Connecting with Deities

[dwai]

how many of us have actually encountered any deity at all in a realistic manner?  Are deities mainly relegated to intellectual/emotional analysis and connection or are they actually divine beings with whom one can connect?

 

I think that would be a far more interesting topic to discuss. 

 

1. Can we connect to these deities?
2. If so, what are some of the ways in which one can connect to a deity?
3. share some experiences 

Once we get that, we can probably compare/contrast deities across traditions.

[Maddie]

Good question. This has not been much of an issue with me the last several years as my primary world view has been Buddhist in which deities are not much of a factor. Though many years ago I was actually a very dedicated evangelical Christian and that being the case the deity Jesus was a very big factor. There were times that I would spend hours in contemplative prayer, i.e. listening as opposed to just speaking. There were times that I would definitely feel a type of guidance and inspiration. Not only that but it was at this time that I averted several accidents that I can give no other explanation for other than miraculous, such as having an industrial rack of tonnes of lumber fall on top of me only for the only spot that had no lumber fall on it to be the exact spot I was standing on. Another time I was about to change lanes in my mini hatch back only for the steering wheel to not move at all no matter how hard I tried. A second later a massive big rig truck blasted past me at high speed. I would have been pulverized had I been hit. Another time I was working on a ladder three stories up and the ladder fell out from under me and I feel three stories. The funny thing is, that it felt like slow motion and as though I was being gently set down. Once I hit the ground I was totally fine, and everyone that came running over to me could not believe I was unhurt. These things all happened during my zealous evangelical Christian phase when communing with deities was my primary focus. 

Edited January 23, 2018 by dmattwads

[ChiForce]

How do you know if the beings are celestial beings at all.....    I think I do plenty of astro projections at night and the early hour morning.  Is something naturally occurring.   I have encountered countless of beings.  Are they deities or deities relating to certain particular spiritual practice?  Is not clear at all.  However, they do appear relating to the teaching of the Dharma or the Tao...interestingly.  

 

FYI, I experienced them in my dreams and visions...not sure if there are other ways to experience them..  They are what is called the sambhogakaya beings and only manifesting themselves in dreams and visions to spread the teaching of the Dharma. 

 

 

[ChiForce]

4 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

Good question. This has not been much of an issue with me the last several years as my primary world view has been Buddhist in which deities are not much of a factor. Though many years ago I was actually a very dedicated evangelical Christian and that being the case the deity Jesus was a very big factor. There were times that I would spend hours in contemplative prayer, i.e. listening as opposed to just speaking. There were times that I would definitely feel a type of guidance and inspiration. Not only that but it was at this time that I averted several accidents that I can give no other explanation for other than miraculous, such as having an industrial rack of tonnes of lumber fall on top of me only for the only spot that had no lumber fall on it to be the exact spot I was standing on. Another time I was about to change lanes in my mini hatch back only for the steering wheel to not move at all no matter how hard I tried. A second later a massive big rig truck blasted past me at high speed. I would have been pulverized had I been hit. Another time I was working on a ladder three stories up and the ladder fell out from under me and I feel three stories. The funny thing is, that it felt like slow motion and as though I was being gently set down. Once I hit the ground I was totally fine, and everyone that came running over to me could not believe I was unhurt. These things all happened during my zealous evangelical Christian phase when communing with deities was my primary focus. 

Interesting but don't take this the wrong way.....maybe is not Jesus Christ saving you but other other entities...ie spirit guides. 

[ChiForce]

How do you connect to them?  I don't know....  Are you sure aren't they connecting to you instead???     I believe the ones you can choose to connect are your spirit guides...being related to you because of Karma or your past relationship with them in some way.  I don't believe you can deliberately connect to some higher celestial beings....just because you want to.  

[Maddie]

5 minutes ago, ChiForce said:

Interesting but don't take this the wrong way.....maybe is not Jesus Christ saving you but other other entities...ie spirit guides. 

 

Oh yea no worries I've not be a Christian for quite a while now. Even at the time I assumed it was the direct work of angles following orders and not necessarily Jesus himself lol. 

[Maddie]

1 minute ago, ChiForce said:

How do you connect to them?  I don't know....  Are you sure aren't they connecting to you instead???     I believe the ones you can choose to connect are your spirit guides...being related to you because of Karma or your past relationship with them in some way.  I don't believe you can deliberately connect to some higher celestial beings....just because you want to.  

 

The only thing I can tell you is what I did at the time as this sort of thing is no longer something I do, but basically at the time I would pray a lot, but not just pray a wish list but pray contemplatively and try to listen. Looking back it had a lot of vipassana elements to it even though I didn't know what vipassina was (at least in this life) ;-)

[ChiForce]

Well, there is the Taoist Shamanism in which the practitioner can use rituals to summon any deities they want and to become possessed by them..and granting superhuman ability.  Only stuff I saw in watching too many Chinese (Hong Kong) movies when young....heheheh 

[Maddie]

15 minutes ago, ChiForce said:

  Are you sure aren't they connecting to you instead???     I believe the ones you can choose to connect are your spirit guides...being related to you because of Karma or your past relationship with them in some way.

 

Interesting point. This is something I don't talk about much but at one point I was a seminary student (it was at this time these events I wrote about above happened). Anyways there is a whole theological school of Christianity called "Reformed Christianity". It is based largely on the writings of John Calvin the 16th century French/Swiss theologian of the reformation period. Anyways one of the main points of Reformed theology is that of "election" which means that it is impossible for a human being to choose God, but rather the only way in which a person has any hope of divine grace is for God to elect them. They felt the notion of a human being able to choose to connect with the divine was impossible. 

Edited January 23, 2018 by dmattwads

[RiverSnake]

Making offerings is a good way to connect with deities.

 

Have had intense experiences that validated that there are powerful non-physical beings populating subtle reality. 

Edited January 23, 2018 by StormHealer

[Maddie]

9 minutes ago, StormHealer said:

Making offerings is a good way to connect with deities.

 

Have had intense experiences that validated that there are powerful non-physical beings populating subtle reality. 

Care to elaborate? 

[RiverSnake]

Offerings is quite the ancient practice, i don't think there is a culture in the world that doesn't have some form. You can even see many examples of it in the Bible, which is actually a highly pagan text if you read it with the right mindset. 

 

The more you open your psychic senses (3rd eye) the more common these sensations and experiences will be. Have had hundreds of experiences of spirit contact....that's also just a natural outcome when your doing a crazy ton of magick. 

 

One of the most vivid experience i had was the presence of an angel. It was like being in the presence of an invisible piece of lightning. Shocks all of your senses and freaks out your nervous system. The energy of the Beings is vibrating at such a high level of intensity that it's difficult to stay calm around and easy to panic. 

Edited January 23, 2018 by StormHealer

[Jainarayan]

It was not a physical encounter, but I felt it was an encounter or a presence nonetheless.

 

During Hurricane Sandy part of my fence blew down. It is a 6' high x 8' wide wood slat fence, quite heavy. My backyard slopes downhill, and guess which way the fence fell? Into my neighbor's backyard.

 

I was one month out of rotator cuff surgery, with my (dominant) arm in a padded sling. I had no one (on this Earth, anyway) to help me move the fence, but it had to be moved. I walked downhill, squatted down and started lifting the fence with my good arm. I said under my breath "Lord Hanuman, please help me" (he is my weightlifting and strength patron).

 

Without further ado I lifted the fence, and flipped it upright, and up into my backyard, with one hand, as if I were tossing a towel. I know, and no one will ever convince me otherwise, that Lord Hanuman either did it himself, or he was pushing from behind. There is no way I should have been able to lift that fence and flip it uphill by myself.

 

 

[dwai]

2 minutes ago, Jainarayan said:

It was not a physical encounter, but I felt it was an encounter or a presence nonetheless.

 

During Hurricane Sandy part of my fence blew down. It is a 6' high x 8' wide wood slat fence, quite heavy. My backyard slopes downhill, and guess which way the fence fell? Into my neighbor's backyard.

 

I was one month out of rotator cuff surgery, with my (dominant) arm in a padded sling. I had no one (on this Earth, anyway) to help me move the fence, but it had to be moved. I walked downhill, squatted down and started lifting the fence with my good arm. I said under my breath "Lord Hanuman, please help me" (he is my weightlifting and strength patron).

 

Without further ado I lifted the fence, and flipped it upright, and up into my backyard, with one hand, as if I were tossing a towel. I know, and no one will ever convince me otherwise, that Lord Hanuman either did it himself, or he was pushing from behind. There is no way I should have been able to lift that fence and flip it uphill by myself.

 

 

Lord Hanuman does love to do these things

 

[Jainarayan]

Just now, dwai said:

Lord Hanuman does love to do these things

 

 

And a good listener... I prayed to him to keep my job during a layoff. I knew it was a longshot, but I did a prayer ritual anyway, having faith something positive would come of it one way or another. Sure enough my company offered me my job back. I was the only one. I think he answered my prayers, though there are days I wish he had earplugs in his ears.  

[dwai]

1 minute ago, Jainarayan said:

 

And a good listener... I prayed to him to keep my job during a layoff. I knew it was a longshot, but I did a prayer ritual anyway, having faith something positive would come of it one way or another. Sure enough my company offered me my job back. I was the only one. I think he answered my prayers, though there are days I wish he had earplugs in his ears.  

He loves to go visit Lord Vishnu too

If you can connect with him and hold on, he will take you to Vaikuntha to be in the presence of Lord Vishnu...

[Fa Xin]

2 hours ago, dmattwads said:

 

Oh yea no worries I've not be a Christian for quite a while now. Even at the time I assumed it was the direct work of angles following orders and not necessarily Jesus himself lol. 

Any reason why you feel it wasn’t Jesus himself ?

[Maddie]

12 minutes ago, Fa Xin said:

Any reason why you feel it wasn’t Jesus himself ?

 

Well for a couple reasons. First of all it just felt that way. Another is there were a couple situations where I feel like he did show up and it felt different. I realize this is not a good explanation but it's all I've got. 

[Fa Xin]

2 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

 

Well for a couple reasons. First of all it just felt that way. Another is there were a couple situations where I feel like he did show up and it felt different. I realize this is not a good explanation but it's all I've got. 

That’s perfect, I appreciate the answer. Thanks! 

 

Also... very cool he did show up for you. 😊

Edited January 24, 2018 by Fa Xin

[ChiForce]

1 hour ago, Fa Xin said:

Any reason why you feel it wasn’t Jesus himself ?

Well, I would assume if it was Christ himself, he would have done something for his mind instead.  As well as the mind of the person who is about to do him harm.  Gods can help you but they aren't your personal god.  There are no reasons why a highly realized celestial entity would save you but to only harm the others...hehehehe....  Think about....    I think...for most people, their entity encounters are largely "local."   

[Maddie]

4 minutes ago, ChiForce said:

Well, I would assume if it was Christ himself, he would have done something for his mind instead.  As well as the mind of the person who is about to do him harm.  Gods can help you but they aren't your personal god.  There are no reasons why a highly realized celestial entity would save you but to only harm the others...hehehehe....  Think about....    I think...for most people, their entity encounters are largely "local."   

 

Good call, the times I did feel like he showed up it did have more to do with my mind. 

[Fa Xin]

1 hour ago, ChiForce said:

Well, I would assume if it was Christ himself, he would have done something for his mind instead.  As well as the mind of the person who is about to do him harm.  Gods can help you but they aren't your personal god.  There are no reasons why a highly realized celestial entity would save you but to only harm the others...hehehehe....  Think about....    I think...for most people, their entity encounters are largely "local."   

Thanks for your reply. 

 

Do you mind sharing why you dont believe people can connect to higher celestial beings? Are they just too “out of our range”?

 

question is based off of an earlier reply, not what’s quoted. 

 

Edit for typo. 

Edited January 24, 2018 by Fa Xin

[Jainarayan]

5 hours ago, dwai said:

He loves to go visit Lord Vishnu too

If you can connect with him and hold on, he will take you to Vaikuntha to be in the presence of Lord Vishnu...

 

That will be cooler than cool! I’ve already been to Mount Kailasa. Well, in a dream. But Lord Vishnu was there. Maa Parvati was running errands. I was disappointed I didn’t get to see her. I’m serious! I really did have that dream. 

[ChiForce]

1 hour ago, Fa Xin said:

Thanks for your reply. 

 

Do you mind sharing why you dont believe people can connect to higher celestial beings? Are they just too “out of our range”?

 

question is based off of an earlier reply, not what’s quoted. 

 

Edit for typo. 

It depends on what traditions you are referring to.  Taoism?  Or Chan Buddhism?  There is this unspoken consensus that higher realized beings don't connect with you because you aren't in the same plane with or as them...because we assume all things originated from our minds, the one mind.  Such as the case, your mind can't perceive higher realized celestial beings because your mind has not become as such.  To see and to connect to them, you mind has to become as such.  

 

This explains why beings and dreams and visions I used to have in the past...aren't the same as now...I have made some significant advancement in my cultivation journey from 20 years ago...since the first day I have my kundalini energy rising experience.  Should higher realized celestial beings manifesting themselves before us regardless how our minds have become????  I am not the person to answer you this question..hehehe..  I think someone should ask the gods instead????     

Edited January 24, 2018 by ChiForce

[dwai]

23 minutes ago, Jainarayan said:

 

That will be cooler than cool! I’ve already been to Mount Kailasa. Well, in a dream. But Lord Vishnu was there. Maa Parvati was running errands. I was disappointed I didn’t get to see her. I’m serious! I really did have that dream. 

It’s happened to me a few times now. And there is a way to share this too...

 

BTW, I too have had several dreams like that (I call them teaching dreams). You’ve done quite well over the lifetimes it seems.