Haumea2018

I really wish this forum would stop using the medical research term "placebo" in the context of spiritual awakening. There is no such thing as a "placebo" when it comes to spirituality. If something has consistently worked to produce a stable shift in consciousness, then it's a valid means or method. It doesn't matter what the particular method is, it's not for you to question it. We are not dealing with a pharmaceutical with a strictly physiological mechanism of action -- with awakening the person's own readiness and willingness to drop resistance is always a factor. No "non-placebo" can force one to get enlightened, which is why this terminology is inapplicable.

Realization level: Yellow.

If real property monopolies are an actual problem, then our existing antitrust laws are simply not being enforced. We have those out the wazoo on the federal and state level.

LOL. Charlie, just explain to them that housing shortages were one of the biggest problems in the former Soviet Union where you had communal living with multiple families forced to live in one apartment. Communism is a system that sounds good in theory (if you have no clue about anything relating to human beings and economic incentives) but it's one of extreme haves and have-nots in practice, where members of the ruling party are economically privileged over non-members. In essence it's one where decisions on who gets housing are made politically. It's not a system that's going to magically provide affordable housing to everyone who desires it because that has never happened in the last 100 years. The reason why we don't have affordable housing in certain cities in the US, e.g. is because rent control actually kills incentives to build more housing (and then you get into the "green" laws and regulations that make it near impossible anyway.) It also drives up prices in the long term as apartments get converted to condos and get sold off, limiting supply. So you have people who don't want to deal with reality and making hard trade-offs (i.e. "the poor" vs. "the spotted owl") thinking that an even more extreme solution is the answer. This time it will work because these are the smartest people the planet has ever seen.

So if a state decided to reinstitute slavery, and Trump sent in Fed LEOs over the protestation of local politicians, would this be a violation of states' rights? How about a historical example or two. How about when Eisenhower and JFK sent troops to southern states in the 50s and 60s to enforce desegregation, was that an example of a violation of states' rights? Or does that only count for policies you personally disagree with? Those states are still part of the US and subject to federal laws and the Constitution, and their residents who commit federal crimes are liable for federal prosecution.

It's a joke about the stereotype of Gemini being the best liars.

Then it does describe you pretty well.

If your birthday is correct, you're not a Gemini Sun.

Honestly, I'm not sure myself -- I don't have enough of a medical research background to give an authoritative answer. The subject is too complicated. My sense is that if you really want to kick a habit, you can do it, but not everyone wants to, and some people are stuck with the genetic predispositions to certain things that easily tip them in that direction. Nicotine appears to be especially hard for some people, even after ibogaine. After LOC 1000 you can heal certain underlying emotional issues that can cause compulsions, so at least theoretically you can drop some habits if you want to. I'll let you know in 3-4 years.

Let me reiterate again: nobody feels a constant state of euphoria -- regardless of their state of consciousness. If your beloved dog dies tomorrow, I guarantee you will feel a lot of sadness even if you are fully enlightened. But you will not feel any suffering due to repressed emotions. Enlightenment isn't what psychologists call "positive emotions" 24/7. It is freedom in the midst of a flow of whatever feelings arise. This is difficult for the ego to grasp, because it is a protection strategy against this very thing.

It's not something you're doing consciously, it's that there's still a trained point of attention as "the self" which blocks the free flow of feelings. Understand what being in "the now" is: it's not feeling joy 24/7, it is feeling all feelings that arise in the moment without censorship, repression. This is liberation. The limited ego-self is like a filter: it allows certain material to pass, and rejects other.

Yellow is the first stage that truly recognizes the value of lower stages. Green e.g. wants to deconstruct Blue and Orange (see this forum for constant criticism and downright contempt for these two) and in the process enables Red to run amok, generating chaos and unlivable societies. The expression "I'm not Christian, but they need Jesus" perfectly illustrates Yellow. There's a real cognitive dissonance for anyone who is Green and actually studies the SD model: it is a Tier Two construct. Green cannot recognize hierarchies of evolution; it thinks you can magically "hug Red into Green." Well, no, you can't actually, and this is the main reason why the world is moving to Yellow as the leading edge. The current chaos is showing that the Green emperor has no clothes.

Because there's a difference between ego death and bodily death. If bodily death happens before ego death, there is still a clinging that will almost certainly have to transfer over to another body. Suffering is best used as fuel for ego death; suicide (at best) puts you in similar or worse circumstances. tl;dr -- teenage suicide: don't do it.

I'm actually fine with people thinking astrology is bullshit. Esoteric knowledge isn't for everyone -- why would I care what someone who hasn't spent the last 20 years studying astrology thinks about me or the subject? Everyone's entitled to his or her opinion. I would certainly feel no obligation to explain why that person is wrong. It's the same with enlightenment, something I recently realized. These days a lot of people are on a mission to convert others to their way of thinking. If someone's not at the doorstep, why would I be required to open the door for them? People should be allowed to progress at their own pace. Why burden someone with knowledge they're not prepared for?

The only difference between the Big Five and MBTI is one dimension: neuroticism. The others (openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness) correlate with the 4 MBTI dimensions. If you assume an average level of neuroticism, MBTI works just fine. In fact, there's an MBTI now with an added dimension (T, or turbulent, and A, or assertive.) In essence this compresses neuroticism into a "high" and "low."

This is absolutely right -- Red hasn't even learned the discipline of Blue, let alone the much more abstract values of Orange and Green. This is why systemic Yellow will soon replace Green as the leading edge. It recognizes that to progress Red needs Blue (and Blue needs Orange), and doesn't attempt to deconstruct either, as that has some very undesirable consequences.

Observe what you cling to. The "I" is just the clinging. Human psychology is dual. There's what you "cling to" - in other words identify with - and what you resist, reject, disown and project. You have to KNOW YOURSELF. You have to know all your horseshit defense mechanisms. Only then can you dare to relax your defenses in order to liberate yourself. "The truth" is there underneath the covering of the illusion. And "clinging" is what generates the illusion. Look at what you despise, hate, reject in others. That's an easy place to start. When you can accept that what you reject in others is also part of you, you can make great progress to liberation.

Looking at it from a statistical POV is not something I would recommend doing. It's just the wrong approach. Anyone who really wants it can get enlightened. You don't need special powers of concentration. Just a willingness to be as honest with yourself as possible, even though it's uncomfortable. The reason many people don't get enlightened is that they are unwilling to be honest with themselves. It's too painful. If you're not willing to experience that, chances aren't good. Here's a great spiritual technique: ask people closest to you everything they think is "wrong" with you, and then take them seriously. How many people are willing to do that? Most will run like hell from it. Not many want to face the truth about themselves. So it's always a choice. It's not some mechanical thing that you need to be exceptional at, that's just ego nonsense.

What was your last LOC? If it's 1000, you may need three years to see a major breakthrough. If it's not 1000, then you're simply not finished. I had a big one almost 2 1/2 years in. A lot of people reach 1000, refuse to listen and be patient and then start complaining. You're not the first. I had a friend who was the same way, he was thrashing about for awhile...and then quieted down when he had enough purification take place. So eventually they have the breakthrough and stop complaining. It happens on its own. I don't know anyone at 1000+3 years who is still complaining. The only reason people would not explore RASA is they are just not ready. It takes overcoming quite a few psychological barriers to be open to it. For example, if you have all kinds of trust issues you may project all kinds of suspicions onto the teachers. It's totally nonsensical, of course; you can contact a bunch of people and ask them about it in detail, but the ego easily uses suspicion as a way of defending itself. And some people have other issues, like not only wanting enlightenment but wanting it their own special way (self-defeating ego agenda.) Anyway, a lot of people don't have the kind of judgment that is needed to know whom to trust and whom not to. They get it reversed. It's sad, but it is what it is. And many are still in the muck of all kinds of false spiritual beliefs.

It has less to do with flawlessly executing a technique or practice and more to do with beliefs about yourself and reality. You can get enlightened easy, you're just identifying with beliefs that tell you it's hard and you're not facing your fears. You have to go in the direction of your fears, but in order to do that you have to get very honest about what your fears are. Most people don't want to go there -- it's way out of their comfort zone, too scary and painful. Neurotic people worry about bad things happening, are attached to certain (egoic) agendas and generally think they have some kind of magical ability to predict the future (i.e. "something bad's going to happen, I just know it, so I'm going to worry about it.") Or they focus on the past, beat themselves up for having made errors and constantly imagine having done it differently. Or they harbor grudges and grievances against others that they refuse to let go. What's the common denominator in all of those? Inability to live in the present: to let go of the past, to trust life ("The Lord is my shepherd...") and to let go of unrealistic expectations about oneself and one's abilities. Inability to forgive oneself, to realize one isn't perfect and to make constructive use of one's errors in life. In others words, to let go. You don't need a perfect concentration technique to let go. You can just decide that it's too painful to hold on and swap the suffering of neurosis for the wondrous uncertainty of being present. What's the point I'm getting to here? Think about it very carefully. This question arises out of the perfectionism of neurosis. The answer is that you do not need perfect concentration abilities. This is the mind setting an impossible or unrealistic goal...and then choosing to do nothing because it's impossible. That's not necessary. Simply get out of your comfort zone in WHICHEVER WAY is suitable to you, and keep inching in that direction.

He is chasing it because he does not want to deal with full awakening in a body because he doesn't want to face his fears, which is a prerequisite for it. As I said, he is running away from himself. You have to face all your demons. In other words, he just refuses to get real with himself, and it's heartbreaking, because he is a talented guy in many respects.

Thanks!

I watched 18 minutes of it. Leo insists that "the mind"/"understanding" matters because it's the PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE. He doesn't have to face his fears which have to do with actually TRUSTING others. His argument about gurus is a complete strawman. His argument about "how you know when you've reached the end" is another. You don't need to stay with one guru forever and you don't need a psychedelic to know "when" because you know "when" when restlessness has ceased. He just doesn't get it because he's not in an embodied state. It's all just concepts for him to bat around, to dismiss at will. You can't understand it until you embody it - permanently, not as an experience. This is all a big drama about Leo being afraid of trusting others. Well, sorry, you can have all the cool psychedelic experiences you want, but they don't mean shit until you muster up the courage to deal with your basic fears. Does he cover it later in the video? I don't have the patience. If someone would provide a timestamp where he discussed his fears, I'd love to see that part, but the first 18 minutes weren't promising.

Yeah. When you behave as ego you are repressing the wounds, so they can't be healed. It does end, but it can take a long time to work out all the issues. As long as there's a strand of ego, the repression continues to some degree. But I think at least you get what the whole game is even about, which is huge, so just have patience.