You may notice that I never comment in your LJ when you talk about spirituality. This is why. There is a big gulf between our ideas about these things, and I'm not sure how big it is.
I am vocal about my likes and dislikes. I talk politics a lot, and I'm pretty harsh about our President and his party. Not all of my friends agree with that. I'm pretty harsh about evangelical Christianity too, and some of my friends are serious believers there. Sometimes that's difficult, but we feel it's worth the trouble of dealing with divergent opinions in order to be friends.
What I mean by the New Age, and what I both dislike and mock, is a mix-and-match assortment of context-free Eastern religious beliefs, fantasy-novel versions of European mysticism, and American materialism.
I don't think the gulf is actually that big, based on your definition of New Age. It sounds like you are talking about pop-culture spirituality, which I sometimes have trouble with too. I just needed to understand what you meant so as not to take your statement personally. I wasn't attacking you, only attempting to clarify.
I love that you are vocal about your likes and dislikes, whether I agree or not. I can understand most of them because they are/have been either explained and supported, or I already have the correlation myself. This case was different because I didn't have those things, and needed some clarity about what you meant. Thank you for giving that to me.
And just in case I have been grouped: My beliefs are not context-free in the slightest, but I have come to realize that it is nearly impossible to encapsulate in a journal considering the amount of time and study spent to have the understanding I do thus far. I try not to have conversations about deep spiritual issues with anyone who is not in deep spiritual work. But I can assure you I am a student, not a dilettante.
That's what one of my friends refers to the 'faith' she was brought up in, and now use it in reference to free-form, all-you-can-eat salad-bar enlightenment. Subject to change daily of course. q>What I mean by the New Age, and what I both dislike and mock, is a mix-and-match assortment of context-free Eastern religious beliefs, fantasy-novel versions of European mysticism, and American materialism.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-11 08:31 pm (UTC)I am vocal about my likes and dislikes. I talk politics a lot, and I'm pretty harsh about our President and his party. Not all of my friends agree with that. I'm pretty harsh about evangelical Christianity too, and some of my friends are serious believers there. Sometimes that's difficult, but we feel it's worth the trouble of dealing with divergent opinions in order to be friends.
What I mean by the New Age, and what I both dislike and mock, is a mix-and-match assortment of context-free Eastern religious beliefs, fantasy-novel versions of European mysticism, and American materialism.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-11 09:29 pm (UTC)I love that you are vocal about your likes and dislikes, whether I agree or not. I can understand most of them because they are/have been either explained and supported, or I already have the correlation myself. This case was different because I didn't have those things, and needed some clarity about what you meant. Thank you for giving that to me.
And just in case I have been grouped:
My beliefs are not context-free in the slightest, but I have come to realize that it is nearly impossible to encapsulate in a journal considering the amount of time and study spent to have the understanding I do thus far. I try not to have conversations about deep spiritual issues with anyone who is not in deep spiritual work. But I can assure you I am a student, not a dilettante.
Church of California
Date: 2006-10-16 08:06 pm (UTC)Subject to change daily of course.
q>What I mean by the New Age, and what I both dislike and mock, is a mix-and-match assortment of context-free Eastern religious beliefs, fantasy-novel versions of European mysticism, and American materialism.