Speaking in Tongues/Languages

[Sumo7]

Hello all... I tried to pick what I felt was the most appropriate section for this question so here goes. I’m trying to research the nature of “speaking in tongues” from metaphysical perspectives. I myself speak in tongues. I know that both Christians and Non-Christians have done this for hundreds of years as well.

I’m not sure if it is a manifestation of our Higher Selves or what not. I heard from someone that it could be a higher form of phasing. (Not sure what phasing is though… my bad!) I’d love to hear what anyone has to say regarding this, what they think it is, etc. and their personal experiences.

[Ascendant]

Do you want a religious perspective?

[Sumo7]

Do you want a religious perspective?

Hmmm... well as long as it isn't from a Biblical perspective. Not that I have any problems with Christians, because I sort of am one, it's just I know that perspective quite well. I'm mainly researching other viewpoints... religious or metaphysical though is cool with me.

[Dsmoke]

Can you translate it as you would a foreign language?

In other words, it is mostly random sounds or is there an actual linguistic structre, sentence structure, conjugated words, grammar, etc.?

I am not saying that "random sounds" are meaningless, just that there's a distinction between the two types.

[Ascendant]

Hmmm... well as long as it isn't from a Biblical perspective. Not that I have any problems with Christians, because I sort of am one, it's just I know that perspective quite well. I'm mainly researching other viewpoints... religious or metaphysical though is cool with me.

Alrighty. Here's what I know.

Most Christian religions when they experience "the gift of tongues" are talking about some weird language or nonsensical babbling which spontaneously comes upon them. I must admit that I've never seen why this might be desirable or useful.

However, it's different with my religion, at least in my experience. When people miraculously understand someone speaking in a different language, or if someone can miraculously speak a foreign language that he has not learned, then we call that the gift of tongues. Since we send many missionaries to different countries, this is not an entirely infrequent occurence. In this case, we designate the gift of tongues to be one of the "gifts of the spirit," which include healing, discerning of spirits, working of miracles, etc, which in my opinion are the basic psychic powers.

In our religion, we believe in some kind of field emanating from God, which we call the Light of Christ. This is supposed to encompass, surround, and comprehend all things, and has properties remarkably similar to the Field that researchers of psi have discovered. This is also tied to the gifts of the spirit.

[Celeborn]

While gibberish is sometimes considered "speaking in tongues" by some denominations, many others have to have it linguistically verified.

My uncle spontaneously developed the ability to speak scripture in Latin when he was a kid. It lasted until about age 18, and then it disappeared. While he could not understand what he himself was saying, my Grandmother called in several Catholic priests to figure out what he was saying. They verified that he was speaking Latin, perfectly, and that it was not just memorized lines.

He formed a bunch of youth groups and a huge following, exhibiting incredible charisma. When the gift of tongues went away as he got older, the leadership abilities, confidence, and eventually the devote Christianity went away too.

In my life time have never even heard my Uncle talk about God or Jesus before, even though all of my other family member agree that he was once the most religious person they ever knew.

Hmmm... well as long as it isn't from a Biblical perspective.

I couldn’t help giving the Christian tongues, because I have the personal story, but here is some more general info.

Siberian/Chinese/Korean Shaman are supposed to be able to speak in tongues, but only while they are being possessed by their tutelary spirit. The shaman intentionally allows the spirit (which they are close friends with and have known for many years, not just any old spirit) to enter into them and take control over their bodies. This is done so that the now empowered shaman can easily exercise offending negative entities out of their patients bodies.
To become a shaman in this tradition, one must survive the possession sickness (a deadly illness similar in appearance to scitsophrenia) and master the techniques for spirit control to regain a handle on their lives.

If you want to know more, I wrote a paper on shamanism for a conference on Korea at my college. I don't talk specifically about the tongues phenomena though. Here is a link:
http://brian.hoffert.faculty.noctrl.edu ... rence.html
Mine is the first one.

[Sumo7]

Can you translate it as you would a foreign language?

In other words, it is mostly random sounds or is there an actual linguistic structre, sentence structure, conjugated words, grammar, etc.?

I am not saying that "random sounds" are meaningless, just that there's a distinction between the two types.

For me... Oh yes. Again, when speaking in tongues you don't know what you are saying and (typically) in what particular language. But I know without a doubt I am speaking some kind of language and not just random bursts. I don't have any kind of computer audio program or I would actually record it and such... so there isn't any hardcore proof that I can supply you with in that regard.

When I speak in tongues it sounds literally as if you turned on a foreign language channel. I think I'm speaking some kind of latin/european derivative type language, but again I'm not a linguistics professional so I couldn't tell you all about the structure in detail. I completely agree with you that there are two types though, I think mine is a genuine language... I'm just trying to investigate more into the nature of it. Let's keep talking about this!

[Sumo7]

While gibberish is sometimes considered "speaking in tongues" by some denominations, many others have to have it linguistically verified.

My uncle spontaneously developed the ability to speak scripture in Latin when he was a kid. It lasted until about age 18, and then it disappeared. While he could not understand what he himself was saying, my Grandmother called in several Catholic priests to figure out what he was saying. They verified that he was speaking Latin, perfectly, and that it was not just memorized lines.

He formed a bunch of youth groups and a huge following, exhibiting incredible charisma. When the gift of tongues went away as he got older, the leadership abilities, confidence, and eventually the devote Christianity went away too.

In my life time have never even heard my Uncle talk about God or Jesus before, even though all of my other family member agree that he was once the most religious person they ever knew.

Hmmm... well as long as it isn't from a Biblical perspective.

I couldn’t help giving the Christian tongues, because I have the personal story, but here is some more general info.

Actually I find that very interesting, you usually don't hear about tongues too much outside of the Pentecostal arena. I know a man who also talks in Latin from time to time when he speaks in tongues and it was verified by a man who had studied the language for many years.

I know for myself I have spoken in many different kinds of languages, it seems to change to a new one every year or so. And I've been having this for about twelve years now... kind of fascinating.

I'd love to keep talking about this with you... and I'll definitely check out your paper.

I feel that speaking in tongues is connecting with your Higher Self. It is a manifestation of your Higher Self who is praying through you. Sometimes you don't even know what you should pray for but your Higher Self does. Paul said in the bible that there are "various kinds of tongues". I think this means that there is the kind where it is a real language as described in Acts and there is the kind that only God understands, which is call "praying in tongues".

1 Cor 14:2 "For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit . . . Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves..."

This is the type that I speak and I feel great when it happens which is at will, it is spiritually uplifting and feels cleansing. I usually pray in tongues when I am praying for someone after I have prayed in the usual way. To loosely quote the bible it says "I pray with the spirit and I pray with the understanding, I sing in the spirit and I sing with the understanding". It is so wonderful to sing in tongues!!!

I see many correlations to metaphysical concepts and experiences to those that are in the bible. I think that alot of these experiences are universal but Christians tend to think that they can only happen to Christians, if they believe they can happen at all (like healing, exorcism, prophecy, etc.).

I find it exciting to be able to correlate things from the bible and my own Christian experiences to things I am learning here. It seems that the true meaning of alot of the scriptures have changed in the interpretation from the original meaning. I find to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" means to be "manifesting your Higher Self". When your Higher Self manifests, there is healing, demons flee, etc. Which in Christian language means the "gifts of the spirit" are in operation.

I feel that Christians in general have lost the knowledge of how to manifest their higher selves. I actually have Christian friends who think it is "of the devil" to go into a trance. Yet this seems to be a prerequisite for the Higher Self manifesting. The bible describes Peter going into a trance and seeing a vision and many other examples of altered states of consciousness. One of my friends is very suspect of me for astral projecing but even Paul had an experience where he didn't know if he was in the body or out of body. John was "in the spirit" on the Lord's day. I strongly believe that these experiences are for all Christians today, but most seem content to warm the pews and ignore the exciting metaphysical side of Christianity that actually gets us closer to God.

I've gone on enough now, would love to hear from more people about this.

Mira

[star]

I would say people in general are more disconencted to their higher selves. A better connection to my own higher self is something I am intrested in. (Since I only have such a small pot of knowledge on the subject.)


BTW- my aunt once saw a victim of possesion start speaking in tongues during an ouji board session.