Anyone out there have spiritual experiences that changed their life?

[Breezy Trousers]

Just curious -- have you ever had a spiritual experience that changed your life?

 

I used to be a profound agnostic. I'd almost characterize myself as atheist, but I really didn't have any resistance to other people's beliefs. I just couldn't believe in God and sort of attributed such beliefs to naive fancy.

I used to quote Karl Marx all the time: "God is the opiate of the masses!"

 

Then I had a spiritual crisis in 1986 at the age of 24 -- more commonly referred to as "depression." I kept trying to find satisfaction with relationships, degrees, work success, physical beauty, and quickly saw how empty it all was. It got to the point that I didn't see the point of life and contemplated suicide. There was a hole inside of me that I couldn't manage to fill. I became desperate and wondered: This STUFF -- work success, attractiveness, romance, hip living -- has proven to be meaningless. Is there something out there that is truly meaningful? It got to where I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. Finally, in desperation, I asked the black void for help. Just as an experiment, you understand. I said that if there really was something out there, to let me know. Otherwise, I was committing suicide. I meant it, too.

 

(As an agnostic, I didn't realize that this was called "prayer.")

 

Shortly after, in July of 1986, I had a series of profound mystical experiences. It marked the true beginning of my life. I SAW that there was a God. I experienced "It." I also discovered that God is efficient. I received exactly what I needed and nothing more. It was up to me to do more spiritual footwork. I was simply put on track again.

 

I still don't go to church. However, I know we are profoundly loved and that we are never alone. Really, the entire world is our church. God is always present. It's only our clouded perception which blocks our awareness of God.

 

I'm no longer afraid to die.

 

I know I did not receive the gift of these experiences because I was "special." In fact, I was never more humble in my life as I was back in 1986. Despair forced me to finally dropped all resistance and my "knowing" and become open to receive like a child. I think this is why "grace" was able to finally come in. I think grace is always available, but our self-sufficiency and "I know" judgment blocks God from our awareness. Frankly, I was too full of myself! Unfortunately, I still am! (At least I know it now! lol) ... But, for a brief period of time in 1986, despair completely emptied me and I become open to receive "something" greater.

 

All of this is hard to put into words, really.

 

Anyway, how about you? Have you had an experience(s) that completely turned your life around? How did you change?

 

One of the many ways I changed --I've never even thought about suicide or suffered from even mild depression since 1986. I've never been on anti-depressants, either. That all disappeared on July 4, 1986, when I had my first experience. Yes, Independence Day. (Did I mention that God appears to have a sense of humor? ... I no longer depended on the world to provide my life with meaning.)

[skydiveaddict]

I wish I could have an experience like that

[Idalis]

I find your post very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

 

My spiritual moment consists more in a series of moments. I read the Bible from cover to cover one day out of sheer desperation to find a reason to my life. I'm not nearly as eloquent as you. But it changed my life forever. Whenever I fall away from that I either re-read sections I wrote down, or simply draw from what I remember. It never fails.

 

ETA: it was not read in one day. Took a little over a month.

Edited October 20, 2010 by Idalis
correction

[quankanne]

I know we are profoundly loved and that we are never alone.

 

that moment of grace really hit home the day we buried my mom, who I was very, very close to. Background: I grew up in a Mexican Catholic home in South Texas – a place where you couldn't swing a cat without hitting a Catholic

 

so, I've had a strong relationship with God, and never really questioned it ... there were never any real periods of questioning because my faith was simple but solid.

 

when my mom died, though, it cut to my core because here was the one person who loved me unconditionally, who was pretty much my best friend, who was my role model for love. With her gone, who was going to ever love me like that in my life again? My family loves me, my husband loves me, my friends love me, but even combined, it doesn't come close to the love a mom has for her kids, you know?

 

so here I am, the day of the burial, visiting her at the funeral home before the Mass because we drove in too late for the rosary the night before. I'm kneeling in front of her casket, with the thoughts of "who is going to ever love me like that again?" running through my head when I look up at the crucifix hanging over the casket. And the next thing I know, it feels like I'm getting this huge bear-hug, one filled with love and tenderness and comfort, letting me know that God is the one who could love me like that the rest of my life, to never doubt it ...

 

I think I'm pretty much a "practical believer," one who, although interested, doesn't really go for "woo-woo" stuff because it's more than a little hokey, but that morning, Jesus stepped down from that crucifix and reassured me of God's everlasting love.

 

I guess he knows when we need him most, and always manages to be there for us even though we don't expect it.

[enufdrama]

once, i broke down on the side of the road with my then 2 year old girl right at dusk. i ran out of gas on the interstate. no cell phone then either. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. i prayed for god to help me. i would not have gotten in the car with anyone other than who stopped just 5 minutes later. a 30 some year old woman with 2 young kids in the car. she looked as distressed as i did. she kept repeating, i can't believe i stopped. something kept telling me to stop, she said it was overwhelming and she knew to stop. she did not see that it was me and a toddler we were in the car. i believe god sent her my way, because she was my angel that night. people may view this as a coincidence or nothing at all. but i have no doubt that god was involved in that. i was praying for someone safe to help us, really hard. i was almost in tears as i was a very young mother and did not know what to do. and if any of you are mothers, you know you never stop alone, especially with your kids in the car to help a car on the side of the road when you don't know who is in the car. that woman listened to god that night and she didn't understand what told her to stop. you could see she was almost in disbelief, maybe shocked at herself for taking such a risk. but i wonder sometimes, does she realize god worked through her that night.

[somedude81]

Been raised a Christian and still waiting for my experience.

 

Frankly the stuff that my family and I have gone through actually pushes me in the direction that there is no God. If he does exist, he doesn't care about his people.

 

My faith fell apart when one of the Pastors sons of the church I used to go to, was killed in a motorcycle accident. The son was in his early 20's and just released his first worship CD. God basically failed.

Edited October 21, 2010 by somedude81

[Feelin Frisky]

My spiritual life began when I ended my religion and any figments of faith. This rebirth has gotten and kept me in touch with a reality far more deep and rich than any moment hither to spent on my knees.

[bee55]

I was not interested in spiritual matters, but once something struck me, I feel that there is something else that uses my mind, one of my friends advised me to lay down their spells, which are as follows:

God is the Creator of all things (121 times)

Effectively what he wants (121 times)

My GOD, Please tell me your straight way (200 times)

i did it in a deep dark Every day, i feel more better, after approximately 1 month an amazing event occurred when i was on a dark, i saw fire and monsters out of them, I remembered that fear is unwanted on this situation,

i continue spells, finally a pretty man put out the fire

then ha Disappeared immediately

i ask my self, was i on a dream? But i didn't sleep.

i believe the authors of films are produce a real stories.

i never feel something before till now

 

Listen

Read phonetically

[quankanne]

God basically failed. because that boy's number still got called? Despite the fact that he still touched hearts through a CD that outlived him?

[Tayla]

Quite some powerful and interesting events to read upon.

 

I had variations of experiences thru emotional times, or circumstances that take me to a new level of spiritual peace or understanding. None of them compare to the Bleeps on a radar when for just a flash, a sense comes about that affirms that something, whatever it is, that is more powerful and omnious then a single being is a mist. And for that I am grateful.

 

I have stood humbled in ways that I never thought possible. It really does make one understand we are but a part of a bigger world and its not ours to solve but to contribute too...

[howmanyru]

Way back in 1987 I was also pretty down and not liking life too much. Hated work and drank a lot. Never really had a spiritual thought in my life, nor did any of my family or mates as far as I know.

 

Then one day at work I noticed my work colleague reading a book so I asked him what it was about. He replied it was something about spirituality and universal love, don't think he said much more than that.

 

Anyway, that was it, my life changed completely in a second and never returned to the way it was. This shift in consciousness was so profound, so instant that at the time I didn't really know what had hapenned, but by God it felt good. This was instant knowing, not book learning or information gleaned from some other external source, it was wisdom coming from within.

 

I ran outside and looked at people, seeing that beyond the illusion of separation lies an indivisible source that ties us all together, filling each person to the same degree. Just a few minutes ago i couldn't care less for this spiritual stuff, now i couldn't shut it out even if i wanted to.

 

Just goes to show that real truth is always within us, ready to burst forward into our concsiousnesss if we allow it. If a wretch like me can see this, anyone can.

[Disillusioned]

Divine intervention never got me out of a scrape, and it never will.

 

From my teens up until just a couple of years ago, I learned just how much the ancient Europeans stole from the Middle Easterners' systems of beliefs. How can something be effective if it's stolen property?

 

The world would be a very different place today if Europeans had kept their own paganism and let it modernize... An It Harm None, Do What Thou Wilt. Unfortunately religious fanatics don't know the meaning of "live and let live".

 

Nowadays there's hypocrisy everywhere, people making each other miserable and claiming to be religious. Oh yeah, I'm sure Jesus and Muhammad would be REAL proud of these folks.

[denise_xo]

To me, the most profound spiritual experiences are related to shedding yourself of illusions. Certain religious/spiritual trends of thinking can help you achieve that (for me, Sufism has been very inspiring), but they're just one tool among many others and it's ultimately a phenomenon that is fundamentally human and not 'religious' per se. It leads you to a different level of truth, if you're open to it, but while you can have particular turning points on that trajectory it's essentially about a process and a journey, rather than 'one point in time experience' for me.

[worlybear]

Having just survived emergency surgery I was drawn to this thread. Prior to last week, I have recently been spending a lot of "quiet time" sitting in the little, rural church up the lane. I found it very calming to light a candle for my Dad(deceased) and just sit peacefully.

After the turbulence and trauma of an operation I feel,more than ever that I want to have a closer relationship with God.

But I also have been truly surprised by how many kind and caring people there are. I don't think God works in isolation.

[Truthseeker-John]

As a (sort of) Pantheist, I believe that everything is of divine origin - good or bad - then it is up to us to choose the good, rather than waiting for a 'man' in the sky do things for us. In my version of Pantheism it isn't a religion as such, because it does not have the rules and doctrines of a religion (which define a religion) and for me, it includes being natural rather than follow rules out of a book that tell us what to think and feel.

 

"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca the Younger"

 

I have had spiritual experiences, some of them profound and life changing, others more common place, such as a smile, holding someone's hand, listening to soothing music, seeing the beauty of a flower, animals in friendly play, a child's face, or a sunset - they are all spiritual experiences and are to do with the spirit inside us, of which cannot be fully explained by spoken words.

 

I point out that spiritual is not the same as religion (religion is a substitute in my opinion) nor even the same as a conscious belief in (a) God or gods.

Edited November 1, 2010 by Truthseeker-John

[Truthseeker-John]

Way back in 1987 I was also pretty down and not liking life too much. Hated work and drank a lot. Never really had a spiritual thought in my life, nor did any of my family or mates as far as I know.

 

Then one day at work I noticed my work colleague reading a book so I asked him what it was about. He replied it was something about spirituality and universal love, don't think he said much more than that.

 

Anyway, that was it, my life changed completely in a second and never returned to the way it was. This shift in consciousness was so profound, so instant that at the time I didn't really know what had hapenned, but by God it felt good. This was instant knowing, not book learning or information gleaned from some other external source, it was wisdom coming from within.

 

I ran outside and looked at people, seeing that beyond the illusion of separation lies an indivisible source that ties us all together, filling each person to the same degree. Just a few minutes ago i couldn't care less for this spiritual stuff, now i couldn't shut it out even if i wanted to.

 

Just goes to show that real truth is always within us, ready to burst forward into our consciousness if we allow it. If a wretch like me can see this, anyone can.

But you are not a wretch, you are a spiritual person - as all of us are (at least to some degree).

[dreamingoftigers]

Been raised a Christian and still waiting for my experience.

 

Frankly the stuff that my family and I have gone through actually pushes me in the direction that there is no God. If he does exist, he doesn't care about his people.

 

My faith fell apart when one of the Pastors sons of the church I used to go to, was killed in a motorcycle accident. The son was in his early 20's and just released his first worship CD. God basically failed.

 

The pastor's son was very familiar with the story of Christ and chose to follow him anyways. Nowhere in the Bible does it promise immunity from death, except through Christ and the resurrection. Even Christ himself suffered and died on the cross. If God saw the bigger picture and did not save his only begotten son, why would he spare the pastor's son the same fate? He did not fail, he knows the bigger picture, just like he has promised as long as we have been in existence.

 

The fact that the son ever existed is more then a miracle. The odds were extremely stacked against him. The very universe had to be made in the correct proportions, the stars formed, the planets around the Sun had to accrete together, liquid water being sustainable on this planet. LIfe springing forth, every ancestor that the pastor's son had, had to live long enough and be attractive enough to find a mate, down to the very egg and sperm that made him to being with. The odds of him ever being here were very slim indeed.

[Truthseeker-John]

The pastor's son was very familiar with the story of Christ and chose to follow him anyways. Nowhere in the Bible does it promise immunity from death, except through Christ and the resurrection. Even Christ himself suffered and died on the cross. If God saw the bigger picture and did not save his only begotten son, why would he spare the pastor's son the same fate? He did not fail, he knows the bigger picture, just like he has promised as long as we have been in existence.

 

The fact that the son ever existed is more then a miracle.

I have studied this subject for more than 30 years (around 40 years) and IMHO there are no solid indisputable facts that show that the Son 'Jesus' really existed and I think that the story of 'Christ' is mostly symbology. Edited November 1, 2010 by Truthseeker-John

[aerogurl87]

I was raised a Christian but pretty much lost faith in my religion by the age of 16. So I became agnostic and after I left for college I started partying alot, stopped going to church, all the while I noticed I felt empty. I remember one day I broke down and cried all night, read the Bible, prayed to God, and although I felt better afterward I didn't turn back to God. It took me about 2 years to return to God. It was a series of events that led me back to the Way. First, I met my boyfriend who was a Christian and who I think knew deep down I wasn't really agnostic as I still strongly believed in the possibility of a creator. He got me to start praying again which led to me reading my Bible once again. That helped to restore my faith. But one day while I was alone outside, something happened that cemented my faith.

 

I was going to go feed my dog outside when I noticed the most beautiful butterfly I've ever seen fly by me. It then landed on my lawn and for the first time in my life I noticed exactly how beautiful it really was. I then looked up to the sky and noticed how blue the sky was, how vibrant the colours of the grass and trees were, and at that moment I knew God existed and that he really did love us to give us such a perfect home.

[Trinity2]

Everyday:)

[sally4sara]

Yes!

 

After 20 some years of being raised in a conservative baptist family, I finally got a hold of books I would have been otherwise censored from as a kid or at the very least warned to not believe everything I read within. Not the kind of books you'd expect though. They were science books. Not the kind of science taught to everyone in school either. Physics, string theory, astronomy -what the eff is a quark? There's an antiquark too; is that like an antichrist?

 

Blew my damn head off and set up a chain reaction in my head that had me questioning everything.

 

So I went from being a complete believer to a firm doubter in regards to most religious dogma. And that's pretty big spiritual experience on the whole.

[quankanne]

There's an antiquark too; is that like an antichrist HAAAAHAHAHAHA ... now I've got a mental image of some miniscule blue quark-thing running around, raising hell on a subatomic level :laugh:

[TaraMaiden]

When my mother (a good, devout, Roman Catholic) gave me a copy of "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying".

it transformed my life completely, and seemed to have been written just for me, my eyes only, and just for me to experience the profound simplicity of the message it conveyed.

It steered my conscience onto a different Path, and one I know will be beneath my feet, in my Mind and in my heart, until the day I die.

 

I recommend it.

[dreamingoftigers]

I have studied this subject for more than 30 years (around 40 years) and IMHO there are no solid indisputable facts that show that the Son 'Jesus' really existed and I think that the story of 'Christ' is mostly symbology.

 

My point above is that the pastor's son's death did not contradict his own belief system.

[dreamingoftigers]

Yes!

 

After 20 some years of being raised in a conservative baptist family, I finally got a hold of books I would have been otherwise censored from as a kid or at the very least warned to not believe everything I read within. Not the kind of books you'd expect though. They were science books. Not the kind of science taught to everyone in school either. Physics, string theory, astronomy -what the eff is a quark? There's an antiquark too; is that like an antichrist?

 

Blew my damn head off and set up a chain reaction in my head that had me questioning everything.

 

So I went from being a complete believer to a firm doubter in regards to most religious dogma. And that's pretty big spiritual experience on the whole.

 

That is so interesting, my Physics in Astronomy course is what turned me back to my faith. It floored me that what was being discovered in the scientific textbooks had been written about by my faith at least a century sooner. (I am not a mainstream Christian). There is also a health code that recommended what current research holds to be true.