Addictions,, are they caused by a deep unfulfilled need for Spirtuality??

by frankiespeakin 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  frankiespeakin

  JT,

  As you probably aready know Jung got alot of his insights from gurus and an archetype called Philemon. Jung also claims to have experienced "God" thru his meditative practices. One thing he see as a cause of harmfull addictions is the loss of "wholeness" experienced due to a lack of spiritual experience.

  In general:

  My thoughts are if we for 10's of thousands of years regularly engaged in ecstatic ritual and now try to live without it we are going against a long established way of life for our species which has have negative side effects.
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  frankiespeakin

  I did a search and found a letter written by C Jung here is a clip and link for more info for those interested:

  http://198.104.190.233/cybriety/the_bill_w_-_carl_jung_letters.htm

  Dear Mr. W.:
  
  Your letter has been very welcome indeed.
  
  I had no news from Roland H. any more and often wondered what has been his fate. Our conversation which he has adequately reported to you had an aspect of which he did not know. The reason that I could not tell him everything was that those days I had to be exceedingly careful of what I said. I had found out that I was misunderstood in every possible way. Thus I was very careful when I talked to Roland H. But what I really thought about was the result of many experiences with men of his kind.
  
  His craving for alcohol was the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God.*
  How could one formulate such an insight in a language that is not misunderstood in our days?
  
  The only right and legitimate way to such an experience is that it happens to you in reality, and it can only happen to you when you walk on a path which leads you to higher understanding. You might be led to that goal by an act of grace or through a personal and honest contact with friends, or through a higher education of the mind beyond the confines of mere rationalism. I see from your letter that Roland H. has chosen the second way, which was, under the circumstances, obviously the best one.
  
  I am strongly convinced that the evil principle prevailing in this world leads the unrecognized spiritual need into perdition if it is not counteracted either by real religious insight or by the protective wall of human community. An ordinary man, not protected by an action from above and isolated in society, cannot resist the power of evil, which is called very aptly the Devil. But the use of such words arouses so many mistakes that one can only keep aloof from them as much as possible.
  
  These are the reasons why I could not give a full and sufficient explanation to Roland H., but I am risking it with you because I conclude from your very decent and honest letter that you have acquired a point of view above the misleading platitudes one usually hears about alcoholism.
  
  You see, alcohol in Latin is "spiritus," and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum.
  
  Thanking you again for your kind letter.
  
  
  I remain
  
  yours sincerely
  
  
  C. G. Jung
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  JamesThomas

  "Wholeness" though a fairly good description is not it.
  
  it is more like a complete-peace. Complete, in that there is total lack of any need. No need to judge. No need to weave an identity out of some circumstance. No need for drugs. No need for religion. No need, at all.
  
  It is not a stupor or meditative zoning out, but rather being intensely present. Life, is no longer filtered through thoughts, preconceptions, beliefs or judgment, but rather nakedly raw. The peace is so pristine, that there is no thing there to defile it, especially thoughts which make up a self-separate or "me". There is just what IS.....and you are IT.
  
  When there is no thoughts, or memories, or preconceived judgments and interpretations or beliefs about existence, what is left? When the mind is totally still, what remains? When all that we have believed ourselves to be and all that we have believed is our individual relationship with the universe is absent, what is here? Pure and pristine Consciousness, with no beginning or end. That's all there really is. That, is what you are; what everything is.
  
  That, is what the word "God" points to. That, which sparkles from your friends eye, is you. The Alfa, and Omega.
  
  Be still, and know...
  
  
  j
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  frankiespeakin

  I thought this too should be added to understand Jung view:

  http://www.pamweb.org/jungleg.html

  Jung's View of Christianity

  However, because Jung left room for religion, many Christians felt more comfortable with his ideas. Thus it is important to look at Jung's attitudes towards Christianity. His father was a Protestant minister, and Jung experienced aspects of the Christian faith while growing up. He wrote the following about his early experience with the Holy Communion, which seems to be related to his later ideas about religions being only myths:

  Slowly I came to understand that this communion had been a fatal experience for me. It had proved hollow; more than that, it had proved to be a total loss. I knew that I would never again be able to participate in this ceremony. "Why, that is not religion at all," I thought. "It is the absence of God; the church is a place I should not go to. It is not life which is there, but death." 6

  From that one significant incident, Jung could have proceeded to deny all religions, but he didn't. Instead, he evidently saw that religion was very meaningful to many people and that religions could be useful as myths. His choice to consider all religions as myths was further influenced by his view of psychoanalysis. According to Viktor Von Weizsaecker, "C. G. Jung was the first to understand that psychoanalysis belonged in the sphere of religion." 7 That Jung's theories constitute a religion can be seen in his view of God as the collective unconscious and thereby present in each person's unconscious. For him religions revealed aspects of the unconscious and could thus tap into a person's psyche. He also used dreams as avenues into the psyche for self-understanding and self-exploration. Religion was only a tool to tap into the self and if a person wanted to use Christian symbols that was fine with him.
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  Satanus

  For him religions revealed aspects of the unconscious and could thus tap into a person's psyche.

  Religion was only a tool to tap into the self and if a person wanted to use Christian symbols that was fine with him.

  Excellent summation, imo. Religion and it's symbols, jesus, god, etc are just tools to use for an end, not the end in itself.

  S
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  William Penwell

  A spirituality is good but by taking up a religion you are only replacing one addiction with another.

  Will
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  BrendaCloutier

  An interesting extension on a point previously brought up, is that Bill Wilson, one of the two founders of AA, (the other being Dr. Bob Smith,) experimented with LSD the idea being chemical inducement to a spiritual experience to aid in recovery from alcoholism.

  No, I do not believe addictions are caused by an unfulfilled need for spirituality. However, it is an interesting premise. I am familiar with Bill W. and Jung's letters.

  Coming to believe is a key principle in AA. It really doesnt matter in what or whom you believe, but that you believe.... that there is a power greater than you that can restore you to sanity. Unfortunately, many AA'ers become addicted to AA, and AA becomes the totalitarian religion as JWism does for JW's. AA Nazi's and BigBook Thumpers. I avoided them rigorously. However, without working my arse off in the "program" of AA, I truly believe I would not have overcome my addictions.

  For me, this opened up many, many avenues of spirituality and the beginning of understanding of my own higher consciousness.

  My body does not process alcohol normally, just as a diabetics body does not process sugar normally. It is a physiological problem that also affects they brain and neurological functions. A diabetic will crave sugar when they are out-of-balance. An alcoholic craves alcohol.

  When a person with normal reaction to alcohol has one or two, they will often say "no more, I'm feeling it enough now". When an alcoholic has one, or two, or three..... "Hey, I'm just getting started!" (see Brenda dancing a little jig) The after effect is the obscessive NEED for more. The normie simply doesn't need to bother with more. An Alki can walk into a bar with the true intent of having only one or two and find him/herself there at 1AM wondering where the time and $$$ went! A normie will have one or two and leave.

  As with opiates, alcohol also triggers the feel-good centers of the brain in most people. Alcohol, mixed with dopomine in the brain of an alcoholic goes through an altered, complex chemical process of which the outcome is a chemical byproduct that opiates also produce in the brain. These chemical byproducts attach themselves to brain cells, hence one theory for obscession and need.

  My soap box is now put away.

  B
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  czarofmischief

  psychological addictions, I might say yes. Physical addictions. like certain kinds of alcoholics, are a bit different... if your body is defective, its defective, no two ways about it. Some people just NEED their booze, and that's all there is to it.

  Others are using it as a crutch to fill the "god shaped hole," but since that hole is infinite... well, that's a lot of booze. And I'm a big drinker, or at least I used to be, when I had the money...

  But physical addicts have a real, biological problem that often requires medication, therapy, and rehab to work around.

  CZAR
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  frankiespeakin

  Brenda,

  I was talking to a heroin addict a couple of days ago,,and they said that when they wanted to kick the habit they would drop some acid(LSD) when the ran out of H and it would get them through the withdrawal pretty easily.
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  eyeslice

  Not sure about the spiritual need and addictions.
  
  However, there are great problems with the way the WTB&TS deals with addictions. They simply have no idea of the reasons behind why some become addicted to either smoking, alcohol or drugs. Their line is simply disfellowship them.
  
  The most disgusting case I know of was regarding an ex-missionary. He had served as a missionary just after WWII (one of the first in fact). He returned home and served as congregation servant (as they were known in those days) for years. He remained single, looking after his aging mother who was one of the annointed. She eventually died and he was left on his own. He eventually found a companion and married late in life (60's I think) but after a few years she took ill and died. The poor guy turned to drink and was disfellowshipped.
  
  So here is a guy who spends his life faithfully in the borg, compared with the sin of alcoholism, the rest of his life is almost saintly, yet he gets drummed out.
  
  I do not understand it.
  
  Eyeslice