Messages

Nagual... sorry if you feel you are being attacked.  That is certainly not MY intentions.  When it comes to believing or not believing in something, ESPECIALLY God, people take can it personal when their beliefs in general are critisized.  I did not, but I also didn't mean to degrade what you were saying either.  My appologies.  In fact I don't disagree with much of what you are saying, only some.  This is probably because I give credit for EVERYTHING to God.  But I don't want to come off as closed minded.  The big bang could have happened from Gods will.  "Let there be light, and there was light".  Let there be a universe, and there was a universe.  Makes sense to me.  And evolution could also be Gods will.  I mean, we know for a fact that dinosaurs existed... but the bible never talks about them in the creation of the world.  There are many questions that we may never answer.  I know I don't have the answers, so I am sorry if you interpreted what I was saying as "I am right and you are wrong".  That wasn't what I was trying to do.

Well you know, there is no concrete evidence of humans evolving from monkeys.  Just a few bones and skulls, nothing that proves the evolution of man.  You make some good points, but not many.  As far as the meat thing goes, I wasn't overgeneralizing.  To say that pedophiles are mostly male so most males are pedophiles is an overstatement.  To say that meat eating animals are not all intelligent is not an overstatement.  I guess when you talk about creation it basically comes down to what you believe happened in the very beginning.  The universe was created somehow!  If you believe in God then you believe that He created it.  However, if you believe in the big bang theory, you still have to think outside the box.  Nothing can create itself.  Life springs from life.  To believe that the universe just happened would suggest that the universe created itself.  If it created itself, then it must have had a conciousness to do so.  This would suggest that conciousness and physicality don't have to co-exist.  So one must consider the possibility that there is a world of conciousness beyond the body.  It's not a question of evolution, but a question of creation.  This doesn't prove the existence of God but does further open the idea that there is life beyond life so to speak.  So who created THAT world?  Did it evolve from monkeys?   []Just kidding-

I think maybe God created imperfections in animals for the same reason he created them in humans... so they would eventually die.  There is more to existence then living in this world, and to believe that animals don't have souls as humans would be incorrect.  There is an afterlife for all of Gods creations.  Why do we have handicaped people?  Why are some born blind or deaf.  All species have inperfections, because it's not a perfect world.  As for evolution, it's a fact.  All animals evolve, we have the proof of it.  But humans evolve differently.  Every species evolves physically do adapt to our environment.  Humans evolve mentally and invent new ideas to cope with their environment.  We are the only species on the planet that does that, which must account for something.  To believe that humans came from monkeys means you are not using common sense.  If we came from monkeys... why are there still monkeys?  And if humans come from almost every continent in the world, why did only some monkeys on the same continent evolve into humans, while their brothers and sisters remained primates?  Some say we became intelligent because we introduced meat into our diets which helps our brain to grow.  What about strictly carnivorous animals?  Those that eat nothing BUT meat?  Don't see lions walking around discussing philosphy of life do you?  Wanna use logic instead of belief, that's very good.  Because if you sit down and really think about all aspects of life, it's really quite logical to believe in a creator of it all.

I think God is an all powerful being and the creator of everything.  I know this because I believe it.  Christ said, "it is impossible to not believe what you see.  It is equally impossible to see what you do not believe".  It's too difficult to explain why I really believe in God.  It's not because I have seen or touched Him, but I guess by the impact that believing in Him has on lives.  Do I think everyone should believe in God?  As closed minded as it sounds, yes I do.  Do I think it's my job to convince anyone their beliefs are wrong?  No I do not.

Beliefs are not knowledge.  True knowledge is truth, not what one believes.  And since truth is all that exists, only it can be learned.  Any other belief can be shaped.  Belief comes from perception... knowledge comes from truth.  However, simply because I know the truth doesn't mean it's my place to convince others of it.  That right is reserved for a higher power.  I can only give my input.  But hey, what fun would this world be if people didn't have different ideas?

God did not create Himself, He simply always was.  He is eternal.  Eternal does not mean he cannot die, but that He cannot die and was never born... He always was.  This is an IMPOSSIBLE concept for us to believe in this life, but a certainty in the next.  We ourselves have eternity to discover ourselves and the truth... why ask impossible questions in a world where for all intensive purposes we are unwise?

Christianity teaches us to accept all mankind without judgement.  It is Gods place to judge at the end, not ours.  "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" comes to mind.  And the ten commandments do not say "thou shalt not be a homo".  Fact is the world finds reasons to accept or reject people because of their sexual preferences, but I don't believe God does.  Homosexual or not, we are all His children... and His children are loved.  Fact is, how CAN we judge?  For those of us who are straight try imagining having feelings for and being attracted to a member of the same sex.  It's inconcievable to me!  Perhaps it's just as inconcievable for a homosexual to imagine being straight.  Maybe they cannot help being gay any more than we can help being straight.

The answer is simple, yes, both God and Christ exist.  The difficult part is believing it.  Belief does not equal truth, and no matter how much someone argues why Christ never existed doesn't change the fact that He did.  But if you do not have faith in Christ you will not understand His true existence.  He himself said "it is impossible to not believe what you see.  It is equally impossible to see what you do not believe."  I don't believe however that it's any one persons job on this earth to try to convince others that Christ exists.  In my experiences everyone who believes in Christ does so because they have experienced something in their life that opened their hearts to the idea.  I have never met someone who believes in Christ because they were told to.

Are you saying that charisma comes from having a sense of humor?

I smoke weed on occasion, use to do it all the time.  I know that it can change ones perception of what is really true.  When you are stoned often little actions people do or things people say that are trivial are turned into something meaningful in the brain.  It makes it true only in your head, not in reality.  The reason that you have so many philosophical ideas so to speak is because, like mushrooms, it causes the brain neurons to fire randomly.  Neurons are what allow our brain to process thought and ideas, and when they fire randomly it pulls ideas from your subconcious with no real order or justification.  This isn't bad or harmful to you, but it does make one think some things are true that really aren't.  Don't think that because you are stoned you are suddenly more open to logic and understanding of all things... it just the opposite.  Being stoned is fine, getting high is fun, and to date haven't found anything harmful about it other then laziness from time to time.  But to think that drugs will open you up to a more true reality isn't the case.

I believe the ego is the illusion.  It makes us think and feel in ways that are not our true self.  I believe firmly in the spiritual.  Not because you can see or touch it, but because you can witness the impact that it has upon the lives of all who believe in it.  Many times people degrade and put down people who live happy lives because they are spiritual.  The concept of God is threatening to a lot of people and often consider those who are happy in their lives because of God consider it foolish.  But is it not more foolish to consider every possibility and not choose that one that brings you peace and happiness.  Yes, humans are destructive, but it's the ego that makes you think that's all we are.  It's the ego that believes one is being attacked before they are actually attacked, and therefor makes them into the attacker.  It's the true spirit in us that allows us to create.  Often people look at humanity for is destructive capabilities towards the world and nature.  But we are also the only species on this planet that has the ability to save all other species, and many do strive for that.  It's more then nature being eternal, its LIFE itself being eternal.  You say you don't want to be a blob of conciousness simply thinking forever... but what are we now?  We have a body, when are you ever not thinking?  The body allows you to act out your thoughts, but the body is nothing without thought.  Thought is the beginning of all creation.  Every concept, invention and action started with thought.  So why would we be a blob floating in blackness only thinking?  Every thought we will have will be a creation, because THAT is the nature of things.

I'm in the same boat.  I agree with some, and disagree with other things you said.  But what fun would philosophy be if everyone agreed?  I definately believe that we were created because God didn't want to be alone, but not because He wanted to make drama.  God is love and compassion, and what good is being loving and compassionate if you have no one to show such feelings toward.  So He made his children to complete Himself.  
As for hate and anger, etc, I don't believe that God created these.  God created us in His likeness, and in doing so endowed us with His powers.  But I believe we as humans, having His power of creation, created the negativity we see around us.  It is a part of this life, but it's possible that in time negativity will not exist anymore.  It will however as long as we believe that it is a fact of life that cannot be changed.  Once we change our perception and realize that to be hurtful in any way is meaningless we can move on to the next phase of our evolution.  Take war for example.  War has always existed, and therefor mankind believes that it will always exist.  We must fight wars as long as there are people (Hitler, Osama, etc) who desire only to destroy their fellow humans, for we must protect that which is good.  But there may come a time when each individual sees himself as part of the whole and is wholly accepting of that, and then war will no longer be a factor because we will not desire to fight eachother.  
I do think you are right about this world being here so we can appreciate.  If we knew nothing but love before this world, then we would not truly understand how vastly important this emotion towards our brothers and sisters is.  Christ said "you must first know sorrow before you can know joy".  The truth is that this life is a journey because we are in the dark about reality.  In this life and the after life everything is Gods will, but only in the after life can we comprehend this as OUR true desire.  In this world we believe things blindly and wrongly.  One persons definition of right and wrong is different from anothers.  We seek the answers because in this life we are not certain of them... we have forgotten our true selves.  Learning to accept humanity without judgement is the only goal one must strive for in this life, for that is our true nature.

They do still run the gateway program.  I recieved an invitation once but couldn't afford to go.  If you want to do it though all you have to do is go to the Monroe Institute web site and sign up, it's that simple.  I think it's around $1,000.

I've smoked salvia on more then one occasion and it didn't do anything for me.  I didn't feel any different, so personally I don't think it does anything beneficial or harmful in terms of OBE.

Try sitting up instead.

The purpose of any drug is to alter ones perception of reality.  Some are positive, some are negative, but all are some form of escape from reality, even if just a mild one.  I don't see why weed couldn't help you in even inducing an OBE, but I don't think it would push you over that tresh-hold.  What I mean is, if you can't have an OBE then I doubt being stoned is going to be the factor that brings success.  And if you are stoned when you have one, then there is no reason to believe that you cant have one sober as well.  And really, during an OBE you want to have the perception that is as close to truth as you can come.  Other wise, what do you really learn from it?  So though I don't doubt weed may alter the experience, it's a good possibility that it will alter the true reality of the experience, and therefor when you are back in your body pondering what happened, you may interpret the message wrong, and that would make the experience less beneficial to your development.

Who cares what forum it belongs in?  That's a trivial technicality. Just give helpful input on the subject or move on.  On that note I have found the breath awareness to be a very successful technique, but anything else is do or die.  After reading many posts I have found the breath awareness is one of the most commonly successful techniques out there.  All the rest of them either work or they don't.

It's spiritual for me.  The absolute knowledge that conciousness exists beyond the body and personal proof of the after life has causes a dramatic change in ones life.  When you know death is not the end your priorities in this life change.

I too use the breath awareness.  It seems to be the most effective without any use of visualization.  When visualizing I sometimes have a tendency to drift off into other thought.  When I'm counting breaths there are no distractions, just me and my breathing.  Then I ususally pass out and in the morning wonder when exactly I lost conciousness [].  This helps me to do it just a little longer each time.

I suggest holding back on all the drugs.  Tell ya what, if demons come next week I will do everything in my power to help you fight them.  Otherwise, I'm a little skeptical.  Could this have been a night terror?

You can't get out untill the vibrations have started, then it's alright to try.  Not sure what you mean by beating?  Was your heart beating fast?  That's common.  In any case, whatever it was, ignore it.  Nothing matters accept the vibrations.  And really they don't matter anyways, it's just the necissary phase to get out of your body.  Take the position of an uninterested observer.  Have a "ho-hum" attitude with everything.

Oh, sorry.  Well, guess maybe it depends on the situation.  If I knew my family was going to be harmed then I would try to prevent it before it happened.  If I heard that someone wanted to beat me up, I'd probably just let it go.

"Journeys Out of the Body" is what got me started as well.  I too recommend it.  I had to order Astral Dynamics because my book story didn't have it (it's a Walden Books).  You can also get a lot of the same information by going to the training section of this website and clicking on "Treatise of OBE".

I personally believe that absolute control in the dream world is impossible.  Lucid or not, it is still not reality, but subconcious.  Consider when you lucid dream how quickly things around you change.  Consider also the scenery and the behavior of everyone around you.  Basically you are aware that you are dreaming, but does that really mean you have control over what you are aware of?

They are just words.  In actuality a cult is no different then a religion.  I'm sure most would disagree, but what's the difference.  Being in a cult is simply believing in something and performing rituals that coincide with that belief.  No one ever said that a cult means you sacrifice children or believe you yourself are God.  Though some may, doesn't mean they all do.  Anyone who forms a congregation and worships something is TECHNICALLY in a cult, even if they do not consider themselves to be in one.  No need to put such labels on things.  Christian, catholic, mormon, jewish... all believe in God.  They just believe differently about God.  It's all pretty silly and meaningless in the grand sceme of things.  To answer your question though... I guess the difference is basically what you want to call yourself.  I probably believe a lot of the same things as some mystics do, but I don't call myself a mystic.