On spirituality, religion, and art █▛▜███▘ ▔▀▜██ The truth is, it's hard to talk ▋▕█▛▘ █ ▜█▎▝█ about, so take everything that █▙▄▖ ▃ ▗▄ █ follows with a grain of salt. Some █▛▀▘ ▀ ▝▀ █ of it is a bit tongue-in-cheek, ▚▟▇▇▃ ▇ ▇▇▎▗█ intentionally, because it's really ▞▀▟██▇▂ ▂▂▟██h wow, the big impossible to write with accuracy ones huh,.. What is he going about it anyway. Even when trying to talk about next?! Politics?! to describe my own views, and ha! I'll spare you all from attaching all the caveats I can that :) Honestly, I've both think of, I might feel differently been wanting to write about about it 5 minutes later. this, and dreading it. As I hinted in my previous phlog I am not a good writer, so why post about communication, one bother? Well, for one it's a good easily falls into the realm of exercise in trying to express watering down the essence with myself. And secondly, it's quite meaningless words when it comes difficult to make any sort of to these things. meaningful deep connection with any one without talking about at ██▀▔▔▜█████ least some of it. ▛▔▆█▊▁▔▀███ ▇▆█▊ █▅ ▝██ █▀▔▔ ▔▔ ▐█ ┈╼◆╾┈ ▙▁▜▊ ██ ▐█ ▛▜▆▊ ██ ▐█ But I'm getting ahead of myself, █▅▂▂▂██▂▂▂▟aaaanyway........... because in order for me to be able As someone in the tech field, to talk about any of this, I have I interact with many a person to talk about what Spirituality that is extremely dismissive actually means to me. about these subjects, which is I'm going to omit all the understandable, given that super obvious stuff, like how there truly is so much BS out Spirituality is not spiritism, and there when it comes to this what not and assume at least SOME stuff. But I also find that it familiarity/dabbling/whatever as I is a little bit intellectually attempt to explain my experiences lazy to be so dismissive and and views in this particular not attempt to understand the snapshot of time. Let's start with value in all this. trying to define Spirituality to The way I see things, begin with: Spirituality does not imply any beliefs what-so-ever, and therefore is not at odds with any scientific principles. ▚ "Spirituality is to become a better person" ▞ ▚ ▞ ▚ But wait, that definition is flawed, isn't ▞ ▍ it? What does "better" even mean? The word ▎ ▚ implies human judgement, and it is therefor ▞ ▌ a worldly, corrupted, concept, surely not ▌ ▌ a Spiritual one, so let's take it out of ▐ ▚ or definition entirely and try again: ▐ ▐ ▌ ▐ "Spirituality is to be a person" ▌ ▚ ▞ ▌ Well, that's perhaps slightly ▌ ▌ better, albeit suddenly very ▌ ▌ generic. Also,... What even IS a ▌ ▌ person? An ego? Well,... -crap- ▌ ▚ If new-age-sk00l 101 has taught ▌ ▚ us anything, it is that 'ego' ▞ ▚ is a bad word. I kid, I kid, ▞ ▚ it isn't; but let's take it ▞ ▚ out anyway and try again: ▞ ▚ ▞ ▚ "Spirituality is to be" ▞ Well maybe that gets closer. To the truth is, none of these me, spirituality means "being", individual descriptions define sort of. If "beingness" were Spirituality to me, in fact, some like some sort of air we could of it is probably mostly BS :) but inhale, and the more of it we what I'm trying to illustrate is can inhale, the more we ARE. the process, the distillation of But- We are all the time aren't all the individual bits to their we? - Well, are we? - We're essence,- how we got from the spending most of our time first phrase to the last, is distracted with all sorts of perhaps even more so defining of shit to the point where we're Spirituality than either separate actually rarely 'in the moment' item on it's own. And I would also ... >being< ; intensely being; argue that the distillation of a bringing all the ephemeral bits thought to it's most essential and of being into a single moment, it's most abstract form is a maybe that gets closer to what useful and important tool in my Spirituality means to me, but- overall thought process and part of how I tend to function in ████▛▀▔▔▔▔▔▜ general. ██▘▄▅▉ █▏ ▐█ ███▅█▉ ▜ ▐█ ┈╼◆╾┈ ▛▘▃▃▃▃ ▃ ▐█ ██▀▃█▉ █▏ ▐█ I'm on the fence on whether that's █▙▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▟f ever there was a important or not, or if it's just spiritual practice that defines something that comes naturally spirituality the most to me, it anyway the more you meditate, and would be meditation. In fact, I therefore not something to worry think that literally anything about all too much. Nevertheless, else beyond it is just noise. there do seem to be many tangible Forget all the words, all the skills in the mundane world that philosophyzin', just meditation one could practice to improve and what you get from it is manifesting your "beingness" - to what counts and arguably very continue usage of the word I just little else. Well, also pulled out of my rear earlier - distilling what you get from Translating all the vibes into meditation into something stuff like words/art/whatever,... tangible in the real world. seems like an imporant part of the process perhaps, if for anything, to share with other humans. But, as I had suggested in my previous phlog post, the sharing with other humans is where all the problems start happening. ███▔▔▀███ ██▎▝▜▄▖▚▟ ┈╼◆╾┈ ██▃ ▔▀▅▟ ████▄▁ ▜ The art connection █▎▀███▌ ▐ ▙▟█▅▂▂▂▆█pirituality is very A perfect painting which looks much a personal experience. exactly like a photograph tends to It's yours. Nobody else can be less interesting than something experience it in the same way which is less than perfect, in you do. So communicating the ways, not only because the experience is problematic from imperfections contain the artist's the get-go. But there is some personality but also, and perhaps overlap. And of course, any more importantly, because it thing you communicate will be allows for interpretation on the subject to interpretation, and viewer/listener/whatever's part. thus transformation/corruption I also don't think it's a etc,... It is for this reason coincidence, for this reason, that that a lot of spiritual more than a few spiritual traditions and religions tend traditions (especially, but not to invent their own words to exclusively, Western ones) have use, their own symbolism, had poets involved with their iconography/liturgy/whatever... conception. One very obvious which tends to be abstract and example that comes to mind would mysterious enough to allow for be Victor Henry & Cora Anderson's interpretation to happen, to Feri tradition, for example. Given allow for a connection with the how religion and philosophyzin' is personal spiritual experience, fraught with peril, as I will but also at the same time, elaborate on below, I have provide a common ground and personally been getting more bang reference. This is actually a for my buck - so to speak, out of very interesting thing that things like occult music/art of also happens in art. late. ▛▀▀▘▔▔▔▔▔▀▀▜ ┈╼◆╾┈ ▙▁▄▇▇▄ ▄▇▇▁▟ █████▉ █████ █████▉ █████ Danger! █████▊ █████ ████▛▁▁▁▜███he personal As a student of Spirituality, a connection made by abstract similar corruption can also happen interpretation is a very within yourself, even without powerful thing, and other people involved. It is oh so interestingly, as many secular easy to start justifying your anti-cult people have noted, vices and bad behaviors with the step one employed in the random Spiritual theory-du-jour. "brainwashing" done by sects As previously mentioned meditation looking to lure in members for is energising, and as soon as the exploitation, tends to be brains start feeding on that establishing a lingo, or energy by forming words, it starts redefine words; The explanation the corruption process! Stop it! given in studies on the matter Bad. No! :) That's not to say that is usually that redefining all Spiritual literature is words is done to loosen the worthless; at the very least, it subjects connection to reality. can be an amusing sharing between But I also think that it people playing with the same stuff creates a direct link to the - If you do however find guidance subject's personal deepest in such literature, you kind-of inner self, because of the have to remain aware that the openness to interpretation it guidance you're getting is not creates. Once you can speak to necessarily from the original text someone in a way where they but rather your interpretation of only hear the version of words it. I think these things are most their subconsciousness latches effective if you take them for on to, you have a very intimate what they are - a set of tools - bond and a direct link; which rather than the ultimate, literal makes it all the more vile that truth. (Although sometimes it is this trust would be abused and useful to make yourself believe exploited. Yet it happens all things to be true whilst at the the time, and not only in same time being open to the cults. It even happens when opposite, as there exists a real there is a regular tool within the power of teacher/student relationship in suggestion. - compartmentalization ""respectable"" religions, even is key here) ; if you are someone when the teacher figure doesn't who does take things literally, I have ill intentions. I do don't mean to offend, I'm just believe humans aren't meant to sharing my own views and have followers. It corrupts the experiences here, I'm not trying ego, even with the best of to dictate what is and is not. I intentions. do feel like lots of literature is unfortunately abused, and actively exploited by the power hungry to ▛▀▀▘▔▔▔▔▔▀▀▜ steer the masses to do their ▙▁▄▇▇▄ ▄▇▇▁▟ bidding. █████▉ █████ █████▉ █████ ┈╼◆╾┈ █████▊ █████ ████▛▁▁▁▜███o be fair, I've There is the potential for a experienced some beautiful "beingness" amplification effect, things when communicating with but it's rare, and more often than others on Spiritual stuff, so not, when humans get together on it's not all bad, and similar all this stuff it tends to go to meditating, this too can be wrong. Anyway,... enough doom. quite energising. █▛▜███▘ ▔▀▜██ ┈╼◆╾┈ ▋▕█▛▘ █ ▜█▎▝█ █▙▄▖ ▃ ▗▄ █ Highway to the subconscious █▛▀▘ ▀ ▝▀ █ ▚▟▇▇▃ ▇ ▇▇▎▗█ ▞▀▟██▇▂ ▂▂▟██n to something We subconsciously attach meaning somewhat practical. An to numbers or cards or whatever, interesting thing is that you and so long as the given see a lot of debunking of attributions are vague enough, the fortune tellers and what not by mind will find a way to attach sceptic groups, who then, in some sort of relevant meaning. great delight act like as if Sound familiar? Because that's they have just unmasked a exactly like the needed room for villain. But again, this to me interpretation I was talking about speaks to misunderstandings before. This isn't some great that exists both sides of the unmasking but rather a description fence. The number one argument of divination's greatest feature! used against things like Tarot, It's a useful looking glass into numerology and divination in our own subconscious. As such, I general is actually quite believe, this can be a tool for interesting, which is of course self analysis. ███▛▀████▀███▀█ ┈╼◆╾┈ █▛▘ ▕██▀ ██▀ ▐█ ▙▟▋ ▕█▉ ██▏ ▐█ On religion versus Spirituality █▛▘ ▕█▉ ██▏ ▐█ ▙▟▋ ▕█▀ █▀ ▐█ ██▘ ▃▆ ▂▇▏ ▐█ █▃▅▃▇██▃▆██▃▆██hile practicing ● Lots of cultural context and Spirituality is usually history. (hopefully?) an aspect of religion, practicing religion ● A way to communicate about isn't obviously necessarily a Spiritual concepts with unique part of Spirituality. In fact, words/rituals/iconography etc. the two can at times be quite at odds with one another, the ● A support system / some type of way I see it, for the reasons institutional body and/or fellow already explained above. But In human beings. addition, Spirituality tends to actually be a surprisingly tiny ● Social and political functions. part of religion, from what I've observed. Religions tend That's a lot of stuff! Because I'm to include: not particularly fond of hanging around other humans too much, I also tend to not be too much into religions. I've dabbled and studied a few of them a bit in an attempt to extract the bits of usable Spiritual tools within, which often can be quite interesting, but nothing ever ███▛▀████▀███▀█ quite stuck,... █▛▘ ▕██▀ ██▀ ▐█ ▙▟▋ ▕█▉ ██▏ ▐█ ┈╼◆╾┈ █▛▘ ▕█▉ ██▏ ▐█ ▙▟▋ ▕█▀ █▀ ▐█ On blending ██▘ ▃▆ ▂▇▏ ▐█ █▃▅▃▇██▃▆██▃▆██hile the views Western and eastern ideas merged. and ideas I stated above are Merging of ideas like this has hardly original or new, historically often been at the religion has usually kind of birth of new religions and is been more of a literal quite an interesting process of experience historically. As it cultural blending and a great was often taught with a "this study in tolerance and cooperation way or the highway" kind of - I'm no theologist, but examples attitude, and as such, the way such as Sufism, Sikhism, and also I'm describing things is modern Western new-age and pagan probably more the result of traditions come to mind where we later views that developed when still see a lot of motion and Transformation happen every day. ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ In any event, I'm going to end it here, there's obviously a lot more to be said about all of this and I could rant on forever, and I'm sure I've said many a wrong thing... I mean... I can't even go back and re-read all of it because every time I do, I want to not publish this at all for how cringy it feels to read, hah. Thankfully not a lot of people read my phlog anyway :) And even fewer will make it through the whole thing, especially because I wrote it in a 2 column format with lots of unicode art mixed in which will probably break on most clients anyway. The irony in the fact that I warned against writing about this in my previous post and now I wrote a small book does not escape me :) But writing about this is for me was also part of overcoming a fear of being wrong/judged/etc,... among other things. It kind of reads like someone's rational mind trying to justify, explain, quantize the irrational side or something, which in the end, ends up doing injustice to both the rational and magickal ways of thinking. Maybe 5 or 10 years from now I can go back to this and read it again to laugh at myself. :) ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ █▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▃▃▄▄▅▁▁ ▕█ █ ▂▅███████▛▀▀▀▘ ▕█ █ ▁▂▃▃▄▅▆▇█████████▆▄▄▄▃▂▂▁▃▂▁ ▕█ █ ▝▀▀███████████████████████████▇▆▅▖ ▕█ █ ▔▀▀▀████████████████▀▀▀▀▀▔▔ ▕█ █ ▔▔▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▔▔ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▕█ █ ▅▖ ▄▂▟▃ ▕█ █ ▗█▊ ▂███▏ ▕█ █ ▁▃▃ ███▏ ▅▅▄▕████▙▅▛▕█ █ ▗███▙▖▁▂ ▟███▙ █████████▉▐█ █ ▂▅▆▅▄ ▂█████▋███▇█████▖ ▁▄▆████████████ █▌▃▟█████▎ ▗▟████████████████▉ ███████████████ ██████████▄▂▁ ▐███████████████████████▇▇▆▅▅▅▆▆█████████████ █████████████▇▇▇▅█▅▆▅███████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █▛▀▀█████▀▀▜█▀▀▀█▛▀▀███▀▀▀███▛▀▀▜██▀▀▜▛▀▀▀▀▀▀▀████▛▀▀▀▀▀▀▀██▀▀▀▀▀███ █▋ █████▎ ▐▛ ▜▎ ▗██▘ ▁ ▝██▋ ▀█ ▐▙▄▄ ▗▄▄████▙▅▄ ▗▄▅▛ ▄▅▄ ▜█ █▋ █████▊ ▅ ▝ ▟█▌ ▕█ ▐█▋ ▃ ▝ ▐███ ▐████████▉ ▐██▍ ███▎ ▐█ █▋ ██████▎ ▐█▍ ▗█▛ ▃▃▃ ▜▋ █▙▖ ▐███ ▐████████▉ ▐██▙▂ ▔▀▘ ▁▟█ ██▆▆██████▇▆▆███▆▆██▆▆▆███▆▆▆█▆▆███▆▆████▆▆▇█████████▆▆█████▇▆▆▆▇███ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ██████████▀▀▀▀▀▜██▛▀▀▀▀▀▀██▀▀█████▛▀▜█▛▀▀▀▀▀▀█▀▀▜███▀▀▜▛▀▀▀▀▀▀██████ █████████▊ ▗▄▖ ▕█▌ ▄▄▄▄█▋ █████▎ ▕█▌ ▄▄▄▄█▌ ██▌ █▍ ▄▄▄▄██████ █████████▊ ▁▁ ▀█▌ ▁▁▁▁█▋ █████▎ ▕█▌ ▁▁▁▁██▖ ▝▛ ▟█▌ ▁▁▁▁██████ █████████▊ ▝▀▘ █▌ ▀▀▀▀▜▋ ▀▀▀▀█▎ ▕█▌ ▀▀▀▀▜██▖ ▟██▍ ▀▀▀▀▜█████ ██████████▅▅▅▅▅▆▇█▙▅▅▅▅▅▅▟▙▅▅▅▅▅▅█▅▅▅█▙▅▅▅▅▅▅▟███▅▅▅███▙▅▅▅▅▅▅▟█████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████