Come back.  We need you and the meaningful conversations we used to have.  I don't post much of late, but loved it here when we had intersting,  insightful and sometimes somewhat spirited posts about the afterlife.  I know it can happen again.

Is there no way for Bruce to make a weekly post or topic?  He has been generous enough to create this site at all - for free for all to use.  Yet the discussions have really fallen off, and we need an infusion of energy.



Matthew

Hi Matthew-

I agree, I also miss the provocative give and take that used to characterize this board.

I especially miss Don (aka Berserk).  His intellectual grasp of things combined with his Biblical knowledge was such that I looked forward to his posts and many times would print them out to read and re-read.

He was finally run off by some posters who apparently think that being a cheerleader is preferable to someone who challenges their beliefs and encourages them to examine the things they claim.

The best teacher I ever had was a woman who almost everyone intensely disliked (including me at the time).  Having the benefit of hindsight, I now realize she taught me more than any of my other teachers combined.  Why?  She challenged her students every day.  Not for the sake of arguing, but for the sake of having them defend their positions in order that they could grow intellectually. 

It's easy to vilify someone like that.  And it's easy to be a cheerleader.  Everyone wants to be liked and accepted.  The thing is, no one grows that way.  Growth comes by admitting that you might be wrong or that your premise might be faulty.  And having to reexamine the things you thought were true along with the reasons you came to believe the way you did.

Yes, Don was not the most diplomatic person on the board.  But he was the most stimulating precisely because he didn't "go with the flow."

Come to think of it, dead fish also go with the flow.   Not always a good thing.

For those people who get agitated whenever someone disagrees with them, remember that some of the most important scientific discoveries were made by persons who challenged the popular beliefs.

Maybe Don will return,maybe not.  I don't know.  The last exchanges were pretty brutal and uncalled for so I can't blame him if he stays away.

As for you Matthew, you are one of the few posters who I always read.  So please don't get discouraged.

I hope Bruce takes your recommendation.  His absence has led to entropy, and by having a weekly topic might re-energize the board and return it to where it was when I first joined over 10 years ago.

R

Thanks for the replies,

I didn't want this thread to be a plea for any one specific old timer to come back and contribute to the forum.  Rather, it was a general request. 

Seraphis is correct that as we pass through the intellectual/rational discussion, there is a sense of "knowing" about spiritual matters, and thus perhaps, less of a need to discuss them. 

I would argue that we should overcome this docile feeling for altruistic reasons; that if we discuss what we feel and know, others might benefit.  It is no different than doing a retrieval in some ways, to share your point of view so that another may open up and enjoy/understand. 

M

DocM wrote on Aug 15^th, 2010 at 7:26pm:


Hi M: That's why I post my exercise results. I think more people should provide the clinical details necessary to build a picture of how the non-physical works relative to the attainment of meditative skills and how they build and what releases the energy blockages that are the real source of our clouded vision... that is the clouds of darkness, illusion that prevents us from seeing God, The Light, The Oversoul or whatever one wants to call the Divine.

S.

This site is one of my favorites and I check in at least daily.  My contributions have not been as frequent lately for some interesting reasons...namely, that certain events my guidance told me would occur are beginning to manifest.  These are causing dramatic changes in my current version of reality.  While I am aware of the general direction I am going, I cannot now see how far and to what extent I will travel nor the scope of the changes that will take place.  Large scale alterations are quite likely in my domestic and financial situations, a little less likely in my occupational situation...some changes are ascertainable while others are beyond anything I can conceive.  Guidance has told me that my October is going to be rough, however, the life I have on the other side of that long month are going to be absolutely wonderful.

Naturally, while my interest in the afterlife and former lives has not waned, I am forced to spend my time currently dealing with the "realities" I face...after years of floating along playing a minor role in this stage production, I am about to take center stage and play the role I came here to perform...it is my hope that I am able to perform through pure unconditional love and in the best interests of all involved.   

Matthew

I have wondered what happened to Dave. He didn't un-join, he just disappeared. I miss his posts.

As a newcomer, I have a couple of thoughts. I have found that the posts on this board are often either beyond me experientially, or outside of my "belief system". Either I cannot relate because the poster and responders are so far beyond where I find myself, or I find myself doubting the credibility of the reported experience. I have seen little debate, or what I would call intelectual argument.  This is most likely due to the factors described by the OP, and my relative newness to the site. What I sought when coming here was a community with a sense of shared experience and knowledge, where newcomers could post their experiences and questions, and find a group of mentors or fellow travelers, as well as a place where the more experienced could share experiences and have spirited discussions about them. Was it ever like that? To be honest, I sense a few of those here, but also many more folks residing in their own belief worlds, focused more on defending them than on reaching out. Thats not a knock on any of you, just my own disconnect with the reality of on-line communities like this.

Bardo wrote on Aug 17^th, 2010 at 1:17pm:


Hi Bardo: Unfortunately that is the nature of the beast. The belief system is the barrier... it locks up energy in a specific pattern and IT controls your ability to relate or experience... that's its job... to do just that... thus you subjective reality can't get past it without dismantling it...

S.