What is your experience?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

My view of reality comes mainly from my own experience, not a reliance on some scientific study or what someone says in a lecture or book. In the film "Sunseed", Murshid S.A.M., first American Sufi master, said that spirituality is experience rather than concepts. So, below, are some of my views on reality, based on my personal experience. I'd love to find what you have gleaned from your personal experience.

1. Each element of the universe has consciousness, and an overwhelming feeling of love.

2. Consciousness lives after the death of the body, and at least some folks are greatly and pleasantly surprised to find that they are dead and yet still have consciousness.

3. Bad or evil influences are truly shadows and are of little or no substance; they flee from Light.

4. What gives bad or evil influences their power are two things: our belief in them and the strength of the emotion attached to that belief.

5. We are interconnected, and if we listen to inner guidance we can be lead to places and consequences we never imagined.

6. We are Light; we can communicate telepathically; the groundswell of the universe is Love.

7. Never prejudge who may be a spiritual master;some hide out in mundane garb, doing their work on planes other than the physical, only to peek out at you and smile when you discover their secret.

8. Our prejudicial thoughts have the power of illusion; they can literally make it so we don't see something that is right before our eyes.

9. The great Love that is behind our great adventure called life is truly caring and loving, and is, in reality, our True Self.

[More Than A Feeling]

1. I'm learning that it isn't proper to call my mind and body "mine"

because frankly, my control over either is questionable. For example, no matter how I sit, eventually I will become uncomfortable. I don't want this to happen, and its distracting, but nonetheless... Also, if I just watch my mind, it can come up with stuff that I in no way wanted to think, and yet, I thought it anyway.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Oh yeah

I know what you're talking about. I call it "monkey mind" when I sit down to meditate and suddenly ten million thoughts rush in, all designed to distract my attention. Eckhardt Tolle says not to resist these, but let them flow through you, but that's hard for me to do without some techniques. Recently, my husband and I were gifted with a computer bio-feedback game called Journey to Wild Divine, and it teaches breathing techniques (and gives you visual feedback so you can tell when you are doing it right). I've found by using those techniques, my mind is very much quieted.

[chknltl]

3. Hmm...I am a student of the Michael teachings.

As a child, I used to experience inadvertent astral projections often. These would occur as I drifted off to sleep. I was told that these were just dreams, hardly worth a concern and yet I felt that they were much more. As a teen I began experimenting with this phenomenon and eventually was able to prove to myself that this phenomenon was not a dream... Through further readings in my high school library I concluded that science could offer up little in explanation for some of what I encountered while astral projecting, worse yet religion came up even shorter. When I was in my early 20s the ability faded away, I am now 52 and have not been able to do this since then. My memories on the other hand have not faded.

A few years ago a child offered me a book called Messages From Michael. The book documents the meeting and ongoing encounters of a group of people with a conglomeration of spirits who collectively call themselves Michael. http://www.messagesfrommichael.com/
This book was the first thing which I have read which confirms things I personally knew to be true from my own experiences of over 30 years ago. Without those experiences I would not have had ANY interest in this material. Since reading this, and More Messages From Michael, I feel that I have a pretty fair understanding about life, why we each are here, and a better understanding about reincarnation.

Here is Michael's teaching in a nutshell:
Each human has a spirit within. This spirit is here in human form for the sole purpose of experiencing life. There are characteristics of each spirit which influence how it reacts to living here. Our reactions during each life also modify how future lives are lived, this is called Karma. We are not absolutely controlled by Karma, free choice is important to the spirit and is critical to it's growth but eventually Karma must be repaid.

Each spirit is but a fragment of a large conglomeration of other spirits, numbering about 1000. (Michael is/are a group of fragments reunited, possessing memories of each fragment's numerous lives)
When our spirit has lived enough lives, it too will reunite with it's fellow spirits as they too complete their cycles of lives. This larger spirit continues on, learning and growing...eventually to be reunited with others like itself into something far larger. How much further this process goes on is imperceivable to even Michael, but Michael claims that the end product is something called the Tao, which put simply, is something far different than GOD but, GOD is the closest thing Michael could call it which we as humans could understand.

Other tidbits: On occasion special spirits incarnate on this planet and pass on their wisdom, we know these people as Jesus and Buddha for instance, (there are a few others). Michael says that a great many religions are warpings of teachings such as the teachings Michael provides. (Perfectly understandable...how else could one pass along the natures of the spirit world to humans with quite young spirits within themselves...). Michael claims that he/they are not the only spirit guides providing instructions to us at this time. Like humans, our spirits go through phases from baby to infant to child to young to mature to old. Each phase takes many lifetimes. Michael claims that the struggle between conservatives and liberals is primarily due to a struggle between old souls, (we liberals) seeking a new paradigm for this planet against young souls who fear change and actively resist this change.


Michael is NOT a religion, but offers up explanations to life. Michael also claims that the older one's soul is the easier one can perceive the nature of the spirit world. For those of you out there who may "feel" that there may be something to this, please check out the provided link. The books can be purchased there or through your local bookstore.
c

[chknltl]

4. interesting update:

Did anyone catch that Tomb Of Jesus special on the Discovery channel? Who would have thought that Jesus was married, had brothers and a son? Crazy stuff... In "Messages From Michael", (1980), Michael makes similar statements to include: Jesus had siblings, Jesus was married, Jesus had children. Michael also asserts that the Shroud Of Turin is real:

"Although it may come as quite a surprise to all those present, this piece of fabric is not a hoax, pious or otherwise, but precisely what it is purported to be--the winding-sheet of the man you call Jesus. What is not understood here is that the body wrapped in this shroud of linen was not dead when put into the tomb, and therefore sweated and urinated and bled, leaving the imprint that has been so clearly revealed by laser techniques. Body salts are very persistent, as those who have tried to clean blood or urine off garments know" p178, "Messages From Michael"

IF this is the case, DNA should be there, they already have DNA samples from those in the tomb, and IF those in the tomb are Jesus and family......
yeah, potential earth shaking confirmations of a great many things are possible here if one were only allowed to look. Proof that the man Jesus existed, but further proof that those who wrote much of the Bible have distorted it-dramatically.

For me this is just further confirmation that there is a creature/spirit called Michael who has absolute access to human history and has been communicating this history to the group who has been working with it since the mid 1970s.

(well the thread did say "Seekers on a Unique Paths" didn't it?)
c

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Neat

Micheal's ideas are ones I can relate to. I read all the Seth books in the '70s and '80s, and he talks of an "oversoul", which I think could be equated to the collective Michael talks about. Like Seth, Michael isn't a religion but a way of looking at life.

Boy, wish I could astral project! I really really wanted to, and even tried various techniques, to no avail. The only time I think I was out of my body was when my grandmother died. I was in a field of light-she was there, but wasn't aware she was dead! I had to tell her--she looked and sounded pleasently surprised. And then WHOMP I was back in my body. Since you knew what you were doing, could you tell me if you think I was out of my body?

[chknltl]

7. Absolutely no clue....

First off I am hardly knowledgeable about Out of body Experiences (OBEs) My experiences so long ago were not like what you described. That said, I believe that it is likely that these things vary widely between participants.

Michael claims that after one passes on, the spirit can take whatever form it needs and form whatever it needs around it to include a heaven or hell temporarily. (Michael claims a few spirits do this for themselves temporarily easing the shock brought on by strong expectations).

This is partially consistent with my own experiences as I could easily alter my astral form by concentration...producing a body or just arms and hands for instance.

So if we can alter our astral forms through the power of thought and if one believes what Michael says about being able to form and/or alter the environments which the spirit moves through as well, then who can say what it was you experienced. Our rules of physics do not apply over there and trying to relate them here are very difficult. Validation must be personal here, sorry I have not a better answer for you.

That said, wow!... What an experience you went through indeed! It is quite possible that you did experience an OBE. Again, I can not say one way or the other what you went through. Is it possible your spirit was needed here to ease a transition???? Your guess would be better than mine in this case.

The Michael website is going fully public soon. I got an (automated) e-mail from my inquiry to join which informed me that they were going to stop doing the paid for membership thing. If you are a fan of Seth Speaks, (I've not read it), then you will likely gain further enlightenment from the Michael link.

I do not think that we will be able to ask them questions directly but I suspect the archives will be made open...if this material is anything like the books.... well I for one will spend far more time online there then in the DU!

I will keep an update here for when the Michael link goes fully public for those who may be interested.

[idgiehkt]

5. Wow what an interesting question

What I believe...hmmm.

1. I read this some where and I believe it, that every human action or thought or feeling arises from love, or the desire to attain it.

2. Just about every ill in society can be traced to childhood misunderstandings about oneself.

3. Many acts of so-called 'evil' are really a person identifying with a past predator and their actions and abandoning the self in order not to experience the fear and pain of past traumatic events.

that's all I got for now...I'll have to think on this more.

[kimmerspixelated]

8. Great Post!

Much to consider and devour so happily!

[westerebus]

9. The garden of creation

His master charged him to take the journey of ten million foot falls which would leave him in the garden of creation.

9,999,999 steps later, he found himself with in the garden. Looking around there were all the creatures named by man with the exception of man himself.

Before him stood two trees. The tree of life and the tree of knowledge. Between the two trees a great snake sat in meditation.

Retracing his steps, he returned to his master and told him what he had seen.

His master asked, did you count your steps?

9,999,999 in all, one more and I would have been eaten by the great serpent, was the reply.

One more and you would have known GOD, said his master.

[CanSocDem]

10. I believe...

...I'll have another beer.:hippie:

Beyond that, I believe that we each create our own realities according to our beliefs, with the immediate goal of learning how to manifest the reality we desire. I believe we live parallel lives in pursuit of higher consciousness and world's way beyond our conscious knowledge.

Over 40 years ago, I interviewed one of those traveling hypnotists for our high school paper. When I saw what he could make my friends believe, I started down a long road that ironically, has brought me back to the power of hypnosis on the nature of our personal realities.

I think were on the edge of a consciousness shift.

.

[conscious evolution]

11. Love is a side effect

of doing the right thing.
Sometimes balance is found in the extremes.
Music reveals the way thru the veil.
Sound can be seen,colors can be heard.
Reality ain't real.Illusions are not illusions.

Thats my experience.

[GliderGuider]

12. My worldview is an amalgam of Zen Buddism and Seth

My key understandings are these:

1. Everything is interconnected. Only by recognizing this can we accomplish truly right action in this life.
   
   
2. All form is a manifestation of aspects of the formless, arising from it and returning to it.
   
   
3. Consciousness is independent of physical form, and is somehow imbued into it. Consciousness is not simply an emergent property of the brain.
   
   
4. The consciousness of humans and other life forms is reality's way of experiencing itself.
   
   
5. This consensually-created reality we inhabit here is "Earth School". We come here from else(where/when) in order to learn the lessons we need. The most important lessons are love, liberation and understanding the sacredness of interconnection.
   
   
6. The sense of separation that we feel (mind/body, matter/spirit, self/other, humans/resources) gives rise to the grasping or attachment that is the source of all of our misery, and by extension also the misery we humans inflict on the non-human world. This is why healing our sense of separation (through what I referred to above as "liberation") is of crucial importance.
   
   
7. Love and compassion are the inevitable outcome of realizing the sacredness of interconnection, which is an aspect of awakening.
   
   
8. Each of us who has awakened has a responsibility to help others awaken in turn. We are all bodisattvas.

With love,
Bodhisantra (ex Paul Chefurka)