Religion and people.

21. Yoga and Relationships
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Hi Miguel…
I too grew up in a very Christian household and your postings bring a deep recollection here. I have been there my brother. What I have had to tell my family, and the only sentence that has kept them off my back for the past few months was telling them this: “To me spirituality is individual. Organized spirituality becomes religion and religion is based on ritual. To me, there are as many paths to the Divine as there are people in the world, and I will meet you in “heaven” even though you think I am headed for “hell”.” Saying this to my family seemed to help them clue in to the fact that I am conscious about my eternal destiny and that I haven’t forgotten that this life is not all there is. This combined with them seeing me go into my practices twice a day when around them has convinced them that I am still on “a” path to God. It may not be “their” path, but I have not forgotten about God and I am still focused on the “salvation of my soul” as they would put it. I don’t know if this helps you in any way, I just felt led to share. You aren’t alone my brother.
Love,
Carson :+1:

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Thanks Carson.
I think your post helps.
Maybe you coulkd not believe me,but i had a little intuition that you had lived simmilar things.
Dont know why…but maybe you said that sometime in one of your posts,or maybe that intuition came to me after reading them.
Dont know Crason,but the only thing i can say to you is that i feel you very nearly in this forum since the first day i entered here. There were times when i dreamed at night that i was talking with people of the forum and you were always on the dreams.
I tell you this sincerely and without :kissing_heart: intentions (that stupid fears between us, men)
All we are connected
This is a courious things that happens.dont know if you experienced some simmilar things.
I have told my family about what you say,i helps only a little,my father still think im wrong…
really i have a problem with my father,mum is a very nice person…

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Take this information Carson,and value it…open you self…im sure i could be a help in your path,like light in your path.I feel that connection is there for helping. :wink:
And of course,thanks for you attention and advices.I feel your helping hand in this topic.
Maybe risky posts,but i had some intuitions with you person.And i know maybe im wrong,but my experience in the past with this intuitions always was right.
You have a big hearth men,and the world needs people like you.
Carry on with practices! :grin:

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-just Feel it-
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Hi Miguel…
Perhaps you read this topic here http://www.aypsite.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4628 and that is how you knew I was in the same boat?
I know it can be difficult to explain to someone who believes that God is external what you are going through, but as Katrine says in the linked thread:

"Don't let anyone diminish your own experience. Don't let anyone stop you from enjoying your inner preciousness." You can't "make" your father understand anything. All you can do is live by example. This is the approach I have been resigned to taking with my family. And it seems to be working. They can see the difference in every area of my life and they are less apt to give me the whole "you're going to Hell if you don't accept that noone comes to the father except through me (Jesus)" speach now. My advice to you would be to try as best as you can to stay out of arguements over doctrine and try to show your father/family through your actions and through the obvious inner silence you have, that you are on "a" path to God even if it isn't the exact same as their path. It may take time or it may never make a difference, but this is all you can do. Hopefully soon your family will learn to respect your choices/path and will begin to be able to see the similarities between your path and theirs. This is starting to happen with my family now. In fact, just this weekend a cousin of mine told me about an OBE he had on a high dose of LSD and this got us into the topic of meditation and he and his girlfriend have just started AYPractices because of this. Don't expect that your parents will change, but learn to accept their position as as valid as yours and perhaps they will learn to do the same. I'm sorry if this is still of little to no help. It's a tough situation I know. Good luck my Brother. Love, Carson :+1:
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Thanks Carson.Only your presence helps,dont worry :slight_smile:
After wrting the last posts to you something was activated here,lots of energy running ,specially trought arms and head.
All we are connected,im sure.
Sorry,but Whats an OBE? its like astral travels?
I am working exactly in wath you are talking about,and its going better each day,but very very slowly,is like walking on bubble gum…
Sriously,your words like katrine words helps A LOT for the nearly presence i feel.
Thanks

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The most important thing i think is not if i read your post or not,the most important thing is that information is kept in me…for some reason related to healing process.Thats the important thing.
:slight_smile:

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I thimk is related to a commentary you made one day about your father i think,related to some strict attitude or something like that…only the surface…but i related it with me and i knew you had simmilar environment via intuition.
(energy running again)thanks

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Dear Miguel,
I’m chiming in because, though my personal experience is very different from yours, in my immediate family I have several people, some of whom I love very, very deeply, who are snared so deeply by their past - or really, by their memories, that in one case they can hardly function at all in the here and now. They are full of anger and resentment - paralyzed by it, really - for things that happened 20 or 30 years ago. I’m not saying that describes you by any means. But your posts struck a chord in me.
You’re obviously a deeply thinking and sensitive person. That can be nothing but a blessing. Since I began to surrender to my own spiritual journey I’ve been amazed at how quickly I have shed my past like a snake’s skin. Memories that are anything but dispassionate recollections of past events (and even those are mostly unverifiable) are just dramas we spin. They are exactly like the chatter of our mind trying to distract us from meditation. You can’t change your past self, so why regret him? He doesn’t exist anywhere - never did exist except in the moment, which is where you exist now.
Hoping you find your happiness again soon,
Love!
grihastha

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Hi Miguel…
An OBE is an abbreviation for Out Of Body Experience. Sorry, I should have just written that out in full.
Love,
Carson :+1:

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Thanks carson :slight_smile:

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Thanks you very much Grihastra.I need to reflect about your post now :slight_smile:

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Hi Miguel,
Here’s something I came across a while ago, which I thought you might find helpful on some level:
http://www.livingtantra.net/2008/07/ancestors/
Family as sadhana…

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Hi Miguel

Yes…this must be very difficult for you, Miguel…our conditioning - when fully identified with - can be stifling like this…
However…Christianity is not based on going to church every Sunday. Neither is it based on prayers.
As far as I can understand (and please remember that I am no expert when it comes to religion…I just recognize the same basic message of Love in all religions)…Christianity is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. For him…even the dessert is “church” enough…for him…communing with That/God/Silence is an ongoing occurence. Jesus too… had human teachers. He too “sat still in communion with God”…he too prayed. All of this…he did in his own way… and wherever he happened to be…at any time.
At the core of Christianity lies Truth and Love…and our ever increasing trust in these two…engenders Joy in heart…so that true hope for humanity as a whole is never lost. Jesus Christ says: “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”.
It is what is within your heart that counts. And we carry our hearts with us wherever we go…Monday to Sunday…24/7
It is this that comes out of you to touch others. This is why we are engaged in purificational practices like Deep Meditation. Every day.
And prayers - as well as confessions - from heart… can certainly be voiced - and heard - anywhere in the universe…and definitely when spoken in an empty room. The willingness to be open…first of all to ourselves …about our shortcomings…it is possible to lay ourselves at the feet of that which is our source…anytime our heart yearns for it. We need not be dependant on another for that. Only space is needed, yes?
The guilt you feel regarding not obeying the rules of religious conduct in your family…if you can gently allow it…and at the same time keep up your practice routine…ways of interacting with your family members will come to you along with the ever rising inner silence in you, Miguel. It is possible to relate to your family and at the same time be in relationalship with inner silence. They are human and come with…limiting patterns of behaviour… like all the rest of us; inner silence on the other hand…is always real. It is your true friend, support and loving guide…at the same time as it is you …it will never fail you.
This way…when the day comes when you do move away from home…you will not travel with that package of guilt on your shoulders. You will have transcended it right in the lion’s den.
What you…without leaving… “leave behind” like this…what drops of itself because of direct experience and an ever increasing reservoir of inner wisdom…it can never create suffering again.
Much peace to you, Miguel :sleeping:
PS
Just so you know…I love churches. And I love to sing psalms. Whenever passing an open church…i often go in to sit in peace. I love the empty churches the most… :slight_smile: …and I love meditating with friends in that sacred space…

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Hi all
Cross posted with all you :grin:

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Thank you Carson, grihastha and Miguel for the lovely posts :slight_smile:

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Thanks Grihastra for your big helping hand an attention.I love your here and now.I like where you are now,must be a beautiful place.
And thanks for the link,i find it really interesting.I have been always very very interested in ancestors…

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Hi Katrine,
Yes,all what you are talking about is wonderful,i know it and believe in it.
But its not so easy.Its really hard.
Altought i know that family patterns are based in human limited points of view and are close minded,in my inner self i believe in it altoght it has not much sense.
Why?
Because the more i belive in it the more love and attention i recieve from…my father…and other people also…
I want to love him,but hes like a wall,he doesnt want really…
Every time i go to him and i talk to him from my hearth…he doesnt listen,he use to stop the conversation,put the tv and put the volume more loud.He says im an overly dramatic person,like psiquiry diagnosed to me two years ago.
Its really hard katrine,you camt imagine how really hard is being ignored of this way by a family member.Thats why i feel lot of pain,frustation,anger,hate…inside

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the religious beliefs,altought much of then are very close minded,are deepen within us,and how to change them…altoght you think you have trascend them,at the time fear and death,they are the first thing you catch,because you are afraid of going to hell for example…

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Hi again Miguel…

I TOTALLY identify with this. I stopped being a Christian persay at the age of 12. And I did just about everything I could to divorce myself from that way of thinking. And I mean everything. But even after all that, at the age of 22 I thought I heard the trumpets sound and I caught myself thinking that the second coming of Christ was happening. 10 years later. I don’t know about you, but I was raised to be Christian from birth. I never knew anything else until my teens. This to me is complete indoctrination. I don’t blame my parents for this, they were only doing what they thought was right, but this does make it difficult for the subconcious mind to let go. I was basically brainwashed as a child and it took serious time to relearn. I don’t really have any advice for you other then to give it time and to keep inquiring. Just wanted you to know you aren’t alone.
Love,
Carson :+1: