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#Post#: 955--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: A nonny mouse
Date: April 6, 2015, 2:07 pm
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I'm on holiday in Portugal so I can't bother to post any more
nonsense for about ten days, I'll just read sense instead.
#Post#: 956--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Alfie
Date: April 6, 2015, 3:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
paranormal;
no such thing !!!
but there comes a day when it confronts you;
and there is no turning away
it is like walking into a dark room;
and someone turns on the light
now ; you see it
you can choose to never talk about it;
you can choose of tell of it
either way;
you have seen it
and knowledge of it remains
#Post#: 957--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Kerry
Date: April 6, 2015, 6:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Piper link ---
>
> What is 'paranormal', except those things beyond scientific
understanding? When understanding the definition of the word
and believing that all things are possible with God, that which
is 'paranormal' becomes not only possible, but likely. God and
His ways can not be limited, except by the limitations we
knowingly, or unknowingly, place on Him. If we stand before
Him, kneel before Him, if we believe He is able to accomplish
exceedingly above and beyond that which we expect, an infinity
of possibility opens wide.
--- End Quote ---
Why should we not try to limit God? I believe if we do that, we
are limiting ourselves. God has given us almost immeasurable
freedom; but if we conceive of the idea that God Himself is
limited, we are limited ourselves in the same way we conceive
God is. Any sin against God is essentially a sin against the
self by altering the godlike nature given to us.
We may think of "God out there" as imposing things on us.
That's one way of looking at it. There is another. What our
decisions are are also imposing something on self. When Saul
had the anointing of God and lied to God, was he not sinning
against himself as well? If he was cursed, it was by himself.
Samuel and David continued to love him; and I am sure God also
continued to love him. It was Saul's confused idea about
reality that cursed him.
Similarly when David informed Michal she was cursed, I don't
think he was cursing her just informing her she had cursed
herself. And not arguing about it, but just agreeing with her
and allowing it to be so.
--- Quote ---
> What, indeed, is 'reality'? Is the life that we 'live' each
day any truer or more tangible to our soul than the life we live
in our imagination or in our dreams? Isn't it true we can
escape to the most wonderful of places when we dream, awake or
asleep? Some of the best 'experiences'--and worst-- in my life,
have occured while my body was safely asleep in a warm bed.
>
> Time moves in a linear fashion. In 'life' we can never go
back. Yet, we often do go back in our imagination, rewriting
our story, opening doors that closed or closing those which were
opened. Can we learn and grow from such ruminations, and if so,
do they not take on a 'reality' with a lifeforce of its own?
--- End Quote ---
Yes, the spirit can recreate the "past" and calls such things
"memories." Are they real? To the person remembering them
they are; but in a concrete physical way, they don't exist.
Time is a creation of the human mind. We are addicted to it.
Another idea we tend to get addicted to is that everything must
have an explanation. Ha, you can see that idea beginning to be
adopted in children when they annoying start asking, "Why?"
about everything. I would say the truth is there is no reason
for most things except that's the way we wanted them.
If I ask you why you do something and you have a "logical"
answer, odds are I might be able to change your mind if I can
talk you out of it using logic. If you say, "I have no real
reason. It's just the way it is," I should give up. That
means you made a "free" decision about it. I'll never be able
to change that. Here is the wonder of the child who is plopped
into this world and who observes it with wonder and enjoys it.
Later the "why" of it all takes over. Most decisions people
make are not free but rather based on other things which they've
adopted as true.
Spirit can get trapped by the why's of life when the truth is
the only why's there are are the ones we invent. Ha, who or what
is God? God said, "I am what I am." There is no logic to
that. There is no why involved. One can either accept it as
true or reject it as false.
--- Quote ---
> When I meditate and shut out the world with all its noise and
chaos, why do I find a 'place' of peace and solace? If that
place is not 'real', if the landscapes and shores I create are
not 'real', then why do I long to return? It can be a strange
kind of 'lonely' there, but what if, on occasion, I could allow
others to enter in? Would we then share a deeper 'reality', a
deeper 'oneness', then anything 'life' offers?
>
> I long for that day when I am no longer alone in my dreams.
--- End Quote ---
Jesus said to his disciples once that he was going to prepare a
place for them. When he said that, the landscape had spaces
left in it for Jesus to prepare.
Today, the saints have their own places. You could call them
towns or cities. Mary has one in the ethereal region over
Portugal. Yes, you can visit it. Odds are though, you may not
remember what got said there; but you can go there at night and
receive instruction. There are such cities all around the
world. I've seen only a few though -- I've seen the one over
Rome and the one over Jerusalem. I was never in either of them
though.
I am building my own place in the air. Anyone can come visit if
he knows how to get here. I'm seldom there, however. Don't
expect to meet me there. Hard to tell though who you might
meet. A few times I was there, there were various saints
givign talks to visitors. You might even meet Mother Katharine
Drexel for all I know.
If you can visualize it, perhaps you'll get there. It is like
an island in the middle of the sea. There is a beach at the
shore, and then there are trees. People gather in the middle of
the trees; but it's on a hill and you can see the ocean if you
look west. There is a wonderful crystal chair for the lecturer
to sit in. It changes color depending on who is sitting in it.
The people sit on benchs when the lectures are going on. Simple
benches with no backs. Behind the benches is where the fish
are. The fish also change color, depending on who's lecturing.
They love to change color as their way of showing respect.
As I said, I seldom go there myself. But people who know me can
go there. I was there once and someone introduced me to the
group, telling them who I was. I was embarrassed. I didn't want
to talk since the beings who do talk are so much better informed
than I am.
--- Quote ---
> Are the ethereal places of our soul places that can be
forcibly entered into by others, or do others arrive only by
invitation? I often wonder.
--- End Quote ---
I just invited people to one of my spaces. I believe I can
answer that somewhat. It is not possible for anyone to break
in. Anyone who tried that would "fall" from the ethereal plane
immediately. Any impure thought will make you feel as if the
ground is giving way beneath your feet. It's happened to me.
Still, it is possible to go anywhere and "enter" other worlds or
planes by changing what you "consider" to be true. We are
trapped by our belief we are stuck in this world and must always
be with our physical bodies. That is just a "consideration."
If we consider that's true, then that makes it true for us. It
is even possible to "imagine" you are someone else and enter his
mental universe. You can walk around it and experience things
just the way he does. You can't change anything though! If
it's true for him, it's true for you.
Jesus does this with us all the time, and frequently people
don't recognize what's going on. He could do this even while
walking on the earth. He could read the "hearts" of others.
Why most people can't do this is because most people don't
respect the free will of others. I believe Jesus also respected
the free will of others. If someone hated him, that was okay
with him. He could see it and accept it -- as "true for them."
One can go in and out of other mental universes. What's so
special to us about the physical "reality"? It's something most
of us agree on -- thus we find it easier to understand the part
of minds of others that deal with it. When it comes to other
aspects however, we tend to want to disagree -- and that blocks
us out from that part of their universe.
--- Quote ---
> I know I can not be alone 'out there', yet it seems to be the
way I prefer it. Living, moving, and breathing in God, flying,
catapulting, somersaulting in joyous abandon apart from every
heavy burden of life. If the silver cord were cut, would it be
enough, alone with God? Perhaps . . . for awhile. But, I
think, like God, I would eventually seek family--others to share
in the joy of being and creating that which is deeply 'real', in
a spiritual sense, in a spiritual place and time away from time,
incorruptible and eternal.
--- End Quote ---
Question: Is God alone? Think of Genesis only if you can when
God said it is not good for "the man" -- h'adam -- to be alone.
Why would God say that? To me, it says something about the
"reason" God made us. If there is a "reason" for things to
exist, it's because God did not want to alone. He wanted
beings He could love.
Do not tell me God made beings so they would love Him. While
that is possible and even desirable, if that is the case, God
would have failed then, no? No, it's much better than having
creatures to adore Him, etc. He wanted beings He could love.
His Nature demanded it. If God is Love, it had to be so. We
could almost say God didn't have a choice in the matter. If His
Nature is Love, being alone would be misery.
Creating creatures to love without the guarantee of them loving
Him back was risky, to be sure. That too could produce misery.
What would God do if His creatures chose poorly and did not
love? God Himself would have to continue to love them and even
suffer. Thus Madame Blavatsky said man has his karma, and God
has His.
--- Quote ---
> (Don't ask me where all that came from. LOL :) I think real
freedom is away from 'reality'. Reality, what we perceive as
life, is a heavy weight, shackles that bind, an anchor holding
us back from all we can be. Yet, it is here God has us. Surely
we are bound that we learn to love, that we not abuse our
freedoms when, finally, we are released.)
--- End Quote ---
I believe it is our failure to love and to obey the Golden Rule
by respecting the freedom of others that creates the current
"reality." We are trapped here since we were willing to violate
the freedom of others and then found our own freedom going.
While it's true that God sends servants who don't violate the
freedom of others, their mission is to try to get people back
into wanting freedom. (Think of Israel in Egypt and the
wilderness -- they longed for bondage.) God's servants are
willing to suffer in this world too on God's behalf. (Thus the
Bible says the world was "not worthy" of them.)
Ultimately, God's creatures will come around to His view.
People all want to love and to be loved; but we're going about
it in the wrong way, believing we can impose love on others by
curbing their freedom. Some adopt the other view believing
others will love them if they become degraded beings without
free will -- here we have the wife who says, "Maybe my husband
will love me if I let him beat me." The husband who once felt
his wife loved him is saying, "I'll show her. I'll beat her
until she admits she loves me." How tangled can things be?
The truth is they probably both do love each other but won't
admit it. They're too busy trying to get each other to love
them they can't or won't admit that they love and act that way.
This is all very unrealistic. It cannot last. Sooner or later,
we will arrive at the conclusion, "If we love, we love; and if
that is true, sometimes we may suffer." When we adopt that as
our premise, we are ready to enter the spiritual realms since
that is God's premise.
What else can we do except come around to God's point of view?
We can wallow in the mud with the pigs like the Prodigal Son,
that's what we can do until we're tired of it. What other
options are there?
When mankind as a whole has learned how to use the freedom given
in the right way, the "old earth" will be consumed, and the "new
earth" will appear. It's not something that needs to be
predicted. It's inevitable.
#Post#: 962--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Piper
Date: April 7, 2015, 12:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your comments, Kerry.
--- Quote ---
> Any sin against God is essentially a sin against the self by
altering the godlike nature given to us.
--- End Quote ---
I think the above is a great observation. I believe when we
sin, it pains God who gave us His Son to set us free, but, yes,
we hurt ourselves in ways that might be difficult to overcome.
Sin can often become addictive, hard to break free of, and we
suffer. God will deliver us, but we must want to be delivered.
--- Quote ---
> Time is a creation of the human mind. We are addicted to it.
--- End Quote ---
At first I thought, "No, time was created by God. It's a place
he has put us." But then, I thought, "We are not bound by time.
We don't have to be, because Jesus has given us the way to
eternal life." So, although our bodies are subject to the
ravages of time, we can hold onto a place within us that dwells
outside of time--our eternal dwelling place with God. I think
of Jesus saying, " . . . whoever lives by believing in me will
never die. Do you believe this?” And, if we do believe, we can
see that time can have no real, lasting hold on us. We are set
free. Though we die, yet do we live. Pretty awesome--if only
we believe!
--- Quote ---
> I am building my own place in the air. Anyone can come visit
if he knows how to get here. I'm seldom there, however. Don't
expect to meet me there. Hard to tell though who you might
meet. A few times I was there, there were various saints
giving talks to visitors. You might even meet Mother Katharine
Drexel for all I know.
>
> If you can visualize it, perhaps you'll get there. It is
like an island in the middle of the sea. There is a beach at
the shore, and then there are trees. People gather in the
middle of the trees; but it's on a hill and you can see the
ocean if you look west. There is a wonderful crystal chair for
the lecturer to sit in. It changes color depending on who is
sitting in it. The people sit on benchs when the lectures are
going on. Simple benches with no backs. Behind the benches is
where the fish are. The fish also change color, depending on
who's lecturing. They love to change color as their way of
showing respect.
--- End Quote ---
Intriguing! I remember you speaking of this place before. How
great to listen to speakers while we sleep, rather than give in
to random, senseless dreams. How great if we can learn, even
while we sleep, if we only believe.
I wondered, too, why these places "we build" are often near
great bodies of water, with shores and sand. Waters cleanses
us, sustains us, and often represents Truth. Perhaps, we
instinctively "build" there? I've a "place" I go when I
meditate, a simple beach house, high on a cliff, with a winding
stair down to the beach, and a large piece of driftwood where I
sit and watch the waves. Seems there is always a sunset there,
and the colors are fantastic. I love it there. One of my
favorite places in life, though it isn't "real." But . . .
perhaps it is very real, for me, because it lives inside of me.
--- Quote ---
> Jesus does this with us all the time, and frequently people
don't recognize what's going on. He could do this even while
walking on the earth. He could read the "hearts" of others.
--- End Quote ---
Reading the hearts of others could be wonderful . . . or
terrible, I imagine. Jesus must have been so pleased with what
was inside of some, but heartbroken at what He found in others.
It is a solemn reminder to remember that God truly sees deep
into the inner chambers of our hearts. How to sweep house and
clear a dusty heart? How to rid ourselves of those things in
our hearts that we know should not be there? As David prayed,
"Create in me a clean heart . . . "
--- Quote ---
> Do not tell me God made beings so they would love Him. While
that is possible and even desirable, if that is the case, God
would have failed then, no? No, it's much better than having
creatures to adore Him, etc. He wanted beings He could love.
His Nature demanded it. If God is Love, it had to be so. We
could almost say God didn't have a choice in the matter. If His
Nature is Love, being alone would be misery.
--- End Quote ---
Yes, I believe God wants to love and be loved. Both. His heart
is pure love, as ours should be (but how we fail!), and we may
love Him with complete trust, because He holds back nothing from
us and promises us an eternity with Him. He is worthy of our
love in a way no one else is.
--- Quote ---
> Ultimately, God's creatures will come around to His view.
People all want to love and to be loved; but we're going about
it in the wrong way, believing we can impose love on others by
curbing their freedom.
--- End Quote ---
No matter how much we might wish to make others love us, love
can never be forced. God knows this. Thus, we have free will;
we may accept or reject God. We must learn that we can not
force anyone to love us. How many young girls (and boys, as
well) struggle to attract the opposite sex by dressing and
'acting' a certain way, hoping for love, but often getting
something so much less? Often in life, we love others, but find
it is not reciprocated. It is a hard lesson to learn.
Ultimately, we learn that love is a verb, something we do. We
want to be loved, but how much better is it to focus on loving
others, and simply hoping that we will be loved in return? If
we are not loved in return, we are comforted, knowing God sees
the love we extend to others, and we live secure in knowing He
loves us--and this, even before we loved Him!
#Post#: 964--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Kerry
Date: April 7, 2015, 2:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Piper link ---
>
> I think the above is a great observation. I believe when we
sin, it pains God who gave us His Son to set us free, but, yes,
we hurt ourselves in ways that might be difficult to overcome.
Sin can often become addictive, hard to break free of, and we
suffer. God will deliver us, but we must want to be delivered.
--- End Quote ---
I believe Jesus was so grieved to see fallen man and also to see
the Father grieved, it would have been impossible for him to
remain in Heaven doing nothing. In some things, there is no
choice, not if we love enough. When we make a free will
decision to love, we have lost a little bit of our free will.
True, true, God gave it to us; but we can give it back. Does
this explain, in part anyway, Jesus' words, "Not my will but
thine be done?" Does this explain, again perhaps in part, the
wonder of Mary at the Cross?
--- Quote ---
> At first I thought, "No, time was created by God. It's a
place he has put us." But then, I thought, "We are not bound by
time. We don't have to be, because Jesus has given us the way
to eternal life." So, although our bodies are subject to the
ravages of time, we can hold onto a place within us that dwells
outside of time--our eternal dwelling place with God. I think
of Jesus saying, " . . . whoever lives by believing in me will
never die. Do you believe this?” And, if we do believe, we can
see that time can have no real, lasting hold on us. We are set
free. Though we die, yet do we live. Pretty awesome--if only
we believe!
--- End Quote ---
A complicated topic, perhaps I should start a separate thread
on it. In his often ambiguous manner, John wrote:
Revelation 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and
upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created
heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the
things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are
therein, that there should be time no longer:
What does that mean? Does that mean time ceases altogether, at
least for some people; or does it mean no more time will be
granted for men to do this or that?
7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as
he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
This verse is almost as mysterious as the previous two. What
is this "mystery of God" John wrote about? To which prophets
was it revealed?
--- Quote ---
> Intriguing! I remember you speaking of this place before.
How great to listen to speakers while we sleep, rather than give
in to random, senseless dreams. How great if we can learn, even
while we sleep, if we only believe.
>
> I wondered, too, why these places "we build" are often near
great bodies of water, with shores and sand. Waters cleanses
us, sustains us, and often represents Truth. Perhaps, we
instinctively "build" there? I've a "place" I go when I
meditate, a simple beach house, high on a cliff, with a winding
stair down to the beach, and a large piece of driftwood where I
sit and watch the waves. Seems there is always a sunset there,
and the colors are fantastic. I love it there. One of my
favorite places in life, though it isn't "real." But . . .
perhaps it is very real, for me, because it lives inside of me.
--- End Quote ---
Many sacred sites on the physical plane are also close to water.
In a way, it's up to each of us to bring up out of the "sea"
what we want. The kingdom is like a net that takes things out
of the sea; and what is not wanted is tossed back in. The
kingdom is also like a pearl -- a highly instructive parable!
For me, the most powerful truths in the Bible are in the
parables that can seem so simple.
The Bible frequently speaks of things and animals that come out
of the water. Jonah said he was in the water but also under
the mountains!
I have a connection of some sort with Mother Drexel. There is a
shrine to her about three blocks from where I lived; and a few
times when I went past, it is almost as if I could feel her
presence there like an umbrella spread out over the town. When
I had to move, I was afraid I might have to move out of the area
I had been in; but luckily, I moved only one block and it was a
block closer to her shrine. I have never seen her in a vision;
but when I think about her, it's like something warming my
heart.
--- Quote ---
> Reading the hearts of others could be wonderful . . . or
terrible, I imagine. Jesus must have been so pleased with what
was inside of some, but heartbroken at what He found in others.
It is a solemn reminder to remember that God truly sees deep
into the inner chambers of our hearts. How to sweep house and
clear a dusty heart? How to rid ourselves of those things in
our hearts that we know should not be there? As David prayed,
"Create in me a clean heart . . . "
--- End Quote ---
Perhaps wonderful and terrible at the same time. One thing for
sure is we feel terrible if we see suffering; but if we can see
what is wrong, that makes it possible for us to take rational
steps. Maybe we can't force others to change for the better;
but I think we may be able to make it easier for them. In real
life, I have an astonishing gift for getting people to confide
in me. People can tell me almost anything and I won't mock them
or scoff. Whatever they want to say is fine.
I was picking up too much in mid-twenties. My mind was not up
to it. I found it distracting; and I also felt the way I
would if I opened someone's purse to rummage though it.
Sometimes I can still pick up on people's thoughts; but usually
it's only if they're "broadcasting loudly."
I went into a store last year, all scruffy. The clerk looked at
me and did not betray anything by altering his facial
expressions; but I could feel how he felt disgusted by my
appearance. He was polite, so I was too. Indeed afterwards I
rather admired him for being able to be polite to me despite how
I disgusted him. He didn't want to offend me, and I wasn't
offended; and there was no reason for me to discuss it with him.
I also don't think it was that much fun to read people's minds
too much. It takes some of the mystery out of life.
Yes, I believe God wants to love and be loved. Both. His heart
is pure love, as ours should be (but how we fail!), and we may
love Him with complete trust, because He holds back nothing from
us and promises us an eternity with Him. He is worthy of our
love in a way no one else is.
The new heart David wrote about? I'd say that comes out of the
water -- the way a salt crystal is formed out of a salt solution
or a pearl out of water. Yes, there must be a "seed" first;
and after the seed is planted, it grows by taking things out of
the sea and changing them.
--- Quote ---
> No matter how much we might wish to make others love us, love
can never be forced. God knows this. Thus, we have free will;
we may accept or reject God. We must learn that we can not
force anyone to love us. How many young girls (and boys, as
well) struggle to attract the opposite sex by dressing and
'acting' a certain way, hoping for love, but often getting
something so much less? Often in life, we love others, but find
it is not reciprocated. It is a hard lesson to learn.
Ultimately, we learn that love is a verb, something we do. We
want to be loved, but how much better is it to focus on loving
others, and simply hoping that we will be loved in return? If
we are not loved in return, we are comforted, knowing God sees
the love we extend to others, and we live secure in knowing He
loves us--and this, even before we loved Him!
--- End Quote ---
If you love and are not loved in return, it is still not wasted
if the other person wanted your love. It forms a tie; and it
is like catching a fish on a hook. You gave him something he
wanted. Thus he knows love is possible; and some day he will
remember that. He can pursue all kinds of other things and
come to ruin; and in that ruin, he may wonder what is wrong.
How did he get to such a spot? He will remember you. I can
almost guarantee it. If you can honestly continue to love such
a person although he doesn't return your love, you have on a
hook just as Jesus had the people on the hook when they
crucified him. They could squirm and wriggle; but in the end,
they were on the hook. When Christians obey the commandment to
return good for evil, they are catching fish. There is part
of that other person who is just like you -- he wants to love
and be loved. You saw that in him and acknowledged it.
Can we see the good in others before they can see it in
themselves? Jesus could. He saw what Peter could become even
when Peter was behaving like satan. The story of Zacchaeus
shows a similar point.
The "Eye of God" which sees the good and can call it forth. In
my mind, Jesus used a magical spell on Peter saying, "Thou art
Peter." He was calling the rock (or dry land) out of the
water. One must have a pure tongue to do such magic with
words; and to have the pure inner eye (or single eye) and clean
lips, one must also have a pure heart. I have just described
the three upper chakras of Eastern religion; and I can go on to
say if we can perfect those three, and the eighth chakra, the
Crown of Life, will appear. The crown of "thorns" is changed
into the Crown of Life.
How wonderful it was when the angel of the LORD appeared to
Moses in the humble thorn bush. God can manifest in the
humblest of things. The curse on "the earth" -- on the
physical plane -- can be reversed. It is that curse that makes
the thorns and thistles, and the same curse that made Adam
return to dust.
#Post#: 972--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Piper
Date: April 8, 2015, 11:15 am
---------------------------------------------------------
(All quotes, save biblical, Kerry:)
--- Quote ---
> When we make a free will decision to love, we have lost a
little bit of our free will.
--- End Quote ---
Very insightful! Love is a tie that binds, that, ironically,
holds us captive by our own free will. It involves
selflessness, sacrifice, and heeding the resultant
responsibility. It means putting others first. Often love will
bring us great joy, but it may, as well, make us dizzy with
exhaustion and sometimes bring us deep sorrow. Jesus lived a
life of pure love and devotion, was certainly quite often
exhausted despite his youth, and intimately knew both joy and
sorrow. But, He stayed the course. Love was His shackles, and
such great love is what brings great reward in the end of
things. And the Father said, "This is my son, in whom I'm well
pleased."
--- Quote ---
> Revelation 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea
and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
> 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created
heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the
things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are
therein, that there should be time no longer:
--- End Quote ---
--- Quote ---
> What does that mean? Does that mean time ceases altogether,
at least for some people; or does it mean no more time will be
granted for men to do this or that?
--- End Quote ---
It might be interpreted either way. My RSV-CE translates "time
no longer" as "there should be no more delay." I had always
thought it to mean that "time" as we know it would cease in the
light of eternity.
--- Quote ---
> 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he
shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as
he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
--- End Quote ---
--- Quote ---
> This verse is almost as mysterious as the previous two.
What is this "mystery of God" John wrote about?
--- End Quote ---
RSV-CE: the mystery of God: Unveiled as the kingdom of God
that comes with the blast of the seventh trumpet. (see 11:15)
The link between "mystery" and the messianic "kingdom" is forged
in Daniel (Dan 2:28, 44-47; 7:13-14) Also: mystery of God:
i.e. the establishment of the kingdom of God following on the
destruction of Israel's enemies.
--- Quote ---
> I have a connection of some sort with Mother Drexel.
--- End Quote ---
I'm not familiar with her. Will have to investigate. I love
Mary, though I'm not worthy of her. I wish I were. There is no
one like Mary, and in the very infancy of my faith, she spoke to
me, very gently, one morning as I awoke. And she ALWAYS points
us to her Son, so I don't know why some people are so phobic
about her. When she spoke to me, that is exactly what she did,
in one simple, reassuring sentence that is with me forever. I
just hate when people refer to praying to her as praying to
"dead people." She is most assuredly NOT dead! She is only
beautiful and filled with the light of heaven.
--- Quote ---
> In real life, I have an astonishing gift for getting people to
confide in me. People can tell me almost anything and I won't
mock them or scoff. Whatever they want to say is fine.
--- End Quote ---
That may be because some of what you say is rather
"astonishing." So, it frees people to reveal their own rather
off-the-wall musings. I've found, over time, I can trust you to
keep things between us when I ask it of you--and even when I
don't-- which is one of the best qualities in true friendship,
my friend.
--- Quote ---
> I was picking up too much in mid-twenties. My mind was not up
to it. I found it distracting; and I also felt the way I
would if I opened someone's purse to rummage though it.
Sometimes I can still pick up on people's thoughts; but usually
it's only if they're "broadcasting loudly."
--- End Quote ---
Now THAT is astounding. ;) I've read of such things, but
thankfully never experienced it. Seems it could be a curse of
sorts. I mean, how would you deal with 'hearing' the true,
unadulterated thoughts coming from people's minds? You'd have
to be tough, most likely, to withstand it. Imagine what you
might hear! And in a large group of people, if you couldn't
shut it out, you might have to run to get away! If people
discovered what you could do, they might want to run away,
unless they could somehow block you. I sometimes catch myself
thinking unsavory or judgmental things while I'm outwardly being
pleasant with someone, and I have to chastise myself. It's sooo
wrong to judge anyone by outward appearances, but we all tend to
do it to some degree. Very wrong! Would be a kinder world if
we were all blind. Sometimes, of course, we might be very
pleased and drawn to others by their thoughts. It would be a
mixed blessing and curse, I think. Yes, you'd have to be able
to handle such a 'gift'.
--- Quote ---
> When Christians obey the commandment to return good for evil,
they are catching fish.
>
--- End Quote ---
I like how you put that!
--- Quote ---
> Can we see the good in others before they can see it in
themselves?
--- End Quote ---
If we can, and if we can nurture that good, encourage it, we
might change the person, and even the world, in good ways. It
would be like watering a tiny seed, and watching it grow into an
amazing tree.
--- Quote ---
> One must have a pure tongue to do such magic with words; and
to have the pure inner eye (or single eye) and clean lips, one
must also have a pure heart. I have just described the three
upper chakras of Eastern religion; and I can go on to say if we
can perfect those three, and the eighth chakra, the Crown of
Life, will appear. The crown of "thorns" is changed into the
Crown of Life.
--- End Quote ---
I love the idea of "magic." White or benevolent magic, of
course, although I believe the dark counterpart might exist.
Jesus did possess what we might term "magic," I suppose, if we
are open-minded toward the word, and don't run in fear of it.
He 'disappeared' in the crowds, knew about people before he met
them, seemed even to be two places at once. I think there is
magic everywhere. I don't like when people try to explain
everything in terms of science. When I see a field of fireflies
on a July night under a full moon, I like to believe anything is
possible. I stand there, perfectly silent, enraptured, wishing
for more. I want a unicorn to step out from behind a tree, lol.
:D
Pure tongue, pure inner eye, clean lips, pure heart. "Chakras"
refer to spiritual energy in the human body, referring to "inner
divinity"? I recently read a bit about this. When we receive
initiation, we gain entry to our inner spiritual realms as the
coiled-up 'kundalini' energy at the base of our spines begins
uncoiling and pushing upward through some seventy-two thousand
(!) energy channels called the "nadis," which connect the
chakras from bottom to top. Then, with practice, our spiritual
awareness unfolds. The energy eventually reaches our crown
chakra, the "sahasrara", which is the gate to higher
consciousness, where we experience clarity and have perception
beyond ordinary sight.
All sounds very mysterious and very wonderful.
--- Quote ---
> The crown of "thorns" is changed into the Crown of Life.
>
--- End Quote ---
I think maybe I understand, and that is very deep, when thinking
of Jesus, our own spiritual energy, and all of the symbolism
involved. Think of how Jesus changed that crown of thorns into
a Crown of Life, and how it was He could do that, how God gave
to Him what was needed. Awesome to think of the spiritual
energy involved.
--- Quote ---
> How wonderful it was when the angel of the LORD appeared to
Moses in the humble thorn bush. God can manifest in the
humblest of things.
--- End Quote ---
"The Kingdom of God is not contained within the walls of wood
and stone, but all around us. Wherever we seek, there we shall
find."
Yes, wonderful, isn't it? And true. Church and religion have
their place, this I believe, but, God is everywhere, hidden in
plain sight, if we only seek and open ourselves to experience
Him. And, when we find Him in the most humble of places, this
is the purity of joy that can fill our hearts. When I silently
walked alone in the forests near my home, He was everywhere. In
the lichen on the fallen log, in the small stand of fragrant
wild onions, in the trickle of the creek, in the shaft of
sunlight through the trees, in the very air around me . . . I
think that I was never more alive than when I walked those
trails and sometimes left the trails to just wander. How I miss
that!!! Others used to tell me it was dangerous for me to
wander off alone like that, but I always felt protected and
unafraid.
I'm sure you're familiar with:
--- Quote ---
> Jesus says: "I am the light which is on them all. I am the
All, and the All has gone out from me and the All has come back
to me. Cleave the wood: I am there; lift the stone and thou
shalt find me there!"
--- End Quote ---
--- Quote ---
> The curse on "the earth" -- on the physical plane -- can be
reversed. It is that curse that makes the thorns and thistles,
and the same curse that made Adam return to dust.
>
--- End Quote ---
It can't happen soon enough! But, I know, all must be done in
God's timing.
My very first bible, the one I was almost embarrassed to buy
when I first thought of being a Christian, was the Living Bible.
I think God placed that particular version before me, knowing
my heart and my love of nature and animals. It's still my
favorite, though the cover is now faded and the pages are bent
and filled with my initial notes and musings. My faith was so
free and innocent back then. Newborn hope with wings to fly.
These passages speak clearly of all my hope and dreams:
--- Quote ---
> [center]Romans 8:18-25
> Living Bible (TLB)
>
> 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he
will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting patiently and
hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect his
children. 20-21 For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death,
and decay—the things that overcame the world against its will at
God’s command—will all disappear, and the world around us will
share in the glorious freedom from sin which God’s children
enjoy.
>
> 22 For we know that even the things of nature, like animals
and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this
great event. 23 And even we Christians, although we have the
Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan
to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously
for that day when God will give us our full rights as his
children, including the new bodies he has promised us—bodies
that will never be sick again and will never die.
>
> 24 We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking
forward to getting something we don’t yet have—for a man who
already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he
will get it. 25 But if we must keep trusting God for something
that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and
confidently.[/center]
--- End Quote ---
#Post#: 974--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Kerry
Date: April 8, 2015, 12:19 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
About Mother Drexel. She's called St. Katharine Drexel now;
but I think of her as Mother Drexel. She did work here in
Carlisle. I heard her niece on the radio once, talking about
her aunt. Can you imagine having your aunt declared a saint and
being invited to the Vatican? She came from the very rich
Drexel family and gave all her money to the church. But she
knew the value of money. There is a story that when she was in
Carlisle once, she was going over the books and saw someone had
bought something and paid more than he needed to. She had him
called to her and politely and patiently explained how every
penny counted. Every penny he could save when buying
necessities could be used to help others. The man had never
thought about it that way. One reason she was interested in
Carlisle was because of the Indian School they had here then.
The first church named for her is out of town though; but there
is a chapel in St. Patrick's where the Host is on display at all
times, and there are always people there since it's set up to be
a Perpetual Adoration site. I wish I could find a photo of
it, but I can't. But they mention it here:
HTML http://saintpatrickchurch.org/liturgy.php
They need to update their site though. They're still saying
you can buy bus tickets to Philadelphia for the Papal Mass.
You can't. The Harrisburg Diocese sold out in one hour.
But anyway, Mother Drexel is patron saint of minorities and of
the deaf. A seven year girl was healed of deafness she had
been born with -- at least she was diagnosed as hopelessly deaf
when only one.
HTML http://articles.philly.com/2000-01-28/news/25597578_1_second-miracle-miracle-girl-mother-katharine-drexel
#Post#: 977--------------------------------------------------
Re: Paranormallity.
DIR By: Piper
Date: April 8, 2015, 1:48 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Great article!
Naysayers, please note:
--- Quote ---
> Cardinal Bevilacqua, who sat with the family during short
interviews after the news conference, said the Catholic Church
teaches that only God works miracles, not the saints, and that
"no one knows" how saints intercede on behalf of their
petitioners.
>
> "God allows us to pray," he said with a shrug. "But we don't
know how it works."
--- End Quote ---
This intercession is something I'm just discovering.
Thanks, Kerry!
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