How does one have a religious/spiritual experience.

[Lorgar-Aurelian]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

 

[Rival]

Stop seeking one.

 

[Nakosis]

Generally going out to the wilderness and fasting for 40 days/nights.
Sitting under a bodhi tree and refusing to move until you have a spiritual experience seems to work too.
Follow a Guru around for a few years.
Sit in a Pentecostal church and start speaking in tongues. That's an interesting experience.
Sensory deprivation tank - you can actually buy or lease them now.

 

[Nakosis]

Stop seeking one.

So, did that actually work for you?

 

[Rival]

So, did that actually work for you?

Yes. I was a pretty die-hard atheist for a while.

 

[Nakosis]

Interesting, I had a few different spiritual experiences. Not necessarily what I expected but related to whatever religion I was involved with at the time. I felt I was pretty much finding what I was looking for.
Maybe I was finding it because I was looking for it.

So I stopped looking. I didn't want to jinx it.

 

[Vinayaka]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

As Hindus, we do things that are conducive to it. Sit still, establish a consistent practice of home worship, go to temple festivals, go on long pilgrimages, be with nature, watch the waves. But that doesn't guarantee much either. Some people can go to a powerful ancient temple, or sit in front of a modern sage, and not feel a darn thing. Yet others feel it all the time. So there are no guarantees or tried and true methods for 'creating' a spiritual experience. It's just more likely to happen in some moments than in others.

Yet its also in words, I remember chatting with a friend who was often lamenting that he didn't ever have such experiences. Yet, when we dug deeper, some of the feelings he was having seemed eerily similar to mine, yet I did call then spiritual experiences, So there is that aspect as well. Maybe you have experiences but just don't see them as spiritual. Then there are still others who consider anything a spiritual experience ... stuff that I wouldn't consider one.

 

[CogentPhilosopher]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

Depends on how you define spirituality.

Sam Harris, an outspoken atheist and naturalist talks a lot about what he calls spiritual experiences and how they are not truly limited to religion. A good example he used is seeing a beautiful awestriking price of the natural world, like a waterfall or mountain top and feeling a rush of happiness and bliss from it.

If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend his book. Waking Up

 

[Guy Threepwood]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

How do you have a spiritual experience/ experience love with anyone?

You cannot force this to happen, two people open up their hearts to each other, and allow it to happen. God has already done his part here so that's half the battle!

 

[roger1440]

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Interesting thread ...

Not sure how you can make an experience happen - I figured I would be the VERY last person on this planet to have a "religious" experience.

Still baffles me to this day.

In the meantime try cultivating kindness & compassion and see if that leads 2 peace-of-mind.

For more on enlightenment, try this site -

The Experience of Enlightenment - 4 Steps to Experiencing your Real Enlightened Nature

All the best!

 

[crossfire]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

Practice listening deeply to the point that it becomes a habit, and see what happens.

 

[Stevicus]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

The only time anything like that happened to me was back when I was in a more experimental phase of my youth and was "under the influence," so to speak. It's not something I care to repeat, nor would I recommend it to others. For many years, I regarded it as a spiritual experience, although I eventually came to realize it was just the effect of being "under the influence."

 

[Sapiens]

Hallucinogenic drugs can help, or may even be essential.​

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I haven't had one yet, so I couldn't tell you. Had times where I've felt especially close to people or places or events. But never anything more than what I would call a deeply and significantly emotional experience. Though, to some, that is spiritual.

 

[sayak83]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

Here is a superficial but reasonably informative article about the eight-step yoga that is a popular meditative practice of classical Hinduism. You can try a bit of this if that interests you.
Get to Know the Eight Limbs of Yoga
(Note: other articles from this website may not be as informative or authentic.)
Here is an excerpt from a classic commentary:-

 

[VioletVortex]

Some people are more naturally "in tune" with spirituality, meaning some will be more likely to inadvertently notice spiritual phenomena than others. Spiritual occurrences are very frequently, they just take experience to notice for most people.

It is my personal belief that meditation and ritual are the best windows into the spiritual.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Romanticize a lot.

 

[Quintessence]

Step 1 - go out and have an experience
Step 2 - interpret that experience in a way that relates to your religion (either after the experience, during the experience or both)

There's really not a distinction between "experience" and "religious experience" aside from seeing your experience as religious and being mindful of how it relates to your religion or your way of life.

For a path like Druidry, going on a walk through the woods is a religious experience. The trick is to cultivate the proper state of mind where you don't dismiss your experiences as "well, that was just a walk through the woods and nothing special." In some respects, what @Nowhere Man said is spot on - romanticize. You've got to weave meaningfulness and significance into the event. Some folks are better at cultivating that state of mind than others. Becoming proficient in certain practices - notably meditation, energy work, journeywork - help facilitate that. Letting go is also important. Letting go of expectations, recognizing the limitations those put on how we see the world and the story we tell about an experience. No labels, just experience, be in the moment. If you start with anything, I would start with meditation. Eastern styles in particular are all about that letting go, that being in the moment. Guided meditations can be helpful when starting - poke around iTunes for some free podcasts. There were a few I used a few years back that were nice ones... not sure I can remember the titles or if they are still available.

 

[janesix]

From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.

So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.

It just happens.