow the white rabit or just stay in my warm fuzzy opioid induced comfort zone!?

M

SageTree

Ok Merc... Perhaps I have a better idea of what you want....?
I'm really trying here Brother, thanks for working with me

The "quality of life, goodness to others, peace of mind, etc." you mentioned and the purification of them I feel ARE part of 'spiritual-tranforming power' if you will....

And...

I DO think what I described as far as reading/contemplating/meditating still fits under the hood of 'ritual' in my mind as it's something I always do as part of that greater Ritual and my Life


I'll try to give you something more specific though:

This is a specific form-structure of meditation I incorporate into my meditation once a week:

There is a form/structure, of meditation called 'Metta meditation' which means 'Loving Kindness' (This is based off the Sutta that I mentioned earlier.)

Basically... this is a cycle in which a yogin wishes ,unselfishly, that others have/find:
Happiness and joy,
health and wellness,
safety and protection,
wonder and amazement,
and finishes or beings each sentence with 'As I want 'X'....

Usually it starts with people close to us... then neutral people we pass each day, and then those who we don't get along with so well.

So it looks like this:

As I wish for happiness and joy, may Mercury also have happiness and joy.
As I wish for health and wellness, may Mercury also have health and wellness.
As I wish for safety and protection, may Mercury also have safety and protection.
As I wish for wonder and amazement, may Mercury also have wonder and amazement.

(And I certainly do include specific members as well as the board at large in that cycle)

And I go down the list I mentioned earlier like this, going through the cycle of wishes/hopes 3 times... so I'm saying 12 sentences each person. And usually do this for about 20 minutes (3 times around the string of mala beads I use) before settling into a more free state of mind, as Metta is a concentration form of meditation vs. Insight forms of it.

While this is a prayer of good will towards others, what also occurs during this time is a realizing that we are pretty much all the same... all looking to NOT suffer and experience goodness.

And with that knowledge, compassion is born, deepening over time.... and what happens is a transformation in which this realization manifests in our 'off the cushion meditation' or Life.



However... I think this might be more what you are looking for..... or at least, this is a more general ritual vs. the very specific way of Metta meditation.

This is more what my daily ritual looks like:

Before I sit to meditate I, first wash... if you look up Wudu, the Muslim ritual washing before prayer, you'll see what it looks like...



This is something I experimented with in my Seeking and one that I felt invigorated my senses and intentions. (This is also the WATER element of my ritual observance)

I then walk to the alter in my home, bow three times to the Buddha (which represents the seed of higher being in all of us) The Dharma (The Way and Teachings of the Universe) and the Sangha (The community/Earth/All Peoples)....

I light a Candle (FIRE) and also incense (AIR)

Next, I do three prostrations that look like this:



One aspect of a prostration is an act of humbleness.
We go down to the ground with all our faults, care and concerns...
BUT...
We rise up with the intentions of finding those seeds of goodness already in us and others, as we get to our feet. This is also the (EARTH element) for me.

There is something powerful to me about putting my nose and forehead on the ground.

After that I usually read a short piece of scripture from Islam/Christianity/Buddhism/Hinduism/Judaism. (MIND element)

I try to find something to hold in my mind/concentrate on as I go through some light yoga stretches, connecting mind with body further...

And finally I sit in meditation. Some, but not always, I do the metta meditation I described above, although, even when not done specifically, those intentions to cultivate Love and Compassion, to help and not hurt others are ALWAYS the things written on my heart.


So when I do that brief reading of the metta sutta, which I mentioned in my earlier post.... it sort of helps me mind find a place that is special for me, even though I'm not formally engaged in ritual.... and when I read a scripture of verse throughout the day... that is what arises in my searching, which is why I feel that doing those first mentioned things are still very much part of my 'ritual'. It helps me find the goodness throughout my day, or rather, draws my mind to attention, in seeking those things, and it DOES transform my days into the 'good' mind.

You might even say it manipulates or distorts the way things really are....
But I don't see it quite like that... I think our perceptions create our reality.... and I see this as an act of Co-Creation.
My hope is that my 'delusions' are somehow helping the world, even if it's just myself somedays, because eventually I interact with people and the way I am can have an effect of how they are.

You never know how you might change a person's day with your presence, so I hope to make mine a useful one to others and myself.



Please let me know if I'm starting to get a little closer to the answer you're hoping for?

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