One thought Iāve had for a while: what if what we call things like ghosts, spirits, demons, supposed āmysticā situations, etc, are simply species, beings, or environmental factors that simply exist on our planet, but we just havenāt found the scientific explanation for them yet?
Like, what if when someone sees a āghostā, or is harassed by a ādemonā, itās some other species that we just donāt know about yet, is completely scientifically justifiable, and is just fucking around in a way that its species naturally acts?
WooooOoooOoOoOoOOO!
I just watched this movie starring my favorite Taoist priest/ Vampire Killer again last weekend.
Well thatās certainly at least possible since we donāt even have a unifying theory of physics yet. Weāre fairly certain other dimensions exist with no idea how to get there.
Hereās something else to consider. Our brightest minds still do not fully understand the nature of consciousness. We can see thoughts and memories form and watch the signals as they travel through neurons. But we donāt understand how that squishy computer is self aware or has thoughts. We also know that consciousness doesnāt always reflect objective reality and brains are easy to trick.
So I pose the question to you. Are these encounters with the āsupernaturalā simply our consciousness betraying us? Just neurotransmitter noise misfiring? Or are we tapping into messages from other dimensions that our consciousness can access accidentally?
When I see an angry spirit condemning me for being a shithead during ayahuasca visions. Is that just crazy chemistry or is my mind somehow unlocked to seeing beings from elsewhere?
Could be either. We know that people can experience hallucinations (especially on certain drugs) due to chemical changes in the brain.
But, if you follow the goal of many religions of acheiving āhigher enlightenmentā and being able to tap into the unseen dimensions you refer to above, you could consider encountering these angry spirits as āleveling upā. You conquered the previous set of angry spirits. Now, presumably, you have a tougher set of angry spirits to overcome to get to the castle and save the princess.
Itās all about the waves and antennas.
Any electrical conductor can become an emitter, including the brains of other beings, and an antenna.
So when we have different neuronal connections and dendrite configurations, whether through drugs or meditation or just random occurrence, we become receptive to the emissions of other brain circuits of similar configurations that are acting as emitters.
See? Just like that. Easy Peasy.
Pretty tough. Force Ghosts can now shoot lightning bolts.
lolā¦
Dude, Descartes figured this out already barely out of the Renaissance. Mind-body dualism.
I think the only reason he aināt popular is because he blatantly claimed that animals are biological robots.
Yes! I agree completely.
āTruth, by definition, is exclusive.ā -Ravi Zacharias.
Thatās how all the yinzers at a steeler game know to boo the refs at the perfect time. Lol. The Borg.
That is correct; strictly speaking I am Jewish. Unfortunately, my mother was completely divorced from the faith by the time I was born, so I attended a couple of bar mitzvahs as a kid and one Passover Seder as an adult, and thatās pretty much the extent of my exposure to the religious side of things. On the secular side, we ate lox, and I am alone among the people I know who will eat jarred pickled herring. Frankly, I astonish even myself on that score, because it is objectively nasty.
Iāve spent a great deal more time in the Catholic church and have had significant exposure to Protestant churches. I donāt feel compelled (or able) to chose among them, and am comfortable with my patchwork theology. I donāt dislike the idea of reincarnation, so I entertain it. I like the idea of Heaven, so I hope that it exists, and if so that Iā'll have shown myself on balance worthy of a spot there.
I envy the people who are born into a religious community with doctrine they can embrace. What a wonderful thing it must be.
Clearly you need to hang out with more Swedes.
Clearly! lol
That shit was a staple in my house growing up. Pickled herring everywhere.
But you understand that itās objectively nasty, right?
100%. Itās horrible. Sometimes I think too hard about it when Iām eating it and Iām like, āWho the fuck came up with this?ā
Exactly!
Itās an evolutionary trait that just so happens to come in handy when the refs suck. (always)
Come to the dark side; we have latkes.
Funny, I sometimes envy BTs (baal teshuva ā Jewish people who are unlearned and return), because they are so earnest and learn so much.
They are very much like a person who never lifted weights and got serious. The newbie gains of BTs are amazing.
Thereās probably a Chabad with a bunch of ex-hippies near you, BTW, that would unhesitatingly accept you (and your goyishe husband). Also, reincarnation is not an uncommon belief amongst Hasidim.
Finally, gefiltefish is disgusting. Lox, on the other hand, is proof G-d loves us and wants us to be happy.
Thank you for the invitation, but Iām okay as I am, I think. My husband is yet another cradle Catholic, and I canāt see him having the kind of flexibility needed to engage another faith tradition. I wouldnāt want to do it without him.
While I see tremendous benefit in having grown up in a religious community, inclusion is not something I yearn for enough to take the kind of initiative required. For one thing, I would not achieve the desired goal. I often worry of males who transition to female that they take such drastic measures to achieve something that is impossible; to become a natural-born female. I see these as analogous. I wonāt ever have the experience of people born into a strong faith community.
I do have the great blessing, however, enjoying it vicariously through you and others like you.