Looking for advice and help on Spirituality

thank you for asking our advice here at ATS about such an important issue in your life - imo, the MOST important!

i am honored to be able to share and it is with that attitude that i write the following.


#1 above all things...LOVE truly IS the answer.
when i say love, i mean not romantic love or brotherly love but divine love which is known of many by its greek name which is AGAPE.
this kind of love is not an emotional reaction and it is not something that happens because of what is wanted or desired in the heart of the lover...it is solely aimed toward the one who is loved for their own good...to make their life more beautiful in any way possible.
this kind of love is an ACTION
and it is a CHOICE
it is literally an act of will - something you wake up everyday and newly vow to make it your priority for that 24 hours.

it is very hard to love many people
so many people can be cruel or hurtful or just plain stupid or inattentive, and there are so many ways that they become unlovable but the root cause, underneath and behind all the individual history, is lack of love.

people seem unlovable because they are unloved
i don't mean they don't have anyone that loves them, but that they don't love themselves.
the reasons and mechanisms are too many to even question or worry about right now in your journey.

just remember they are as human as you are, and there are a few things all human beings share in common, without exception:
we all want to be loved and accepted just as we are.

no doubt it doesn't always show and sometimes it seems like they hate the world world including god but that is just a mask they wear to hide their hurt and fear behind.

so, the key to mastering love of the highest order is to NOT JUDGE.
don't judge anyone - never think that anything they've done, or will do, or think or want or say makes them any less worthy of love than you or anyone else.

loving another person doesn't require intimacy or even friendship - in fact, i've often said that it is easier to love your neighbor at a distance!

but all it requires is an open heart...a simple smile...a kind word....patience...tolerance...humility.

if someone is hungry and you have a dollar in your pocket, give it to them.
if someone needs an encouraging word, give it and don't qualify it.
if someone needs an ear for their woes, lend yours and don't offer advice unless asked
if someone needs a shoulder to cry on, well, you've got strong ones, don't you?

-------------

all the rest of the stuff that seems so important to enlightenment and awakening to spirit is not going to matter if you don't make love your way of life without exception or discrimination.

in fact, for me, none of the traditionally accepted things even contributed to my spiritual evolution...by the time i realized what was going on, it was already pretty far along.

all i ever did was obey my #1 hero's instructions and tried to love my neighbor as myself and i tried my best to love my enemies, too.
i didn't judge and i did everything i could to use empathy in learning about others and understanding them as i was trying to understand myself.

i've been "awake" for nearly 10 years now, and i'm 41.

do all those other things if you want, and however you want - there is very good advice for you already in this thread, so follow all that strikes the cord in your heart.

but above all...LOVE
LOVE
LOVE!!!!

"ever since time, nothing's ever been found stronger than love"

NAMASTE!!!

reply to post by queenannie38


Queenannie38 !


beautiful, beautiful advice thank you veru much for taking your time and im happy for your 'wake up'. congrats!

very much appreciated thank you

Kelliott

reply to post by Kelliott


i'm glad to help, if i can.

reply to post by queenannie38


Just wanted to drop in and say I really like the "Sham Ba La" avatar. It's cool!

reply to post by Kelliott


There is a basic starting point for you, from the bible, from the mouth of Jesus Christ himself, to you.


John 17:3

This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.

Matthew 22: 33-40

33And when the throng heard it, they were astonished and filled with [glad] amazement at His teaching.
34Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced (muzzled) the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him.
36Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?]
37And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).
38This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.
39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.
40These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.

John 24:4

God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).

[edit on 12-7-2010 by Blue_Jay33]

John 14:23-27
(23) Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.
(24) He who does not love Me does not keep My Words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
(25) I have spoken these things to you, being present with you.
(26) But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.
(27) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

what's the word???

LOVE

Mark 12:
(30) and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment.
(31) And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

it starts and ends with love and the middle is all love.

spirituality is not bound by religion.
everyone needs spirit but not everyone needs religion!

AND everyone needs LOVE!!!

reply to post by queenannie38


true true but let me throw this in the mix for some refinition(is that even a word)ha-

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.-1Cor13.6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.-John14.6

to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-John1.12

Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?-Matt9.5


[edit on by No King but Jesus]

Hi Kelliot!

I did not read all of the posts before this one, so forgive me if I'm redundant in any of this.

First of all, I am 16 years old, born a baptist Christian in a small town in rural Brazil.

I don't have the biblical wisdom, or the simple wisdom that comes with age, but I can give you a few pieces of advice which stemmed from personal experience.


I think the MOST important thing to do to begin your spiritual journey is to read the Bible with an open mind. Regardless of whether you believe in it's words or not, read for the message in the words. It's full of lessons you can apply to your life whether you are a Christian or not.

Another thing is to tread carefully when it comes to spirituality (as I'm sure someone mentioned already)
Avoid any strange rituals that you wouldn't be comfortable doing. Your instincts are your best safeguard.

Remember that God doesn't need any sacrifices or any statues for you to worship, all he needs is you on your knees praying to him faithfully.

Christianity itself is corrupted in my eyes. I no longer consider myself a Christian, I simply live the life of someone who's had their life changed by God, and follow the teachings of the Bible.

That is the simplest, and best spiritual path i can suggest to you.

The requirements? none. Just open up your heart, find a calm quiet place to read your Bible and soak in it's teachings.

Also, meditate if you want to! It's a great way to stay calm and open up your mind spiritually. There is no need for any fancy meditative rituals, just sit in a comfortable position, and go with the flow.

Anyways, thats all the advice i can give you. I will pray that you choose the right path.

God Bless,
Falken.

Wow...

Sorry to see your thread derailed by fundamentalist Christianity Kelliott. I just hope you recognize that the Earth is populated with so many kinds of people, and so many kinds of spirituality that you should never feel you can't look beyond just the responses you get here.

Youtube some Yogi's from India, or read some Zen koans. Take a look into the doctrine of Reincarnation. Study some Egyptian mythology. Read about Sleep Cults, the aboriginal Dreamtime, or even just regular psychoanalytical psychology of dreams.

Spirituality is so diverse, it would be a shame if your search ended here with Jesus.

~ Wandering Scribe

[edit on 12/7/10 by Wandering Scribe]

reply to post by Wandering Scribe



Nowhere did I state that you should stop your spiritual journey with Jesus.

I simply gave him what i see to be the best starting point.

I for one, embrace many of the Chinese spiritual teachings. I believe Chi is a real energy, in fact, i even do Tai-Chi and Kung Fu as a way to further my meditations.

Sorry if I came across as just another Christian trying to convert someone, it wasn't my intent.

To the original poster.

You're 18, go to college. No doubt, you'll take some Humanities, Western/Eastern Religions courses for whatever major you are in.

You'll learn a lot more then, about different religions, and then perhaps, you'll either find one that suits your ideas, or develop new ones, about spirituality.

Good luck on your journey....

reply to post by Wandering Scribe


thank you!

i dig your avatar, too - it says a lot to me.

you made some good points for Kelliot, too, in another post, and i wanted to point that out because i have had some awesome experiences of all flavors.

i experienced satori, out of the blue, before i knew what it was, but it was one of the most perfect moments of my life so far - everything so clear and obvious to me in the flash of a nano-second. i saw the earth from a vantage point out in space a ways, and simultaneously i saw the 'whole picture' as well as every single tiny little beautiful detail, all at once.

i looked up from what i had been reading, and said, before i knew it:
"it doesn't really matter. none of it matters!"

it's hard to explain but it was awesome.
that comprehension has stayed with me ever since.

Originally posted by Wandering Scribe
reply to post by Melissa101

 

Melissa101,

I don't have too big of a problem with fundamentalist Christian belief, or even fyndamentalist Christian spirituality. So this isn't intended to be an "attack" on you, as much as it is curiosity. So, here goes...

You tell Kelliot to:

question everything and take nothing for fact without first confirming it...

But then, immediately following this you say:

The only true knowlegde that you will find that will lead to peace and blessings is in the Bible (it must be the original King James version)

Assuming that I am someone uninformed on spirituality, like Kelliot, what kind of confirmation could you provide on the infallibility of the KJV and it's spiritual implications?

A lot of fundamentalist Christians have told me that the Bible is the infallible word on the truth of spirituality, and all that. None have ever shown me how this is so.

Could you be so kind?

~ Wandering Scribe

First you have to believe in God and Jesus Christ as his son, then you have to believe that the Bible was given to us by God. Without these beliefs or faith if you will nothing else I say will matter.

We know four facts from the Bible about the Bible;
1. It is the inspired word of God; 2 Timothy 3:16
2. It is pure and true; Psalms 119 and Proverbs 30:5
3. It has been preserved; Psalms 12:6-7
4. We are forbidin to alter it; Revelations 22:18

So if you study very closely the translation between Hebrew/Greek and the KJ Bibke you will learn that word for word, dot for dot it is an exact translation. All other Bibles like the NKV, NIV ect, ect... are not. Words like Christ have been omited and 17 vs have been omitted all together.

This is off topic but fun info: Did you know the Bible has a code that only a computer can crack? In this code is the names of important political figures that have lived 100's of years after the Bible was written along with the names are dates that go along with that figures life. The Bible is refered to in it's text as the book of life, ever wonder if your name is in there? What if you took stuff out, wonder who you would be deleting it could be your own name.

My point in saying to question everything is that a teacher or preacher can tell you anything that does not make it true, read the Bible and ask for wisdom and check for yourself before you take anyones word for what is in the Bible or what it means.

Also the Bible will lead those to the right way and educate them in the wrong way to become spiritualy connected. Remember it is all black and white. There are only two sides; God's and Satan's.
Did that answer your question?

reply to post by Falken


I am very impressed by your spiritual maturity at such a young age. God has big plans for you buddy! Yes the church Christ built in the new testement is hard to find, I have yet to find it. I do go to church and I am a teacher, but I teach from the Bible period. I do not go along with all the false teachings the Church I attend teach. I hope to make a difference and to enlighten people because I believe that many people have been taught wrong but they love God and believe in Jesus so I believe it is my job to teach the truth to lead people in the right direction. I may be banished before it is over because it is hard to break the traditions of men but God's will be done. Anyway kid I am proud of you please stay true to what you know now and do not EVER let Satan lead you astray. I hope to meet you on the other side someday. Melissa101

reply to post by Falken


Your post did seem open minded until you said, "I pray you choose the right path." You mean what by that? You hope he chooses Jesus, or you hope he chooses what is "right" for himself? That seems like a loaded statement to make. That is a very typical Protestant preacher thing, to act like there is so much pressure and this BIG choice, and it's so dramatic. It's black and white, yes or no, life or death, heaven or hell - and you have to choose!

Point is it's not about a choice or a right choice, it's not black and white. And it's an absurd focus to give to someone who is starting to learn. Assuming he's truly starting out, this would be akin to telling a 5th grader it is imperative for them to choose their college major, and it's crucial that they get this right at the age of 10. Sigh.

reply to post by Melissa101


Thank you! I appreciate the kind words, and I'll pray that you are able to keep teaching what really should be taught.

God Bless!

reply to post by Novise


No, there is no hidden meaning behind the statement. I simply meant i would pray for him to make the right choice for himself, but i understand what you're trying to say.

God Bless,
Falken.








[edit on 13-7-2010 by Falken]

reply to post by Kelliott


Hi Kelliott,

It's great to know that there are young people like you already seeking enlightenment! You already had some great advice from other people here. What I would say is that spirituality is not tied to any specific religion. If you feel like a religion is appealing to you then go ahead but it's not a necessity to become enlightened.

Take some time for yourself each day. Meditation is great. As someone else said, you might develop an interest in lucid dreaming and astral projections. If you need help in any of these areas, I'd be glad to help you.

Realize also that we all come from the same place and that we are all connected. Avoid judging others because you end up judging yourself at the same time. Keep a positive and loving attitude and allow yourself to grow continuously.

You can also check out my website in my signature, I have some articles there that may be helpful to you.

I studied Vedanta and yoga for 20 years. But recently I read a book that influenced me more immediately after reading it than all those 20 years of meditation and study: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Eckhart's other book, A New Earth, is equally good and essential.

That's the best advice I can give.

I understand some of oyu follow religion when it comes to your spirituality, i myself dont follow any religion, as i have not practised or acknowledged one before.

So i ask for noone to give me their two sense on god, in realtion with the bible or any religion i want spiritua facts, and ideas of meditation practises. Religion is a belief and i came across a conclusion a couple of years ago that religion doesnt matter, because there are SOO many of them. i have my own beliefs on life, please leave your religious argument out of the thread please

Kelliott