From the looks of things in previous threads I am missing out on something but not having had a religious/spiritual experience in my life. At least none that I would qualify as real or as grand as others have claimed to have had.
So what does one do to have a religious experience? Is there a ritual involved? maybe random chance? Is there a formula someone can try out? Perhaps some pagan or hindu can set me right? What of the Christians? In all honesty i'll try any bit of advice provided it is not too extreme.
LOL, the whole point of it is that you can't invoke it at will.
My first notable "religious experience" was when I was a Mormon investigator and suicidal. One night I was crying and felt like God was directly watching me through my bedroom window, with a sort of pitied look. That's it. Boring story, yes, and possibly a trick of the mind (like, the brain suddenly giving you relief when you feel like your coming apart), but I'd say it's significant.
Other than that, I've had a bunch of little religious experiences in Pentecostal services. That's kind of cheating, though. The services are specifically set up to put you in a trance and play with your emotions.
Really, I think people are much more open to "religious experiences" when they're in crisis mode. Make yourself depressed. Stop eating. Find a cult and join it.
EDIT: Oh, I don't really count these, but do you ever find yourself becoming awed by things, or just experiencing a rush of joy? I get those all the time. I had a Modern Astronomy class that was completely secular in nature, but I'd sometimes leave it feeling dazed and awed, like the stars (we were mostly studying stellar formation) were gods. My major (Economics) also used to give me feelings like that all the time, though it's kind of worn off since I've gotten past the introductory classes.
