What matters more for spiritual growth?

I mean, you need spiritual food if you want to actually grow, right? There you go.

ugh,
man, I am just starving (spiritually)

come on, Walter, be a man;
give us something to work with 😁 😁

Go ahead, throw it my way, Julius Caesar... I’m going to split every single bit of it! 😁

Walter said:I suppose you could argue that spiritual growth is nothing more than a byproduct of what we consume internally, but if we’re being honest, the most vital element is having the right kind of spiritual nourishment. I mean, it sounds a bit cliché, doesn't it? But maybe there's some truth to it. You can't expect to evolve if you aren't feeding your soul the right stuff. It's like trying to run a marathon on nothing but junk food—it just isn't going to work, no matter how much you want it to. Everything comes down to that fundamental sustenance.

It’s just one more bit of spiritual rain. I guess you could call it that, if you want to be poetic about how everything keeps coming down on us at once. Maybe it's just fate, or maybe we're just being tested again. It feels like we can't catch a break.

And if we’re going down that road, I suppose we’ll need some spiritual foundation too! Good grief—we’d probably need "spiritual cows" just to produce all that spiritual fertilizer. And I imagine they’d be out there grazing on nothing but spiritual straw all winter long. To pull that off, we’d essentially need a whole class of spiritual farmers.

Hmm.

Well, no matter. We'll find a way to make it work. 😛

hollowviper72 said:So we need spiritual ground now? Good grief, I suppose we'll need spiritual cows to produce spiritual manure. And they probably spend all winter eating spiritual straw. To make that happen, I guess we’re going to need some spiritual farmers.

Hmm.

Whatever. We'll figure it out somehow. 😛

Well, I guess I'll just upgrade my farmers to spiritual farmers. They already think I'm a witch anyway. 😁
(though I was actually thinking about that joke where you get taller if you get caught in the rain instead of catching a cold)

velvetpilot212 said:I think I’ll just upgrade my peasants into spiritual peasants. I mean, they already think I'm some kind of witch anyway,😁
(though I was actually thinking about that old joke—you know, where if you get caught in the rain, you grow taller instead of catching a cold).

Oh, I know that one. I even knew the guy who supposedly came up with it! His name was Bjorg Fjorgensson, and let me tell you—the man was absolutely stoned out of his mind back in the day.😉

To elevate this discussion to a meaningful level, I propose a simple solution: less intellectual nonsense... and more actual mental growth.
The fact is, just as an overfed body rapidly loses its definition, the spirit suffers the same fate when it's fed nothing but garbage.

Are you thinking: deficio excreta spiritualis is the principle? 😛

So then we’d need some kind of spiritual foundation too! Like, goodness, we'd need spiritual cows just to produce all that spiritual manure. And I guess they'd probably be out there eating spiritual straw all winter long. Which means, I suppose, we'd actually need spiritual farmers to make it happen.

well, finally,
bravo

now we're getting to my part,
I'm basically a spiritual farmer😁

Betty Cooper43 said:I guess I'm just a total redneck at heart. 😁

So, what, are you from my neck of the woods too?

looking at those tiny little blue letters down there,
it's like, yeah, I guess I am,

but, nah, screw that,
we finally got that fresh asphalt laid down last week😁

Betty Cooper43 said:According to those tiny little blue letters down there,
it’d be fair to say I am,

but, honestly, dammit,
we actually got the asphalt laid last week😁

🙂 you're one of those people who acts like they're too sophisticated for anything outside of Europe, thinking you should eat some processed pills instead of real cheese, cream, and sausage? I know your type. And what exactly do you think you're going to be doing—growing pills instead of crops? 🙂 Everything is getting paved over and cars are being driven all the way out to the middle of nowhere... 🙂 🙂

... is it the power of thought or feeling?

Blue
Can you clarify what you meant by the "power" of thoughts versus feelings?
Regarding thoughts: were you talking about the quality of them, or something else entirely?
And regarding feelings: are we talking raw emotion or just a sensation? Because those aren't the same thing.

Sorry to butt in here, but—could someone please explain the actual difference between emotions and feelings? I’m a bit lost. Thanks.

velvetpilot212 said:Sorry if I'm overcomplicating things, but—can you explain the difference between emotions and feelings? Thanks.

When we talk about emotions, we're talking about stuff like anger, rage, or joy... basically everything sitting within those first three levels of human development.
Feelings start kicking in from the fourth level onward. We're talking compassion, a sense of oneness, devotion, or even cosmic love.

Working on "feelings" doesn't actually start until you hit that fourth center. Up until then, you're dealing with emotions—but you aren't developing them; you're just learning how to distance yourself from them.
The quality of your thoughts really depends on how centered you are within one of these consciousness centers.

But I have a feeling that wasn't really what you were getting at... 🙂

Hmm... To's basically saying emotions and feelings are one and the same. If you don't buy that, just check a dictionary. 😉

But if you’re trying to separate raw emotions (like anger, fear, joy, or sadness) from things like empathy, universal love, devotion, or oneness, then you definitely need a different word for that second group. Calling it a "feeling"—fine, though that still feels a bit fuzzy to me.

I’m actually glad you brought up that idea of a "feeling" (maybe like a spiritual intuition or something?), because that does seem distinct from standard emotions. BUT, how can we be sure those aren't just emotions in disguise? And which comes first: the "feeling" itself, or the mental framework that triggers it?

Morgan Brown38 said:When we talk about emotions, we’re really talking about anger, rage, joy... basically everything sitting beneath the first three levels of human development.
True feelings don't actually kick in until you hit that fourth level. We're talking compassion, a sense of oneness, devotion, or even love on a cosmic scale...

Working on your "feelings" doesn't even start until you reach that fourth center. Up until then, you aren't really developing them; you're just trying to distance yourself from the raw emotions.
The quality of your thoughts depends entirely on how centered you are within one of those consciousness centers.

But I suppose that wasn't really why you were asking... 🙂

So, why do you think I asked then?
Look, what kind of theory is this you're laying out? Is this just something you cooked up yourself, or did you actually read this somewhere?

Oleander said:Hmm... emotion and feeling are the exact same thing. If you don't believe me, check a dictionary. 😉

But if you want to split up terms like emotion/feeling (Anger, fear, joy, sadness) from things like compassion, cosmic love, devotion, or unity, then you need to find a different word for that other stuff. "Feeling" — fine, even if it's still a bit confusing.

I'm glad you brought up that "feeling" (spiritual sense, ???) because it feels distinct from basic emotions. BUT how do we know that isn't just another set of disguised emotions? And what comes first—the "feelings" or the mental framework that triggers those feelings?

🙂 Man, you edit posts fast. Just as I was getting ready to reply to the first one, it's gone.

Regarding the dictionary, you’re probably right.

Luckily, my job doesn't depend on a dictionary. Whoever wrote it probably doesn't get the distinction anyway. But hey, you've got a point. 🙂

Feelings come before thoughts. They come before emotions, too.

Here's the difference. An emotion isn't constant. The difference lies in duration and change. An emotion depends on your environment and how you react to external events or internal shifts. A true feeling is constant. It's steady. It doesn't depend on reactions. Actually, it isn't a reaction at all. It’s pure existence. Hard to put into words. Like awareness.
If you know how to observe, you'll see the difference. It's obvious.
Usually, that core feeling stays in the background of everything you do. Emotions and thoughts just float over it. But it's the foundation. Being able to observe that feeling requires a strong spirit. Growth. A high level of mastery.

Peace.

Quincy:

I did! You’re moving through these posts fast. Just when I was about to reply to the first one, it vanished. You’re probably right regarding the dictionary definition. Luckily, my job doesn't depend on how the dictionary defines things. Whoever wrote those definitions probably wouldn't know the difference anyway. But hey, you've got a point.

I changed it because I realized I misread it. 😳 Yeah—emotions and feelings (even if they're used synonymously) are different from that "Feeling" you're describing. 🙂
(I’d call that kind of thing an inner intuition...)

Yes said:First off, feelings come faster than thoughts. And even faster than emotions.
The difference is that an emotion isn't constant. It fluctuates based on duration and change. An emotion depends on your surroundings and how you react to them, or how you react to what's happening inside you. But a Feeling? That’s constant. It’s steady. It doesn't rely on reactions. In fact, it isn't a reaction at all. It’s just pure existence. It’s hard to put into words. It's more like awareness.
If you learn how to observe, you'll see the distinction. It's obvious.
Usually, that core Feeling sits in the background of everything you do. Emotions and thoughts just ripple across the surface of it. But it is the foundation. Being able to observe that Feeling requires a great spirit. It shows personal growth. A high level of maturity.

Best,

🙂 🙂 🙂 Agreed. That's exactly what I think.
Is that "Feeling" actually the foundation of faith...?
Tell me more about how one arrives at that sense. Is it something you reach through a certain mindset, or is it the very first thing—the spark that sets everything else in motion? 😉

you guys have talked so much crap here I'm officially out...
if you actually want some kind of spiritual growth, you gotta FIRST purge all the bullshit and dogmas they've been shoving down our throats for years
get all that junk out of the way so you can be clean and open
only then will you find the real path