45 Matching Annotations
  1. Jan 2024
    1. only 11% say they are involved in a religious community.

      for - stats - spiritual but not religious

      stats - spiritual but not religious - Pew research study shows 22% of Americans now identify as spiritual but not religious - Only 11% say that are involved in a religious community

    2. growth of the spiritual “nones

      for - definition - spiritual nones

    3. for - spiritual collectives - non-dogmatic spirituality

      summary adjacency between - spiritual collectives - Deep Humanity - Adjacency statement - There is a growing movement of people disenchanted with the contradictions, trauma or dogma of many mainstream religions. - Evangelical pastors and followers are converting to a more open and inclusive spiritual practice. - This growing movement has close resemblance to Deep Humanity in its openess to all religions and spiritual practices as long as they do not bring harm, and the lack of dogmatism. - There could be a good opportunity for synergies since spiritual collectives take an open source / commons approach to spiritual practice wherein we collaborate to surface the best principles to live by. - From a commons / open source perspective, we give this the name - open source religion - open source spirituality

    4. bound by values rather than beliefs.

      for - key insight - spiritual collectives - bound by values instead of beliefs

    5. spiritual collective

      for - definition - spiritual collective

    6. Pastor Cody Deese at Vinings Lake in Mableton, Ga

      for - Pastor Cody Deese - Vining Lake spiritual collective

    1. I was raised Catholic, you know, very, very devoutly Catholic. My family was. I went to eight years of Catholic schooling. I had to step away from the church when I realized I couldn't say all the things 00:21:39 that we were being asked to say. I've, these days I've been studying Buddhism for many years
      • for: Marjorie Kelly - spiritual background in Christianity and Buddhism
  2. Jun 2023
    1. It is the cold and detached warrior that defeats the emotional and prideful one. Yet it is the man who fights on his knees, in faith to the Lord, who trumps them. For no man, nor Satanic curse, can stand against an angelic army.
    2. Therefore, it is written that men should "pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)
    1. Now, the question is not 'why do we not listen to God', but rather why do we forget. The example of Lamen and Lemuel is perfect. They not only were visited by angels (1 Neph 3:29), but also were shocked by their younger brother from God (1 Nephi 17:55). SO, let me explain through analogy from a book called Competing for the future by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad (1996). In business I am very familiar with cultures that are created, and then I have to show how to break the culture and teach them a new one so that the business can thrive. The analogy I utilize to help explain to the people this concept when I come into their business without sounding condescending is about five monkeys. The analogy states: A study took 5 monkeys. In the middle of a room where these monkeys were placed to live was a ladder. On top of that ladder was some bananas. The monkeys didn't notice the bananas at first. Finally, one monkey takes notice of the bananas and decides to climb the ladder to get them. As soon as the monkey starts for the bananas, the other four monkeys are sprayed with ice cold water until they figure out that the monkey climbing the ladder is the problem. So, they push the monkey down and the cold water stops. When the same monkey tries for the bananas again, the same events takes place, and all is safe when that monkey stops climbing the ladder. The scientist remove one of the monkeys that was constantly sprayed with cold water and replaced with a new monkey. This monkey starts for the bananas and immediately, the monkeys are sprayed and the monkeys keep this new monkey off the ladder. Another monkey is removed and replaced with a new monkey. This time before the new monkey can start up the ladder, all the monkeys attack this new monkey before water can even be sprayed. This happens until all the monkeys are replaced and this continues. In the writing from the researchers, he queried that if latter monkey's could be interviewed, they would probably state that they do this because 'that is what is just done around here'. You can see this with crabs in a bucket. If one crab tries to escape from a bucket then the other crabs pull it down. When we take into consideration the power of the mind, which according to the gospel of 'me' is the opposition within man, we see that we can have a very powerful event take place in our lives, but habit/ conditioned responses are more powerful. In the story with the monkey's, this happens a lot in our everyday lives. Not because we are bad people, but because we develop heuristic pathways throughout our lives. Heuristic meaning mental shortcuts (neurological pathways that have been created and strengthened to help us make quick decisions) to help us be faster in our decision making process. Example: Hand to flame means hot after we touch it. Make a faster decision to not touch flame because it hurts next time we see it. The same thing happened with the monkey's. They developed heuristic pathways to attack the monkey that climbed the ladder because they KNEW bad thing happen. So, when we do this over time those neuro pathways become stronger, and then we choose those pathways faster. Especially when it comes to protecting oneself. So, as Brother Joseph stated that there is opposition in all things, man is no different. Our mind is that opposition to God when we are asked to do things that have already been learned behavior patterns of hurt/ pain. To Lamen and Lemuel their plush lifestyle is now gone, and they are left with pain of the wilderness to remind them of what they had, and how much they wish to go back to that. It doesn't matter the messenger, the dopamine hit they desire is more powerful and already apart of their psychological influence. Doing what God wants is showing opposition to what they have already learned. 'How can our life in Jerusalem be so bad?', is what they were asking themselves.  So, when we pit our psychological development against what God is asking, it is foreign - it hurts. What we think we are and developed over time is now met with the opposition of truth from God makes it harder to let go of strong neuro pathways. Try to ask someone to stop smoking that has done it for 20 years of their life. You have to actually die daily and be reborn again mentally to walk by God's request. Like the monkey's, you have to change your paradigm/ your world view filters. What does that mean? Well, when you have God in your life only during Sunday - but then soaked in the world's influence the six other day's - who will you more likely become? Even as he is? Or more like the world? Thus, this is the reason we are reminded to remember Him always. At the end of the day, you will forget whom you serve."
      • I love that the quote you shared from Elder Maxwell brought up the concept of crab mentality, as it more prevalent in our fallen world than we realize. Crab mentality is destructive in that its concept of unity is founded by a collective desire to be fixed to the system, which is why when a crab breaks free from this fixation, the others pull it down. This can result to both good or bad, depending on the soundness of the system. [[crab mentality]]

      • Forgetfulness is a topic that has intrigued me for quote some time now so I apologize if this is going to be lengthy. In the plan of salvation, we understand that every person who followed Jesus Christ in the Council of Heaven passes through the Veil of Forgetfulness before coming to earth. Therefore, whenever we learn something new about the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are essentially relearning or remembering this information in contrast to learning it for the first time. [[the limits of our mortality]] [[learning is remembering]]

      • The gospel of Jesus Christ is effective and efficient in that it has a workaround this Veil of Forgetfulness through the power of reminders. The Lord has the power of priesthood (which His kingdom is built upon) and all the appendix to it (the prophets, revelations, etc.), and the role of the third member of the godhead, the Holy Ghost.

      • This forgetfulness is now an intrinsic attribute to our natural man which is in domination every time we step out of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Our spiritual man is in domination when we remember fragments of truth from the gospel of Jesus Christ. [[the natural man forgets, the spiritual man remembers]]

      • Another crucial detail is that when it comes to our shortsightedness (brought upon by our mortality), remembrance is more of a spotlight, a limited space where only a few select of things can be seen while the rest disappears into darkness. With this, we can think of forgetfulness as a fixed attribute of our natural man, but we have the ability to choose what to forget and what to remember. [[remembering is a choice]]

      • When Jesus Christ came to earth, He chose to remember His Father's will instead of himself. He looked at the world around Him and saw that the world is full of pain and suffering. Following this perspective and mission, it enabled Him to be perfected (completed). This is reminiscent of our mission here on earth: to determine what we should continually remember and let the rest blur and disappear into darkness. This is so because we have no other choice but to utilize our limited memory and perspective for eternal matters. After all, all spiritual things (this includes us; hence our spiritual man) are meant to be eternal. [[all things are spiritual because they're meant to be eternal]] [[it's important to keep an eternal perspective to navigate mortality]]

    1. “The purpose of our life should be to build up the Zion of our God, to gather the House of Israel, … store up treasures of knowledge and wisdom in our own understandings, purify our own hearts and prepare a people to meet the Lord when he comes. … “We have no business here other than to build up and establish the Zion of God. It must be done according to the will and law of God [see D&C 105:5], after that pattern and order by which Enoch built up and perfected the former-day Zion, which was taken away to heaven. … We, through our faithfulness, must prepare ourselves to meet Zion from above when it shall return to earth, and to abide the brightness and glory of its coming” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 111–12).

      a couple things:

      • as social creatures, human beings rely on establishing relationships with those around us. our existence begins within families, through the union of a mother and a father, and this pattern repeats throughout generations

      • these communal relationships form the foundation for unity, creating a shared purpose and principles. any discord within these relationships can result in separation

      • death serves as the most explicit form of separation: firstly, physical death separates the body from the spirit, and finally, spiritual death represents the separation of men from god.

      • another explicit instance of separation found in the scriptures is the scattering of Israel. our current work involves gathering israel, which requires severing our ties with our brothers and sisters across the globe. this gathering process is vital in building the zion we are commanded to establish before the second coming of christ

      [[the church is one body]]

      "1 Corinthians 12:12-14 emphasizes the idea that all individuals, regardless of their background or status, are united as one body through the Spirit of Christ. Paul teaches the importance of unity and care for one another within this body to avoid any divisions or schisms. It also emphasizes the interconnectedness of all individuals within the body, such that if one member suffers, all members suffer, and if one member is honored, all members rejoice." - The Doctrine of Belonging - Elder D. Todd Christofferson

    2. Sister Ann M. Dibb, who served as a Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, explained how we can stand in holy places: “President Ezra Taft Benson counseled, ‘Holy places include our temples, our chapels, our homes, and the stakes of Zion, which are … “for a defense, and for a refuge’’ [D&C 115:6]’ [‘Prepare Yourself for the Great Day of the Lord,’ New Era, May 1982, 50]. In addition to these, I believe we can each find many more places. We might first consider the word place as a physical environment or a geographic location. However, a place can be ‘a distinct condition, position, or state of mind’ [Merriam-Webster Online, ‘place,’ merriam-webster.com/dictionary/place]. This means holy places can also include moments in time—moments when the Holy Ghost testifies to us, moments when we feel Heavenly Father’s love, or moments when we receive an answer to our prayers. Even more, I believe any time you have the courage to stand for what is right, especially in situations where no one else is willing to do so, you are creating a holy place” (“Your Holy Places,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 115).

      great points here:

      • physical holy places are: temples, chapels and homes

      • intangible holy places are: moments we are in companionship of his spirit

      the common denominator being: whenever we act outside of our natural inclinations (or our natural man), we enter a place of safety. when our eternal selves (spiritual man) is in domination, we are in a safe place

    1. Just as proper baptism was the beginning of the building upon the rock, so was the covenant of the sacrament. While the ordinance of baptism was a one-time, long-term commitment, the sacrament serves as a weekly opportunity to keep a proper foundation, the rock of Christ, under our quest for eternal life and to build upon it. For those who fail to observe their sacrament covenants, their foundation becomes one of sand and leads to an entrance into the gates of hell (18:13).
  3. Apr 2023
    1. Christian faith, it is a similar concept, but it is bestowed by the Holy Spirit, and many denominations believe it can allow someone to know whether a demonic of heavenly influence is over a person, place, or event. It is also a gift that can be requested, used, or ignored. 

      Christian Faith and spiritual gifts.

      n the Christian faith, it is a similar concept, but it is bestowed by the Holy Spirit, and many denominations believe it can allow someone to know whether a demonic of heavenly influence is over a person, place, or event. It is also a gift that can be requested, used, or ignored.

  4. Feb 2023
  5. Jan 2023
    1. this crisis is much more than physical and environmental schisms we have a deeply 00:34:25 wounded Spirit as a people that is in desperate need of healing and restoration and we must look to our Almighty Creator to find our proper place in humanity our proper place as that one strand

      !- Beyond physicalism and environmental crisis : also a spiritual one - we have wounded spirits

  6. Aug 2022
    1. In his book The Principles of Psychology, the pioneering philosopher and psychologist William James described living creatures as “bundles of habits”, explaining that developing habits “simplifies the movements required to achieve a given result.”

      The source of the "bundles of habits" quote.

    1. Come back and read these particular texts, but these look interesting with respect to my work on orality, early "religion", secrecy, and information spread:<br /> - Ancient practices removed from their lineage lose their meaning - In spiritual practice, secrecy can be helpful but is not always necessary

      timestamp

    1. Furthermore, the paper reports benefits to losing yourself in thought, finding that this state can “aid problem solving, increase creativity, enhance the imagination and contribute to a sense of self-worth.”

      I completely believe this, but wonder about how to apply it.

      I've got my daily walk in the woods.

  7. Jul 2022
    1. Not only is such thought beyond representation (and therefore beyond personware) possible,Weaver suggests but its occurrence constitutes a fundamental encounter which brings forth into existenceboth the world and the thinker. As such, thought sans image is deeply disturbing the stability andcontinuity of whatever personware the individual thinker may have been led to identify with andopens wide horizons of cognitive development and transformation ([13]: p. 35).

      !- similar to : Gyuri Lajos idea of tacit awareness !- implications : thought sans image !- refer : Gyuri Lajos https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343523812_Augmenting_Tacit_Awareness_Accepting_our_responsibility_for_how_we_shape_our_tools When one becomes cognizant of thought sans image, then one realizes the relative construction of one's social identity and that offers a freedom to take on another one * therefore, realization of thought sans image opens the door to authentic transformation

      !- question : thought sans image * If, as Weaver suggests, thought sans image is a primordial encounter which brings forth both the thinker and the world thought by the thinker, then this has strong similiarities to a spiritual awakening or enlightenment experience.

    2. though personwareis intrinsic to being a complete person it can be continuously modified, evolve or otherwise developed([5 ]: p. 201). More importantly, it can, to a significant extent, at least theoretically, be dynamicallygoverned and authored by the human individual. Hence, the human takeover.

      !- definition : human takeover * The ability for an individual to dynamically govern and author one's own personware. * The takeover gives us agency, rather than victimhood * the takeover can be triggered through realization of the difference between the thought sans image state and the conditioning into the symbolosphere

      !- question : spiritual enlightenment and personware * An interesting question is: "How does enlightenment impact the personware? " * Obviously, enlightenment cannot be an act of removing the personware. Language once learned cannot simply be meditated away. * Does the act of enlightenment then make the personware dramatically known to the individual as if it were indeed like a suit that we are wearing and not our fundamental nature? * Does enlightenment allow us to get more in contact with the prelinguistic and prepersonal

  8. Dec 2021
    1. Not pain, exactly. Recognition; awakening, even. There were places in me no one had touched.

      This rides the line between beauty and suffering, combining medical vivisection with spiritual discovery. Love this so much. There's an eerie intimacy to procedures like this.

  9. Oct 2021
  10. Sep 2021
    1. The Lifebox, the Seashell, and the Soul Rudy Rucker.
      • for : spiritual re-parenting

      lifebox seashell soul

    1. “I want to show that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit.”
    2. “I accept that there are some things I can't do. But they are mostly things I don’t particularly want to do anyway. I seem to manage to do anything that I really want.”
    3. “The victim should have the right to end his life, if he wants. But I think it would be a great mistake. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.”
    1. The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing? "

      Science is the HOW the universe came to be, Religion shows us the WHY.

      Quote at the end of the article: “At Oxford — to my surprise — I discovered Christianity. It was the intellectually most exhilarating and spiritually stimulating thing I could ever hope to describe — better than chemistry, a wonderful subject that I had thought to be the love of my life and my future career. I went on to gain a doctorate for research in molecular biophysics from Oxford, and found that immensely exciting and satisfying. But I knew I had found something better — like the pearl of great price that Jesus talks about in the Gospel, which is so beautiful and precious that it overshadows everything. It was intellectually satisfying, imaginatively engaging, and aesthetically exciting.”

      • Alister McGrath, The Future of Atheism: Alister McGrath & Daniel Dennett in Dialogue (London, England: Fortress Press, 2008), 27.
    1. Jesus Christ developed in all areas of His life—spiritually (favor with God), socially (favor with man), physically (stature), and intellectually (wisdom)—and so can you!

      headings to tag / organize information under generally. Refining / honing tags with further descriptors would be ideal.

      i.e.: Spiritual / Why i.e.: INTELLECTUAL / MEDICINE / PRACTICE / INTEGUMENTARY

  11. Aug 2021
    1. So try imagining that today may be your last; it might make you second-guess spending the night watching TV when you could be spending that time with your children or partner. Or what about that book you’ve always wanted to write? The business idea you have? Mindfulness of death is a sure way to eliminate, or at least severely reduce, procrastination.

      purpose...how are we really living our lives?

    2. the pain of avoiding the unavoidable, which so many of us do, can actually be worse than the fear of surrendering to the inevitable

      en pointe

    1. an American company that offers executive educational programs, a business incubator and innovation consultancy service.[1][2] It is not an accredited university and does not provide traditional university qualifications.

      Worth keeping in mind

  12. Jun 2021
  13. Mar 2021
  14. Jan 2021
  15. Sep 2020
    1. "We are satisfied that many therapies listed in our Group 2 give help and comfort to many patients when used in a complementary sense to support conventional medical care" "In relieving stress, in alleviating side effects (for example of various forms of anti-cancer therapy) and in giving succour to the elderly and in palliative care they often fulfil an important role".

      Here is the full quote that was cherry picked from here;

      2.8 We are, however, satisfied that many therapies listed in our Group 2 give help and comfort to many patients when used in a complementary sense to support conventional medical care even though most of them also lack a firm scientific basis. Nevertheless in relieving stress, in alleviating side effects (for example of various forms of anti-cancer therapy) and in giving succour to the elderly and in palliative care they often fulfil an important role.

      Interesting that they decided to exclude the part that points out the nature of the science behind it.

    1. In a world where comfort is king, arduous physical activity provides a rare opportunity to practice suffering.

      This is actually a very good insight that can be applied to the spiritual life.

  16. Jan 2019
    1. Know ye that by “the world” is meant your unawareness of Him Who is your Maker, and your absorption in aught else but Him. The “life to come,” on the other hand, signifieth the things that give you a safe approach to God, the All-Glorious, the Incomparable.

      The next world isn't another world. It's a way of being in this world. Using this idea alone, no surviving memory or individuality is required after death.

  17. Sep 2018
    1. But we are also hopeful that, by informing and moderating our desires, and by grasping the limits of our new powers, we can keep in mind the true meaning of our founding ideals—and thus find the means to savor the fruits of the age of biotechnology, without succumbing to its most dangerous temptations.

      This idea in the text might also largely reference the uses of drugs and medications as one means of seizing happiness---a "founding ideal". The narrator of this quote, however, emphasizes the importance in not "succumbing to its most dangerous temptations" by means of remembering the "true meaning of our founding ideals".

  18. Dec 2016
    1. The third level of education is the discovery of Knowledge. Here you begin to remember your point of departure and anticipate your point of return-not because you are anxious to leave the world, but because the meaning of your being here is entirely defined by where you have come from and where you are going. It is as if you went to school one day and you stayed there for eighty years and never left the classroom. Well, after a while it would be very difficult to remember what life was like outside the classroom. But when you leave the classroom after eighty years, more or less, you go home to your "parents," who are your Spiritual Family. It was just a very long day in class, that's all-so long, in fact, that it allowed you to concentrate on the classroom entirely. If you penetrate the membrane that separates this world from the life beyond, it becomes very difficult to concentrate on being here because the life beyond is so alluring. It is so attractive. It is easier to be yourself there than it is here. That is why you must enter the world in an amnesiac state to enable yourself to concentrate on being here.
  19. Nov 2016
    1. Though your personalities may have difficulties and your orientations may be different, you will feel at home with them nonetheless because they have come from your Spiritual Family
  20. Oct 2016
    1. After the torchlight red on sweaty faces After the frosty silence in the gardens After the agony in stony places

      People are left to wander in spiritual darkness. Not sure what's supposed to come next.

  21. Mar 2015
    1. Beloved friends, these things are of critical importance. For anyone who enters into a so-called “spiritual path” must eventually face and deal with their deep need for forgiveness, which is an expression of the soul’s deep desire to be forgiven. For there is no one who walks this plane who has not been touched by the poison of judgment.