Sunday 20/12/09 (night) – Monday 21/12/09 (morning)
Lucid: Possibly?
Bed time: 11:30pm
Wake up time: 6:00am (then slept in until 9:04am)
Total hours slept: 9hrs 34 mins
Dream: I was walking in a local shopping mall that’s in my town with my two sisters, mother and father. It was so much busier than usual, there was people everywhere pushing into us. As I looked around there was a man in his twenties preaching about God as he walked with his friends. He had long blonde hair, was wearing a woollen hat and had a black coat that reached down to the floor. He was yelling quotes from the Bible, and I think one of them was from the book of John. Anyways it was something along the lines that God forgives and knows all of our sins. Then I heard him say, “Isn’t that amazing?!” I can remember thinking, “I’ve heard this all before, I don’t want to hear anymore.”
And as I was looking around at everyone, I could instantly tell their religious status, (i.e I could tell if they were Christians or not, just by looking at them). As we continued walking, my family and I turned to the left to a shop. The sign above the store read, “Superdrug” (the name of a common drug store here in Northern Ireland). Although, inside there were masses and masses of Bibles, all different shapes and sizes and colours, that were stacked on the shop shelves. People were swarming all around them. So we entered and all of a sudden, my sister and I sat down and had a conversation about my life. I distinctly remember telling her about my doubts in religion and every emotion I’d ever felt (particularly depression, although when she asked me did I suffer from depression, I said “No, it’s more stress than depression.”) Depression seemed to be there for a reason because the day before in reality, I attended a church service. A Canadian pastor had visited and was preaching. On of the things he said was this, “I think depression is not an illness, it’s a state of mind.”
Okay, so back to the dream, my sister and I were interrupted by something that I felt was very important once I’d woken up. But as we turned around to see, my dream faded to an end.
Monday, 21 December 2009
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Is the Bible Really the Truth?
Is the content of the Holy Bible really true? Can we honestly say that Jesus Christ did exist just because a book says so?
I’ve heard pastor’s preaching in the past that we know God exists because we have his holy word, the Bible. In the Bible it says that God inspired writers to document everything that is written in the very book. When I sit in a church service and hear that, I can’t help but laugh to myself. How on earth do you expect to convert someone to Christianity by telling them that this random book which was written thousands of years ago (that might not even be true), proves the existence of a being whom we can’t even see? It's not the ideal way to guide someone into a decision that has a dramatic affect on their life.
Now, the bible is unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with countless millions of copies in print, but there is no proof whatsoever that the events which are mentioned in the book actually happened. So many people root themselves to the belief that the Bible is true, when they can’t even give any solid evidence that this is so. Usually, they'll just quote the Bible again! It’s like saying, “I receive presents on Christmas morning every year, so Santa Claus does exist!” It’s self-deluding, and I’ve never been capable of putting all my faith into a "possibly" true book.
If Christians expect people to automatically put all of their trust into the words in a book, they've got a lot to learn. I for one, can't do so.
I’ve heard pastor’s preaching in the past that we know God exists because we have his holy word, the Bible. In the Bible it says that God inspired writers to document everything that is written in the very book. When I sit in a church service and hear that, I can’t help but laugh to myself. How on earth do you expect to convert someone to Christianity by telling them that this random book which was written thousands of years ago (that might not even be true), proves the existence of a being whom we can’t even see? It's not the ideal way to guide someone into a decision that has a dramatic affect on their life.
Now, the bible is unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with countless millions of copies in print, but there is no proof whatsoever that the events which are mentioned in the book actually happened. So many people root themselves to the belief that the Bible is true, when they can’t even give any solid evidence that this is so. Usually, they'll just quote the Bible again! It’s like saying, “I receive presents on Christmas morning every year, so Santa Claus does exist!” It’s self-deluding, and I’ve never been capable of putting all my faith into a "possibly" true book.
If Christians expect people to automatically put all of their trust into the words in a book, they've got a lot to learn. I for one, can't do so.
Gig on Saturday Night Tale
Last night I had the amazing opportunity to sing and play guitar at a concert. Over the past two weeks I'd been practising for it and getting a song ready. So, yesterday I had to bring my guitar down to the gig to have a practise and a sound check at 5:30pm. So, I arrived, got out my guitar, sat on a stool, hooked up some microphones, and sang. Then the sound crew adjusted the volume etc and when I had finished, I sat back down with my two friends I had come with. At this stage, I was feeling pretty good because the practise run had went very well. My friends and I sat watching the crew adjust lights, mics, and other band members were practising too. Then, 7:30pm came, the start of the concert. I was supposed to go on stage and perform after the band had played a few songs.
As we were all sitting listening, my mouth and throat turned so dry it was unbelievable. And come to think of it, I didn't FEEL nervous, but obviously that's not how my body felt. This was the third time I'd ever performed to a large number of people. So I was sitting there, getting more anxious by the minute with my mouth and throat turning into the Saharah Desert. Until it was my turn to perform...
I walked onto the stage, picked up my guitar and sat on the same stool again. One member of the crew fixed the mics for me and then I began singing. It was going well, although the driness of my mouth made it very hard to sing properly. I sang the first verse and the chorus perfectly. Next was the second verse...I forgot the lyrics! So I simply starting smiling, playing it cool, and continued playing. I sang the rest of the song perfectly.
Of course I was somewhat disappointed that I screwed up a little, but my cousin who organised the concert said that she didn't even realise I had forgotten the lyrics, and she knew the song so well herself! If a person who knows a song so well and can't even tell that I'd messed up the words, the rest of the crowd probably knew no better either! Bingo! Oh, and another thing: a girl whom I didn't even know, walked up to me, hugged me and toldme that I did a good job performing! Can you believe that?!
So overall, it was a good night. I didn't go to bed until after midnight and then this morning I had to wake up early and be brought to church (unwillingly). What I did all afternoon and this evening? Well, my friend and I built a snowman then went to their house and watched some movies. Now I'm back here blogging and surfing YouTube as usual.
As we were all sitting listening, my mouth and throat turned so dry it was unbelievable. And come to think of it, I didn't FEEL nervous, but obviously that's not how my body felt. This was the third time I'd ever performed to a large number of people. So I was sitting there, getting more anxious by the minute with my mouth and throat turning into the Saharah Desert. Until it was my turn to perform...
I walked onto the stage, picked up my guitar and sat on the same stool again. One member of the crew fixed the mics for me and then I began singing. It was going well, although the driness of my mouth made it very hard to sing properly. I sang the first verse and the chorus perfectly. Next was the second verse...I forgot the lyrics! So I simply starting smiling, playing it cool, and continued playing. I sang the rest of the song perfectly.
Of course I was somewhat disappointed that I screwed up a little, but my cousin who organised the concert said that she didn't even realise I had forgotten the lyrics, and she knew the song so well herself! If a person who knows a song so well and can't even tell that I'd messed up the words, the rest of the crowd probably knew no better either! Bingo! Oh, and another thing: a girl whom I didn't even know, walked up to me, hugged me and toldme that I did a good job performing! Can you believe that?!
So overall, it was a good night. I didn't go to bed until after midnight and then this morning I had to wake up early and be brought to church (unwillingly). What I did all afternoon and this evening? Well, my friend and I built a snowman then went to their house and watched some movies. Now I'm back here blogging and surfing YouTube as usual.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Writers and Trains
In my head I collect all these ideas of what the ideal writer should do and be. I know it's kind've stupid, as every writer is unique, but often when I'm day dreaming I just imagine this person who loves to write more than anything. So, in this blog post, I've decided to share one of many thoughts on what I think is the ideal writer. You may find this completely useless or uninteresting, and some may not, but here goes...
Okay, to start things off, let's talk about writers and trains. Picture this, a man is sitting by himself on a train with a notebook laid on the table and a pen in his hand. Also sitting on the table is a coffee from 'StarBucks' and he's gazing out the window watching the countryside fly past him in smudges of greens. He appears to be deep in thought, and you just know he's writing a story, or a poem or just random notes.
I personally adore trains. They're quiet, comfortable and ideas or inspirations will often hit me when travelling on one. The idea of this person who's far out and just drifts away from everyone through thought, is fascinating to me. Someone who's different and observes the world around them instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Someone who can just chill out and have a coffee while writing down whatever comes into their head.
There's this great song by Jon Foreman called, "Southbound Train", and in an inteview, Jon said something along the lines that he was going home on a train and he wrote a song about his long journey there. If you look it up on YouTube, you should find it. It's very unwinding to listen to after a long day.
Anyways, I hope these short thoughts kept you interested for a while. Maybe I'll share more thoughts on the subject in the future. Who knows?
Okay, to start things off, let's talk about writers and trains. Picture this, a man is sitting by himself on a train with a notebook laid on the table and a pen in his hand. Also sitting on the table is a coffee from 'StarBucks' and he's gazing out the window watching the countryside fly past him in smudges of greens. He appears to be deep in thought, and you just know he's writing a story, or a poem or just random notes.
I personally adore trains. They're quiet, comfortable and ideas or inspirations will often hit me when travelling on one. The idea of this person who's far out and just drifts away from everyone through thought, is fascinating to me. Someone who's different and observes the world around them instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Someone who can just chill out and have a coffee while writing down whatever comes into their head.
There's this great song by Jon Foreman called, "Southbound Train", and in an inteview, Jon said something along the lines that he was going home on a train and he wrote a song about his long journey there. If you look it up on YouTube, you should find it. It's very unwinding to listen to after a long day.
Anyways, I hope these short thoughts kept you interested for a while. Maybe I'll share more thoughts on the subject in the future. Who knows?
Sunday, 13 December 2009
Lucid Dreaming
Through the aid of YouTube and the internet, I've become very much aware of the concept of lucidity. I've been researching a lot over the past few days on the subject, and have made the conscious decision to become a lucid dreamer. First and foremost, it would make more sense to tell you what lucid dreaming is, although you probably know already.
Lucid dreaming- Being in a state where you are dreaming and are fully aware that you are.
So, basically, knowing that you're dreaming. Depending on the level of lucidity you're in, you will be capable of having full control of what goes on in your dream. I'm not going to go into the all the levels of lucidity at present, but I'll probably touch on them at a later stage. For now, I'm going to talk about the journey I'm going to take to become a lucid dreamer.
NOTE: In the challenge that I'm currently taking, I do not desire to have OOBE (out of body experiences) or anything of an occult nature. Rather I simply wish to experience the extraordinary capability of lucid dreaming, and the personal enlightenment from interpreting my dreams and becoming aware of my dream signs through doing so.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's begin. One of the key things that is recommended to anyone who wishes to lucid dream, is a dream journal. Basically it's a diary that you keep near your bed at all times. That way, having woken up from a lucid dream/dream, you can quickly jot them down before you forget them. I now have a dream journal that stays beneath my pillow and I've been trying to record my dreams in it for about three days.
Many people don't remember their dreams and find it hard to record them (me included),that is because our brains have gotten so used to forgeting, that they're stuck in their ways. To have a stronger dream recall (term used to express remembering your dreams), you must train your mind to remember. Creating the intent in your mind to consciously remember your dreams. To do so, you can think very hard about recalling your dreams, wanting to become lucid and doing reality checks. It's all about intent.
You'll have noticed that I said "reality checks" there. What are they? Well, it's basically a check you do to ensure you that you are/are not dreaming. To become lucid you need to practice these reality checks even through the day so that your mind is so used to checking, that it will do it in it's sleep. Below are a few common reality checks:
1. Observing your hand- often in the dream world, your hand will not look like an ordinary hand. It could be discoloured, deformed etc. From seeing that your hand doesn't look normal, you'll realise that you're in a dream.
2. Holding your nose and closing your mouth- This is a test to see if you can breathe without the aid of a nose or mouth. In the dream world, you can usually breathe without them, thus you'll be able to tell that you're deaming.
3. Asking questions- Asking yourself questions like, "Where am I?" (if your surroundings aren't everyday fimiliar ones, you'll know that you're dreaming), and the list goes on. The questions will make you come to the realisation that you're in fact dreaming.
Sadly, I know more theory than I do practical, but hopefully that will all change. This takes patience, motivation and practice. This journey might indeed transpire into something far bigger and enlightening. I'm a stickler for believing that dreams have meanings, meanings that could indeed benefit me as a person. I'll continue with dream journaling etc and update you later.
Lucid dreaming- Being in a state where you are dreaming and are fully aware that you are.
So, basically, knowing that you're dreaming. Depending on the level of lucidity you're in, you will be capable of having full control of what goes on in your dream. I'm not going to go into the all the levels of lucidity at present, but I'll probably touch on them at a later stage. For now, I'm going to talk about the journey I'm going to take to become a lucid dreamer.
NOTE: In the challenge that I'm currently taking, I do not desire to have OOBE (out of body experiences) or anything of an occult nature. Rather I simply wish to experience the extraordinary capability of lucid dreaming, and the personal enlightenment from interpreting my dreams and becoming aware of my dream signs through doing so.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's begin. One of the key things that is recommended to anyone who wishes to lucid dream, is a dream journal. Basically it's a diary that you keep near your bed at all times. That way, having woken up from a lucid dream/dream, you can quickly jot them down before you forget them. I now have a dream journal that stays beneath my pillow and I've been trying to record my dreams in it for about three days.
Many people don't remember their dreams and find it hard to record them (me included),that is because our brains have gotten so used to forgeting, that they're stuck in their ways. To have a stronger dream recall (term used to express remembering your dreams), you must train your mind to remember. Creating the intent in your mind to consciously remember your dreams. To do so, you can think very hard about recalling your dreams, wanting to become lucid and doing reality checks. It's all about intent.
You'll have noticed that I said "reality checks" there. What are they? Well, it's basically a check you do to ensure you that you are/are not dreaming. To become lucid you need to practice these reality checks even through the day so that your mind is so used to checking, that it will do it in it's sleep. Below are a few common reality checks:
1. Observing your hand- often in the dream world, your hand will not look like an ordinary hand. It could be discoloured, deformed etc. From seeing that your hand doesn't look normal, you'll realise that you're in a dream.
2. Holding your nose and closing your mouth- This is a test to see if you can breathe without the aid of a nose or mouth. In the dream world, you can usually breathe without them, thus you'll be able to tell that you're deaming.
3. Asking questions- Asking yourself questions like, "Where am I?" (if your surroundings aren't everyday fimiliar ones, you'll know that you're dreaming), and the list goes on. The questions will make you come to the realisation that you're in fact dreaming.
Sadly, I know more theory than I do practical, but hopefully that will all change. This takes patience, motivation and practice. This journey might indeed transpire into something far bigger and enlightening. I'm a stickler for believing that dreams have meanings, meanings that could indeed benefit me as a person. I'll continue with dream journaling etc and update you later.
Saturday, 12 December 2009
What is the Meaning of Life?
Wow, big question, huh? I've decided that this question has been one of the most enlightening to answer, and I hope I can translate it into this very blog post. We as humans wish to know so much about what we cannot comprehend, and this often makes people afraid or worried about it. But from answering this question, it's like a light has just turned on in my head.
So, what is the meaning of life? Why live on this Earth? To me, the answer is different for every individual alive, so therefore I can only give you my personal answer, of which is divided into several parts. The primary meaning though, I believe, is to experience. Experiencing something new is a valuable moment in our lives. When you complete an action, it is only ever significant the very moment you do it, therefore you should savour a new experience. For example, smelling a new scent, feeling a new emotion, skydiving, spiritual awakenings, religious journeys etc. I believe that your life is in your hands. It's your responsibility to live it the way you choose. Whether that's simply completing a personal challenge like skydiving, or choosing a religious or spiritual path to go down.
The meaning of life is to trust in what you believe is right, do what you want to do, love who you want to love, go where you want to go, see what you want to see, discover what you want to discover. Believe in whatever you think is the truth.
Also included is what I like to call, "The Ups and Downs of Life". Life is about experiencing all the advantages and disadvantages of being a human, that will eventually better you as a person. "The Ups and Downs of Life" strengthen you and enable you to be ready for the next thing that tries to knock you off your feet.
To discover yourself is another aspect, but I'll touch on that matter at a later stage. For now, this is a short answer of what I believe is the meaning of life.
So, what is the meaning of life? Why live on this Earth? To me, the answer is different for every individual alive, so therefore I can only give you my personal answer, of which is divided into several parts. The primary meaning though, I believe, is to experience. Experiencing something new is a valuable moment in our lives. When you complete an action, it is only ever significant the very moment you do it, therefore you should savour a new experience. For example, smelling a new scent, feeling a new emotion, skydiving, spiritual awakenings, religious journeys etc. I believe that your life is in your hands. It's your responsibility to live it the way you choose. Whether that's simply completing a personal challenge like skydiving, or choosing a religious or spiritual path to go down.
The meaning of life is to trust in what you believe is right, do what you want to do, love who you want to love, go where you want to go, see what you want to see, discover what you want to discover. Believe in whatever you think is the truth.
Also included is what I like to call, "The Ups and Downs of Life". Life is about experiencing all the advantages and disadvantages of being a human, that will eventually better you as a person. "The Ups and Downs of Life" strengthen you and enable you to be ready for the next thing that tries to knock you off your feet.
To discover yourself is another aspect, but I'll touch on that matter at a later stage. For now, this is a short answer of what I believe is the meaning of life.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Looking for Questions
Over the duration of about let's say, two weeks, I've been searching for philosophical questions to answer. The process has been very rewarding as I've cleared my mind of some questions that were personal and relevent to me as a person. It just feels so satisfying when you've go it all figured out.
Anyways, most of you will know I have a YouTube account under the name, 'fellowtuber123'. Recently I posted a video in which I comtemplated Death and Religion. Below is a the URL of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdrLMI-z1U
Anyways, most of you will know I have a YouTube account under the name, 'fellowtuber123'. Recently I posted a video in which I comtemplated Death and Religion. Below is a the URL of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdrLMI-z1U
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)