Trey of Diamonds
Well-Known Member
So if you couldn't walk out your door and hear that boom you don't think you would start to ache for it? I would absolutely love to live on the ocean, I envy you my friend.
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What do You do to commune with God?
- Thread starter iamthere
- Start date
So if you couldn't walk out your door and hear that boom you don't think you would start to ache for it? I would absolutely love to live on the ocean, I envy you my friend.
sandandfoam
Veteran Member
Oh I'd ache for it alright.
This is what it looks like with a little snow on the ground. Not my photo, but it conveys the feeling I think.
Peace
Quran & Sunnah
In Islam, there are five daily prayers that are prescribed on the believer. The prayer is composed of units where we stand upright, kneel and prostrate and it consists of reciting the Quran, praising God and supplicating to Him. The prayer for us is a means of communicating to God and asking Him our needs. We also can communicate to God, talk to Him and pray to Him at any time and anywhere and we do not need any mediator in order to reach to Him.
Antiochian
Rationalist
What do I do to commune with God?
Ritual
Prayer
Being in nature
Having sex
Showing kindness to others
Looking at art in a museum
Listening to good music
Having a hearty laugh
Eating good food
Education and learning, expanding my mind
Activism for various causes
Writing
There are probably other things, but this list will suffice I think.
Oak of Justice
Member
I seek the Lord. Example;
Scripture has it;
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true all of them just.
Who can climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, and whose heart is clean.
When a man fears the Lord, He will teach him the way he should choose. He will abide in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
The Lord is the strength of his people; the saving refuge of his anointed.
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his works are truthful. He loves justice and right;
The Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for nothing is lacking to those who fear Him. The great grow poor and hungry but those who seek the Lord want for no good thing.
The Lord has eyes for the just, and ears for there cry. When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and rescues them from all distress.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him incurs guilt.
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
Everything that the Lord gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
My teaching is not my own it comes from the one who sent me.
Whoever chooses to do his will shall know about this teaching namely, whether it comes from God or whether Im speaking on my own.
Whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent him is truthful, and there is no dishonesty in his heart.
I am the light of the world. No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness, cause he will possess the light of life. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going.
Once you have the light, keep faith in the light, and you will become a child of light.
Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as its light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in the dark.
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save it.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words he already has his judge namely the words Ive spoken thats what will condemn him on the last day,
because I did not speak on my own, but the Lord who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And since I know that his commandment means eternal life. What I say is spoken just as he instructed me.
Scripture has it;
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true all of them just.
Who can climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, and whose heart is clean.
When a man fears the Lord, He will teach him the way he should choose. He will abide in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
The Lord is the strength of his people; the saving refuge of his anointed.
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his works are truthful. He loves justice and right;
The Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for nothing is lacking to those who fear Him. The great grow poor and hungry but those who seek the Lord want for no good thing.
The Lord has eyes for the just, and ears for there cry. When the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and rescues them from all distress.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him incurs guilt.
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
Everything that the Lord gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
My teaching is not my own it comes from the one who sent me.
Whoever chooses to do his will shall know about this teaching namely, whether it comes from God or whether Im speaking on my own.
Whoever speaks on his own seeks his own glory, but whoever seeks the glory of the one who sent him is truthful, and there is no dishonesty in his heart.
I am the light of the world. No one who follows me will ever walk in darkness, cause he will possess the light of life. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where he is going.
Once you have the light, keep faith in the light, and you will become a child of light.
Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me,
and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
I came into the world as its light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in the dark.
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save it.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words he already has his judge namely the words Ive spoken thats what will condemn him on the last day,
because I did not speak on my own, but the Lord who sent me commanded me what to say and speak.
And since I know that his commandment means eternal life. What I say is spoken just as he instructed me.
Me Myself
Back to my username
This isn't me but it is what I love to do. Water in general puts me in a spiritual mood. Doesn't matter if its swimming, canoeing, boogie boarding, sailing, whatever. For me, God is in the water.
Hey, you are mostly water yourself!
arthra
Baha'i
I've found for myself that the daily obligatory prayers really help my communion with God.. especially the Long Obligatory Prayer..
I've also been on pilgrimage to the Holy Land some years ago.. for me the thing about pilgrimage is that you return again and again to your pilgrimage after you've been there..
Fasting is for Baha'is between sunrise and sunset for nineteen days before the vernal equinox, Spring... Fasting conveys for me a kind of discipline and transcendence of material things.
Each day of the year and each month in the Baha'i calendar is named after an attribute of God so this also helps me to remember God's attributes.
The Holy Days are also helpful of course..
Sonic247
Well-Known Member
Good thread. Talking about religion is facts and logical arguments which is all fine and good. But communion with God and searching with the Spirit for things beyond the verge of the tangible, seeing a part of the divine nature through the impression of nature... it's important stuff. And others that have a strong discipline and dedication in seeking God, just be careful to not trust in your own righteousness. I don't believe all religions lead to God, but I believe those seeking God find him.
strikeviperMKII
Well-Known Member
Prayer, self reflection...then more prayer.
Then I have to do the stuff I prayed for. I also consider that communion.
Then I have to do the stuff I prayed for. I also consider that communion.
^ This, except for the rituals. The extent of my rituals is daily prayers, offering light and incense at my altar.
I fast on Ekadasi, Janmashtami, Radhashtami, and will fast next Ramnavami. When I was Eastern Orthodox my priest used to say "God doesn't need the fast, we do".
^ This.
I actually follow the Nine Processes of Bhakti Yoga as found in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (taken from Wikipedia):
(1) śravaṇa ("listening" to the scriptural stories of Kṛṣṇa and his companions).
(2) kīrtana ("praising," usually refers to ecstatic group singing); I am listening to my collection of bhajans, kirtans and mantras at this moment.
(3) smaraṇa ("remembering" or fixing the mind on Viṣṇu); "All Vishnu, All The Time".
(4) pāda-sevana (rendering service); I try to help people.
(5) arcana (worshiping an image). As best I know how.
(6) vandana (paying homage, praying). As best I know how.
(7) dāsya (servitude). My ego gets in the way.
(8) sākhya (friendship). I'm kind of a loner, but I'll help someone who needs it.
(9) ātma-nivedana (complete surrender of the self). Again, my ego gets in the way.
^ I know... who cares to know that?
I'm far from being anything closely resembling a true bhakta.
Gaura Priya
IRL
I'm far from being anything closely resembling a true bhakta.
Since reading Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, one of the principle Gaudiya Vaishnava acharyas in our lineage, any person who even attempts to love Krishna is a bhakta. If you theoretically see that Vaishnavism is the only religion in existence (Vaishnava Dharma is Sad-Dharma), and every religion is thus a form of Vaishnavism in a different gradation, level of understanding, and mood, and that even the prostitutes can become devotees of Krishna, what to speak of you and I? :yes:
Even polytheists receive Krishna's blessing, because out of their level of comprehension they worship the trees, rivers and sun in a mood of awe and reverence! All theistic inclinations will eventually find rest in God's accepting grace.
I try not to let my head get too swollen, so I remember what my former EO priest used to say: "The worst sinners think they are the greatest saints; but the greatest saints think they are the worst sinners". Hence thinking I'm not a good bhakta. I try to stay grounded.
Gaura Priya
IRL
I try not to let my head get too swollen, so I remember what my former EO priest used to say: "The worst sinners think they are the greatest saints; but the greatest saints think they are the worst sinners". Hence thinking I'm not a good bhakta. I try to stay grounded.
That's also true. Reference the prayers of the Tax-Collector and the pharisee in the Bible.
:shout
Twig pentagram
High Priest
I exist.
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
Pretty much the same as me, then. Except I have a strict order I do it in for personal preference; my own mini-ritual.
That's a pretty nice quote.
Sylvan
Unrepentant goofer duster
God is big. When I want to feel with that I just do with as few words as possible. It is more of a physical sensation than a talking for me.
Some useful things to talk to are smaller than GOD or even Gods, and they are the ones with whom I have all kinds of ritual procedures to interact. They are far more "conversational". Some people have the knack for this (the "talking") better than others, but it can be trained with patience.
Some useful things to talk to are smaller than GOD or even Gods, and they are the ones with whom I have all kinds of ritual procedures to interact. They are far more "conversational". Some people have the knack for this (the "talking") better than others, but it can be trained with patience.
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Interesting question, and great responses. For me, similar to what some others have said, I find myself feeling closest to God when I'm immersed in, and taking note of, the sublime beauties of the natural world. I'm an outdoorsy person, love pretty much any activity outside.
Some of my favorite moments on a hike or run, are to just stop, take a deep breath, and take it all in. Say a quick prayer of thanks for the experience of being alive, and being able to witness the beauty that is everywhere, and not of man's making. I love the grandeur of "big" nature, the ocean, the mountains, but find the same experiences in the woods of a nature preserve in the middle of a city. Church is all fine and good, but the natural world is my temple/sanctuary!
Some of my favorite moments on a hike or run, are to just stop, take a deep breath, and take it all in. Say a quick prayer of thanks for the experience of being alive, and being able to witness the beauty that is everywhere, and not of man's making. I love the grandeur of "big" nature, the ocean, the mountains, but find the same experiences in the woods of a nature preserve in the middle of a city. Church is all fine and good, but the natural world is my temple/sanctuary!