(12-20-2014, 03:04 PM)Unbound Wrote: However, I have actually already considered doing the "beginner's guide" to all things spiritual as I had realized there isn't really anything available that isn't so wrapped up in terminology and ideas. Maybe that would be a good place for me to start then, as I always long to make "spirituality" or more particularly, the spiritual arts more accessible to the general population.

(12-20-2014, 03:04 PM)Unbound Wrote: (...)
However, I have actually already considered doing the "beginner's guide" to all things spiritual as I had realized there isn't really anything available that isn't so wrapped up in terminology and ideas. Maybe that would be a good place for me to start then, as I always long to make "spirituality" or more particularly, the spiritual arts more accessible to the general population.
(...)

(12-20-2014, 04:24 PM)sunnysideup Wrote: You're a good story teller, Tanner. I really loved reading "The man who was not", maybe you could write more stories like that.

(12-20-2014, 05:05 PM)third-density-being Wrote:

(12-20-2014, 03:04 PM)Unbound Wrote: (...)
However, I have actually already considered doing the "beginner's guide" to all things spiritual as I had realized there isn't really anything available that isn't so wrapped up in terminology and ideas. Maybe that would be a good place for me to start then, as I always long to make "spirituality" or more particularly, the spiritual arts more accessible to the general population.
(...)

Hello Dear Unbound,

I, personally, am Fascinating with Consciousness and "It's" Qualities/Properties. There's overwhelming paucity in written Words (in general) that treats Consciousness as a Separate and Whole. Most often "It's" presented as an agglomeration of many, different biological and psychical qualities.
But (as I understand it) Consciousness is a Complete Whole, that does interacts with physical, but is not physical It-Self. Such perspective next to "Spiriritual" - which is in fact different approach to the very same sphere - would add significantly to greater sceptics, to read more/whole and even to discuss.


All I have Best in me for You

(12-20-2014, 05:18 PM)Unbound Wrote: (...)
This is a topic I have long wanted to write about, but I admit I am at a bit of a loss to start. I see the core of consciousness as being the deepest mystery, although certainly I treat it as a "thing in itself", but that could certainly be part of the topics to cover in the beginner's guide.

If I was to do this I would probably not try to "explain" Consciousness, but instead try to point to its mysteries. However, I could definitely put some words down as to how "spirituality" and "consciousness" are connected but that isn't a very well defined point.

Quote:***
Much is not as yet known. Your psychologists are not able to think
in terms of a soul, and your religious leaders are not able, or refuse, to
comprehend it psychologically even to its simplest degree. Metaphysics
and psychology have not met, in other words.
***
Trees and rocks possess their own consciousness, and also share a
gestalt consciousness, even as the living portions of your body. The cells
and organs have their own awarenesses, and a gestalt one. So the race of
man also has individual consciousness and a gestalt or mass consciousness,
of which you individually are hardly aware.

The mass race consciousness, in its terms, possesses an identity. You
are a portion of that identity while still being unique, individual and
independent. You are confined only to the extent that you have chosen
physical reality, and so placed yourself within its context of experience.
While physical, you follow physical laws, or assumptions. These form
the framework for corporeal expression.
***
(...) consciousness is within all physical phenomena (...)
***
Because you are reasoning as creatures, because you have available
such varieties of experience, the [human] species developed reasoning
abilities that are meant to evolve and grow as they are used. Your
consciousness expands as you use it. You become "more" conscious as
you exercise these faculties.

A flower cannot write a poem about itself. You can, and in so doing
your own consciousness turns around about itself. It literally becomes more
than it was. Existing in such diversified, rich environment-possibilities, the
human psyche needed and developed a conscious mind that could make
fairly concise and accurate "minute by minute" judgments and
evaluations. As the conscious mind grew, now, so did the range of imagination.
The conscious mind is a vehicle for the imagination in many
ways. The greater its knowledge the further the reach of imagination. In
return imagination enriches conscious reasoning and emotional
experience.
***
The conscious mind is not some prodigal child or
poor relative of the self. It can quite freely focus into inner reality when
you understand that it can. You, again, have a conscious mind. You can
change the focus of your own consciousness.
***
But the body is composed of living, responding atoms and molecules.
These have their own consciousnesses alive in matter, their drive to exist and be within the
framework of their own nature. They compose the cells, and these combine to
form the organs. The organs possess the combined consciousnesses of each of
the cells within them, and in their way the organs sense their own identity.
They have a purpose — that function they provide within the organism as a
whole. This cooperation of consciousness continues so that you have a body
consciousness that is vital, that strives to maintain its own equilibrium and
health.
***
At one level of your being there is a common ground where body
consciousness merges with that higher consciousness from which your
own identity springs. This is the ground of your being where soul and
flesh meet, both in time and out of it.
***

(12-20-2014, 07:08 PM)Unbound Wrote: Aha I may be a step ahead of where you think I am. I am familiar with Seth and his teachings and indeed I find many common points within my own philosophy.

(12-20-2014, 07:08 PM)Unbound Wrote: I am actually developing a series of books which will basically be "my teachings", and it may not surprise you to find that the first in the series is: 'Book One of the White Mage: Focus'

(12-20-2014, 07:08 PM)Unbound Wrote: (...)
I tend to try and describe concepts through multiple words so I would probably not just say focus but also orientation, affinity, and ultimately identity which is the core focus of all consciousness. Consciousness focuses an establishes identity.

(12-20-2014, 07:08 PM)Unbound Wrote: Anyways, not really the place to actually get in to these writings but maybe you can all help me then. I consider this topic of the facets of consciousness to be an "intermediate" study, not quite for the beginner. So that being said I ask all of you...

(12-20-2014, 07:08 PM)Unbound Wrote: What would you like to see included in a "beginner's guide"? What topics do you think might be best tackled first?

My thoughts so far have taken me to intuition, inspiration and curiosity as I believe the spiritual path truly begins when one is faced with something, an experience or person that is deeply mysterious and this inspires an intuitive curiosity. Of course, I would probably also include how some people are introduced to spiritual concepts from a young age and I would maybe express that one of the first modes of seeking is that search for context, for an understanding of the world that will accommodate the experiences one has had.

Maybe we can create a list of topics that would be best tackled in order (roughly).

(12-16-2014, 06:10 PM)Unbound Wrote: I guess that being said, what would you write about in a blog? For those who have had some interaction with me, is there anything you might be interested in seeing me write more extensively about, or anything that stands out as something I am somewhat competent with? Aha

Quote:Aha I really should have made it more obvious (although I did mention it numerous times) but I was actually not the one who penned that story, it was just my consciousness that provided the influence behind it. The author of that story is our own Brittany/Yera/Ahktu, who is indeed a phenomenal writer.

However, I do actually have an interest in writing stories as well and have a number of ideas for novels, and actually that kind of comes back to a project I had started years and years ago but which I quickly fell away from, perhaps because the story seemed too expansive in my mind.

That is a blog-story I started here. The idea was originally for it to be an on-going diary with each entry being the story told by the main character Martholemew. I have some really cool ideas for this story still in my mind so that would certainly be an endeavour to work on (although I think I need to go back to the original entries and do some major editing and updating since my writing skills have vastly improved since then.)

http://outsidethelimelight.blogspot.ca/

Then there is my "madness" blog which is basically a rant blog.

http://dreamofazrael.blogspot.ca/

So now I'm at a point where I feel I need to make a "useful" blog I guess I would say. The idea to create a beginner's guide to spirituality is a good idea and I had actually forgotten about it until it was mentioned in this thread. (Another good reason to insight other selves for assistance.)

However, now that you have mentioned it, storytelling used to be the main focus of my writing and at some point I completely dropped fiction for some reason. I have barely read any fiction in years, only the occasional book here and there. I think at some point I felt like it would be impossible for me to make something original, to make something that people would love. I felt like every good idea had already been done. Maybe it's a good time to re-assess my creativity...
a very well defined point.

(12-22-2014, 03:18 PM)Unbound Wrote: It seems the beginner's guide is already a popular idea, so I will work on building that! Again, I ask, if anybody has any suggestions or ideas of things they would like to see or think should be in said guide, let me know!

(12-22-2014, 05:09 PM)third-density-being Wrote: But above all, to Open Self for New Experience. Because that's what this Sphere is all about - Experience.

(12-22-2014, 05:09 PM)third-density-being Wrote:

(12-22-2014, 03:18 PM)Unbound Wrote: It seems the beginner's guide is already a popular idea, so I will work on building that! Again, I ask, if anybody has any suggestions or ideas of things they would like to see or think should be in said guide, let me know!

Hello Dear Unbound,

Since I always have some ideas in this Field, I will continue

---

I'm wondering how You would like to write this "Guide" - as step-by-step "Growth Guide", or maybe You would like to make more of a lexicon which would show connections between (seemingly) different phenomenons?

This will determine orderliness/arrangement of the entire Blog and the way You will be updating it.

---

I'll write in points topics, that are interesting in that Field, in my opinion. In parenthesis suggestions only

- Prayer (religious / non-religious take)
- Meditation (how and why)
- Creativity (roots, ways of working with, to seek Creativity within every single moment)
- Dreams (functions, as platform of experience/communication/Creation)
- Beliefs (as Creators of Experience)
- Time (differences in its perception and Consciousness as Phenomenon not constricted by it)
- Power of Will (how to develop it and exercise further)
- Visualizations (and its functions - including in Rituals)
- Soul (as Phenomenon not contained with organized religions naive and oversimplified idea of Soul, with physical duality as one of "It's" Property/Quality)
- Incantations (and in general role of repeatedly spoken sentences (sometimes gestures are involved - rituals); Self programming - it may has something to do with building of an energy charge, but this is beyond me, at this time)
- Mobility of Consciousness (classical OOBE [when Consciousness-Self can see Physical-Self], as well as inner exploration [Focus of Consciousness involved ])

But above all, to Open Self for New Experience. Because that's what this Sphere is all about - Experience.


All I have Best in me for You

(12-22-2014, 05:51 PM)Phoenix Wrote: I started blogging about something I was infinitely excited about, the human design chart. I believed I had found a way to bring the two different archetypal systems into harmony, and bring a lot of extra information in, although I didn't say that.

I also blogged about how certain Law of One quotes had benefited my life.

Once you start blogging you will get your next idea, since I have found the energy kind of 'raises' as people read it and send energy back to you. Also, if you are a spiritual teacher the energy that you have from learning one spiritual lesson will lead you onto the next. I.e. I just blogged about Jupiter, the next blog if I chose to write it might be about my experience with a girl that surrounded my understanding of Jupiter, and the Law of One. Another one I could write is things that have improved me from the 'distortions' that I have found uncomfortable. Another thing may be of the 'revolutionary' sort of zeal that you also have expressed passion about.

If I was to read anything you wrote from what you have written, I would be interested in your experience with magickal groups, but would be concerned reading it as to it's polarity (since I have a lot of anxiety around these areas.) To be specific, since that could be taken as an insult. I would read it but if you said the 'Ipsissimus' wasn't so bad like you did on the other thread, I would be concerned about taking the teachings for that reason. Not that it is a correct or incorrect perspective. Just that I would be concerned.

(12-22-2014, 05:09 PM)third-density-being Wrote: But above all, to Open Self for New Experience. Because that's what this Sphere is all about - Experience.

Agreed!

Tanner: Having actually read this thread. I have just got a computer and am excitedly darting about. I would say that you already know what you want to write. That there is a message springing up inside you and that it is different from my sort of energy, so I would have to probably invest energy to understand it! Although if we were to talk about archetypes personally so that there was no risk of infringement of free will, there might be common ground.

(12-22-2014, 08:09 PM)Parsons Wrote: What should be in the guide is kind of a tough question IMO... It brings up a lot of other questions for me: would it be a guide to 'awakening' or just general 'spirituality'? Isn't that the same concept (or simply awakening to spirituality)? Guides are linear, so where do you start?

I would like to share my thought process on this. Let's say it is a guide to 'awakening to spirituality'. Where exactly do you start? When I try to answer that question, I tend to refer to my own awakening process. The seed thought that began my awakening seems to be 'there is something wrong with the world'. I always wanted to help people and was really bothered how bad certain things were in the world (such world hunger, wars, etc), and to a lesser extent things such as the structure of Western society (income disparity, authority figures trying to push you not to question and to be a happy worker bee, economy based on buying goods we don't need or important goods such as clothing designed to wear out so you have to buy more).

But at this point, I no longer feel there is something 'wrong with the world' because I just see it as society working out it's collective shadow. It still pains me to see many of these problems, but I am able process the catalyst properly (for the most part). So to me, it is a bit of a dilemma to put information about 'what is wrong'/conspiracies into a beginners guide because I would consider that a temporary step. Perhaps that is still appropriate to include that into a guide as long as you broaden your perspective enough to the point where you see that all is well in the grand scheme of things.

I suppose you could be nonspecific and simply include the Tool/Timothy Leary mantra "think for yourself, question authority". That mantra actually was the primary seed which blossomed over 5+ years.

All this could just be my own starting point... Maybe some people don't even start off with finding/feeling something is wrong with the way the world works.

Beyond that very first step in the guide, I'm not sure. I kind of had this part stuck in my head, so hopefully this post will allow me think beyond that to give other suggestions.

(12-23-2014, 04:51 AM)Unbound Wrote: Aha You may find difficulty discussing things with me as it appears you have many more rules for yourself than I do.

Also, "Ipssisimus" is a word and can relate to numerous concepts. Ra is not my authority on words nor on concepts so that they identified the concept with something apparently negative doesn't really mean that word at all times is related to the words of Ra. I think Ra would agree that they do not have a monopoly on the definition of words and concepts. The whole Ra Material must be seen to be a somewhat person matter inclusive of the thoughts of the individuals involved in the channeling and their concerns in their own lives. They were the ones that used the terms, it was Don that used the word first, not Ra, and so Ra was responding to whatever concept Don had in mind attached to that word. That doesn't mean that that is the absolute definition and sole understanding of that word.

That being said, my main magical group experience is actually nothing to do with Golden Dawn or Thelema as I have never been a part of either of those groups. My roots are in Celtic druidism and nature worship more than anything else. I was part of a druidic group at one point (well I'm still technically a member, just 'inactive') and completed a couple initiations. At this point I'm not sure I have any interest in joining another group so much as starting my own, and even then I am very wary of this as there is a lot of stigma and convoluted concepts surrounding the whole concept of a spiritual or 'magical' group.

If it gives you any indication of the 'rules' I abide by, nature is my measure. I seek balance and always balance.

(12-24-2014, 07:27 PM)Phoenix Wrote:

(12-23-2014, 04:51 AM)Unbound Wrote: Aha You may find difficulty discussing things with me as it appears you have many more rules for yourself than I do.

Also, "Ipssisimus" is a word and can relate to numerous concepts. Ra is not my authority on words nor on concepts so that they identified the concept with something apparently negative doesn't really mean that word at all times is related to the words of Ra. I think Ra would agree that they do not have a monopoly on the definition of words and concepts. The whole Ra Material must be seen to be a somewhat person matter inclusive of the thoughts of the individuals involved in the channeling and their concerns in their own lives. They were the ones that used the terms, it was Don that used the word first, not Ra, and so Ra was responding to whatever concept Don had in mind attached to that word. That doesn't mean that that is the absolute definition and sole understanding of that word.

That being said, my main magical group experience is actually nothing to do with Golden Dawn or Thelema as I have never been a part of either of those groups. My roots are in Celtic druidism and nature worship more than anything else. I was part of a druidic group at one point (well I'm still technically a member, just 'inactive') and completed a couple initiations. At this point I'm not sure I have any interest in joining another group so much as starting my own, and even then I am very wary of this as there is a lot of stigma and convoluted concepts surrounding the whole concept of a spiritual or 'magical' group.

If it gives you any indication of the 'rules' I abide by, nature is my measure. I seek balance and always balance.

Someone said about me once 'Joe has an algorithm in his brain that has calculated precisely how much you can take in.'

I have been reading the Law of One before and had the same feelings of what you describe. That that was their experience.

I have not thus far had the discipline to engage in that kind of magickal work.