Stress Center Peer Support

Great reply BeatAnxiety...

Reen as I replied on another thread to you...Feel free to express yourself. Don't be intimidated by anyone.......

I find the writings of many different people very intriguing and interesting. By no means do I attack them...I have no right and neither does anyone else. Don't worry Reen admin monitors the threads....

Have a beautiful adn blessed day...

I would like to read what you have to say Reen38.

Reen38, I too would like to read what you have to say and don't let anyone intimidate you into not saying/writing it. No one has that right to tell others how to believe or what to believe in. Please, feel free to post in this thread or any like them at any time.

Okay. thanks I will post later this evening when I have more time.

I must admit I too have been a little intimidated to post something here that is "not Christian". I have studied several different spiritual paths and ideas and have gotten something positive from all of them- including Christianity, Native American spirituality, Buddhism, Taoism, and Judaism. We are all on the same path, as I see it, and how we get there may be different than someone else.

Hello friends. I just wanted to share a little with you all.
Several years ago I went through a major spiritual identity crisis. Although I grew up Catholic, somewhere around my early 20's I kind of gave up on it. For a very long period after that I just didnt think about religion or spirituality at all.
Then all of sudden it became so important for me, for some reason which to this day I still cant undertand,to find a spiritual identity. I did a ton of research into all kids of religions. I would try them on like clothes to see if they fit. I was a Wiccan for a period of about one year...didnt fit. Then I did alot of Buddist studies and that wasnt me either. So I spent about 2 years searching. Searching and making myslef feel so bad for not being able to fit into a path. I thought that there must be something really wrong with me. I would talk to myself negatively about it daily.
The program really helped me to ask the proper questions of myself to find out what was really at the root of it all. And to not be so critical of myself. I think if it had not been for the program I would still be confused.
Its very interesting how working the program can benefit every area of your life. Things that you think have no bearing on your anxiety and stress just seem to come to light.
So today I follow no specific path and I am fine with that. I take lessons from all the religions that I have studied and put them into practice in my life. Sometimes you may hear me praise God...other times you may here me thank the Goddess. To me its all one in the same.
Namaste

You got it Reen .It is one and the same
Louie Angelone

Connor, there really is no reason for me to continue searching. I am very happy and feel connected in some way to several spiritual paths. So I forge my own personal path. Its a very freeing experience for me to not have to live up to a very rigid set of rules and for me to be able to completely open to ideas that really make sense to me.
For anyone who does follow a certain religion, I think its great that you have such devotion and are at peace. Its a beautiful thing either way.

Hi Reen, it's an interesting journey that we have when searching for something then suddenly finding our own way isn't it.

I was raised as a baptist with a fire & brinstone hell fire preacher who told my entire senior class that all of us were going to hell and there was no way around it. Fine, we told him one sunday morning to reserve us a seat because he would get their first and then walked out of the church service. I never went back.

After 50+ years, I realized that I was more like my ancestors. I believed the same as they did in the past and do to this day. One fourth of my ancestory is Sioux/Lakota/Santee indian and have always believed the same as they do but never really studied it in depth until the past 2 years. I know where I'm going now and enjoy each day as my brothers and sisters before me did.

Each of us has a path to follow in this life and beyond and it's nice to know we can forge our own destinys along the way.

David- I loved studying some of the Native American Spirituality due to my connection with nature and animals. I would love to do a three day vision quest but am too afraid of being in the mts. alone for that long of a time. I compromised on a one day Quest but I sure wish I could get up the courage for a longer one.