Freakyboo

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/03/the-intellectual-we-deserve This article takes apart Peterson's waffle and shows it up for what it really is - a con.

TrynaBeTurquoise, you make some sweeping claims in your last post with nothing to back them up. Do you have something legitimate to back up your claims such as "Doctors and scientists that are opposed to it are usually the ones who expand their paradigm beyond just conventional science and are more integral thinkers," beyond your own belief in it? How about "There are major conflicts of interest in those dogmatically stating it is completely safe, and its all tied into money?" How do you know those stating it is dangerous are not also tied to big money?

If you had no freedom of speech, forums like these would not be allowed. You are looking for boogeymen where they don't exist. An interview with David Icke gets shut down by Youtube because he is making unsubstantiated claims that influence people's minds, create fear, chaos and panic and increase the dangers of COVID-19 spreading. Youtube and other platforms have been clear that they will not support the spread of misinformation. The fact that you believe it is censorship because "deep state" or "eeeevil Beeil Gates" is based on your belief in conspiracy theories around COVID-19. Free speech does not include freedom from consequences of said free speech. You have been warned over and over that unsubstantiated conspiracy theories will not be tolerated on this forum, yet you continue to push them.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/12/5g-safe-radiation-watchdog-health The studies into the safety of 5G have been done. But I suspect you won't accept them and will mistrust them if you believe conspiracy theories.

You people are all projecting your fears about something that has not happened. It's always "going" to happen, but somehow, after decades of conspiracy theories, we are all still free to speak our minds and even make up conspiracy theories freely and publish them online. Could someone please moderate this thread because it's filled with baseless fear mongering?

I'm glad he's closing down conspiracy threads because they are everywhere, and more contagious than COVID 19. I went down the conspiracy rabbit hole at one point a few years ago, until I realised that there are about as much critical thinking and actual evidence based claims as evangelical Christianity or Scientology. I have watched dear green friends become Trump supporters as COVID 19 has disrupted society, usually because they are anti-vaxxers and he's doing things like freezing funding to WHO. They are posting rubbish youtube conspiracy video's all over facebook and other platforms and all critical thinking or looking at alternative evidence has disappeared. In discussion with other green/yellow friends, we see it as a dark cult that has taken the minds of so many into an endless rabbit hole where helplessness and hopelessness pervade. It is certainly NOT a healthy place to be, or an awakened place to be, as so many of them claim. So thank you Leo for helping this become a place where this nonsense is not tolerated.

You absolutely nailed it.

No, he didn't embody his teachings - he was abusive and narcissistic. There are plenty of testimonies online. Beware of worshipping one person. Plus this "crazy wisdom" type teaching from Trungpa Rinpoche to Andrew Cohen to Adi Da - they were all narcissistic abusers who hurt a lot of people. https://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Da_and_his_cult.html

The reason you lose interest in your addictions after psychadelics is because your brain is flooded with neurotransmitters for a week or so after the psychadelic which make the need for your addictions diminish. The way to reduce/eliminate addictions is to become conscious of when the cravings arise for whatever your pet addiction is, notice them and experience them fully without giving in to them. Addictions are just a way for us to avoid feeling our feelings/sensations/thoughts arising that we may view as unpleasant. Just view the sensations as they arise in your body - whatever they are and don't try to analyse or name them. If a story arises around them, ignore it and just focus on the sensations. Teach yourself to fully experience whatever is going on without distracting yourself away from it. The only real way out is through - there's no other way.

Sounds like you're doing just fine there @Gneh Onebar . I do a Transcendental Meditation practice fused with focusing on the silence between the mantra twice a day, which instantly gets me into the space of stillness. I also do some Pranayama techniques before meditating, such as alternate nostril breathing, which clears the nadi's on each side of the central channel, spinal breathing pranayama and a couple of kriya yoga techniques to strengthen the lower chakras. All this sets me up beautifully for the day - the nervous system is calm, I am alert and relaxed. I usually do a vinyasa yoga session before meditating if I have time as well. But just the meditation alone is enough.

Sounds like you've answered your own questions pretty well. Judging your meditation as good or bad is strengthening the ego. The key is to allow whatever is there to be there. Love and accept whatever arises - thoughts, feelings whatever, like it is your own child. This is all part of the play of consciousness and nothing in your experience is greater or lesser than anything else. Relax into what is and you will find your meditation deepens tremendously. Chasing flashy experiences is not what meditation is about and will strengthen the ego. I don't judge any meditation sessions because I know that purification is happening regardless of what it looks like. The real test is, has your regular life improved? Are you calmer, more focused, able to connect with the silence within at any moment?

I second tapering off them slowly and see how you go. Having experienced years of clinical depression myself and been on and off SSRI's, I know there are definitely many ways to come out of depression/anxiety - meditation being number 1. i understand that they are very helpful in the short-term if you are desperate, but they can be harmful if used too long, just like any other chemical drug because they mess with your body's natural ability to produce seratonin/dopamine or whatever neurotransmitter the drug is targeting, and when you do eventually come off them, you feel much worse than before until you can replenish your natural reserves. IN the meantime, set up a strong daily meditation practice, exercise of some kind every day, sunshine and a diet/supplements that will replenish your body's natural reserves of seratonin etc. SSRI's will definitely inhibit your spiritual progress, as they dull and numb your feelings. My rule of thumb is, whenever a "negative" feeling arises, instead of distracting yourself or numbing the feelings, feel it fully in your body without paying any attention to the thoughts that accompany it. This is the natural path to healing the body/mind. Get bodywork, healings, somatic therapy - anything to get you back into your body, if you can afford it. Good luck. "So, do what you gotta do and dont worry about other ppl's opinion (especially ppl on here, lol), as they probably dont understand how bad it can get." Do you have some special knowledge of what other people on this forum have been through in their lives?

Something about him creeps me out, and I have had the same feeling about a few other "guru's" who turned out to be abusers behind the scenes. There is also enough smoke around him to surmise that fire is likely, and just his appearance alone screams "narcissist" to me. Someone who has shed the egoic identity will have no need to be so shamelessly self-promoting.

Are you doing concentration techniques? If so they can create pressure in the forehead due to the effort. Effortless techniques can help in this case.

The ego will always try to cling to the illusion of control and fears losing (the illusion) of control. This is the time, as others have said, to simply observe the sensation of fear arising. Where in your body does it arise? Don't focus on thoughts associated with it. Just observe the feeling whenever it arises and eventually it will pass.

You are both 'the one' that is looking through the eyes of the many and you are 'one of the many.' You are both the relative and the absolute - a paradox. "You" as a relative entity moving through (illusory) time and space have your karma, your vasana's, your samskara's etc and you are on a "path" to discover your true nature. Non-duality does not mean that you are only "the one," it means that you are all of the paradox - both the relative and the absolute.

@SriBhagwanYogi Yes, the mantra is like a vehicle that navigates it's way very quickly into source consciousness. This guy's blog is very interesting. He's reached very advanced states of permanent realization, even past the Brahman stage and has a depth of knowledge that is rare. I was corresponding with him and he was the one who suggested the effortless mantra meditation as the most effective and clean method for awakening. https://davidya.ca/2009/05/27/mantra-mantra/ Here he is on Buddha at the Gas Pump:

It's a universal question - the chicken or the egg? Some people say that awakening will happen when it is ready to happen, and that those drawn to the path are already in the process of waking up. Others say that those who do a spiritual practice become more 'accident prone' to awakening. The overarching "story" from those who have awakened is that ultimately it is down to grace. The ego self cannot "cause" awakening to happen, because it is not happening to the ego self. If you feel the call to awakening, it is likely that consciousness is calling you, not the other way around.

Is it written by Rupert Spira? It sounds like him

This. I think psychadelics are far too liberally recommended on this site. They can force kundalini to awaken in people who are not prepared for it, which can cause serious problems for that person. There are sites like this one https://craigholliday.com/kundalini/kundalini-symptoms-self-care/ where you can get help for kundalini symptoms. Grounding and help for kundalini symptoms are my recommendation.

Gili Trawangan not true. I started out with this meditation practice and it catches on very quickly. it is a very simple meditation to practice. You're not trying to get rid of "monkey mind," you're allowing it to be what it is while favouring the mantra, and gently bringing yourself back to it when you drift off into internal chatter. It is remarkable how quickly the mind becomes quiet after a short time practicing this technique. I have tried many different techniques over many years, including Vipassana, and this is the only technique I have been able to stick with over the long term, and twice a day. The results come very quickly and seep into your daily life within the first week of practice, which is the important part. It is easy because you are not trying to control anything. Many thousands of people have started with this technique and are still practicing it decades later.

Meditation should not be effortful, or it is not meditation. The awakening process (if that is your goal) is a process of letting go, letting go, letting go - surrender and relax, releasing the egoic patterns you are holding on to. If you use meditation as yet another practice of effort like everything else in your life, it is strengthening the ego, which thrives on striving. Concentration in meditation should not be a huge effort - it should be effortless. The way to really clear out your karma and your Vasanas is by attaining states of Samadhi, where the clearing process really happens. The best way for this to occur is effortless concentration. I use a seed mantra and just observe it, favouring it over other thoughts or sensations that arise. This way, the mind can be carried into Samadhi by the mantra. Your effort of will, will never do that. I recommend the AYP site https://www.aypsite.org/10.html Lessons are very clear and sequential, and the forum there is great. He teaches transcendental meditation techniques, then gradually adds to that with awakening the kundalini.

I went to an mdma healer/therapist recently who told me about his experience at a holotropic breathwork retreat. He re-experienced his birth, where he almost died and turned blue and this has resulted in a major energetic release for him which has had a profound impact on his life. Stanislov Grof believes that peri-natal trauma can play a major role in certain psychopathologies. It is generally advised that the first 2 or 3 times you do this, you should do it with a licensed facilitator, as it can raise very traumatic memories which you could need help dealing with. I would approach with caution for those thinking about trying it alone.

Hi Wekz, Please don't go taking 5-meo just yet - not until you are feeling a lot more balanced within yourself. It sounds like you are feeling very alone and suffering, and my heart goes out to you. In your position, I would first find a good psychologist, counselor, healer or bodyworker who can help you first begin to deal with the energetic knots you are holding in your body from the abuse you suffered as a child. Depending on where you live, but there are practitioners out there who offer free services, or services on a sliding scale if you can't afford it. An important part of the spiritual journey is letting go of the blockages and knots we are holding within ourselves, as this frees up energy for consciousness raising. Another practice is to learn to just be with yourself with no distractions. Whatever comes up, be it pain or hurt or anything, just allow it to express itself. This is also an important part of the unwinding process to free up energy for raising consciousness. Whatever we resist creates more karma, so letting go of resistance to what IS, is extremely important in this journey. Listen to Eckhart Tolle or Rupert Spira. They have some good simple techniques for simply being with what is without resistance. Raising your consciousness is not always pleasant. It's a process of letting go or unwinding. Good luck on your journey

I would dearly love to see that. Rick Archer said that there is a huge backlog of people who have applied to be interviewed, so he tends to pick people who are recommended by multiple people in the awakening community first.