Sci-fi and Spirituality

[Ariste]

Wasn't sure where to post this. Mod move if appropriate plz.

Anyways I was wondering if anyone else has been influenced by Sci-fi books or shows? I'm not talking about like Scientology, but I would have to say that I have been heavily impacted by some of the philosophy in Sci-fi books. I think Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land is what really started me thinking, though it took me another 7 or 8 years to finally abandon my upbringing. Through Lazarus Long (i think it was time enough for love) he says that "Sin lies only in hurting another unnecassarily. All other 'sins' are invented nonsense."

There is the Bene Gesserit Litany against Fear in the Dune series by Herbert, which I know i'm not the only pagan to use. Then there are things such as the "Star Stuff" speech in Babylon 5.

I'm not saying these things are gospel, but they've heavily influenced my path. I found quite a bit of profound philosophy and theology in Sci-fi specifically. I wonder why that is? Anyone else? Thoughts?

[lightdragon]

not for me. but offhand I know The Church of All Worlds was also inspired by Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land .

[Ariste]

Yes that's the name of the church started by the main char in the novel.

[aynfean]

Not necessarily sci-fi exactly... but I've definitely read things that make me think. I definitely think that fantasy has influenced me. I've totally taken poetry and the like from fantasy books and reworked them to be included in my BoS for use in circles.

[Nola]

well I watched the star wars films continually as a child, and now I'm a Pantheist, so yeah, there is probably some influence.

[Daecon]

There's a surprising amount of religious subtext in the movie TRON, but it seems to be going for a "persecuted first century Christian in Imperial Rome" feel. The storyline of a divine "user" brought into the digital world, performing miraculous feats and sacrificing his digital existence to save his friends, puts a new twist on the Christ story, especially since his "miracles" are definitely on a learning curve.

The sequel has some zen in the character of the elder Flynn, but not much else.

[antæa]

The books of Marion Zimmer Bradley gave me a lot of inspiration, and, yes, they have influenced me a lot. Her view on the Goddess is partly similar to my own and the society she created in her "Darkover"-series gave me a lot to think about.

[Æon Flux]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uaN-YMBf9qA/SglKE4uwdRI/AAAAAAAACNw/dcASGQjB6G4/s400/spock2.GIF

I think that pretty much answers that question. *grins*

[FindingMyself]

I learned about Kuji-In and O-fuda Scrolls from an anime I used to watch, which I utilize in my practices on occasion :)

[~Runa~]

I'm a Star Trek fan, and this used to inspire me a lot. Ever since then I've been warmed to anything with space opera themes. My love of sci-fi made me love and work in technology and I.T. and I use these skills to carry out "tools". I believe that spirits can operate through technology and even computers. The Web of Wyrd. I remember casting some rune stones and came up with a reading that was almost exactly the same result as casting virtual runes from a fortune telling website. Spirits and gods utilise the internet in order to show messages and signs to people. It's hard to explain but what I'm getting at is machinary can be a part of the magical world and it isn't all just physical. The beauty of the internet has created some amazing situations and brought people of the world closer together IMHO.

I think sci-fi (a creation itself) is like a subconsious effort to communicate to people on a certain level. You don't have to be scientific or very religious.

[Gladeflower]

Cthulhu mythos has inspired my spirituality greatly

[zionwood]

Part of my summer solstice ritual was inspired by the Doctor Who episode "The Parting of the Ways." It's not obvious at all, but it's there.

[Katsbrain]

I am not a big fan of sci-fi, but I have drawn a lot of spiritual inspiration from various genres of fiction. I walk a very Naturalistic path, and part of that entails the honoring of human creativity as an essential tool for understanding our place in existence and for perceiving Divinity. In a way, the fictional characters and stories in more contemporary literature are just as "real" and powerful to me as the myths of the old gods. They are all conduits for knowledge and wisdom, a portal into a part of existence that isn't always easy to see.

Oberon Zell, the founder of the real-life Church of All Worlds, very often quotes sci-fi/fantasy novels and movies in his writings, and explores how their themes, characters, and other features are influenced by Pagan ideas. He has also written some interesting stuff on how books and movies, particularly in the sci fi/fantasy genres, can enhance one's spiritual life.

[Tanya]

Hmmm I got interested in sci-fi watching star trek with my dad. My dad loved Spock, he saw him as the epitome of human development.. which I thought was very confusing as my father was subject to fits of terrifying, and distructive rage... but I guess, that was who he wished he could be, and I was listening hard to that...

later, when i read Dune. It changed my life, not just the litany against fear, but the idea of being a planetologist. I'ld never heard of 'ecologist' but I knew as soon as I read it, that was what I wanted to be..

and so I am..

as I believe very deeply that who you are, what you do.. should be intimately connected.. what I do with my work, is completely tied to who I am as a spiritual creature.

[trystan]

i never really thought of this this way, but i'm sure that anything that stays with you - like the Bene Gesserit Litany against Fear - becomes part of who you are. i draw from a lot of places i'm sure, but haven't recognized them as coming from Dune, B5, Supernatural, Dragonlance, or anywhere specific like that.

[Windsmith]

For the most part, it's more the other way around for me; I find lines in sf and fantasy books that perfectly encapsulate my beliefs. Like in A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett, someone says something along the lines of "If you don't know how to be a good human, how will you know how to be a good witch?" Which nicely explains why I consider sweeping the floor and paying my bills on time every bit as magical as a spell or ritual. Or at the end of the last Harry Potter book, Harry says to Dumbledore, "Is this real, or is it all in my head?" and Dumbledore replies, "Of course it's in your head, but that doesn't mean it's not real." Which pretty well sums up my stance on gods and goddesses.

But I will note that, as a kid, one of my favorite books was Madeleine L'Engle's A Wind in the Door, and my very favorite part of that book was the part with the farandolae (tiny, fictional beings inside the mitochondria) and their singing. Now, two of the most integral aspects of my spiritual practice are armchair science and music. So you tell me!

[Lehnah]

Yes, I've been inspired my many sci-fi and fantasy stories. Actually, the one that inspired me most of the Myst series. I explain it in full HERE (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?237800-Choosing-a-craft-name&p=4680022#post4680022).

[MimiTheMuse]

I read "The Mists of Avalon" early on in my Pagan walk and it did inspire me. Marion Zimmer Bradley's portrayl of the Goddess touched my heart and helped me become closer to Her when I was still in the fumbling stages of practice. I am a total Harry Potter maniac, but I don't know if it's affected my spirituality, though my idenitifcation with the characters of Snape and Luna Lovegood make me feel good about what I am at the core. And finally, before I knew about Paganism, there was the X-Files. Alot of the religious quotes are Catholic themed and from Scully's viewpoint but "Science only tell us how, it doesn't tell us why." has stuck with me since the first time I heard it. Also, I liked how they portrayed Wiccans as "good Witches" and didn't blanket cover all Witches and Witchcraft as bad, in one episode Mulder even explains the point up Pentacle is not a Satanic sign, but rather a symbol of the Goddess and modern Witchcraft and Paganism. I heard that a year before I was first exposed to Wicca, and maybe that made me not shrivel up and flashback to my Catholic upbringing when my friend first told me about the path she'd found herself on.

[Tahroh]

While not sci-fi, I would have to say i was heavily influenced by the Sevenwater trilogy: Daughter of the Forest, Son of Shadows, and Child of the Prophesy. The books are steeped in Druidic culture, myths, and lessons. They are by Juliet Marillier, if anyone is interested.