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Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?

• throwbynight38 5y ago
  I have to say, this is a beautiful conversation. Mine is mostly built around music. For instance, listening to A Love Supreme by John Coltrane, or Supper's Ready by Genesis.
• ludicast 5y ago
  I'm generally apatheistic, but live as if a more playful zen buddhism is "spiritually correct". Closer to church of Dudism if you've ever seen that parody religion. I barely meditate anymore, but think a few minutes of it is a handy daily practice. At least to have in your back pocket
• baq 5y ago
  none whatsoever.
  • g5095 5y ago
    so why come here to contribute nothing to an otherwise interesting discussion?
    • kortex 5y ago
      > Contribute nothing, and nothing will be left uncontributed. - Dao de Dang
      • dqpb 5y ago
        > never discuss karma - Dao de Dang
    • Graffur 5y ago
      I came here to contribute the same information - "none". It adds more to the conversation than your reply, doesn't it?
    • martopix 5y ago
      It's a completely fair answer to OP's question and does not bother me. It contributes to the discussion because it reminds us that some people don't feel the need for a ritualistic form of spirituality.
      • giraffe_lady 5y ago
        It might be fair but it's uninteresting and shows lack of self examination. The range of understanding of "spirituality" is so broad and personal nearly anything can theoretically fit into it. You have people in here talking about their coffee and music habits, but in a way that is interesting and engaging with the question rather than dismissing it. The fact that someone is so sure that they can't find anything like this in their relationship to the world might be interesting in some contexts but doesn't take the conversation anywhere new.
        • samhh 5y ago
          If you interpret "spirituality" this broadly then the word is useless. This is why you'll receive some dismissive answers. I drink espresso every morning. I challenge you to find a way to link that to this thread that isn't as useless as defining a synonym for the word "habit", or "preference", or similar. Reality doesn't have to be interesting, nor do the results of self-examination. As best I can tell I'm a biological entity with a false sense of self and free will on a rock in the middle of an unfathomably large universe, the existence of which I will never understand. That's it. That's actually already quite interesting. Why do so many feel the need to try and force the elevation of the everyday and the mundane into that same plane? And worse yet, to speak condescendingly of others as you do so.
          • giraffe_lady 5y ago
            I don't personally interpret it that broadly, but I've been surprised and delighted by the range expressed in other comments today! So at least to me I can't really consider that broad definition useless, at least across a group of people.
• servytor 5y ago
  I pray to Roco's basilisk every day, telling it that it's okay; it's the world that isn't.
  • kortex 5y ago
    I, for one, welcome our future basilisk overlord.
• fasteddie31003 5y ago
  Bringing order out of chaos. All day, everyday.
• yob28 5y ago
• scotty79 5y ago
  Playing a lot of computer games, reading internet, especially comments and chatting. It allows my spirit to get away from my mortal, aging shell into the virtual worlds of imagination, speech, ideas and relations.
• sshlocalhost98 5y ago
  I haven't seen anyone mention Hinduism. I am a Hindu and belong to Advaita Vedanta school of thought. I begin my day my saluting to the One and the Only Brahman reading Bhagavad-Gita. meditation on the mantra 'Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma' and trying to realise that everything is Brahman, there's nothing apart from Brahman
  • chana_masala 5y ago
    Namaskaram. I follow Saiva Siddhanta which heavily incorporates Vedanta. My morning sadhana is Ganesh puja then reading Vedas/Agamas/Satguru Upadesha
• aero-glide2 5y ago
  I read Bible sometimes and pray sometimes. I realised I become a very bad person (not thinking of others, being unfair), when I'm away from Christianity.
• ramsundhar20 5y ago
  Am the embodiment of all the secularism. Loves every experience in Life’s journey, doesn’t discriminate anyone.
• preordained 5y ago
  A Course in Miracles. The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard was my gateway.
• Spoiled_toast 5y ago
  I wake up every morning and pray to god that my job goes smoothly and I do it well. As almost every job in food service, these almost never overlap. All joking aside I am a Christian, Lutheran sect, and I just go with the flow. God might judge you but not me.
• polarbeer 5y ago
  None. NEXT!
• chana_masala 5y ago
  Puja for Ganesh then reading Vedas
• p0d 5y ago
  Every morning I read a section of the Bible's Old Testament, Psalm, Proverb and New Testament. I then use the Lord's Prayer as a framework to pray. Having done this for many years I have observed we begin 'Our Father' and focus on God. My own inclination would be to start with 'Forgive me' and focus on me. I then spend my day trying to honour Jesus's teachings. The highs and lows of the previous day are discussed the next morning.
  • toper-centage 5y ago
    Do you ever struggle with the parts of the bible that feel outdated in the modern context? I never read the bible by myself, but I went to Sunday school for 9 years and I remember struggling as a child to conciliate what I was being taught at school and at chruch, and specially ignoring the hipocrisy of the people lecturing the bible stuff not practicing any of that. I don't remember specific examples, as this was 15 years ago and I've since become atheist.
    • pyjarrett 5y ago
      > Do you ever struggle with the parts of the bible that feel outdated in the modern context? I never read the bible by myself I used to, but it becomes more practical and timeless the more I read my Bible. I read a version with cross-references in the center-line so reading slower and checking these makes it make a lot more sense. The way I'd recommend reading is Mark, Luke, John, Matthew, Acts and Romans (all in the New Testament) while periodically reading the cross-references as you go. This covers basic beliefs and how Jesus taught following the spirit of the Law, why Gentile Christians don't follow the full Jewish Law (Acts 15) and how those before Jesus aren't condemned (Romans). Then I'd recommend Genesis and Exodus to understand the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob family line, and the establishment of the Law. Follow with 1st/2nd Samuel and 1st/2nd Kings for most of the rest of the historical side of context. Psalms and Proverbs can be read a little at a time, at any time. > read a section of the Bible's Old Testament, Psalm, Proverbs and New Testament. This is also the way I read, and it's super helpful. Old/New Testament for spiritual growth, Psalms for worship, and Proverbs for ordinary day-to-day advice (there's also 31 Proverbs so its easy to pickup whatever day it is). > I went to Sunday school for 9 years and I remember struggling as a child to conciliate what I was being taught at school and at chruch, and specially ignoring the hipocrisy of the people lecturing A lot of Sunday school is way too boiled down. There's hypocrisy everywhere and the church is no exception. People try to justify their own sin and resultant problems by ranking it against others--part of the reasons Christians are told not to judge others (especially outside the church), but instead help others in the church with their problems and be open to correction. It's supposed to be handled internally, but occasionally isn't, and I've moved to a different church when I've found it's entrenched and not fixable.
• blackbrokkoli 5y ago
  I like Shikantaza, although I can't claim to actually do it daily. It translates to "just sitting" and is a form of meditation consisting of, well, just that. It is mostly based on a single text telling you how to sit and how to balance not-falling-asleep and not-actively-thinking. That's all. There is no extensive literature translated to death and no startup trying to sell you something, but yet you are right there with the core weirdness of meditation and paradoxes like thinking non-thinking. Love it.
• MichaelEstes 5y ago
  Spending time reminding myself that there is no soul, god, afterlife or anything likewise as a reminder that we’re just animals and our consciousness’ need to be anything more is ego getting in the way of being truly empathetic and reverent of the time we have here.
  • bradwood 5y ago
    This. And having done so for so many years, the process becomes automatic, and the time required to execute it mere nanoseconds.
  • aorth 5y ago
    I would add: stopping to realize and appreciate that the universe and our existence is incredible.
• nasmorn 5y ago
  Ultramarathon running
• xupybd 5y ago
  I try to make time every day to "spend time with God". This involves reading the Bible, praying, worshipping and meditating on the Bible. Preferably first thing. However I don't function so well without coffee so often I get up and make a coffee first.
• d-d 5y ago
  I talk to God throughout the day and focus on listening. This includes some light Bible reading and expecting answers. Transparent, concise, empathic, respectful prayers seem to be answered with great enthusiasm. God is dad, but dad is also God. It is both odd and fantastic.
  • g5095 5y ago
    I really resonate with this
• CrzyLngPwd 5y ago
  I practice Dzogchen every-day non-meditation as well as more formal "just sitting with eyes half open and staring like a zombie" meditation.
  • monktastic1 5y ago
    Me too. It would be fun to find all the HN Dzogchenpas / Mahamudra practitioners.
    • deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
• rixed 5y ago
  I'm used to offer at least a small animal every day to The Deity, and a more substantial sacrifice in special occasions, whenever I can afford.
• specproc 5y ago
  I got a little shrine with little nick nacks that mean stuff to me. Stuff that represents members of my family, money to bring money, a compass and a few books. I light a candle there every now and again. I'm no longer Christian, but the Lord's Prayer is so thoroughly burned into my brain it helps me tune out and sleep sometimes.
• Simon_O_Rourke 5y ago
  I head down to mass the odd Sunday, not so much with the pandemic, and go through the motions there.
• leashless 5y ago
  Mostly karma yoga: I'm working towards various big goals which largely benefit other people or manage crises. When I was younger, lots of meditation in the Nath tradition (sort of Hindu dzog chen - Nepalese, so there was a lot of cross talk with Tibet, Mahasiddha stuff).
  • chana_masala 5y ago
    I have heard the Vajrayana Buddhism is similar to certain Saivite Hindu sects. Hindu Dzog Chen sounds very interesting
• _ywdj 5y ago
  Not sure if it counts as spiritual, but for 10 years I've consistently done subconscious, mind+body healing exercises. It's been profoundly transformative. Prior to that (and for quite a while after) I had a huge amount of drama and chaos in my life, and after searching far and wide for answers (starting with the usual stuff - mainstream therapy, meditation, etc) I learned about these healing practices, which address the physiological reactions that happens when we experience triggering events. Over time, my practice has developed into this: try to live a normal, well-functioning life, do my best at whatever I do. When things happen that trigger reactions - anger, resentment, arrogance, jealousy, contempt, shame, etc, or anything that makes me feel a jolt or even very mild visceral reaction, undertake the practice, which enables me to find where in my past the reaction comes from, then do a brief breathing exercise to let it go. Rinse and repeat. Over time, the reactions weaken, my overall stress burden diminishes (along with physiological issues like inflammation, chronic pain, etc), and bit by bit life gets simpler and important indicators like relationships and career steadily imrove.
  • eliotSplyt 5y ago
    I’d love to learn more about this. Do you have any links or resources you would recommend?
    • diamondap 5y ago
      Bessel van der Kolk's book The Body Keeps the Score is a brilliant and enlightening study of how trauma and all kinds of negative experiences are literally stored in the body as tension, which, when chronic, can become debilitating inflammation and pain. Van der Kolk noted in his decades of practice that trauma victims, and those who are chronically angry, anxious, wary, etc. are deeply out of touch with their bodies. They were often clumsy and visibly tense, though when asked how their bodies felt, they either couldn't say, or they were just "normal." He had to first get patients to recognize how their bodies felt, then taught them to relax and change those feelings through various exercises, meditations and practices. When the body started to loosen up, the mind and emotions followed. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693771-the-body-keeps-the-score https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18693771-the-body-keeps-... Edit Eger, a holocaust survivor turned therapist, found the same things in her decades of practice. Both books spend a lot of time describing the symptoms and problems, and the address healing practices toward the end. Eger's book is at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753738-the-choice https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30753738-the-choice In general, both Buddhist meditation and Yoga address these mind-body issues well, in forms that you can practice as part of your daily life.
• bayindirh 5y ago
  I practice Zen meditation for almost 9 years. I also can teach entry levels. The transformation it brought is unimaginable.
  • roeles 5y ago
    Care to elaborate on the transformation? I'd love to hear more!
    • bayindirh 5y ago
      Of course. :) Zen meditation (as I practice) is one of the deeper ways of practice, and helps one to reflect and dig deeper into one's emotions and being. As a person who read early, and immediately started to tinker with computers and electronics, I was the different kid who bullied a lot, and it deformed me in a lot of ways. I was short tempered, introverted, scared and scarred without any self-esteem and self-worth. My brain was always noisy, and had concentration problems. This affected my friendships and relationships. Having a couple of bad girlfriends made everything worse. Much worse. When I started to practice, I started to balance and heal myself. I understood myself better, my brain silenced, I became much more patient and kind (I wasn't rude either, but Zen made me softer). I had some career-defining moments in my life, and was able to navigate them with help of Zen. All in all it made me rooted, balanced and helped me grow to an healthy and better adult. I probably have some crinkles and dents here and there, but at least I know who I am. It allows me to reflect better and understand what's happening. It's a never ending way, and I'm not looking for a destination to be honest, however it's not a silent walk in the park all the time. Sometimes you encounter your inner demons. These encounters are what transforms you.
      • roeles 5y ago
        Thanks for sharing!
• gbuk2013 5y ago
  Chi Kung and Kriya Yoga. The former takes care of all my health and well-being needs and spills over into the spiritual practice side. Th latter does whatever it does on the spiritual side and also spills over into health and well being. One is practiced with the aim of achieving something the other sort of practices itself. :)
  • plinkplonk 5y ago
    Which system of Chi Kung(if you don't mind) ?
    • gbuk2013 5y ago
      Shaolin Wahnam - been at it for about 17 years now. :) We don't have a syllabus for Chi Kung but here's a list of some of the groups of exercises taught and some brief theory as to their uses: https://shaolin.org/general-2/five-animal-play/play09.html https://shaolin.org/general-2/five-animal-play/play09.html I mostly stick with 4, 11 and 12 on that list - find the more advanced things still a bit overwhelming for more than occasional practice. Happy to provide more detail if you are interested.
      • plinkplonk 5y ago
        I have a few questions but you don't have your email in your hn and profile. :-)
        • deleted 5y ago
          [deleted]
        • gbuk2013 5y ago
          Sent you an email.
          • plinkplonk 5y ago
            Replied!
• WaxedChewbacca 5y ago
• sonabinu 5y ago
  Daily mass. It does not feel spiritual every single day but most days the mind is focused, and I feel calm and a sense that I’m part of something greater than the immediate world of work, family and daily concerns.
• kozikow 5y ago
  What I do spiritually: Meditation - it's proven to have health benefits, even in purely non-spiritual setting. Besides that: trying to be good in general, etc. Experience love and gratefulness. What I think it's there: My main point of inspiration are "near death experiences". There is solid evidence they are not just hallucinations of dying brain. The primary argument that they are not hallucinations is obtaining independently verifiable information observed during "leaving the body" during near death experiences. Ed Kelly (professor at UVA DOPS) said that he collected over 100 cases, when the person leaving the body during the NDE observed information that couldn't be physically observed, known prior to NDE, guessed or hallucinated using known information and credibility of verifying professional wasn't questioned. Many of the reports included information obtained minutes after the cardiac arrest. Many of the reports included reports from different locations (e.g. Wife traveling to meet dying husband with 4 people, earlier than planned). People blind from birth describing independently verified visual information. Some examples and links to investigate (copy doi to scihub if you don't have access): 0. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/ 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673601071008 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S01406... 2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2190/KNTM-6R07-LTVT-MC6K https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2190/KNTM-6R07-LTVT-... 3. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.456.3200&rep=rep1&type=pdf http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.456... 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1oDuvQR08 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL1oDuvQR08 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-91QXXsyEc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-91QXXsyEc 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6172100/ Besides NDEs, check research at UVA DOPS https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/ https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/ . Check irreducible mind book - there is surprisingly vast amount of scientific evidence that something spiritual is real, just that majority of scientific community refuses to even consider it.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• stelonix 5y ago
  I'm part of a church where we take ayahuasca a couple times a month while performing our rituals. Day to day is the usual self-awareness plus christian deal: meditation + attempting to do good, try not to be a dick to others etc.
  • mam4 5y ago
    Is there not physical damage to doing it that often ? Ive done it twice in a row 3 years ago and it was fine but i was wondering that b.c. in the community i did that they were literally giving it to children starting 3 y.o.
    • temp0826 5y ago
      The retreat I worked at drinks 4 times a week, every week all year. Often the shamans drink more. I don't believe it causes any damage (quite the opposite), however the diet that comes along with it (traditionally fish and plantains, and skipping dinner on ceremony nights) can be very depleting. Breaks with normal food (salt, oil, vitamins) are great especially for the long-term (e.g. apprentice) drinkers.
    • Fnoord 5y ago
      You need to be careful with Ayahuasca to not have MAOI in your diet or medicine. Things like fermented cheese, fish, wine for example can each be dangerous. Disclaimer: I used Ayahuasca once. If you must use psychedelics, stick to LSD or amanita muscaria / psilos, they are much safer. Its ridiculous Ayahuasca is legally obtainable in The Netherlands, while LSD and psilos are not with the former easy to standardize and the latter being banned for safety reasons (17 y.o. French student committed suicide in Amsterdam after usage).
      • dr_dshiv 5y ago
        Have you tried Amanita muscaria? I'm terrified.
        • Fnoord 5y ago
• conradludgate 5y ago
  I'm not at all religious, so I have no "higher power" to guide me, instead I just put on one of my favourite albums and close my eyes for an hour. The albums I like are very progressive and trance-like so it's kinda like my own personal form of meditation. I don't really use the time to reflect or focus on anything, but having the time for myself is nice for my brain
• yosito 5y ago
  I'm an atheist, and don't believe in the supernatural per se. To me, the supernatural is best described by Harold Abelson in Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: > We are about to study the idea of a computational process. Computational processes are abstract beings that inhabit computers. As they evolve, processes manipulate other abstract things called data. The evolution of a process is directed by a pattern of rules called a program. People create programs to direct processes. In effect, we conjure the spirits of the computer with our spells. > A computational process is indeed much like a sorcerer's idea of a spirit. It cannot be seen or touched. It is not composed of matter at all. However, it is very real. It can perform intellectual work. It can answer questions. It can affect the world by disbursing money at a bank or by controlling a robot arm in a factory. The programs we use to conjure processes are like a sorcerer's spells. They are carefully composed from symbolic expressions in arcane and esoteric programming languages that prescribe the tasks we want our processes to perform. > A computational process, in a correctly working computer, executes programs precisely and accurately. Thus, like the sorcerer's apprentice, novice programmers must learn to understand and to anticipate the consequences of their conjuring. Even small errors (usually called bugs or glitches) in programs can have complex and unanticipated consequences. I do think the supernatural exists but simply as perceived emergent properties of natual systems. For example, most of us have experienced love and might describe it as a supernatural experience. That is a real experience to most of us. Yet we know that in reality, the experience we had emerged from a complex set of natual systems (hormones, brainwaves, etc) that are far beyond our understanding. So to answer your question, my spirital practices are things that increase my wellbeing and bring about these supernatural experiences. Regularly: breath-focused meditation, time in nature, swimming laps, sex, burning incense, journaling/reflection. Occasionally: fasting, ayahuasca, solitude retreats.
  • marcofatica 5y ago
    I'm not sure I agree with this take. > It is not composed of matter at all. Is this not false? Maybe not at the level we can see with our human eyes, but any computer process does exist as matter, in the bits of code stored on the disk and the electrical circuits that execute it
• f0e4c2f7 5y ago
  I look at the stars and try to think about how long it took for the light to reach my eye and how big time is. I also meditate but I find that habit harder to keep up.
• hnsigmaomega 5y ago
• notRobot 5y ago
  Putting on music and doing the dishes. I find that it helps my brain reset.
• drakonka 5y ago
  I am not religious, but do feel spiritual in that I believe there is something bigger than us, and that we are part of a bigger, yet-unexplained whole that we reconnect with at some point. It is more of a "It's a comforting thought for me" thing rather than a set, unwavering surety. I don't really have any sort of practice of this, though. Lately I finally started meditating more - multiple times per week. I feel it helps to get me out of my head and closer to this sense of greater connection and wellbeing.
• yasserd99 5y ago
  I pray 5 times a day.
• prometheus76 5y ago
  I am an Orthodox Christian. My day begins with prayer, as soon as possible after I wake up. Prayer consists of reading (or reciting) prayers from a prayer book, followed by 100-200 Jesus Prayers ("Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!"), followed by 12-25 prostrations. I then read the daily scripture readings indicated by the liturgical calendar. At noon, I usually read a Psalm in front of my icons (I work from home) and do 12 prostrations. After dinner, we pray together as a family, then read several chapters from the Bible together and discuss whatever comes up in the text we are reading that day. We're currently in the middle of reading the Bible in a year. Before bed, I repeat my morning routine, but saying evening prayers instead of morning prayers. I usually fall asleep while saying the Jesus Prayer. I also say the Jesus Prayer throughout the day as I am doing things that don't require strong focus. We go to Vespers (evening prayers) on Saturday night, and we go to church on Sunday morning. Growing into this routine has changed my life, healed my family, and brought immense peace and joy (and struggle!) into my life. Glory to God! EDIT: I should add that prayers are typically said while standing in front of an icon corner, usually with a candle lit and incense burning. Obviously, when I am saying the Jesus Prayer throughout the day or falling asleep, I'm not following those guidelines, but my morning and evening prayers are said while standing, usually with my eyes open.
  • friendly_chap 5y ago
    Wow! As someone who at some point in life was intensely meditating (nowadays less so) your routine reminds me of my habits, ie. falling asleep meditating vs praying etc, meditating upon waking up etc. Interesting how we can be so different yet similar!
    • paxcoder 5y ago
  • febin 5y ago
    A fellow orthodox christian here. I have been trying to cultivate the habit of Jesus prayer. But the journey is a struggle. However, even in the fallen attempts to walk the orthodox way of life I occasionally sense the joy and warmth described in the spiritual texts about Jesus Prayer. Thus motivating me to continue the path. Please remember me in your prayers :)
• gherkinnn 5y ago
  Sitting on a bench. Lying under a tree. Going for walks with no goal in mind. Thinking, musing, watching the world unfold.
• chasd00 5y ago
  I make coffee the same way at pretty much the same time every morning.
  • adamhp 5y ago
    Amen.
  • dpcan 5y ago
    Here it is. I found my people.
    • jeffrallen 5y ago
      Lavazza Rossa or GTFO. :)
  • KWD 5y ago
    I was going to reply none, but this is me.
• ryanmercer 5y ago
  My wife and I are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's far more important to her than it is to me though. For me a large part of believing in something greater in myself is the hope that I simply won't cease to exist when I experience brain death. I pray hoping someone is on the other end at least listening to me, I rationalize life on our planet as some sort of orchestrated miracle, I look to the vastness of space to realize that I am insignificant beyond imagination and that our planet and solar system are also insignificant beyond imagination. I think of my friends and family that have died, and hope that I get to interact with them at some point and try and approximate that right now with things like writing the annual letter to my father and telling him what has been going on in my life since he died 12 days before my 13th birthday which I place on my blog here https://www.ryanmercer.com/ryansthoughts/category/dad https://www.ryanmercer.com/ryansthoughts/category/dad I think of the incredible age of the universe and the tiny blip that is a human's lifespan and hope that I am not some sort of chemical accident. That I'm not a bunch of electrical/chemical reactions that believes it is self aware by some fluke. On any given day I'm 50%+ (sometimes 100%) of the opinion that we likely exist in a simulation which, at least to me, explains why we have such rapid tech advancements, why we have not detected any other sentient species in the universe, why we haven't seen any evidence of Kardashev 2+ level building in our galactic back yard, why so many things have be invented/discovered within weeks or years of each other by human beings with no contact with one another. I also like this thought because, like in the book series Magic 2.0 by Scott Meyer, there might be some hope that I can exploit some conditions of the simulation to directly benefit myself by either altering my character database or a database of something around me. Silly, but sometimes it keeps me going.
  • gremlinsinc 5y ago
    I'm an exmormon (thanks to the CES Letter and A letter to my Wife)... This led me to become agnostic mostly, Still have some hope for life after death of some sorts, but without deity as a requirement... i.e. our energy source lives on... However in April last year, I witnessed a Mandela Effect w/ my wife, I was reading about the movie Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks and how he said in the movie: "Houston we've had a problem". I was literally reading about a "flip-flop"... where to the person writing the thread on reddit it flipped back and forth from "we have" to "we've had" like twice for them...the current state from the thread being: "we've had"... Now I hadn't seen the movie in over a decade, but I remembered "we have", but I thought that could easily just be because it's a pretty popular saying in pop-culture. Anyhow this was a Friday night, and we watched it on youtube. Sure enough Tom Hanks says... "Uh, Houston we've had a problem". Fast forward, I'm reading a list of common mandela effects in the format: Current => Previous, and it says Houston We Have a Problem => Previously: Houston we've had a problem. My first thought: Well, that's obviously a typo,but just to be sure I go check. The scene is completely changed. In fact the entire cadence is changed. It's now "Houston we have a problem" but also Tom Hanks is a lot more "frantic" and intense, when he was a little more laid back in the other version. It's kinda funny there's a Buzzfeed article on the top mis-quoted movie lines. Apollo 13 is first. <https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/20-famous-movie-lines-that-you-have-been-saying-wrong https://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/20-famous-movie-lines-...> > Misquote: “Houston, we have a problem” > Actual movie quote: "... Ah, Houston, we've had a problem.” If you look at the subreddit: https://reddit.com/r/retconned https://reddit.com/r/retconned - this is probably the most common "flip flop"... It's the fact that I honestly believe reality "changed" that I have to agree with you on simulation theory being a possibility that or many worlds...and somehow we're traveling through them, or maybe we do when we die and I died of sleep apnea or something... Simulation to me seems most likely though, as it would explain the double slit quantum eraser experiment pretty handily. It could be then that reality's "truths" or "facts" then become some sort of consensus mechanism where if 51% of people remember "Houston we've had a problem" it changes back to that... Like you I also thought maybe I could interact w/ the "matrix" and tried researching occult, magick, etc... and really never figured much out in that regards.. though /r/castaneda was probably the most interesting rabbit hole I found... darkroom gazing was very interesting indeed and trippy. I was a bit manic/hyperfocused on this for like 3 months ...almost in a bad way. When you doubt reality it's easy - esp. if depressed to think about if reality is fake then quitting reality doesn't even matter. For my own sanity, I gave up on the endeavor of finding out what's going on and how to control it, but go back to just appreciating the beauty of what we do see, and admire the complexities - though I do still read any threads I can find on new discoveries in consciousness-related neuroscience, quantum mechanics, etc...
• jjbinx007 5y ago
  Not religious at all. I don't believe in the supernatural and I don't think it would even be possible for us to detect it even if it does exist. I'm not superstitious (after all, it's unlucky to be superstitious) and I'm not even sure what spiritual means as I've never heard a coherent definition. I get my sense of awe, wonder and beauty from the natural world, whether that's star gazing or studying and appreciating nature. I'm probably an outlier but just wanted to add my voice to the conversation.
  • baliex 5y ago
    Fellow outlier here, perhaps we should begin to meet regularly to discuss our shared beliefs and how to proliferate them? I wouldn’t expect us to be outliers here to be honest but it’s always interesting to see what other replies there are in this crowd. Nature is king. I don’t think it’s just because I’m more into it but there really does seem to be a growing trend of recognising the importance of being in nature
    • Yetiuiu 5y ago
      My wife and I celebrate winter solstice on the 24th (being solidari to the rest of the world) with a nice tree. We still search for planet ornaments. We also celebrated the launch of James Webb.
      • BrandiATMuhkuh 5y ago
        My wife, son and I do the same. Happy solstice! When possible, I try to see myself as part of nature. For example, making it clear to me and others that I'm an animal. I think this help me respect my surroundings more, puts me on the ground of reality. In comparison to the idea of "humans are above everything".
  • prometheus76 5y ago
    I'll take a stab at defining "spiritual", at least the way I understand it. I think of it as a "recipe" or pattern for something in reality. A little bit related to Plato's "forms" but not exactly. "Recipe" is a better way to think of it. In traditional cosmology, they used the word "heaven" to refer to "patterns" or "recipes" or "seeds". A seed is another good way to think of it. A seed is tiny and contains the recipe or pattern for the thing it will grow into. In traditional cosmology, if you have "heaven", you also have "earth", which means potential, or chaos, or unorganized matter. Or if we want to keep the "recipe" metaphor, this would be the "ingredients". So we have a recipe (the spiritual pattern) and we have the ingredients (matter), and we combine the ingredients using the recipe (we are co-creating with God) a new substance. We transform the ingredients into a new object (bread, in our case) which gets a new name, because it is related to the ingredients, but is now unified by being transformed as we co-create a new object with God. Each new object is slightly different (a "particular"), but it's following a pattern or recipe, so we still recognize it as a particular example of a pattern we call "bread". This same pattern of "heaven" and "earth" applies to seeds and soil, or an idea and a project, or a film script and a film. This is what is meant when traditional cultures and books speak of "heaven" and "earth". So to live a "spiritual" life would mean to seek out and learn to identify "patterns" and to manifest them bodily by acting them out or by transforming matter to make a new object. Which is what all humans do all day every day, but our materialist minds have been blinded to how essential and common this is to the human experience, because we get caught up trying to "scientifically" understand what "heaven" is, but heaven is an ontological category, not a scientific place.
• rpwverheij 5y ago
  Imho - the only good explanation of why anything exists is that whatever 'is' has always been, is all there is, and is nothing of itself at all. Contemplating that infinite & eternal nature of our existence reconnects me with the magic & mystery of life. It awakens in me a gratitude, an awe, a wonder, a not knowing.. On a practical level - chi qong, yoga, pranayama, sauna/cold plunge, shaking, running, love making, meditating, reading the diamond sutras, beach cleanups, gardening.. whatever calls in the moment and makes me feel more alive, more connection, love, joy, appreciation, etc
• nottorp 5y ago
  • yakshaving_jgt 5y ago
    As an atheist, I believe humanity — in general; not at an individual level — does indeed need these kinds of fictions. I didn’t believe this a few years ago, but Yuval Noah Harari changed my opinion with his book Sapiens.
    • tomrod 5y ago
      It's a strong assertion that we need a God. Rituals, yes, they bind communities. But they need not be tied to morality.
      • yakshaving_jgt 5y ago
        I agree with you, and I don't think that's the assertion that Harari makes in his book. He first widens the definition of religion to include other belief systems such as money, commercial organisations, economic systems, and polytheistic religions, and acknowledges that many of these aren't directly bound to any sense of morality (which isn't to say they're immoral either).
        • tomrod 5y ago
          That's fair. I have not fully digested Sapiens yet, and was arguing against the smaller point of clear belief communities versus engagement in the abstract mental models we call society writ large :)
      • nottorp 5y ago
        > But they need not be tied to morality. Is morality a monopoly of religion?
        • tomrod 5y ago
          I reread my comment but I'm not sure how you leaped there. I said morality need not be tied to ritual. Religions and morality are often disjoint, simply due to Euthyphro's dilemma and how that plays out in practice. Divine command theory externalizes responsibility for behavior and thus promotes and excuses immoral action (meaning many religion's resolution to the dilemma puts them into a commitment to behaving immorally).
• roeles 5y ago
  I am drawn to Taoism quite a lot. I meditate regularly and do Qi Gong.
  • roeles 5y ago
    Some people struggle with meditation. I did too, especially connecting to my bodily sensations without getting caught up in thoughts. I found that slow movements like Qi Gong can help you with calming down and connecting to your body. When Covid began, I replaced my commute with a daily Qi Gong session in the morning sun. After that I find it much easier to watch my breath, also in sitting meditation.
• sekura 5y ago
  Jap practice as described here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwdnjFDPMo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwdnjFDPMo
• whalesalad 5y ago
  NOFX, coffee and cigarettes.
  • smoldesu 5y ago
    My dad grew up with that religion too, I'm not sure how it effected him in the long run but he seems like a nice enough guy these days. I'm just glad he's still with us, I guess.
    • whalesalad 5y ago
      As they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I don't really smoke cigarettes, but I do subscribe to punk rock ideology.
• candiddevmike 5y ago
  I recently started reading about druidism after spending the majority of my life an atheist. I found myself missing the spirituality side: rituals and a connection for meditation/introspection, which druidism provides (all revolving around nature, earth, moon, and sun). Additionally, druidism has a lot of neat math/science roots that I find pleasing, such as the eight holidays and the wheel of the year. Druidism has a really loose belief system and offers a couple of options for you to choose from: mono, poly, and pantheism. I reject most "god-like" things, but I think I could become something of a pantheist (the universe is God). I don't believe any religion knows what happens after you die, and frankly I don't really care. We aren't supposed to know, it's the great mystery, and instead we should focus on ensuring everyone lives their best life. Druidism has a theory about the after life and how you go through various lives until you become a good person, but it's not something I spend time thinking about. As an aside, Iris DeMent's song Let The Mystery Be perfectly describes my thoughts on this: https://youtu.be/0gQVS2fCsek https://youtu.be/0gQVS2fCsek
  • fergonco 5y ago
    I also miss the spirituality side. I miss rituals for milestones with my kids a lot. Can you provide some references?
    • candiddevmike 5y ago
      For learning, I started out reading the book The Druidry Handbook by John Michael Greer and /r/druidism. From there I explored various parts of Druidism and some paganism that interested me--elements (not science elements, spirtual/symbolic ones like air/wind/fire/earth), tarot, and living with nature. For rituals, you can choose how far you're willing to stretch your imagination: a contemplative walk in the woods, or trying to commune with trees. I started doing tarot cards as well, which for me is less divination and more perspective. It hacks your minds pattern matching and forces you to think about situations from a different angle. It can also be fun or intimate with other people. My family celebrates the wheel of the year which gives you tons of opportunities for fun festivals/connecting with each other and nature. All of the holidays fall outside of traditional Christian holidays, so it's really easy to celebrate them without upsetting your extended family as well. I recommend having an open mind, I'm highly skeptical in general and definitely had to sift through stuff to figure out what makes sense to me. Which is OK with druidism, it's kind of like a Linux distro/DIY spirituality framework.
• yakshaving_jgt 5y ago
  I utter divine incantations into the wind ev’ry morn. The Lord, our saviour, the Glorious Glasgow Haskell Compiler (praise be unto her), swiftly illuminates my ignorance. She is at times unintelligible; at times merciful. Some of faltering faith proclaim she oft type-check in mysterious ways. Upon receiving guidance, I am humbled, yet enlightened.
  • GavinMcG 5y ago
    OP asked an earnest question, and deserves earnest replies.
    • yakshaving_jgt 5y ago
      I’m an atheist, so I think the most spiritual thing I do is indeed believe in the power of my favourite programming languages’s type system to stop me from writing broken software.
      • tomrod 5y ago
        Indeed. Anyone who has worked with Haskell knows.
      • Applejinx 5y ago
        If that serves as a higher power enough to stop you stepping into God-mode yourself and childishly assigning yourself powers far beyond your actual reach, it'd be a higher power enough to work if you were recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction. That would make it a higher power powerful enough to legit save your life, whether or not you ever refined the concept further. I do wonder to what extent God is defined as negative space (or, if you like, you can call your human-centered drives and selfish whims 'negative space' and define God as 'positive space', that which is not you and never will be) If you're into stuff like chaos theory, Godel et al (I grew up reading Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter) it's really not a big jump to conclude that 'not-me' is not only powerful and meaningful beyond your comprehension, but knowingly or unknowingly has motivation and intentionality. We often 'humanize' this intentionality. We make it act like a toy human in our minds. My own spirituality is in trying to remember that this God, this coherence of systems that are not me, exists: but also in trying to recognize when there's a harmony and synthesis beyond what I would expect of callous randomness. I don't know how it works but I get reminded that the energies I put out, come back favorably to me… or, indeed, to others who are not me but who need a break. I'm happier living my life in that mode, especially when I'm able to receive this process as a gift. If I put out 120% and feel like I'm getting back 70% I'll be very bitter and cranky, even if half my effort is waste and wheel-spinning and second guessing. If I put out 60% and get back 70% it feels like a gift. I can control how I orient myself to all this, but I don't know how my 60% turns into 70%, any more than I understand how artificial life ants learn to traverse the John Muir trail. I'm just a little piece of it and now and then I get glimpses of the bigger picture. I'm not meant to stay there, but I get a peek. I'd call that spiritual practice. It's stepping outside cold rationality and mastery of all abstraction, and letting a big chunk of 'not-me' into my world.
• 4ad 5y ago
  I strongly object to the universality of the question.
  • justinzollars 5y ago
    Daddy Chill
  • natch 5y ago
    Yes, the form of the question is offensive. Instead of unthinkingly downvoting the parent, consider this thought experiment: what if the question had been: “Ask HN: What form of Christianity do you practice?” Asking a large, diverse community such a question comes off as gaslighting those who are not part of the implied group. As such, it’s rude and offensive and has a detrimental effect. It would be better to just change the form of the question to remove the problem: For those people who have one, what is your daily spiritual practice?
• mrmikardo 5y ago
  I've been practicing kriya yoga and hatha yoga every day for the past half year. I usually do it as soon as I wake up, and it takes about an hour. It's quite intense work, but I'm glad I've kept it up, as the benefits have been immense. I've some drama in my life, some of that is now starting to ease off, and life is becoming more intelligent and filled with ease. For anyone interested to learn more: https://youtu.be/XLk5yks9c_Q https://youtu.be/XLk5yks9c_Q
  • factorialboy 5y ago
    Shakti Chalana Kriya has been a life changer for me.
• scrollbar 5y ago
  Every morning I wake up with attention on my dreaming process. I write down my dreams that I remember in my phone and later transfer them to my dream journal app on my laptop. I review my dreams periodically, typically once a week at night before bed, considering their symbols and dynamics as relates to my life. I also meditate for 10-20 minutes every few days, which I want to turn into a daily practice
• forgotmypw17 5y ago
  Throughout my day, I pray in three steps. First, gratitude, expressing my thanks for all that I have to be grateful for, all the gifts and blessings I've received. Second, asking for forgiveness for regrettable actions, which, if I look closely, I can always find, small or large. Third, I ask for help. I generally don't ask for specific things, but talk about general areas or people I want to help. I try make sure that my intentions and asks are well-intentioned and generally working towards increasing overall levels joy in the world. The other crucial piece of this, where meditation practice really helps, is to pay close attention and listen for response and guidance. Along with breathing/mindfulness meditation, I do this throughout the day, and I also find time to sit down and do a dedicated prayer and meditation for 30 minutes each. I started meditating throughout the day, sometimes in given triggering situations, a few years ago. I started this prayer practice about a year ago and have been working on it. I recommend trying out this practice to anyone who's curious about our reality and how it works.
  • lawkwok 5y ago
    I notice you didn’t mention any diety. Who or what are you praying to?
• mjh2539 5y ago
  The preconciliar monastic diurnal.
• BulgarianIdiot 5y ago
  I study how science and spirituality meet. There's tremendous overlap between how machines work, how physics work, and how our own psychology works. Finding these overlaps where 10 different things in 10 different areas are shown to be one thing is my way of trying to grow spiritually and intellectually. Most recently I discovered a link between the Wheeler-Dewitt equation describing time as a subjective phenomenon of entangling in an otherwise static universe, and how the corresponding models of OOP and FP work. FP is unchanging, it has no time component, but also therefore can't enact "change" (side-effects) without having some mechanism that taps into impurity (like the IO monad in Haskell). So essentially the absolute being is immutable, but it still needs to conjure up impure beings to whom nothing is absolute and all is relative (and yes I mean also as in General Relativity where one's space is another's time and vice versa), but to those impure beings, as they explore the vast universe of all possibilities, they change. I.e. they are coupled to their own change, which we perceive as time. I strongly believe at this point that entanglement of macroscopic objects is part of reality. We live in a multiverse, where our own actions are soon reflected in the rest of the world we experience. It's the very mechanism through which "karma" works. Karma is not simply the balance of good and evil, as those categories are subjective. It's rather the balance of all balances. What you do will come back at you at some point. And then you have the chance to judge it from the other side and decide if you were good or bad, and learn.
  • injidup 5y ago
    Sorry to break your model but FP has nothing to do with not having a time component. You can write operations over "space" some_container |> map ( item -> item + 1 ) or write operations over "time" some_event_sequence |> map ( item -> item + 1 ) both are functional programming.
    • kortex 5y ago
      I think that is exactly the point. The container has no notion of time. You have (container0, the_world0).map(operation) = (container1, the_world1) So it is completely symmetric with respect to time. If you don't do any side effects, then the_world "cancels out". How you decide to partition the container and the rest of the world determines how it behaves, state/time/IO/side effects. But there is no a priori notion of time. Contrast with OOP or structured imperative programming, where every object/field/register has state, and that state implicitly is a variable through time. The time is "baked in".
• maskil 5y ago
  As a religious Jew, I (am obligated by my religion to) pray three times a day, morning, noon and evening. The longest is the morning prayer, 45 minutes approximately. The prayers are a mix of gratitude, humility and supplication.
  • TchoBeer 5y ago
    45 minutes? That's a long shachrit.
    • deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    • deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    • Tevunah 5y ago
      Normal for Sephardic Shacharit
• genezeta 5y ago
  Not religious and not really spiritual at all to be honest. The closest thing to "spiritual" that I do is walking slowly. Years ago one day I noticed I had the habit of walking very quickly everywhere I went and that this was pointless. I walk much more slowly now, looking around, watching things, people, anything. I make a point of always leaving earlier than I need so that I never have to hurry. Kind of like the reverse to the chorus in "Nowhere fast".
  • pimlottc 5y ago
    “Everywhere slow”?
    • genezeta 5y ago
      XD I'm still going nowhere, but at least I enjoy the views on the way.
  • jelling 5y ago
    This. And as much as I love listening to music, going without any headphones and just hearing whatever it is you are in the middle of can be centering.
  • kstrauser 5y ago
    I love this practice. Not so long ago I had a nice, slow stroll through my neighborhood, looking at each house and every sidewalk tree. I saw so many pretty things that I'd never noticed before, like nicely painted trim on some homes, or fairy door (which are pretty popular here), or funny bumper stickers. I felt like a part of such a rich and interesting community.
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    Love this. Thank you for sharing it.
• forinti 5y ago
  I am not religious at all and I've thought of myself as tolerant of religion (they all have some very good teachings, after all). But lately organised religion has been bothering me a lot. It is just so obviously a form of controlling people: you have to believe this and that and also hand over some cash and vote for such and such. I can't get around the fact that this still goes on so blatantly in this day and age.
  • Scea91 5y ago
    Recently I was attending several catholic weddings and I was taken aback by the level of religious fervor and literal interpretation of the bible there. I was expecting the preaching to be more focused on how to live a good life and be a valuable member of society, but instead it was more about how I will burn eternally for not believing.
    • QuarterReptile 5y ago
      can you explain further?
    • lebuffon 5y ago
      These attitudes come in cycles in the Roman church. There was a 50 year period of liberal thinking. The current has era has swung back to the conservative. When an organization has a 1600 year life span you can expect things like this. Just wait a while...
      • analog31 5y ago
        It could also be regional. My experience in Catholic churches in Texas was a lot different than the upper Midwest. Also, the attitudes of the clergy don't necessarily mirror those of the laity, and there are divisions within the laity as well. The people in the pews get their ideas from a lot of different places, ranging from liberal to evangelical. This was many years ago, haven't been involved for a long time.
      • dragonwriter 5y ago
• nathias 5y ago
  I am a nihilist, my spiritual practice is to live without lying to myself.
  • scotty79 5y ago
    I'd say you are a realist.
  • flanbiscuit 5y ago
    Hi, I would not call myself a full on nihilist because I've never read any nihilist literature. All I know is the most basic definition, and from discussions with friends who are more knowledgeable on the subject, but I do feel like this aligns with my way of thinking.
• AYBABTME 5y ago
  In the morning, I think while drinking coffee. Then I really think in the shower. As a result I take long showers. Sometimes during the day, I'll sit back and think. While going to bed, I'll think some more. Usually I think about problems to solve, reflect on my life so far, course adjustments, things to self improve. One day I'll pick up a religion, but it seems like they all would require a lot of mental gymnastics to keep consistent with my mental explorations. Ultimately I think religions are useful as a tutorial on how to live a good life, but like tutorials, they don't always apply super well to your own particulars. So my parallel track is to think hard about the stuff I'm missing that a religion would provide. E.g meditative time, family matters, behaviours, habits. But science moves so fast that a lot if religious habits are really out of date, so I have little hope to find a religion in the future. I wish there was a "Debian Sid" religion: not quite Gentoo uptodate but not too CentOS outofdate.
  • Scea91 5y ago
    Similar here, you can also look into philosophy instead of religion. I am quite fond of stoicism. Not that I follow it religiously or would even call myself a stoic, but I think it is one of the best 'tutorials how to live a good life' out there.
  • NateEag 5y ago
    You might want to look at some of the more modern / postmodern branches of Christianity. Some people who practice it sincerely don't think of the Bible as a literally true document that has no mistakes or inaccuracies, nor a rulebook that must be followed in every particular, but rather a series of subjective recountings of different people's encounters with God over the course of many centuries, strongly colored by their cultural context and identity. I think most such practitioners still believe there's a historical core somewhere in the Gospels, particularly around Jesus' death and resurrection. That's the impression I get from a near distance. I haven't super-closely at those versions myself (though it's on my todo list). One site presenting something like this perspective is here: https://www.is-there-a-god.info/ https://www.is-there-a-god.info/
    • dragonwriter 5y ago
• ZachSaucier 5y ago
  There's not much point in spiritual practices if you don't believe in some truth behind them. Instead of focusing on practices, focus on finding truth (I believe it can be found about God). Truth will lead to practices.
  • lebuffon 5y ago
    In many religious traditions it is in the practices that you experience the divine. In many religious traditions it is what you do, not what you believe that matters. These concepts are very foreign if you come from a reform era Christian tradition where Paul's ideas have precedence. I put the wide range of religion understanding in my "God has a sense of humour" folder. (I infer from that, that we should too) :)
• keithnz 5y ago
  I'm an atheist, and don't believe in anything spiritual. But I do think there are things that inspire me, make me feel connected to the world around me, and make me think. I love philosophy and history and I am constantly reading new things, but I especially like the wisdom of the stoics. I try to go for a walk daily, and I live where I can go hiking in the forest, along rivers, and around rugged coastlines. But mostly I just contemplate and see where my mind takes me.
• aerodog 5y ago
  Muslim here. Ritual prayer is the core exercise. Before sunrise, after sunset, and 3 other times during the day. But as important or more so is constant remembrance of God. If that's not institutionalized in one's day-to-day psychology, one will lose spiritual momentum, if we can use such terminology. "Worship" in Arabic عبادة actually means something like "conformity to God's order", as far as I understand. So even eating an apple becomes a spiritual exercise when done with knowledge of why and doing so for God's sake, even as its sole beneficiary seems to be oneself.
  • potatoman22 5y ago
    The constant remembrance of God sounds vaguely similar to mindfulness, especially with your example of eating an apple while practicing it.
    • marc_io 5y ago
      This is also similar to Christianity's concept of vigilance.(https://www.openbible.info/topics/vigilance https://www.openbible.info/topics/vigilance)
      • knuthsat 5y ago
        I think it's a normal thing in Hinduism. There's a rituals where you offer the cooked meal to God first, then you eat. The offering is accompanied by a bell.
        • chakhs 5y ago
          in Islam it's not an offering to God, and there are no rituals involved. It's attaching the goal of getting to heaven to any action. "I'm eating this food because it will help me worship God" so giving purpose to mindless tasks
        • AYBABTME 5y ago
          What would be a common, practical justifications for why this is a useful trait to have?
• no-dr-onboard 5y ago
  I’m a Protestant in the reformed tradition that would fall inline with the London baptist confession and Heidelberg catechism. I make it my goal to read the Bible every morning. I typically spend about 30m-1h studying 1-2 verses in a given chapter. Right now I’m in the book of James. I pray for the assistance of the Holy Spirit to illuminate my understanding, read the verse, give thanks and praise where appropriate, and journal about the verse and how it relates to similar teachings, how the meaning applies to me by either encouragement, exhortation or conviction. (Those are the typical themes). After this, if I have time, I’ll move through my prayer list for people I’ve told that I would pray for. I pray for my wife, my children, my family and myself. All of this is pretty dependent on me waking up early and my kids not waking up as I do this :).
• nils-m-holm 5y ago
  Remembering who I am. http://t3x.org/whoami.html http://t3x.org/whoami.html
• midnightmonster 5y ago
  As soon as I get up, put in airpods and listen to Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours: Morning Prayer and Office of Readings (Scripture-based prayers on a 4-week cycle, Scripture and spiritual reading on a 1-year cycle). That continues while I stretch/move/do a tiny workout, pause for shower, turn it back on while shaving and making coffee. Then, ideally, I spend 30-60 minutes in personal prayer, usually in the form of journaling, and sometimes study of scripture and/or spiritual books. I have given this short/no shrift most days the last couple weeks and I’m missing the intimacy with God that I have when I do it more consistently. It’s like when my wife and I get over-busy with work: we still see each other, exchange enough words to coordinate schedules and household matters, still love each other of course, but we’re not as close and I miss her. Same with Jesus right now. He’s still caring for me and I’m still trying to follow him, but I’m missing out on that warm connection. Five minutes before the hour every waking hour, a notification pops up on my watch with a prayer to draw closer and dedicate the next hour to God. I change the text of it periodically to reflect what God is teaching me currently and to keep it from becoming too routine for me. Whenever I’m stuck or frustrated or sad, I try to (1) notice it and (2) talk about it with Jesus. There’s not a scheduled time for this, but it probably comes up at least daily. Wherever I am, whomever I’m with, the closer I am with God, the more automatically I notice how beautiful the sky is, or how lovely it is that people have developed the craft of making a beautiful tabletop like the one I’m typing on, or how happy it is that other people are happy. E.g., I find noise very unpleasant, but the other day a very loud car with temporary tags drove by, and I gladly shifted from annoyance to being happy that the driver was able to afford transportation (if the engine noise was incidental) or that the driver got to enjoy their very impressively loud engine (if the noise was something they had sought on purpose). Then the noticing and the joy bring me back to gratitude to God, which draws me closer to God and reinforces the joy, etc.. So the joy God has in creation becomes, in tiny part, my joy, and the love of Jesus begins to become love I have for others. I’ve been a practicing Christian my whole life, and generally tried to do what I thought I ought to, but this growing intimacy with God is a new development for me since August this year. I find myself approaching interactions with others not to get them over as quickly as possible or say the appropriate things or to demonstrate my cleverness but with love for the person, gladness that they exist, and curiosity how I might be able to bring them some bit of love/happiness/blessing in the conversation.
• mountainriver 5y ago
  I follow the shamanic path. I like it because it’s based on experience rather than faith.
  • hosh 5y ago
    Haha, me too. Glad I kept on scrolling.
• boringg 5y ago
  Reading hackernews daily, or if i'm off my spiritual cadence weekly. All hail dang.
• bambax 5y ago
  I was raised religious (catholic), and kind of believed in it. And then when I was 18-20 I spent a lot of time and effort to rid myself of religion, and have been living happy and free ever since. I still enjoy the occasional mass (once or twice a year), mainly because I like to sing. I have not taught my kids any kind of religion or spirituality, and they don't seem to miss it. I wanted to spare them the effort of getting out of it later. What I hadn't anticipated is that as a result, they are pretty ignorant of most things, they have little idea who Jesus or Mary are, etc. (We tell them about it sometimes, of course, but it's very different than going to Sunday School for 10 years).
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • hycaria 5y ago
    Being ignorant of most religious things is socially not that big of a problem in my experience, you eventually miss some references in pop culture though.
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    Have you thought of introducing them to multiple religious beliefs as beliefs people have? My experience was along these lines and although I am not an expert on the details, it helped me see multiple viewpoints, spot universal patterns, gain respect for all.
• Smooth-Weather 5y ago
  It's very subjective but would like to know if some of you are sharing this feeling around you: In the modern occidental society, Christianity, which was the spiritual tradition, was abandoned and rejected by almost all the teenagers and young adults at the end of the '60s and by the following generations. All the next generations until now, in its majority, were declaring to be atheist and rejecting all spiritual side of life. I don't know if all the Covid related situation changed something but, around me (25-30 years old), a non-negligible part of them started to gain an interest in spirituality (mainly Catholicism here).
  • JeanV-pip 5y ago
    That aligns with my experience. I currently live in South Florida, and fall almost in your bracket. Since 2019-2020 i started to read the bible and go to church (catholic), and now I’m workin g on my confirmation. In 2021 i went to a retreat where there were almost 100 people around the 18-35 bracket. I would say around half of them were going through a similar conversion as me.
  • lotsofpulp 5y ago
    > In the modern occidental society, Christianity, which was the spiritual tradition, was abandoned and rejected by almost all the teenagers and young adults at the end of the '60s and by the following generations. >All the next generations until now, in its majority, were declaring to be atheist and rejecting all spiritual side of life. This is contrary to pretty much all data (for the US). Easiest one is to try and see how far you get running for US President being a non Christian. https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/ https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christ...
    • Smooth-Weather 5y ago
      Yes, indeed. I should have specified my geographical region: Western Europe. It's a very different situation compared to the USA.
• coyotespike 5y ago
  I meditate, usually an hour of sitting practice, and then through the day. Practicing more felt really urgent after a couple of big psychedelic trips, and I've found getting into contact with a source of fundamental unconditional love hugely helpful. I feel very in touch with the sacred, despite being agnostic at best. I'm not a huge fan of the mainstream concentration work stuff; I've been influenced by Rob Burbea's jazzy, improvisational approach. Also, currently I'm working on the jhanas, which are a lot of fun, and I'm excited to work on them at a 10-day retreat starting in a week. Leigh Brasington's Right Concentration is the best intro, or for a thread see https://twitter.com/nickcammarata/status/1471300341232668679 https://twitter.com/nickcammarata/status/1471300341232668679
• happy-go-lucky 5y ago
  "I'M SIGNIFICANT! ... screamed the dust speck." ― Bill Watterson
  • omarfarooq 5y ago
    "Value and significance is solely based on quantitative factors such as spatial size!"
• adabaed 5y ago
  Waiting for my death in peace, trying to help humanity progress to the best of my ability.
  • Abekkus 5y ago
    Yep, For me at least, acceptance of the unknown and unknowable is a deliberate process, almost a ritual, not a natural state.
• DocTomoe 5y ago
  After a psychedelic experience, I have come to have a weird combination of philosophical Vedanta Hinduism, Daoism and Buddhism, with some more animist ideas sprinkled in. My spiritual practice is to make myself aware of the world as a system and framework, but ultimately the meaninglessness it has, through meditation several times during the day, but usually at least in the morning after rising and at night before bed. I do wear cheap prayer beads (which were given to me as a gift and which I assign no further religious meaning to) as a reminder to meditae more.
  • hosh 5y ago
    I also had visionary experiences and also had come to an amagalation of different philosophies and religions, united by a monist view. You say system and framework, what do you mean by that?
  • namero999 5y ago
    Tagging along, as this resonated as similar to my journey. Happy to chat.
• felipeerias 5y ago
  Reading a bit of the Gospels in my mother tongue. I describe myself as "culturally Catholic", which is my way of saying that my cultural heritage includes plenty of Catholic elements and I am fine with that. I love popular traditions and ancient buildings, for example, even if I don't care much about faith. For me, the fact that religion is a human creation makes the good parts about it more worthwhile, not less. It is a shared story that has been told and shaped over the centuries, and it has ended up shaping the people who told it in return.
• Glench 5y ago
  My primary practice is compassion for all beings. To that end I practice mindfulness / emptiness of the body in the Tibetan tradition — https://pointingoutthegreatway.com/ https://pointingoutthegreatway.com/. I also practice with Medicine Buddha mantras and Tara mantras. I would also say that being kind and loving is part of my practice as is going to psychotherapy and connecting with others on the spiritual path.
• dkarl 5y ago
  Meditation while giving myself over to daily chores. Just being at peace with them, being mindful of why I'm doing them, weathering the thoughts and emotions that rebel against them. And the same with everything else positive in my life. Living and not following the impulse to constantly stop and reassess. I have my life pretty well figured out, but something in my brain always wants to stop doing, analyze, rethink, second-guess every action every day until the actual doing is crowded out, in my head and in reality, too, if it gets its way. So my practice is to give myself over to the things that make my life and the lives of the people around me better.
• skinney6 5y ago
  Not long ago in my new apartment after breaking up with a long time girlfriend I had an amazing experience while meditating. The odd thing was I never really meditated back then. Something just told me to do it. I was led on an internal journey that showed me some things about my self. One, don't turn away from uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Two, don't judge yourself. Three, the ego or this idea of myself is an illusion. It ended with my sense of self expanding out into infinity. I was not a body; I was infinite and an awesome wave of (I assume) serotonin like a big dose of E. Since then I meditate often and just try to be completely open to my entire experience. I'm an indifferent witness as often as I can. "Bad" feelings have lost their edge. When I sat with the feeling I discovered there is nothing "bad" about it. It's just a different feeling in my experience. With this I have become lighter, freer, happier and more at peace with the experience just as it is, right here, right now. I recommend you try observing yourself as if you are a third person. What do you think about, how do those thought make you feel, what do you do in reaction to uncomfortable or "bad" feelings? I think you will start to notice that it's all just thoughts, often silly, ridiculous thoughts about a future that will not happen. Memory too are just thoughts. They are not happening now and even if they were the judgments of them are just ideas that come from social conditioning. Good and bad, right and wrong are just opinions and they change over time and from person to person. Don't take them seriously. Its like trying to hold on to vapor as if it's something solid. I have since learned from watching Rupert Spira videos on youtube that this is kinda like Atmananda Krishna Menon's Direct Path. A lot of us here are science and engineer types. Think of this as like hacking your human experience or rooting your brain. Why be satisfied with little doses of happiness and satisfaction gotten by jumping thru social or cultural hoops. Happiness, peace and contentment are within us. Go get it for yourself.
  • Dumblydorr 5y ago
    Yes! Your experience is closest to mine. I tried Sam Harris's meditation, Joseph Goldstein's insight meditation, and came across "The Headless Path". This led to multiple moments where my consciousness expanded to fill it's container, in this case my old apartment, or a bar where I was playing music, or a shore next to a lake. It's almost like I became a 3D VR panorama of what I could sense, my center fell away and I fully absorbed the hundreds of sensations as one giant sphere. In this style, douglas Hardings Headless Path, you're attempting to realize that in some sense, "you" are not in your head. That's where we "feel" like we're centered, mostly because our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth are there. But even in reality, we can look for evidence of our head and find we don't have one. All we see is a dark void behind our nose. And behind that, we can feel what, our headache or sinuses, or the back of our head. But how are these "behind" our eyes? Aren't they just in a big cloud of sensation, too? And if we open our eyes, and let our gaze stretch and expand very widely, we might literally become absorbed into our surroundings, we'll feel like the world, not just a head. Really amazing feelings. I encourage folks try insight, mindfulness, and headless path meditation.
• aromansoldier 5y ago
  I am a Practicing Stoic, Morning routing is to spend about an hour reading texts and scholarly commentary while drinking my coffee. Then I journal, my morning journal entries are discussions with my inner daemon about how to handle the days events. Preparing myself and remembering what is and isn't in my control. Throughout the day I have reminders set to step back and examine what I am doing at that moment. This is usually coupled with one or more mental exercises to keep perspective. In the evening before going to bed I sit back down with my journal and go over any major events from the day and examine them against my philosophical beliefs. Did I approach it correctly? What did I get wrong about it. When its all written down I close my journal and forgive myself for any missteps I might have made.
  • lwerdna 5y ago
    > Throughout the day I have reminders set to step back and examine what I am doing at that moment. How does it work? Does an alarm sound and you've resolved to stop whatever you're doing and reasses? What is a success story? Has it caught you browsing youtube and put you back to work? > This is usually coupled with one or more mental exercises to keep perspective. What are the exercises? > In the evening before going to bed I sit back down with my journal and go over any major events from the day and examine them against my philosophical beliefs. Is this a written or electronic journal? How long have you been able to consistently do this? I've had many 2-week streaks but none better. Do you recommend any other resources? I've read Meditations, Pigliucci's book, and pick up Farnsworth's book every few days, but so far it's mostly quotes instead of a description of practices like the title promises.
    • aromansoldier 5y ago
      The reminders are a combination of the Pomodoro Technique and vibration alerts on my watch or phone. Just enough to remind me to step back at periodic intervals. As far as success stories I can say that it has cut stress down considerably because I keep perspective and avoid tunnel vision. The exercises I talk about are usually mental imagery techniques, "the view from above" and recollections of the "dichotomy of control". My journal is hand written since it is not for anyone else. I try to write at least a half page or more per day. To other people it is probably completely illegible. Resource wise I can suggest this book https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781549877735&crid=TQ4VA5BUEQI9&sprefix=9781549877735%2Caps%2C87&ref=nb_sb_noss https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781549877735&crid=TQ4VA5BUEQI9&s... for general exercises. It was written by a r/stoic redditor and is very plain language and contains lots of easy to understand mental exercises. For a good introduction to Stoicism look more to Sellars Stoicism Book. It is a little academic but a good read.
• adroitboss 5y ago
  I'm a Non-denominational Christian. During my best of times I would wake up and read the bible first thing in the morning before doing any major activities. I would normally say two prayers in the morning. The first prayer would be asking for the wisdom and understanding to grasp what I'm reading and internalize the lessons. Thanking God that I have seen another day. Which depending on my spots in life has been harder or easier. The second prayer would be asking God to help me remember what I have read and for me to be able to use the lessons I have learned practically throughout my day. I would then pray thanking God about things I'm grateful for, asking for help in things I feel weak in, and praying for my prayer list towards the end. We have service on Sunday for 2 hours, bible talk once a month and a middle of the week service once a month.
  • Woberto 5y ago
    Some of these are habits I do even as a Christian-turned-atheist. I've read that gratitude is good for you, and I always want to be a better person, and prayer has been a good way of thinking about these things habitually, even if I'm not praying towards anyone/anything in particular.
• cainxinth 5y ago
  I’m an agnostic, but I believe there are three commandments that must be followed every day: Kindness, Honesty, and Humility.
• g5095 5y ago
  Why do people have to comment here to say 'I have none' ? Why not just find a more interesting thread? I'm a follower of Yahweh and his Son Yeshuah, I don't consider myself Catholic or Protestant and believe both of those faiths (while honoring God in their own way, are full of the traditions of man). I left Institutional Christianity some years ago and with other like-minded saints gather wherever we feel like it to worship, pray, eat a meal together and share communion. We try to share our lives with each other as much as the western world allows (planning laws make creating real communities hard in Australia). My wife and I pray daily together, we read the scriptures and talk about what they mean. We ask the Spirit of Yahweh for guidance and we follow what He tells us to do. We actively try to help people in the community who are struggling, through food or white goods or whatever is needed. Every Wednesday night we open our house to anyone who would like to come and cook a meal together, some times this can be 1-2 people, sometimes 50+. I guess I'd say yes if you asked if I were a Christian however the term is so confused nowadays that it's not very useful, I prefer to say 'I am a follower of The Way'.
  • gjulianm 5y ago
    "None" can be a legitimate response and can elicit discussion, given that the OP seems interested in what people are doing and necessarily taking advice.
• steviedotboston 5y ago
  Orthodox Jew. I pray three times a day. Morning takes about 20-25 minutes, afternoon is 5 minutes, and evening is 5-10 minutes. I don't really think of it as a spiritual practice though, more of just a religious obligation.
  • saperyton 5y ago
    Another Orthodox Jew checking in here. How do you manage to do shacharis in 20 minutes? Do you go to minyan? ;)
    • TchoBeer 5y ago
      Is 20 minutes supposed to be long or short? Without a minyan it usually takes me about 10-15 minutes and I'm faster than average.
      • saperyton 5y ago
        Takes me 25-30 minutes on a regular morning.
      • deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
• dgellow 5y ago
  I don't think I have ever felt the need for anything spiritual. I am also not religious.
• sudosteph 5y ago
  I'm a somewhat newly converted protestant, no specific label except born-again. I pray in the morning and before bed, and try to read the Bible for 15-30 minutes a day. I normally pray silently on my knees, but I learned the Lord's Prayer in koine greek and like to say that out loud. I also attend a Sunday service. I'm friendly with some local evangelists and will sometimes hang out with them if I see them, just to fellowship with them and hand out new testaments. When I have time I try to read books by Christian thinkers, but only have a few read so far, mostly by CS Lewis and Tozer. John Wesley's sermons (available for free online) are also really spiritually valuable to me.
• kortex 5y ago
  I'm kind of a pagan/panpsychist/discordian/chaos magician. I try to sidestep all that "is the supernatural 'real'?" baggage by treating it all as an abstraction layer - do my practices get what I want? Maybe it's Yahweh, the Force, universal consciousness, flying spaghetti monster, or just good ol' confirmation bias, I don't particularly care most of the time. Sometimes I straight up pretend I'm in a video game or the Matrix. It's fun. I try to lean into "Nothing is true; everything is permitted" when it comes to unfalsifiable stuff. This is pretty much the only way I've been able to balance the super rational science heavy side of my mind with a deeper need to feel a spiritual connection. I don't currently have a day to day practice, though I used to meditate daily. I really should get back into that though.
• fsiefken 5y ago
  * visualisation and morning prayer, meditation * contemplating the four thoughts https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/teachings/how-to-structure-a-daily-practice-session/ https://tsoknyirinpoche.org/teachings/how-to-structure-a-dai... * prostrations and mantra * reading dharma books https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhist-books/ https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhist-books/ * occasional vajra dance and yantra yoga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=var4yRB1Fnc&t=565s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=var4yRB1Fnc&t=565s "Before we discuss the technique of meditation, let us point out the merit and sanity and wakefulness you are going to get out of just simply being willing to sit like a piece of rock. It’s fantastically powerful. It overrides the atomic bomb. It’s extraordinarily powerful that we decide just to sit, not hang out or perch, but just sit. Such a brave attitude, such a wonderful commitment, is magnificent. It is very sane, extraordinarily sane." The Path Is the Goal: A Basic Handbook of Buddhist Meditation. Chogyam Trungpa
• buddhistdude 5y ago
  I am aware of the fact that I am (/the brain is) thinking and it is the source of all problems
• mrweasel 5y ago
  Not sure if this counts, but I truly believe that very few people are actually evil. It’s something that is always in the back of my mind when dealing with troublesome individuals. People aren’t bad or trying to get you, they just have different world views, different perspective or just on a different path. It helps prevent conflict and helps me meet others with the kindness they deserve. Except that one developer working for a former client… DUDE, what hell’s your problem! Your a liar and a conman.
  • monktastic1 5y ago
    Me too. I think that people are on a spectrum of estrangement from love, and beyond a certain threshold we can't help but see them as "actually evil."
• Subsentient 5y ago
  I'm a secular Satanist. I believe Christianity and Abrahamic religions are inherently unethical. I have very strong utilitarian principles that run even deeper, which is ultimately what pushed me to Satanism. I'm a member of the Satanic temple, but in some ways it's more of a political organization than religious. I'm open to the possible existence of the paranormal, but I do not trust it at all and would question the intentions of such entities.
  • dhimes 5y ago
    I only recently learned that the Satanic Temple split from the Church of Satan. The ST moved next door (to Salem, MA).
    • Subsentient 5y ago
      The Church of Satan was on the right track in some areas (such as viewing Abrahamic God as evil and nonexistent), but in others it is clear that it is an incoherent "first attempt" with lots of contradictory statements, such as the belief in magic yet the disbelief in Satan, and its hatred of abortion despite its otherwise Social Darwinist leanings. More damning (no pun intended) is how the Satanic Bible (LaVey's work) simultaneously condemns the authority of "God" yet says that dictators are good Satanists. It was very much the views of a single man, Anton LaVey, which while not entirely without merit and LaVey not being necessarily a completely terrible person, are far off course in my view in many ways. Anton loved Ayn Rand. Many TST members are appalled at Rand's ethical ideology, or lack thereof, myself especially included. You'll find that in many areas, The Satanic Temple is diametrically opposed, and represents a much more coherent, logical, refined ideology, and wholly rejects social darwinism as mostly discredited, advocating instead for empathy and compassion, recognizing their evolutionary benefit. What both organizations have in common is the demand for rationalist thinking, the belief in the immorality of God, the belief in personal freedom, and deriving their ideologies partly from the sciences of their respective time periods.
      • dhimes 5y ago
        Sorry I'm so late in my reply. I largely agree with you. After reading the "manifesto" of TST I find that it's much more to my taste (although keeping "Satan" in the name is a bit much of an "inside joke" for me- the evangelicals in my family can't get past it.
• skinkestek 5y ago
  Usually not too long after waking up I listen to a podcast that brings up topics that I feel are relevant to me as a Christian. During the day depending on how you look at it - nothing much happens (I go to work, come home, do chores, try to get a little bit extra work done) - or, this is where most of it happens: I go to work trying to be the person I'm supposed to be, taking note if I fail or if I'm uneasy to improve it. When I put my kids to bed I pray like I was taught: the Lords prayer or a free prayer, making sure to both include their points as well as some broader points: as written I pray for the government and the ones I am supposed to respect (English is not my first language and this is a rough translation). On Sundays I go to "church" although it isn't always a church house, the important part is meeting. Whenever I get the chance I do work for my local church, from writing software and sysadmin work to cleaning and pure fundraising. Edit: I find this thread extremely interesting, including comments by people from other religions as well as non-religious people. Thanks for keeping it civil! Edit 2: when I was younger I read much in the Bible and it keeps popping up in my head as welcome advice, telling me to work hard, be respectful and good to those who need it, not become bitter etc in addition of course to the 10 commandments, but those have been second nature for half my life (and I enjoy the benefits that they give me :)
• cultofmetatron 5y ago
  travel photography. Its kinds of like collecting, I go out to find moments and capture them for perpetuity. Its the most expensive hobby I have where I don't expect any kind of monetary return on my investment. But after getting some amazing shots, there's something really fulfilling about it.
• nobodyandproud 5y ago
  My ritual pre-pandemic was a cup of coffee and a small silent prayer of thanks for the new day while on the train before and after sips. It was my mental oasis of calm, and something I realize is missing in the pandemic. When I was much younger and trying to forge a connection, however, I spent an hour or more daily trying to “hear”; by reading versus, letting-go of mental burdens, and straining for something. At one point I experienced what has been described as the “still small voice”, warning me that someone I knew had designs on me. It was not audible, it was brief, yet it was extremely specific. There was no confusion in the message. What actually shocked me was when weeks later, the events were unfolding as I was warned about; I was basically too shocked to act on what would have been a very bad decision. Right after all of this is when I lapsed.
• analog31 5y ago
  I realize it barely counts, but I try to get up and get some exercise every morning before doing anything else. Well, drink some coffee first, whose main effect may simply be hydration. Not super strenuous: I ride my bike to work. Especially during the winter, there's a psychological component to outdoor survival when the temps drop below 0 F, and maybe it's a bit of an antidote to the winter blues.
• jcpst 5y ago
  Somewhere in-between atheist and pantheistic here. My primary practice is Walking. Other rituals will come and go, but taking a walk can help out almost anything that’s going on in life. Really big walks, like hiking for days in the backcountry, at least once a year.
• MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
• marcodiego 5y ago
  Listening Villa-Lobos and Bach.
• dbrueck 5y ago
  Day starts with prayer and studying scripture by myself for awhile, then briefly as a family before everyone goes their way. Part of the personal prayer time includes seeking direction on who I might help that day. Throughout the day I try to take little breaks for a brief prayer, longer if I'm stuck on a programming bug whose solution eludes me and for which I need extra inspiration. Also I try to go on a daily walk to appreciate nature and to recognize blessings in my life. Each meal includes a prayer of thanks. Before bed there's a brief family scripture study and prayer, then a prayer with my wife, then a personal prayer to round out the day where I try to reflect on how things went and what I hope to do better tomorrow.
  • throwbynight38 5y ago
    Thanks for sharing.
  • charrington 5y ago
    This is pretty much my routine as well. I find morning and evening prayer / reflection very useful to help me make small, continuous improvements.
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    How does this align you to the teachings? How does this alignment manifest in your moment-to-moment experiences?
    • dbrueck 5y ago
      Great question. Briefly, the goal is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, in thoughts, words, and deeds. In practice that generally means looking outwards, not being totally self-absorbed (which is my natural tendency), and treating people with kindness and compassion - choosing to see them in the best possible light. The scripture study and related discussion helps me identify the gap between the ideal version of myself and where I am presently, but in a way that I don't get totally overwhelmed or depressed by the gap, but just see it as a long-term process of slowly developing as a person. The prayer gives me clarity and direction, both for myself but also in knowing who to help and how. Both prayer and scripture study also really lengthen one's perspective, which in turn dulls the the edge off pretty much every challenge. For example, having an assurance that there is more to my existence than 80ish years really helped me deal with pain from a sudden death in the family. And road rage. :)
• strogonoff 5y ago
  I periodically practice attempts to interpret perceived reality as an interface to adjacent nodes in an abstract network of consciousnesses.
• antognini 5y ago
  For the last few years (and especially since the pandemic began), my most regular practice has been the Liturgy of the Hours, particularly Lauds and Vespers, which are the morning and evening prayers of the Roman Catholic Church. Each one is two psalms and a canticle, followed by a short reading, another canticle (the Benedictus in the morning and the Magnificat in the evening), intercessions, an Our Father, and a concluding prayer. I have been trying to pray Matins more regularly as well (also called the Office of Readings), which is three psalms followed by a longer reading from the Bible and reading from one of the Church Fathers. I have found praying the rosary beneficial as well since it is more meditative than the Liturgy of the Hours, but I haven't yet been able to regularly work into my schedule.
  • paxcoder 5y ago
    Same here. Lauds before work, Vespers in the evening. I'm currently praying what I think is a Franciscan Secular Order variant. I also pray a short prayer at 15:00 (Our Father and Glory Be) which is purportedly the time when Jesus died on the Cross for us, which is also very beneficial. Sundays I read Scripture, following what is really a daily Coming Home Network schedule [1] - a couple of chapters from the Old Testament in order, a Psalm or a a short excerpt from one of the books of wisdom, a chapter from the New Testament [1] https://chnetwork.org/free-resource-updated-version-of-our-read-the-bible-and-the-catechism-in-a-year-guide/ https://chnetwork.org/free-resource-updated-version-of-our-r...
• hackingthelema 5y ago
  I practice mysticism and magick. Essentially it breaks down to Raja Yoga-style mysticism and Western tradition occultism (i.e. in the style of the Goetia and Book of Abramelin). I tend to view things through a Thelemic lens: 'Every man and every woman is a star.' - AL. I. 3 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.' - AL. I. 40 'The word of Sin is Restriction.' - AL. I. 41 'Thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that, and no other shall say nay.' - AL. I. 42-43 'Love is the law, love under will.' - AL. I. 57. 'Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains.' - AL. II. 9.
• dharmatech 5y ago
  I see many posts here mentioning the Bible. If you've struggled to get into the Bible before, consider reading the NLT translation. Read it slow. Maybe one chapter a day. (They're very short chapters.) It will take you a few years at that rate. Start from the beginning. Read it in order. NLT can be read online: https://biblehub.com/nlt/genesis/1.htm https://biblehub.com/nlt/genesis/1.htm Don't let anyone tell you what it means. No church, priest, or pastor has a monopoly on these teachings. It's your journey. If you don't feel comfortable going to a church, don't feel pressured to. If you ever sit down with even just one person to discuss your feelings on the Bible, then that is a church.
  • betterunix2 5y ago
    People who read the bible without any religious context, as if it was just a book, will almost certainly see only a disjointed and contradictory collection of ancient stories and writings. Without any religious context that is all the bible is. Oral traditions still matter and that is why Jews and Christians have such wildly different understandings of the Hebrew texts.
• browningstreet 5y ago
  Every day, I meditate.. usually for 10 minutes, sometimes 20. I've stopped using a timer, so it depends on me. Once a week I'll do a longer guided meditation from Insight Timer. I read a lesson from the ACIM Workbook, and then usually a selection from a few "daily" Buddhist texts I've collected and liked. I also run and workout pretty much every day. Feels like part of the plan, moreso if I'm doing them alone.
• unemphysbro 5y ago
  Growing up our family were followers of Shirdi Sai Baba. Nowadays, I follow the basic tenants without a particular attachment to any saint. I meditate daily with personal mantras, prayers, and basic affirmations to be a good and moral person. It's pretty simple but helps me stay grounded and reminds me of what's important in life.
• oa335 5y ago
  I’m Muslim… on a day to day basis I pray, ideally five times a day. The prayer timings are tied to the location of the sun in the sky, which helps me be more aware of natural rhythms. I’ve observed that the periods of my life where I am praying regularly are associated with lower levels depression, higher levels of satisfaction and purpose.
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    What is your experience with the prayer practice itself? Do you feel it centers you / clears your mind?
• ausbah 5y ago
  as someone who doesn't subscribe to any major belief system (including atheism which I am aware isn't technically a "belief system"), this made me think when I feel "spiritual" probably whatever makes me feel some sense of "ego death", where I feel more apart of others than myself. I think this usually happens when I am with good friends or in moments of self reflection - usually while running or journaling I think these elements are what underlie many of the habits people in this thread describe, rather than anything attributable to any specific faith. that's just my two cents
• mesid 5y ago
  Sudarshan kriya - essentially breathing exercises taught by the Art of Living (AoL). It's simple and has a good effect on keeping the mind stable. Further, I also practise meditation taught by the same AoL foundation. Just closing my eyes and being there and observing my breath and surroundings. I go tho the temple (I'm raised as a Jain) for the peaceful environment it offers.
  • BurningFrog 5y ago
    Is there instruction audio for Sudarshan kriya available anywhere on the web?
    • ycom789 5y ago
      Art of Living faculty teach it.
• dmwiens 5y ago
  Wake up. Immediately start the hot water kettle. Put on warm clothes and use the bathroom. Go back to kitchen and make English Breakfast Tea. Sit down at my desk for 45 minutes. At that point, I will either read from Meditations, or write in my journal, or plan out my day/week, or possibly "practice" computer science (overall, its a blend of spirituality and meta-productivity). The content varies, but the ritual of it is a treasured part of my day.
• vmception 5y ago
  I ask people what their rising sign is so that none of us have to talk about our sun sign. It is a litmus test as I'm not looking for cerebral people.
• mark_l_watson 5y ago
  When I wake up I do a short gratitude prayer, then a short meditation. I meditate for short periods at random times during the day - no real schedule. I am about 2/3 through the Self Realization Fellowship meditation lessons. I have been meditating for about 45 years on my own, but I find with the SRF lessons my meditation is more efficient and satisfying.
• bovermyer 5y ago
  I'm vaguely a secular Buddhist. I have no daily practice. I try to meditate daily but it doesn't usually work out.
• bckr 5y ago
  I'm into magick. So a lot of what I do is observe my thoughts and intentions and direct my attention/emotion/passion/sexual energy towards the most beautiful and joyful subset of those. When I'm particularly certain of a desired outcome I will "cast" for it, occasionally doing a bit of sorcery: drawing funny pictures and generally doing wizardly stuff. I also do "continuous divination" AKA leaning heavily into apophenia and just generally not assuming that mysterious forces aren't at work around me. Sometimes I'll also do "acute divination" -- my favorite method is fortune cookies, not even kidding. Visualizing and praying to various god/esse/s is important. In particular I pray to Ganesh to help me let go of negative things I'm holding onto (this was a beautiful outcome of therapy mingling with my spiritual life); I also love Inanna, and Sun meditations. I'd also be lying if I denied that Christ shows up in my most anxious moments--especially since He appeared in a dream to tell me "you don't need to be a Christian to talk to me". Finally, there are also public rituals that I attend on a regular (sans covid) basis where we meditate on natural/spiritual forces and socialize our spirituality. This is one of the most important bits of it all, as it 1) is a huge source of magical energy, 2) reinforces the practices I'm doing 3) inspires/goads me into deepening those practices, and 4) exposes me to more ideas and possibilities in this zone, even if I've been negligent to study the mysteries (and I have been negligent, since focusing on my career the last few years).
  • gavinray 5y ago
    > Sometimes I'll also do "acute divination" -- my favorite method is fortune cookies, not even kidding. I'm not religious or superstitious, but I get the most unscientific thought that fortune cookies may actually be personal messages from the universe. Don't really put much credence into this thought but I can't help but think it when opening them. Not sure why.
    • bckr 5y ago
      > fortune cookies may actually be personal messages from the universe. Try this next time you get one: Take a few seconds and hold the fortune cookie in your hand. Deeply consider for a moment the comedic possibility that this fortune cookie contains a message from a higher power. Suspend your disbelief, just like you do when engrossed in a work of fiction. Now, the key: ask a question. Questions in the form of "Tell me about...", or "How should I approach..." etc are most suitable for the form of divination at hand. Close your eyes and ask the question to the higher power in the cookie. Now, have a predetermined method for opening and reading the fortune. I crack in half, eat one half, read, and then eat the other half (or don't, if I am being a brat / don't like the fortune). This part is about making a clean ritual of it. My hit rate for meaningful messages skyrocketed since applying the above approach.
• jplr8922 5y ago
  Zen buddhism. I started going to a local zendo about 7-8 years ago to do a weekly 1h30 hour meditation (in fact, 3 short bursts of 25min). This also became a (much shorter) daily habit, and over the year I attend various retreats (from 1 to 5 days). The zendo itself is 'managed' by a monastic. I started because I wanted to have a crazy experience that would modify my epistemiological understanding of the world. Over the years, I discovered how past emotional events subcounsciously influenced my decision making, how much parental roles shaped my romantic views and how much of my personality was invested in my mind and not my body. I could go on and on. I cannot prove this scientifically, but somehow I think that my effort toward zen practice made all of this possible, and the only thing I know is that the next change will be weirder than the last one. I would also like to mention that, even if meditation is ''not christian'', I now feel that my understanding of it is better now than 8 years ago.
• nobleach 5y ago
  Most mornings begin with exercise and cool down. Then scripture and prayer. This morning, I read Hebrews chapter 12 from the New Testament in the Bible. Afterwards, I prayed about some of the things that stuck out to me. I prayed for my family, and the members of my dev team. I find this tends to center me on the things that (I believe) are important... thinking more of others than myself. I pray for things I know about and things I don't know about. When relationships at work are stressed, I pray that I could see things from the perspective of others. I pray for humbleness. I pray that I'd be helpful to those around me. For those I'm mentoring, I pray that I'd teach them useful things that will foster growth. So lotsa prayer I guess.
• 3pt14159 5y ago
  I took the long, long road to end up back where I started: Mere Christianity. I've felt the presence of God in the world my whole life, but the way the right wing media lied to me about global warming and other things had me re-evaluate what else I could be misinformed about, so I kept and open mind and studied a ton of religions including: Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Daoism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and some light reading on Shintoism and other minor Asian religious practices. For a while I entertained Pantheism, but I couldn't square the problem of evil. So I dove into philosophy for a while and the person that seemed to make the most rational sense once you got to the existence of a mind that could know a truth seemed to be Schopenhauer but Russel seemed the most practical. But I could get to the knowability of truth without bootstrapping off of something else. So the choice (or was it?) was radical scepticism or faith. Since I always felt the presence of God in the world, I decided faith in God was the only answer. I rationally knew it could be a delusion, but when trying to run all the logic sine Deo, I came back to the same point anyway: I need to take something by faith. But knowing that you need to take something by faith isn't the same as feeling that you have the right religion. So I kept an open mind until the truth of it all overwhelmed me all at once. It took a while for me to get back to stock Christianity, exploring interfaith, Orthodox Christianity, Christian universalism, etc. And I don't know all the answers on the hot button issues, but I believe and I pray and I trust that there are sensible answers for the harder questions, even if I don't have them yet. Anyway, if anyone out there wants to chat about any of this I'm always open to a random email from a friendly HNer :)
  • namero999 5y ago
    Mind if I'll drop an email? It resonated.
    • 3pt14159 5y ago
      Of course. I'm away from email tonight, but I'll be back online tomorrow. Please reach out.
• anthk 5y ago
  Nothing. I just do stuff.
• scop 5y ago
  I am a practicing Catholic. I have four kids all under 7. My normal day consists of feeding them, bathing them, calming tantrums, losing my temper, getting bitter at my lack of time for hobbies, and growing resentful of my lack of time for reading the Bible, praying, etc. But then I remember that this is a true dying to self. Not only a dying to self, but a dying to the world too as each of these sacrifices, failures, and victories occur hidden away from the world. Thus I commend myself to this daily humbling, this emptying, and also trust myself to the daily prayer of the monks, whose prayer and sacrifice are also hidden from the world and whose labors I suspect are also just as arduous, frustrating, and challenging at times. > For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find i
  • kk6mrp 5y ago
    You might like this poem (from what I can find it is attributed to Bill Britton): When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ. THAT IS DYING TO SELF When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence. THAT IS DYING TO SELF When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any impunctuality, or any annoyance; when you stand face-to- face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility and endure it as Jesus endured. THAT IS DYING TO SELF When you are content with any food, any offering, any climate, any society, any raiment, any interruption by the will of God. THAT IS DYING TO SELF When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendations, when you can truly love to be unknown. THAT IS DYING TO SELF When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances. THAT IS DYING TO SELF When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart. THAT IS DYING TO SELF Are you dead yet? In these last days, the Spirit would bring us to the cross. “That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” Philippians 3:10 EDIT: I like to keep this poem around as a reminder on how I should act. I find that self is a hard beast to conquer.
• lostmsu 5y ago
  I don't have one and recommend everyone to drop that shit. Total waste of time.
• nmpennypacker 5y ago
  Atheist here. Yoga, running, and hiking do the trick for me.
• PaulHoule 5y ago
  It is a bit unusual and outright advocated against by almost all gurus, but I have sometimes done a spiritual practice aimed at developing unusual abilities. In some cases this has involved overlaying my avatar in the physical world with a different image and taking on some characteristics such as charm, increased observation, better functional flexibility, etc. Lately I got one which is outright ego-dystonic, not like me at all, often intrusive (sometimes it seems it visualizes me and not the other way around) and even a bit rude (to me), yet the challenge it is helping me with is longstanding and severe enough that I'm willing to put up with quite a lot.
• sam0x17 5y ago
  100% atheism. Was raised some kind of protestant I forget which one, and derived tremendous spiritual and psychological relief when I realized all of that was absolute nonsense at the age of 9. I knew I was gay at the time and wouldn't come out until I was 18 or so, but my life just got a lot easier when I removed religion completely. I also recall discovering increased moral agency -- as a Christian I had been taught I could simply confess whatever and it would be forgiven (an idea I found laughable), and that the objective basis for making moral judgements comes directly from god (another idea I found laughable). As an atheist I was suddenly responsible for making my own moral judgements and conclusions (I had to decide upon my own objective basis for making moral judgements), and forgiveness was something I had to work towards myself (as in I had to forgive myself for things, which is not easy, but is incredibly rewarding) versus simply getting it for free from some nonexistent deity. All in all, was an incredibly positive change in my life, and I do believe there can be a weird sort of spirituality to 100% atheism that people don't really acknowledge.
  • laserlight 5y ago
    I’m curious. How did you originally arrive at the conclusion that god didn’t exist?
    • deeng 5y ago
      Atheism doesn't necessarily imply concluding that no gods exist. It's merely not accepting the claim that any do exist.
    • simonh 5y ago
      Good question, hope you don’t mind me jumping in. For me as a teenager or even younger, reading about various faiths and mythologies, I was thinking about which faith was the right one. Obviously I could simply choose the one of my parents and the adults around me followed, but I went to a school with Muslims, Hindu and Buddhist children too. Was I really supposed to try and convert them? None of the Christian teachers did. It all made no sense. Everybody was just doing and saying what their parents told them to, and actually thinking or talking about it and taking it actually seriously just seemed absurd. Nobody was actually following through on what the scriptures said they aught to be doing, if it really was all true, and if they had that would be even worse. So it wasn’t so much deciding god doesn’t exist, it was that if god does exist, which version is it and how would I know? From there concluding that religion is an entirely artificial social construct was a pretty small step. Having said that, I also concluded that spirituality is clearly a ubiquitous human experience. Religion seems to be a response to a universal, or near universal impulse that it’s worth taking seriously.
• dqpb 5y ago
  I'm atheist, but grew up in and around a few religions and new-age spirituality. In my teenage years, I believed in the spiritual existence as fully as I can imagine anyone believing in anything. As I reached my 20s I realized these were all dead-ends, but never lost the good feelings I associated with the practice. For a few years, I tried to pin down what it means to be atheist while still embodying the spiritual experience. One morning I was driving to work when my boss called to say the office would be closed and I could take the day off. Suddenly, it was like all the neurons in my brain lit up at once. The sky looked brighter, the air smelled sweeter, and I felt a wave of energy flood my body. I loved my job, this wasn't a feeling of relief of escaping something I dreaded. Rather, it was just the sudden openness of my day, and a feeling of unbounded possibilities. I realized in that moment that that is what it feels like to be both atheist and "spiritual". So, my spiritual practice is two things: first, to make those moments happen. Second, to collect the various ideas, mental models, and frameworks that I believe are the evolutionary successors to spirituality. The core of these ideas center around: focused vs diffuse thinking, the exploitation/exploration tradeoff, computational irreducibility, information theory, systems thinking, and generally allowing some things which don't exist yet, but could theoretically exist, to exist in my mind as if they are already real.
• mikercampbell 5y ago
  I used to be devout Mormon, and a hardcore one at that. It was woven so deeply in my reality, that everything had spiritual significance for me. A few years ago, I encountered history, documents, and truths about the religion that were never presented to me. Since then, I've slowly, painfully, removed myself from the religion, and removed the religion from me. It's extremely painful to go from a space where everything is eternally, deifically, infinitely of value to "nothing actually matters". I was diagnosed with PTSD this summer from the whole affair, as it was truly traumatic, and there were times that I almost didn't make it in the most literal sense. But I've pieced together significance slowly and surely over the years. I've learned to slow down, love deeper, participate in the demanding process of finding and acknowledging beauty in this world, and have found spirituality in my own ways. "The Anthropocene Reviewed" by John Green was a huge influence on my current flavor of spirituality (as it's constantly shifting). I'm sure the book means something different to everyone, but for me, it really broke down the need to work to build a habit of awe, and look for the things that stop you in your tracks. Observation and conscious efforts to find meaning and beauty are how I find my spirituality.
  • sethammons 5y ago
    I'd love to hear more on the history, documents, and truths you found. Would you consider emailing me (it is in my profile)? Summary and jumping off points super welcome.
    • coryfklein 5y ago
      The CES Letter is an excellent jumping-off point.
      • bluesoftware 5y ago
        If you've already decided that you want to leave the church and need something tangible to point to as your reason for leaving, CES letter is well suited for that. But if you are honestly and earnestly evaluating church history and are using CES letter as a primary source... I would make sure to give some of the more popular rebuttals (such as [0]) a read as well as they rightly call out some serious problems with the letter. [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/lds/comments/lb3h3i/part_1_the_dishonest_origins_of_the_ces_letter/ https://www.reddit.com/r/lds/comments/lb3h3i/part_1_the_dish...
• asiachick 5y ago
  I'll take the downvotes but this entire thread is mostly depressing. If you want to know why people believe in 5G nanobots from vaccines or pizzagate you need only look here in this thread at all these people believing in nonsense. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j8llkjvURyg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j8llkjvURyg most similar videos critique religion but to me, spirituality just means persoal religion and has many of the same traps, bad reasoning, and bad consequences.
  • tkamat29 5y ago
    The person you linked (Sam Harris) is actually one of the leading voices advocating for spirituality without religion. He wrote about it in his book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion.
  • namero999 5y ago
    Not going to downvote you, but I consider that view extremely naive. Without an all encompassing worldview, you are going to need lots of luck to navigate life and the world. The word religion, once you divest it of superstitions, means re-legare, to bind together. And this is what spirituality essentially is, the construction of a coherent worldview that makes sense. God or other concepts like that are just syntactical proxies. Don't read things too literally, or you'll end up coming across as more deluded than the targets of your criticism (or as Harris). "Only the shallowest of minds would think that in great controversy one side is pure folly".
• scrapcode 5y ago
  I haven't really found a practice or routine, yet, but I've always seeked out a higher power and it is something I am still interesting in. I quit drinking alcohol ~60 days ago which drove me to attend some AA meetings. An elderly gentleman while explaining his view of a "higher power" said that he just starts by saying his "please"(s) in the morning (eg. 'please help me through this speech,' etc) and his "thank you"(s) at night - even though he doesn't try to identify who he's speaking to. Although I hope to eventually have an experience that allows me to have complete faith and belief in something more specific, I thought that was a good place to start. I haven't gotten into the routine myself, but I thought I would share.
• learner007 5y ago
  I am Muslim and pray 5x a day. Prayer is the remembrance of God (Allah) and expression of gratitude and love. Every morning I spend some of my wealth in charity. The Quran puts great emphasis on helping others and on being a good human being. My father used to say it's not the amount, but consistency that matters. I try to keep to that. Apart from that, I read / listen to the Quran. This is what makes me the happiest spiritually. simple translations of the Quran: https://beta.quran.com/1 https://beta.quran.com/1 overview of Islam: https://www.javedahmedghamidi.org/#!/mizan https://www.javedahmedghamidi.org/#!/mizan (English on top)
• natch 5y ago
  My entire spiritual practice, if you must call it that, is just living life. I think of the afterlife as the life of people (and other sentient creatures) that will live (or live on) after me, and every day I try to do what I can to make my life AND that afterlife better. I won’t be there for that afterlife, because I will be very dead, but I believe it is real :-). Thinking about things this way makes life meaningful and fun.
• cvwright 5y ago
  Recent convert to Anglicanism here. It’s a lot more formal than the Baptist tradition that I grew up in. There are a lot of rote prayers for every occasion - morning, night, etc. When I was younger I would have found this inauthentic, forced, and fake. But now I find that it sort of fills a gap. It provides some of the ritual and meditation that I had admired/envied in Eastern traditions like Buddhism. I’m still sort of easing my way in to all this. So far I’ve been enjoying listening to morning prayer on The Daily Office Podcast [1] with my morning coffee. It’s a great way to start the day. [1] https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily-office-podcast/id1574821838 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily-office-podca...
• stuporglue 5y ago
  I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I read scriptures every day (Book of Mormon, Bible, Doctrine and Covenants) for 10-30 minutes. I turned 40 this year and have a goal to read all of those scriptures cover to cover before my next birthday. I pray every day as well, at least at night, often when I wake up, and almost always before meals (unless I'm at a restaurant or something). Weekly I go to church, and go help with the youth activities. I also go visit families and widows regularly — or at least I try to. I try to worship at the temple (different than the regular weekly church) about monthly. And I pay 10% of my income as a tithing and give some each month as a "fast offering" to help the needy. Back to the day to day stuff, I try not to swear, try to be kind, honest, and all the other things Christ was and would be.
  • dagmx 5y ago
    Out of curiosity, are you a recent convert? I would imagine anyone who's as religious as yourself would have easily read all the scriptures by now, rather than aiming to do it by the age of 41?
    • deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    • stuporglue 5y ago
      I've read them multiple times over my life, but slowly (like a chapter or two a day). This year I'm trying to read them all within the year, which has me reading a lot more than in the past. Seems like individual verses hit harder when reading slow, but the larger narrative hits harder when plowing through the books quickly.
• krohling 5y ago
  I don't consider myself religious. Like many folks here (I assume) I've had a strong physicalist lean for much of my life. I've found great joy in the study of math, physics and of course computers. The pull towards a more spiritual understanding of my condition has been heavily motivated by the mystery of my own consciousness. By consciousness I refer only to pure awareness. This moment in time with this collection of protons and electrons and complex field fluctuations is being experienced. And I find that so incredibly truly strange an inexplicable by any physical description. To carry out this dance of wave function evolution it does not seem that experience would be required at all. Yet it's there. Furthermore, when I'm quiet and my mind settles I can become acutely in touch with this pureness of experience and it appears to transcend mental processing, thoughts, memories and all of the things that are typically used to describe "I". My story for what the universe is, is something along the lines of a Maxwell Tegmark level 4 multiverse populated with all possible mathematical structures and infused with a panpsychism quality of fundamental experience. Yes, I suspect that even electrons are experienced and I know that's weird lol. In the end though I know this description is just a story that my ego mind needs to make sense of all this stuff and I try not to place too much stock in it. Practices that I find helpful and meaningful: -Meditation (I usually aim for about 30 minutes a day) -Listening to and reading Alan Watts -Listening to and reading Ram Dass -Semi-regular psychedelic experience (psilocybin primarily) -Listening to East Forest's music
• thom 5y ago
  I'm agnostic, but I choose to believe that there's a chance the universe was created, either directly or as a side-effect of some act of will. Given what I know about how complicated projects generally get delivered, I assume that instead of some benevolent, perfect creator, the universe was created in a rush, by some stressed low-level figure. They are probably unhappy with how it turned out, and they had to implement a bunch of performance hacks (the speed of light and quantum mechanics among them) to get it working properly. They may not understand its internal state, or know we exist, but I hope they have at least some grudging affection for their creation, even if it's been superseded by other universes at this point. I call them Colin. I occasionally ask for Colin's help, and in return I try to keep my part of the universe interesting. You are free to join me in Colinism.
  • deathofsocrates 5y ago
    Interesting. I liked your angle on this. Just to add more on it: it is a high chance that we are some sort of a fish in an aquarium. its a vast universe for us but we might not be more than a family of bacterias on a random rock in a tank thats filled with void.
  • devmunchies 5y ago
    I had the thought that our relationship to this “colin” could be like a fat cell to a human. If the human is fat, we are happy and we actually have influence. If the human is a body builder, we’re in trouble.
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    This makes me think of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett :) Is it possible the universe is still being created and what we call Big Bang is an ongoing process of manifested boiling out of the unmanifested ;)
• bigbaguette 5y ago
• hosh 5y ago
  It’s great to see all these responses. I enjoyed looking through these. My core view is some flavor of monism, and I see no (ultimate) contradictions among monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, even atheistic or apatheistic views. I have had visionary experiences with and without psychedelics. There are some things I don’t need a belief for, having experienced enough. I spend a lot of time doing healing work on myself, and that bleeds into work on people around me and people I encounter. In the past two years, this work has also bleed into the land as I study and put into practice permaculture design principles. I used to do mindfulness practices and japa yoga regularly in the mornings. These days, I am practicing neigong with the aim of refining the vessel (the body) to materialize spirit. Or at least, as I can, with helping my wife with our one-year-old child.
• account-5 5y ago
  None. I have none. Don't need one.
• JackFr 5y ago
  Roman Catholic. Try to say a rosary every morning. Read that day's mass readings and a blurb or two from Lives of the Saints. Attend mass weekly. Go to confession once or twice a year.
• kokizzu2 5y ago
  Christianity, after comparing few religion, the Jesus teaching and practice (the only required practice is pondering/remembering His words and implement it in real life: like love one another, forgive, test every teaching, etc) far way superior than newer one that claiming to be continuation of it '__') after reading history of the religion's founder (the killings/torture and robbing, marrying a minor when he's already 50s, marrying his adopted son's wife, very suspicious teachings that only benefit himself, mixed up names and messed up commands in their scripture, demeaning women, etc), I feel like 25% of this world been totally fooled or brainwashed, but thankfully only a little of them that are truly following his teaching/deeds (one that in war region)
• newusertoday 5y ago
  staring at void
• SweetLullaby 5y ago
  Atheism since 2020.
• throwaway271658 5y ago
  I suppose I can say I practice these: throughout every day I deliberately consider whether I am closer to truth in all matters; reaching for truth scientifically on all the grand questions (what is life, why anything exists, etc). Being a non-believer helped a lot while I was undergoing chemotherapy a few years ago. I felt peace in the knowledge that cancer was nothing personal (where there is life, there is cancer).
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• methusala8 5y ago
  20 Minutes of Meditation which either takes the form of Transcedantal Meditation or Self enquiry as taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi. The goal is to initially, quiet the mind, and then realise that there is only Brahman and that there is no such entity called 'Mind'.
• kirse 5y ago
  Christianity started out for me as a fear-based "obey the rules or die" approach to life but over the last few years it has been moving towards a "I love God & love what is good" theme. These days everyone labels emotions like fear/shame/guilt as "toxic", but I think they have their uses, in the same way fear keeps us from simply walking off a cliff. Spiritual practice is best when dynamic over disciplined like any relationship, but find that Bible reading / reflection before bed seems to let things marinate over night, and also talking w/ God and simply telling him what I need throughout the day (peace, self-control, etc) is a fruitful practice. Even if I wasn't a Christian I would still hold an unshakeable belief that this universe has a Creator. It's just far too wonderful of an engineering marvel to say that there isn't a Grand Engineer behind it all. I think that's part of the joy of living, we get to discover the Creator through his creation.
• coder4life 5y ago
  Anything Chang Sen Feng (Tai Chi inventor) had to say is enough for me
• TchoBeer 5y ago
  I'm a religious Jew, in a bit of a crisis of faith. I still pray three times a day, I still make shabbat and observe holidays, I even still learn Torah even though I don't really believe in it anymore, because I find being well read useful when I have to explain the times I do break the cultural norms to people. Orthodox Judaism in general has a lot of laws everywhere: what you wear, what you eat, what you put in your house, and a lot of prayer and blessings. Modern orthodox communities of Jews are very weirdly selective about the things they're ok with modernizing and the things they still hold importance with: listening to secular music is fine, wearing modern clothing is fine, but if you play instruments on the sabbath you're shunned. There's something inherently disgustingly coercive about a society that will treat you like a stranger and disown you if you don't get married, let alone if you have a relationship with someone of the same sex. Every day it gets harder to accept myself living a life where I can't openly love the people I love, but there is also a structure and community that secular society doesn't really have. Part of the draws of acceptance is that the sense of community in religious spaces is built not just out of inclusivity (we have the same religion and values) but also exclusivity (we aren't like them) and this means that sometimes you're excluded.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    > a society that will treat you like a stranger and disown you if you don't get married, let alone if you have a relationship with someone of the same sex How do you reconcile these within yourself? My curiosity is about true spiritual practice - the alchemy inside your being. Is your practice to humble yourself to the rules for example? Or to follow them while knowing in your heart that they are limiting and possibly outdated? Externally you could be taking the same actions. Internally it’s not the same.
    • TchoBeer 5y ago
      I don't know how to reconcile them, and it's something I've been struggling to do for quite a while. Even when I was younger I didn't really believe, so going through the motions of spiritual practices I don't find particularly fulfilling to appease others is a familiar state of being. I sometimes find a nice feeling of belonging when I do these things, but that feeling is hard to maintain when my community hates my existence and would cast me out in a heartbeat if I was public about who I am.
• braindead_in 5y ago
  I am a recent convert to Nondualism. I start my day with 1 hour of Yoga Asana's and 30 minutes meditation and end the day with 1 hour of discourses and 30 minutes meditation.
• unixhero 5y ago
  I am a practicing Agnostic. I slide towards nihilism ever so often, but see its pit of despair and pull myself out of it. Going back to being an agnostic; Hopefully there's something out there. Hopefully. You know what I wish school hadn't spent the first 9 years of my curriculum teaching protestant christianity, or any religion for that matter. I cannot even imagine the power of teaching kids motivational and spiritual improvement classes instead of wasting my time on religion. Well that never happened, and I've picked up spiritual improvement and motivational stuff later in life. There's still time to make corrections on the trajectory. But when is apogee?
• deathofsocrates 5y ago
  Atheism. downright non-believer. Grew up by a deist family. they were not really religious. I do remember hearing praying every now and then from my childhood but it was not something that's reflected to me as important part of life. Later on met lots of religious people but did not find them interesting. After learning more about science and technology, the unresolved facts started to disturb me while I was still young. Later in life started being interested in philosophy and learned that i need to learn more about the things that i disagree. hence end up reading most of the holy books, found them close to reading LOTR. My thoughts on spiritual practice? Religion is required for most of the people because it is a meditation and a safe bay for the minds that are unable to bear the hard facts in this universe. I find it very stupid and inefficient for humanity to spend so much resources on it but I do not disrespect the religious community except the extremists and the people who's life's meaning is religion. I also believe that the majority of people are belong to a religion because they don't want to be seen as an outsider or due to their social state or job etc. Or probably because it's been an important part of their family. because it is very hard to unsee the cruel world and fool yourself with religion. "Science is the most reliable guide for civilization, for life, for success in the world. Searching a guide other than the science is meaning carelessness, ignorance and heresy."
  • spacebanana7 5y ago
    How do you define science? Most attempts at formal definitions involve some sequence of hypothesis/experiment/observation (e.g. wikipedia [1]). With such definitions, however, it's not clear that the employment of some respectable modes of learning like mathematics or the historical method amount to doing science. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method
  • metadaemon 5y ago
    If religion is the dogmatic structure around spiritual practice, are you spiritual to any degree outside of the dogma?
  • theonething 5y ago
    > it is very hard to unsee the cruel world and fool yourself with religion I'm Christian and it is seeing this cruel world that confirms for me the existence of human sin and the need for a solution. Science is wonderful and explains a lot of things and has resulted in a lot of good, but so far for me, it doesn't not explain adequately why this world is so cruel and what to do about. And it doesn't speak to morality either. Morality I'd argue is pretty important for a happy and functioning society.
• davidbiehl 5y ago
  i was raised in the church of jesus christ of latter day saints (aka the mormon church) at some point in my adult life, the stress and anxiety of being a “practicing” member of the church led to the point where i couldn’t attend sacrament meetings without a panic attack. i have stopped participating and have found that my quality of life has improved. i’m not sure what my belief system is, but i think about death a lot… and in an odd way it helps me appreciate life right now. the thought of an afterlife freaks me out. i want to believe that death is the end. the scarcity of time reminds me how valuable my friends and family are, reminds me to be generous to others, and helps me to live in the moment. i believe in karma and have found that when i help others in their time of need that it circles back around when i am in need. in my experience, organized religion overcomplicates things. let’s be excellent to each other.
  • gremlinsinc 5y ago
    Also exmormon (agnostic but somewhat spiritual) here... I like the concept that maybe we're just the universe dreaming of itself. Like when we die...it's like rain drops returning to the ocean. If you haven't seen Midnight Mass, I can't recommend it enough great Netflix series, but as one character is dying, there's a brilliant monologue (depending on who you ask, some hated it but I loved it!) that touches on this idea. I like to believe that there could be something else ..but that regardless it doesn't require a deity, and everyone's invited, and that I should live as if there isn't because I can't possibly know if there is, and everything in life is valuable.
• praptak 5y ago
  I do a 25 minute meditation sit every day. The framework I practice in is "The Mind Illuminated" which is ancient Buddhist meditation texts (mostly Asanga) retold for us contemporaries. FTR, I consider myself a rationalist.
• calebm 5y ago
  I was raised as a preachers' kid in the ultra-conservative Church of Christ Christian denomination, and I thought we were the only ones that had the truth and everyone else was going to hell. But I wondered why God doesn't show himself. Fast-forward to 2 decades of searching later, and I now hold a panentheistic - we are living in God, we are all part of God, and we are all tuning into the truth. I see God everywhere I look, and I hear God speak (both by positive and negative contrast) everywhere and in everything. I lean towards the idea that "all is as it should be, but not as it should stay". Perfection is not a static destination - we are tuning into God like the Fibonacci sequence tunes into the Golden Ratio. Christ is the Universe/Art/Word, the Father is the Artist/Speaker, and the Spirit is the Artistic reason. I think we're all going to heaven, and it bothers me when people say Daddy is going to throw a bunch of people in an eternal torture chamber - that's not my Dad.
  • metadaemon 5y ago
    I believe in roughly the same concept, I'm glad there is a name for it!
• 5F7bGnd6fWJ66xN 5y ago
  Religion is a form of psychotherapy. Prayer is a form of meditation. The prevalence of it across time, geography and cultures is an indication of its usefulness to humankind.
• yashap 5y ago
  Atheist-ish - no spiritual practice of any kind. In terms of beliefs, I think there’s a tonne of massive, unanswered questions about the universe, and it’s certainly possible that there are forces out there that resemble spiritual concepts. Something vaguely resembling a soul, or an intelligent life that created the universe, that sort of thing. Or not - I have no real opinion on this other than “nobody knows”. I do think that all popular religions on earth were created by people, though. Likely started similar to cults, and evolved into something much more loosely controlled. I don’t think they’re entirely negative, religion can be a powerful positive force for a lot of people, but I do think they’re just stories made by humans, for humans.
  • ss108 5y ago
    Sounds like you're more of an Agnostic, no?
    • yashap 5y ago
      Yeah, that might be a better description. Atheist and agnostic are both somewhat loose terms with a lot of overlap.
    • DangitBobby 5y ago
      Gnostic means you know, agnostic means you don't. Theist means you believe, atheist means you don't. A gnostic atheist "knows" there's no god and an agnostic theist thinks there's a god. In this case, GP is an agnostic atheist.
    • jandrewrogers 5y ago
      That depends on the formalism and the objective. If we accept agnostic priors then the most rational belief implied by those priors is atheism, via the same formalisms that give us Ockham's Razor. That belief is conditional but it is a very strong condition such that you would not expect someone that held agnostic priors to not also be operationally atheist for all practical purposes. Similarly, most atheists seem to hold agnostic priors but fully realize the implications of that by calling themselves "atheists".
  • 5y ago
• raptorraver 5y ago
  Orthodox Christian here. I pray before our icons in the mornings and evenings and use prayer rope through out the day to read Jesus-prayer [1] (perfect in boring Teams-meetings :)) I try to attend Liturgy every sunday and mostly read books by saints and Church Fathers nowadays. The depth of the teachings of the Church and beauty of out services still astounish me after 11 years of being member of the Church. It’s sad when people judge christians but don’t know anything about the original christianity which differs quite a lot from typical protestantism. Biggest difference between eastern and western christianity is how we view sin and salvation. In the west they view those from legalistic pov, but we think sin as a disease which can be healed in the Church. That’s why usually orthodox christians aren’t judgmental to others but instead focus on their own struggle. I’m happy to answer any questions! 1. https://orthodoxwiki.org/Jesus_Prayer https://orthodoxwiki.org/Jesus_Prayer
• markozivanovic 5y ago
  I am a practicing Markoist. I don't have any children, mostly living my life in solitude. Every morning I wake up, I feel different. Sometimes I think about killing myself because this shit doesn't make sense. Sometimes I hop out of bed feeling excited about everything, and I go out and do exciting shit. I believe in myself. I believe in finding the answers within myself. That's why I'm a Markoist, a religion named by the name my parents gave me. I think it's no different than any other religion I have encountered; this is just one I can own. I have a lot of extraordinary rituals I came up with. I do them daily. I respect others, and all I want in return is the respect back.
• BlueTie 5y ago
  I read The Kingdom of God Is Within You by Tolstoy (who became very spiritual himself and wrote a bunch of religious texts later in his life) and the Bhagavad Gita (two of his Gandhi's biggest inspirations). It's part why-has-no-one-picked-up-this-thread when two greats like Tolstoy and Gandhi were exploring this together historical interest and part spiritual exploration for me and has been supremely fulfilling so far. I haven't grounded it all yet but the abolishment of violence of any kind (including things like revenge and self-defense) seems like the most pure moral code I can find + baking that in to the divinity of the Gita (stripping down who you are in it's purest form and seeing the relation of that you + the cosmos). It's been a few good months. I hope it continues.
• newacc9 5y ago
  Catholic-Sedevacantist. Day-to-day: pray the 15 decade rosary and fast a couple times a week. Sedevacantist means someone who rejects Vatican II, its leaders and reforms as breaking from tradition. https://endtimes.video/ https://endtimes.video/ to learn more.
  • elboru 5y ago
    Complex times to be a Catholic. It’s sad to see our church divided with so many shades of gray, even in the traditional side. God bless you and Merry Christmas
• KronisLV 5y ago
  Daily existential crisis due to my own mortality. Curiously, the sensation of ever present dread keeps me grounded. Coming to terms with the fact that i'm in a losing battle against entropy itself really puts things in perspective. I'm mostly atheistic and, in my understanding of the world, once my consciousness ceases to be functional within my body, i'll be forever gone. So that's what i center my contemplation of life around. There will be a day which will be the last for me, a thought that i'll have, which will be followed by eternal non existence. No matter how good or bad the things that will come after will be, i won't be able to experience them, even my awareness will no longer be here in any form, the concept of time breaking down because i won't observe it. In short, i have an expiration date, so it would be nice to do what i can to put it off for a bit longer. Furthermore, it's nice to make the days leading up to it meaningful, if i can and feel like doing so. Framing things like that really makes most things seem rather meaningless and thus absolves me of worrying about the daily minutea too much, or getting too emotionally invested in any of it. For example, right now i'm stuck in the middle of conflicting value systems in my country and social circles. Not necessarily nihilism or even anti-natalism either, just the realization that i have a finite amount of emotion to feel towards the world around me and care to put in it. DISCLAIMER: the following is highly polarizing and one example of things that i've seen consume people's time, identities and lives. Things that are better to avoid in my eyes, offered as an example. Skip to the end of italics if you'd like to skip this part. On one side, there is a large part of my current culture that's oftentimes mean, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic, racist and so on, which would have me act a certain way and uphold both their traditions and stereotypes in some sisyphean pursuit of a conformative national identity, in a world that's becoming more and more globalized and where many of these concepts of old aren't always relevant. Then there's a different part, which perhaps leans too much in the opposite direction, not realizing how dangerous expressing themselves freely can be in a society where the former group is not viewed as a credible threat, a disconnect between what should be and what actually is, and sometimes just want to react to things purely based on emotion and not explore the finer points and nuance (e.g. how RMS was "cancelled" some time ago, despite possibly not being neurotypical and lacking compassion where some could have been useful), sometimes desiring to break down systems for no good reason. Then there are the corporate interests which view me and others as expendable resources and members of society that should be freed from their financial burden of having disposable income, and who'll go to great lengths to achieve that, anything from intruisive ads to trying to convince me that i need things which i don't, the greater systems at play essentially ensuring that i'll receive only a small percentile of the income that i actually generate with my work, even home ownership currently being out of reach, as is financial independence of any sort. I guess i could also throw in organized religion or other groups that exploit people's need for belonging, from social media, to multi level marketing - oftentimes spouting their own values and beliefs as fact, typically with certain non-publicly expressed goals in mind. Groups that would be quick to indoctrinate me in their midst and make me lead my life in better alignment with their values. On a grander scale, one can even talk about things like environmentalism here. On one side, you have outright denial of what's going on with the planet and a desire not to change anything from how it was, to go far beyond the "business as usual" scenario for the economic and environmental outcomes. On the other, you sometimes have crafty entrepreneurs, whose promises are detached for reality, or activism to the degree where the individual action is far beyond what any human being would reasonably do. From every side, there are groups of people and ideologies that try to get me to align with what they want me to align with and believe what they say, yet none of those really matter. I'll just tell each group what they want to hear so they don't end my existence or make it worse, and apart from that i'll just continue my life one day at a time. Why? Because after the aforementioned contemplation, there's no reason for me to throw my life away while attempting to follow any of their teachings, nor is there a reason for me to try to oppose them and ruin my life that way. Instead, i should care about myself first and foremost. Get enough sleep. Eat reasonably healthily. Get some fresh air every day. Do some light exercise. Learn a skill, ideally something both mental and also something else that can be done with my hands. Play with my pets to feel better. Read what i want and entertain myself however i please. Learn something new to put myself in a better position in the future. Build relationships with the people who can make me enjoy a friendship with them. Avoid or cut out those who won't be healthy for me in the long term. Be nice to others so i can feel good about myself, or count on them to do the same. Just generally make existing more pleasant. Don't buy too much into what anyone says, but instead occasionally pause and take apart their arguments and reasoning to see how mine aligns or conflicts with theirs. My life is too short for me to stress about those things, or to get too invested in social constructs. It is also probably too short for me to reap the benefits from life extension tech or viable cryogenics. Alas, i'm probably born to die. So why not make my life and myself better until then? So, in short: a form of mindfulness/contemplation that's born out of needing to cope with various stressors in life.
• mboperator 5y ago
  I’m thankful for the openness and respectfulness of this discussion. Prior to my conversion I’d identify myself largely with new age spirituality and stoicism. They were pragmatic in that they seemingly satiated the need for the divine and encouraged behaviors that were productive from a societal perspective. I was saved in January of 2019. The early days of walking with Christ were beautiful. I sold my most ostentatious worldly possessions, bought a motorcycle, and would ride into the mountains to find a patch of grass and read the Bible to learn more about God. God is gracious. The more I earnestly sought Him, the more He revealed Himself. Nowadays, I start my day with prayer and usually a brief study in the Bible. I like to focus on what the passage conveys about God’s character. Afterwards I pray for His guidance as to the tasks to carry out for the day. I try to pray throughout the day but I’m most deliberate about praying during transitions (ie: from hands on work to taking a meeting) I end the day with a prayer for wisdom as I open the scriptures again, then finally a prayer of thanksgiving before bed. I’ve found that Jesus is less about religious tradition and more about understanding who God is and what He has done, what His Will is, and doing it. In the heart of one who truly believes in Christ, this order increases our love and joy in God. Everything else — church, serving people, acting morally - is downstream from loving God and our neighbor as ourself.
  • nie100sowny 5y ago
    > I’ve found that Jesus is less about religious tradition and more about understanding who God is and what He has done, what His Will is, and doing it. In the heart of one who truly believes in Christ, this order increases our love and joy in God. It's very difficult to understand it alone. And that's the reason why Jesus created the Apostolic Church and all of its tradition. To save people from this World and lead them to God. That's the goal number one for the Church and Christians as well.
• travisgriggs 5y ago
  I try to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I like to seek out and fold in examples and teachings of other religious leaders as well as long as I can resolve differences in some creative way. I am particular keen of various Asian ideas of late. I read scriptures and other inspiring works when impressed to (I think that Dr Seuss, The Life of Pi, and maybe Laura Ingalls Wilder should be canonized—chuckle). I serve weekly in the temple as a Latter Day Saint. There is a regularity and and a sense of the cosmic to it that lifts me and grounds me at the same time. Over the years I’ve volunteered/served in a number of different capacities, often with youth/scouts/seminary. I have found that this practice of contributing my efforts to help others has been uplifting for me. I have learned that if my own creativity/agency is removed from that service, then it turns from uplifting to toxic. I am probably considered somewhat progressive by many of my LDS peers; I am very comfortable abstracting over much of what we “believe.” tue theological details are just not that important to me; I am more interested in what we do from moment to moment, than whether I’m tapping my ruby slippers together fervently enough. Or put another way, as a bi-weekly Sunday school teacher, I’m more interested in encouraging the class how we apply the ideas in our lives than trying to weave some sort of canonical soundness.
  • hycaria 5y ago
    Why not pick some less controversial church?
    • skinkestek 5y ago
      Many don't get to pick. Our "leader"[1] have told us more than once to go elsewhere if we aren't interested. At times it can come of as a trick, but twenty years later and seeing the way he treats people that leaves our church, i.e. friendly and with all respect I've come to realize he just doesn't want anyone to stay around just because they feel they must. Still I'd find it hard to leave luckily to a large degree because it has meant a lot to me and they are my dear friends. [1]: the one who most often starts our meetings as we don't have any schools or certifications to become a preacher, priest or anything ---------------------- Edit: looking at what I wrote above I feel a bit silly trying to elevate "us". Sorry for that. Deadline for rewriting (2 hours) approaches quickly and I don't have a good idea about how to rewrite it, so please feel free to do so mentally. My point is: I appreciate the liberty I get to approach other churches, to see if anyone teaches the same things we learn in the same or a better way or even to say that I only want to become a regular churchgoer. I appreciate the approch that our kids, even if they choose something different as adults should still look back at their childhood with joy. I'm fairly certain this liberty isn't given to everyone else around, but I have no idea about how this is practiced elsewhere. Well, I do have an idea, but I have realized lately that does ideas was planted by the same medias who plant lies about my friends, so I am very wary about what I think even about JW, a group that I think I deeply disagree with in theological questions.
• LongTimeAnon 5y ago
• Beltiras 5y ago
  100% agnostic. I argue like an atheist thou, meh is really not an interesting position to take. Also, I really like upsetting the expectation of religious people that they have ownership of virtue.
• robg 5y ago
  Finding time to just be and breathe. Some traditions call it prayer, others mediation. Breath is life itself. Adding in awe helps with the significance, whether from stars or wind or crème brûlée or sleeping in a cozy bed. Just breathe. My four year old said: “Enjoy the wow that’s happening now”. Decent summary for a basic spirituality with each breath and without the theological complications of “good” and “evil”. Our breath is a simple outlet for our humanity and the neural pathways from the lungs slows the heart.
• soheil 5y ago
  I like reading when on the toilet.
• scelerat 5y ago
  Atheist christian, I guess. Grew up in a denominational "peace church," Church of The Brethren, where quiet, non-self-aggrandizing service to others was emphasized over theistic dogma and attention-grabbing displays of piety. One hymn I remember had the refrain, "they will know we are Christians by our love," and not by "us" proclaiming it so. I opted not to be baptized because I didn't agree with everything I had to say to be baptized, mostly around divinity and existence of supernatural beings, and that statement of mine was met with kind acceptance. A lot of my behavior towards other people was shaped by that church and that attitude, and I try to think about what it means to also give someone your shirt when they are asking for a coat. Also, about "what you do to the least of your brethren you do to me," not because Jesus, but because we live together on this speck of dirt for a very short, and sometimes, very rough amount of time, and I believe we make it better for everyone by treating those with less or nothing with dignity and respect. I'm an atheist insofar as I don't believe in gods or demons or afterlife beyond chemical decomposition, but I have difficulty identifying with those who proclaim their atheism loudly, much as I look askance on anyone who makes a big deal about their peculiar beliefs about the unknowable. I'm quite horrified by religious extremism, but I'm not going to begrudge anyone their spiritual or communal sanctuary.
• dagmx 5y ago
  I was raised Hindu and Christian (both Protestant and Catholic). I was also taught Islam to widen my world view. As a child, the exposure to multiple religions made me a staunch atheist. I think I've been an atheist since I can remember, at least since I was five or six. The teachings aren't compatible. There's too many times that you'd be taught that you need religion to be moral, or that there's one true God (mostly from the monotheistic ones) or that there's too many subjective interpretations. Worse, I grew up seeing the immorality of many religious people from huckster gurus, to pastors taking donations and not accounting for where it went and the news at the time was of the Catholic churches coverup of pedophilia. As a young child, it all just seemed so deeply wrong. Anyway atheism makes sense to me. Morality is logic combined with cultural context. Not having religion let me be more open to more cultures, and I find studying the cultural aspects of other religions more fascinating than when I was taught that there should only be one. My spiritual practice therefore is trying to learn more about different cultures and people. Understanding different perspectives helps give me clarity to my own, without the burden of trying to fit it into an existing religious framework
• guilhas 5y ago
  I do take comfort in believing there is some kind of God somewhere. It really does not matter if it exists, or what is it, and it does not rule over my life. It just fills what is missing spiritually As most people don't really follow any regular religious ritual on lack of time. My girlfriend does take our child to the local mini-church activity which is fun and entertaining
• sublatio 5y ago
  I’ve practiced meditation daily for several years. I find this indispensable for my internal sense of well-being, as well as for my relationships (gives me the space and perspective for more empathy) and work (better, focus, less catastrophizing). A big boost to my practice this past year has been Integral Life Practice (https://www.integral-life-practice.com https://www.integral-life-practice.com). This isn’t something different from the meditation practice I already had, but it’s more a framework for integrating spiritual practice across the various aspects of life (body, mind, spirit, shadow, etc). It’s adaptable to whatever religious/spiritual practice one might have, and has helped me uncover areas in my life where I’m not paying enough attention (for me, body and shadow). I print off a grid each week of the specific practices I want to focus on, and a particularly satisfying way to end my day is to check off the activities I’ve done for the day. Here’s an example to give an idea of what this might look like https://youtu.be/TIrnv4Hlpw0 https://youtu.be/TIrnv4Hlpw0
• stevenjgarner 5y ago
  I'm a good-natured heathen.
• bcrosby95 5y ago
  I like to sit quietly and think about nothing.
• ss108 5y ago
  Muslim, but not particularly practicing or religious (though I am aiming to be moreso and my knowledge of the religion's history, development, and jurisprudence is certainly above that of most practicing Muslims I have met). On an actual daily basis: meditation and journaling. I have also incorporated, on most days, listening to Islamic stuff on YouTube in the mornings, and reading the Quran in translation at night before bed. There was a time period where I was praying 1 or 2 out of 5 of the daily Islamic prayers per day and I would say that this correlated with higher levels of contentment and also secular/temporal success, so I would like to get in the regular habit of that again.
  • omarfarooq 5y ago
    May Allah establish you on His straight path.
    • ss108 5y ago
      Thanks
• deleted 5y ago
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• kenny87 5y ago
  I converted to the Baha'i Faith from Christianity about 15 years ago, after investigating Islam and Buddhism. Very happy to see this topic trending on HN. Our daily practice consists of reading the Holy writings every morning and evening, daily prayer and meditation, and service. There's a prayer from our tradition that says may "this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees ... ." I cherish this hope for this nation and all humanity.
• psyc 5y ago
  Neophilia? Otherwise, none.
• iamshs 5y ago
  Sikh here. I mutter Waheguru 2-3 times a day. In a year, recite Japji Sahib maybe 10-15 times. In a year, god on my lips is for barely an hour. I do seva (community service) a lot and that provides me peace.
• songzme 5y ago
  Eliminate expectations. It seems like 100% of my negative feelings stem from having expectations of people around me. I would say this single practice has the most impact in reducing my negative feelings in the past 2 years.
• deleted 5y ago
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• enaaem 5y ago
  Raised Christian, then become Atheist. For the past two years I have been looking into Buddhism. I find it helpful to deal with the eb and flows of life.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
• kstrauser 5y ago
  I am, unironically, a Dudeist. Think Buddhism, minus the mystical components. I believe balance is crucial: Walter without The Dude is too active. The Dude without Walter is too passive. I meditate regularly, too. Imagine you had the ability to spawn a watchdog thread that could monitor your emotional state and notice when it gets out of whack, and then you could shift focus to that thread. "Huh, I'm experiencing a lot of fear right now. Why is that? This isn't an objectively fearful situation, like a wild dog chasing me. So what is it about this that's making my heart rate increase?" It's amazing how often simply noticing and asking those questions can defuse a stressful moment.
• rootusrootus 5y ago
  Nothing. I am ignostic. An interesting benefit of this position is that when the religious folks in my extended family ask about my religion and I tell them I'm ignostic, they 100% of the time misinterpret that as 'agnostic'. For some reason they can totally accept this position, maybe they just figure I'll eventually come around. I do not disabuse them of this interpretation, because I avoid conflict. And religion, much like politics, seems to result in conflict most of the time.
  • Normal_gaussian 5y ago
    Ignosticism is the ultimate "I've had enough of this shit". I too take advantage of the hard of hearing to get on with my life both in peace and a sense of superiority.
    • smeej 5y ago
      This is the first time I've come across the term, and I'm a bit baffled by it. It could be that my quick web search just turned up poor definitions, but if so, I'm hoping you'll correct me from your own understanding. It sounds like it's saying the word "god" has no referent, that it's conceptually vacant. But it seems obvious to me that there are literally hundreds of concepts people do mean when they use the term, some of which cannot be vacant by definition (i.e., "that than which nothing greater can be conceived," because it's a definition that depends on being just within the vacant limits of understanding). So what do you mean by it?
      • Normal_gaussian 5y ago
        It looks like much of the web has been edited and gutted so many times to be useless and conflated with theological-noncognitivism. I do have some older books somewhere that go into more detail, but tbh it looks like the argument over sources will apply there. The word god has referents. In fact it has many, very different, referents. An ignostic has no issue with the (varied) concepts of gods. An ignostic says "I am ignorant of a (consistently/well defined) god which is both worth and deserving of worship". This does not mean any or many of the various gods do not exist. A typical example would be that the Christian god is ill defined (testament collisions being the most blaring), but if I in good faith take the 'good' Christian god of many street Christians I am left with a god that I do not need to worship (as I am a good person). If I take a more vengeful god definition (everything from you must worship me or go to hell to worship me or be struck by the pox) then I'm left with one that isn't worth my worship. Many definitions do not require anything from me or describe an inconsequential god, true or not, so can be ignored. In these ways an ignostic is not denying the concepts, is not even claiming to not believe a god exists, yet has rejected the religions they do know about. To engage with a ignostic you would need to lay out a consostent definition, then show the value of the active belief vs the life they currently live (or an adjustment to that).
• pempem 5y ago
  I appreciate all of the conversation below, although the dynamic in the majority of comments seems to be Christianity vs atheism/greek philosophy largely stoicism. There is so much more out there and often has endured for longer periods of time. Other religions, hinduism in particular but also buddhism, allow for an incredibly large number of permutations of practice and adherence while still assuming association. Worth considering. I defined myself as an atheist in the sixth grade. I do not believe in a or many gods that concern themselves with human appeals or behavior or the institutions that proffer the word of god. As Kazanstakis would say: Without hope, without fear, I am free. Still, IMO our actions remain internally debated because we have a collectivist spirit at our core. Those without the core, the ability to relate and take on concern for another are considered psychopathic. A self defined morality is something I've chosen. My spiritual practice is very animist as a result. Hiking in the woods, submerged in the ocean, looking to find a calm or balance and identifying the fears, questions, goals that motivate me like other living beings on the planet. Appealing to the reality that these forces are in many ways, beyond my comprehension and much stronger than my will and capability.
• 7357 5y ago
  altruism
• selfhifive 5y ago
  I practice my religion, believe in god, and pray for some minutes during the evening. Believing in spirituality without religion leads to a cognitive dissonance. My philosophy is that there are too many things that we simply cannot observe due to the limitations of our senses and thought/imagination, so to dismiss god is not truly rational. Spirituality is removed from any material success, so to go into any spiritual practice for an "edge" is not right. If you want an edge in the material world then persuasion psychology and probability theory are your friends. Also we tend to forget that science is a philosophy that does not say this is how the world is, but says this is how we understand the world. It's important to keep that distinction in mind.
  • metadaemon 5y ago
    I'd almost think that believing in a particular religion would lead to cognitive dissonance rather than the other way around. Could you expand on that a bit?
    • selfhifive 5y ago
      Let's say you do not practice any religion but believe in a higher power. What is the goal of spirituality? Self knowledge. And self knowledge is also the knowledge about how you are related to said higher power and the people around you. If you believe in spirituality but not religion it can be almost impossible to know what your relationship with the higher power is and how you stand in the community. Yes you can have your assumptions but they are unverified. Religion gives you a framework where spirituality exists. Without that framework the idea of spirituality enters a domain where it has an extremely vague definition which, from a utilitarian perspective, is not useful. So if the idea of spirituality loses its specificity to the point where it doesn't signify any particular idea which is grounded in some manner it creates a dissonance. You end up believing, say, the idea of crops without roots. It's okay to revise particular beliefs with the times, but the central philosophies and practices of any religion (Eg. Fasting for a set number of days/abstaining from certain foods or activities for a set number of days) are essential.
• aristofun 5y ago
  watching Jordan Peterson lectures of course )
• pryelluw 5y ago
  I wake up, go downstairs, feed the dog, make some breakfast, listen to a podcast about philosophy or science, login to work, write some code, do some meetings, have lunch, play some video games, walk the dog, have dinner, and go to sleep.
• silent_cal 5y ago
  I'm a Catholic - I go to Mass most mornings, pray a daily Rosary, and have been getting more in the habit of Scripture reading and meditation. I also pray little prayers and make the sign of the Cross throughout the day when I need help.
• dr_dshiv 5y ago
  Anyone have experience with western esotericism or neoplatonism?
• dr_dshiv 5y ago
  Anyone have experience with psychedelic spirituality?
  • namero999 5y ago
    They have been my gateway to spirituality, whatever than means. I approach them the same way a Christian would approach Easter or Christmas or any other ritual. They are indeed a ritual which "happened to happen" to me. They are sacred under the only definition of sacred that I'm 100% comfortable with: that which keeps on giving regardless of how many times you have interfaced with it.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• emrah 5y ago
  > I had been taught I could simply confess whatever and it would be forgiven I personally agree that this is nonsense but there are kernels of good ideas in religious ideologies even if they are warped beyond recognition and usefulness. For example, the concept of confessing sins is practical actually. Not for the purpose of "being forgiven", but one has to acknowledge and admit that one did something bad before it is possible to try to change that behavior for good. Without admitting or seeing an act was bad, there is no hope in fixing it. So yeah, if we could undo all the "warping" of concepts, regardless of where they came from, "religion" wouldn't be so bad but it seems beyond fixing at this point. It's wrapped up in emotions like guilt and fear, and that makes it hard to separate the manipulators from those who are truly trying to help.
• techload 5y ago
  This text may be interesting to some: Letter to a Brazilian Mason, by Marcelo Ramos Motta. https://www.parareligion.ch/dplanet/motta/moma2.htm https://www.parareligion.ch/dplanet/motta/moma2.htm
• jandrewrogers 5y ago
  To be completely honest, I've never been able to figure out what "spiritual" actually means. Every use of it in the wild appears to be directly reducible to some other mundane meaning minus the rituals, which always led me to believe that rituals were the purpose. My father was a well-educated preacher and he could not explain it either when I was growing up, saying it existed mostly as a suitcase word that had no distinct constructive meaning, while also asserting it was nonetheless important to the nature of religion. He acknowledged this was an objectively poor answer that raised questions about why anyone should care but couldn't offer anything better. Yet there is this weird expectation that everyone should be "spiritual" in some way, and this expectation can be perfectly satisfied via trivial performance in practice. So when people ask me if I am spiritual in some way, my response is always "I have no idea". When they try to explain it, it always ends up being equivalent to the reductionist meanings I've inferred by default. (Human languages have many suitcase words, many without any connection to religion, that encapsulate incoherent concept spaces. The idea of spirituality appears to be just one of many.)
• foobiekr 5y ago
  I was raised atheist by atheist parents. My mother was raised in one of the weirder Christian sects and got out of it before they married. I have always been an atheist despite growing up in a small town with a church on every block, including one whacky church that actually did things like book burnings and burning Michael Jackson in effigy for corrupting the youth. Most of my friends were catholic, growing up, and that led me online for friends on days when they had CCC. 300 baud hayes for the win and online atheist communities, etc. That said, as I've gotten older, I think I've concluded that many people - maybe even most - have a sort of need for religion that I somehow never appreciated. Without religion, I think we end up with the modern world, and by that I mean the weird secular religions (on all parts of the political spectrum) that keep springing up in the absence of a formal church, complete with weird notions of sin, apocalyptic thinking, etc. As an outsider, and as someone fascinated by cults and moral panics, it's interesting how similar the structures and language are between these movements and (new) religions are. So 100% atheist.. but a suspicion that the world would be better off, Chesterton's fence-style, with a dominant religion secretly run by atheists.
  • dennis_jeeves 5y ago
  • andrei_says_ 5y ago
    I, too, was raised in a religion-free environment. The longer I live, the more I am convinced in the extraordinary nature of our minds to define reality. At this point I am inclined to admit that in the universe of people who believe in God, God truly exists. This leads me to have deep respect for religious devotees, and for atheists and agnostics alike.
    • foobiekr 5y ago
      No, I'm still an atheist. There's no reason to believe in god nor any evidence that we define reality through our beliefs and experiences (and a lot of evidence that this has zero impact at all, a la the entire pool of continuously disappointed "The Secret" devotees). I'm just saying that I think there is a sort of need in most people, probably an accident of evolution, even one that has some positive fitness value due to second order effects, to have something religion shaped. Atheists like me basically helped create the mess we were in by helping to destroy the more mainstream religions thereby creating an opportunity for straight up crazypants stuff to emerge with properties that are harder to deal with (nothing is written down, nothing is consistent - Q) by pointing out the flaws and obvious falseness. We acted as a selection function for an even more terrible set of ideas. In a lot of ways the current situation is very similar to the second great awakening in the early 19th century which spawned a number of cult-like sects of Christianity.
• hudon 5y ago
  wake up: offer my day to God, thank him for as many things as I can morning: read the Bible noon: pray a Rosary and offer the prayers for peace (generally) and healing (for specific people) throughout the day: thank him, praise him, tell him my anxieties, ask him for help evening: pray to saints, ask them to pray for me, praise God night: examine my day, thank God, see where I faltered and wronged Him or my neighbor (anger, lust, sloth, etc.). Pray with my wife for people in our lives and in thanksgiving. Ask for restful sleep. Always be praying! :)
• yibg 5y ago
  A bit of slight tangent. I’m an atheist, but sometimes I envy the communities religious groups build (e.g. church). One big advantage I’ve seen is some of my Christian friends can move cities and almost instantly have a community via the local church. They make friends, have a place to go on a regular basis and has a support network. Anyone aware of anything similar but not based on religion?
  • cogman10 5y ago
    Unitarian universalist might be what you are after. They don't outright reject religion but they also don't really prescribe it. There are also quite a few atheists in the community of christ, funnily enough :D.
    • yibg 5y ago
      Do you know if unitarian universalists have some sort of equivalent to church or church gatherings?
      • cogman10 5y ago
        They do. You can check out your local congregation by looking it up here. https://www.uua.org/ https://www.uua.org/
        • yibg 5y ago
          Thanks, just looked up my location. Seems like there is one very close to my house.
  • dragonwriter 5y ago
    Sunday Assembly is explicitly that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Assembly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_Assembly As I understand, Unitarian Universalist congregations are often this way, but can vary a lot.
• anonymous532 5y ago
  Entering my mind palace, which has no connections to reality, everything(including me) is perfectly still yet able to morph into anything.
• KrishnaShripad 5y ago
  Follow Dvaita Vedanta (Tattvavada). Part of Sanatan Dharma/Hinduism and one of the schools of Vedanta. The process of learning though spans the entire lifetime. It is not a simple set of scriptures that you read and understand. It has multiple layers and takes decades to get a grasp of. Sometimes even more. The works of Shri Madhvacharya have influenced and changed my perception of Universe (Jagat/Srushti), Life (Aatma) and my relationship with God (Brahman). I don't find anything else that satisfactorily explains the Srushti, Aatma and Brahman as well as Tattvavada does. I am a seeker so I am always learning. The more you travel down this path, the more you learn/discover. It is a never-ending process.
  • throw1234651234 5y ago
    Can you actually summarize the nature of the beliefs? All major religions/belief systems can be summarized in a sentence or two. e.g. Buddhism - if you want things, you suffer, stop wanting things, said the prince who got bored with being rich and spoiled.
    • KrishnaShripad 5y ago
      I'll try to summarize it. It is not possible to combine it in couple of sentences so please excuse if I add some more. "Dvaita Vedanta espouses 5 fold eternal differences between Brahman (God), Aatma (Soul/Self) and Jada (Non-living matter). Brahman is the only Independent entity - Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, All Pervading, Eternal. Aatma is also Eternal but is always dependent on Brahman. Creation/Jada is real but temporary and will get destroyed and remade by Brahman forever[1]. All 3 are different from each other making the Prapancha (5 eternal differences). Moksha/Enlightenment/Liberation is attainment of maximum potential of Aatma resulting in permanent bliss with zero suffering (complete self-expression, self-manifestation and self-realization). All Aatmas have gradation/positions based on their Karma and go through Karmic cycle of birth and death of the bodies they inhabit. Few great Aatmas are eligible for Moksha ending their Karmic cycle of birth and death in material Creation." I tried to fit the entire philosophy in as simple/brief words as possible. If you have more questions I will happily provide in depth answers. [1] It is called Mahapralaya or the Great Dissolution and happens every 311.04 trillion years (or 100 Brahma Years) where everything goes back into singularity and gets recreated again through the Hiranyagarbha/Golden Womb/Big Bang.
• sjfnjsdjfn2764 5y ago
  Since the past year Christian, while having been atheist the rest of my life. It's a long path and has required a lot of study, since I cannot internalize something without fully understanding the rationale and any pertaining evidence. Past the popular reductionist views of religion, there is a lot of ambiguity and depth, so it takes time. There are also many relevant philosophical/scientific questions worth researching (e.g. morality, the origin of "things", etc.).
• msla 5y ago
  I don't have one. I've been atheist since about age 10, after having been raised United Church of Christ.
• simmanian 5y ago
  I practice Seon Buddhism but don't consider myself a religious person. To me, the essence of Buddhism is seeing the world with clarity. And when you see the world with clarity, you realize there's no reason to live life of greed, hatred, and suffering. I view that this is what Jesus preached as well. I believe an increasing number of people in developed parts of the world are turning away from religious institutions because many of these institutions have stopped helping people live happily. I sincerely hope to see more people trying to re-discover the old teachings. For me, Buddhism was immensely eye-opening and it definitely gives me tons of inspirations.
• q_k_q_k 5y ago
• pmarreck 5y ago
  I sporadically listen to a guided meditation apparently inspired by a Hindu mystic named Babaji; a while back I uploaded them here: https://soundcloud.com/peter-marreck-fb/sets/meditation https://soundcloud.com/peter-marreck-fb/sets/meditation I've had two separate experiences from this meditation that I'd like to talk about, and I want to preface this by saying that I'm a very rational person (because some of my descriptions, as subjective as they were to me, may be off-putting to some). Generally speaking I find it very relaxing most of the time, so at minimum it gives me that. But about 1/4 of the time (and it would probably be more if I did it more consistently, I noticed that it happened more when I was doing it more consistently), I experience something subtle but definitely unique that I'd call a "thrumming" throughout my body, almost like an electrical sensation but more subtle and definitely not something I've sensed in any other context. I have no idea if it has a name due to other people experiencing it; the meditation itself tells you to look for a "rhythm that isn't your heartbeat" but this felt much higher-frequency than that would indicate. You know how when a limb "falls asleep" and then it gets flush with blood again and it feels tingly? Kind of like that, but more subtle, and in my whole body. And yeah, I know how crazy that probably already just sounds. But one time it went way beyond that. One time, something completely unique happened. I came out of the meditation and sensed immediately that something was different but I couldn't immediately identify what. So I did kind of an introspective inventory of my own psyche, and suddenly realized with some shock that all of my fear of death had vanished. And the thing I want to convey is this, because the words can't really describe this part: I realized that we ALL have an ever-present fear of death, even right this minute while you're reading this you do, it's just sitting there like background radiation and you don't notice it literally because it's always there. And I have to emphasize that even that was taken away from me (temporarily, for I'd say about 2-3 days), which is how I realized it even existed in the first place! And it wasn't like, you know, "ok, so it's cool if I suicided now", but if death "had to" happen to me, I wouldn't be afraid. At all. This last experience was so jarring, honestly, that I've been a bit afraid (ironically!!) to repeat the meditation as consistently as I intended to. (And yet, so few people have a "real" experience like this, from meditation, to the best of my knowledge!) Of course, speaking as a rational person, it FIGURES that it was entirely subjective and that I can't point to anything to show you that this was completely real to me. But it has certainly made me value people's claims of their subjective experiences more (albeit always with a grain of salt!)
• devsatish 5y ago
  Every morning after shower and just before the work starts or I go to work. I sit before the small temple (bookcase) in my home. Light a lamp and an incense; and a short prayer - sit in a mindfulness state - asking for blessings for all.
• auntienomen 5y ago
  Militant agnostic
• SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
  I'm a Discordian. To me, that means a sort of pandeistic existentialist absurdism. A (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) argument: God is the greatest possible being. The universe is, by definition, everything that exists. Everything is greater than any subset of everything. Therefore God is must be the entirety of existence. God seems to have numerous mostly disconnected consciousnesses, but is mostly Hydrogen. There's no inherent meaning given by a bunch of Hydrogen. Therefore we tiny conscious bits of the universe have to make our own meaning. Assigning a singular consciousness to God would be utterly arbitrary and quite silly. Silly things are fun. Therefore God is also a woman, her name is Eris, nonsense is the source of salvation, and God is the universe and isn't any singular being. I also quite like the ontological argument for atheism: God is the greatest possible being. Completing a task with a bigger handicap is greater (more impressive) than completing it without that handicap. Not existing is the greatest possible handicap. Therefore God must be a being capable of creating the universe despite not existing. Faith, to me, is a joke. It's a deliberate choice to believe in things one has no evidence for (at best) or knows are false (at worst). So why not treat religion as a joke, and humor as sacred? It makes as much sense as any other choice in the matter. So I try to live each day with a bit of humor.
  • doopy1 5y ago
    Hail Eris!
• codr7 5y ago
  It's complicated. I believe there is something bigger than physical existence, and I find the fact that many don't worrying, because much of what's good about humans clearly come from somewhere else from what I can see. My own accumulated experience from meditation, psychedelics & life/death situations says that whatever I am, I'm definitely not my body. The challenge I've set before me is to be the best version of myself that I'm capable of, whatever that is at the moment. Organized religion is a distraction at best.
• dillondoyle 5y ago
  This thread is surprising to me. Not just as a topic on HN, seems it will be a downvote upvote war lol. --- This response was going to be in reply to ex-Mormon with PTSD but I broadened it to a new thread since this got long. To answer OP, I do not have a religious or spiritual practice. Unless you call doing things I enjoy and trying to appreciate the moment spiritual. To respond to the threads, I'm surprised by the number of comments saying religion, and in particular incorporating their children, is a regular routine for their family. Though most not to the extreme of experience of the ex mormon HN er. To me adults can believe and do whatever they want. If it makes them happy great. Makes them a better person even better. So long as it doesn't encroach on others' autonomy and freedom. Especially children. That often leads to children not having safe spaces or potentially being outright kicked out of their home. The opposite of what a lot of religions preach. Encroaching on freedom and autonomy of adults is increasingly happening too. Potentially the most damaging is having multiple SCOTUS justices openly evangelizing their religious institutions and actively ruling to reshape our country based on their faith. Damaging to women & gender especially. Amy Coney Barrett to me is shocking in that she belonged to a super odd fringe group where she served as a literal handmaid (their term, to be fair though it's more like a leadership role). An otherwise probably intelligent women leading an org preaching that “Women were homemakers; they were there to support their husbands,” one former member said in an interview. “My dad was the head of the household and the decision-maker.” wapo: https://archive.is/S1NSh https://archive.is/S1NSh Does her husband decision-make her legal rulings? BTW these strict and forced gender roles are also being forced and hurting with trans treatment bans and other gender identity discrimination. Scalia is another example. So too was Barr. Oddly all catholics even though evangelicals hold more power and %. I suggest reading Barr's speech to Notre Dame it was crazy to me. [2] He specifically said he made decisions based on his interpretation of Catholicism. A bunch of the OG Trump pushers like Bannon are part of this weird Catholic group (example oddness: they built a militaristic monastery compound for 'gladiators' in italy) They are open about their campaign to reshape the US into what they view as its origins, specifically governed Christianity (also implied white but that's another thread) Barr said that this decreasing religious participation - specifically christianity - is the demise of rule of law, ethics, & what he considers the breaking up of families (divorce, or what I consider the autonomy not to be in relationships you don't want to be in, or are in danger with). Maybe allowing states to ban divorce is on the chopping block next. That's scary to me. The people in charge of enforcing and shaping the law will tell you in a speech that they are making decisions guided by their religion, no matter what they tell the Senate that religion has nothing to do with it or that somehow they've never had an opinion on Roe... Other examples abound in SCOTUS, look to religious schools. Ruling it's 'discrimination' & forcing state funding of religious schools which do actually discriminate in their written rules against for instance LGBTQ students and faculty (actively writing that they refuse them education, which goes against 70 years of SCOTUS rulings). Not to mention not having to actual teach things like you know, science. [2] https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/williambarrnotredame.htm https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/williambarrnotreda...
• UncleOxidant 5y ago
  Not day-to-day in this case, more week to week: I practice sabbath and I've been doing this for a couple of years now. I sabbath on Sundays. I don't work, try not to think about working and avoid engaging in economic activity. As I understand it, the original Jewish conception of sabbath (I'm not Jewish) was that it was resistance against empire and oppressive economic systems. It's like declaring that I am a human being and I have intrinsic worth that cannot be measured in money or things - kind of like going on strike for a day every week. I find it very restful (duh) and it actually helps me have a better attitude towards work the rest of the week (though I'm trying not to have a utilitarian reason to sabbath as that would be counter the spirit of sabbath, I think). I think one of my misconceptions about sabbath before was that it was a passive thing. As I experience it, it's a very active thing, a different way of being one day per week. It's active opposition to the culture of 24/7 work that's becoming expected in many sectors.
• launchiterate 5y ago
  Heartfulness: Morning meditation Evening cleaning Night prayer meditation Constant remembrance Sunday group meditation
• alecbz 5y ago
  Not exactly an answer but I think I've definitely been in a kind of spiritual crisis for a lot of my late-twenties, maybe longer, ever since I stopped being Christian, and am struggling to find some kind of spiritual anchor. To the extent I've developed any kind of spiritual mantra so far, it's something like: "focus on what you owe society". I think a lot of especially the West has become obsessed with seeking comfort and focusing on what society owes them, to the extent that we've erased or completely compartmentalized any sense of what our responsibilities to society are, and thus what our role is. Man's Search for Meaning was a bit of a source of focus for something like this. Why Honor Matters was also an interesting read (authored by the co-host of my favorite podcast) along these lines. I wouldn't describe myself as a huge Jordan Peterson fan (haven't really read much of his work myself, when speaking I find he can be kinda incoherent/ramble-y), but I think he's a more well-known modern "prophet" of this "religion". Anyway, all still very disorganized thoughts at this point, but I think starting to congeal to something over the past two years. (Day-to-day I do meditate but I don't, at least yet, really view this as a spiritual thing as much as a helpful psychological tool/practice.)
• sjtindell 5y ago
  The philosophy of Alan Watts was to me completely life changing. Simple, powerful concepts, explained in a fun way. Concepts that give you a strong foundation for reality and your place in it, while allowing you to go about your daily life and find meaning.
• mullingitover 5y ago
  I occasionally take a moment to pause, reflect, and appreciate the luck that I have to exist, and the beauty of the universe. I try to use the pragmatic aspects of buddhism (the Eightfold Path is a very useful guidebook for a good life), although I'm not ideologically a full-blown buddhist.
• gxt 5y ago
  Natus sum anno 2745. I like to think myself as urban, meaning anti-sectarian. Every sect is based on dogma, if we let those lead our lives again we're gonna be in for another thousand years of dark ages. I don't want to let this happen, now is my watch, it's my duty to prevent it. My tools are logic and patience. Jupiter help me - ha! But in all seriousness, everything we have is fragile. It could all be gone in an instant if we are not careful, if we don't strive to keep it, and grow it. Everything we have has brought us to this moment. We have almost all the tools to see into the universe and yet waste our time with petty fights, misunderstandings and shell ourselves in a cocoon of illusions and lies. We can do better. We have to do better. We exists, and yet we don't know the purpose of existence. We should focus on that, it's the common denominator of literally everything, it's not a hard sell once past the lies.
• titusblair 5y ago
  Hey this is a great question, I would love to add my day to day practice, I am currently a missionary in New Zealand (from the USA): Preface: I was raised a Christian and even continued to go to church long after doubting and even reversing my beliefs in God. I then, later on in life, realized I had made a grievous error and my current life is a result of a path through Stoicism, Humanism and ultimately Hedonism. My story on how I came out of darkness into light is another one and feel free to email/message me if you want (www.titusblair.com)... Now for the day-to-day bit: After Waking Up: I normally wake up in the morning and I am tempted to read email, read the web etc. My goal is always to read or listen to the Bible, particularly the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke + Acts, John) and when I am successful at this my day tends to be better, more focused, less stress. Before Breakfast: A few years ago I took to hear Jesus words that He is the bread of life and decided to never eat until I read the Gospels with my family. I have found this to be a great time with family discussing topics of morality, nature of evil, heaven, hell, and most importantly the reason we are here on this planet. After Breakfast: My wife home schools our children and this is when I set out to go share the Good News of Jesus. Granted it's not an exact science since God is always working in my life and I never know who I will meet or what will happen but I have a mindset of "What will God have me do today?" and this is quite exciting for me. I believe my core purpose as a missionary is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world and do this through the LOVE demonstrated by God. I focus on the fact that Jesus was a real person and ultimately the issue boils down to did He rise from the dead or not, and this is where I try to focus my attention, on his death and resurrection and also his teachings and life. So recently I have ran some Facebook ads to find those who are struggling or have needs or have friends who have needs. I have been able to go and help them through God's providence for me and my family and demonstrate God's love for them. I do not require anything from the, for example attend a church, give money, give a commitment, etc. I simply extend to them the opportunity to learn about Jesus if they are interested. My ultimate goal as missionary here in New Zealand is to share the love of God with everyone and that love is Jesus Christ, his life, his teaching, his death and ultimately his resurrection and eternal life and purpose for living on this planet. I have a small home church where we focus on the model of the early church in Acts 2:42-47 "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." The focus is to love others the way Jesus loved us, He gave everything so that we could be right with God in how we live and love, and He lived it out himself. A part of "church" is after we finish we go out and show God's love to the local community. Whether thats through encouraging cards we hand out, gift cards to those working hard to take care of themselves and others or praying and singing and bringing joy and light to those around us. I have found this to be the most fulfilling thing I have ever done! I have had successful startups, mobile apps, etc. but nothing has been as amazing as focusing on the souls of people. After going out and talking to people, serving people I will go back home and spend time with family as they finish home schooling. I will always feel like there is more I can do and more I can love others and this drives me for the next day. I consider my mission to extend a hand of love in those who are drowning in depression, darkness, and despair because I used to be there myself! Only when I looked to Jesus, grabbed His hand and He pulled me out then told me to go and do the same to others did I truly become whole and at peace. At the end of the day I will try (many times without success lol) to listen to or watch the Gospels to be reminded of how amazing God is and I will also pray. I hope this helps explain a bit about my day-to-day but I have found with God there is not exact day to day, only a struggle to love others more, to love and live like Jesus and when I do this I find it to be amazing, because then I find I walk closer to God and that is a journey I would hope everyone will take. For those who have made comments about the "religion" of Christianity I would encourage you to take another look at Jesus. I find most I talk to have an issue with the "church/religion of Christianity" but few have issues with the life, teachings and sacrifice of Jesus. When people say they fell away from church/religion I simply ask "but why did you stop following Jesus" and I discover they never truly knew who Jesus was... I want to conclude with telling you that from my own experience that God loves you, He showed you how to LIVE and LOVE in His Son Jesus Christ all you have to do is follow Jesus. 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin..." God Bless You! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at hello@titusblair.com
• guidovranken 5y ago
  Every morning before I open my first beer I read 3 spoopy greentexts of the shapeshifter variety.
• mindcrime 5y ago
  None, really. At least not in the sense of what people usually mean by "spiritual". That is, I don't pray to (or believe in) any gods or deities of any sort, or even believe in any actual thing called a "spirit". So that doesn't leave much room for spirituality. The closest I come to any of this is something I like to do now and then which I suppose is a little bit like meditation. I'll put on some nice pleasant, non-distracting music which doesn't tend to make me think of anything in particular, close my eyes, and just try not to think about anything for a while, and immerse myself in just the sensation I'm feeling. But really, this is just away to kinda "clear my mind" and relax, I'm not sure I'd describe the experience as spiritual at all. Beyond that, I do get something out of reading Zen Buddhist literature at times. But Zen, to me, is more of a philosophy and a way of thinking, than a religion. And I wouldn't say I'm an adherent or practitioner of Zen, it's just something I enjoy reading / thinking about sometimes.
• cryptica 5y ago
  I'm an atheist but I think that religion and religious values are a positive force for society. The most spiritual experience I have is when I'm out in nature alone and I see something beautiful like a sunset over the sea. These moments make me feel connected to nature and to the past. I can imagine my ancestors seeing similar things since hundreds of thousands of years. It's comforting to know that some things don't change much. Spirituality is the struggle to find something that's both meaningful and eternal. Nature's time scales aren't eternal but they're pretty large and easy for my simple atheist mind to conceptualize.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• ashton314 5y ago
  I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I pray multiple times a day—either to express gratitude or ask for strength to weather whatever struggles I’m facing. I also pray to ask for help and insight so I can do well at school and work. I exercise and try to eat healthily, because I believe my body is a gift from God. I cherish the time that I have with my family, because it is in my family that I feel the purest expression of God‘s love. In my local congregation, I teach a biweekly class on family history. I love learning more about my ancestors! If you are ever curious to learn more about your heritage, I highly recommend checking out familysearch.org— it is an amazing program, and you do not have to be a member of the church to use it. I know several people who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ who still like using familysearch.org because it is free and works very well.
• fc373745 5y ago
  Agnostic. There could be a creator out there that never made itself known to us. Also, my experiences with Sleep Paralysis makes me feel like something is out there. I went from a devout Christian (7th day adventist) for 20 years of my life -> to atheist -> to agnostic.
• aappleby 5y ago
  I am missing whatever the brain circuit is that makes you understand and believe in religions. I can't even call myself atheist or agnostic, as that would require assuming that the statement "Is there a god?" is both coherent, meaningful, and answerable. Imagine asking someone with aphantasia to visualize Donald Duck, and then asking them if Donald is wearing pants. What would you expect them to answer?
  • Thorentis 5y ago
    Can you explain further how your inability to imagine the existence or non existence of God, is similar to aphantasia?
    • aappleby 5y ago
      I can certainly understand religion in an external, objective sense much as you can understand the various interconnected storylines in something like the Marvel comics/movies, but as soon as you ask me "...but do you _believe_ it?", my brain just fails its saving throw versus comprehension and I can't give an answer based on what I "feel" is correct, because on that particular question I am unable to "feel" anything at all.
      • Thorentis 5y ago
        Okay, but you said: "that would require assuming that the statement "Is there a god?" is both coherent, meaningful, and answerable." What part of this question is incoherent, unmeaningful, and unanswerable, if you are able to understand religion in an objective sense?
        • aappleby 5y ago
          What's a god? How can I meaningfully ascribe any qualities whatsoever to a non-corporeal, non-perceptible entity? What does it even mean to ask if things that are outside of our universe "exist"? Etcetera etcetera. You can't even get past the superficial layers of "Is there a god?" without hitting questions that are ill-formed.
• bidder33 5y ago
  Raised Catholic, but never seriously and after high school the only churches i attended were for weddings and funerals. But at some point in my twenties i lost a close friend, had some weird experiences of suffering and bliss and acceptance. Then started reading all over the place to try understand my experiences. I found the tao to be very helpful, and thomas mertons writing also very helpful. I often come back to his writing on desert mystics to start the day. And I always allow myself the time to watch the sunlight glinting off the leaves of the trees outside my window.
• ancode 5y ago
  I am an atheist. My spiritual practice is being there for others in my life when they need someone.
• lisper 5y ago
  I consider stargazing to be a spiritual practice. Looking for stars and planets and finding them exactly where science says they are supposed to be confirms by belief that we live in a world governed by laws, that these laws are knowable, and that we in fact do know them to a pretty reasonable degree of certainty and approximation. That makes me feel connected to the cosmos in a very deep way. I feel privileged to exist at a time and place where this is possible. I think it's pretty fucking awesome.
• verisimilidude 5y ago
  Tetris. Twice per day. When I get into a good Tetris routine, my mind will continue to play even when I'm not in front of the screen. There's just this constant background game playing in my head. This might sound distracting, but somehow it's enlightening. It provides rhythm. It provides structure. It keeps my thoughts in constant reorganization, constant renewal. Overall, I believe Tetris gets my mind into a place and practice where I can more easily answer the following question. What fits? What fits into my life, and how? How do I fit into the world? * My kids are important to me. How do I best fit them into my life? What's too much? What's too little? What do I need? What do they need? How can we best enjoy our time together? * That friend is not a good influence anymore. The current fit is strained. How much of him is too much? * This thing I'm doing at work is fun and I love it, but it's not advancing my goals. What fits, what can I keep? What should I discard? * How will my actions fit into the interests of my family, friends, community? In the past, in those dark pre-Tetris days, I tended to hang onto bad habits and bad ideas. Inertia is very strong with me. I credit Tetris-brain with helping me break through that inertia on a daily basis. Soulful Tetris also has the advantage of being absurd enough that I never take it too seriously. Hubris is my biggest problem with organized religion. Tetris is kinda like a form of meditation for the 21st century, nothing more. Also, it's just a really great game. And I like metaphysical excuses to play it.
  • geoduck14 5y ago
    I'm scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. So many debates about atheism, Catholicism, Mormons. Deep theological discussions. Discussions on "how to answer the original question". And then I see >Tetris. Twice per day. I applaud you in answering the question in a completely unexpected way. Never before in the history of theology has anyone introduced Teris AND kept it thematically appropriate.
    • godfreyantonell 5y ago
  • avodonosov 5y ago
    What implementation do you use? I use tetris in emacs, but it is scanning keyboad too infrequently, so at my game speed the level of control is insufficient. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ERbGvpVTw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ERbGvpVTw
• gregfjohnson 5y ago
  My goal: predispose myself to be receptive to the gift of inner transformation. I have four words that resonate these days: wise, thoughtful, mature, sane. As a Catholic Christian, I see a good deal of unwise, unthoughtful, immature, and insane Christianity, and also, albeit less vocally, a good deal of wise, thoughtful, mature, and sane Christianity. I have personally spent a disconcertingly large amount of time in the first of those places. I do see moments, perhaps even a bit more frequently theses days, of being in the second of those places. Best I can tell, Sturgeon's Law applies to religion just as it applies to everything else: "ninety percent of everything is crap." That being said, I am convinced that the other 10% of religion is rich, sublime, beautiful, and worthy. The first ultimately amounts to nothing, and the second everything. For my daily practice, I read the day's scripture passages from the Catholic Missal, and then do 20 minutes of centering prayer. The Trappist monk Thomas Keating's work is my main guide, along with Thomas Merton, James Finley, Richard Rohr, and Cynthia Bourgeault. Centering prayer is a simple practice of wordless receptive awareness of being in God's presence, and an openness to God's ongoing work within and without.
• JSONderulo 5y ago
  Truth is one, paths are many.
• uxisnotui 5y ago
  Many responses here don't address OP's question about day-to-day practices. My spiritual practice: meditation, journaling, breathwork. Occasionally, psychedelics with close friends in nature, which often starts out with a prompt regarding with we want to get out of the experience
• jollybean 5y ago
  Going to Church and not necessarily paying attention to anything. Or any other kind of 'Temple Service' for that matter. Sneaking a peak at the men in the Mosque from the doorway, without knowing much about Islam, I was moved. I've often visited Catholic Churches in Europe (I'm not Catholic), to take a set and contemplate a bit. Much like the current comments about the Swiss photographer who sees Japan in a different light than they might, it sort of made me reflect on my on rather limited Church-going experience and mini-experiences of witnessing bits of ceremony of other religions. I find intellectual people may be over analyzing a lot of issues, our egos lead us down one rabbit hole after the next and I feel we are missing the point. 'Going through the motions' can be a potent thing to help transcend that, because it doesn't involve focusing on the language or intellectual rhetoric directly. In Buddhism they certainly have a lot of focus on 'transcending thought' which I think could equally apply to Abrahamic faith, but we get caught up a lot in the language and the 'applied rules' and it trips us up. Just go into the Cathedral when there's no service and sit for a while.
• meristohm 5y ago
  Going outside and observing the hyperobject of all the other living things, imagining it as well, and looking up at the sky in hopes of seeing other suns.
• nie100sowny 5y ago
  Traditional Catholic here. I go to the "Mass of all time" every Sunday. I pray and read the daily texts of the mass. From time to time, I recite the Holy Rosary (which I find a wonderful contemplation method). I examine my conscience and confess my sins regularly. I also like to listen to recordings about the Saints of the Catholic Church - unbelievable people. I appreciate a lot the traditional Catholic doctrine. It's wonderful to see its resurrection and many young priests motivated to preach it in the opposition to the old protestantized Church leaders. I have been considering myself just as deist until I've learned how amazing is a Catholic philosophy. Did you know, for example, that Saint Thomas Aquinas found a way to determine if the creation have soul (like humans) or not (like animals)? Including extraterrestrial life!
• kukkeliskuu 5y ago
  I have been participating in a group for over ten years that studies the ideas of Gurdjieff. It can be said to be spiritual, kind of a meta-religion. It is compatible with religions, and most participats practice something else as well. From Gurdjieff my most important daily practice is "self-observation". I take on various aims to facilitate it. One example of such an aim could be "when walking, walk faster than normal". I try to meditate daily as well, but I am not so successful in that. If you are interested, "In Search of the Miraculous" by Ouspensky is a good starting point.
• davidw 5y ago
  I would like to found some kind of cult with myself as the Dear Leader that everyone adores and sends lots of cash to, but I don't seem to have rolled that high a number in terms of charisma.
• PicassoCTs 5y ago
  Im 100 % atheist, but i found the jewish faith pretty fascinating. Its one of the few religions, that besides indoctrination - encourage a hacker mentality. One is praised for studying the books and finding "workaround" that allow to "hack" the religious framework without repercussions by the comunity. It has also managed to thrive, timelessly in alot of hostile circumstances. In my mind, while all religion might be nonsense, this model applied to science is a winning team. If its a hacker mentality though, then i guess this site will have to do as a spiritual practice. It spins fertilizer from thin air and sun, it has electrically charged stones from the dessert reciting prayers and preventing a world with billions from collapse. That must be enough for spirituality.
• evon2 5y ago
  The Way
• zelon88 5y ago
  I usually start out by reading the "Just for Today" meditation at [1] which changes daily. Then I read [2] and spend a couple minutes contemplating how the 12 JFTs apply to the day I'm going to have. Then I usually spend a few minutes planning my day. [1] https://www.jftna.org/jft/ https://www.jftna.org/jft/ [2] https://emotionsanonymous.org/eai-literature/ea-program-basics/12-just-for-todays.html https://emotionsanonymous.org/eai-literature/ea-program-basi... I am an atheist bus as a recovering alcoholic I've found that having a spiritual routine to be very beneficial. It helps me stay honest with myself and identify thoughts and feelings that I would otherwise have no visibility into.
• da39a3ee 5y ago
  I am over 40 and ever since I was 10 or so it has been my opinion that spiritual belief, though giving rise to some positive social activities, is a childish delusion of adults and mental abuse of their children.
• firebaze 5y ago
  If there are depressing threads on HN, this is the "best" of them to me.
• anotheraccount9 5y ago
  Gratitude.
• swat535 5y ago
  As an Atheist, I recently started reading religious texts of all Abrahamic religions(Judaism , Islam and Christianity) as well as Dharmic ones such as Buddhism. Why? Because I have always been curious about religion yet always discarded it as "bronze age superstition" as Christopher Hitchens would describe it.. Thanks to this journey, I ended up meeting a lot of great people in the community. Without exception, everyone welcomed me as an outsider and politely answered all my questions. I have been to mosques, synagogues and churches during hours of prayers and other events to observe and learn and so my network has grown by a decent size which I'm grateful of. I think overall the result has been a net positive in my life and has broadened my understanding of history, philosophy and art. I haven't necessarily "settled" in a particular camp but I no longer brush off the idea of worshiping a God. I think one can make the distinction between _radical_ religious dogma and having a holy house of worship. Having done lots of introspection over the past year, I don't think subscribing to Atheism is healthy because in your happiest moments or your darkest moments of despair, you have no spiritual basis to fall back on, you have no way structure way of burying the dead or celebrating the joining of a couple in a ceremonial way. Further, all Atheists still celebrate Christmas, or Easter , all of which are religious holidays and are completely meaningless to them which is ironic.. As an Atheist you also have to make up your "subjective" morality (and who is to say one's sense of moral is superior to another? there are no basis for this) which is again ironically borrowed from religious teachings. Finally Atheism fails to answer the deepest questions we have which is Why is there something instead or nothing and why are we here? Thus considering the above, I can confidently say that my views on spiritually and religion has shifted significantly.
• bluepoint 5y ago
  I read math to focus and relax. In my opinion this is spiritual as it gives me calm.
• markus_zhang 5y ago
  Sitting in the vehicle and listen to keygen music.
• giardini 5y ago
  Well this "Ask HN" shows HN is as full of madness as any Mensa meeting.
• tympious 5y ago
  "Somewhere between pantheism and panentheism"?
• gromitss 5y ago
• stjohnswarts 5y ago
  None. Maybe humanism and secularism combined can be called a spiritual system? I mean I like to think of a higher purpose in being a good human, and your influence can live on down through generations by the works you do as a good human. Most of us won't ever be great humans, but we can all be good humans. I think modern takes on “spiritualism” are bogus and likely no better than what has come before considering the overwhelming failure of organized religions to better the human condition.
• mvkel 5y ago
  I was a staunch atheist until very recently, when I asked myself the question: isn’t atheism about being -sure- that there is no higher power? How can anyone be sure? Isn’t it arrogant to think that? So I’d say I’m now agnostic — I simply don’t know.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• rramadass 5y ago
  Study Philosophy but don't follow any Religion. Philosophical ideas set forth in "Hinduism" (a umbrella term for a whole host of thoughts/ideas/beliefs/worldviews from a particular geographical area), Buddhism and Ancient "Hellenistic" Greece are the ones worth studying because they provide a "rational" approach to "Living" your Life. Interpreting and Adapting them in the light of "Modern Science" is where the challenge lies.
• dfrey1 5y ago
  I'm a religious Jew. My day starts at 6 with a half-hour of Talmud study, then I have prayers for 40 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of reciting Psalms and another 30 minutes of Talmud study. In the middle of my day, I pray for 15 minutes, and at night, I pray for another 15 minutes. I also try to end my day with a few more minutes of Jewish study
• jeffrallen 5y ago
  Mindfulness, gratitude, and empathy (with others when I'm managing well, with myself when I fail my expectations for myself). I also try to listen to the messages from the world... sometimes, your angels are trying to protect you from a mistake, and if you choose to stop and listen to them, things go better. I raise my children in a Christian church because that's what worked for me to learn/grow/nuture my own spiritual practice. As they mature and increasingly question religion, I will become more explicit with them explaining the importance of a personal understanding of spirituality.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• mcjkrw 5y ago
  Zen. I do the "shikantaza" version of it every day in a 40 min session (20 min sitting, 20 min walking - yeah I know shikantaza means "to sit" or something related). It's a very intense type of zazen meant to gain a very clear perception of your body and surroundings. When I first learned about it, the example was that the engagement is not unlike engagement you would have if you engaged into a swords battle to death. That you cannot slip and need to be super duper alert. There are many elements that come into it actually and it's all well described in a book "3 Pillars of Zen". I have noticed that the intense focus does me much better than calmer types of zazen like counting breaths. I'm only intense during formal practice, but in daily activities I just try to relax and focus on the task at hand - nevertheless, if it was not for the daily practice of the intense version, I would not be nowhere near as alert when I'm more relaxed. The combination of formal practice (40 min of shikantaza) and the right attitude (to engage well into every task, no matter how menial) did wonders to my wellbeing and quality of life. It is a powerful tool for change and a great way to practice spirituality.
• anarticle 5y ago
  I am Thelemic. I recite an affirmation to manifest my will in this world. I believe that every day reveals my self-realization. I perform self-aware meditation to force myself to be honest. It's not too different from many other forms of introspective study.
• baconator123 5y ago
  I am reared as a catholic and i believe in the golden rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
• leafario2 5y ago
  I don't think a god of something exists. If it does, I don't care. It might, though. What's more important to me: life emerged from chaos, entropy will get us all, let's give this opportunity all we've got. If we don't, it's fine too - there is no game plan I am aware of so we can make our own.
• JensRantil 5y ago
  I practice secular spiritualism[1] through Buddhist-inspired meditation[2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_spirituality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_spirituality [2] https://beta.tergar.org/courses/intro-to-meditation/ https://beta.tergar.org/courses/intro-to-meditation/
• mrxmod1 5y ago
  try and just be, be present, be aware, be real, be here, be in the now
• mbfg 5y ago
  none. I try to only believe in things that are demonstrable.
• michaelsbradley 5y ago
  The great value we ought to set on Spiritual Things "I wished," says the Wise Man, "and there was given me sense; I asked it of God, and there came upon me the spirit of wisdom; and I preferred her before thrones and royal sceptres; and I made no account of riches in comparison therewith, nor of precious stones; for all gold in comparison with her is as a little sand, and silver shall be counted as clay before her." (Wisdom 7:7-9). The true wisdom on which we ought to set our eyes is perfection, which consists in union with God by love, according to the saying of the Apostle St. Paul: "Above all I commend to you charity, which is the bond of perfection" (Colossians 3:14), and joins and unites us with God. Now the esteem which Solomon says here he had of wisdom, we ought to have of perfection and of all that makes thereto. In comparison with that, all should appear to us as a little sand, a little clay and ordure, as the same apostle said: "I count all things as ordure and refuse in view of gaining Christ." (Philippians 3:8). This is a main means for gaining perfection: at the rate in which that esteem grows in our hearts, at the same rate will our perfection grow... The reason is, because such as is the value that we set upon a thing, such is the desire that we have of obtaining it: for the will is a blind power and follows what the understanding dictates and proposes to it; and according to the esteem and value that the understanding sets on a thing, so also is the will and desire to obtain it. And as the will is queen, and commands all the other powers and energies of the soul, as well interior as exterior, it follows that according to the will and desire that we have of a thing, will be our contriving and taking means thereto, and our efforts to obtain it. Thus it is very important to have a great esteem and appreciation of spiritual things and of what appertains to our spiritual progress, that so the will and desire of them may be great, and great also our effort to procure and gain them, for in all these things like goes with like. A dealer in precious stones has need to know and form a right estimate of their value, under pain of being deceived, for in default of such knowledge and such estimate he will exchange and sell a stone of great value for a thing of very little worth. Our trade is in precious stones and pearls. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant seeking precious stones." (cf. Matthew 13:45). We are merchants of the kingdom of heaven: we must know and form a right estimate of the price and value of the merchandise in which we deal, that we be not deceived, changing gold for clay, and heaven for earth, which would be a huge mistake. And so says the prophet Jeremy: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the rich man in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, in knowing and understanding me." (cf. Jeremiah 9:23-24). This is the greatest of all treasures, knowing and loving and serving God, and this is the greatest business we can have on hand, or rather, we have no other business than this, for this we were created... this is our end, our terminus and our glory. – Fr. Rodriguez, Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues, First Treatise, Chapter 1 (1609; Rickaby's translation 1929) https://archive.org/details/PPCV-Manresa/page/n27/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/PPCV-Manresa/page/n27/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/PPCV-Loyola/page/n23/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/PPCV-Loyola/page/n23/mode/2up
• advael 5y ago
  Some kinda non-conformist witchcraft I suppose. I quickly bucked the religion that got forced on me as a child, an easy journey - I'd like to think because abrahamic cosmology is plainly nonsensical, but more realistically I likely fell off because it was quite authoritarian and being told what to do makes me bristle in any context. I would have mostly self-described as an atheist for most of my childhood, and still am from a pure epistemic/cosmological standpoint, but I both started to balk at the hidebound tendency of many people and groups who use that label to trust and privilege established institutional implementations of empirical epistemology more than I think they deserve (And being in academia and following the big cross-disciplinary replication crisis in 2014 contributed in a big way to shifting my thinking more in that direction), and felt a lack of fulfillment in what I think is a pretty close to universal human need for ritual and a diminished vocabulary for explaining intuitions from those circles, so I've become interested in various practices many would consider "magical" or "spiritual" or "pagan" or dismiss as "woo" depending on who they are. I wouldn't call myself religious, I don't really go in for attempts to organize this kind of practice under stuff like "wicca" or "heathenry", but I do rituals for my own psychological purposes that friends in "atheist" circles would probably roll their eyes at, and am more comfortable offering explanations for phenomena (especially related to psychology, metacognition, interpersonal matters, information/decision/game theory, computer science, and linux system administration) that sound/signal/codeswitch more "witchy" than "scientific" than I was previously
• mceldeen 5y ago
  I practice a non-denominational version of Christianity that embraces a dispensational viewpoint. I regularly read from pretty much all parts of the Bible. However, the core of my reading involves reading 3 chapters a day: one from Romans-Galatians, one from Ephesians-Colossians, and one from Thessalonians on a constant loop. This is the foundation upon which I add readings from other parts of the Bible. I’ve been bringing in Genesis as of late. Most days, my wife and I do this together out loud. This practice is very grounding. I notice that it helps with my ADHD. I find it easier to organize my thoughts. I also find that I’m more patient with people in general.