Goals for spiritual development--can anybody suggest some?

[raccoon]

At a church, I saw this question on a survey:

What are your goals for spiritual development?

And I couldn’t even think what might constitute one. It was as if someone asked me how I would go about repairing a car transmission.

I googled “goals for spiritual development,” but what I found was heavily Xtianity oriented.

Anybody got any ideas? Would these qualify?

“To be more tolerant of other people.”

“To have more serenity in my life.”

(Whether these qualify or not, I realize they are vague statements.)

[saltpoint]

1. Read like a fiend. Read widely and deeply across disciplines.

Read poetry especially and spend time in gardens, museums, and other venues where unmitigated space is the rule and not the exception.

Re-choose all the art you hang in your dwelling to suit the purpose and definition of your spriitual inquiries, no matter how diverse or even contradictory they are.

And buy recordings by thoughtful people, whose lyrics transcend the ordinary, or make the ordinary divine. Joni Mitchell. Bob Dylan. Jackson Browne. James Taylor. Emmylou Harris.

Just a few comments... accept or reject them as you need to or want to... and all good wishes to you, raccoon.

[Silent3]

2. Let's see...

1) Get into the comfy, puffy cloud place, instead of the over-toasty gnashing-of-teeth place.

2) Try to stop thinking too hard once I've found a pleasing answer which makes me feel good about myself, especially if I've been told doing so helps with Goal #1.

3) Try not too think about what a bastard my Deity can be -- doing so can only mess up my chances of achieving Goal #1. He's gonna be good to me anyway, and that's what counts!

4) Learn how to look and feel blissful while singing and speaking dogma.

5) Figure out how to dance around the horrible things my Deity does to those who, unlike me, don't get with the program, so I can sound compassionate about those f*cking idiots... err, those poor souls, and pretend like I really imagine that most of them will change their minds during their last breaths when the idea bothers me, and how it sounds bad what will happen if they don't but there's some sort of metaphysical logic about free choice and eternal torture and how they go together and, well, f*ck 'em anyway if they blow their chance to agree with me... err, with Him... 'cause they get what they deserve!

6) Try not to think about #5 so much... do more of that #4 stuff and smile, 'cause I'm all about love!

[jonnyblitz]

6. ...

:thumbsup:

[More Than A Feeling]

12. Now THAT's funny...

a most excellent caricature :rofl:

[Boojatta]

3. Maybe you can't sharpen your spirit the way you would sharpen a pencil

What is the purpose of your spiritual development?

Is it to help you choose worthwhile goals and to pursue those goals using methods that are peaceful, safe, effective, and without harmful side-effects?

Why not spend some time choosing a worthwhile goal and then spend time pursuing that goal while paying close attention to your methods?

Is there a general way to develop spiritually?

Maybe you will develop spiritually only while you are involved in some specific project that you have chosen and that you can control.

[LaurenG]

4. For starters Spiritual development is not religous development

A spiritual being is someone who honors the spirit in all life starting with themselves.
You just decide who it is you think your are and develop ways to the best you.

(this is not meant toward you) but I am very tired of some "atheists" trying to decide what spirituality is when they don't believe they even have a spirit.

Also, IMHO your goals are right on. Figure out how can you develop into a being like Christ or Buddha or whoever you look to as a "good" and decent being. Learn to meditate it really does help balance you and you can get to know yourself at the same time. Praying is speaking and meditating is listening.

[SidDithers]

10. I'm very tired of some "christians" deciding what...

some athiests believe or don't believe.

Sid

[hvn_nbr_2]

13. I see that happening both directions all the time.

I'd say at least 95% of posts that aim to ridicule or disparage the other side don't really ridicule the other side at all. They merely ridicule a caricature of a fantasy of the other side that has little to do with the real other side or what it really believes. Overall, it seems to me that the atheist side shows a bit more venom more consistently, but that may be because of where I watch from.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Let spirit come to you

Spiritual development comes from the inside, not outside, at least in my experience. Do you listen to your heart? I mean by that feelings and intuitions you get. When I started my spiritual journey, and even now I find it very helpful to walk in nature, away from crowds and people. Do not be discouraged if some things come to you in a flash, and then there's nothing for a time. "To everything there is a season" is more than words from the Bible.

Just wanting to develop spiritually is the first step, I think. There is an old saying that when you take one step towards God, God runs ten steps towards you.

Peace.

[Goldensilence]

7. my thoughts

are find a path that you feel is comfortable.

I myself find personal enlightenment and development in buddhism and its different schools of thought.

I'd make a list of what spiritual traditions you have found intriguing and look into them a little and see what fits.

[salvorhardin]

8. Those are good

I would also add, question everything but most especially yourself. Question why you believe, how you came to believe it and what you get out of any particular belief. You might be surprised where that takes you.

And to be clear, I am not advocating for atheism here but for self discovery.

[InaneAnanity]

9. I should start...

...by not hating people so much.

[manic expression]

11. Goals?

Just try to find what you are looking for. That's really all it is. Some people look for practical goals (temper control, transcending pain and pleasure, etc....), while others look to be one with themselves and their sorroundings. If you ask 100 people, you would probably get more than 100 answers. Just ask yourself, keep an open mind and keep searching (you'll find what you never lost).

Yeah, any religious thing you google will be extremely Xianity oriented. You could try looking at different religions and belief systems specifically and find what you find personally appealing.

The goals you listed are perfect.

I hope that helped.

[toddaa]

14. On clear night

If you live in the city, get out. Someplace remote, away from light and sound pollution. Lie on the ground. Lying on the ground is important, because you are no longer looking up. Space is not up, it's around. As you look at the thousands upon thousands of stars, consider this: they all come from the Singularity. If you still need to clutter up your mind with spirituality that tries to take that most beautiful sight and abstract it into something more requiring words and meaning, then be my guest. But I suspect after stilling your mind of all its thoughts and just gazing upon and accepting the universe as it is and realizing that everything within it comes from the Singularity, you will be satisfied.

The only way to top this would be to follow it up by having wild sex while listening to Sun Ra. Seriously.