old3bob Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Nungali said: From my perspective all such concepts are socio-culturally based . Even if projected out into 'universals' . There are some fundamental human archetypes that all humans recognise, regardless of culture, but this does not seem to include concepts of what is good or bad . The inverted triangle is also culturally variable ; the 3 bodies of Buddahood ; elementally and alchemically ; water , a Nazi prisoner , ' a map of Tassie ' , denotes the vector of partial derivatives , etc . Proper 'Universal' symbols are human archetypes - ie, a symbol that can be recognised by a human from any time, location or culture ok, but it sounds like the term socio-culturally is being stretched way beyond its normal meaning to me... as for the symbols many are common across many cultures. (but of course not all) Anyway to me dharma is still universal because we are all based on dharmas not unlike using the analogy that the all human beings are based on DNA . (thus what harms, corrupts or destroys DNA could be said to be "evil" to DNA and thus to the human beings that it is core to) ...although the question then arises as to what can test one to the extreme besides anti-dharma or forms of evil yet can not really harm dharmas/laws. Edited December 12, 2020 by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Posted December 14, 2020 I've found the Vajrapani mantra very helpful for removing "negative" energy lately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sketch Posted December 14, 2020 I walk around the house with a ukulele for similar reasons 2 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 14, 2020 12 minutes ago, Sketch said: I walk around the house with a ukulele for similar reasons 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 14, 2020 4 minutes ago, old3bob said: Dealing with the dark side... it is getting less dark. Thank you old3bob. - Anand Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sketch Posted December 14, 2020 See? Cuts right through the gloom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 14, 2020 49 minutes ago, Sketch said: See? Cuts right through the gloom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Posted December 17, 2020 There is a popular Catholic exorcist that can easily be found on YouTube named Father Rippenger that has at this point probably done around ten thousand exorcisms. Needless to say, he has a lot of experience and has seen a lot of things. He is also a very traditional Catholic and so is his theology. That being the case most of the conclusions he draws from his experience with exorcism, I do not agree with, yet his experiences are fascinating to listen to. The things he says he has witnessed first hand include people's appearances changing, speaking in other languages, levitation, supernatural knowledge, supernatural strength, ect. The thing that confuses me about him though is his theological interpretation. Basically, if you do this Catholic thing, then this happens, so a rather narrow and fundamental view of the world and spirituality. How to make sense of this? ***warning his talk is very traditional Catholic and I don't agree with the Theology, but I find the experience interesting. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Posted December 17, 2020 It has been curious to me lately that the Vajrapani mantra has had the most effect being that its protective and clears negative energy, but I've had more than one person tell me that they have heard my ex "pray" for horrible things to happen to me, so basically formally cursing me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted December 17, 2020 Not laughing at you , but the concept .... " Oh God , please kill my enemies , or at least do something nasty to them or if not ... make them stub their toe or something ." 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Posted December 17, 2020 3 minutes ago, Nungali said: Not laughing at you , but the concept .... " Oh God , please kill my enemies , or at least do something nasty to them or if not ... make them stub their toe or something ." You basically summed up my ex lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted December 17, 2020 I tend to treat old enemies the same way I do dark entities. Ignore'em mostly, leave'em alone, give'em no heed. Without providing drama and attention, they usually wander on to people who'll give it to them. Most of the time, enemy is a title I give things having a bad day. At another time, we'd get along. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EFreethought Posted December 18, 2020 6 hours ago, Nungali said: Not laughing at you , but the concept .... " Oh God , please kill my enemies , or at least do something nasty to them or if not ... make them stub their toe or something ." It's called "imprecatory prayer". It's a thing amongst the wingnut crowd. Google "imprecatory prayer Obama" for a few samples. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Posted December 18, 2020 26 minutes ago, EFreethought said: It's called "imprecatory prayer". It's a thing amongst the wingnut crowd. Google "imprecatory prayer Obama" for a few samples. So basically just a curse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted December 18, 2020 We have a national one here May your chooks turn into emus and kick your dunny down Translation: I hope your chickens turn into emus and kick the outside toilet down. Meaning: Used when you want to wish someone bad luck. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idiot_stimpy Posted December 18, 2020 16 hours ago, dmattwads said: It has been curious to me lately that the Vajrapani mantra has had the most effect being that its protective and clears negative energy, but I've had more than one person tell me that they have heard my ex "pray" for horrible things to happen to me, so basically formally cursing me. Do you find you randomly have thoughts about her? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TranquilTurmoil Posted December 18, 2020 Hello all. I feel this is a good thread to share my experiences with dark entities even if it doesn't answer any questions. I briefly gave my story here a few months ago but this time I will hone in on the content relative to the thread. My path is a combination of the I Ching, Mahayana Buddhism, Taoist philosophy and Theism. 7 years ago I had a crisis of faith with the I ching part of my path which led to immense feelings of anxiety, doubt, and panic. I had committed myself to the I Ching path similar to samaya in Tibetan Buddhism and within a few months I got the urge to flee at the first signs of trouble. After regaining my composure whilst still anxious one night I essentially dreamt that I either got possessed by a demon or brought one into this world. It was very vivid and disturbing. Upon waking I consulted the I Ching and got hexagram 36.2.5 > 5. The reading was Darkening of the Light and the lines were 2: you have been wounded by a dark force and 5: an external darkness cannot be escaped. This was very traumatic and the beginnings of more severe trauma to come. I 'll describe it more if anyone wants to hear but I feel this is a decent intro to my experiences. In the following months I had a week or two long experience after an energy eruption seemingly brought on by hubris and boasting which led to waking experiences of demons/evil spirits and even hallucinating the mark of the beast written in blood. 7 years later I feel healed, recovered, protected, and happy that I persevered on my path. I never sought out an exorcism as I was never guided to do so and now when I encounter dark forces in my dreams I pray them away. I recently met a reiki teacher whom I hope to work with and can give me more insight into what happened and what I should do going forward. I guess my story is a warning that if you are on a mystical oriented path take heed and exercise caution as you proceed as I jumped in headfirst as a beginner and very nearly drowned. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted December 18, 2020 15 hours ago, EFreethought said: It's called "imprecatory prayer". It's a thing amongst the wingnut crowd. Google "imprecatory prayer Obama" for a few samples. Twain did it first (1905).. https://warprayer.org/ has the full story including- <being Mark Twain, a pacifist do I need to add it's Satire?> “..Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth into battle—be Thou near them! With them—in spirit—we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended in the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames in summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it—For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen." 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
idiot_stimpy Posted December 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, thelerner said: ...blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!We ask it, in the spirit of love... Pretty disturbing to ask to kill and torment others including their children in the spirit of love. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, thelerner said: "We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen." Hi Michael, All men. Amen - Anand Edited December 18, 2020 by Limahong Enhancement Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 18, 2020 21 hours ago, Nungali said: " Oh God , please kill my enemies , or at least do something nasty to them or if not ... make them stub their toe or something ." Oh God, please give Nun a kick. Thank you God. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted December 18, 2020 2 hours ago, idiot_stimpy said: Pretty disturbing to ask to kill and torment others including their children in the spirit of love. exactly, that is the point Twain the satirist wanted to get through. Cause its seems easy to see, yet in war time all to common. Even now, in politics, reading the comment sections in the more extreme news sources we see calls to arms, death and/or imprisonment to the other villainous other side. I think we all have to be on guard not to engage in it ourselves, especially during dark times. We've been raised to reduce complex situations into hero vs villains scenarios. Assuming quick solutions to long term knotty problems. Mark Twain had another story, The Mysterious Stranger, where 3 kids meet a stranger who performs miracles and brings there dolls to life, and to a bloody end, they watch, he laughs. The seemingly sentient dolls were his play things. Is he the devil? A god? Twain leaves us wondering. I think Twain wrote a few versions of the story. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Limahong Posted December 18, 2020 4 hours ago, thelerner said: exactly, that is the point Twain the satirist wanted to get through. Cause its seems easy to see, yet in war time all to common. Even now, in politics, reading the comment sections in the more extreme news sources we see calls to arms, death and/or imprisonment to the other villainous other side. I think we all have to be on guard not to engage in it ourselves, especially during dark times. We've been raised to reduce complex situations into hero vs villains scenarios. Assuming quick solutions to long term knotty problems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maddie Posted January 16, 2021 Another dark side related topic... Mara. I've always wondered if he is meant as a literal being or as a metaphor for desire? Or the devil for that matter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites