I suppose this is one of the times I wish I hadn't given my TV away because I'd've liked to see the programmes that it seems most other people have. I've been told about some things that were talked about on them but it'd've been nice to've seen them all. Seems everyone more or less has a bigger collection of stories than me if they've watched them. Guess the programmes are a good background to listening to various aunts and uncles and friends etc.

I occasionally buy the relevent magazines but I find the experiences in them are far more dramatic than mine quite often which is why I relate easier to the books which are nearer to my own experiences.

Anyway talking last night was interesting. I've a book for the chapel .. guess it is for the all other religions section though it relates to Christianity. As I said, like Buddhism, it has it's religious and philisophical branches. I believe in spirit and am part of the philisophical lot.

It's from experience that I say it's best to talk to people you know .. a lot of people
don't believe so obviously the best way round that is to get a background from the tv/books/magazines etc and listen to anything people you know have to say. As I've said it appears a lot of people have experiences so someone in the family or amongnst close friends should have something to tell you and maybe openning your mind up to the possibility will bring more personal experiences in.

Personal experience and talking to people you know and trust is the best way in. I've put up a few of my experiences over the years ... just to add a bit here and there and there's plenty more from people talking about their experiences on the net .. and in books/papers/magazines and on the radio.

Seems the best way to go.

That way you'll get to find out things from people you know and trust.

I had one unpleasant experience on the net covering people's intentions. I joined a board just before I went into hospital last summer. I wasn't well enough to post for much of the time so concentrated most on my friends. I was very ill and said that I'd get back to them when I felt better though was quite happy to tell everyone there what the situation was.

What I did notice was that most people there weren't exchanging much information. It was meant to be a board for all spiritualities but instead seemed to revolve around the concept of "magic" which is ok but I don't believe in it. I think it's just a way of reminding yourself what your intentions are to be honest which for some people will spur them on. A bit of self realisation in ritual. They still said to go .. I was in hospital at the time feeling very ill .. and to come back when I was better. I thought it strange that this was thewir attitude .. no healing was offered which is very strange .. most people will if they believe in that kind of thing .. and later on when I questioned this I was told that they couldn't possibly offer healing to people they didn't know!!!!

Huh!!!!

I said that I had felt a bit uncomfortable there as it looked as if I would be the only one doing any sharing. I was then told that my attitude was too serious for the board. Mind you they had told me that this was precisely what the board was for and it wouldn't be accepted if you just stayed in the more general topic area.

There were a couple of people there who seemed very nice and I doubt if they'd've gone along with all this crap to be honest. One was another newbie who had posted a couple of her own experiences .. and they were much the same as my very early ones .. about the only person who had .. and someone who was into some deep meditation which was all pretty much ignored by the other members.

I said that I wasn't going to be too open if no-one else was but that I would share some things and discuss a lot. I was then told that the board was really a religious board for a certain stream of pagans .. which means it must've changed over night .. as before it'd been for all people on a spiritual path.

Being told that I wasn't going to be offered any healing because I was new was an eye opener too .. plus the fact that they'd decided to go through all this when I was extremely ill, in hospital, and had offered to explain this to the other members.

I was then told that the board wasn't suitable for me and I had to agree.

But be careful of people who want loads of information from you while being silent on the matter themselves. And who change the goal posts all the time depending on what they want.

They also said generally that they were surprised that new members didn't stay around for long.

I wasn't ..... there are plenty of places with a better attitude.