personal philosophies...

[Lucidia]

I figured this might be an interesting topic. Most of us follow some type of "path", and live by it's ideals and whatnot.. but many of us also incorporate our own personal concepts into that path/philosophy. Spirituality can be very personal, somewhat customized to our specific needs.

I thought we might be able to discuss our personal philosophies here. I am personally going to write mine down in "book" form very soon, but i am also interested in other people's ideas as well, so that i have a fully rounded view of things.

If you are confused as to what i'm asking, i'll clarify. Here are a few points to think about when expressing your personal philosophy:


Personal morality: How you live your every day life in regard to "morals". Simple, but complex, as this can involve many issues, from abortion rights to eating habits (ie, being a vegan).
Belief in a diety/dieties: Many of us believe in a god, or goddess, or even a multitude of gods.
Afterlife: Perhaps you don't believe in one at all, or maybe you believe in reincarnation, or the immortality of the soul.j
Dealing with others: Some of us strive to be heroes and save the world. others want to eradicate humanity like the "virus" it is...
Why we are here: How did we get here? what is the purpose of life?
How we view the world: Our opinions of war, famine, poverty, and other atrocities can often affect our view on humanity as a whole...


Personal beliefs can be religiously based, or completely aethiestic. Your philosophy might be seperate from your religious beliefs, or it might be all the spritiuality you need. Your philosophy might indeed be that you do not need spirituality at all. It's a very indepth topic.

Feel free to express your ideas. Share your philosophy with the rest of us, and maybe we'll all leave this thread a little more enlightened.

<NOTE: there will be NO bashing of other people's beliefs/philosophies. this thread is to share and discuss, not to alienate and insult.>

[story]

I think essentially, i'm an agnostic of sorts. I don't know whether or not there is an afterlife. I think that if there were a set purpose to life, we would have been given instruction manuals. I am unsure if there is a deity or set of deities external from my own mind. I have worked with gods and goddesses, and i have felt a response, but this doesn't really answer any questions as to the source of my recieved energy. I am ok with this, as i think that the job of living your life and crafting your own reason(s) for being takes up a lot of time if done right. And frankly i have no need of any more miracles. The fact that we exist at all is pretty dang miraculous if you ask me.
My approach to ethics is confused at best. But here it is:
I try to follow the biblical command to love your neighbor as yourself. i don't see this as a command from an extrahuman froce however. I see the self a a very permeable entity. I don't believe we are simply the bag of skin we often percieve ourselves as being. Therefore your neighbor is very much a part of yourself. Tossed on top of that, i think any being that is forced to struggle with this mess is deserving of respect.
This doesn't lead me to pacifism. I think we have a right, if not a duty, to resist harmful elements of this great big heterogeneous glob 'o self. Just as you should resist the urge to boot some heroin into your arm, you should resist your neighbors attempts to do the same if they involve hurting you or taking your stereo.
politically i am a liberal/leftist type. I think this probably stems from the view i just mentioned. I think it is important to ease the suffering of others. i think compassion is needed in dealing with the world.
My greatest influences have probaly been taoism, camus, and sufism.
The books prometheus rising and zen with out zen masters struck a pretty strong note with me at a younger age.
Lately i've been reading some chaos magick stuff, which has been sending off a few bells and whistles.

LOL! I think this will probably be a long thread. Every one love to talk about themselves. As you can see from this russian novel of a response, i'm no exceptiojn.....
peace
story

[Swanspirit]

My fingers arent up to all the typing right now....... but let me say the basics are integrity and compassion...., which is how I became a pagan . We are all BORN little naked pagans LOL until someone comes along and changes that , but I really can't generalise that far beyond a fond visualisation of naked babies ( I dont care how many newbies say I WAS boooorn pagan ). because I was raised catholic but my father was jewish.... So if I want my integrity I have to say that I was brought into the Catholic church early on by my parents who agreed to the rules without questioning them because they wanted to do things "right".
And so did I ......I tried very hard to do everything right and I could not figure out why it wasnt working , even very young . The catholic church left the early impression on me that there was some level of perfection and I wasnt ever going to make it, maybe not even after I was dead . Now I see that as exercising control and the subjugation of women in the church but then it just felt BAD. it was the hypocrisy that drove me out and Into the Woods ..... beginning with the treatment of my father .. " The JEW" . Well the nuns told me in the first grade and everyone thereafter he was going to hell or worse limbo ........ I think that was before it was a dance LOL. he just laughed but I was very upset and worried, for YEARS....Now I am able to laugh .......
A hearty pagan woman priestess belly laugh....., because my spiritual freedom is of paramount importance to me .
I think compassion even overides integrity as an internalised quality .....I just this year realised that some people have to learn it , but then I used to have a crush on MR Spock on star trek ...... but I wasnt dysfunctional and trying to get emotion out of a rock,,, nooo not meeeee.
I think responsiblity for ones own actions is a main theme in really BEING a pagan for me.....
A few years ago I was HORRIFIED to find out I was in love with someone that was married, he told me well after I was deeply over my head or whatever the current term is for being insane= love. But did I stop ?? NOOO On I went believing all the bull he told me about leaving his wife blah blah ..... meeting him in another country even and meeting his family putting floweres on his mothers grave ...... and then
LOL you guessed it ...........he just couldnt leave .......talk about going splat ....
My heart was a stain on the ground, luckily the earth is soft in places.
But I have learned .......that taking responsiblity is NOT the same as beating yourself up.It also doesnt mean I take responsiblity for what anyone else does either , and because I take my responsiblity doesnt mean I take yours and yours or anyone else who wants to heap some on........ and I get to have as much compassion for myself as anyone else. The blame game doesnt even enter into it.....because then for me that involves judging ...... .
As far as magic goes.... most of mine is healing and I have been doing that for a very long time .......but I am a witch , and I do what I deem necessary to my personal path , and I take responsiblity for it .
I also think the deep basis for being a pagan for me is the connection or reconnection with the earth and natural cycles which comprise our existence. The realisation on a deep level that we are LIGHT EATERS ...... that the plants and animals that we consume all are energy and light plants , that convert this raw energy into matter, and we take it and are constructed of it and use it . That we dont live and cannot exist in a vacuum, and that everything has spirit or finds form to communicate to us in some way . That the stars sing their songs for us to hear , because music is made of distances , and all we do is dance to that music so we can connect with each other in love.
hmmm fingers are better than I thought ....more later on.....
Love and Light
Swannie

[Myst]

Originally posted by Lucidia

Personal morality: How you live your every day life in regard to "morals". Simple, but complex, as this can involve many issues, from abortion rights to eating habits (ie, being a vegan).
Belief in a diety/dieties: Many of us believe in a god, or goddess, or even a multitude of gods.
Afterlife: Perhaps you don't believe in one at all, or maybe you believe in reincarnation, or the immortality of the soul.j
Dealing with others: Some of us strive to be heroes and save the world. others want to eradicate humanity like the "virus" it is...
Why we are here: How did we get here? what is the purpose of life?
How we view the world: Our opinions of war, famine, poverty, and other atrocities can often affect our view on humanity as a whole...



Respect for others and their beliefs, as long as those beliefs lie within pertinent laws. Respect others and they usually respect you, and I don't demand anything more then respect for my beliefs - abortion and vegetarianism beliefs rely on the individual, and it's not my business to force my own beliefs upon them.
I don't worship deities, but only access archetypes that represent energies that can be accessed.
Reincarnation.
I respect others beliefs even tho sometimes I disagree, and that's all I demand from them. I wish people were more open-minded and thoughtful of their own actions, and I try to help them be when I can.
To experience life and to learn. That's it, that's all.
Everything happens for a reason, lessons need to be learned, and people are responsible for their own reactions to these things.

[loopy]

Personal morality: How you live your every day life in regard to "morals". Simple, but complex, as this can involve many issues, from abortion rights to eating habits (ie, being a vegan).

Hmm, I guess just... trying to be open-minded and remember that my way isn't everyone's way.


Belief in a diety/dieties: Many of us believe in a god, or goddess, or even a multitude of gods.

I'm on a very "Goddess, yay!" kick lately; as in, I've almost been working solely with Her, although I do acknowledge God from time to time as well. I think that Athena, Aradia, Kali, etc. are all aspects of the Goddess, and I address them separately a lot, but still while thinking of them as part of the one big Goddess.


Afterlife: Perhaps you don't believe in one at all, or maybe you believe in reincarnation, or the immortality of the soul.

I believe some people get reincarnated, and others do not. Some spirits remain behind as ghosts, unable to accept the ending of this lifetime for some reason or another, and others stop reincarnating only when they've learned everything they possibly can. Maybe when their cycle of reincarnation is over, then they go to some sort of Heaven-type place. And I think new spirits are born as well, some that are starting their first lives in this time.


Dealing with others: Some of us strive to be heroes and save the world. others want to eradicate humanity like the "virus" it is...

I don't want to eradicate humanity. After all, I am one, so that would be inconvenient. :) I try to help the world, but I don't think I'm striving to be a hero. In general, I guess I just try to live and survive, and help others to do the same.


Why we are here: How did we get here? what is the purpose of life?

I'm always torn on the "How did we get here" question because I tend to believe science plays a part; although I find the myths of creation to be fascinating, I find science easier to believe, since it's something here that I can see; does that make sense? I don't know, maybe... maybe one day the Goddess and/or God said, "Hey, let's throw these little single-cell organisms (or whatever) near those blue thingies, and in a few million years or so, see what's evolved."

What is the purpose of life? I don't know; maybe it was an accident that we're all here. In which case, I guess the purpose would be to survive. To make the most of it.


How we view the world: Our opinions of war, famine, poverty, and other atrocities can often affect our view on humanity as a whole...

All terrible things. There must be some reason for it, but I don't know what it is.

[Codehappy Kid]

Religion is an excellent thing to study and understand. The fact that religion is so deeply entrenched in human psychology indicates that it is very important. Will I follow religion? Never again. 2 years as a faithful Christian was quite enough. I viewed aspects of religion that are more impure than anything I care to be involved in - blind faith is evil, as is corrupted, twisted faith. The study of religion as an intellectual exercise is a worthy pursuit - a pure seeking.
The pure seekings are as infinite as the impure ones. The ones I follow are the search for knowledge, the seeking of faith, and the creation of intelligence and life. That last one is paramount. I don't call it AI. That's because it's not artificial. The key to creating life/intelligence is that we, as human beings, are the same thing as that which we would create. I believe in intelligence brought into being by humanity. But purity is an important part of it - purity of concept and execution.
I unfortunately have a low view of society. However, I have a high view of the abilities of great men and women. We must bring them on, there will be no change without someone changing it.
I love technology, and all my aspirations, goals, and desires stem from it. Technology is the key, the concept of advancement. Computers are my love, but other forms of technology and science, such as genetic engineering or synthetic chemistry, I recognize as equally important to the true goal - bringing society to a worldwide Awakening. Sound like White Wolf's Mage? It's true, it's true.
As for my personal morals, I recognize good and evil, right and wrong, at a deep level. I see the path I'm on and the Universe surrounding it. Some people seek to advance the world and society, some don't care, and some try to drag us back. I only set foot on the advancement path recently, and it was a long road I had to follow just to get there. However, I am an infant to that path, and I have another question to answer: My desire to be a leader, is it beneficial or detrimental? Should I join a higher organization than myself that seeks the same goals? I want to create my own group and lead it for the sake of advancement of society, but is that for a greater good or my personal want? I don't know. I have to answer that one myself, later.
Of course, I enjoy a good laugh and realize that we need to have fun. At college, my floor contains a group of people who just party and get drunk. They're so freakin' easy to screw with. I wore a laundry bag on my head out in the hall, and when they asked me why, I said "I don't really know. Isn't that an interesting concept?" and walked ino the bathroom. I caught the expression on one guy's face - pure fun. The people in the elevator said something like "keep on the good sh*t" as I got off on the second floor. I love psychosocial experiments like that.
My recurring thought whenever I hit on the subject of the Middle East is to blow up Jerusalem, but that idea should probably be revised before I rule the world.