| S p i r i t u a l i t y . . . What Is It, Anyway? Spirituality means many things to many people. To some, it's a private matter; others actively seek to promote their version of it. To some it means "religion" or a relationship to what they perceive to be "God". It may mean nothing to one atheist; to another, the opposite, as long as there's no attachment to certain ideas. Spirituality is one of those mysterious words we come across more often now than not, thanks to the strange connotations given to turn-of-the-century advocates of cosmic and worldly change, the meaning of which we know not. This is why we chose this word/idea as a theme for this issue of ALIAS. It was suggested by someone undergoing some rather fundamental changes in habit and thinking due to involvement in a detoxification program. Part of the program dealt with one's spiritual attuning - or lack thereof. We listened, and began thinking: well, what does this word mean, anyway? Are we "spiritual" as well as corporeal beings? There are, we imagine, many replies to this question, as the word is not very clearly defined. A quick look at a thesaurus reveals the following: "spiritual = celestial god-fearing devout divine ecclesiastical ethereal godly hallowed idealistic immaterial incorporeal intangible inward magical mental metaphysical mystical nonphysical occult personal pious platonic priestly psychic psychological rational religious sacred supernatural transcendental and unearthly." Somehow, looking at all of these words and thinking of their various separate meanings, none of this really helped our understanding of the word or idea in question. How, for example, can "rational" and "supernatural" both come to be substitutes for the word "spiritual", when they have clearly different meanings of their own? It seemed to us that no-one really knew what the word "spiritual" meant, after all. Some of the ideas you are about to read may seem to be at cross-currents one with another, but as in art and indeed, life itself, what one sees, another doesn't; and vice-versa. Perhaps, if we all saw the same things the same ways, we'd all get along better. Or, we might not last long at all! Again, it depends on how you view things, what is interpreted, what may be meant, what is and isn't seen - and then, after all that, what is understood and shared. This, then, is our offering, from our various points of viewing..................................................... Somewhere, hidden so well it brightly shines all around us, is the key. Not just a key. The key. The key to the many locks we have upon our inner beings. Locks we did and didn't place there. Locks we were born with, maybe, inherited from our genetic past. Locks we can and at times cannot see. Locks, perhaps, we don't even know exist. The key that will open each and every one of these locks has many different shapes and forms - one that relates to each person among us as only they will know. As only they could know. Seek, therefore, for the key that is yours, and yours alone. It is so well hidden, it is in plain sight - but only you can see it. And the locks are everywhere. Ah, but so is the key... so is the key!! Remembering Leo... Leo Finnegan's passing away early this summer has saddened many us of who attend Fred Victor Centre's Community Computer Club, Alias and the Open House drop-in. He liked to write, and be with people, and came here for those reasons. We helped him produce two small chapbooks at one point, but this was before his health began to deteriorate enough to put him into the hospital. Leo always looked able to overcome anything. When, more than a year ago, he suffered a heart attack, he bounced back (much to the doctor's surprise, we were told). He arrived here from Western Canada, having made a trip there to see his family. When he found us, he had just turned 65 and was anxiously awaiting his old age pension to begin, so he could find suitable housing in the downtown area, which he liked. We could see, over the passage of time, he was getting weaker. He didn't walk as quickly as he once did, and he had become very pale. Then, for a long while, we didn't see him at all. We tried to get in touch with him at his new address my mail, but later he said the letters didn't reach him, that his landlady had not given them to him. He had no telephone. People would see him on the street from time to time, and we would relay messages that way. He liked to go on outings, too. When Alias and Kingston Road United Church went to the country for a day, Leo was one of the first to sign up for the trip. He also liked to go to the Scott Mission for meals and gospel singing. He was a religious person, and after he passed away, and his son found references to Fred Victor Centre among his father's belongings, he came by and donated Leo's things to us for disperse as we saw fit to those who might be in need. Leo would have liked that. One of the items was a New Testament. It was ever Leo's way to tell you the truth about something, and to make a joke about it at the same time, no matter what it was. He was one of a kind, and we'll miss him. But, if the things he believed in are true, perhaps, after all, we'll see him again - as he would say, "Elsewhere!"------------ (Thanks to Margaret Peace for help with the above article). Making Something outof Nothing (No-Thing)by Radical Nastassja Howdy folks, my name is Radical Nastassja and I am going to explain to you about how I think that the Uni-Verse works. It really is quite simple as you can see because there is only One Verse and That One Verse came out of nothing as do all things. You see, God is No Thing and out of that No Thing comes everything. You have all heard the expression "don't make something out of nothing". Well guess what, that is exactly how you and I and Mr. God all work. We are all a part of that Nothing and since nothing can't come out of It's Self, then that Nothing has to make something or else it will become bored. Don't you get bored when you have nothing to do? Besides, God made us in its own image which means that God imagined us and therefore gave us the very same ability as It's Self. Imagine that! So it seems to me, that in the beginning (that's a whole other subject) there was Nothing and Nothing became very, very bored and so decided to make something to keep It's Self amused. The Reverend Sri Swami Satchidananda once put it this way. He said that we must learn to know our Essence and that once we had done this, then we can begin to make sense out of the nonsense. Our Essence is Nothing and God is Nothing. So it only naturally fits that we must learn to know God before we can have a fulfilling lifetime or two. In the Bible, it says "Seek God first and All things shall simply be added unto you". It's really that simple. The house that I live in was not here 75 years ago and I can imagine that some person looked at an empty piece of land and imagined what it would look like to build a house on it. Once you have accepted the idea that You Know Nothing, then you will suddenly know Everything. Hmm, maybe God is Everything and Nothing at the same time. Actually, to be able to say "I do not know", is one of the highest forms of spiritual teaching. Do you know when or how you are going to die? Do you know what you are going to get for your birthday five years from now? Do you know what might happen next Thursday Afternoon at 2pm? Do you know how you ended up on this planet? Do you know what another person is thinking or feeling? I don't think so. When you read this little article, I don't know what your response will be, do I? I can only make up in my own mind what you might be feeling. I believe that this is where most of our feelings of discontent come from. We think that what we believe to know should be known by others. We have somehow decided that what we know is the truth. An old friend of mind once told me that "The Truth is something that two people agree upon in the moment and nothing more." I think that it is very important for all of us to realize that each one of us has our own set of beliefs and values. Every religion has its own set of beliefs also. This is neither right or wrong, it just is. Every one of us has to make up a belief system for ourselves or else someone else will do it for us. A belief system is really nothing more than a comfort or safety zone that we can use for a little while until we realize that we really do know Nothing. Like I said earlier, when we finally do know Nothing, we will know everything that we need to know. Finally, you can tell that I really don't know very much, or else I wouldn't have to use so many words to speak about nothing. A modern Hindu Saint once said, that there were 9000 books and scriptures in India trying to describe the experience of the Lord. When you have read through all those books you will find in the end, that they are all saying that God cannot be described and yet they had to write 9000 books to explain it. So . . . I wish you all a lot of happiness and a lot of Nothing. And please remember that nothing cleans better than Tide and it costs Nothing to replace if you should run out. There is an abundance of nothing in this Uni-Verse so help yourself. The view from here To some cultures, religions and individuals, spirituality is a very important, and integral part of their identity. In many cases the use of hallucinogenic drugs is a tool, deliberately, used to bring people closer to their creator. Many Buddhists, Confussionists, Rastafarian, and American natives have used hallucinogenic drugs in their rituals. The effects of these drugs are believed to increase awareness, of what some believe to be an spiritual realm. As a non-believer I have been exposed, to this kind of brain wash. It is true that drugs can play tricks on peoples' psych. And if you believe that there is a spiritual connection of some kind... well, if you really want to, you can believe, and justify anything. Just remember the Golden Rule; "He, who has the gold, makes the rules". Psychiatry, a science that explore the effects of mind altering drugs on peoples' psych, is very well aware of this; both the Golden Rule and the effects that drugs have on peoples' minds. As an entity without borders, psychiatry increasingly continue to reach proportions and status, up to now, only reserved for religious organizations. And thus Psychiatry, or at least some individuals within, has been well known to use hallucinogenic drugs to manipulate behaviour in animals and people, both in the past and in the present. The mechanics are quite simple: put someone on drugs and repeatedly tell them what you want them to believe. Of course it helps the psychiatrist to have a good idea of what the drugs do and the patient doesn't. But, what about spirituality? Well, the hallucinogenic effects of some drugs can be used to convince, those incredulous folks like myself, of the existence of a higher power. And, to induce fear in an almighty spiritual being who knows everything about us, thus creating obedience, compliance and conformity. The C.I.A. and the Canadian Secret Intelligence Service, in complicity with psychiatry and pharmaceutical companies, have been known [some claim, but difficult to prove] to conduct a wide range of experiments, [Whooops! I meant "research"], involving the use of mind altering drugs on unsuspected individuals, both in military and civilian settings. Peter Bragging, in his book Toxic Psychiatry, goes as far as citing the name of some American cities that have use their municipal water treatment plants to expose a large number of unsuspected people to mind altering drugs. Did I say conformity, obedience and compliance? Maybe not in that order, but, yes I did! In the end it all boils down to this: drug induced spirituality, and its resulting conformity and compliance is as good to me, personally, as a Viagra induced 30 minutes session with a prostitute whom I am afraid to kiss!!! And that folks Is The View From Here. Yours Truly, Gustavo ======= VIEWS IN A LETTER ======== I have read over five hundred books on psychic phenomena and related occult matters, but I treat the religion of spiritualism the same as any other religious belief: if it makes life better for its believers, it is worthy of respect. Also, its phenomena give it better factual support than other faiths, so far as I am aware. However, whether its teachings about the afterlife are true or simply a creation of the mass beliefs of spiritualists, I am uncertain. And since I have never attempted to investigate the problem, I have no right to express an opinion. On Psychical research now termed parapsychology, I respect it as the only attempt to investigate the phenomena scientifically. It may be true that the small number of qualified researchers has not yet succeeded in convincing orthodox scientists that the phenomena are real, but even Nobel prizewinners have had experiences they cannot explain, but are willing to admit. I have read very little about UFOs because my friend Chris Rutkowski investigates these and I have referred to him most of my data relating to them. Even Chris cannot assimilate all the material available, but his mind is the best I know to consider the facts without bias, and he has reached no conclusions. Whether there are disembodied intelligences affecting our world and its people is uncertain, but I am prepared to accept the phenomenon of possession independently of multiple personality dissociation. We seem only now to begin to understand the complexity of the mind, and no science has all 'the answers. - Chester D. Cuthbert, Winnipeg |
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