what do we call our beliefs?

[tetrabane]

Now I understand it's not really a belief as much as it is concrete knowledge but when speaking of it what do you usually call it?Astralism?Cause everytime someone asks what religion i believe in I am at a lost.I tire of having to explain the whole concept of layers and the soul and dreams and stuff.And I dont wanna say I'm atheist cause i'm not.None of us are really.So what do you call it?Is there a unified name for our philosophy?What do I say when people ask me that same old question?

[Ryuk]

they don't have to know what you belive in.If they share your belief they won't have to know further explanations.If they don't they won't understand

[WASD]

I say you made up something yourself based on your experiences in life. "My own religion", although i don't call it religion. "My own beliefs"
I guess most atheists/christians/any religion just copies someone eleses beliefs... sounds wrong.

Agnostic may work too, but that basically means "I have no idea if there is a god or not".

[Asi911]

Personally, I really don't like the idea of categorizing myself like that.
I would say i don't believe in anything.. I'm just exploring and learning.
And if they really insist, I'd tell them i believe in the cookiemonster. 

[NoY]

I think you would call your self a Mystic

Mystic= sombody searching for spiritual knowledge

:NoY:

[Xanth]

I despise labels.

I'm not 100% sure what you're asking, but "Astral Projection" isn't a religion.  lol
It's a Practice.

[nickspry]

I'm not 100% sure what you're asking, but "Astral Projection" isn't a religion.  lol
It's a Practice.

Yeah, but it does constitute a major part of most of our belief systems I would imagine, rather than just being a practice.

[Velvet V.]

Astralism, haha!

It depends on what you're in it for. If it's like religion for you, then who is your god? OBE-experiences are only experiences, you can put any framework around them.

[Xanth]

Yeah, but it does constitute a major part of most of our belief systems I would imagine, rather than just being a practice.

Those two ideas are mutually exclusive though. 

[justin35ll]

I call myself christian since thats what I was raised as, but I don't come from a religious family so I don't know much about it.
then I have my seperate beliefs on the side about astral projection.
..soo idk lol

[CFTraveler]

I don't think many of us share the same beliefs.
As for myself, I describe myself as a panentheist.

[Psilibus]

I am just a "believer". Unless proven otherwise. I like it all!

[WASD]

I think you would call your self a Mystic

Mystic= sombody searching for spiritual knowledge

:NoY:

Robert Bruce calls himself that, never really knew what it meant.

[Xanth]

Robert Bruce calls himself that, never really knew what it meant.

There's a literal definition for every word.

For example... what do you think of when someone says the word "Occult"?
Some people think up a lot of really strange things... when the "Occult" is loosely translated to "Mysterious". 
It's just the perception of a word that dictates what people think it means.

[CFTraveler]

Most mystics I know consider mysticism the practice of obtaining the information from the inside, not the outside. I know that's not what the official web definition says, but many mystics have written books about this, and describe it thus. (Blavatsky was one, and Marshall does also.)

Occult literally means 'hidden'.  All other meanings come from the use of the knowledge.

[Xanth]

Most mystics I know consider mysticism the practice of obtaining the information from the inside, not the outside. I know that's not what the official web definition says, but many mystics have written books about this, and describe it thus. (Blavatsky was one, and Marshall does also.)

Occult literally means 'hidden'.  All other meanings come from the use of the knowledge.

Doh!  Yes, you're correct!  As usual. 
I was going off of memory...
I despise my memory from time to time.  LOL

[CFTraveler]

Heh heh.... My memory isn't what it used to be either.... and one of the pitfalls of having a good memory (when younger) is that I'm not used to making lists, or writing anything down.  So from time to time I say something completely off the wall that the wrong person said (like the wrong author) and I get spanked.  Oh well, whatcha gonna do.

[MindMonkey]

NewAger

[Tiny]

Now I understand it's not really a belief as much as it is concrete knowledge but when speaking of it what do you usually call it?Astralism?Cause everytime someone asks what religion i believe in I am at a lost.I tire of having to explain the whole concept of layers and the soul and dreams and stuff.And I dont wanna say I'm atheist cause i'm not.None of us are really.So what do you call it?Is there a unified name for our philosophy?What do I say when people ask me that same old question?

Dear tetrabane,

I think what you mean is spiritism & spiritualism.


kind regards,

Paul

[zareste]

Hm? What do you call someone who believes in the Sun? Shall we give every bit of knowledge a name?

[WASD]

NewAger

I have wondered what that is and found this on Wikipedia:
"New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma."
Sounds kinda like me. But my out-of-nowhere view on New Age, before looking it up, wasn't really a good view. I think i mixed it up with Scientology So I'm still telling people that i have no religion in case they have the same view as i had even if that quote fits me.