Introspection

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Posts by Introspection

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  3

  Circumstances change your attitude.

  by Undecided in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was sitting in my swing in the back yard yesterday enjoying the beautiful day and watching the birds as they courted, pecked the trees, and sang.

  it was heart warming to view the creation.

  then a robin flew over to the tree above my head and i said no, don't crap on my head.

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  Introspection

  Enjoy the posts everyone. Ken, you may be interested in reading about Taoist philosophy, you can start with the Tao Te Ching. Some of the things it says like the contrast of opposites are reflected in the gospels, like "he that is hungry will become full" etc. but just from a more philosophical standpoint. I think that when you've accepted that there are highs and lows in life, then you can become truly happy. It helps to laugh at yourself too. A friend in school who used to be a witness opened up his sandwich and a bird crapped right in there. Now, of course that didn't happen to me, but I think it would be pretty funny. :-)
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  17

  Current spiritual practice ..

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just curious, what is everyone doing in this area?

  i understand there may be a period for 'clearing' if you've only left recently, but i hear that many are pagans, some are christian so i just wanted to get an idea.

  thanks.

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  Introspection

  Just to clarify, I was just using Christian and Pagan as examples in the original message. I am open to hearing about anything else that falls in this category. I don't believe I made any statements to exclude any groups.
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  17

  Current spiritual practice ..

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just curious, what is everyone doing in this area?

  i understand there may be a period for 'clearing' if you've only left recently, but i hear that many are pagans, some are christian so i just wanted to get an idea.

  thanks.

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  Introspection

  Patio, I certainly am not excluding others, however I was responding to Larc and this particular thread just happens to be about what people are doing along the lines of religious practice.
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  17

  Current spiritual practice ..

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just curious, what is everyone doing in this area?

  i understand there may be a period for 'clearing' if you've only left recently, but i hear that many are pagans, some are christian so i just wanted to get an idea.

  thanks.

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  Introspection

  Larc, I have no interest in arguing the point. As I do not follow the pagan path, I cannot speak for them. I suppose there are those who does define Pagan as anything other than Christian. This may be hard for you to believe, but I have no need to fixate on identity or pass any judgement anymore, that is why I take this attitude. I see each individual for who they are, and for that matter if you'd like to tell me what pagan means for you I'd be happy to hear it and keep it in mind as I speak to you in the future. I suppose the most general definition according to the dictionary would be one who has no religion. I myself don't have any formal religion, but I do have certain beliefs, some of which may be considered Christian depending on who I'm talking to. So, even though I don't belong to "organized" religion, strictly speaking I cannot consider myself Pagan and some may not even consider me Christian.

  So my answer in a nutshell is that I do not regard my own view of what is Pagan or Christian as important, therefore it is not that I will not give you a straight answer, it is because there is no "straight" answer in my case.
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  34

  Moving on

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on.

  it's been years for me and i actually have never come to a board like this until recently.

  i'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard?

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  Introspection

  Yes Gopher, fortunately my transition was relatively gradual and at this point I have "moved on", which to me isn't about forgetting but letting it stay in the past. I don't think you need to leave a forum like this, in fact I do believe in processing the experience so it doesn't keep haunting you. I guess it's just a matter of not identifying with what is no longer our identity. I see each one as a brother and sister still, as a human being, not so much an exJW.
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  34

  Moving on

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on.

  it's been years for me and i actually have never come to a board like this until recently.

  i'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard?

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  Introspection

  I saw a recent post of someone leaving the board so they can move on. It's been years for me and I actually have never come to a board like this until recently. I'm just curious, how is everybody doing in that regard? I would imagine new ones need lots of support.
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  17

  Current spiritual practice ..

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just curious, what is everyone doing in this area?

  i understand there may be a period for 'clearing' if you've only left recently, but i hear that many are pagans, some are christian so i just wanted to get an idea.

  thanks.

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  Introspection

  Thanks for the reply everyone. I should say though that by spiritual practice I don't mean a formal religion or a belief system. Larc, I've heard others say that many became Pagans, and talked to some who describe themselves as Pagan so they are the ones you should ask, thuogh I guess it's the earth/goddess thing. If there's one thing I would say about this though it is that we can all still have a rich spiritual life. Not spiritual as the WTS used the word though.
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  17

  Current spiritual practice ..

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm just curious, what is everyone doing in this area?

  i understand there may be a period for 'clearing' if you've only left recently, but i hear that many are pagans, some are christian so i just wanted to get an idea.

  thanks.

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  3. 
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  Introspection

  I'm just curious, what is everyone doing in this area? I understand there may be a period for 'clearing' if you've only left recently, but I hear that many are Pagans, some are Christian so I just wanted to get an idea. Thanks.
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  1

  Intro

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  by the way, my name is mark and i myself am technically inactive on paper.

  but anyhow, i thought that quote would speak more than i can articulate off hand.

  look forward to chatting with you all.

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  Introspection

  Thanks everyone. By the way, my name is Mark and I myself am technically inactive on paper. But anyhow, I thought that quote would speak more than I can articulate off hand. Look forward to chatting with you all.
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  11

  Poem

  by Introspection in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the journey by mary oliver.

  one day you finally knew.

  what you had to do, and began,.

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  Introspection

  The Journey by Mary Oliver

  One day you finally knew
  what you had to do, and began,
  though the voices around you
  kept shouting
  their bad advice--
  though the whole house
  began to tremble
  and you felt the old tug
  at your ankles.
  "Mend my life!"
  each voice cried.
  But you didn't stop.
  You knew what you had to do,
  though the wind pried
  with its stiff fingers
  at the very foundations,
  though their melancholy
  was terrible.
  It was already late
  enough, and a wild night,
  and the road full of fallen
  branches and stones.
  But little by little,
  as you left their voices behind,
  the stars began to burn
  through the sheets of clouds,
  and there was a new voice
  which you slowly
  recognized as your own,
  that kept you company
  as you strode deeper and deeper
  into the world,
  determined to do
  the only thing you could do--
  determined to save
  the only life you could save.