How many are having more direct experiences with the God(desses)?

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

2 minutes ago, the Hearthwitch said:

No, not really. *I* see them as being the same- but I also was doing my best not to offend anyone, as I have known Christians and others who DO make that distinction, rather strongly. 

 

Perhaps I am losing my tactfulness and my patience.  When Christians pray that God will show me the truth -- their truth -- I tell them to go ahead.  That I am not afraid of their coercive magic.  

 

Did you see my comments on Reiki?  

[the Hearthwitch]

56 minutes ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

Perhaps I am losing my tactfulness and my patience.  When Christians pray that God will show me the truth -- their truth -- I tell them to go ahead.  That I am not afraid of their coercive magic.  

 

Did you see my comments on Reiki?  

No, I hadn't- sorry about that! I'm at work right now, so I get sidetracked easily.

Uh, I'm not a Reiki Master- you have me mixed up with someone else, I think...? I'm just a hearthwitch. 

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

37 minutes ago, the Hearthwitch said:

No, I hadn't- sorry about that! I'm at work right now, so I get sidetracked easily.

Uh, I'm not a Reiki Master- you have me mixed up with someone else, I think...? I'm just a hearthwitch. 

 

A source of wisdom.  

[the Hearthwitch]

19 minutes ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

A source of wisdom.  

Thank you! That's nice of you to say that. 

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

18 hours ago, the Hearthwitch said:

No, I hadn't- sorry about that! I'm at work right now, so I get sidetracked easily.

Uh, I'm not a Reiki Master- you have me mixed up with someone else, I think...? I'm just a hearthwitch. 

 

I went back over the threads.  It was Amulet I was thinking of.   

[RevTom]

On 8/11/2017 at 1:08 PM, Brother Kaman said:

Shared connotations of words and phrases are necessary to communicate data and ideas. It is becoming obvious that we do not share those connotations and semantics. I am not quibbling. I am trying to understand what you have written. Ultimately it makes no difference so I will bow out of this.

I do not mean to be cantankerous: I just don't know how to express it any better. I do appreciate and enjoy your thoughts. No umbrage meant.

[the Hearthwitch]

On 8/12/2017 at 7:21 AM, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

I went back over the threads.  It was Amulet I was thinking of.   

That's OK. It happens! 

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

3 hours ago, the Hearthwitch said:

That's OK. It happens! 

 

 

I suspect that Reiki is a good start for seeing Wicca as it is.  Oh, the symbolism is different, and the vocabulary, and the methods.  In the end, it's largely about awareness.  Awareness of things that other people don't get.  And not getting stuck in the illusion of others.  

 

I'm clear enough that there is only one reality -- but it gets thin around the edges.          

[the Hearthwitch]

33 minutes ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

 

I suspect that Reiki is a good start for seeing Wicca as it is.  Oh, the symbolism is different, and the vocabulary, and the methods.  In the end, it's largely about awareness.  Awareness of things that other people don't get.  And not getting stuck in the illusion of others.  

 

I'm clear enough that there is only one reality -- but it gets thin around the edges.          

Very, very thin. Especially as of late, LOL! 

[Raincloud]

On 8/4/2017 at 6:27 AM, the Hearthwitch said:

It seems, lately, as though more & more people are having direct, personal experiences with the Gods and Goddesses, as well as other Beings. I've been seeing this in blogs and elsewhere online, and since I'm kind of isolated, the online world is the only place that I've been connecting with like-minded people- I don't run into a lot of Pagans, Heathens, or witches of any stripe, in my everyday world. I've also been seeing that "supernatural" activity is reportedly on the rise, too, in these online communities- and I've noticed it, for the last few years, long before I found those communities and sites.

But, I am also keenly aware that birds of a feather tend to flock together...so, thought it would be a good idea to ask here, too, since this is broader site, in beliefs-

 

Have you had more going on in your spirit and spiritual world than you used to? Are you Seeing/Feeling/(insert-your-method-of-detection-here) more activity than in past years?

And are the God(dese)s calling on you personally?

 

Hi Hearthwitch. Yes, 2017 for me was full on intense personal, mystical and supernatural encounters with a Goddess. Just looking at the replies here, it seems this is not the place to reveal too much info. It won't satisfy the atheist skeptics/Christians double sided coin. But yes, 2017 was full on for this Wiccan. 

[the Hearthwitch]

Thank you, Raincloud! I know..."personal revelation" or whatever label you want to put on it isn't something that's all that...acceptable...for some. Glad to hear from you!

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

On 8/14/2017 at 3:27 PM, the Hearthwitch said:

Very, very thin. Especially as of late, LOL! 

 

Just so.  Because I'm more oriented to abstract forces, without personification, my perception of things will be different from your perceptions.  Still, we are probably tapping into the same -- what ever you want to call it.  For all our differences in tools, vocabulary, symbolism -- I expect what you are finding is real.  Hard to discuss, highly subjective, but real.  

 

 

[the Hearthwitch]

Thanks, Jonathan- I appreciate that.

 

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

2 minutes ago, the Hearthwitch said:

Thanks, Jonathan- I appreciate that.

 

 

 

I understand some of your concerns.  Between the hard core materialists, and the hard core dominant religious culture -- it is easy to get ground down.  Like grain between millstones.  For all that, there are other places to stand.  Places that are hard to define.     

[Songster]

I missed this topic when it was originally posted back in August....

 

Having been blessed with an experience which allowed me an intimate knowledge and understanding of the personal presence of the eternal God,  I'll share my thoughts on God "appearing" to humans...

 

As I am a Karmic Creationist, my understanding of the Divine and another's may differ, and we may also disagree on what shape, form, or fashion the Deity's physical manifestation might adopt for personal interaction. Whatever image donned or displayed, He would certainly appear in a manner best suited to convey the message the occasion required. Jews claim He appeared to Moses as a burning bush. Mohammed felt His presence behind a veil of blinding light. Christians assert He assumed the mantle of Man as the one known as Jesus.  I see Him in everything......

 

In closing, I talk to God all the time.... 

But I found out that if you talk to God in public, people may look at you funny, so I try to keep my conversations with Him private.

[grateful]

I talk to her sitting in trees!  Hello old friend ❤️

[Geordon]

On 8/3/2017 at 3:27 PM, the Hearthwitch said:

It seems, lately, as though more & more people are having direct, personal experiences with the Gods and Goddesses, as well as other Beings. I've been seeing this in blogs and elsewhere online, and since I'm kind of isolated, the online world is the only place that I've been connecting with like-minded people- I don't run into a lot of Pagans, Heathens, or witches of any stripe, in my everyday world.

 

(chanting in obscure dead language, waving hands above the motionless body of the thread)  

 

RISE AND BE REBORN! 

 

An interesting question.  In my personal experience, it's a chicken and egg problem:  Are you noticing things more because you are more open to the possibility, or are you noticing thing more because they are on the rise?  For what it's worth, there is really no objective way to tell.  That's why it's called faith.

 

Anecdotally, I have heard reports of increasing levels of "supernatural" (for lack of a better overarching term) activity for years.... I've been involved in Pagan practices since about 1990,  so I've been around a little while.  It is also important to note that the plural of anecdote is not "data."  

 

I'm also a (poorly) practicing Druid, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist, and a Devotee of Hekate.  Hekate is, by no stretch, an up close and personal goddess (titaness, technically, but we'll leave that distinction to the historians and academics).  Most reports of UPG that I have heard regarding her indicate that she is not one who often gets all up in your face and business.  Then again, one of her epithets means "Worker from Afar."  In my experience, she tends to linger in the background and watch you make a fool of yourself, but if you come to her with hat in hand, she will provide guidance or assistance.  But she's always watching.

 

You and me both.  I've been around since before "online" was a thing, and I agree:  Most of the online communities rapidly descend into what amounts to mutual admiration societies.  Practically no critical thinking.  The Facebook group The Witches Voice is a good one, which is the Facebook group for a website of the same name (http://witchvox.com).  Quality writing, often intellectually critical, not usually given to flights of fancy.

 

Another reliable community is Patheos Pagan, which is mostly a collection of intelligent, thoughtful, academically- and spiritually- based,  and critically written blog posts that cover a huge variety of segments of the Pagan population.

 

On 8/9/2017 at 11:29 PM, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

It is my understanding of the Agnostic way.  I have questions.  I have doubts.  Very few answers.  

 

You sound like a good Zen Buddhist to me.  It is said that a Zen student must have great faith, great doubt, and great determination.

 

On 8/11/2017 at 12:08 PM, Brother Kaman said:

Shared connotations of words and phrases are necessary to communicate data and ideas.

 

Words matter.  That's why it is very important to define terms and concepts,  and come to an agreed meaning when discussing complex ideas with people from other cultures (including regional variation and social differences).

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

2 hours ago, Geordon said:

 

(chanting in obscure dead language, waving hands above the motionless body of the thread)  

 

RISE AND BE REBORN! 

 

An interesting question.  In my personal experience, it's a chicken and egg problem:  Are you noticing things more because you are more open to the possibility, or are you noticing thing more because they are on the rise?  For what it's worth, there is really no objective way to tell.  That's why it's called faith.

 

Anecdotally, I have heard reports of increasing levels of "supernatural" (for lack of a better overarching term) activity for years.... I've been involved in Pagan practices since about 1990,  so I've been around a little while.  It is also important to note that the plural of anecdote is not "data."  

 

I'm also a (poorly) practicing Druid, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist, and a Devotee of Hekate.  Hekate is, by no stretch, an up close and personal goddess (titaness, technically, but we'll leave that distinction to the historians and academics).  Most reports of UPG that I have heard regarding her indicate that she is not one who often gets all up in your face and business.  Then again, one of her epithets means "Worker from Afar."  In my experience, she tends to linger in the background and watch you make a fool of yourself, but if you come to her with hat in hand, she will provide guidance or assistance.  But she's always watching.

 

You and me both.  I've been around since before "online" was a thing, and I agree:  Most of the online communities rapidly descend into what amounts to mutual admiration societies.  Practically no critical thinking.  The Facebook group The Witches Voice is a good one, which is the Facebook group for a website of the same name (http://witchvox.com).  Quality writing, often intellectually critical, not usually given to flights of fancy.

 

Another reliable community is Patheos Pagan, which is mostly a collection of intelligent, thoughtful, academically- and spiritually- based,  and critically written blog posts that cover a huge variety of segments of the Pagan population.

 

 

You sound like a good Zen Buddhist to me.  It is said that a Zen student must have great faith, great doubt, and great determination.

 

 

Words matter.  That's why it is very important to define terms and concepts,  and come to an agreed meaning when discussing complex ideas with people from other cultures (including regional variation and social differences).

 

Zen is interesting.  The path which is not a path.  I'm not sure I really get it.  I'm also not sure there is anything to get.

 

I have become fond of the Agnostic label.  All labels distort.  Still, I know that I don't know.  I don't trust anybody, who is sure that he does know.  When I was young, I knew it all.  Now, not so much.

[Geordon]

18 hours ago, Jonathan H. B. Lobl said:

 

Zen is interesting.  The path which is not a path.  I'm not sure I really get it.  I'm also not sure there is anything to get.

 

I have become fond of the Agnostic label.  All labels distort.  Still, I know that I don't know.  I don't trust anybody, who is sure that he does know.  When I was young, I knew it all.  Now, not so much.

 

Thats a common but incorrect impression of Zen.  It is definitely a path, but it is nearly entirely experiential, meaning that while a teacher can help you find the path and accompany you through the struggles that you WILL encounter, you have to walk it yourself.  

 

The teacher that I am currently working with, Meido Moore Roshi, has recently published a text written specifically for the neophyte, the beginner, the person who wants to study Zen in general and Rinzai Zen in particular.  I'm still working my way through it, but the writing is very accessible. The Rinzai Zen Way (Amazon non-affiliate link).

 

One of the things that I like about Zen is that it not only accepts that you don't know, but it encourages you to realize that condition.

[Jonathan H. B. Lobl]

4 hours ago, Geordon said:

 

Thats a common but incorrect impression of Zen.  It is definitely a path, but it is nearly entirely experiential, meaning that while a teacher can help you find the path and accompany you through the struggles that you WILL encounter, you have to walk it yourself.  

 

The teacher that I am currently working with, Meido Moore Roshi, has recently published a text written specifically for the neophyte, the beginner, the person who wants to study Zen in general and Rinzai Zen in particular.  I'm still working my way through it, but the writing is very accessible. The Rinzai Zen Way (Amazon non-affiliate link).

 

One of the things that I like about Zen is that it not only accepts that you don't know, but it encourages you to realize that condition.

 

That sounds familiar.  This is something that I can relate to.