Breathe

@LoveandPurpose As someone who was very guilty of spiritual bypassing in the past, what I discovered is that there are several questions you can ask yourself if you ever want to find out. Questions such as: Am I being responsible? Am I living a balanced life? Am I taking care of myself? Too often people throw the baby out with the bathwater and go straight for enlightenment while neglecting one's needs. These questions help keep one on track. In fact, one might argue that these questions are really about self-actualization / self-esteem. Actualization work and enlightenment work go hand in hand.

6-pillars is a good book. Just don't go filling your head with a bunch of contradictory information. 6-pillars is a good resource so stick with it. Make it your bible. Journal about your desires and aspirations, responsibility, acceptance, your fears, avoidance strategies. Also write about any problems you are currently facing. It's really important to get your thoughts on to paper and is a great compliment to meditation. It brings your meditation to life. Are you familiar with free-writing?

I spoke with a career counselor and I told her I was sick and tired of having to work so much. She said to me that overwork was an epidemic in our country (US). Our value system is totally fucked up. She also said to me that she didn't think we were meant to work more than six hours a day on average and I don't think she's too far off base. When I have to work more than six I end up getting distracted, slacking off, and just not getting anything done. That said, I do believe that we are MEANT to work. It's really healthy and engaging for the mind. Look at the birds and other animals. They spend a good deal of their life gathering food. Anyone that says they don't want to work is avoiding responsibility. You have to work to survive. Even if it's as little as going to the grocery store or writing a rent check.

I feel into the same trap. You need to learn how to treat yourself with love and care. Read one or two books on mental health and journal like a mother fucker.

Some fears lessen with exposure but expecting fear to completely disappear is a misconception. That's why courage is such an admirable trait. Take action in spite of the fear. <--- That's where it's at.

Oh! Are you doing this with some organized group? You didn't mention that. Stick to the program bro.

The challenge with green is judging other's who don't share the same views. Being unable to see things from different angles and accepting your views as truth is the barrier. At yellow you should be seeing the interconnectedness of all things. Anything that you do is going to have a ripple effect. Solving one problem is just going to result in the surfacing of another. So you never really "get there" so to speak. At yellow it's all about the journey and recognizing that you don't really know anything at all. Radical open-mindedness.

You will always have problems. The trick of mind is to say that you need to wait for the right time to embark on the spiritual path. Sounds like you are on the right track. Spirituality is 24/7 regardless of what's happening in one's life. Good man. You're understanding will deepen if you stick with the so called "simple stuff".

You sound like a preacher.

I would highly recommend a psychedelic of some sort. I have no experience with 5-Meo but shrooms or LSD will illuminate whatever you need to see. Do you smoke weed? If not, that's another option. Weed has a similar power if you don't smoke it often.

It is indeed multi-faceted! Know thyself? Not bad.

What does self-actualization mean to you guys? I'll start. Personal responsibility Self-acceptance / self-love Getting in touch with authentic desires and acting on them Emotional intelligence

Exactly, it has nothing to do morality and everything to do with the emotional body.

I agree. You have to take the whole system into account. The cost of education, ability, the time it takes to learn new skills, familial obligations. The responsible and capable will find a way, but there are plenty that will get left in the dust.

I've had the fear too. You'll have to work through that existential anxiety. It's totally normal but it gets easier. Take care of yourself and your life to establish a solid sense of self-esteem. You'll see later that self-esteem is necessary to have the deeper insights.

Sounds like authenticity.

The mind will always have judgements and projections. The goal is to see them as not truth. When you cease to believe your thoughts, you're open to opposing views and can see things from different angles. In other-words, you enter a state of not-knowing. There's a famous Zen quote: “Do not seek the truth; only cease to cherish opinions.”

I'd punch them