Spirits

[arete]

Are spirits real? And what is a spirit?

For example, in Greek mythology dryads exist. But in reality are dryads trully real? In my opinion, there are multiple levels of existence. And the levels communicate with each other in some ways.  And Spirits are just entities of different planes of existence. So, for me, dryads are real.

EDIT I think I posted in the wrong section.

[SunflowerP]

EDIT I think I posted in the wrong section.

Yeah, I thought so too. I've moved it to a more suitable place for you.

Sunflower
TC Forum Staff

[Zlote Jablko]

Are spirits real? And what is a spirit?

For example, in Greek mythology dryads exist. But in reality are dryads trully real? In my opinion, there are multiple levels of existence. And the levels communicate with each other in some ways.  And Spirits are just entities of different planes of existence. So, for me, dryads are real.

EDIT I think I posted in the wrong section.

Apparently my Polish-American great grandmother was afraid of “demons” in the forest. I think she may have heard stories about the lesovik or the jezinkas. I would say that I believe in them on some level, but not to the extent that I would fear one appearing before me in the flesh, as some fairy tales would have it. A person may make offerings to such spirits in order to have good luck in certain areas. If you were hunting, for example, or you feared some animal of the woods would take your livestock. However, I would not expect to actually see one.

[Dynes Hysbys]

So, for me, dryads are real.

I spend an awful lot of time in woods and forests and I've seen trees morph into figures not infrequently so I guess I do to.

Or I'm just seeing things. Which is entirely possible.

[arete]

Yeah, I thought so too. I've moved it to a more suitable place for you.

Sunflower
TC Forum Staff

Thank you! 

[arete]

Apparently my Polish-American great grandmother was afraid of “demons” in the forest. I think she may have heard stories about the lesovik or the jezinkas. I would say that I believe in them on some level, but not to the extent that I would fear one appearing before me in the flesh, as some fairy tales would have it. A person may make offerings to such spirits in order to have good luck in certain areas. If you were hunting, for example, or you feared some animal of the woods would take your livestock. However, I would not expect to actually see one.

My grandfather feared the fairies of the woodlands. He thought they would take his voice. He also feared butterflies as they are the spirits of the dead, according to folklore. As for me I believe the trees are home of spirits (like dryads). That is why I don't want people to cut down trees for no reason, and I don't like the burning of forests. And I also believe the spirits don't care much about people. but if I could come in contact with one I'd certainly try, I'd love to meet one. 

[arete]

I spend an awful lot of time in woods and forests and I've seen trees morph into figures not infrequently so I guess I do to.

Or I'm just seeing things. Which is entirely possible.

I would LOVE to meet a dryad! I've heard a story from someone seeing two satyros at night in a wood. The satyros were like small kids with very thick hair, like adult kids. He said that these two kids told him not to be afraid and they said it to him in old greek language. Were they simple kids or satyroi? I believe the second.

[Uneryx]

Are spirits real? And what is a spirit?

For example, in Greek mythology dryads exist. But in reality are dryads trully real? In my opinion, there are multiple levels of existence. And the levels communicate with each other in some ways.  And Spirits are just entities of different planes of existence. So, for me, dryads are real.

EDIT I think I posted in the wrong section.

I'd say they absolutely are. Maybe not in ways we can prove it tangibly, but my own experiences are too odd to add up to a different explanation.

[Ashmire]

I'd say they absolutely are. Maybe not in ways we can prove it tangibly, but my own experiences are too odd to add up to a different explanation.

.
 Same.  There's no way I can convince anyone who isn't inclined to believe me that I'm not lying or delusional, but the mental gymnastics to explain having what seemed like random nonsense stuck in my head turn out to be actual contextually appropriate Cantonese as anything but a valid spirit contact seems pretty intense.

[Aetherwinds]

Are spirits real? And what is a spirit? For example, in Greek mythology dryads exist. But in reality are dryads trully real?

Well, I have a general animist experience of the world so yes for me everything has a spirit, humans, animals, trees, anything that exist really. You know how some places have the reputation of being haunted but no ghosts are ever seen, yet everyone can feel it even those who don't believe in ghosts. Yup, that's a spirit that took residence in that location, hence why there are mountain spirits, river spirits etc.

As for a physical manifestation, like of a dryad. I never saw one. But I saw a lot of spirits since childhood, some that even made me scream instinctively in fear (after a discussion with my mother I was shocked she was not seeing them, hence the start of my obsession with the occult to understand why).

We call spirits everything beyond the veil, from the smallest to the godly. But spirits are often labeled and categorized: gods, faeries, ghosts, guides, angels etc.

It is harder to see a spirit then to feel it, but awaking oneself and one mental and physical vision to the spirit world is possible to anyone willing to give the time and effort. Like sports or art, the more you practice the better you get! Practicing on auric vision on a family pet or even yourself or family members is the easiest exercise for me. At work I used to focus on my coworkers auras during lunch break. But you can also do it on a plant, anything really.

[EclecticWheel]

Are spirits real? And what is a spirit?

For example, in Greek mythology dryads exist. But in reality are dryads trully real? In my opinion, there are multiple levels of existence. And the levels communicate with each other in some ways.  And Spirits are just entities of different planes of existence. So, for me, dryads are real.

EDIT I think I posted in the wrong section.

I have yet to decide if they're external in addition to being internal, but I have experiences of them internally, so in my spiritual practice I treat those beings as sentient entities, and they seem to be so.

So I vote that at least some of them are real in some sense, even if that only means they share a brain.  I have a non-conventional view of the self that attempts to make sense of this at least from an internal perspective.

[Eastling]

Are spirits real? And what is a spirit?

In my practice, "spirit" is a kind of divine life energy related to breath. So we're all spirits. Some of us just happen to be spirits in the material world at the moment, to borrow a song from someone who I don't worship as a god.

The question you seem to be asking, though, is if noncorporeal spirits exist--beings who are conscious and capable of reaching out to us in some way, but who do not directly interact with the physical world. I would say "beings who don't have a body," but you mention dryads, and it could be said that the tree is their body. They just don't use that body the way we would in our embodied existence.

When I'm dealing with spirits like that, I try not to worry over whether I can prove their existence is real, because I can't, not really. However, the effects they've had on my life mean that I might as well treat them as if they were real.

[Sefiru]

I have yet to decide if they're external in addition to being internal, but I have experiences of them internally, so in my spiritual practice I treat those beings as sentient entities, and they seem to be so.

So I vote that at least some of them are real in some sense, even if that only means they share a brain.  I have a non-conventional view of the self that attempts to make sense of this at least from an internal perspective.

This is about where I'm at, too. I have had experiences of things that could be called 'spirits' but I have no way of knowing if they exist outside my own mind.

[arete]

I'd say they absolutely are. Maybe not in ways we can prove it tangibly, but my own experiences are too odd to add up to a different explanation.

In my opinion, since they are on different dimensions, most probably we can't prove it tangibly. 

[arete]

I have yet to decide if they're external in addition to being internal, but I have experiences of them internally, so in my spiritual practice I treat those beings as sentient entities, and they seem to be so.

So I vote that at least some of them are real in some sense, even if that only means they share a brain.  I have a non-conventional view of the self that attempts to make sense of this at least from an internal perspective.

In greek paganism we believe in daemones (demons). Daemones are our personal Gods. We definitely share our brains with our own unique daemon. Daemones help us communicate with the Gods and the rest of the world. Maybe you came in touch with your daemon.