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ORIGINAL: MsParados

Hello Stella, my point was more towards those that totally disbelieve anything outside of their own understanding. Lot at the growth in the medical field through biology.... if we did not dissect it we would not have the capabilities now. I'm sorry if I did not express that well enough and I wasn't implying that it was you that was scoffing. Forgive, me if that is what you thought. :)

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ORIGINAL: StellaByStarlite

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ORIGINAL: MsParados

Sorry but I suffer from an inhuman amount of faith, which I recieved after more than a few extreme experiences that are not explained by any logical reason. It's one of those dual blessing/ curse things.... could be the gypsy in me or that creative spirit but I think dissecting all of existance would be a boring way to go. There is so much out there that can not be explained away, so many things our small minds do not grasp, I guess for some that makes them uncomfortable being outside their realm of what is familiar.

Hello. =)

MsParados. =) Faith is actually very human, lol. And I think you misunderstand the way science works. There are a TON of unanswered mysteries in the science community. That's why we have science.. to explore the unfamiliar territories and ask "why?". The wholly natural world has enough awe and wonder and mystery, trust me. It justs seems odd to me that "dissecting" our existence would be boring, lol. Knowledge is never dull!

Cheers,
Stella

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ORIGINAL: bearincuffs

Yet there is one point which many people seem to miss and this can apply to the scientific community also, "science" is also a label which can apply to other areas besides biology, chemistry, physics, etc. In many cases, science has become too narrow minded and too structured. One example I can think of is in the realm of Alchemy. Several ancient alchemists, through their work and experimenting, were using the principles of science to further their knowledge in the occult. Especially when they were attempting to find the elusive "philosopher's stone" thereby allowing them to transform base metal into gold. And it was from this experimentation that many concepts of chenistry were discoverd and then refined throughout the years.

The way I see it, during this period of human history, science and mystcism were in conjunction with one another instead of being at opposite ends of this spectrum, as it is now. It is my thought that in this modern day and age, I feel that using science along with the occult, will greatly help mankind in understanding much of what is still hidden.

When it boils down to is science does not have all the answers and neither does the occult. Yet maybe if the realm of science and the occult were "blended" then the finding answers will be more within our grasp. My thoughts are that mankind will never completely reveal all the answers to what we don't know. The adage of the more answers we get, the more question will arise, I believe this is true and applies to everything, irregardless if it's science and/or the occult.

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You do realize that the occult, religion, paranormal and other related  subjects are generated by individuals' need to believe in something other than themselves? Magic is simply the title we give to anything we don't understand and can't prove. It doesn't exist. I'm not saying this to inflame anyone, simply pointing out the obvious.
Bella

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If I had an experience that was unexplained NOW, I wouldn't judge it as being supernatural, no.

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That's the thing about the "occult".  No one really knows what they're doing.

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If you get into a darker side of things you're delving into a realm involving lust for power more than balance and caring about others, to the exclusion of all else.  The possibility of evil becomes greater and a system of checks and balances loses efficacy.  And one thing I can tell you about those that claim they have a dark power is that they rarely, rarely know what they're dabbling in, and never, ever know how deep it runs.  After all, there's a reason it's called the paranormal and the occult.  Occult literally means "hidden", and if we fully understood the paranormal it would just be "the normal."

As for personal experience, I'll suffice to say I've dabbled where I shouldn't have.  We were all young and stupid once.  Fortunately I grew up.

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ORIGINAL: NakedOnMyChain

Of course.  This is all subjective.  I gave you my personal view.  However, you're delving very far into the realm of religion and not occult.  But then we'd have to argue semantics about what occult is.  Then I'd have to argue about Christianity counting as occult, since ancient religions do.  And it would be ugly, drawn-out, and tedious.  So let's not. 

I'll be the first to agree that fictitious stories are not what is needed.

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As much as I love skeptical debate about this kind of stuff, many people are incredibly emotionally attached to the belief in the paranormal.

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ORIGINAL: bludemonn

There are some really good points being brought up here, one big question that will pick your mystical minds is what rituals or methods do you use and recommend for ending or banishing a spirit/s after you have 'dabbled'? What are the reasons behind it and has it always worked for you?

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Magdalena

The whole "dark power" thing often amuses me.  I call such people "dark fluffies" and see them in the same light (no pun intended) as I do white fluffies and fluffy bunny types.  They're more for the shock value and the "ooh spooky" than they actually are in getting practical, reasonable results for what they do.


-m

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ORIGINAL: Magdalena156

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If I had an experience that was unexplained NOW, I wouldn't judge it as being supernatural, no.

The term "supernatural" is IMHO a misnomer.  If it can happen obviously it's a natural phenomenon.

FWIW I don't see magick, witchcraft, or any aspect of the occult as being supernatural.  It's totally natural.


-m

and understanding will keep us exploring in both realms.

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ORIGINAL: bearincuffs
When it boils down to is science does not have all the answers and neither does the occult. Yet maybe if the realm of science and the occult were "blended" then the finding answers will be more within our grasp. My thoughts are that mankind will never completely reveal all the answers to what we don't know. The adage of the more answers we get, the more question will arise, I believe this is true and applies to everything, irregardless if it's science and/or the occult.

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ORIGINAL: StellaByStarlite

Hi, Magdalena. =)


If it's totally natural, then you should be able to explain it by using natural rules. Like... how, exactly do spells work? What makes up the energy responsible for them working? These are very basic questions. why would some of them work, but not others?

Cheers,
Stella

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ORIGINAL: StellaByStarlite

Hey, Bludemon. =)

The dissent and constant debate of the scientific community is it's strong point though. Scientists challenge, debate, question, look at a speculation from all angles, try to come up with all possible answers, and discard it if things don't work. Don't confuse debate for weakness, it's a strength.

I don't really buy into the whole " conspiracy to keep things from the mainstream" at all. For what purpose? It seems very unlikely that dangerous scientific discoveries such as nuclear power are allowed to go public while meanwhile, there's all this " supernatural" phenomena lurking around and being kept secret.

And I have to ask... why NOT look too deeply? If we didn't look too deeply, then how would we ever get knowledge? Do you think that too much knowledge is dangerous? Why?


Cheers,
Stella