dmwrss

Not a flashy channel or personality, but Dr. Breuning distills practical and simple ways to rewire/reprogram yourself with healthy habits during the current COVID situation. Really smart "hacks" to give your brain the happy psychedelics it wants, but can't get in its old ways due to COVID situation, social distancing, etc. She also explains in very Leo-esque terms our survival mechanisms, particularly in the second video. She presents very practical solutions, in addition to simple scientific explanations.

@leogura I’m curious why you cite visual art such as cubism, abstract expressionism, and surrealism as stage orange examples. I’ve always considered surrealism to be similar to dreams/visual mystical experiences. And art in general has a transcendent quality to it, does it not?

Shutter Island

After 1 year and 8 months of watching Leo's YouTube channel, I finally decided to take the Life Purpose Course. 3 days in, and it has already profoundly changed my life. Why did it take me this long to commit to doing the course? I'll get into those details later in the journal. These have been among the most important days of my life. Leo's course, in addition all the other Actualized.org content, has reconnected me with my profound passion in a way that decades of searching (on my own) have failed. I thought it was gone forever. I know there will be tremendous work ahead, and that the peaks I'm experiencing now will eventually pass. But I'm excited for the journey.

@Leo Gura Could "insight into the fundamental nature of reality", at an extremely subtle level, be a defilement? The desire for insight is still a desire, right?

I went through a similar experience after day 4 of a Vipassana retreat. Every time I tried going to sleep, I would experience tri-modal flow (sight/sound/body feel) and it would start to all dissolve into the Void. Intellectually I was ready for the process, but my body was NOT. It would wake up in pure terror as soon as I would dip into sleep. I thought this would be the “new normal”. But day after day, it slowly got better. Key is to accept whatever is happening with equanimity. My take: the body has its own process of learning Truth, separate from intellect. Body reactions can trigger thoughts, which can create a vicious cycle. Break the cycle by accepting all “negative” experiences with equanimity. I recommend Daniel Ingram’s MCTB book. Especially the section on The Dark Night (which I believe you’re experiencing). Also, the opening chapter, and his explanation of Impermanence. I also recommend putting together a “resource” folder of audio and video files you can put on your phone/iPad/TV while falling asleep. Listening to a soothing talk, lecture, religious text, music, etc can help. Personally, listening to Bible verses on YouTube helped me a lot. Even though I don’t identify as Christian or any specific religious affiliation.

@VictorB02 I have SUCH a similar experience on cannabis. I haven’t worked up to proper psychedelics yet. However, cannabis gives me profound insights. It helps open my 3rd eye/vivid visual hallucinations. Indescribably beautiful cartoon-like animations. Geometric patterns. It’s given me profound, life-changing intellectual and life-purpose insights. And it’s inching me towards embodied non-dual insights at a rate my ego can handle. Adds a unique dimension to self-inquiry. I consider it a catalyst/teacher. Because I’ve been on the path for a while and I’m pursuing consciousness work, it aids with that. Whereas when I was younger and at lower consciousness, it didn’t have this effect at all. At some point I’m going to write a proper post about these experiences. But wanted to chime in here. I agree that the ultimate goal should be sober awaking. Cannabis, IMO, can be a legitimate catalyst.

In the meantime, maybe dig into Kriya yoga, holotropic/shamanic breathwork ?

@Serotoninluv @Leo Gura Are you aware of Raphael Milliere and his (and partners) research into ego loss/psychedelics/meditation?https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01475/full

@Serotoninluv THANK YOU for Samsara movie recco.

Chuck seems to have integrated his shadow. The whole interview has great examples, but specifically 1:44:30 about his mother. Wow.

Thought this was a good explanation of Infinite Intelligence/Universal Mind.

I thought this Amazon ad was a perfect example of endless, infinite entertainment distraction.