What do we call ourselves?

[iamkuljuarenot]

    I'm not sure if this is the right place for this post, but I'm going to ask this question here anyway. 

    I don't deny the fact that a "God" exists, but whether or not one does I think is totally irrelevant when looking at the big picture.  Anyway, us people who do astral projection or who have had out of body experiences seem to be in a very small percentage of the population.  Most people don't even know what it is.  They either believe in God or they don't, and they don't REALLY know why they do or they don't, it's just what they know or what they were taught.  Anyway, that's beside the point.  My question is, what do we call ourselves from a religious standpoint, and I'm using the religious term very loosely here, by that I mean some religious people call themselves Christians, Lutherans, whatever, but what do we categorize ourselves under when it comes to a belief system?  Astral Projectionism?  Afterlifeism?  LOL it was bugging me anyone have any ideas?

[Killa Rican]

"New Age" is a Broad Church. I'm With the assumption that most of us may subscribe to Apatheism. As I consider myself a Pragmatic Agnostic. But projecting has nothing to do with Religion anyways. It's just a natural ability. I'm not creative enough to come up with a flashy term though atm XD

[iamkuljuarenot]

Haha yeah I realize religion has nothing to do with it, I think that most people that have experienced astral projection or an out of body experience and believe in it, do not necessarily believe that there is one almighty supreme being in control of everything, and when we physically die our belief constructs are what create an afterlife.  So from that standpoint, I was just wondering what people like us would categorize it as.  I like Apatheism though 

[Taoistguy]

Pioneers.

[Xanth]

Pioneers.

I'll second that one... as I complete and absolutely detest any form of religious labeling (however loosely it's applied). 

[Jarrod]

Individuals.  There's no need to classify.  It just sets up divisions that don't need to exist. "The greatest illusion, is the illusion of separation."

[personalreality]

i agree jarrod, individuals is quite appropriate.

this is actually bigger than just people who are interested in astral projection.  it's about people who are interested in self-exploration, people who want to know who, what and why they are.  there is something unique about us.  we have some kind of realization that drives us, motivates us toward exploration.  i actually did a podcast about the "motivation toward enlightenment'.  the best answer i could discover was, "what else is there?"  we grow and change and move toward unity of consciousness (awareness of our full consciousness spectrum).  some of us try to define what we are, and a lot of those people gravitate towards the ambiguity of the "new age" and "spiritual" stuff.  others wipe away any definition and just do what feels right.  we can move from tradition to tradition, never really believing it, but trying it and taking what works for us.  but when it all comes down to it we are just beings experiencing and exploring.

[Stookie]

If there's anything I'm happy about is not having to put myself in any group. I like being an individual with independent thoughts.

[Taoistguy]

If there's anything I'm happy about is not having to put myself in any group. I like being an individual with independent thoughts.

So you're an Individualist?

<snicker>

[Stookie]

Dang it... I guess it's inescapable! Give me my membership card...

lol

[Volgerle]

well .. if we're lazy maybe we could choose among some terms already in existence, labels that "some of the others" might already have for us (depending on their pre-knowledge about these fields):

esotericists, occultists, new agers, mysticists, spiritualists, theosophists, metaphysicists, magicians and witches , etc      ...

Personally, I would choose none of these, I'd rather call myself a "spiritual freethinker".

(freethinker is to stress my being free of any dogmatic belief systems.
however, I know the term is not unproblematic, since I have the impression that it is often "occupied" by this type of materialist atheist / close-minded skeptic person. This they do to my mind without any real justification, since a materialist atheist has a very rigid belief system and is NOT thinking freely at all, now matter how strongly they claim to, these guys are as dogmatic and close-minded as religious fundamentalists and far from any "free thought").

[CFTraveler]

I'm an experiencer.

[NoY]

we could call ourselves......... Tim

:NoY:

[Xanth]

we could call ourselves......... Tim

:NoY:

... and when you come to the Astral Bridge, do you have to answer THREE QUESTIONS?! 

[Taoistguy]

Well, I'm gonna have to classify you all as subversives and terrorists, what with your setting up autonomous forums to discuss, practice and promote these wild ideas. You haven't ascribed to the established forms of belief. There's probably some poor policewoman or man who's job is to monitor cells like this and report back to the authorities!

[Jarrod]

WHAT!!??...is your favorite color?

[Taoistguy]

WHAT??? Has that got to do with this thread?

(And I don't like colours.)

[personalreality]

nothing, but this thread is about exhausted.

why not spin-off into a little monty python fueled fun?

[Jarrod]

Exactly.  Why are we here if not for fun?

[Taoistguy]

For blood, sweat and tears. (And the odd slice of battenburg!)