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Karma vs. Free Will in Spirituality · Dec 10, 2010

Karma:
So, Mike gets killed by some guy named John. Then, Jane gets hit by her own karma, which leads to some guy named Frank killing her. Then Frank’s karma catches up, so Elvis takes him out. Then Elvis’s karma kicks in, and suddenly Stephen is the one killing him. It just keeps going in this endless, ridiculous loop.
Honestly, wouldn't it be so much simpler—and frankly, a lot less messy—if Jane had just been struck by lightning right then and there? Just a quick bolt from the blue as punishment for what happened with Mike. Instead, this whole chain reaction ends up dragging a massive pile of innocent people into the mess. 😂
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Let me paint a picture for you: imagine a sailor who passes away and finds himself standing before Saint Peter. Let's say Saint Peter sentences him to a hundred years in purgatory. The man—well, his soul, I suppose—is completely baffled. He remembers that thirty years ago, back in Miami, he killed someone during a botched robbery. Saint Peter tells him he’s stuck in purgatory simply because he was a common thief in his younger days. The sailor asks, "Wait a second, why am I not headed straight to hell if I actually took a life?" And the response is something like: “You killed Doctor Joseph Mengele. This Nazi war criminal was responsible for the torture and deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians. He spent his whole life hiding out in the USA. Bob sent you to ensure justice was finally served.”
Do you think something like that is even possible?

Karma vs. Free Will in Spirituality · Dec 9, 2010

Is this just some cosmic karma at work, or is it strictly Murphy's Law when life decides to hit you with one disaster after another? And I don't mean minor inconveniences—I mean a relentless string of nonsense that all follows the exact same pattern. Take my family, for instance:
1. My father was a highly successful captain who, quite suddenly at age 52, decided he was done with the grind. He moved back to his hometown and, instead of finding actual employment, started playing around with local landscaping projects. He ended up clashing with the local city council, and out of pure spite, he began renovating the waterfront—completely for free. Even professionals have noted that his labor was worth something like $45,000. All of it done just because he was being stubborn. By the end, he had turned the house he lived in into a total pigsty. You wouldn't even recognize him as a decorated sea captain from ten years ago. He passed away at 72.
2. Then there’s my father-in-law—my wife's dad—who also spiraled into becoming a massive slob. Honestly, no better than my own old man. Just a decade ago, he was a respected retiree, but now? He’s an 81-year-old eccentric who looks like he should be living in a barn.
3. My mother worked herself to the bone to build a three-unit house all on her own. She moved in seven years ago, and lately, she’s been descending into these strange paranoias. It isn't even about cleanliness; it's about the neighbors—or rather, it's about her. She won't talk to anyone; she finds everyone annoying and refuses to see or hear a soul. Now she’s started claiming she sees swarms of mosquitoes that aren't actually there. I try to reason with her, but it's useless. I actually get criticized for being "blind" because I can't see the imaginary clouds of bugs! I’d love to move in closer since I'm an only child, but there is absolutely no way. She can't fathom anyone else living under her roof, even though she has three separate apartments in the house.
She doesn't even think about renting them out, despite having a steady Social Security check of $600. She won't even turn the heat on in the house; she’d rather save money for some nonsensical whim. She’s 70, for heaven's sake.
It feels bizarre to have this many eccentrics concentrated in one family unit. Is this karma, or is it dharma? Or maybe it's just bad luck hitting me all at once? 😂

Note: From my perspective, all these situations were economically detrimental. My only wish was for my family to be decent, polite, and sociable—for us all to live well. But none of that happened. Living with these people was impossible. In fact, sometimes you just have to RUN.

Gregory Jackson said:Well, I definitely wanted it once it looked like it was actually going to be a real possibility. But honestly, it felt like that opportunity was already "pre-programmed" somehow, and that’s the part that really trips me up! I mean, the fact that I saw it coming ahead of time was probably just a fluke, I suppose. I didn't do anything to prepare or manifest it—it was just this obvious realization that I’d eventually need more space, maybe in the medium term. It felt pretty surreal, especially considering everything else was such a mess at the time. If you're asking whether I was actively practicing the Law of Attraction stuff like they talk about in *The Secret*, then no, definitely not.

It’s hard to tell how many times this happens in a lifetime, or if these moments are tied to other things too, even the tiny, seemingly random stuff. I really wish I could spot a karmic situation when it's happening, because then I feel like I could be way more mindful and careful about how I react, so I can "learn the lesson" and move on. I think we all like to believe we're calling the shots using our own free will, but sometimes, I don't know, maybe it's just not like that at all.

It seems like the anti-law of attraction is working in my case. I rub the magic lamp, but instead of a genie, out pops venomous poison!!!!! 😂

Anyway, I've laid out my situation here, blending it somewhat with various stories from acquaintances:

Admin help! My best thread was deleted for no reason in Feedback & Suggestions · Aug 25, 2010

I found it pretty bizarre how the morning topic just vanished without a trace. What ever happened to that Rosicrucian mystery? You really should have been more direct instead of playing games with everyone here.
From now on, if you’ve got some massive secret, just put it out there immediately—no beating around the bush. Otherwise, you're just wasting everyone's time!

Do you believe in angels? in Spirituality · Jul 14, 2010

casualtiger2 said:I get the feeling you completely missed the point of what the author was getting at.
Regarding Komaja and Makaj.
I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who's known the "guy" for 24 years.

I first MET him back in 1983—but that’s about where the story ends. We haven't crossed paths since. I didn't truly wrap my head around who he really was until he hit the mainstream spotlight. One guy I know from my hometown in Florida became a total follower of Makaj. Word is, the women hanging around this guy from my town are absolutely thrilled. They say he restored their zest for life and their faith in God.😍
I probably shouldn't get into the specifics of how, unless I want to sound like a complete degenerate.

Do you believe in angels? in Spirituality · Jul 14, 2010

Brian Foster3 said:If I got a single dollar for every time someone peddled that tired old conspiracy theory about some secret cabal being the "only truth," I’d be sitting on a massive fortune by now! ☕

Alright, here we go again. Get ready, because I'm about to dive into another one of these. 🙂 People keep trying to tell me that Kabbalah isn't the "only truth," but honestly, they can just stop right there because, for me, it’s hands down the best way to understand everything! I’ve been thinking about this whole damn method lately, and honestly, it just feels like a complete mess that nobody wants to take responsibility for! It reminds me of that one time I tried to fix my own sink in Chicago and ended up flooding the entire kitchen because the instructions were absolute garbage—just pure, unadulterated chaos from start to finish. I can't believe I actually made it here on time! I am sick and tired of people acting like they can just bypass the proper channels whenever it suits them! You can't just go jumping straight to the top or making direct contact without following the protocol, because honestly, that's how you end up creating a total mess for everyone involved. It’s just the plain, unvarnished truth.

The Kabbalah is solid, don't get me wrong. But there’s always something else out there that hits even harder. Especially for us guys:http://www.nytimes.com/article/wellness-lifestyle-connection
( though women can benefit too ). Personally, I haven't ventured down that specific path to find the "living truth" myself, but the method seems incredibly sound.
Even this guy (the President) had a mystical encounter with an Angel. And apparently, that Angel told him that through the union of the Penis and the Vagina, one can also attain the "Living Truth."

Do you believe in angels? in Spirituality · Jul 14, 2010

Larry Wilson5 said:Why make that claim? That Angels are a force? Can you name anything that isn't a force? Or perhaps suggest another force besides them.
Is Lucifer also a force? If so, why aren't we considered conscious beings? Driven by that same force? What about the fallen Angels?

If you ever happen to encounter an Angel during one of your mystical experiences, here is what you should do.
Take a handful of raw rice in your hand. Then, put that Angel on the spot: ask them exactly how many grains are in your palm. If they give you the right number, then the Angel is real. If they miss the mark, then the Angel is just a figment of your own imagination. Same goes if they say nothing at all.
Once they answer, you can simply count the grains yourself to verify.😍

Now, about those fallen angels: basically, you have Lucifer, who got fed up with having to polish God’s shoes and make His bed every single day. Not to mention preparing lunch, ironing long silk robes, sweeping the celestial halls, and mowing the heavenly lawns. But it didn't stop there. Poor Lucifer also had to spend his entire day singing "We praise You, O God" at the top of his lungs. That's actually why Lucifer ended up with a raspy voice—something you can still hear today.
The poor guy was stuck doing this for eternity, and this was all before the Earth or mankind were even created. Personally, he would have much rather been playing ARCADE GAMES in the celestial palace, but Yahweh didn't leave him nearly enough free time for that...😍.😍 Honestly, I find myself wondering about Yahweh—why bother creating an arcade game when He knew exactly what Lucifer was passionate about? Why didn't He just give him a passion for making beds or polishing plates instead?😍
And don't think I'm joking around here: back in 1938, my father was 14 years old and was punished by having to chop wood for a local priest. He wasn't attending Sunday school. To be honest, he completely tricked that poor priest: the truth is, my father absolutely loved chopping wood.. As for the plate polishing thing: I once had a neighbor—a bit of a quirky fellow—whose wife had to hide the dishes after washing them. This man suffered from a total obsession with scrubbing plates. Every week, he’d toss a kitchen rag "to the devil" because he’d scrubbed the dishes so hard they practically vanished. If God could create people like that today, why wouldn't He have created a Lucifer with a similar obsession?

Do you believe in angels? in Spirituality · Jul 13, 2010

Personally, I’ve always felt that angels don't just exist in a vacuum—they aren't some standalone things floating around without us. My take? They are independent psychic entities, sure, but they actually manifest in those higher dimensions because of the sheer existence of the human quantum brain. It's our own consciousness that gives rise to these autonomous psychic forces. Now, look—I could be completely wrong about that. I'm not claiming to have all the answers. But whatever the truth turns out to be, it needs actual proof. Or, at the very least, you should be able to feel it for yourself on a visceral level.
Even Sheldrake writes about this stuff—something he calls the physics of angels.

Akasha in Spirituality · Jun 14, 2010

Mark Ramirez said:Do you have any books on this in PDF or Word format???
I'd like to flip through them.

Honestly, just head down to your local library and check it out there:

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 13, 2010

Since it’s already past midnight here—and I know how these late-night rabbit holes go—I just wanted to drop a quick request for you all to head over to the forum and check out the discussion regarding the book *The Secret*:
WE ARE THE ARCHITECTS OF OUR OWN CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT THE VICTIMS OF THEM.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 12, 2010

Gregory Jackson said:Benjamin Taylor6, maybe you should just tell your buddy that his whole story is kind of hollow, I mean, it’s basically just filler for people who want to sound deep at a cocktail party, especially if they're into those vague, triple-meaning Zen-style riddles or whatever. I guess if someone actually knows where they're headed in life, they might actually make it there, but if they're totally lost? Well, you might as well just quote Alice in Wonderland to them.

You know, I was just sitting here thinking about that old saying—you know the one, about how if you haven't actually picked a destination, I guess any old road is going to land you somewhere eventually. It’s kind of a wild thought when you really sit with it, isn't it? Like, maybe we spend so much time worrying about whether we're on the "right" path or if we've taken a wrong turn at some random highway exit, but if you don't even have a map or a goal in mind, then the concept of being "lost" sort of loses all its meaning, I suppose. It’s almost kind of liberating, in a messy, chaotic sort of way, to think that wandering aimlessly might just be its own kind of journey, though I guess most people would find that pretty terrifying. But hey, maybe that's the secret to just rolling with the punches and seeing where life takes you!

And then he can't even try to claim that he didn't "find the Tao," you know? Like, he can't really make the excuse that he lost his way or that some guru totally played him for a fool, I guess.

So, I was thinking about this whole mess regarding how different groups view Jesus, and honestly, it’s kind of wild when you really dig into it, I guess. Like, for Jewish people, he isn't exactly the Messiah they’re looking for—they're still waiting for that specific figure to show up, right? And then you look at people from places like India or maybe even over in Egypt, and for them, Jesus is more like this incredibly profound, massive teacher, but definitely not the Son of God. But hey, I mean, that totally makes sense if you think about it, because he didn't actually grow up living in those parts of the world, even though he probably spent his formative years between age sixteen and twenty-eight wandering through places like Tibet or India. People in the East just don't really wrap their heads around things in that specific way, you know? They aren't out there thinking, "Oh, this guy must be the son of Krishna or Vishnu or whoever," so they don't see him through that lens. Still, I suppose that doesn't really change the actual reality of who he was, regardless of how everyone else perceives him.

Take my neighbor, for instance. She spent twenty-five years as a nun. Every single day she’d head to Mass at the local convent, and then spend her afternoons praying the Rosary. Most of her other time was spent sewing vestments for the priests. She entered the convent when she was twenty, then eventually "left" at forty-five. Now, she lives alone with her retired father—who, granted, doesn't need much help yet, but she’s clearly playing the long game, hoping to secure a family pension down the line. These days, she barely makes it to Sunday Mass. And one of her "great spiritual disciplines"? Buying cheap trashy romance novels at the drugstore and reading them cover to cover. The Bible? She barely remembers to crack it open once a month.
So, there you have it: twenty-five years spent searching for God. Since she couldn't find Him in the convent, she simply gave up on the hunt. Now, let God try finding her instead.

I wrote something along these lines on my blog a while back:

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 9, 2010

A buddy of mine used to have this little mantra: If I chase after Taoism too hard, it just slips through my fingers. Only, my experience with the Tao is a bit more... erratic. If I go hunting for it, it bolts away from me at a full sprint. But if I stop looking entirely? It starts drifting away at a casual stroll. At this rate, I’ll never actually catch up. Well, after about 20 years of playing this endless game of hide-and-seek with Taoism, his perspective has shifted quite a bit: I'm done chasing the Tao. I'm finished with the hunt. From here on out, let IT be the one to come looking for ME.

P.S.

When you look at the Old Testament, Muslims and Jews don't really have much to complain about. But when it comes to the New Testament? That’s where the real friction starts. For Jewish people, Christ heretic is basically what Giordano Bruno is to Catholics. And for Muslims, Christ is just one of many prophets—nothing more, nothing less.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 7, 2010

Ronald Rogers27 said:That’s a really interesting point. What’s the actual baseline for that spiritual level needed to make contact? And I’m a bit lost on how you actually "ask" the Cosmos's spiritual energy? Is it through petitions? Like prayers in an American Church? Or just asking a simple question? Or maybe a series of questions?

Do these spiritual energies always respond based on your level, or do they sometimes just stay silent? 😬

Do you actually need to know all these different spiritual energies? Do you have to name them? And what does this "Cosmic Spirituality" actually mean—those levels you mentioned? If individual spiritual powers exist at the level of these Cosmic spiritual energies, does that mean if you can communicate with them directly, you are virtually spiritually Immortal? Does it mean your Soul goes into the "backbone" of the Cosmos itself after death?🤷

Ronald Rogers27

I’ve spent plenty of time wondering the exact same thing: What is a person actually supposed to DO to reach these "higher" energetic planes? Should they be fasting, praying, meditating, contemplating, practicing yoga poses, or attempting astral projection? So many people pour themselves into these practices only to end up feeling like they haven't gained a single thing. Back in the day, I tried my hand at astral projection using lucid dreaming techniques. After a few months of that, all I got was terrible, shallow sleep because I was obsessed with recording my dreams. I had a notebook and a pen sitting right there on my nightstand. Eventually, I just gave up, and thank God, I started sleeping normally again. Was I doing something wrong? No, I was just trying to follow the instructions to document everything.
I actually wrote about this over on the Kabbalah forum:

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 5, 2010

Zachary Gonzalez8 said:

If you've got the energy, go check out my comment on the previous page.
If you've got the energy, go check out my comment on the previous page.
Look, your take is just one of a million different ways people interpret the Bible. As for what Christ actually was? Well, we can only speculate—or, more likely, just blindly swallow whatever the religious authorities decide to feed us.
There are piles upon piles of biblical interpretations out there. Honestly, if you start factoring in how other groups view the Bible—say, Muslims or Jews—your head will start spinning. And don't even get me started on asking the majority of scientists who don't buy into religious dogma; that's a quick way to spiral straight into a deep depression.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 4, 2010

Apsolut;27028981 said:
Benjamin Taylor6 said:So, why was Christ born in the first place? It seems he was brought into this world specifically to be sacrificed. And why the sacrifice? Well, to pay the debt for our sins through his own suffering. We look back at Adam and Eve—they stumbled, and now we’re all just living out the consequences of that original sin they passed down to us. Honestly, it’s a pretty bizarre doctrine when you really sit down and chew on it! The idea that Jesus has to descend into this world just to endure agony and die... it’s intense. He pays this cosmic ransom to pull humanity away from eternal death—essentially buying back our souls from our mistakes. But then you have to ask: who exactly is receiving this ransom? I suppose it would be His Father in heaven. Now, what does "ransom" even mean in a practical sense? If someone were kidnapped in downtown Chicago, for instance, a ransom is the cash or value handed over to the kidnappers to get the child back safely. In our theological scenario, the "children" are the children of God, but the currency isn't dollars or gold. The ransom is nothing less than a life. Specifically, it's the life of Jesus Christ. He offers His very existence to His Father to pull people out of their sin. It feels like this strange celestial contract: the Father and the Son strike a deal where the best path forward involves someone paying with their life—and that someone happens to be the Son himself. And the Father accepts the life of His own Son as payment. Why on earth would He need such a bloody, painful ransom? What’s the point? Look, God created humanity, and humans turned their backs on Him. But God loves every single individual so deeply that He doesn't want us to suffer. He wants us saved. So, the Son of God has to be born into this valley of tears and die for mankind. This whole concept of self-sacrifice is utterly disorienting. You could almost mistake God the Father for some ancient pagan deity to whom people offer blood sacrifices—like a parent offering their own child! God offering His Son to Himself?! To me, it’s a complete paradox. It's one of those mysteries of faith that sits atop all other mysteries. When I’ve spoken with Muslim believers, they find this whole thing completely nonsensical. Even some smaller Christian denominations tend to agree. Personally, I’ve never gone head-to-head with priests over this specific issue—mostly because whenever something defies all logic, they just fall back on that famous line: "it's a mystery of faith."
It is a bit strange, though, how Indian philosophy offers such an elegant explanation for the function of atonement—what Christ achieved through His suffering on the Cross. Over in India, they have this concept of karma to explain why people suffer for their transgressions. It's basically the law of action and reaction—the same stuff we study in physics—but applied to how a human interacts with the universe. If you cause pain to your neighbor, that pain eventually finds its way back to you. Humans are inherently flawed, and because of those flaws, they face punishment in hell or purgatory. However, Indian philosophy suggests that a person can actually bypass that punishment if someone else suffers in their stead. Of course, you won't find any sage willing to jump into the fire just so a sinner can stay wicked. The sinner has to actually recognize their fault and truly repent. Only then does the mechanism of atonement kick in—which, in this context, is the suffering endured by Jesus Christ. The Son of God is the one who loves His followers immensely. His followers are essentially anyone who embraces His teachings—all Christians who believe in Christ. Based on that faith, combined with sincere repentance, the sinner enters a community where they aren't held accountable for their past misdeeds. They won't face the "karmic" penalty because their teacher—in this case, Christ—suffered in their place.

Look, I didn't crucify Him. None of my friends did. He was crucified by the Jewish authorities because His teachings didn't fit within their established worldview. It's similar to how the Inquisition burned Giordano Bruno—power protecting its own status quo. Honestly, though, I find that yoga philosophy offers a much more coherent explanation regarding redemption. This whole concept of Original Sin is completely paradoxical. You should go back and re-read my previous post.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 2, 2010

There have been plenty of attempts over the years to wedge parapsychology into the standard evolutionary framework—it’s a messy intersection, to say the least. One of those attempts comes from Rupert Sheldrake.
Then you have Bruce Lipton as well.
Unfortunately, neither of them has managed to secure any real standing in the scientific community. Most mainstream researchers just write them off as charlatans—which, frankly, is how most of these fringe theories end up being treated by the establishment.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · Jun 1, 2010

Gregory Jackson said:👍 You actually just brought up such a huge point—you know, those paths where spiritual growth just goes totally sideways. I kind of think that deserves its own whole thread, maybe someone could start a new topic for it.

Meditation leading to self-destruction:

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · May 31, 2010

If there isn't any hard evidence to go on, I might as well just make up my own theory about tiny flying teddy bears that nourish our souls, sharpen our minds, and fortify our true Self. Honestly, I’ve listened to enough wild theories to last a lifetime—and believe me, I’ve dabbled in the practice myself. But unfortunately, I see so many people chasing alternative lifestyles who end up getting lost in the weeds instead of actually moving toward their "true and authentic" Self. It's tragic, really. I knew a Reiki master in my hometown who took his own life; a neighbor of mine, some Hare Krishna yoga enthusiast, used to smash storefront windows in fits of madness; and I even knew a yoga practitioner who ended up dead. The point is, practicing these things doesn't guarantee you anything. My grandmother was much wiser than all of us. She would just say a few Hail Marys a day and act as if she had God by the beard. Such lofty ideals and deep, profound spiritual discipline... just a simple prayer.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · May 29, 2010

I’ve been sitting here lately, following this series of lectures on anthroposophy—you know, those deep dives into the nature of existence—and they spend an incredible amount of time talking about these non-physical beings. Look, if you're going to make a claim, you need to back it up. Period. Honestly, I could sit down right now and write a massive, multi-volume series of books claiming that there are tiny, flying teddy bears out there possessing immense power over the human psyche and mind. I could pour my soul into it! And then? I’d just sit back and wait for someone to try and debunk me. Spirituality can be a beautiful thing, don't get me wrong, but it shouldn't be a free pass to ignore the facts. We are drowning in a sea of "theories" where everyone claims to hold the ultimate truth, yet nobody can show their work. Evidence. That is what we need. Real, hard evidence.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · May 23, 2010

Gregory Jackson said:But I mean, you can't prove everything with physical matter, right? Like, how would you even prove feelings, or love, or dreams, or intuition? Science tries to take a roundabout way through machines that measure brain activity or by looking at brain waves, so they can see that *something* is happening, but... what is it, really? And honestly, nobody really dives into spirituality just to try and prove it scientifically; people do it for their own well-being and personal growth. A friend from the forums actually sent me this text recently about solar yoga and Ratan Manek, who’s basically the main guy promoting that method these days. Apparently, a group of scientists—we're talking 21 PhDs!—studied him for 411 days during a cycle back in 2000-2001, and he was basically just drinking water at specific times. He’d look at the sun twice a day and that was his whole deal for staying alive. The scientists confirmed it was legit, but they don't have an explanation for it. So, what now?
I totally agree that if someone doesn't have those spiritual experiences, they might start losing their motivation. It’s actually pretty normal for spiritual growth to follow a super bumpy road; sometimes you feel like you're making huge strides, sometimes it feels like nothing is happening at all, and sometimes you just wander off the path before finding your way back. It’s all part of it, I guess. It's just like regular life, too, so we don't exactly go looking for some ultimate judge (like science) to tell us exactly how we should be living our lives.

I actually discussed this very topic with Mr. Babić over at www.evolutiontheory.com. This American gentleman argues that all those doctors are completely misguided—that the man is simply deceiving them. Now, if that were actually true, Ratan Manek should just head straight over to Randi, grab a million dollars, and hand it all over to the poor in India. That was Dr. Babić's take on it, and he's a representative of classical science through and through.

God, the Cosmos, and Jesus in Spirituality · May 21, 2010

Gregory Jackson put together a truly stellar explanation here—honestly, I found myself leaning in, soaking up every word. If some buttoned-up academic from MIT or Caltech had read the arguments above, they’d have immediately started barking about data—demanding evidence, more evidence, where's the hard proof? Look, spirituality is a beautiful, profound thing, really it is, but it hits this inevitable wall: the lack of empirical, exact evidence. That’s just what the modern American mind craves. We live in an era of skepticism where people are tired of being told, "Just believe this," or "Trust our way, it's the truth." It feels hollow after a while. The real kicker, the ultimate question that keeps me up at night, is how do we actually *experience* a reality like this? How do you move past theory and into lived experience?