Spirituality and Personal Development

[vijeno]

It appears to me that a host of spiritual practices - if not all of them - are also a form of personal development. (Or is it the other way around?)

Eg. meditation, yoga, affirmations, tarot cards...

All of these can be done with some spiritual background in mind, but they can also be just to improve yourself, or even just for entertainment.

So, how do you see the relation between those two? Are they necessarily intertwined? Should they be kept separate? Is it okay to mix and match?

 

[Sirona]

By and large, I agree with you. Many religious communities teach their believers something they should stick to, encourage them to socialise with other believers on a regular basis and also encourage them to eat healthy food.
.
However, I am also on an esoteric forum and I noticed that many followers there appear to be "helpless" and rely on others to "help" them (e.g. by performing a magical ritual or by reading cards). A remarkable number of them also seems to believe that they have been cursed, so that only the help by a "magician" can help them to improve their situation. Esotericism also seems to me to differ from religion in that you basically buy something (candles, jewellery, card readings etc), whereas religion is not primarily about money (or at least it shouldn't be ). But if religious communities continue to erode, perhaps there will be more and more followers of esotericism in the future. In Germany at least, the situation seems to be pointing in this direction.

 

[danieldemol]

It appears to me that a host of spiritual practices - if not all of them - are also a form of personal development. (Or is it the other way around?)

Eg. meditation, yoga, affirmations, tarot cards...

All of these can be done with some spiritual background in mind, but they can also be just to improve yourself, or even just for entertainment.

So, how do you see the relation between those two? Are they necessarily intertwined? Should they be kept separate? Is it okay to mix and match?

What are these two?
You mentioned four things;
meditation, yoga, affirmations and tarot cards.

Also could you explain what affirmations are?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sun rise]

meditation

Meditation has been proven to have positive effects Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know But there are many different forms of meditation and some are explicitly religious/spiritual. Mantra meditation focused on divinity is one example.

yoga

Yoga is a very broad term. Hatha yoga is just one form which has an effect on the body and can be used in that way. Some of the other forms of yoga are "karma yoga", service; "bhakti yoga", love of the divine, "jnana yoga", wisdom.

affirmations

One one level that's the "power of positive thinking", or a branch of Christianity, "prosperity gospel" about becoming rich. It can operate on the level of psychology or the spiritual level

tarot cards

Divination whether by tarot carts, I Ching or anything else to me has nothing to do with spirituality nor with personal development.

 

[JustGeorge]

Divination whether by tarot carts, I Ching or anything else to me has nothing to do with spirituality nor with personal development.

I'm right with you, other than this statement.

The symbols within most divination systems can be used in meditation. They are also generally considered a way to speak to your subconscious or 'spirits'(depending on your worldview). Often, people use these systems as a way to deepen spirituality.

 

[sun rise]

I'm right with you, other than this statement.

The symbols within most divination systems can be used in meditation. They are also generally considered a way to speak to your subconscious or 'spirits'(depending on your worldview). Often, people use these systems as a way to deepen spirituality.

That has not been my experience but I do allow that they can be used in non-superficial ways. But your point also reminded me that the Divan of Hafiz is used by some as a fortune telling practice while really containing poems of the highest spirituality.

 

[Twilight Hue]

It appears to me that a host of spiritual practices - if not all of them - are also a form of personal development. (Or is it the other way around?)

Eg. meditation, yoga, affirmations, tarot cards...

All of these can be done with some spiritual background in mind, but they can also be just to improve yourself, or even just for entertainment.

So, how do you see the relation between those two? Are they necessarily intertwined? Should they be kept separate? Is it okay to mix and match?

The spiritual side is really just a bunch of extra baggage. But there is some psychological benefit spirituality offers and of course most likely because people like to find meaning to what they do, and spirituality can be just simple appreciation all the way up to whacked out stuff like spirits , angels, demons, talking donkeys, dancing hot dogs....

 

[vijeno]

Divination whether by tarot carts, I Ching or anything else to me has nothing to do with spirituality nor with personal development.

I just put some examples in there for illustration, off the top of my head, because a lot of people mention them in this context. Please replace them with whatever you deem appropriate.

What are these two?

Spirituality and personal development.

Also could you explain what affirmations are?

Basically, the practice of repeating a positive statement about yourself or a goal you want to achieve, in the hope to foster the right mindset and/or manipulate the outside world (eg by "the law of attraction").