Faith and the Intellect

[yukteswar]

Hey, everybody.

I followed the JoS teachings pretty faithfully several years ago, with good results, but allowed myself to be pulled in a different direction, and ended up falling by the wayside. Now I'm back, trying to get it back together. Reading the literature and meditating. I'm getting back in the swing a bit, but I seem to be having the same issue I have on any spiritual path I try to follow, and that's the issue of faith.

I have a spiritual background of yoga and zen, and some other eastern paths, and one thing I've learned all too well is not to rely on intellectual knowledge moreso than direct experience. Unfortunately, I must start somewhere, and intellectual knowledge is all I really have with the JoS path. I've had experiences when following it before, but they could easily be explained away psychologically.

So, that being said, can anyone share some ideas on how to break past this intellectual barrier? I want to have faith in Satan, and in my meditations, but unfortunately I only know him intellectually from what I've read, and not direct experience, which for people like me, is the only way to true, infallible faith.

In short, I want to have faith in these teachings so that I can experience the presence of Satan and get the most out of this path, but in order for that faith to blossom and the teachings to be valid to my psychologically battered psyche, that direct experience is essential. See my predicament?

Can anyone help? Thanks so much!

 

[kittyahawk3@rocketmail.com]

Sounds like Father Satan drew you back..
..and unfortunately I understand the battered psyche issue..
congratulations on your reaching out, though..
did you do the dedication ritual ??
Hail Satan
Hail Lilith

--- In [url=mailto:JoyofSatan666@yahoogroups.com]JoyofSatan666@yahoogroups.com[/url], "yukteswar" <yukteswar@... wrote:

Hey, everybody.

I followed the JoS teachings pretty faithfully several years ago, with good results, but allowed myself to be pulled in a different direction, and ended up falling by the wayside. Now I'm back, trying to get it back together. Reading the literature and meditating. I'm getting back in the swing a bit, but I seem to be having the same issue I have on any spiritual path I try to follow, and that's the issue of faith.

I have a spiritual background of yoga and zen, and some other eastern paths, and one thing I've learned all too well is not to rely on intellectual knowledge moreso than direct experience. Unfortunately, I must start somewhere, and intellectual knowledge is all I really have with the JoS path. I've had experiences when following it before, but they could easily be explained away psychologically.

So, that being said, can anyone share some ideas on how to break past this intellectual barrier? I want to have faith in Satan, and in my meditations, but unfortunately I only know him intellectually from what I've read, and not direct experience, which for people like me, is the only way to true, infallible faith.

In short, I want to have faith in these teachings so that I can experience the presence of Satan and get the most out of this path, but in order for that faith to blossom and the teachings to be valid to my psychologically battered psyche, that direct experience is essential. See my predicament?

Can anyone help? Thanks so much!

 

[yukteswar]

Thanks for getting back to me!

I did the dedication ritual several years ago. I know the site says you don't need to perform it twice, but I've completely lost touch with that side of myself. I'm a different person, and I've done other dedication rituals for the paths I've been practicing since.

Do you think another dedication would help? Thanks again!

--- In [url=mailto:JoyofSatan666@yahoogroups.com]JoyofSatan666@yahoogroups.com[/url], "kittyahawk3@..." <kittyahawk3@... wrote:

Sounds like Father Satan drew you back..
..and unfortunately I understand the battered psyche issue..
congratulations on your reaching out, though..
did you do the dedication ritual ??
Hail Satan
Hail Lilith

--- In [url=mailto:JoyofSatan666@yahoogroups.com]JoyofSatan666@yahoogroups.com[/url], "yukteswar" <yukteswar@ wrote:

Hey, everybody.

I followed the JoS teachings pretty faithfully several years ago, with good results, but allowed myself to be pulled in a different direction, and ended up falling by the wayside. Now I'm back, trying to get it back together. Reading the literature and meditating. I'm getting back in the swing a bit, but I seem to be having the same issue I have on any spiritual path I try to follow, and that's the issue of faith.

I have a spiritual background of yoga and zen, and some other eastern paths, and one thing I've learned all too well is not to rely on intellectual knowledge moreso than direct experience. Unfortunately, I must start somewhere, and intellectual knowledge is all I really have with the JoS path. I've had experiences when following it before, but they could easily be explained away psychologically.

So, that being said, can anyone share some ideas on how to break past this intellectual barrier? I want to have faith in Satan, and in my meditations, but unfortunately I only know him intellectually from what I've read, and not direct experience, which for people like me, is the only way to true, infallible faith.

In short, I want to have faith in these teachings so that I can experience the presence of Satan and get the most out of this path, but in order for that faith to blossom and the teachings to be valid to my psychologically battered psyche, that direct experience is essential. See my predicament?

Can anyone help? Thanks so much!