Tag: Religion & Spirituality

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The tug of war between the ego and the spirit


002In life we seem to have so many challenges to face and obstacles to overcome. Without adversity and or the challenges in our life our minds and souls would become like a stagnant pool of water. Without having some kind of disturbance or motion water becomes foul over time and when we are unchallenged in life we too become somewhat foul. Foul in the sense we have no personal growth nor any motivation to move forward or to better ourselves. Even those on the path towards enlightenment and well as those that reach it there is always some kind of challenge or adversity to face. Enlightenment does not mean life can not or will not throw at you the challenges and obstacles of life it just means you are more aware of the whole process and that you have the knowledge / wisdom to deal with them. Of course you may outgrow and get to the point many of the challenges are no longer a part of your life but newer ones will appear to replace them. You are given challenges and adversities to face that are of your level not ones below or above your present level. God will not put upon you anything that you are not able to overcome or deal with in time. Sometimes the challenges you face may seem to much for you to handle but those are the ones meant to help you grow both spiritually and mentally. Life’s adversities and its challenges build character and skills . They also teach us the lessons we need to learn as well as help guide us toward a closer relationship with God.

To follow the path of enlightenment, righteousness and piety are all spiritual paths towards spiritual growth. Any path that is selfish or is for the ego/I is one towards the carnal and degrades the spirit. If you pay attention most of what religions call evil or sinful deal with the selfish nature of the ego such as greed, lust, envy and apathy. Then on the other end of the scale such as good and or righteous is the selfless acts and compassionate nature or charity, love, brotherhood and forgiveness. Seems one focuses on the self and distracts one from both their spiritual growth as well as from the needs of others. While the other focuses on the well-being of others and promotes spiritual growth. The tug of war between the ego and the spirit is one that we must face throughout our physical existence.

Just some thoughts for today

Peace and Love be with you all.

Raymond Barbier

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For the physical is self minded and the spiritual is selfless


p10234  There is always a constant battle going on within, the physical and the spiritual struggling for absolute control. The lack of balance within is what creates the power struggle and unless the balance between the physical and spiritual self is restored all will remain in chaos. Though the body may be considered nothing but the vehicle for the soul it is also our primary way to interact with the physical world. In the physical realm both the spirit and body are equally important and necessary for our existence. So balance of the two are essential to the fulfillment of our time in the physical world.

One should take care of their spiritual needs as well as the physical. The body needs food, exercise and rest and so does the soul. If you don’t feed your soul it will starve and if you don’t exercise it, it will become week and unhealthy. Even setting a day aside for you to put the spiritualistic aside to let it rest is good. Feed your soul the scriptures of the religion you follow and exercise the soul through following the rituals of your faith. Be it meditation, prayer, fasting or serving the less fortunate it does not matter as long as you do it with conviction and sincerity.

For the physical is self minded and the spiritual is selfless, so the balance of both is the key to living and the secret to being happy. Put more emphasis on the quality of what you have in life more so than the quantity, for materialism leads to a more self-centered than selfless life. Plus all the material wealth and possessions one has can be lost or stolen, the peace, love and happiness you possess can not be stolen only given away. The love you give away usually will return to you exponentially down the line and  it is not always returned from the one you gave it to.

Try not to judge others, but if you must do it so with a light heart for how you judge others is how one day you shall be judged in return. This is why compassion and understanding is a must in one’s life, for if you show compassion to others then you shall receive compassion likewise. It all boils down to the idea of karma or the old saying what comes around goes around. the idea of karma is supported by The third of Newton’s laws of motion of classical mechanics. The fact that forces always occur in pairs. Every action is accompanied by a reaction of equal magnitude but opposite direction pretty much sums it up.

Well enough of my Spiritual Nonsense for now.
Seek the truth (for yourself) and it shall set you free.

Raymond Barbier

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Learn to love and accept ourselves as we are


006 The many yeas or tears and fears take a toll on this aging body. The mind becomes hardened and slow to respond from age and its lack of use. The soul calls out for happiness, peace and solitude as the mind seeks a rational solution. Music becomes a refuge for the soul and the soother of the chaotic mind. Fear of death rears its head occasionally to remind me of my mortality. Yet I fight on and press forward into the uncertain future. Exploring outwardly as much as inwardly to find the truths as well as the balance in my life. Finding answers one day only to lose them the next. Seems it’s a vicious cycle of my spiritual path and my timeline.

Still fighting the little child within me that craves to be loved and accepted while I try to establish the blueprint of whom I desire to be. Time is no longer a friend like it used to be in my days of youth. Between the aging of the body and the knowledge of my own mortality I find myself struggling to make it through each day. The distractions of everyday life become stumbling blocks on my spiritual path. Too many light shows, bells and whistles going off to keep focus most of the time. Though I manage to block them out for the most part. The struggle to find a balance between my religion and my spirituality is not an easy task.

It is so hard to have compassion for everyone when you are surrounded by so many who care not for themselves nor for others. So much fear, anger, greed and such a lack of love in this world. Sometimes I believe people are just terrified by the thought of loving and accepting each other. I guess it must be the fear of being hurt and the experiences they had with those they loved before. If there are no risks involved then there is no real benefit in the action of loving. First off we must learn to accept and love who we are, for each one of us are unique and special beings. We must learn to love and accept ourselves as we are before we can love each other. Through self-examination and self forgiveness we learn to forgive the shortcomings and sins of others.

As my days grow shorter I realize that though we are all individual we are also a part of a complex whole. I see all of us as small pieces of a magnificent collective of thoughts, feelings and ideals. Independently operating, yet somehow collectively manifesting the reality we live in and forming the future yet to come. This gives each of us the ability to enact change on a mass scale by creating a chain reaction. The right words, thoughts or actions can create a chain reaction that could change the world and reality we currently live in. A single voice in the dark can grow to become many voices and eventually change the course of not only mankind but the reality in which we live.

 

Well enough of my babbling for now.
May wisdom be your light and Love be the fuel on your life journey
Raymond Barbier

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You don’t have to agree with each other


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living life with a self-imposed moral code within our thoughts and  actions. To live by what you perceive as right and wrong along with finding compassion for both yourself and others. Principles taught  by philosophers, religions and visionaries through out mankind’s existence. Why does it seem such great ideals seem to be lost or ignored by those who are either in power or that have the greatest capacity to change the world we live in? Why is it such things as honor and compassion seem to be things of occasional use than the daily practice of all human beings? Why does it seem that religion has started more wars than it has saved lives or helped the needy? Most religion teaches us to have compassion and to help out our fellow humans as well as to do what is right and what to avoid as far as the wrong. but yet too many wars have been fought over Holy landmarks and over which is the one true religion. So sad that mankind can take the scripture of any religion and find in it a reason to kill other humans. Anger, greed and intolerance are not what most religions teach yet this is what some of the followers seem to think it is about. All of mankind are brothers and sisters and we all live on the same small planet called earth. I can not see why we can not just get along and work together for a better world instead of fighting over religion, natural resources and for the sake of national pride.

Personally I could care less what religion another human being choses for that is their god given right to do so. Nor do I worry over Holy landmarks or icons for the whole world is a creation of god so therefore all of it is Holy in its creation and existence. I do understand though why others may find significance in holy places and that in itself isn’t a problem. It is when certain holy landmarks are claimed by multiple religions it tends to cause problems. I never could see why that each religion couldn’t just share the holy places. Respect each other and the beliefs that they choose and in turn they should respect you and yours the same. But this is not an ideal world and religious leaders are not perfect in any means so they will always will have their problems till the end of time. Though that isn’t necessarily the only choice they have but it is the only one they seem to want to choose.

The good news is that as individuals we have not only the right but the ability to choose a more peaceful and more tolerant way of coexisting with others in this world. We don’t have to fall to anger,greed, intolerance or prejudice. We can choose to love one another regardless of flaws, faults or our differences. The choice is ours and no one can make the choice for us. No government, religious leader or military force can change the minds of others. They can only force you to hide your true beliefs as well as pretend to believe as they do. For war and conflict they are not the right way to change the world, it is done through compassionate actions and through wisdom being taught. Though change sometimes takes a long time to come it always will but usually through the minds and hearts of the people more so than through the sword.

To be clear there are times the sword may be the only choice but it should always be the last choice in a do or die situation. All other avenues should be exhausted before such a terrible thing as war or conflict should be considered. I myself would never seek out any type of negative action such as war or to kill another human being, I find taking the lives of others into my hands as such is to play as if I am god and that is definitely not an option for me. I am a mere human being and I try to do what I see as good for both myself and all other living creatures on this planet. Having my own faults I don’t always succeed in making the right choices but I put my best effort in trying to avoid hurting others when I make choices. Sometimes it is unavoidable and I usually suffer from a conscience that will not allow me to forget.

Live by the moral code of your choosing and avoid causing suffering of any kind while you walk the path of life. If you must be judgmental try to judge kindly for you are judged by the way you judge others. Learn to forgive both yourself and others for the shortcomings we all seem to bear. Treat others with kindness for it is the right thing to do and it also may be returned to you when you are in need. Be slow to anger and quick to cool down, for anger is the path to destruction. And always remember you don’t have to agree with each other, you just have to respect each others right to believe as they wish.

Well that’s enough of this fools thoughts for today.
Peace and wisdom guide your hearts.
Raymond Barbier

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I kind of like knowing the man who is leading my church


Christ's Charge to Peter by Raphael, 1515. In ...Small town church vs. Mega church, which is a better experience for the congregation? I would vote on a small town church any day, when any church grows too big it looses the closeness and community feel it should have. I would think it would be next to impossible for a pastor to know each and every member of his church if he has numbers in the thousands or some as large as a 40 thousand members. I guess mega churches serve a purpose but it seems to me that priorities may go awry when there is so much cash flowing in. I guess I am old-fashioned and see a church as no where above about 100 members or maybe a little more.

I kind of like knowing the man who is leading my church personally and have one that is approachable along with down to earth. If I am to trust my religious teachings to someone I would like to know what kind of person he is and have one that is more middle class or lower in annual income. Though I can not tell you what a pastor of a mega church makes but I have known of a few that lived in mansions and has sport cars and even personal jets.

Now I will not say that all Mega Church pastors are rich or see money as more of an issue than their faith. There are plenty of good servants of god who may be pastors of such churches. Many souls have ben saved through such ministries and a lot of charitable works have been done by them too. There are always a few bad apples in a barrel but the rest of the apples are still ripe. Just my personal preference is a smaller more personable church.

 

Well that’s all for now.
May God be your guide through life.
Raymond Barbier.

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