Amulet

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Everything posted by Amulet

  1. Hello Reverend, You are assuming that members are offended when really it is very possible and likely that your style of writing a response comes across as provoking and/or defensive. Whether that is actually the case, please keep in mind that in a forum setting, and especially when communicating by text, that it is often wise to add vocabulary that will properly convey the feeling you are trying to impart. And to all members; please do not feel obligated to respond to everything that is posted.
  2. I hope life is pacing much more smoothly these days. Welcome back.
  3. These are all great perspectives and I love the replies that have come in so far. It is so interesting to see how everyone's approach to "minister" applies primarily (as a noun/adjective/verb) and the thoughts about the church doctrine. I consider myself a full time minister. The interesting thing for me, is that I am doing ministering type of work all the time but if it is not specifically for ULC, I don't think of it as minister work. I am a minister doing minister work but without thinking of it that way. I never thought about why. Is it like that for anyone else who is actively engaging with members of the community?
  4. The original post to this topic is the following: After review of the topic it is now locked. My interpretation of the original post quoted above, is that the questions were presented to gain insight and perspective about the writings of a specific sacred text and other related publications. The resulting discussion has been a whole lot of assertions coming from logic and ego. - To the degree that the tone is becoming increasingly unfriendly and escalating through different degrees of hostility and provocation. Unfortunately all of that has superseded a real opportunity to be expanding knowledge and perspective about the belief system and the texts which are so misunderstood and misrepresented right now. There is such a wealth of knowledge available to share on the topic. I hope this can be remedied by having a genuine exchange that aims to enlighten...
  5. Welcome to the forum! Thank you for sharing about the positive going on. This crossed my path at just the perfect time.
  6. The Tee-Up: Your ordination is life long and doesn't expire. Acknowledgement of your ordination by the church is 24/7. You are also a participating member of the forum and possibly belong to other ULC groups on FB. I have a few curious questions referencing the above: 1. Does the acknowledgment of you being an ordained minister 24/7 mean that you are a full time minister because your ordination counts is acknowledged "always"? Or does the term "full time minister" have a different definition if applied to you, your beliefs and your lifestyle? Is there such a thing in your life as being a minister seasonally? Such as for peak wedding season, and then the rest of the year you make no claims about being a minister and perform no other ministerial duties to speak of? 2. Do you consider yourself to be an active minister? What does being an active minister mean for you? Would it mean you actively do "minister things" for a minimum number of hours out of your day or through the week? Does actively participating on the forum or in the ULC groups on FB mean you are an active minister? How regular would doing "minister things" have to be for you to consider yourself active? Is there something specific you think an active minister should be doing? 3. Does the church doctrine specifically come up for you as a reference when you have to weigh decisions now and then? For example, if you saw someone drop a $20 bill and they didn't notice and kept going. Or if you are counting calories/fat and had a choice between eating fries or steamed broccoli? I am not talking about conscience or obligation. I mean, do the actual words of the church doctrine "do that which is right" run through your mind in certain cases for making decisions? No? Yes? Sometimes? - Does it come up for you to use the church doctrine as a piece of advice when it applies to a situation? Like, you literally tell or remind someone "do that which is right?" (or even "do the right thing." but you thought of the doctrine.) ...No right or wrong answers. I am curious how members define some aspects for themselves as ordained ministers.
  7. My deepest condolences to you all. You will remain in my thoughts and wishes for peace and well-being. Warm hugs.
  8. Congrats to you and your family. What a wonderful occasion and a blessing that you were able to officiate for them! It is wonderful that you have come back to the forum to share the story. Wishing you continued good health and happiness and more blessings that makes each new day special.
  9. I am also a pacifist. But I want to clarify that my pacifism is an ethical stance that extends to all living beings and creatures, not just human beings, which also means that my food choices are also aligned to be as detached from violence as best as possible. (Ahimsa.) At this point, I am unsure what defines an enemy. I have not given the definition for my own self about 'enemy' in its true definition much thought really. I hopefully distinguish well enough between perceived threat, direct threat and indirect threat before making any kinds of decisions. The one that gives me the most trouble is indirect threat. Because of prior experiences, it causes me to be act more preemptively than defensively and has been on my mind a lot recently, as to what is the best way to handle something that comes sideways. As for it being right way to do handle enemies (threats?), hmm.. it's right for me until I'm wrong? If I'm wrong I'll be pushing daisies!
  10. A major forum software update was installed and it leaves some things looking different. One of the more obvious changes is that for anyone who does not have a user avatar uploaded, the forum will default to use the first letter of the username of the account. We do not control what color your letter is going to be. The like button on the right of the posts also has new styling. The panel in the back does not offer options to change the styling for that either. (I liked the previous one better.) Down the road i will be able to have some graphics to upload for different styles of 'like buttons'. In the meantime, I am hoping the software developers will update to accommodate a few things. Or if you actually like this version of it, share your feedback. If you experience any bugs with navigating or interacting with the forum software please report them here or PM me or report them in the Bug Report forum which I see is located in Help Desk in the Legal Questions forum for some reason... Thank you and enjoy your week!
  11. ...I had someone ask me recently about the degrees. There are a lot of different ways to try to explain what is "legitimate", "real" or "recognized." The bottom line to the general population is; if it isn't government regulated, it isn't recognized as legitimate. Isn't that the strangest thing? When I phrase it that way, it is amazing just how much control government has over what information is sanctioned as true, valid or academically "worthy" of recognition. For some fields it is necessary. Others not so much. I also find it something to be cautious about. And in the case of ULC degrees, some people are so accustomed to believing they need government regulation to feel validated, that any opportunities to learn outside of the government system becomes invalidated or are left behind. I think that is unfortunate when it comes to spiritual or religious matters especially.
  12. Oh wow that is fantastic! Is your artwork mostly in the fantasy genre? How long did this one take you to complete?
  13. This is lovely RevTom. Thank you so much for sharing. There is so much left to the imagination. I suppose that is part of the point!
  14. Greetings and welcome Jeff! Thanks for saying hello! Pleasure to meet you. I look forward to crossing paths in the discussions and conversations here! Let us know if you have any questions. Congratulations on your recent ordination!
  15. I see Ministry in humanitarian work. I also see it particularly in places where it comes to improving a sense of well-being. Such as internet mags and health centers that offer information about personal development and tools for managing things of holistic nature (Mind-Body wellness) such as managing stress, or reflecting on gratitude and abundance etc. You raise an interesting matter by asking if one views the clergy as an authority as our ancestors once did or if it is more a religious scholar type of thing. If I go back far enough within my ancestry, it was both.
  16. Misconceptions of all types regarding beliefs and of course, with all sorts of stereotypes (cultural, etc.) remain fixed and static until perspective opens up through dialogue. It is so important to have dialogue for this reason. I don't think we have enough of it, and more than ever it is sorely needed. There is so much diversity. And so much knowledge and experience just sitting waiting to be tapped into. I have always disliked the word apologetics. Since I'm sitting here I had to look up the etymology of the word and find out what on Earth would have the church using the term. It is archaic, but that makes more sense to me. ^
  17. This is fascinating. Was someone only given hero status upon their death? Are there heroes who existed and were given this status during their living years and were not hybrid mortal/god/semidivine ?
  18. Welcome back! The year has been a whirlwind for many of us. Anyone that has been taking a...hiatus of sorts, similar to you taking some time off, may be returning as well. "We" always do find home again. Hugs,
  19. Hi Joy, Like all who provide a service, even with wedding planning or wedding officiating for example, it depends on what is offered. That and "a lot of money" is relative. We know how that goes! I will explain some of what is entailed in the costs. This is probably one of the areas that is very largely misunderstood because there are a lot of different ways that attunements can be approached. Some teachers have classes that last all day, or even over two days, and they provide lunch, snacks, your materials and have to pay for a venue. That isn't cheap. Others will hold a class all day for one day, and still provide a meal and snacks that are catered or whatnot in their home plus your learning materials, which still isn't cheap. Usually those teachers who spend the most time up front can become your mentors. They stay in touch with you throughout your journey to mastership. It is often the goal to lead a student to do their work and intimately understand the value and benefits of how energy reciprocates among us to heal one another among other things. In the older tradition, it is a relationship that would ideally remain connected for life. This is why lineage is important to some. In the circle of mentorship and connection, one will have a sense of living a way of life that is on purpose with reciprocating at a high vibration. The healers within a lineage become your circle. Your family. Everyone is on the same page with creating peace as their lifestyle and continue to work towards it always. Within a lineage, our forces gather to send energy outward in a way that is stronger than if we healed as individuals. The nature of peace for those connected within a lineage is always flowing, so it becomes important to train those within the lineage to begin to make peace and healing a way of life and not just a "thing" to visit with. Everyone living this lifestyle "under the same roof" so-to-speak is then healing together with an extraordinarily powerful flow. We believe this gathering will bring greater peace to the body and can bring miracles to heal the gravely sick and offer a whole other level of compassionate transition to the dying. For the types of teachers above, the time spent mentoring students isn't often charged by the hour as if it is an appointment with a psychiatrist. That can happen, but generally it isn't like that. Mentorship goes on for months, sometimes years, and that cost is included in the initial fees. It could be the case that what appears to be a large expense up front doesn't earn a teacher much more than $2.00 an hour in the end, if that. That and in general, Attunements are not something that goes on for a teacher every day of the week. More like once per month. The teachers often also pay for materials to include in their study books for you as I mentioned, or cover the cost of your notebook and all of the paperwork and certificates. Really it just depends on so much. Some teachers will have a two hour session where someone comes in for a while, gets their attunement and goes out to celebrate, or whatever it is that one feels inclined to do afterward, and it costs $150 and includes the workbook materials and they go their own way. It is a solitary path where it requires work to continue to educate oneself without a mentor or a healing circle. Unlike the above which I described, some want the knowledge and only plan to engage in it for personal use and don't want to make it a lifestyle. A person has to check in with what they want to ultimately get out of each level of their training. There are a lot of times where the value may translate if you ask what is included in the service and it is in line with what you plan to do with the training. I think we all know quality education and training takes time. So much really boils down to how much time we want to invest and what the ultimate result to get out of it is.
  20. Hello Yotetsu, I just saw this is your first post here. Welcome aboard! Thank you for sharing wisdom about your practice with Zen. There is a perfect full circle in your observation.
  21. OK thanks. It seemed similar from your description. Out of curiosity, I will have to look up if it has any precepts that the work is carried out under, if any. This is true! An interesting point about that is where some practitioners seek training to add certifications of different types of Reiki to add more symbols, such as going the route of learning the Karuna version. But if one type is practiced for long enough, the realization comes that Ki is Ki and symbols are part of a ceremony of sorts for guiding intention. Regarding your initial post: Energy work can really open up some avenues, no doubt about it. That has to be one of the most amazing things about the work is the experience is indescribable. One of the most amazing and rewarding things for me is after teaching Reiki I - having several people say their hands won't stop buzzing the next day or two. Nothing is ever said about it expecting any of that to happen, but it is reported over and over again. I remember being totally amazed by that after my own experience with my Reiki I attunement. It certainly set me on a course to continue on with!
  22. If it helps, I am an Usui Reiki RMT. My lineage is 7th downline from Dr. Usui. My teacher/mastership was earned in 2003. I am still currently an active practitioner. The major part of my career for over a decade is energy healing therapy. I have heard of Therapeutic Touch as well as Quantum Touch. I never looked into them in depth. I had given one of them a glance. I don't remember which one it was, but they wanted a year or two of ongoing schooling and a mentorship to get a certification. The number of hours required looked really hardcore. Your description of Therapeutic Touch sounds like Reiki 2/3 work without attunement or use of the symbols. I wondered if that is the case? Is a Therapeutic Touch session different than a Reiki Session for you? Was this what opened the door for you to begin learning Reiki or was it Reiki that led you to discover Therapeutic Touch?
  23. Happy return, Rev Kuespert. I am looking forward to your shares!
  24. Hi Jonathan, how awesome! What is the method of this vs. Reiki? The name sounds like it is something hands on like acupressure + Reiki ? For you was this something that was opening flow in meridians or something different? I'd love to know more. Thanks!
  25. Thanks for posting about this. It is a cache and cookie thing for security. Unfortunately it kicks us off instead of just sending a notification to let us know that the account was logged on from somewhere else and asking to confirm if it is ok! I have gone in circles with the needing to login thing myself! This will also happen if you have recently changed your password. The two cookies that hold your information begin conflicting. Clearing the cache will normally fix the situation. Hopefully it does between your two devices! Sometimes the software will make things more complicated than they need to be!