Ask the New Agey, Tree-Huggin Hippie!

[RedRaven]

OK, so what IS the heart and soul of the New Age movement? I still can't figure it out.

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I think that would fall under "Ask 10 _____ and get 11 different answers"

 

[katautumn]

You're not the whole love and light, white magic charmed rules new agey person are you?

LOL Good heavens, no.

 

[Caitlin.ann]

LOL Good heavens, no.

Yay!!!

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Do you believe in the "centers of energy" in a person? For example, some say that people have a "third eye" between their eyebrows and if you get someone to hover their finger over that spot and you keep your eyes closed you can actually tell when they get close to it because it tingles.

 

[dlamberth]

I think that would fall under "Ask 10 _____ and get 11 different answers"

It sounds like I'm not alone in not getting what the New Age movement is about?

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[xDenax]

What do you think about Homebirths?

 

[FreeSpirit74]

But "New Age", I've never been able to figure that one out. I believe that I have a pretty wide experience of various spiritual traditions, yet I still can't figure out what "New Age" is. Can you help with that please?

Personally, I hate that term. Mostly because the concepts it is used to refer to are, in fact, older than a lot of Western ideas and concepts. Like the belief in chi/ki or Energy (feeling, controlling and directing it is actually all that magick is, BTW) -- hello!... martial artists have been utilizing that concept for centuries, yet taking a tai chi or chi gong class is considered somehow to be "New Age".

I would not hesitate to give someone a verbal slap upside the head if they were to call me "New Age". My spiritual base lies in the philosophical side of the martial arts, and I was guided to my Path by someone who holds a Black Belt (earned in Japan I might add), whose sensei was one of Gichin Funakoshi's students, Funakoshi being the creator of the Shotokan system of Karate. If I were to say that my spiritual beliefs have a reference guide, it would be the writings of Kerr Cuhulain, who blended the philosophy of the martial arts in with tenets of Wicca in his books. His Wiccan Warrior and Full Contact Magick were both joys for me to read and, basically, reinforced what my friend had already imparted to me.

 

[katautumn]

do u smoke marijuana? I know that was big with hippies in the 60's.

Hi, Shinbits! I almost missed your question there. Sorry about that

I did smoke pot occasionally in my early twenties, but do not any more. The biggest reason is because it makes me feel lazy and sleepy, and being a stay-at-home mom to an eight year old boy, four dogs (three of which are Great Danes, two of those are six month old puppies) and three cats I can't afford anything making me feel unambitious.

What do you think about Homebirths?

Hello, xDenax Good question! My thoughts on homebirth would be that it's great, but not for everyone. For example, I would not have a homebirth if I knew my health or my baby's health was at risk. I wanted to have a homebirth with my son, but his biological father was adamantly against it. I found being in the hospital (for the first, and only, time in my entire life) very much nerve wracking, and I feel that partially contributed to my prolonged labor.

 

[Eudaimonist]

It sounds like I'm not alone in not getting what the New Age movement is about?

My mother was a New Ager when I was a teen. Considering what I learned through her and her New Age friends, I'd suggest that it is simply the idea that:

1) we have "psychic" potentials
2) we can actualize those potentials

From what I can tell, this fascination with psychic powers is common to virtually all New Agers. Of course, one can mention Astrology, crystals, etc, but I think that interest in these things comes down to the belief of mental influences of a psychic sort, whether by planets or by people.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[razeontherock]

martial artists have been utilizing that concept for centuries, I was guided to my Path by someone who holds a Black Belt (earned in Japan I might add), whose sensei was one of Gichin Funakoshi's students, Funakoshi being the creator of the Shotokan system of Karate.

My younger son's sole ambition in life (after many different plans of how to save the world, from attorney to Judge to MD to Egyptologist ) is to travel to Asia to further his training, particularly with the Shaolin. W/ his second belt he could spar with and compete against black belts and win consistently, and now as a 3rd degree black belt there is almost no one left in the States for him to study under.

So the question here for Kat is, since the martial arts harness this energy so well, (as conclusively demonstrated by my Son, and others) do you see that as part of your future path?

 

[FreeSpirit74]

My younger son's sole ambition in life (after many different plans of how to save the world, from attorney to Judge to MD to Egyptologist ) is to travel to Asia to further his training, particularly with the Shaolin. W/ his second belt he could spar with and compete against black belts and win consistently, and now as a 3rd degree black belt there is almost no one left in the States for him to study under.

And isn't it amazing when you see someone applying what they learned from a mental/spiritual standpoint in the dojo to the rest of their life? That's what my "spiritual mentor" does, in every area. It's like that's his religion, if you will.

And he would ever push it on me -- one thing is says is that you never have the right to tell someone else what they should or have to do. You can suggest, but you cannot tell. I use that on people a lot, when they ask well, what should I do? I would sit and just absorb what he was telling me, all the while thinking wow, this really makes sense! I've heard it said that, when you discover the spiritual Path that you belong on, you will have a sense of "coming home" as it were, and I definitely did.

 

[Wicked Willow]

I find it quite fascinating that the subject of martial arts and their spiritual aspects is popping up here the very moment I started to consider picking up Bujinkan Taijutsu once more...

That's some amazing synchronicity going on right here, right now!

 

[Eudaimonist]

I find it quite fascinating that the subject of martial arts and their spiritual aspects is popping up here the very moment I started to consider picking up Bujinkan Taijutsu once more...

Not to derail the thread, but I looked up that martial art at Wikipedia, and it sounds scary. It looks like it involves (among other things) techniques to tear people's muscles and break their bones. Yikes!


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Wicked Willow]

Not to derail the thread, but I looked up that martial art at Wikipedia, and it sounds scary. It looks like it involves (among other things) techniques to tear people's muscles and break their bones. Yikes!

Aye. It's not a sport, there are no tournaments, and training occasionally involves some exploration of your own pain threshold. (After the first training session, every muscle in my body was sore for three days, and walking down steps was quite difficult - but that was mostly due to all the previously untrained muscle groups. On a different occasion, though, both of my upper arms were bruised black after an overeager rookie *really* wanted to test how to keep an attacker from delivering a punch. Believe me, beginners are the worst.)
The funny thing is: as with other martial arts, the ultimate goal is *not* learning how to main or kill people more efficiently. The ultimate goal is getting to the point where you don't need to lift a finger at all, because you're in control of the situation. Having the power to potentially overcome your opponents by force leaves you the option to explore more peaceful solutions, as you are not forced to fight by the circumstances. With great power comes great responsibility - but that's not only a burden, but also an honour.
"Every encounter is sacred and could present the one potential key to the perfection of the great universal enlightenment we seek."

Funnily enough, though, I've never been in an actual fight, and I don't see me getting into any situation that might require it, either.

 

[katautumn]

So the question here for Kat is, since the martial arts harness this energy so well, (as conclusively demonstrated by my Son) do you see that as part of your future path?

Good question! I don't see the martial arts in my future. My husband has taken Karate since he was thirteen years old and I trained as a white belt under his Sensei (who also happens to be his best friend), but it wasn't for me, personally. I tend to be a little clumsy. My husband was our Sempai and he was helping me learn some blocking techniques. I accidentally punched him in the back and socked him right in the kidney. He said, "that was good, but next time, pull your punches" then we bowed to each other and he went and helped another student.

 

[razeontherock]

Next time, pull your punches

Yup, beginners are the worst. Hopefully Kat won't mind a little derail here:

"with other martial arts, the ultimate goal is *not* learning how to main or kill people more efficiently. The ultimate goal is getting to the point where you don't need to lift a finger at all, because you're in control of the situation."

Truly spoken. I had that in elementary school with no training. OTOH, later we had hockey games instead of gang fights; served the same purpose. I never lost, but at least nobody ever got maimed.

Freespirit74 wrote:

"isn't it amazing when you see someone applying what they learned from a mental/spiritual standpoint in the dojo to the rest of their life? That's what my "spiritual mentor" does, in every area. It's like that's his religion, if you will."

Believe it or not, a trumpet teacher who taught this very concept is the only reason I ever went to the Mid-West. (That was 1981) He would say "we're here to make you a better person. We're going to use the trumpet to do that."

I just thought that was a perspective nobody would come across otherwise. [/thread drift]

 

[Wirraway]

I've never had my own "ask me" thread, so I figured I'd face the board and take on your questions. No question is too big or too small, and I'll do my best to keep up. *pulls up a beanbag chair and some knitting*

my young niece was just exposed to plague. should we try medical herbalism, acupuncture, homeopathy, reiki or risk antibiotics?

 

[FreeSpirit74]

The funny thing is: as with other martial arts, the ultimate goal is *not* learning how to main or kill people more efficiently. The ultimate goal is getting to the point where you don't need to lift a finger at all, because you're in control of the situation. Having the power to potentially overcome your opponents by force leaves you the option to explore more peaceful solutions, as you are not forced to fight by the circumstances. With great power comes great responsibility - but that's not only a burden, but also an honour.

And sometimes you end up in a situation where you are remaining extremely calm, and it's the other person who is foaming at the mouth. This guy I know is so great at that, and remianing calm; one time, when he was still working for the Postal Service as a mail carrier (he retired 5 years ago), he was confronted by this man to was threatening to kill him, or at least beat the stuffing out of him. Didn't faze him in the slightest, because he knew that, when push came to shove and if he went into "blackout mode" it would be the other guy who would wind up in the hospital. And he was... get this... 64 years old at the time this happened. He'll be 70 in 5 months, and he's still in way better shape than most men half his age.

 

[shinbits]

Kat, are u into all-natural foods and possessions? Do you like, only eat organic foods and such? And do u own anything made out of hemp?

 

[razeontherock]

Yeah, no hemp and you have to take down your hiipie icon

And sometimes you end up in a situation where you are remaining extremely calm, and it's the other person who is foaming at the mouth. This guy I know is so great at that, and remianing calm; one time, when he was still working for the Postal Service as a mail carrier (he retired 5 years ago), he was confronted by this man to was threatening to kill him, or at least beat the stuffing out of him. Didn't faze him in the slightest,

Wot, he didn't go postal on him? Where's the fun in that? (LOL)