My Studies In Spirituality
Although I'm not a religious person, I have studied concepts about spirituality and the nature of reality throughout my entire adult life. The beliefs I hold regarding Spirit, consciousness, and the power of the mind were drawn from writings in three primary areas:
I have several books that don't fall into any of those categories, but their content echoes the same themes of spirituality and mysticism that I focus on. One interesting side topic that arose from my readings is that of alternative pre-history, which I might comment on, but I pursue that subject only out of a general sense of curiousity rather than a need for serious study.
The Progression Of My Spirituality
Although my mother was a devoted Christian (don't ask me the denomination, I have no idea), my father never seemed that interested in religion. During my earliest years, I attended church and Sunday school regularly up until the time that I was given a choice. I can still remember the day that my Dad asked my brother and I whether or not we really wanted to go to church, and we said no. After that, we weren't required to spend our Sundays at church (thanks Dad!). I never became invested in the teachings of Christianity and would later grow to see all religions as being limited dogmatic belief systems rather than paths to true spirituality.
When I joined the Army, I began reading channeled material and found one author to be of great interest, Seth / Jane Roberts. That period lasted from age 20 to when I left the Army at age 24. After that, I entered into the formal study in philosophy, although I mainly concentrated on those philosophers whose writings on metaphysics contributed to my existing view of reality which was derived primarily from the Seth material. I graduated with a degree in Philosophy at age 28 and got more into the material side of reality for about a decade. It wasn't until about 2005 that I discovered the writings of New Thought / Mental Science authors, such as Troward and Atkinson, which renewed my interest in the subjects of spirituality of the power of the mind.
Discovering Common Spiritual Themes
In my spiritual studies, I have found several ideas and beliefs expressed from various sources which are quite harmonious with one another. They are so similar that sometimes it can be quite difficult to tell them apart. I find it interesting that some of the same ideas put forth by early Greek and Roman philosophers and ancient mystical orders, such as the Rosicrucians, are found again not only in modern channeled authors, but in the writings of 19th and 20th century New Thought authors. Some of these main spiritual themes include:
- How Mind Creates Reality
- The Law Of Attraction
- The Transmigration Of Souls
- The Unity Of Consciousness
I find myself constantly discovering other authors, both modern and ancient, who present the same concepts about how mind forms reality. For my own studies, I try to focus on certain individuals until I feel I have a full understanding of their work. All that I plan to do on my site is point out the similarities and differences between some of the various viewpoints on creating one's own reality. I am continuously working to read through the various books on these subjects, writing summaries of them, grabbing some quotes, and noting the similarities in their spiritual message.