posted June 20, 2016 05:15 PM
Saw your thread, and only have time for a short statement today...The most important things you are doing is LOVING GOD, and Questioning the things you read and hear. Questioning the truthfulness of ANYTHING you encounter. That is sooo healthy.
I had a button when I was in my teenage years that said "Question Authority!" ... and omgoodness.... did I ever! I could ask questions and have curled many a hair in my day. ... Maybe, lovingly, I still do. I'm an enigma! LOL But a Devoted one!....and a Good-Hearted one.
MAINTAIN your Love for God, always.
Sometimes there are "natural" periods in our lifetimes that make a shift towards less involvement in spirituality or religion. (Sometimes transits can show us these.) There are times where we 'just live our lives' mundanely.
It can become a worry when you think God left you?, but he hasn't. You are being developed as a regular human life and being. You CAN count on Him being there in the hardest hardest times. The tribulations and trials are many! (scriptures!!) These are for the BUILDING UP of your Faith. Doesn't necessarily mean you did anything wrong to deserve it. These happen.
Even when you are in a 'dry' period (The Night of Sense, in Mystical RC literature), God has NOT abandoned you.
God is there for us--- KNOW that you gave your Heart to Him, and by that pledge, HE drew you and responds with Faithfulness to BE there for you, whether your aware or not.
The Core of your Heart pledged to WANT what He wants for you. You can TRUST that He will lead your Paths straight, as your mind comes back to Him. (You've hidden much Word in your Heart, and this is the Pool that the Holy Spirit will draught from for your Entire life. YOU are Blessed!) ....
No matter how crooked the walkway seems, keep one foot in front of the other, and Trust with all your Heart Mind Will Emotions and Soul... that HE will Direct your Paths. As you get into these other interests?, Maintain some balancing. .... Try to come back to your prayer life, and do little inner desert retreats for yourself from time to time. Refreshing.
As I tried to write to you in SPs, I'm an older woman (61), and I have been on spiritual adventures of a lifetime. I've explored..... but there's stuff I didn't, too.
After receiving a pretty bad crippling spiritual-emotional wound by a RC Priest in my youth, WITHIN literal 30 seconds after my very first 'revelation-knowledge' opening that "GOD IS LOVE" (the Spirit of LOVE), he made fun of me, and tore me down, so sardonic. I turned my back on God in the weeks following that hurt. (He actually LEFT the priesthood a month afterwards.) I became an atheist for a while, then agnostic.
I joined an EdgarCayce study group in college. Every time they'd mention the name Jesus, I would spit and fume and demand that they not say that name..... But eventually, they brought my wounded self back to a state of healing and the grace of being okay with Christ. (Thank God for those sensitive individuals who were in my group! They brought me BACK to Christ.)
I became interested and steeped in the new age while all the rest of my former friends were getting born again.
I was in college during those days, and the Jesus Freak movement was ripe. I used to be able to turn their head around because they had only a memorized-script, a "head" knowledge, and not the deep "heart" knowledge of what the Bible scriptures were about.
Not knowing the scriptures myself, it seemed amazing that I made such cogent arguments with them. They made sure that when their evangelist-pack (~regularly) came to hound me in the study-lounges, that there were at least three or more of them. *Be afraid, be very afraid!* .... ROFLMAO!!
Finally one day, I looked with laser precision on them and said, I was looking for The Light--- IF Jesus was the Light, then they wouldn't have to worry about ME, because "I'll FIND him".... And indeed, I did.
During an Eclipse at 23 Libra (significant) a decade+ later, April 13, 1987, I was having a DREAM that turned into a Lucid Experience. (I've written about that experience and a few other mystical experiences I've had, in two or three different threads here at LL.) I'd also had a ~really bizarre dream on April 6(?) a week before that, where I encountered Angels with neon-pink flaming swords. I had been walking in space, and rolled down this big invisible hill till I laid a their feet--- They were going to see if I was "worthy"??? ... I had no idea what that meant! Then April 13th Eclipse happened...
What happened is that I had a conversion-experience (I think they would call it). I already loved God, but didn't have God living INSIDE me, only an outside church kind of faith. I hadn't yet "OWNED" or 'received' on-the-INSIDE what I felt on-the-outside of me.
My ENTIRE life changed over the course of a few hours. I woke up a 'different' person....
From the very first moments when you have the inkling that there is 'something more' to life than just your own self, your own little world, then you have begun the spiritual journey.
There are layers, upon layers, upon layers of opening-awarenesses that you will have.
(And I'm WAY NOT DONE mine yet...
So far...., I've come.
So far MORE, I have left to go...)
The more you know, the more you know that you DON'T know, at all.
Having DREAMS???.... That's sooooo Cool, BbyScorp!!
I used to have precognitive dreams, too.
I started keeping a dream journal the year I was 13 or 14 years old, because my dream life was prolific! (Burned all them at age 19!! ~oy, that's another story.) Then I took it up again in my early 20s.
I would make little sketches of my dream scenes too, next to the written text.
Whenever a dream "came true" I'd note it. (Like, walking into a place you've never been, but you DREAMED it in advance!! .... heheh, pretty shocking when you start doing that!) I'd go back to the page and make a notation in the margin of date and time and place, and if anything happened... which, nothing special did, btw. I just 'dreamed' it in advance.
I don't know if you are familiar with any of the non-denominational Spirit-Filled Christian churches? You might enjoy those.
That's normal to be curious and try to learn many things....
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BALANCE.... Finding Balance (when you've gone too far one way or the other) is crucial.... Pray that you'll be sensitive and 'wake up' if you've gone too far one way or the other. And you 'find' your fit in different places along your Journey...
So for me?, I'm eclectic. I'm into exploring many philosophies, religious beliefs. I like finding the "Common Denominators" in all of these. Love, is the Answer.
In a choice to remain within a Christian perspective?, try to find yourself an "inclusive" church who practice a WHOLE-HEARTED LOVE!!
The Entire and INCLUSIVE LOVE of God, the wanting to DO the work of Christ here on earth. .... LOVE GOD, embrace People for WHO they are, just LOVE them. And folks who will also teach YOU Good Self-Esteem!!!
Avoid too much exposure to places that leave you consistently feeling really really bad about yourself. There IS time for examining the self, and we do miss the mark all the time {'sin'} because we are growing individuals and not Saints!...
But, if you were to find yourself feeling Depression for being a 'bad person'?... and you don't get answers to your questions, then, discuss that or get the hell out of there for while.... Church is there to correct you spiritually, and to Lift you up--- not to make you feel like a hopeless sinner going to hell. NO way. Flee!!!!!
I speak many kinds of church languages, LOVE languages, and Consciousness communities' language.
I'll leave an url for a thread I participated in about Tarot and Religion. I HOPE you'll get something from it for yourself.
This is from the Oranges & Hyacinths LL Forum, in a thread by Lethargic- started on July 20, 2015. http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000656.html
Every once in a while some good discussions go on within the LL Divine Diversities Forum, so I invite and welcome your presence there too. We have an array!
I have an ongoing 3 year thread over in Labors of Love Forum, where I discuss asteroids, my personal struggles in life (trying to relocate!!! LOL), AS WELL AS expressing my STRONG Dedicated Love for God. I leave a lot of song urls all over to help ADD to my messages around LL.
I know I promised you a conversation before.... And this is part of what I wanted to tell you, though not all.
You're a Blessing, to BE a Blessing!
Wishing you MUCH Love, MANY hugs, and Very Good Wishes for a Marvelous Future ahead of you.
Live your life with the BEST INSIDE QUALITY you can BE as you move around the landscapes of your life....
And TRUST GOD with your Beautiful Soul. He made you, and HE is Faithful... And I am a Witness of that Love in my own life.... Go, Do Good to Others--- ESPECIALLY your OWN Self.
You Can Do This Life.... Believe, in God. Stay in the Love and Bosom of Christ, The Lily of The Valley, within this valley of the shadow of Death called Life. -- Always.
God LOVES YOU like ~Crazy Love that [I]never[/b] lets go--- and HE Is sooooo Faithful.
Rest... Be Good, Do Good.
(Set those default Values to what you want!! LOL)
And thankyou for the Opportunity you gave me here to Share in your thread!!! {{hug}}
(music) He Who Began A Good Work in You (Philippians 1:6) [3:22] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsynL7m_1VE