spiritualism - members beliefs and thoughts
- Thread starter Ruby
- Start date
Following on from the posts immediately above readers/members may be be interested in what Jenn had to say a year earlier, found by following this link: “Spiritual But Not Religious” Here's a taster:
With attribution to author 'Jenn'
on Wordpress:
"My spirituality is actually composed of a torrent of information from many different sources, which develops into a consistent pattern only when I consider everything I’ve learned from science, philosophy, religion, and spiritual phenomena. It’s detailed, convoluted in some places, unresolved in others, and yet, in my opinion, describes a reality more magnificent and comprehensive than any offered by organized religion. I’m certainly not alone. I would venture to guess that this also describes the spirituality of many of my readers as well. How do we encapsulate this spirituality into a descriptive term that can be conveyed to others, and more importantly, how do we integrate this information with our lives and spiritual practice? If you are anything like me, it’s not easy to square these beliefs with everyday life.
Although our movement (and yes, I’d call it a movement) has no name and no codified beliefs, we have a distinct affiliation separate from the New Age movement and the Spiritual-Wellness movement. We are a collection of researchers, scientists, philosophers, authors, spiritual practitioners and experiencers. We evolved from the Spiritualism movement of the mid-1800’s and the formation of the Society for Psychical Research, inspired by discoveries in quantum physics and philosophy, influenced by the introduction of Eastern philosophy in Western culture, and bolstered by research in spiritual phenomena such as near-death experiences, reincarnation, terminal lucidity, afterdeath communication and more. We consider transformative spiritual experiences a natural and universal aspect of the human condition.
Incorporating knowledge from a wide variety of sources is the hallmark of this movement, as well as the understanding that beliefs derived from these sources are always up for scrutiny and revision when better evidence comes along. Unlike the static orthodoxy of religion, our beliefs may (and should) change as we integrate more evidence and experiences.
For lack of a better term, I’ve been using either ‘Modern Spiritualism’ or ‘Evidential Spiritualism’ in order to describe who we are, though it doesn’t quite capture all that we are involved in. From EVP technicians to philosophers to Psi researchers to hospice workers and near-death experiencers, we are united by our desire to study a hidden reality that is revealed through small glimpses behind the veil. It requires the participation of tens of thousands of people who each hold a small clue or piece of the overall pattern. Together we can begin to see the tapestry of this larger reality take shape, even if the image that emerges looks different in the details to each of us."
With attribution to author 'Jenn'
"My spirituality is actually composed of a torrent of information from many different sources, which develops into a consistent pattern only when I consider everything I’ve learned from science, philosophy, religion, and spiritual phenomena. It’s detailed, convoluted in some places, unresolved in others, and yet, in my opinion, describes a reality more magnificent and comprehensive than any offered by organized religion. I’m certainly not alone. I would venture to guess that this also describes the spirituality of many of my readers as well. How do we encapsulate this spirituality into a descriptive term that can be conveyed to others, and more importantly, how do we integrate this information with our lives and spiritual practice? If you are anything like me, it’s not easy to square these beliefs with everyday life.
Although our movement (and yes, I’d call it a movement) has no name and no codified beliefs, we have a distinct affiliation separate from the New Age movement and the Spiritual-Wellness movement. We are a collection of researchers, scientists, philosophers, authors, spiritual practitioners and experiencers. We evolved from the Spiritualism movement of the mid-1800’s and the formation of the Society for Psychical Research, inspired by discoveries in quantum physics and philosophy, influenced by the introduction of Eastern philosophy in Western culture, and bolstered by research in spiritual phenomena such as near-death experiences, reincarnation, terminal lucidity, afterdeath communication and more. We consider transformative spiritual experiences a natural and universal aspect of the human condition.
Incorporating knowledge from a wide variety of sources is the hallmark of this movement, as well as the understanding that beliefs derived from these sources are always up for scrutiny and revision when better evidence comes along. Unlike the static orthodoxy of religion, our beliefs may (and should) change as we integrate more evidence and experiences.
For lack of a better term, I’ve been using either ‘Modern Spiritualism’ or ‘Evidential Spiritualism’ in order to describe who we are, though it doesn’t quite capture all that we are involved in. From EVP technicians to philosophers to Psi researchers to hospice workers and near-death experiencers, we are united by our desire to study a hidden reality that is revealed through small glimpses behind the veil. It requires the participation of tens of thousands of people who each hold a small clue or piece of the overall pattern. Together we can begin to see the tapestry of this larger reality take shape, even if the image that emerges looks different in the details to each of us."
jobun
Occasional Contributor
Thank you Ruby. I will look into Jenn, and also Leslie Kean.... I'm always down for new ideas, new authors, and interesting subjects.
I've watched four episodes so far of the Netflix documentary "Surviving Death", and it's very interesting, but the book is better! The two episodes on mediumship followed participants who were trying to contact the dead, and the dark-haired boy was finding that even when information comes through, the modern problem of social media means that that information can already be out there and public knowledge anyway. There was no discussion of research, except briefly from Chris Roe of Northampton University, and no mention of "drop-in" communicators, which is probably the most evidential aspect of mediumship.
I think this series - Netflix? - is already being discussed here....spiritualism - members beliefs and thoughts
