Why stop masturbating?Subscribe |
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Tue, 05/29/2007 - 06:58
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Steven A.
Join Date: 2007-04-15 Forum Posts: 65 |
I saw the other thread and that made me want to ask this question.Why should we stop masturbating? I've always considered it a perfectly natural, healthy way to release sexual tension. Because God knows if we don't release it we'll go insane (at least, I will). Why should I waste away my young years of life shunning an aspect of myself (sexuality) which is perfectly natural and not harmful?I mean, I know a lot of people who all masturbate, and they are not worse people for it and it hasn't harmed them in any way. It seems to me that they would be unhappier people if they didn't do it.Thanks,Steven |
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Join Date: 2007-04-15
Forum Posts: 65
I am an ex-Catholic, and the Catholic Church teaches that masturbation is a grave sin. So all the while I was Catholic and masturbating I felt all this shame for it because I thought I was sinning. And when I left Catholicism, I felt this great liberation at being able to express and embrace my sexuality freely without any dogmatically-induced guilt.
I'm not prepared to subject myself to the same dogmatic restrictions I experienced as a Catholic ALL OVER AGAIN. Not without a good reason anyway.
Join Date:
Forum Posts: 678
And there is a great reason for that, it is liberation.
There is another way to use those sexual energies
without wasting them on our pleasure. If you will take the Gnostic wisdom course, you will learn about the sexual energie and how it can be used.
This subject is very important in the esoteric work,
and it is better if one of teachers explain it to you.
Much efforts in your practices.
Join Date: 2004-09-05
Forum Posts: 1370
I was very suprised by a lot of what I heard on this matter when I came here, as well. I put it aside and continued with the courses. Over time, I learned a lot through observation and trying things myself that helped me to understand the rationale behind these matters.
Briefly, it's not that masturbation is considered evil here or anything. Rather, for certain spiritual practices, the creative energies are used, as Gyorgi suggested and masturbation can interfere with this. If you're interested in learning more, it is definitely best to consider it in the context of the course because then you get the full explanation and proper framework.
Gabrielle
Join Date: 2003-12-29
Forum Posts: 814
As you may have read or even begun to experience yourself, our psychology is quite complex and there is more to us than the ?I? we normally refer to. We have a great deal of subconscious, known as the egos, as well as our consciousness (the true us, which we can experience when aware) and personality.
The egos themselves keep us in a perpetual psychological sleep ? our anger, our worries, general fidgeting, being bored, having a song stuck in our head, being condescending, etc. are all brought about by our egos. It is quite ?normal? to lead our entire lives like this, never really spending time while fully conscious and aware.
Our spiritual development requires us to break free from this sleep and develop our consciousness. As we develop this consciousness through the spiritual work, some truly amazing qualities emerge like true love, compassion, inner peace, intuition, increased ability to astral project and wake up in dreams, and many more. One of the greatest difficulties we face in this spiritual work is overcoming our attachments to our egos in particular those of lust, but without overcoming them, the progress we can make is limited.
Masturbation feeds lust and we lose a lot of energy this way, just as cursing and swearing at someone feeds our anger and wastes our energy.
As gyrogi mentioned, the Gnostic Wisdom Course explains another use for sexual energy which is essential to walk the spiritual path. It may be better for you to post your question on the course forums as you may be able to get a more direct answer ? these are the public forums so what can be said here is limited.
Finally, I just wanted to say that by giving up masturbation, we aren?t preventing ourselves from being happy. There?s a whole lot of happiness in the spiritual work and it needn?t come from lust.
Take care,
ML
Join Date: 2006-03-27
Forum Posts: 276
I came to gnosis from no previous religious or spiritual background so I never had a feeling of guilt. My brother and sister randomly started astral projecting and after maybe a year or so I wanted to see what it was all about. As the months went by and I astral projected with repeat success I was told things I didn't agree with. As Gabrielle said, I put them to one side and focused on what I knew from my direct experience and practicing and learning more.
I asked my divine parents to teach me about lust and I was. Lust and observing the desire to masturbate just made me realize how controlled I was by egos, which I had verified to great shock in the astral. I felt enslaved to this thing and I started seeing it as a separate thing to me because I didn't want it anymore.
It's been said to me that the teachings are like a road map, it takes following the directions to see if the destination exists. We all have the capability to verify matter for ourselves.
I wish you all the best in your investigations mate
Willow
Join Date: 2007-05-06
Forum Posts: 17
I've been struggling with masturbation for three years.
Ever since I began masturbating, I've felt so guilty, and I felt like God hated me.
I soon attempted to stop masturbating, at first I could only go days without doing it, then a week, then two weeks, I couldn't seem to get past two weeks.
Every day that I tried to break the addiction, dreams would follow, dreams of shame and regret.
I would dream someone would catch me masturbating or looking at pornography.
The shame in my dreams was so severe, it just tore me apart.
Later on, in this world as I continued looking at pornography, eventually my sister caught me a few times.
The shame just made me want to commit suicide, and I knew it was a great sin, and it was clouding my dreams with horrible things.
The guilt began to grow at a rapid rate, I soon wanted to commit suicide, but God saved me from my destruction so many times with miracles that simply can't be "coincidences".
I thought about leaving God, but I'm a Christian, a true devoted follower of Christ, so I'll NEVER leave him, I'd rather die!
I've tried fasting, for days, still no success of breaking this addiction.
It may be nearly impossible for me to break, but I'm still going to repent from my sins and remain as loyal as I can be to God until his Kingdom comes!
I owe him everything for what he did to me, I've even felt his own Spirit bring me the best peace in the world.
I've never found a way to stop the addiction, because it's just too hard for me to break.
You said it can make you go insane by not doing it?
I say it can make you insane for doing it.
It may not wreck your life like it did to me, I just wanted to share with you what it can do to people.
Join Date: 2004-11-30
Forum Posts: 2748
Energy can be released but can be used in a different ways too.
Sexual energy is energy of creation, that's our strength and power. The way it is used, relates to all spheres of life.
Like it was said early, the Gnostic Wisdom course gives the information about the nature of this issue. Then with practices and sincere efforts to be aware, it is easy to find if a particular activity relates to use or misuse of the divine energy we have within us, power to create things or feed an inner monsters, which are never satisfied, which are manipulative and always ask for more.
Join Date: 2003-09-08
Forum Posts: 876
Thankyou for sharing. Masturbation and feeding lust is a bit like an addiction, but if you keep trying to break the addiction you will be able to defeat it. To be free of it you need to stop cold turkey and remove any forms of temptation, and then deal with the underlying thoughts and emotions associated with it. Eventually when you do you will see changes with what happens in your day and then also in your dreams as you get rid of the aspects which are deeper in your subconscious.
Have you done the Self Discovery course here? I think you'd find it very worthwhile. With the information in it about the egos and the information from the Gnostic Wisdom course about eliminating them you will have very effective tools for dealing with the problems you're facing.
For now, it can also help to not spend any longer in bed than you need too because when you're not active lust can attack very strongly. If there is an urge to give in to lust, fight it and go for a walk, or read a book etc, something to take your mind off it.
I'm really really glad you had the miracles, and that you decided not to commit suicide! Hopefully they're a sign also that you have the strength to beat the problems.
All the strength,
David
Join Date: 2007-05-06
Forum Posts: 17
Join Date: 2003-12-29
Forum Posts: 814
Breaking the addiction to masturbation can be one of the most difficult things we initially face on the Path. And I don't think anyone ever found it easy.
David's advice, I think, is really sound. In order to quit, one just has to quit cold turkey.
If there is anything you find tempting around you, get rid of it ASAP. Even if you are able to quit and there is something that provokes lust around you, lust will attack you in your dreams.
Whenever you feel tempted, pray sincerely to the Divine (your Divine Mother, Divine Father, the Masters) for strength and help to quit, and do something to take your mind off of it. David's advice of going for a walk or reading a book is good. You could also chant a mantra, listen to spiritual music, etc.
In the self-discovery course, you'll start to see how these various drives aren't really part of you. If you start practicing the awareness, you'll see what it truly means to be conscious and aware - you'll perceive the world around you with your five senses in a natural manner and there will be great inner clarity and strength.
And then some unwanted ego will show up and give rise to certain thoughts, emotions, sensations, movements, etc. and will take away that beautiful awareness. When we see these egos come up, we have to come back to the awareness (it is in these instances we have to make the choice to fall into darkness or fight for the light), because the egos aren't really who we are. They just have immense power over us because we've been enslaved to them for so long.
With the technique to eliminate the egos we can get rid of the compulsion to give into these terrible actions.
We support you in this here. If you wish to discuss it with your parents, that is your choice, but ultimately the ability to quit depends on you fighting this yourself.
It is something you really can do. I've got complete faith that if you really fight hard and practice the techniques in the courses, that you will overcome this demon. Freedom isn't as far away as you think nor is it impossible... but getting there will require voluntary suffering.
All the strength!
ML