Divine Inspiration

[InquisitiveScholar]

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Read more at" ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

So this post is about, if you didn't read the title how dare you, and you should be ashamed of yourself for not reading, the idea of Divine Inspiration. My question that needs answering is this, WHAT IS IT!?!?

If you believe you have received divine inspiration, what should you do?

What if said divine inspiration requested you do something that, by today's standards might seem impossible?

Lastly, why? Why would someone, in this age of reason, ever be contacted by a higher power?

P.S. This is all because of a dream that I had.... I know, I know, silly.

 

[Aštra’el]

The concept of "divine inspiration" is incredibly significant in my spiritual-religious system, though I understand the term "divine inspiration" a bit differently than other people.

In my spiritual-religious system, "divine inspiration" needn't involve anything "supernatural" or faith-based. Instead, it is that state of mind when one feels incredibly inspired or motivated by a deity, and feels compelled to utilize that inspiration and motivation. It is not unlike when one feels inspired and motivated by a song before utilizing that energy.

A "divinely inspired" text needn't be free of mistakes or inaccuracies. It is written by Man after all. Whether or not a holy text was "divinely inspired" when it was created is irrelevant. They often are, but the question one really should be asking is whether or not the text itself stimulates some divine inspiration and motivation in the one reading it.

 

[psychoslice]

Well I am a schizophrenic, so I have divine inspirations of and on, and most times I end up in the mental ward, because they don't believe me lol.

 

[Jedster]

I realy like @Goddess_Ashtara 's answer.
Rememeber the books we call scripture were supposedy inspired, so why shouldn't anyone be able to experience the same inspiration.
I know that when I was first shown things in scriptures, I wanted to have my own experiences, rather than rely on the written word(of other people).
So , enjoy your self

 

[Aiviu]

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Read more at" ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

So this post is about, if you didn't read the title how dare you, and you should be ashamed of yourself for not reading, the idea of Divine Inspiration. My question that needs answering is this, WHAT IS IT!?!?

If you believe you have received divine inspiration, what should you do?

What if said divine inspiration requested you do something that, by today's standards might seem impossible?

Lastly, why? Why would someone, in this age of reason, ever be contacted by a higher power?

P.S. This is all because of a dream that I had.... I know, I know, silly.

last night i had a weird dream too. ... anyways...

divine inspirtation result in what everyone can do. Its easy and simple. It must have stunned the divine inspirated by how high their thoughts must claim until they realize what it tells them to do.

 

[George-ananda]

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Read more at" ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

So this post is about, if you didn't read the title how dare you, and you should be ashamed of yourself for not reading, the idea of Divine Inspiration. My question that needs answering is this, WHAT IS IT!?!?

If you believe you have received divine inspiration, what should you do?

What if said divine inspiration requested you do something that, by today's standards might seem impossible?

Lastly, why? Why would someone, in this age of reason, ever be contacted by a higher power?

P.S. This is all because of a dream that I had.... I know, I know, silly.

I believe in such things but am not so comfortable with the term 'Divine Inspiration'. It sounds too much like only one entity and One Way. I think there are a myriad of higher beings above the physical that are involved with furthering the progress of mankind and that these entities can inspire people through non-physical communication.

 

[Nakosis]

P.S. This is all because of a dream that I had.... I know, I know, silly.

The mind/brain is really tricky. You are consciously aware of at most, 5% of what's going on in your head, and that if you're more aware than most.

Your subconscious mind can provide an experience for you that you have no idea were it came from. It can have as much reality as anything else to you. What's going on in your subconscious mind is hidden from you. Everything you consciously identify as being you exists in this 5%. What arises to your conscious experience from the other 95% you have no knowledge of the machinations developed by your subconscious mind before it was presented to you.

Does that mean there's no such thing Divine inspiration? No, but I wouldn't exactly go bet the farm based on it.

 

[InquisitiveScholar]

The mind/brain is really tricky. You are consciously aware of at most, 5% of what's going on in your head, and that if you're more aware than most.

Your subconscious mind can provide an experience for you that you have no idea were it came from. It can have as much reality as anything else to you. What's going on in your subconscious mind is hidden from you. Everything you consciously identify as being you exists in this 5%. What arises to your conscious experience from the other 95% you have no knowledge of the machinations developed by your subconscious mind before it was presented to you.

Does that mean there's no such thing Divine inspiration? No, but I wouldn't exactly go bet the farm based on it.

No I totally understand where you are coming from, but this dream was shockingly life like. That is why I posted asking about this, because I do have dreams, and they are visually vivid and I can remember the details, but few are as emotionally strong as this one was. Also none of them before this one was even pertaining to any idea of a divine. Which is why I found this dream so jarring, I am not someone who throws themselves behind something at a whim. I personally like to look at the facts before hand, and then make a rational choice. However, after going over this a hundred possible times in my head, I am swaying more and more to the idea that this might have actually been divinely inspired.

I believe in such things but am not so comfortable with the term 'Divine Inspiration'. It sounds too much like only one entity and One Way. I think there are a myriad of higher beings above the physical that are involved with furthering the progress of mankind and that these entities can inspire people through non-physical communication.

I can completely understand that, I never meant to imply that there was only one power, and one way. I personally viewed the idea of Divine Inspiration as something that came from any higher power.

 

[Quintessence]

The notion of "divine inspiration" is understood differently in various theological systems. The term as used by classical monotheists, for example, is dramatically different than how it would be understood in my own tradition, or in related Pagan traditions. To me, putting "divine" in front of the word "inspiration" is somewhat redundant, since all things are understood to be divine or sacred already.

The idea of inspiration gets particular attention in some Druidic traditions, though, and it's worth remarking on that a bit. Cultivating the flow of creative/divine inspiration is a significant focus of the order I belong to. The word used to describe this flowing spirit is "Awen." That Awen can come seemingly from nowhere can make it feel preternatural to some, and sometimes the place it flows from is interpreted as the otherworlds. There are many ways to cultivate Awen, ranging from engaging the arts to studying sciences. Perhaps most important is to be more than a little bit childish. Not in the pejorative sense (and "childish" should really not be a pejorative term, IMO) - be as the child who looks at all things with wide-eyed wonder and fascination. Non-judgementally exploring, experiencing, asking questions. The closed mind blocks the flowing spirit, the flash of ideas and inspiration.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I think it can be fun and entertaining to imagine all sorts of magical and fantastical things. It can certainly make life seem more interesting.