Comments on: Science and Spirituality

By: therioshamanism

therioshamanism — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:29:54 +0000

IMO, there’s a certain sort of seriousness that one can apply to spirituality, but it’s not the type of literal truth, defend-to-your-death type, at least not when it comes to the details rather than the general attitude of one’s spirituality. It’s serious in its importance on an individual level, and even on a collective level of similarly-minded people, but once you try to push its seriousness past that point, things get murky.

Beyond that, play is a good way to keep things in perspective. It helps deflate the ego in a good way.

By: Tod Fairfield

Tod Fairfield — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:27:27 +0000

I’ll be quite honest, this interests me. That you should liken you experience to being in love, or to play. I know of no one that would speak of their spirituality in such a way. For all the people I have known and talked to, be they christians or therians, have ardently held their beliefs to be of equal if not of greater importance than reality. I do not mean to say that you value your spirituality less, rather to say that you seem to put a perspective on it that I find refreshing.

I am not a therian I’m fairly certain. However I became interested in the therian community and phenomenon a while back because it fell so close to what I can only describe as my personal mantra.

I do not feel, as many claim, that I have any tangible connection with an animal of sorts. But despite this I have developed an intricate world of behavior changes and likes and dislikes all spurred from a feeling of connection to certain animals.

This all coming from one who would fane argue about the importance of reality. It is laughable is it not?

By: therioshamanism

therioshamanism — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:56:56 +0000

I see suspension of disbelief in the same way I see “being in love”. Sure, there’s value in knowing that there are certain hormones and other chemicals coursing through my brain and other portions of my anatomy, but that’s no replacement for romance. In the same way, suspension of disbelief serves as a form of play and a break from the usual reality. There are psychological health benefits to play and variety, and so even if there’s no concrete purpose to a ritual, there’s still the less tangible but still effective purpose of taking a break from the everyday for a little while.

By: Tod Fairfield

Tod Fairfield — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:03:30 +0000

I have to admit that I was taken aback slightly by finding this very well grounded argument on a blog entitled “Therioshamanism”

I do differ on some points however, and felt that I would just share some of my thoughts.

I have heard many times the people trying to reconcile science and spirituality, and have even had to do so my self. I come from a background of fundamentalist christians who often ignored or simply discounted science in most respects. These people showed me the dangers of ignoring reality, in that once you allow yourself to be convinced of something that flies in the face of science, you will have a hard time filtering the truth from the lies. I am now an atheist if that gives you any perspective on the matter.

It is for this reason that I have a hard time indulging in “suspension of disbelief”. If there is an experience that seems out side of the realms of science, I would try to reconcile it as best I could.

It is true that we do not know every thing there is to know, nor have we begun to tap the deep wells of the human experience. But simply put I would rather observe something that cannot be known than know something that cannot be observed.

By: thethoughtherder

thethoughtherder — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:06:34 +0000

Wait. You’re saying I’m NOT going to be able to ride a dragon soon?

Gutted.

My comment aside a great, intelligent post. Interesting stuff.

By: Judith

Judith — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:39:25 +0000

Brilliant!!!!

I would argue that often what people designate as ‘successful magic’ or “creating changes in physical reality” isn’t outside of possible (like shooting fireballs) but selection of outcome— of numerous possible outcomes, the one they magically enhanced occurred. So it’s not ‘I defeated physics’ but ‘I am the Master of Coincidences’.

I freely admit to myself and others that my perception of the OtherWorld, the Gods, augury, et al is perceptual reality and necessarily flawed. I’m good with that.

More, please.

By: Daven

Daven — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:11:19 +0000

I think some of this attitude can be laid at the doorstep of the RPG “Shadowrun”. When it first came out back in the late 80′s, I heard the idea that there would be something happening Dec 21, 2012. I didn’t know about it, never heard of it, but then the game talked about the Aztec callendar and a change in the threshold of magic. When I started reading up on this, there was a “world change” predicted on that callendar, but it was the ending of one world and the start of another, nothing catastrophic. But ever since then I’ve been seeing the same as you with the levels of magic and science changing….