Share ideas for evangelizing

[cloudyday2]

To be sure after a few runs in some occult practices I did flee back to the scriptures. Probably three or four times at least, but I always left again, seeing it a bit more clearly each time. Some will cling to the scriptures after their 'scare' and never leave them again, which is just fine. Others will take the experience for what it is, a moment of learning, and venture out again, armed with new knowledge and understanding.

So what sorts of effects can these egregores have? How did you experience them?

 

[TheOldWays]

So what sorts of effects can these egregores have? How did you experience them?

In regards to what you quoted, that was more me trying some silly practice with grey spirits or angels that would freak me out a bit way back when.

Egregores are just energy structures created by the collective thoughts of their adherents, who then in turn influence and control the adherents. Egregores are pretty much part of everyday life, impossible really to avoid, but if one is aware of them, you can minimise their effect on your life and follow your true path. The true path is what you really want in life. An egregore will try and tell you what you want in life, but it will be what the egregore wants and not what you want, but when under an egregores influence, it will be hard for you to tell the difference.

 

[cloudyday2]

In regards to what you quoted, that was more me trying some silly practice with grey spirits or angels that would freak me out a bit way back when.

Egregores are just energy structures created by the collective thoughts of their adherents, who then in turn influence and control the adherents. Egregores are pretty much part of everyday life, impossible really to avoid, but if one is aware of them, you can minimise their effect on your life and follow your true path. The true path is what you really want in life. An egregore will try and tell you what you want in life, but it will be what the egregore wants and not what you want, but when under an egregores influence, it will be hard for you to tell the difference.

One thing I have often thought is that "spirit" or "consciousness" should be associated with multiple levels of physical systems that perform processes similar to brains. Like each bee might have a spirit but the entire hive might also have a spirit. A tribe of humans might have a spirit.

Is that what you mean by an egregore?

Also, I wonder if these "spirits" are real, or are they only convenient abstractions to help our human brains model reality?

 

[cloudyday2]

^ @TheOldWays , another question. If you think egregores are real, do you suppose artificial processes have egregores/spirits? For example, would the OS on my PC have a spirit?

It seems to me that if spirits exist, then they should exist for lots of things - not just human brains.

 

[TheOldWays]

...

 

[TheOldWays]

^ @TheOldWays , another question. If you think egregores are real, do you suppose artificial processes have egregores/spirits? For example, would the OS on my PC have a spirit?

It seems to me that if spirits exist, then they should exist for lots of things - not just human brains.

not sure. my interest in the idea mostly just revolves around human interaction.

 

[awitch]

^ @TheOldWays , another question. If you think egregores are real, do you suppose artificial processes have egregores/spirits? For example, would the OS on my PC have a spirit?

Would make a convenient excuse for the odd entries in a browsing history.

 

[cloudyday2]

What is an egregore capable of doing, and what does that imply about its objectivity?

Let's say I imagine something that nobody else is imagining, and I focus on imagining that thing. Is it possible for innocent bystanders to see that thing just as I imagined it - even though the bystander knows nothing of me or my imagined thing?

 

[TheOldWays]

What is an egregore capable of doing, and what does that imply about its objectivity?

The only thing an egregore can do is influence people to give it energy and then control them.

Let's say I imagine something that nobody else is imagining, and I focus on imagining that thing. Is it possible for innocent bystanders to see that thing just as I imagined it - even though the bystander knows nothing of me or my imagined thing?

I think more what you're describing is a thought form or servitor or something. Egregores form almost naturally throughout ones life, no need to create them.

 

[cloudyday2]

The only thing an egregore can do is influence people to give it energy and then control them.

I think more what you're describing is a thought form or servitor or something. Egregores form almost naturally throughout ones life, no need to create them.

It seems to me that if there is any spiritual reality to egregores, then they are related to tulpas? The difference is only that egregores result from the weak focus of many people and tuplas result from the strong focus of one person?

Several years ago I was depressed and I started obsessing over UFOs. I spent hours reading all the classic UFO reports and wondering if they were true and what they implied and so forth. ... Then I happened to see a UFO that looked very similar to a classic UFO picture that had always fascinated me.

The most likely explanation is that my imagination made me see a hallucination or illusion, but sometimes I have wondered if I created a tulpa accidentally. Other times I have wondered if a UFO heard my thoughts and showed itself to me as an act of kindness.

 

[TheOldWays]

...

 

[TheOldWays]

The most likely explanation is that my imagination made me see a hallucination or illusion, but sometimes I have wondered if I created a tulpa accidentally. Other times I have wondered if a UFO heard my thoughts and showed itself to me as an act of kindness.

I like the idea of the UFO doing it as an act of kindness and would run with that, even though I doubt that's the case.

 

[GUANO]

I did dabble in the occult for a while, explored Hindu thought and was actually a practising Buddhist for a few years. To be sure after a few runs in some occult practices I did flee back to the scriptures. Probably three or four times at least, but I always left again, seeing it a bit more clearly each time. Some will cling to the scriptures after their 'scare' and never leave them again, which is just fine. Others will take the experience for what it is, a moment of learning, and venture out again, armed with new knowledge and understanding.

In terms of the 'spiritual beings' and how they operate, my exploration has lead me to be more agnostic now towards that idea, as I see them as how I would view the weather or the passage of time. Not beings of independent thought and personality, but extremely powerful forces that are created like a storm by the collective thoughts of a group of individuals, who slowly give over their individuality to it. What else I discovered is their effect on a person is directly related to the energy you give the said force.



Prophecy never really did grab me as it grabs others. Just the type of personality I am I suppose. The destruction of egregores would certainly free humanity, but it would have to be a massive shift in human consciousness that would bring that about.

I never actually practiced the occult, ritual magic or anything of the like and was never scared by it because I didn't perform it. I studied the grimoires and many of the older writings. I wanted to know how it worked. To know my enemy. What I found was that it was, in essence, self hypnosis and the spirits are things that dwell deep in the human psyche. It led me to a realization that these practices never went away but instead evolved into a far more advanced form in the practice of things like social engineering.

The thing about prophecy for me is the fact that most of the more ancient prophets had no idea what they were seeing in their visions, but the symbols, themes and other components are defined by other visions that other prophets experienced having never interacted with each other. There is something at work there that is quite out of the ordinary.

The occult and magic is all about the imagination and the visions or hallucinations that are the result of practicing these arts are determined by the worldview of the practitioner.

 

[Robban]

It seems to me that if there is any spiritual reality to egregores, then they are related to tulpas? The difference is only that egregores result from the weak focus of many people and tuplas result from the strong focus of one person?

Several years ago I was depressed and I started obsessing over UFOs. I spent hours reading all the classic UFO reports and wondering if they were true and what they implied and so forth. ... Then I happened to see a UFO that looked very similar to a classic UFO picture that had always fascinated me.

The most likely explanation is that my imagination made me see a hallucination or illusion, but sometimes I have wondered if I created a tulpa accidentally. Other times I have wondered if a UFO heard my thoughts and showed itself to me as an act of kindness.

may well have been an hallucination, don, t know much about hallucinations brought on by
deep desire and longing, in a desert and thirsty, or adrift in an open boat?

But not so seldom there clumsy attempts made to try and explain something "Biblical" in a worldly way.

example,


blindness,

Here is a clip from 2Kings 6,

15,And the servant of the man of God arose early and went out,
and behold an army with horses and chariots was surrounding the city,
and his attendent said to him.
"Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

16, And he said (Elisha), Have no fear,
for those who are with us are more numerous than those who are with them."

17, And Elisha prayed and said,
"O Lord, please open his eyes and let him see,"

And the Lord opened the lad,s eyes and he saw,
and behold the mountain was full of fiery horses and chariots around Elisha.

18, And they came down to him,
And he said, "Please strike this people with blindness"
(He did not mention the Lord,s name in the curse)

And He struck them with blindness according to the words of Elisha.

Rashi comments,
"....with blindness"

A sickness of confusion, one sees,
yet does not know what he sees.

 

[cloudyday2]

Rashi comments,
"....with blindness"

A sickness of confusion, one sees,
yet does not know what he sees.

That is why we all need to go to the eye doctor and get some prescription God-glasses.

 

[Robban]

That is why we all need to go to the eye doctor and get some prescription God-glasses.

Funny you should say that I bought new ones a couple of weeks ago,

So when the assistent was working out how much they would cost she came up with the price,

over 6,000 skr,

I told her that would be almost my pension,

she went back to the computer,

she apligized a couple of times that it took a while,

so she came up with a new price, 4,000,

Yeah, not bad but I have to have for food too.

Back to the computer,

she came back and slipped me a note, 2,300.

 

[dlamberth]

That is why we all need to go to the eye doctor and get some prescription God-glasses.

The lens that was perscribed for my God-glasses is "Love". That lens correction has had an interesting way in helping me see things that I would not have otherwise seen.

 

[ViaCrucis]

What are the most effective strategies for evangelizing in your experience? You could answer this question as a Christian evangelist or as a Christian convert or even as a non-Christian evangelist or a non-Christian convert (including atheist).

Here are some of my ideas as an example (probably a bad example LOL)
(1) The potential convert needs to be dissatisfied with his/her current religious ideas
(2) The evangelist only needs to publicize the fact that he/she is eager to share information about a religion for any who are interested. That might be as simple as wearing a T-shirt or using an avatar with a religious symbol. It would be more like a fisherman casting his worm and waiting patiently for a nibble.
(3) Some people might not have the talents to be evangelists, and they might instead donate money or time to a person who does have the talents.

I'm out of ideas. Hopefully others will have some.

As a general rule I'm not sure I'm into the idea of "strategies". Evangelism is (or should be) simply announcing the Gospel. I think when we start talking about things like "strategy" we are entering into the territory of trying to manipulate people. I believe that the Gospel is, in and of itself, sufficient. It's not my job to make others believe, to come up with the best rhetoric, or have the most elegant argument, or to yell and scream at people from the street corner. I simply make my faith known, if people are interested in learning about it, I share it with them.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[DennisTate]

What are the most effective strategies for evangelizing in your experience? You could answer this question as a Christian evangelist or as a Christian convert or even as a non-Christian evangelist or a non-Christian convert (including atheist).

Here are some of my ideas as an example (probably a bad example LOL)
(1) The potential convert needs to be dissatisfied with his/her current religious ideas
(2) The evangelist only needs to publicize the fact that he/she is eager to share information about a religion for any who are interested. That might be as simple as wearing a T-shirt or using an avatar with a religious symbol. It would be more like a fisherman casting his worm and waiting patiently for a nibble.
(3) Some people might not have the talents to be evangelists, and they might instead donate money or time to a person who does have the talents.

I'm out of ideas. Hopefully others will have some.

I find that modern near death experience accounts are a great way to get unbelievers talking.

They are also a good way to encourage and inspire many Christians.

In my opinion..... Colton Burpo has one of the most powerful testimonies that can reach the lost that I have ever heard.


Friends of yours watch Heaven Is For Real and ask you about it?

 

[awitch]

I find that modern near death experience accounts are a great way to get unbelievers talking.

Maybe in the past but there are scientific explanations for such experiences today.

They are also a good way to encourage and inspire many Christians.

In my opinion..... Colton Burpo has one of the most powerful testimonies that can reach the lost that I have ever heard.

His account was criticized by many Christians for being un-Biblical, yet his family started a ministry and they seem to be making some nice money on their series of books.