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Meditation taboo?

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6:08 am
August 14, 2008


Chase

Investigator in Training

PA

posts 3

I have read from multiple sources that conducting meditation can somehow increase your "sensitivity" to seeing spirits/ghost etc. The issue i have with this is that i have also read that this is against the Bible. I am a Christian and believe in the Lord and Jesus Christ. I also have a strong interest in the paranormal. Most likely bcause it would be comforting to find some sort of validation that there is something after we pass on. I do have faith in that we still live on after we die, but i have never had a paranormal encounter or anything of the like to validate this theory or belief. I understand that's why they call it "Faith", but the curious side of me sometimes gets the best of me. I have been a big GH fan but often find myself being skeptical and thus found this website of like minded people. My long winded question is, has anyone had success in pursuing meditation to increase their "sensitivity"?

3:11 pm
August 14, 2008


chimin in

Guest

Hmmmm. How to give you the best possible answers… Researching on your own would help first. A few facts to keep in mind. We have at least 3 distinctly measurable brainwave states, alpha, beta, and delta. Beta is associated with waking consciousness. Alpha is associated with "dreaming" consciousness. Delta is associated with a dreamless, consciousnesses state ("of being"). It has been shown with highly advanced meditators that they can retain a conscious state of awareness within all 3 brainwave states, and describe the alpha and delta state from the aspect of "semi-consciousness", describing it akin to being without ego, formless, and one with everything/god.
Another fact to consider is that DMT, the most powerful hallucinogen on earth is produced within our brains and thought to be involved in the dreaming process. To me this would imply that at some point in our brains switching from a beta state to another state such as alpha, a release of chemicals such as DMT is inducing the trancy, one-ness of being and feeling as well as hallucinations that can occur when one is meditating.


Uh, I could talk to you at length about christianity but really man, its bogus, and you should reread the bible and start looking into the actual history of the bible and the Hebrews, as well as the history, culture, and religions of other, surrounding, and earlier cultures, such as the Assyrians and Sumerians.


Even then remember our picture of history and science is not clear, we do not yet know everything, and governments/media/corporations lie about everything to maintain their money and power, they invent religions, propaganda, and the like to keep us in control and in line, that is all religion is. The true core of christianity and christian thought lies more in paganism and possibly eastern notions of meditation. Many paintings and reliefs of jesus, as well as his teachings, resemble the eastern buddha. But the story of jesus is made up from the surrounding cultures of the day, Egyptian, Zoroastrianism, etc., with his being born of a virgin, star in the east, wise men, 12 disciples, good vs evil, dying, 3 days dead, later resurrects then disappears in smoke. All are themes from older, earlier religions. It goes all the way back even to flood myths. Everyone borrowed from each others religions at the time. Someone else's god was born of a virgin and can bring people back from the dead, so they want theirs to do that to. But the Egyptians did it first.

But did they REALLY build the pyramids? Did aliens? Demons? LoL

Well, I don't think people who had 16 year old queens and wrote in stick figures built things as sophisticated as the pyramids.


In keeping with the theme that we do not know everything, and it takes time for information to be brought to the forefront. Well, consider this, for the longest time, it was considered that Sumerian culture has the first form of writing, as per that is what we had discovered. But it wasn't until recently that we discovered pieces of the Hindu Vedas (I think? May be incorrect about which Hindi religious document it comes from) that predates Sumerian writing. That's ridiculous huge. No one seems to notice it. Or all the UFOs buzzing the air at night.

To answer your question, can meditation make you more "sensitive" to "ghosts"? I suppose that begs many questions about your beliefs in "ghosts", what they may be, and one's "sensitivity" they may have to them.

Meditation is a proven method to open doorways into ones consciousness and sub consciousness, and possibly allow one to see more into reality or see reality differently in such a way that they would not have seen otherwise due to being more "aware". Psychedelic plants and chemicals can allow one to do this as well. This is of no surprise, our brain creating one of the most illegal drugs there is, DMT (yet DMT occurs naturally in plants virtually everywhere. Is it of no surprise our body also makes cannabinoid compounds like those found in illegal marijuana).

Will meditating or taking hallucinogens make you see "ghosts"? No, but it may make you more aware of yourself and surroundings. Meditating generally has a calming effect which can bring one down to earth in a tense, frightening situation (like alone in the dark in a "spooky" place you think is "haunted") which actually may make you find less "ghostly" phenomena as you are able to rationalize out little noises and creaks and cracks and those ominous feelings of being watched or of something "out there". This in turn may make you more aware of actual things going on, being able to more tap into your intuitive side so as to look in that direction at the right time in the right place to capture that object moving on its own or that apparition forming/moving.

10:58 pm
August 14, 2008


Stephen

Moderator

San Jose, CA

posts 190

Welcome, Chase!

There's no proven link between meditation and the paranormal. That's because there's no proven anything about the paranormal, as far as I can see.

I understand that you are looking to have a paranormal experience in order to validate your belief that there is life after death. The main problem that I see here isn't really religious. The reports of sensitives are subjective and don't, by themselves, offer any kind of proof of survival after death. So even if you were able to increase your "sensitivity" and start seeing apparitions everywhere, how could you be certain that what you were seeing was real?

One of the benefits of skeptical investigation is that we skeptics get to have our cake and eat it too, in some ways. We get to have the fun of discussing paranormal topics, and at the same time we can keep our objectivity. After all, ghosts either are there or are not. I don't think that they're there. If they are there, though, I want to know. Skepticism might give me an answer. Meditation has its benefits, but objective truth isn't one of them.

4:54 am
August 15, 2008


Chase

Investigator in Training

PA

posts 3

Wow great answers! I think this site is great and i obviously have only scatched the surface of pursuing the big questions in life. I am skeptical about many things, including religion etc., but was brought up to believe certain things like many people. I have however, come to think for myself and see things for what they truly are. Chimin in makes many great points about religion and history. The fact of the matter is that until something "happens" to me and i witness it first hand i will always be a skeptic, even though close friends of mine would lay their hand on the bible or swear on their children that what they saw and experienced was an apparation and in fact real.

Stephen you are right about never knowing if what was experienced was reality. I'd like to think i'm sound in mind and if in fact did witness something i wouldn't be under the influence of something. Whether it be increased sensitivity or enhanced drugs etc. Which by the way i don't do. I guess like most on this site i am simply looking to find out more "answers" about this place we live in. Some of the stories i have heard from close friends sound believeable, but until i witness it first hand i simply cannot say i'm a believer. Thanks for the great responses and the welcome.

1:10 pm
August 24, 2008


bullerspoke

Investigator

Sweden

posts 43

On a side note, the Warrens claim the claimed haunting (that they claim) in Amityville was a result of transcendental meditation…


(Many claims there, but then again it is the Warrens.)


7:38 pm
August 25, 2008


medusa_frost

Guest

bullerspoke said:

On a side note, the Warrens claim the claimed haunting (that they claim) in Amityville was a result of transcendental meditation…

(Many claims there, but then again it is the Warrens.)


I wish I had recorded the PS episode where ancient, stick-thin Lorraine Warren slapped briefly possessed Chip Coffey so I could play it in a loop over and over and over…..Laughing

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