Wow this is hard

[mcdwg]

I was raised a Catholic always told you either go to hell or heaven no in between. I have been told Jesus died for our sins and if we repent we will be in heaven, I have always questioned these beliefs because that is just how I am very analytical so there is a struggle within me and now that I am reading more about the different planes I have to be honest and say I am more inclined to believe it and to me it makes more sense than the regular religious beliefs but there is still that struggle and I am trying to find some sort of proof that this exist but how do I start, can someone tell me how a beginner can start to develop consciousness of these realities, for some reason I feel I am missing out on something very powerful that could affect the way I look at my perception of life?

I'm very thirsty for knowledge but don't know how to start

Thanks

Ruben

[Xanth]

Hiya. 

You've definitely come to the right place.
Whether you know it or not, you've already taken the steps to begin to answer the questions you asked.

[mcdwg]

What should my next step be?

Thanks

Ruben

[Steel Hawk]

I was raised a Catholic always told you either go to hell or heaven no in between. I have been told Jesus died for our sins and if we repent we will be in heaven, I have always questioned these beliefs because that is just how I am very analytical so there is a struggle within me and now that I am reading more about the different planes I have to be honest and say I am more inclined to believe it and to me it makes more sense than the regular religious beliefs but there is still that struggle and I am trying to find some sort of proof that this exist but how do I start, can someone tell me how a beginner can start to develop consciousness of these realities, for some reason I feel I am missing out on something very powerful that could affect the way I look at my perception of life?

I'm very thirsty for knowledge but don't know how to start

Thanks

Ruben

Eh if anything OBEs have made me validate a lot of what Jesus taught, after I stopped believing it. All my beliefs primarily come from Metaphysics and personal experience. I believe in what could be considered heaven and hell, but also the places in-between.

Basically I view most christian religions as a child's version of my ultimate beliefs. Meaning anyone could understand it. If we were taught things that were too complicated and couldn't be understood then it would do little good -- right?

First, believe. It would make little sense for all of us to lie. So, that's the first step.

Second, believe that if you try long and hard enough eventually you will experience the truth for yourself. Never give up, even if you get disinterested or stop practicing for months. Always make it a point to try again no matter how long it takes.

Third, buy some books on the subject. It can provide you with a organized approach in assimilating all this knowledge.

Get these books at minimum and read them in order:
1. Journeys Out of the Body, by Robert Monroe
2. Far Journeys, by Robert Monroe
3. Ultimate Journey, by Robert Monroe
4. Astral Dynamics, by Robert Bruce

I find them all *vital* if you're truly serious. The first three books will inspire you and create the desire to project. And the last book will give you the tools to do it. But do not skip ahead... or it's your own folly.

Once you've done the above come back and go from there.

[mcdwg]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to give me these steps on how to get started. I agree with you on what you say about heaven and hell but not in the sense that most people believe. Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I have read hell would be the lower planes where souls with weak vibrations would go and this place would be manifested according to their perception of hell, and the same with heaven.

Thanks again for your guidance

Ruben

[kurtykurt42]

I think that most people believe but to me belief is irrelevant and the only thing that matters is the truth.

Second, believe that if you try long and hard enough eventually you will experience the truth for yourself. Never give up, even if you get disinterested or stop practicing for months. Always make it a point to try again no matter how long it takes.

As long as you never give up and are determined to find the truth you will find it. Although, I have found that the majority of people are less concerned with the truth and more concerned with there religious beliefs. I went to a catholic grade school and was brainwashed just like you into believing that there is only heaven and hell and that the bible is the only book you should read.

I later came to realize that science and mathematics hold the answers to our existence. Religion's are great for teaching morality, but that's about where it ends. You shouldn't take the stories you read in the bible as the truth, but as a guide to teach you how to become a better person.

[Xanth]

What should my next step be?

Thanks

Ruben

A small one to your left. 

... and just meditate for now and enjoy it!

[CFTraveler]

I was raised a Catholic always told you either go to hell or heaven no in between.

You forgot purgatory.  That is the in-between.  Did you fall asleep in catechism class?

I have been told Jesus died for our sins and if we repent we will be in heaven,

I can find you a bible quote or two that directly contradict this, no brain necessary.

I have always questioned these beliefs because that is just how I am very analytical so there is a struggle within me and now that I am reading more about the different planes I have to be honest and say I am more inclined to believe it and to me it makes more sense than the regular religious beliefs but there is still that struggle and I am trying to find some sort of proof that this exist but how do I start, can someone tell me how a beginner can start to develop consciousness of these realities, for some reason I feel I am missing out on something very powerful that could affect the way I look at my perception of life?

I'm very thirsty for knowledge but don't know how to start

Thanks

Ruben

I grew up as a catholic, and posts like these always surprise me.
This is why:
One of the things I learned in catholic school is that catechism (or what the church teaches) is more important than the bible, and that the bible can be misunderstood.  This was drilled into me by the teachers, inadvertently teaching me that the reason they know this is because they rewrote it so many times what we get now is not the original product.
I was also taught (by priests, I had good ones) that the church had evolved throughout the ages, and even though they preach certain things, they don't necessarily believe them.  They also taught me that when they can't justify something that makes no sense they tell you that 'it's a mystery'.
I was lucky to have had teachers (priests and nuns) who were admirers of the catholic mystics and scientists (mainly Teillhard de Chardin) whose views differed from the 'mother' church, or like other mystics, were burned at the stake by said church and later canonized as saints when the church realized there was more than their beliefs about them.
So:  Remember this bible message:  There are many gifts of the Spirit, but the Spirit is One.
So explore using your gifts, whatever they are, and don't worry, you'll be ok.

[SD_Tsugamush]

  You forgot purgatory.  That is the in-between.  Did you fall asleep in catechism class? I can find you a bible quote or two that directly contradict this, no brain necessary.

powned