Your most spiritual moment

When younger and I sought these answers with more abandon I had spiritual experience s. These days I do not. I would say I have moments of enlightenment. Looking back I believe what spiritual experience s I had, I had because that is what I wanted them to be. The rainbow in the sky is an affirmation of a question that was on my mind at the time etc...

Its unbelievably difficult for me to grasp the astronomical ly high chance of ..chance bringing about consciousness. Its easier sometimes to think it was not chance.

 

First, I would like to clarify what 'spiritual moments,' to me, are.

When I was little, I used to think epiphanies are very tangible experiences, such as hearing a burning bush talk, or being enveloped by blinding light while a choir of angels sing. Of course, I thought that how films and books portray them was literal. Only as I moved on to young adulthood that I start to see them more of inner, and symbolic experiences not necessarily involving religious entities.

So, spiritual moments for me, are moments of clarity. When the mind is at complete peace, because it has been silenced by something higher than thoughts.

As thinking beings, it's hard to pacify our thoughts. We question every little thing, what it means, why such exists. We try to rationalize even the most mysterious of things, because we need to grasp it somehow. It's our instinct. Like a child with so much yearning to understand how the world works. But then, there's only so far our logic can take us. There's a point when our minds just get baffled by the impossibility of what we're trying to do, and the elusiveness of the truth we're trying to seek.

And that's when these 'moments' usually happen. When our logic finally raises a white flag, something unnameable just 'visits.' And all the answers to our questions are finally answered, not necessarily with words, but with a very particular feeling, or an image that holds special meaning. A wordless whisper, that somehow shakes our beings like a roar of thunder. That renders everything else insignificant. Even the questioning, and the questioner itself.

----
So, to answer [MENTION=11651]Artisan[/MENTION] 's questions (sorry for the long intro),

- What you are doing when you experience your spiritual moments?
Before experiencing? Rationalizing myself to death. Or sometimes just letting all the emotions flood. Then suddenly just dropping them, out of exhaustion, usually not deliberately. More like, that 'letting go' moment when you're hanging off a cliff with all your will, but just really can't hold on any longer.

- Where/When do you experience your spiritual moments?
During times of 'walking in the valley of the shadow of death.' (Wait, I just said 'cliff,' then suddenly I'm in a valley. Oh, it's after the fall. )

- How often do you seek out your spirituality?
Everyday for about seven years now, except for short periods of obsession to particular things that distract me (like this MBTI typology thing, since I just found out about it recently).

- How important are these moments to you?
They're what keeps me alive

 

Well this was a spectacular answer and pretty much sums up what I would say as my definition.

I agree they are moments of Clarity. Once my "awakening" began to include non ordinary reality experiences I would say my spiritual moments now include a deepening connection to Source Energy.

What was I doing when I had these moments? Using some kind of tool: a method - a practice - a physical movement - drug - toning - dancing - drumming etc. Once I made connection with my first spirit animal in 2012 a whole new world opened up for me like going to a splendid buffet of mystical experiences.
A life event that caused me a great deal of pain(loss of father and boyfriend all in one week) woke me up to the point where I declared out loud to no one there: "I am tired of this crap! For once and all I am either going to find a way to love myself so I don't have to rely on any other person to make me feel good - "or else" - I'll complete suicide". The Universe heard me and I went on a Quest to learn how to love myself.

My first experience was in an experiential seminar with Linda Star Wolf - a Shaman. There was a group of about 20 of us seated or lying on the floor while she and a couple of assistants beat drums and played music. Ahhh...the music. I remember this now and smile. The music she played was all instrumental and held themes to evoke feelings and images within the human body mind. It was if I was transported to different places and times.

I use music a lot to create my sacred space and meditations.

Anyway - it was during this event guided by the Shaman and her assistants that I had my first vision journeys. I had two: one was of being enveloped in the feeling of unconditional love and hands gently reaching down to touch me on my head and my shoulders and pats on the back. It was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced and I cried and sobbed in a curious mixture of joy and grief as my connection with source energy was made.
Or...truly something was removed and my connection point was no longer blocked. Once this happened in an instant I now knew why for all those years whenever I had thought about something larger and outside of me I would get this contraction in my stomach and I would feel sad.

The other vision was of Panther forming in my vision and asking me if it was okay if he came "into" me. I checked to see if I had any fears and there weren't any...so I said yes. Hahahaha...I still laugh whenever I think about this moment. Panther - he was a black jaguar - put his forehead down to mine and touched it...sort of in acknowledgement of our agreement that he do this....and then moved towards my chest and I watched in amazement as a panther slowly walked his way into my body. I even saw the tail move a bit in the fashion of cats as it slowly disappeared within. I remember I laughed....not only with delight...but also at the absurdity of what had just happened.

The next kind of similar experience was later in 2012 I attended a 2.5 day training seminar with another Shaman named Sandra Ingerman. There was about 200 people in this one and we lay around or sat in a huge hall up in the Rocky Mountains. Just so you know...I have read higher elevations with lower amounts of O2....lead one to have more visions.
Sandra Ingerman is a wonderful lady full of the wisdom of the Earth. She used her drumming and power to lead us all on Journeys. It was there Bear and SunConure became my spirit guides. She taught us many ways and practices of the Shaman and we had amazing journeys including finding long lost spirit guides for each other.

Methods and Groups of People with Intention
On a side note: Back in 2007 many things happened to me but an important one was the fact I began doing Vipassana Meditation and met with a group once a week to facilitate this practice.

My Quest continued to have more and more amazing experiences of non ordinary reality and I gained more and more clarity.

You asked How often did I seek these experiences? I approached it like meditation practice. The more I sat with myself the more of the experiences I had. Mostly they came randomly until I learned how to see myself trying to control the outcome of my experiences. The more I noticed that ...the more I let go of outcomes. Then I had more visions and experiences. So in a strange way I was seeking it during my meditations but then learned not to seek them...and then I started having them all the time.

I've been doing this now for 3.5 years and I live my spirituality all the time now.

And Yes... it is what's keeping me alive and here...literally.

 

I have had many insightful and eureka moments but they were not true "spiritual" moments. they were more from my subconscious. i had 2 moments of spiritual blessings - one was when i was praying and was emotionally upset. i had thoughts of darkness and in some ways defied the existence of lightness and goodness. and after a brief period of time i felt a sense of peaceful energy touch me. it felt surreal in a way where for that moment i felt like i was being cradled by a gentle and comforting spirit - telling me "everything was going to be alright" - i was by myself and i was experiencing a very difficult time in my life.

the second was under a shroom experience - it differed from previous experience because my whole body was involved - more so my emotional body. the shrooms were successful in breaking down the barriers between the conscious and unconscious and i experienced an emotional release of some sort; couldn't stop crying for the life of me but kept hearing a very specific message come through it all; which made it even more emotional. the message pertained to the way i had been treating those that i cared and loved and the message entailed that i needed to practice compassion and love for those that depend on me. it was shocking because i was not aware that i was being a douche to those i loved. the origin of the message also felt very etheric in the sense that the universe was indeed a place of love; that the choices we make allows us access to this energy. it was an extremely easy message but felt extremely deep and profound; like i understood it's message down to my body and bones and not just intellectually. i would describe this as a spiritual moment because i felt so open to the universe and completely flexible to it.

 

I don't recall any delusions or hallucinations in my life, unless I wanted to prank somebody.

 

Like the missing evolutionary links? Hardly to say that evolution doesn't happen. Obviously, somebody somewhere has a pretty good handle on that stuff. We got millions of years of cruddy would-be history preempted out of our species' history. Bummer.

 

Heres a thought I like. We are far far up the consciousness ladder when it comes to other creatures. Its not hard to imagine a being then as far removed frofrom us a we ourselves are removed from say..ants.
Perhaps so much so they are able to hide themselves from us on this very planet.

 

my most spiritual moments are when i have experiences of inspiration and then i turn them into creative composition. during those times i lose my self and i feel more like i am a conduit of some kind. i feel like everything is right in my world and im doing exactly what im meant to be doing in life. everything else just disappears, i forget everything but what im doing.

 

When a person is in a state of searching, and gives of himself to show how important it is, they may find themselves face to face with a learning experience that might take years to better understand. If we get discouraged, we are somehow lifted up to overcome such thoughts and feelings. Maybe we receive a message for others that surely won't be accepted. The world cannot accept a holy man, and a man might only be holy when in the presence of God. Maybe he is learning he cannot be holy without God. When that happens, it is a very spiritual moment of light and understanding. It makes everything clear. All the questions don't matter any longer. It was there all along, but impossible to see. Knock, and it shall be opened. Seek, and ye shall find. Ask, that you may receive. Then mercy is shown on you and you see light. The burden is lifted away. How strong. How.......understanding. How beautiful.

May I please ask PAX on this. I opened up and it came out. May we please leave this be. Please do not rip this apart. I will keep the things I have been hurt over to myself.

 

This was beautiful.

 

When I go out at night and the sky is clear, the moon is full and the only sound is frogs singing.

Whenever I'm working in the garden and find a toad, or a big fat happy bumble bee, or a gigantic dragonfly.

Whenever I propagate new plant children from the same parents that I've been growing for years and they spread and thrive. Whenever I get a single specimen I have the urge to propagate it and turn it into many more plants. I just find it amazing that I can take a cutting and turn it into another plant.

 

when i turned 27 i went alone on my birthday to see the film "Black Swan" at the cinema for the 5th time. during the film i hallucinated that i was watching a live stage performance rather than a flat picture. after the film ended i went to the park and lay on the lawn. it was an overcast day and i hallucinated that the clouds were all a mass of grey downy feathers. my experiences that day were kind of spiritual. i havent really had any other experiences that were similar to that.

 

I've had many spiritual moments during the past year or so, which is a completely new thing for me as I've always seen myself as an atheist or agnostic. Anyway, recently I've had two occasions where I'm trying to decide between two things, and after making up my mind the sun suddenly appears behind the clouds. Both times it has felt like a confirmation that I've made the right choice. I don't see it as anything "supernatural" but just an interesting coincidence...probably due to meditating a lot lately I've become more aware of my surroundings.

 

I think that is only one way of seeing these kind of unusual experiences, merely a label for how modern science views them. Science is yet another belief system, producing provisional guesses. Whatever works for an individual works.

 

Science is not a belief system. It is a method of obtaining substantial theory through the observation and meticulous study of the natural and physical world. To compare such a method to hallucinations which people often consider to be a part of 'Spirituality' is a giant leap toward the support and encouragement of ignorance.

Congratulations on being the first person to give my post a thumb down, by the way.

 

The question this thread asks is “Your most spiritual moment”.
If you haven’t had one or don’t believe in them then you don’t need to come on the thread and imply over and over again that they are delusions and hallucinations.
In some cases, perhaps they are…can you prove to me that you are conscious?
Does that make something experienced less true?
No need to pick everyone apart….leave it be or show your age.
Perhaps this whole reality, you included is in my head?
Science has it’s own taboos that prevent it from fully exploring our world and minds.

 

I only implied once, and it was a post pretty much left alone and didn't bother anyone, as I expected. That's my own opinion, and I was not implying that people can't have spiritual moments, as they are personal to the individual.

"show your age" - what are you implying here? I wasn't picking anyone apart, until somebody decided to quote my own post and claim an opposing view (as well as thumb my post down). I was, as you might say, defending my post as I think everyone is allowed to when somebody disagrees with them openly. If you have any problems with my opinion, then provide your counter-argument without adding such sanctimonious (considering you accused me of 'picking people apart') implications.

The 'prove to me you're conscious' argument is a very old method of arguing against the scientific theories of how the human brain works. It also doesn't really relate directly to the ideas behind spirituality. I am no Neurologist, or Psychologist so I cannot give you the specifics, perhaps you should ask Sigmund Freud....if he were alive.

Science is a method, and not an ideology. It does not claim to know the answer to things without providing sufficient evidence, so I am not quite sure what you are trying to say by asking me about consciousness. I never claimed to know about spirituality, I gave my personal observation of the issue based on logic, and that there isn't any evidence to prove the existence of spirits/ghosts/supernatural powers.

If my age bothers you that much, try not to look at my personal information and concentrate on the thread.

I mean all of this sincerely, of course. I need dinner...