Posts by silverotter592

Gregory Jackson said:I’m not quite sure why anyone would limit their search for friends to just people in spiritual circles, you know? Personally, I have plenty of folks in my life who don't care about any of this at all, and honestly, I just don't bring up those topics with them, and we get along just fine. I do have a few spiritually-minded people nearby, though, and like you said, everyone follows their own specific path, but we still have great discussions where we really bounce ideas off each other, and occasionally we do things together, like maybe a chakra dance class or some meditation sessions or attending a lecture. But yeah, if you aren't part of a formal religious community and you're more of a solo seeker, it can be pretty tough to find someone who sees everything exactly the way you do, but I suppose a true spiritual person should probably be tolerant of that. Some people vibe better with one tradition, others with another, but at the end of the day, the foundation and the ultimate goal are basically the same thing.

So, yeah, I wouldn't go hunting for friends specifically among "spiritual types" instead of just looking out in the regular world, and if I happen to run into another seeker along the way, then hey, that's awesome. We're all walking the same path, I guess; some of us are doing it consciously and straight ahead, while others are just wandering around aimlessly and winding through it.

That was a really wonderful response. Thank you, you're absolutely right. For me, Jesus Christ is my role model and guide. But honestly, looking at most Christians I've met, I've sometimes wondered if we were even meeting the same Christ or reading the same Gospel, because the way they live and the things they say don't seem to align much with His teachings. Finding a normal person I can talk to about everyday life sounds perfect to me. For a long time, I pulled away from everything because I was completely broken, and I knew I had to become a healthy person so I could be a good mother to my children, and with God's help, I have a beautiful family today—healthy, smart, kind, capable, and enlightened kids, plus a good husband, though he's unfortunately away often for work. I'm not afraid of being alone, because the silence in which I encountered the Lord has made me what I am today: healthy, stable, optimistic, empathetic, tolerant, rational, and strong, whereas twenty years ago, I was a sociopath, lost in fake spirituality, empty philosophies, drug use, promiscuity, and a massive void where a soul should have been, filled instead with an overwhelming arrogance regarding my own intelligence. When I read certain posts here, I recognize my old self in them, and I thank God for giving me back my soul and freeing me from those hollow speculations and philosophies I once mistook for spirituality. I simply want to share this Life, this beautiful new life that I have received, with others.

Andrew Clark9 said:What journey? There isn't any journey—it's all just a bit of a cliché.

Well, life itself is a journey, if it's anything at all, because you're traveling from the moment of your birth straight toward death.

Chris Williams said:One really ought to confront absolute solitude and whatever processes occur within us during that time.

Most people seem terrified of being alone because, to them, it feels synonymous with the suffering of loneliness. When there is no one else around, the mind tends to start dredging up all the mental refuse we have accumulated over the years. I suspect the mind doesn't truly exist; what we call the mind is merely a stream of thoughts composed of memories and fantasies.

These thoughts aren't actually ours. They belong to society. They are acquired—parasitic constructs born from social conditioning and sustained by our identification with them. This identification is what creates a personality.

When others are absent and the mind begins to fracture, it marks the beginning of the collapse of the personality, leaving us to face a revolting void. To move through that void, to enter that silence, is to cross a threshold; it is an initiation, a leap into the darkness, a plunge into the unknown. Death.

What actually occurs is quite beautiful, I guess. That death is the beginning of the birth of individuality, bliss, true happiness, and a sense of ease in existence.

If you are convinced that there is a reality beyond this sensory one, then you have already been reborn. The real question is what you’re going to do with that and how you intend to live this new life. Are you just going to dwell on mental speculations and hollow philosophizing, playing around with words that sound profound but don't actually mean anything even to you, or are you actually going to live Life?

silverotter592 said:I really wonder what the actual chances are of building meaningful connections between people—real free thinkers who are anchored in lasting values—when most of the people claiming to be "spiritual" actually view their own isolation as some kind of high calling, treating friends and support systems as totally unnecessary just because they're stuck in this deep-seated arrogance and feeding on these hollow, empty philosophies. Even when I've encountered groups of people trying to form communities, they end up losing themselves in the process because they hide their true personalities like a snake hides its skin, all because they're too proud or too terrified of being rejected by the group.

What I mean is, it really is possible to form genuinely intimate bonds between people who are out there searching for the Truth without falling into those toxic dependencies or losing who they are as individuals. We’re all prone to lying to ourselves, and having a good, honest friend can actually help you tear down those personal illusions. It’s the delusions and the lies that drive people apart, not spiritual growth. When a person is finally able to strip everything away and show their small and large shadows to someone else—someone who won't judge them because they're also aware of their own flaws—that darkness just dissolves and disappears, and the soul gets purified. Not to mention all the other benefits of a friendship like that. Any "truth" we try to keep to ourselves isn't actually truth at all; it's just a deception.

graniteridge31 said:It seems like this is becoming a practical necessity at this point—I guess. The way society is organized right now seems to be heading toward drastic rollbacks of freedoms, which basically makes living life impossible. I mean, you can't work, travel, access healthcare, go to school, or use any other government institutions, not to mention being blocked from participating in trade... For those who don't want to conform to a system like that, their best shot at survival and growth will likely come from forming communities and acting together. It feels like a pressing need already.
The current trajectory of our society seems to be leading toward self-destruction—maybe. A new society will be built by those who have distanced themselves from this level of consciousness, following entirely different criteria altogether.

I really wonder what the actual chances are of building meaningful connections between people—real free thinkers who are anchored in lasting values—when most of the people claiming to be "spiritual" actually view their own isolation as some kind of high calling, treating friends and support systems as totally unnecessary just because they're stuck in this deep-seated arrogance and feeding on these hollow, empty philosophies. Even when I've encountered groups of people trying to form communities, they end up losing themselves in the process because they hide their true personalities like a snake hides its skin, all because they're too proud or too terrified of being rejected by the group.

Baphomet, Fazlija, and Black Widow are the only ones here who actually grasped my very simple, very direct question. I mean, seriously, how can anyone even pretend to talk about a spiritual journey, or claiming to know the Absolute, the Creator, or the Higher Truth, or whatever else they want to throw at you, if you aren't even capable of getting to know yourself well enough to tell the truth? If you’re stuck thinking you’re some incredibly deep, enlightened being on a plane so high that no regular person could ever hope to understand you, then that isn't spirituality—it's just a massive ego trip. It's nothing more than a soap bubble called arrogance. At the end of the day, we are all essentially the same; we eat, we sleep, we have basic urges, we seek things, we grieve, and we celebrate. If you can't share your own truth with someone, or if you're unable to accept the truth from someone else, that is purely because there is a total lack of love involved. And what kind of "spirituality" are we even discussing if love isn't the ultimate destination? Anyone claiming they don't need a friend clearly has no clue what spirituality actually means, nor do they understand the essence of friendship, and they're just lying to themselves and everyone else.

Ryan Wilson2 said:Real connections like this are incredibly rare; I only have two of them, and I guard those friendships fiercely 😁.

Both of them were met right here on the forums. There used to be several more people connecting both online and offline, but they all eventually drifted away.

If I’m being completely honest with you, you aren't actually searching for anything spiritual. What you are looking for is support that exists independently of any religious or spiritual affiliation.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You are simply looking for people—decent, down-to-earth individuals... and those people are becoming harder to find by the day.

So, I wish you the very best of luck 🙂

At the end of the day, that kind of connection is worth far more than anything material.

That’s exactly it. Thanks for the kind words. Honestly, without some sort of spiritual perspective, it’s tough to stay grounded, though then again, I know plenty of people who have completely lost their minds because they chased after some fake spirituality, so, well...

Kevin Ruiz36 said:Ever since my first symptoms surfaced and spiraled into depression, I’ve lost almost every friend I had. All I have left is my family, and they're the only ones keeping me grounded. Most people I used to know don't even realize I'm struggling with depression triggered by this "awakening." The truth is, I just changed so much that I no longer fit in with the crowd.

Thanks for being so real about this. I went through something remarkably similar myself. Those old friends—who, if I'm being honest, weren't even really friends but just people I used to go out with—all vanished about twenty years ago. A few years after that, I met my husband, and while we get along incredibly well, we both ended up retreating into our own little bubble of family responsibilities and never really built any deep, meaningful connections with anyone else outside of that. When he ended up in the hospital a few years back, I was left alone with four kids and it hit me hard: I didn't have a single person I could turn to for genuine help or support, which forced me to take a long, hard look at my own life. Because what good is spirituality if you aren't building meaningful relationships? Without sincere, practical, lived love, all this stuff is just empty philosophy, basically just mental masturbation. People like to label religious communities as sheep or crazy or whatever they want, but those people actually show up for one another; at least, from everyone I’ve met, they know how to sacrifice their free time, their money, or even their pride for someone else's sake. I could never fit into those groups because of my own independent way of thinking, but I am certain that community is vital and that everyone needs an honest smile, a bit of support, some constructive criticism, or even just a hundred bucks to fix the dishwasher before payday. It’s a beautiful thing when you can receive that, and even better when you have something to give. Not to mention the sheer spiritual strength required to help someone truly change their life from the ground up. I mean, what is even the point of "awakening" or spiritual progress if the goal isn't to make your own life, and the lives of others, better, more beautiful, and more meaningful? I struggled with depression quite often too, especially after having the kids when the loneliness felt overwhelming. Now I realize the biggest driver of my depression was actually selfishness. Once I stopped obsessing over why I felt so bad and started asking what I could actually do for my family despite how I felt, that depression turned into a sort of occasional melancholy that actually motivates me to try harder. I’d love to be able to offer something to the world outside my own home, but truthfully, I have no clue where to even go to meet new people.

Unfortunately, I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with psychosis masquerading as some kind of spiritual awakening, and once you’ve dealt with that particular brand of delusion, you learn pretty quickly how to tell it apart from the harmless crowd—you know, those people just practicing certain rituals that might lead to some personal growth, or even the actual cults out there designed to brainwash people. It really makes me wonder if any of you actually possess genuine friendships with people who will look you in the eye and tell you exactly what they think and feel, people who show up as their true selves and accept you, flaws and all, allowing you to just exist without being judged, while helping you become a better person through sheer honesty and acceptance. I’m not talking about intense romantic passions or those manic episodes triggered by a messiah complex, but rather something much more basic, humble, and sincere: a real, living friendship. I mean that pure connection you had when you were ten years old, just sharing gum and secrets and your whole self, genuinely happy just because someone was there, saying what was on your mind and getting that same honesty right back.

Look, I’m talking about people here, not bison. I’ve crossed paths with so many wonderful individuals who are out there doing incredible work and building real communities, so I’m certainly not going to lump them in with animals. Honestly, I’ve picked up quite a bit of wisdom from plenty of them over the years. Having a sincere friend who isn't afraid to look you in the eye and tell you the blunt truth? That is absolutely vital if you're trying to progress spiritually. If someone insists on walking that path entirely solo, they’re just going to end up stuck clinging to a bunch of misguided delusions. My actual question is this: what are your real-world experiences with actual human beings—specifically those who aren't part of some organized religious group? Because if you ask me, spirituality without forging tangible, concrete connections with other people is nothing more than mere intellectual masturbation.

Hey there,
I’ve been sitting here thinking about this, and I wanted to ask everyone: how much substance do you actually find when you hang out with people who are on their own spiritual journey? I mean, when it comes to really opening up and sharing the highs and lows of life across the board—is there any actual depth there? From what I’ve seen personally, every single person I’ve run into who claims to be into spirituality seems to have already picked a specific religion or a certain niche movement to cling to, and honestly, it feels like they aren't actually looking for genuine, soul-level friendship. It feels more like they just want to recruit anyone they meet into their little group or community. So, I'm curious, what has your experience been like in your day-to-day interactions with others who are also walking this path?