What supernatural / alternative beliefs do you have and why?

[rickolasnice]

From religious beliefs to belief in ghosts, mediums, psychic abilities, life after dead, the existence of a soul.. Whatever it is; why do you believe in it? Personal experience? Grown up being taught it as truth? Information you have heard / read about it? Do you have any speculative ideas as to how or why these things work?

What about star signs having a causative (or correlative) affect on personality / the future? Does homeopathy work as a medicine? Is Karma real?

Can we have a poll?

God (but none of the ones interpreted in mainstream religion)
God (as a creator, a programmer of the universe)
God (other)
Ghosts
Psychic Abilities
Life after death
Star signs / Zodiac signs
Karma
Homeopathy

I realise most if not all of the choices are compatible so just choose the one you most believe in and go into more detail via post.

The only one for me I could consider a possibility is God as a creator, the programmer of the universe.. but definitely not the standard religious type., more like an actual programmer making reality, in a sense, a simulation. Hell, the human race may have advanced so much they were able to get the computational power and enough knowledge of the universe to create an artificial one.. if that was the case our reality would be being rewound and fast forwarded all over the place, paused, maybe even edited and we'd never know. I'm rambling shh..

Or, on the flipside, do you find any of these beliefs (or any others) harmful in any way? Or just plain stupid?

 

[Psyduck]

it would be wise to remove "metaphysical" from the title, in a philosophical context it has a much more respected meaning (cf. recent thread ebola)

Scientists uphold many metaphysical beliefs, e.g. every effect has a cause, there are smallest individisble substances (particles), the natural world is Rational (i.e. intelligible, in the sense that it can be grasped by our human reason), the "laws of nature" are unchanging and don't change over time,...

The list goes on. I can probably find one example (of a naive pressuposition made by scientists) for every joke Dawkins makes about religious people.

 

[rickolasnice]

Ah fair play thanks for the heads up.

I can't do it myself though.. Foreigner? Ebola? Can you please swap metaphysical for supernatural?

What beliefs do you hold Psyduck? I don't think I've ever seen you mention them.

 

[phosphene_glow]

My beliefs aren't so unusual but I study Sri Vidya cult which is unusual. I like it because it is about beauty, and has the root mantra of Shakta and Kundalini tantra the Mahashodashi mantra, which means 16 syllable mantra. 16 being the number of perfection in India. Because 4 by 4. I don't expect any of that to mean anything to anyone. I also like Dzogchen but I am not good enough for that system.

 

[-=SS=-]

God (other).. though the term 'god' is a bad choice of wording. Basically I believe that at the most fundamental level, the root of all existence, is pure awareness.. and that the Universe and anything else that may exist in this dimension or others are not real.. it's like a complex light illusion or something, so also there is no motion or time what so ever. This awareness I believe can be experienced (rather, you become it), and that there are those who have done so as I've mentioned in other threads.

As I'm not enlightened myself I can only say I believe this to be true. I have garnished it from reading the writings of men I believe to be sincere and honest in their descriptions of something far greater than their fleshly bodies, though no one ever lays it down start to finish for you.. you have to piece it all together, or actually experience the thing itself. But it also comes from personal experience I guess, in that I've always felt this nagging 'ah-ha!'/cosmic joke-tragedy lurking somewhere in my mind, some kind of mystery that eludes you for the best part of your life but sometimes gets close to the surface of your attention during psychedelic or meditation experiences. I

 

[rickolasnice]

God (other).. though the term 'god' is a bad choice of wording. Basically I believe that at the most fundamental level, the root of all existence, is pure awareness.. and that the Universe and anything else that may exist in this dimension or others are not real.. it's like a complex light illusion or something, so also there is no motion or time what so ever. This awareness I believe can be experienced (rather, you become it), and that there are those who have done so as I've mentioned in other threads.

Kinda like the universe is a higher consciousness, as in, we are the imagination of a huge brain (not literally)?

I like the idea that we are a small but important piece of something much more complex.. like the cells and bacteria that ultimately make a human being.

May I ask what men you consider to be enlightened?

@Phosphenestone:

Do you believe in it or do you just find it interesting? What makes it so appealing to you?

 

[-=SS=-]

Kinda like the universe is a higher consciousness, as in, we are the imagination of a huge brain (not literally)?

I like the idea that we are a small but important piece of something much more complex.. like the cells and bacteria that ultimately make a human being.

May I ask what men you consider to be enlightened?

To be honest I feel more certain about the awareness thing than I do about the function of the Universe. I mean it's definitely a possibility that the Universe functions like a giant brain or organizational intelligence in the same way Earth supposedly does (Gaia hypothesis). Definitely feel we're an important piece of something much more complex, but I don't think we should over estimate our value.. we've done enough of that as a species already

People I consider to be enlightened: There's quite a substantial list of folk who've had cosmic consciousness, Richard Bucke wrote a book detailing some of them. But the final experience which is beyond that (enlightenment).. well there's a lot of people who claim to have it, but the actual list is very short. The only two I'm 100% certain had experienced something and left some meaningful trail or writings behind for others are, Ramana Maharshi (dead), and Richard Rose (dead).

Maharshi is your kind of typical Indian sage, but I really recommend Rose to people because he was a West-Virginian man, grew up through the depression, and the way he talks is just no nonsense/not selling anything/sincere. I think that's important and what helps distinguish him from so many charlatan out there. This is a short pdf where he briefly describes his experience: http://www.searchwithin.org/download/realization_richard_rose.pdf

 

[pmoseman]

KARMA
Bad things happen and you attribute them to immoral choices, naturally, and so you start believing there is a force in ature that wills this to happen. When it does not seem to work, this simply means karma is not at work today. I think it is fallacy but something is compelling about it. The danger is that it is ethnocentric.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
I see a lot of life after death and ghost whisperer/adventure shows. It seems irrational. I do believe in life beyond death but it is not a passionate belief. I would consider all our assumptions on death wrong. It seems obvious that I came from ordinary material and when I die it remains material. Consciousness could be in everything. We have absolutely no way to measure it.
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE
Any medicine that leaves people sick is dangerous. I don't care what you choose to experiment as long as it is ethical. All primary experiments in medical fields are dangerous. You have to wince at this particular explanation of how medicine works.
STAR SIGNS
Star signs represent an absolute fate or destiny. These are easily disproven. Similar to karma, where the problem is believing you are entitled to something, this is a bit more literal about it where you ignore what may actually be going on and react to non-realities, believing you have... psychic abilities.
PSYCHIC ABILITIES
A part of my head likes to blurt out the thoughts of others. I wish it would stop. I am not communicating with people psychically and I wonder if I ask people everytime if my embarassment would lead me to stop. I try to ignore it though it can be distracting. I have always thought reading other minds would be an awesome super-power and have triedr telepathy. Now I think now about how amazing our most normal abilities actually are. Watch as I pick up this cup with only my bare hands and communicate through the air using compression waves and scan radiation with my eyes. I am sure my cat is impressed with my ability to open the door.
GOD
People find comfort in loving and talking to themselves. The problem is when people think this belief is reasonable, necessary, or proves something about a person. When they put themselves or others through agony trying to please God and maintain their faith.
GHOSTS
Quirky events do not mean a ghost did it. People get too wrapped up in the idea that ghosts exist to think rationally. Danger is that reacting to things ouf of fear and emotion causes people to abandon rational explanation and unintentionally harm others.

As I'm not enlightened myself I can only say I believe this to be true.

Being someone who has seen it, and just trying my best to give an honest account of it, it is total immersion into the self. It is why people believe in God and universal oneness, and it is, again to be fair, a kind of madness. It does give one peace and a unique sensitivity to natural phenomena, understanding yourself this way, without any confusion remaining about what you are, does this. It is a very real experience, but even I cannot explain how one does it. It is like going down a slide. To get there it is not about losing yourself to silence, it comes after mental activity where you uncover the reasons you fear it or will simply not allow yourself to experience it and then it is just as simple as enjoying the mind, playing with it, then it just clicks.

 

[ebola?]

it would be wise to remove "metaphysical" from the title, in a philosophical context it has a much more respected meaning (cf. recent thread ebola)

This.
...
I simply do not hold 'metaphysical' beliefs in the sense intended by the OP. . .

ebola

 

[rickolasnice]

It depends on peoples beliefs as to what would make make someone "enlightened".

I would consider top scientists or just people that know a hell of a lot of truths to be enlightened.. but none of these people are spiritual or anything.. In buddhism and other religions one of the main "fretters" is desire or lust.. This is not something that needs to be suppressed as much as people involved in the religion make out.. desire is normal and healthy, as is lust.

And anyone claiming truths to be eternal consciousness or something like that is just guessing.. This may or may not be truth but they do not know this.
And anyone claiming love and compassion to be a truth or anything doesn't understand this would never happen with this many people on the planet.. Small, tight-nit groups such as small tribes could experience this way of life but nobody in a large, mixed group society can expect everyone to treat them with respect and as such, depending on the disrespect, this person should no longer be "loved". I treat everyone with respect and kindness but experience the opposite daily.. If the disrespect comes from someone you commonly encounter it'll be an insult to yourself to continue to treat this person with kindness. The peace and love filled world would be a good one, but it's chances of happening approach 0.

 

[pmoseman]

…it's chances of happening approach 0.

It seems population growth results in a decline of spiritual and an increase of material good. Life expectancy and income improve per capita (per person) along with industrial diseases and criminal activity.
It seems to follow rather simple mathematical laws. http://www.ted.com/talks/geoffrey_west_the_surprising_math_of_cities_and_corporations.html

 

[-=SS=-]

It depends on peoples beliefs as to what would make make someone "enlightened".

I would consider top scientists or just people that know a hell of a lot of truths to be enlightened.. but none of these people are spiritual or anything.. In buddhism and other religions one of the main "fretters" is desire or lust.. This is not something that needs to be suppressed as much as people involved in the religion make out.. desire is normal and healthy, as is lust.

And anyone claiming truths to be eternal consciousness or something like that is just guessing.. This may or may not be truth but they do not know this.
And anyone claiming love and compassion to be a truth or anything doesn't understand this would never happen with this many people on the planet.. Small, tight-nit groups such as small tribes could experience this way of life but nobody in a large, mixed group society can expect everyone to treat them with respect and as such, depending on the disrespect, this person should no longer be "loved". I treat everyone with respect and kindness but experience the opposite daily.. If the disrespect comes from someone you commonly encounter it'll be an insult to yourself to continue to treat this person with kindness. The peace and love filled world would be a good one, but it's chances of happening approach 0.

Enlightened is a bad word to use, there is a better term in the Hindu language.. one which basically means "the maximum experience possible". Obviously we're speaking English so it's easier to use enlightenment, but I use it in the sense of someone who has essentially found the Truth, one who has seen the whole show. As for desire/lust, of course.. healthy behavior. Richard Rose makes that point clearly, but he also suggests that celibacy and sexual restriction is a tool that can be utilized in an introspective search because it builds an energy/voltage needed to have those massive mental/spiritual experiences. I think religions knew this a long time ago but the meaning got lost, so now you just have a rule/law about it and no understanding of why and when to apply it.

And yes, you should doubt everyone claiming something like enlightenment. Again, and this is why I think Rose is a genuine fellow, is he states this very clearly and says doubt what he tells you.. "don't believe, go and prove it for yourself" is what he says. He never wanted followers. He dedicated the rest of his life post-enlightenment to try and save people steps/time in their own journey, he spoke at Universities/groups, and took people on to his farm to provide space for them to delve. Obviously I can't highlight everything in one post, but from reading everything about him and by him I am convinced he is genuine. Probably why so few people know of him.. he doesn't have any charms, crystals, or shit like that.. he is brutal and zen like. No fluff.

He would also have something to say about your comment on love/compassion. A spiritual experience can make you more compassionate by revealing why people act the way they do, by understanding your mind you understand everyone else too in terms of motivations and behavior. It doesn't make you soft though. Life is still life, and he was clear on that too. This is a mad house/jungle.. and whilst it may be an illusion you can't function as if it were one.. a truck will still run you down, or someone will hurt you if you're not careful. I do think if more people were exposed to revelation type experiences things would improve.. once you see the whole picture then you can really help others in their own psychology and help guide a community in such a way. This is what the shaman, the government/philosophical king ideal etc was all about.. the old men who know should be in the position to guide the collective. Unfortunately it doesn't work out that way in practical terms.. power corrupts immature minds.

 

[pmoseman]

Going about making pronouncements without evidence is a fallacy that enlightened people make, thinking they know everything but really don't.

 

[Help?!?!]

Going about making pronouncements without evidence is a fallacy that enlightened people make, thinking they know everything but really don't.

If a person perceives that they "know everything" then they are most certainly not enlightened IMO.....

 

[What 23]

"Fairies".
Spirits/"Spirits", Spirit/"Spirits".
Angels and Demons.
God and Gods.

Not how one might think, but also, not not how they think.

Still in the end it might just be so limited in where it can go that it just appears ordered... Or is ordered because it simply can't go anywhere else. It went where it was going already.

Sorry I'm not trying to paint a complete picture here.

 

[deidara]

A couple weeks ago I made the discovery that God is Energy. I mean it makes perfect sense, energy was the first thing to exist and the reason why the entire universe exists. I mean science explains it all. We are all energy and we need energy to live. If you use positive energy you'll be a happy person and whatever you believe will happen to you in death is exactly what happens. If you use mostly negative energy, you will be unhappy and unwell. We need to have energy to help us be good people and help others. I also believe that every living being is created equal by energy, nothing is greater or less. We are god, and god makes up everything. If everyone realized this than all the wars can stop because people will realized that they are fighting over the same thing and their core beliefs are the same. I was so ecstatic when I realized this I went into a manic state and was put in the psych ward for 2 weeks.

I also have also seen that souls circle around the earth, each life cycle transforming into a different living being. If you realize this during your life, you can use things from your past lives to increase your knowledge of the world around you and help you to use positive energy to guide your life. I'm trying to be a positive person and spread this message that all humans need to hear, because less and less people are believing in god. But it is so hard for me to stay positive when I know the genocide of our species is only 300-500 years away. Everytime a species gets too powerful, god(energy) wipes it out. We are destroying the earth, and we need energy to live but it doesn't need us. We are only one of millions of species on this planet and it makes me sad and stresses me out that humans are the ones for their own demise... I don't know what I can do about it other than accept it, my soul will live on anyways in a different form.

 

[pmoseman]

If a person perceives that they "know everything" then they are most certainly not enlightened IMO.....

I agree. You must acknowledge your ignorance of most everything.
-=SS=- I was speaking of mushi-dokugo, to use exact terminology.

 

[rickolasnice]

You don't have to be enlightened to understand that people do things, or even think things, because of their past and present experiences and state of mind but if you start treating everyone with love and compassion you're not going to gain anything. I strongly believe people that people that do harm need to be punished.. Treating most of these nasty cunts with compassion and love they're not going to stop being a nasty cunt. Some people, yeah.. but they should still be punished.

The reason ancient religious texts teach no sex before marriage is probably a lot more likely to stop one night flings ending in babies being born almost everytime - as they had no contraception and, because of that, to make better society, as single mothers raising babies babies does the family and / or the mother or baby. Basically it was a rule to better society. I highly doubt that it has anything to do with building up energy that allows you to have spiritual experience that lead to enlightment.

Don't know anything about Rose but he has books for sale, right? But even if he truly believes what he says and makes no money from spreading his message, it doesn't mean what he's teaching is truth. Many people genuinely believe they know the truth because of this and that and whatever but it doesn't mean they're right.

@deidara

You seem to be talking of God as a metaphore for energy, as many scientists use god metaphorically for the laws that govern the universe.. but then suggest it is conscious? Sorry I'm wrong.

I have no idea what your second paragraph is talking about / means but am interested.

PS. Brock Lee would knock you out

 

[pmoseman]

Karmic particles of energy are attracted to your body and seeing these particles can tell you if your choices were good or bad.

 

[-=SS=-]

Don't know anything about Rose but he has books for sale, right? But even if he truly believes what he says and makes no money from spreading his message, it doesn't mean what he's teaching is truth. Many people genuinely believe they know the truth because of this and that and whatever but it doesn't mean they're right.

Absolutely. His whole message was don't believe him, find out the truth for yourself. Until one does that you can't be sure he isn't full of shit. Part of the reason he isn't well known I think is because he's not some figure to follow, he doesn't sell a whole lot either, he just wants you to do the work and figure stuff out for yourself.