Level 3 Member
Points: 4325
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| Name: |
Mysticism in World Religions |
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Member |
| Description: |
Every religion is made up of two wings, the orthodoxy and mysticism.
The word orthodox from the Greek means “having the right opinion” from orthos = right, true or staight, and doxa =opinion, praise, related to dokein which means thinking. Accordingly the word orthodoxy typically means adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in religion.
The word mysticism (from the Greek mystikos, an initiate of a mystry religion). This initiate is in the pursuit of communion with, identity with or conscious awareness of an ultimate Reality, Divinity, Spiritual Truth or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture that experience or awareness.
Mystic traditions generally form sub-currents within larger religious traditions - such as Kabbalah within Judaism , Sufism, within Islam, Vedanta within Hinduism, Christian mysticism within Christianity, Zen (Ch’an) within mainstream Buddhism and Taoism.
The term '"mysticism'" is used to refer to beliefs and practices which go beyond the liturgical and devotional forms of worship of mainstream faith, often by seeking out inner or esoteric meanings of conventional religious doctrine. For example, Kabbalah (based in Judaism) seeks out deeper interpretations of the Torah, Sufism (in Islam) extends and amplifies the teachings of the Quran in the spirit of universal love, Vedanta reaches for the inner teachings of Hindu philosophy encapsulated in the Vedas. Mystics hold that there is a deeper or more fundamental state of existence beneath the observable, day-to day world of phenomena, and that in fact the ordinary world is superficial or epiphenomenal.
This group, is for the mystics from every religion in order to reach this One and Universal fundamental state of existence in All the religions of the World. |
| Name: |
Being Ourself |
| Status: |
Member |
| Description: |
This is a group for people who recognize in a profoundly personal way that we are all actually facets of one whole interacting with itself, or more accurately, Ourself. It is a place for peer discussion and exploration as we move through the challenges and insights we encounter while participating in the awakening of ourselves to our common fundamental identity, Ourself. As indivisible aspects of the single, infinitely diverse entity of everything/reality/creation we all have an opportunity and a responsibility to deepen humankind's awareness of Ourself, and to enrich our language with new terminology/ideas to more accurately portray that which truly is. We want to support each other as we discover wholeness while living in a society that defines everything (including God) as separate when in fact the creator and creation (including all people, animals, plants, minerals, and seen and unseen forces of spirit) are not in any actual way separate. So don't be shy... your vantage point of the whole is completely unique, and is just as valid and important as anybody elses. Enlightenment is the recognition of the wholeness, which by its very all-inclusive nature negates the validity of any kind of exclusive spiritual authority or guru. To allow ourselves to truly feel and be aware of ourselves as part of the great wholeness we need to stop putting others on a pedestal as a way of avoiding being accountable for shining our own light. Let's get the orchestra of the wholeness playing diversely, brilliantly, and powerfully enough to wake up humankind from the illusion of separateness. We can only accomplish this as a community of distinct voices and insights singing out in the harmony of the whole, and not by silencing our own special voice because we have decided some other "enlightened" teacher has a monopoly on authenticity! So sing out your insights, your questions... cry out your pains and frustrations... and love your neighbor as yourself because in truth they are; we are all precious dimensions of one whole. Let's respectfully, gently, and lovingly be Ourself together. |
| Name: |
Intuition |
| Category: |
General Discussion |
| Status: |
Member |
| Description: |
This group is for sharing ideas about this most valuable resource. |
| Name: |
Inner Guidance |
| Category: |
Prayer Group |
| Status: |
Member |
| Description: |
Inner Guidance is spiritual in nature. We will seek to transcend the illusions of everyday awareness by lovingly listening to and respectfully sharing experiences, thoughts and ideas to develop and enrich our individual and each others lives while seeking a greater sense of meaning and purpose in this lifetime.
Each and every one of us has an innate aspect of ourselves that is invisible yet still very real and is the very essence of our lives. We will seek to develop a greater sensitivity to that spark within ourselves and each other as we nurture and explore these seeds of divinity and oneness to transform and uplift our own and each others inner world and inner visions.
We value all belief systems and all people and treat each person with love and respect. We only ask that you do the same.
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