Looking for a way to progress spiritually

[Red Sun]

Hello, new member here. The reason I made this account and am starting this topic is because I am a little lost, spiritually-wise. I don't expect anyone to point me in the exact direction, but I am seeking advice. I come from a Christian upbringing, went through a phase of atheism mixed with New Age, back to Christianity (for a short while) and since then I am forming my own beliefs, so to speak. I'm happy with these beliefs, even if some are vague. However, for some time I feel like I stopped "evolving" and I don't want that, since I had the desire for self-development for as long as I can remember.

I don't know what I look for, but I know what I'm interested in and in what I am not. Currently my spiritual practices revolve around mindfulness meditation, mudra meditation, praying and self-hypnosis (I count this as a spiritual practice due to my experiences during it). I also worked with chakras before. As you see, it's not much, but I am interested in expanding these practices and finding new forms of them. I am also interested in healing myself and others, both mentally and physically, deepening the relationship with God/Creator/Universe/First Cause (not really sure about the nature of it) and increasing the knowledge of myself along with the nature of things in general. The topics I am not interested in are contacting the dead, summoning demons and other spirits. These things seem downright dangerous to me and I don't see any reason for myself to perform them. I am also not interested in foreseeing the future - not for any particular reason, it's just not something I see myself doing, at least as of now.

As I wrote, I'm not really sure what I look for, whether it even belongs to the occult. It could be I am looking for some kind of a religion. So far Buddhism seems to be the closest to what I currently believe, but there are just too many fundamental things I don't agree with to become a "full-time" Buddhist. I'm also done with Christianity. There are concepts I still like in this belief system, but it's just not for me.

It's also worth mentioning that I know a little about the occult (a little is a very appropriate choice of words here though). I read about different things during my New Age fascination, but never really put into practice any of it, aside from one act which I would like to keep to myself. I have this weird relationship with the occult though - sometimes it seems fascinating, and sometimes it inspires aversion; at times I believe in the things it deals with, and at others I am very skeptical towards it; I can be completely indifferent to it, or I can be excited by it. I guess the same goes for this site, as I’ve been randomly visiting it over the years. And here I am again.

Therefore my questions are - what should I look at, where should I start, should I even approach it from the occult side? What belief systems deal with the things I mentioned? As I wrote, I don't expect anyone to put me on the exact track, but it would be great to have some advice, a hint, a book, or maybe even something I could work with. In other words a thing that would give me a general idea of some other thing.

[RockDemon]

Hello Red Sun, try reading Franz Bardon's Initiation Into Hermetics. It seems to me that it may suit you, at least to some degree. Otherwise maybe chaos magick?

[Desecrated]

I don't know what I look for, but I know what I'm interested in and in what I am not. Currently my spiritual practices revolve around mindfulness meditation, mudra meditation, praying and self-hypnosis (I count this as a spiritual practice due to my experiences during it). I also worked with chakras before. As you see, it's not much, but I am interested in expanding these practices and finding new forms of them.

These are not things that are usually expended upon. You just keep doing the basic exercises for a very long time and eventually you'll get some results. Or lack of desire to results.

But maybe Zen buddhist meditation (Zazen) could be something interesting for you.

As for the rest of your post. It seems like you are looking very hard to find something to belong to. Maybe it would be worth looking into the concept of not belonging to any existing school. You could even start to tinker with the idea of YOU without labels.
You know the whole "I am this", "i am that". Try being "I am" for a while.

[Red Sun]

Thanks for taking your time to read and reply! I'm a little disappointed though, because I thought more people would post in this topic - then again it's been on here for less than 2 days, so maybe I just need to wait.

As for the contents of your replies...

RockDemon - I heard about this book before, but isn't it something for advanced occultists/magicians? I remember reading about people making a distinct line between "introduction" and "initiation" when talking about it. As for chaos magick, I will need to read about it more, as I have almost zero knowledge on this subject.

Desecrated - they aren't? I always thought that energy controlling, reiki, OOBE, raising kundalini etc. are based upon it. Not really sure about this though.

I don't look for something to belong to. However, I definitely agree with your point on the labels - I always want to label myself and not doing this is out of my comfort zone. I suspect why and it seems obvious, but never thought about it before... Thanks, it's a food for thought for sure.

[Cybernetic_Jazz]

Red Sun,

If you're looking to get into particularly advanced esotericism/occultism all the while keeping a Christian cultural bearing and symbol set you'd probably want to look into both Rosicrucianism and Martinism. Particularly if you're coming at this from Catholic roots you'd want to look at Martinism.

[taijitu2]

Did you ever look into paganism?

Its nothing like Hollywood portrays it. On the contrary, its filled with profound spiritual truth and wisdom for anyone willing to do the research and practice.

[Red Sun]

Thank you very much for the suggestions! I'll definitely have a look or more at these.

[corvidus]

It sounds very much like you're interested in mysticism and mystical experience.
While I can't direct you anywhere specific, I can list a number of resources you might find interesting:

The Mysticism of Sound and Music by Hazrat Inayat Khan
Taoist Yoga: Alchemy & Immortality by Charles Luk
Sefer Yetzirah: In Theory and Practice by Aryeh Kaplan
Qabalah: The Mystical Heritage of the Children of Abraham by Daniel Hale Feldman
Meditation and Kabbalah by Aryeh Kaplan
The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rozenkreutz

It might also be interesting to dig around various shamanic traditions to see what resonates with you.
Also, I went heavy on the Western mystical traditions because of its strong relationship to Christianity.
If you like mantra work, I would direct you to study Abraham Abulafia's works as well.

You should also look into Hermeticism beyond Franz Bardon's books. He leaves out the majority of the real delicious stuff

[Red Sun]

That's a lot to choose from, many thanks corvidus!

[one-off]

Red, if you're familiar with christian traditions then Initiation into Hermetics will fit into your current paradigm like a glove.

I've done a ton of researching on the original Hermeticum and compared it to what's stated in Genesis and found the links.

That's a story for another time, if you pick the IIH send me a pm with your email address. Rockdemon and I are both neophytes to it as well. We started a chat group and we talk pretty much everyday sharing ideas, and holding each other accountable to some degree.

He's on step 2 of the practical magic and I'm almost finished with step 1 so we could mentor you through it, but we're not so far ahead so we all can go on the journey together.

There's a third person in the group, but she hasn't really sat down and dedicated herself just yet. I'm hoping she will soon, so you'd have someone either right where you are or a bit behind you as well.

[Red Sun]

Thank you for the offer, but I'm more of a lone wolf, especially when it comes to spirituality. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to do everything by myself (or else I wouldn't even be writing on this forum), but I prefer to work alone and consult others when I get stuck on something. Another thing is, I'm not even sure if Bardon's book is for me - it will take some time before I do my research and check all the suggestions (or their derivatives) posted here.

[RockDemon]

It is okay, in fact you will need a lot of time to understand what you need spiritually. However if there are still some ideas from christianity that you agree with, I would suggest reading the Qabalah books Corvidus mentioned. Also read IIH, at least the theory part it is very brief. And you may want to check Golden Dawn works, it is hermeticism but with a different approach, and with more Christian symbols. Meanwhile to keep you busy while you are delving into some traditions to find out what suits you , I would suggest to practice Shinichi's Fundamental Development.If you are ever going to do practical magick you will have to pass through those steps in some way.

[Red Sun]

Again, thank you for the suggestions. It surely will take me some time to find my way... But that's a good thing, I don't mind. I'm glad that I have a vast area of choices here.

[Haelos]

Trust me, Bardons books are what youre looking for.
Just read them. A few times.

No need to work in a group unless you want.

[Rin]

While I'm a fan of Bardon's books, if I'm honest I have to say that there are probably better systems out there for someone who's purely interested in mysticism and spiritual growth (although Bardon would complement most of them nicely).

[Haelos]

While I'm a fan of Bardon's books, if I'm honest I have to say that there are probably better systems out there for someone who's purely interested in mysticism and spiritual growth (although Bardon would complement most of them nicely).

*Purely* spiritually, yes. But as Bardon points out, there's very little point over all unless youre developing on all three planes.

The best I find pure mysticism has to offer is Death.

[RockDemon]

Guys what do you mean by "pure mysticism", like only theories and theoretical development, and no practice?

[Haelos]

Guys what do you mean by "pure mysticism", like only theories and theoretical development, and no practice?

First stated by Shinichi and now likely misquoted by me - Mysticism involves transcending reality; Magick involves mastering it.

[RockDemon]

Guys what do you mean by "pure mysticism", like only theories and theoretical development, and no practice?

First stated by Shinichi and now likely misquoted by me - Mysticism involves transcending reality; Magick involves mastering it.

I got it, thanks.

[Rin]

*Purely* spiritually, yes. But as Bardon points out, there's very little point over all unless youre developing on all three planes.

Which is why plenty (although of course not all) of mystical systems start with the development of the physical body (Yoga asana work, the assorted martial arts practiced by Daoist and Buddhist sects, etc). Once the physical body is strong and limber, one can start working with the energy body, once that is sufficiently developed, once can start working with the consciousness, and so forth. Of course these divisions are artificial, but they serve as a good roadmap.

The above descriptions of magic and mysticism are brief but solid, but it's worth mentioning that there's a degree of crossover between the two (how extensive this is varies). One has to trascend reality to a degree to master it, and one cannot transcend it beyond a certain point without mastering it (or possibly, one masters it in the process of trascending it - a matter of perspective I guess). This is where the image of the wise magician comes from (although sadly not all live up to it), and likewise how the miracles of saints are brought forth.

Personally I think it comes down to the needs of the individual in their current lifetime. I suspect in the grand scheme of things, we all have incarnations in which we've practiced different forms of mysticism and magic - it's just about what you're here to learn now, in this body and this life.

The best I find pure mysticism has to offer is Death.

How so?

[Sweetgum]

Hi Red Sun

You posted 13 days ago. Were the replies you received satisfactory
It's 6am here in the UK and I could do with a break from the work I'm doing, so I thought I'd give you an alternative answer

You said .....

I am forming my own beliefs
I feel like I stopped "evolving"
desire for self-development
Currently my spiritual practices revolve around mindfulness meditation, mudra meditation, praying and self-hypnosis
I am interested in expanding these practices and finding new forms of them
I am also interested in healing myself and others, both mentally and physically
deepening the relationship with God/Creator/Universe/
It could be I am looking for some kind of a religion
I have this weird relationship with the occult though - sometimes it seems fascinating, and sometimes it inspires aversion
what should I look at
where should I start
should I even approach it from the occult side
What belief systems deal with the things I mentioned


That's a pretty tall order, Red Sun, for a forum answer
Fortunately you also wrote, "I don't expect anyone to put me on the exact track"
That's just as well, as I'm not feeling like anything strenuous at the moment
You will find me generally accurate, in a broad, sweeping sort of way

A problem many have at your stage in life is the tension between pursuing spiritual principles and earning money
Unless you attend to earning a living first, unless you put your personal finances on a sound footing your mind will always be clouded
If heaven is spiritual and earth is temporal, you have been born into your life to be temporal and learn something from it

If, perhaps you have recently moved home or something of that sort, you have not totally burned your bridges, and fences can be mended
Because in addition to putting you on this earth to learn something, God put about you, people who have the advice you need
You just haven't noticed that critical advice within the babbling

I advised you, first and foremost to put your personal finances on a sound footing
In a round-about way I have advised you to re-build and strengthen the links with those close to you
There was a reason for that
You are a young person and life is not always going to be a bed of roses. Spiritual people do not escape the normal catastrophes of life
You will lose your spiritual faith for a period, and that is why I am not answering the above list of questions. They are irrelevant
You were put in this world to be temporal and to learn something from it. You will be temporal. You will learn
It's a long life and there's plenty of time to return to the spiritual when you have life experience to inform it

At this moment, you feel that a temporary loss of spiritual identity can only be bad
In fact, eventually, you will find within it, great joy

Best wishes