Hello All

[kislany]

Hi everyone, just joined. I come from a country that didn't allow any religious beliefs until pretty recently, so I grew up an atheist. After I've left my country, I've started to be more and more interested in various aspects of spirituality. While I still don't care at all about religion in any shape or form, I've read over the last 10 years lots of books on astrology, tarot (have over 20 decks at home), meditation, reincarnation, lucid dreaming, astral projection, witchcraft, psychic development - you name it. If it's something that uses more than our 5 senses, I'm interested in it.

While it's fun to learn about all these separately, I always felt that I'm missing a common thread, a connection between them, something that makes them different parts of the same thing. And as I've been reading for a while this forum before I joined, I've realized that what I miss is an overall umbrella of the occult, that has everything in one place and caters to them all. So I'm already feeling at home here. Plus I've also learned that I've got SO MUCH to still learn!

Anyway, that's my story in short, and I hope to learn and contribute on this forum over time.

kislany

[dodaive]

Welcome Kislany

Welcome [happy] , by "religion" do you mean in it's organized form that it is practiced, or do you mean entirely.
i would say much of the occult is built upon religious beliefs, just radically different than the beliefs of organized religion. Actually, each person has to go through the hard work of interpreting it for his/herself.

[Meresis Wergamoth]

Welcome, I am myself quite new on this forum, and so far I realy like it.

Would you feel to tell me what country you come from? I know China has this kind of religious interdiction, and it is pretty bad because Taoism is one of my favorite philosophy. However the contry, I'm glad things moves on.

I believe that Occult philosophy would be a fair term to name the big picture of it all. Anyway, I wish you good luck in your studies and practice af the Arte.

Dodaive: I would not go as far as saying you are wrong, because mysteries of the occult bring this religious, or mystical feeling in our life, but for me mysticism in not always religious, and the Occult is not always either of the both...
One could very well study psychic power or sublte energy forms in a metaphysic, alternate science mindset.
But, of course, all of it is interwoven for many practitioners, because we have the chance to live in a very mysterious, wonderful and awesome world [pray]

[dodaive]

@W.M. How do you define "religious"? Religion to me is just a conceptual meme. Ideas have to come from some where. When ideas originate in yourself I think that is a wonderful thing, I'm not sure how common it is.

[Meresis Wergamoth]

@ Dodaive:

Religion on Wiki:

''The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures.''

I know Wikipedia is not perfect and is very general, but this definition is near that what I mean...

For exemple, Spiritual alchemy would not be religious, being neither a cult nor a communauty, It would be more definissable as mysticism. Mysticism is not nececarly religious and religion is not always mystic, but they are not mutualy exclusive either.

I hope this clarify my opinion. [stare]

[dodaive]

''The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural), and/or scriptures.''

Using this definition, I would say I am very anti-religious. Actually, if you want to use this definition, then I would say religion forms the foundation of everything that I would consider evil.

[Meresis Wergamoth]

HAHAHA well said! [gz]