Do Spiritual people look flaky?

Debi

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Why Do Spiritual People Seem So Flaky?

It’s very easy to poke fun at people on a New Age spiritual path. They are into whatever: shamanism, astrology, crystals, witches, paganism, rebirthing, past life regressions, drumming, basically anything mainstream culture is not.

Further, when you speak with people on one or more of these paths, they often don’t seem to make sense, and they frequently switch from one path to another. They’re counter-cultural, weird, and appear to be out of touch with reality.

I’ve been one of these people, I’ve been friends with many, many of these people, and I work with a lot of people on one spiritual path or another in my office. One thing I’ve come to appreciate is that for someone who has the “spiritual gene” (more on this in a moment) growing up in a material culture is a challenge.

Imagine you believed in capitalism and individualism but you were born in Communist China of the ‘60s. Where would you see your core self mirrored in the larger society? How would you not feel like a cultural misfit? How could you develop a solid sense of self, when everyone and everywhere around you seemed to march to a different drummer?

This is the reality for a lot of people born with a spiritual yearning in the material culture of the United States. I think there is something like a spiritual affinity that people are born with, just as we are born with musical ability, or talent for painting, sculpture, or math. Some people naturally resonate with spiritual teachings and truths, and when all they see around them is the blaring headlines of the latest political infighting, corporate earnings, who’s hot and who’s not in music or movies or books – well, they are just going to feel out of step with this culture. These things just don’t seem to them that important because they aren’t.

The vast majority of what we fret over, fight over, and worry about has no lasting importance. Spiritual truths, on the other hand, are timeless, which is why the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita continue to be revered and read by billions of people thousands of years after being written while best-sellers are forgotten within a decade.

So it takes decades for someone with the spiritual gene to find his or her footing because for most of them there isn’t a clear path to tread, especially since mainstream religion is so often a corporate version of spirituality so that people looking for a living connection are turned off by it. If you are one of these people, be patient with yourself and don’t let the ridicule of those who don’t understand you divert you from your search.

If you are a family member or friend of someone who’s “into something” you don’t comprehend, give them the benefit of the doubt. Just because what they’re looking for isn’t found in a MacDonald’s Happy Meal box doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them. It might mean there’s something right with them.
 
Why Do Spiritual People Seem So Flaky?

It’s very easy to poke fun at people on a New Age spiritual path. They are into whatever: shamanism, astrology, crystals, witches, paganism, rebirthing, past life regressions, drumming, basically anything mainstream culture is not.

Further, when you speak with people on one or more of these paths, they often don’t seem to make sense, and they frequently switch from one path to another. They’re counter-cultural, weird, and appear to be out of touch with reality.

I’ve been one of these people, I’ve been friends with many, many of these people, and I work with a lot of people on one spiritual path or another in my office. One thing I’ve come to appreciate is that for someone who has the “spiritual gene” (more on this in a moment) growing up in a material culture is a challenge.

Imagine you believed in capitalism and individualism but you were born in Communist China of the ‘60s. Where would you see your core self mirrored in the larger society? How would you not feel like a cultural misfit? How could you develop a solid sense of self, when everyone and everywhere around you seemed to march to a different drummer?

This is the reality for a lot of people born with a spiritual yearning in the material culture of the United States. I think there is something like a spiritual affinity that people are born with, just as we are born with musical ability, or talent for painting, sculpture, or math. Some people naturally resonate with spiritual teachings and truths, and when all they see around them is the blaring headlines of the latest political infighting, corporate earnings, who’s hot and who’s not in music or movies or books – well, they are just going to feel out of step with this culture. These things just don’t seem to them that important because they aren’t.

The vast majority of what we fret over, fight over, and worry about has no lasting importance. Spiritual truths, on the other hand, are timeless, which is why the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita continue to be revered and read by billions of people thousands of years after being written while best-sellers are forgotten within a decade.

So it takes decades for someone with the spiritual gene to find his or her footing because for most of them there isn’t a clear path to tread, especially since mainstream religion is so often a corporate version of spirituality so that people looking for a living connection are turned off by it. If you are one of these people, be patient with yourself and don’t let the ridicule of those who don’t understand you divert you from your search.

If you are a family member or friend of someone who’s “into something” you don’t comprehend, give them the benefit of the doubt. Just because what they’re looking for isn’t found in a MacDonald’s Happy Meal box doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them. It might mean there’s something right with them.

What is "drumming"? It's mentioned in the first paragraph.
 
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What is "drumming"? It's mentioned in the first paragraph.
Many of the pagan groups use drums to induce trance state. The regular beat of the drums can do that quite quickly, actually. There are "drumming" circles in many of the olde religions. You hear this beat in much of the Celtic music and African music. There are actually 5 beats most used to reach an euphoric state.

 
Many of the pagan groups use drums to induce trance state. The regular beat of the drums can do that quite quickly, actually. There are "drumming" circles in many of the olde religions. You hear this beat in much of the Celtic music and African music. There are actually 5 beats most used to reach an euphoric state.


Ok, I get it now. Thanks.
 
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What is "drumming"? It's mentioned in the first paragraph.
Many of the pagan groups use drums to induce trance state. The regular beat of the drums can do that quite quickly, actually. There are "drumming" circles in many of the olde religions. You hear this beat in much of the Celtic music and African music. There are actually 5 beats most used to reach an euphoric state.

drumming sounds are deep and vibrational... kinda another form of the "OM" chant that is supposed to be the holiest of sounds and symbols, according to Buddhism ..
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzom.png

anything from 20 hz and lower is felt as vibration and not heard by humans.....which can supposedly lead to an opening of the third eye or the acceptance and realization of other "gifts".....elevating you to a higher plane of knowledge......or just a quest to find the "brown note".....lol.... sorry had throw that in there as just an example, an immature one perhaps but an example none the less...
 
Just because what they’re looking for isn’t found in a MacDonald’s Happy Meal box doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with them. It might mean there’s something right with them.
I've always got on with alternate people,When I was a young kid every boy at school had short back and sides,I had long hair and since then have lived on the edge of society,but have always contributed to it ,as I reap the benefits of it.I think that's why the average person has a problem with new age types.I like people that think outside the box and live life the way they choose,free people ,not sheep.
 
I'm pretty sure I look flaky 98% of the time.
Personally, I've never cared much for the "flaky" designation. I prefer to call myself "unique" and "unbridled by convention". :D Yup, I have the flowy clothes, the odd jewelry piece or two, and I'm quite content others may view me as eccentric. It's my normal.
 
Personally, I've never cared much for the "flaky" designation. I prefer to call myself "unique" and "unbridled by convention". :D Yup, I have the flowy clothes, the odd jewelry piece or two, and I'm quite content others may view me as eccentric. It's my normal.
That's the difference,a lot of people dress and act a certain way to fit in and please others instead of being their true selves.It shows how shallow society can be and why I find it easier to live on the fringe of it.I've tried walking into a clothes store dressed in a suit and they roll out the red carpet to serve you and gone dressed in my usual clobber and was all but ignored by the staff.Country towns here are even worse,wear a bright coloured shirt to the pub and they nearly stone you to death.:eek:
 
That's the difference,a lot of people dress and act a certain way to fit in and please others instead of being their true selves.It shows how shallow society can be and why I find it easier to live on the fringe of it.I've tried walking into a clothes store dressed in a suit and they roll out the red carpet to serve you and gone dressed in my usual clobber and was all but ignored by the staff.Country towns here are even worse,wear a bright coloured shirt to the pub and they nearly stone you to death.:eek:
I experienced this years ago when shopping for a wedding dress in a high end boutique. I was dressed in my barn cloths. Clean but ready to go take care of horses after. I got the cold shoulder. However not to be deterred from what I wanted, I pressed on to get “the dress”. They were shocked when I paid in full at the register. The girl assumed I would be charging it lol. It still makes me smile.