-
Name:Status: ModeratorDescription: A meeting place where all who worship the One God will feel welcomed and loved. Many draw a circle to shut us out; We are called Heretics, rebels, outcasts, and more. The Unitarian Community though has the wit to know; We'll draw a circle to take them in. It does not matter whether you affirm or deny, the One is still the One. We have Faith that the ONE is for All of Us
-
Status: ModeratorDescription: 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:Status: ModeratorDescription: 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:Category: InspirationStatus: MemberDescription: Welcome to a place where we can discuss Spirituality and the mysteries of life. If you wonder about Spirituality and life let's explore the esoteric side of it.
-
Name:Category: Prayer GroupStatus: MemberDescription: 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.
-
Name:Category: AngelsStatus: MemberDescription: The full purpose of members of this group, besides visiting others pages and making persons day by doing random acts of kindness-ie.posting nice comments on a journal, email or blog when you see the need is that we members can also share-exchange the results of these as a group, perhaps even offering eachother helpful suggestions. That is the purpose of this group and also to be open to any and all wonderful results of the same.
-
Name:Category: Technical SupportStatus: MemberDescription: Here to help one another out. Having problems with Beliefnet? Before you email the community box, check this group for tips. We invite all Beliefnet users to contribute with any tips they've picked up for working the site. This is not the place for complaints about the site or Beliefnet management or staff; rather, we are trying to help everyone use the site to it's fullest.
-
Category: General DiscussionStatus: MemberDescription: Beliefnet Circle of Reason (BCOR) is a virtual "local circle" of The Circle of Reason (www.circleofreason.org) -- a fellowship of the religious and non-religious who believe communal commitment to reason will transform the world. We are a truly ecumenical site to find, recruit, converse with and encourage -- from all walks of life, all biologies, all beliefs, all societies -- those who are your own kinsmen and kinswomen - the reasoning kind!
-
Status: MemberDescription: Group Leaders -- stop in, share ideas and tips, attract new members, and generally have thriving and engaging groups!
-
Status: MemberDescription: This is a journal writing group for cancer survivors in all stages of diagnosis and treatment. Journal writing through any type of crisis is beneficial in processing information, understanding what is happening, and externalizing emotions. Journal writing also promotes healing and postivie outlooks.
