Does it damage?

[Spice]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

Does it cause long lasting harm?

How do you protect yourself? Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

 

[Quintessence]

In thinking about this, I find it important to distinguish between short-term and long-term disruption. Paganism on the whole doesn't shy away from what is sometimes called "shadow work" or in more common parlance, directly facing and grappling with things that make you uncomfortable. In the short term, doing this sort of work certainly disrupts oneself... which is why any genuine mystery school will lay a foundation to prepare the practitioner for this process and make it very clear that if it isn't the right time to do this sort of work, do NOT do the work. Done correctly with this in mind, in the long term you'll come out it more enlightened, more tranquil, more at peace, and more resilient.

HOWEVER - done wrong?

Just don't.

There's a lot of stuff I've done and experienced as part of my pathway through OBOD that, if not in the correct head space for it, could've really messed things. It comes with the territory of walking between the worlds and seeing beyond the veil - you will see and experience some weird, fantastical, and remarkable stuff. If you aren't grounded, that's a problem. Sometimes even when you are grounded, it can be a problem but with experience and training it tempers the stress so you can trust yourself to navigate through it successfully. Knowing yourself, knowing your limits, and knowing when it really is time to stop and step away is important.

 

[dybmh]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

It's a great question. In theory none. In practice: hypocrisy crushes me, deeply.

Does it cause long lasting harm?

Lasting? I'm going to say: no.

How do you protect yourself? Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

Oooh. That's a tough one. I turn, turn, turn... I try to remain limber, and flexible. Opposing hypocrisy is a rigid position. If I am less rigid, I am less bothered by it.

 

[Link]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

Does it cause long lasting harm?

How do you protect yourself? Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

Hell fire. It makes life unbearably tragic and sad.

 

[rocala]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

It is the dictatorial attitudes that some religious people get. Punishing people for not having the same faith or interfering in the sex lives of consenting adults.

 

[SalixIncendium]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

I can't think of any of any off the top of my head. It's more people's actions based on their own interpretation that have the potential to be disruptive.

Does it cause long lasting harm?

To me? No. But I've seen evidence where it has to others based on their behaviors.

How do you protect yourself? Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

I don't find it necessary to protect myself. I simply operate with the knowledge that people's actions are a result of how they personally interpret such religious or spiritual subject and how they perceive reality, and that any disruption is temporary. Their actions are about them, not about me.

 

[Mock Turtle]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

Does it cause long lasting harm?

How do you protect yourself? Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

Probably the certainty and/or arrogance that often comes with some beliefs - being the only true belief and likely to overcome all others eventually - and where this, together with any doctrinal effects that might arise from any particular religion, will likely cause harms or restrict the freedoms of any adherents and/or others.

Not much one can do apart from point this out and tolerate that which exists, but living in a reasonably free and tolerant country obviously helps given that I choose to be here on RF and read the news when I could just let it all slide by unnoticed.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

I'd say that some Christians unsolicitedly proselytizing and preaching their chosen version of Christianity disrupts my sense of calm, love, and tranquility.

Does it cause long lasting harm?

Yes, it has.

How do you protect yourself? Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

I sometimes limit the exposure, but other times I come out fighting.

 

[ChristineM]

What religious or spiritual subjects work against your peace, love, and tranquility?

The cliquish behaviour.
So many say it doesn't happen. I have experienced it so i know it does

Does it cause long lasting harm?

Difficult to say, i left church and christianity and eventually became atheist. To me that's not harm.
I have no idea how my life would have turned out had i still been christian.

How do you protect yourself?

I've got hardened to it, the ignorance is not expected.

Do you shy away from the stressor, limit the exposure, or come out fighting?

Shy away? Oh no.
Come out fighting, only when necessary