Yvonne

A few days ago I started a post called "Talking About Religion" in which I asked if any one talked about their religion or faith with others. I clearly mistated the question because the answers weren't quite what I expected. What I really wanted to know was if anyone had a spiritual director or was a spiritual director. Before anybody answers that, consider this quote from Spiritual Direction International: "Spiritual direction is the process of accompanying people on a spiritual journey. Spiritual direction exists in a context that emphasizes growing closer to God (or the sacred, the holy or a higher power)." This has nothing to do with religion per se - and it isn't about getting the "right answers". It has to do with someone helping another or a group yo grow in the awareness of God (or Source or Allah or Yahweh or The Force,,,) I consider my dear friend a spiritual director - he taught me to open my eyes to other possibilities. I consider some posters on this forum to be spiritual directors because they know about the philosophical and theological questions I have. I feel I need a variety of spiritual directors because they offer different points of view, different experiences, different wisdom. While I think it is good and right that we reach find our path and our answers, I think it is equally important to sort of "touch base" with others now and then. Otherwise, who's to say we haven't become rigid and close-minded on our own journey? That's why I wanted to know if anyone talks about their faith or beliefs (I wrongly throw out the word "religion"). Yes, this forum is important to me. But I always feel like I want more personal interraction - after all, we (humans) are social critters. So, on my own journey, I like to "stop and ask directions" now and again. Do you?

Well said Joseph. But,then, let me ask this question - Does anyone have a spiritual director, coach, or counselor? Or perhaps that starts another thread.

I feel like I have so many questions, but they only ever come up when I'm studying or reading. I do find a great deal to think about from the posts, but many times the answers I too far beyond me - either intellectually or where I am on my spiritual journey or what I've studied. I just wondered, for those who don't have a support system, is it that you are so far on your journey that you don't need one or is this your only support? I, too, have one friend that I can talk about things with - but one person cannot (and should not, for me) fulfill all the roles of a community. *sigh*

I think I did a poor job asking my question. Do you have anyone with whom can talk about your beliefs, practices, questions or ideas? I only have this forum since my "church" is spread out. I feel isolated in that I don't have a community or faith-sharing group. Just wondering if anybody else felt this way, and what you do about it.

Do you talk about religion or your faith with others? If so, how do you go about it? I find I am extremely private about my beliefs (except on this forum). I don't go publishing a lot of faith-based stuff on facebook or anything like that. I was just wondering if anybody else feels sort of isolated because of what they believe. So, do you share (or don't share and why not) your faith and how do you go about it.

I saw a TV show on the a science channel last night (yes, I'm a nerd). Scientists said (and I knew this, I think) that every body has about 20 dreams every night, that most mammals dream, and its our subconscious at work. What they haven't figured out is why we dream. It was also noted that when we have interrupted sleep and do not dream "enough", that both our physical and mental health suffer. Interesting.

On Easter Sunday I started to begin my meditation time with a new guided meditation (a script I found online and an audio I made myself). I cannot believe how GOOD I've felt all week! Not just physically, though that's part of it, but my spirirts are lifted and I feel so calm and at peace.

i cannot recall just now the books I've read on dreams, but I do know that some of the dream symbols as interpreted by Jung use myth symbology, archtypes, and cultural symbols. And, like i said, sometimes a dog is just a dog and red is just red. I will try to find the title of the book about dreams and Jungian interpretation for you. I think no matter the dream or the dreamer, it is always important to interpret symbols in context. Yes, dreaming of an attic might mean something spiritual, or it might just mean your attack leaks! (Or in my case, there might be bats in the belfry!) I also recall in one book I read, that the dreamer really is the best person to interpret the dream, maybe with the help of a counselor or spiritual director. When I was in my 20's and in therapy, I had a recurring dream about being in labor. When I reconciled the issues in a relationship I was working on at the time, I had the dream again. Only in this one the person who I was having problems with was there and I actually gave birth. Whoa. It didn't take a whole lot to figure out what THAT dream was about.

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Growing up Catholic, I was taught that any contraception was wrong for several reasons. Any attempt to stop a life already started, regardless at what stage, was considered murder (life began at conception). Using other methods was wrong because the egg and the ###### contained the potential for life (or the "seed of life") and therefore to use anything that would kill the ###### and/or render the egg sterile was considered to be wrong. Plus, as someone else mentioned, sex was only to be for procreation. Yikes. No wonder I longer consider myself RC!

Very well said.

Jung had a lot to say about dreams. I believe he said that dreams are our subconcious at work. I think dream interpretation can be beneficial - as long as we don't try to read too much into a symbol - sometimes a dog is just a dog. If you pay attention to your dreams, and consider them in context of what's going on in your life, I think you can learn quite a bit about yourself. I try to remember dreams and will use interpretations methods I learned in counseling. I can't remember specific titles, but there are some really good books about Jung and dream interpreting dream images. This Web site might interest you: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamfacts.htm

That's sounds great Paul - life's simple pleasures are still the best.

As part of my prepartion for (hopefully) being ordained, I'm reading Borg's & Crossan's book "The Last Week" In it, they use the phrase "transformative journey". I can't get the phrase and what it represents out of head. Mmm, could it be this journey toward ordination? [sardonic grin] BTW - its a really great book to use as a Holy Week meditation starter. I'm reading the day's happenings on the actual day, that is, Palm Sunday through Easter- and I can't wait for tomorrow's concluding chapter!

Tea - very well put. I'm beginning to agree. "Faith healing", I guess, need not be an either/or thing - either it's from a supernatural God who arbitrarily (sp?) decides to heal some and not others or its a fraud. Either it can be proved and repeated scientifically or its a fraud. As Hamlet tells Horatio: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

Nice to hear from you again Wayseeker! And you took my words "right out of my mouth" so to speak. I just finished reading "The Last Week" by Crossan and Borg, and they, too, mention sacrifice as choosing to stand for something they believe in. Was Jesus' death foreseen as in "God ordained", or inevitable given his message and the political environment at the time? But that is for another thread.

That was my thought exactly.

I had very little sleep last night and my "silly gene" came out to play. Its so good to be able to laugh at myself!

Sorry Norm, I gave George your kudos. Sometimes I don't hit on all cylinders. and I love that episode of Seinfeld. Neon, true, but at the time of Jesus it seems faith healing was somewhat more common, or so I've read. I wish my "heart" wasn't so insistent that there "must" be something to all this, because my "head" says it just isn't so! Yet many, many Christians, and I'm not talking about just fundamentalists (or even just Christians, as far as that goes) study and use both Reiki and Chakra healing. Are they all frauds and taking advantage of others? I don't think so, I think some are very well meaning. The people present when my nephew was "healed" took no money and made no extraordinary claims.

George, excellent point. I have a theory that's sort of whacky and I won't share the details of it, but it has to do with the individual's mind, NOT another party acting as a conduit, nor God as a supernatural being intervening. My original question did not have so much to do with "faith healers" as it did faith healing. Anybody have any thoughts on Reiki healing or Chakras? They both seem (with a capital SEEM) to have some connection with faith healing.

Hello, I debated with myself over responding to this. I'm certainly no theologian, nor am I a mental health professional. But I've been there and bought the shirt, as the saying goes. When I read the accounts of Jesus in the gospels, what I feel is hope. Not a command to be what I'm unable to be, but the belief that God is right here, with me, IN me, in my failings, in my doubt, anger, and even in my smallness. God is also with that person I cannot love (no matter how hard I try). While I do try to increase my own love and compassion, I have let go of that self-loathing. I am what I am and I can only continue to try to improve.

That book was already on my read list, just moved it to the top! Thanks.

You raise some valid points, Paul. I would agree that the hope of - or the psychosomatic effects of - s-called faith healing can have detrimental effects, especially on the gullible. And, even for the not-so-gullible. In the past, I heart that my inabililty to "be healed" was because I didn't have enough faith and wasn't "claiming the healing with all my heart". (Obviously, I no longer belong to that particular congregation.) I have taken all your thoughtful comments to heart and thank you all for your contributions. I really have decided that it isn't important what happened, just that it happened. Unless of course it was related to what happens in spontaneous remission in cancer patients, and that the disease and/or its symptoms return. But only time will tell that. I just hope my nephew contines with his doctor visits. After all, healing or no healing, I still have faith in science and doctors (at least partially!)

Perhaps I ought to take my own advice and simply let a mystery be a mystery. I guess there are things that simply have no immediate explanation. On the other hand, maybe I'm jealous because I'm in desparate need of physical healing myself. *sigh*

Neon, Paul, George, normally I would have agreed 100%. Now I don't know what to think. My nephew's illness was anything but psychosomatic. I forget what its called, its rare, its genetic, but it begins manifesting in the skin and eventually leads to heart failure - his father had it, his brothers have it, and one brother died of it. He went hiking today for the first time since the disease manifested more than 10 years ago. His feet have been raw hunks of flesh with sheets of skin hanging off (sorry to be so graphic), and now they appear normal. I'm still skeptical, but I'm happy for him that (at least for now), he's free from the pain.

Crabfest sounds like it should be my personal favorite festival! Me? Today I'm studying and getting my thoughts together for the first of many scholarly papers (??) for my MDiv. The only problem is, when I read, I mentally glom onto a detail and pursue it until I'm far off track. Then I have to pull up my mental reins and get back to the original topic. I'm learning a lot, but not really achieving a specific goal: i.e. finishing the book and completing the paper.