aurum

Go deeper. Basically I would say this every time I hit a obstacle in my goals. It was a reminder that the solution is out there and I have to just keep digging to find it.

@Electron What if you were lying to yourself? You don't seem that content being alone 24/7. You're seeking out strangers on the internet to get advice from.

@Kimasxi What's going to happen is you're going to keep crashing and burning until you let go of needing this. Neediness does not attract people. It repeals them. Once you let go, you'll probably start seeing a slow shift in the way you get along with people

Do some research on modern spiritual teachers, I'd think you'd be surprised how many are in a relationship. Eckhart Tolle is great example. I'd actually say that it's harder to date when you haven't done any sort of enlightenment work. If you haven't healing the wounds of the ego, your relationships will be needy, toxic, angry, drama-filled. If you're single, you'll be massively afraid of rejection, authentic connection and have limiting beliefs around what sort of woman you serve. I get what you're saying about the dating pool becoming smaller as you move up the ladder of consciousness. But not every girl you meet or date has to be long term relationship material. And when you do find that person who you really click with, you'll enjoy it even more because you know how rare it is.

@Joseph Maynor Definitely agree. There's really no nice way to say this: when you start making progress in personal development, the average person's problems look ridiculous af. The other day at the grocery store I saw this old woman freaking out at the cashier because he wouldn't accept her 10% off coupons. Why? Because that's all shes got. Think about it. She probably spends hours clipping those things out of her latest issue of Reader's Digest. It's the highlight of her day. But let's not even make it about judging other people. YOUR old problems should start to look ridiculous as well. That's how you know you're moving forward.

@sweater Social Circle Blueprint, Social Circle Blueprint, Social Circle Blueprint. It's by RSD Luke. Some may not be completely applicable if you're really that young but his stuff about the YouArmy and people collecting could definitely help you.

@OnceMore Yes, we all know that comparing yourself to others is a black hole because there's always someone better. And that even if you were to reach the top, your position is never secure and permanent. So it makes sense to things like therapy, meditation, journaling etc to work out these issues. But you what else helps? YOU actually going out and putting in your best effort to have whatever is it you're jealous of. The reason you're jealous that people are out there killing it is because you know you could be doing the same. So when you see others succeeding and chasing dreams, it eats at you. You're not living up to your potential and being who you want to be. A personal example of this in my own life was when I started turning around my sex life. I used to be angry at guys who got laid and at the girls that fucked them. But what it really was is that I just didn't feel like I could be a part of that. I was jealous. Once things flipped for me in that area, suddenly I could see that these people were perfectly fine the way they were. In fact, many of them were amazing people. I my vision was clouded by my own self-agenda to feel good about myself. In the end, everyone has to make a decision. Do you want to be a hater and rationalize the lack of results you're producing, or do you want to push your limits, actualize your potential and be a winner? The day you truly pick the second, everything changes.

Keep in mind I'm speaking from the perspective of a dude who DID quit his job. Basically, I've spent the last year and a half weaving through this maze of financial hell because of what I did. And while I don't regret it for a second, it has been one of the hardest things I've ever done. And I'm still not totally out, which is why I work like I've got a gun to my head. I do think in general being strategic about a decision like quitting your job is a good idea. I certainly could have strategized better, and maybe it would have saved me a ton of stress. Maybe I'd be more successful now if I had I just been a little bit more patient and saved some money. But here were the facts for me: 1) I could not stand doing what I was doing for one more second 2) I knew my life purpose was far more 3) I knew that if I didn't take the leap now, the fear-based rationalizations for not quitting would just get stronger and stronger. 4) I had a proven track record of being able to set a difficult goal and accomplish it In the end, you really have to know yourself on this one. What kind of life does @Lauritz want? How much risk and stress can he handle? What does that inner intuition say? From reading your post, it seems like you're leaning towards quit. So if that's the case, be as smart about it as possible because it's probably going to be 10x harder than you think either way.

@Mrkvn8 Wait till you feel on track with your life purpose. Your whole definition of "fun" changes. Aside from my work, here is the list of things I find "fun" at this point in my life: 1) Meditation, i.e doing nothing 2) Yoga, i.e doing nothing while on a mat 3) Eating Vegetables, i.e eating what tastes like nothing 4) Hot Saunas and cold showers 5) Watching documentaries 6) Attending self-actualization workshops 7) Answering people's questions on Leo's forum 8) Sex 9) Walking in nature 10) Swimming / surfing 11) Making music

@Sky There is no "best". There is only what is useful for you right now. Think of beliefs as tools to get you from point A to point B. That's all. If a teacher speaks a truth and it resonates with you, good. Follow it. If a teacher speaks a truth and it doesn't resonate with you, good. Don't follow it. Now you're probably wondering "but how do I know what is useful right now"? That requires you to go inside and feel out the answer. What does your intuition say? What you'll find is that many of these "contradictions" are not contradictions at all. You just didn't understand the full subtlety of what was being said and took things at face value. Other times you'll find that a certain belief just doesn't serve you at all anymore. Keep learning. Keep going inside and listening to yourself. Embrace ambiguity and confusion as best you can.

This is going to be some random thoughts I've had following Leo's "Why People Seem Crazy" video. The question I'll be tackling is: why isn't there "one correct path" that every spiritual seeker can follow? If you haven't verified it for yourself, let's assume there exists an Absolute Oneness / God / Spirit / Big Bad Divine No-thing. It is everything that exists, and this Oneness is seeking to experience itself by dividing itself into an infinite number of finite parts. This self-realization is the ultimate point of life and what we're all "doing here" so to speak. In order for this to happen, there must be an infinite number of individual paths back to Oneness. There is simply no other option that exists. Why? Simple. If there was a single optimal back to the Divine, then every individual would converge onto this single path. They would lose their individualness, rendering the whole process pointless. But if there are an infinite number of paths, then each entity can remain as an individual until they are reunited with the Divine. And then the process will simply repeat ad infinitum. Also, given that time is not actually finite and linear, there must be an infinite number of paths to the divine. Otherwise this process could not keep happening indefinitely. What does it mean to be the Same? It means indistinguishable. We must be different in order to realize we are the same. So what does this mean on a practical level? It means good luck finding someone exactly like you . Also, it means there's no "right way" to play this game. Relax. You have a unique path that is entirely your own. Not me, not Leo, not the Buddha can tell you what it is. Have the courage to listen inside. If we could tell you, the whole thing would be ruined. When you see someone committing a crime, that's part of their path. When you see someone doing something heroic, that's part of their path. When you see someone destroying the environment, that's part of their path. There is no way to be off the path in the first place! Does that mean you shouldn't work to grow yourself? Of course not. I just said the whole point of life is to grow and evolve. It also doesn't mean there aren't tried and true techniques that have worked for many, many people. Meditation is a great example. But if you think something like meditation "has" to be part of your path, that's when you've misjudged.

@Emre You're taking "go your own way" too literally. It doesn't mean you don't function in society or have influences. Actually, your influences essentially make up everything that you feel is you anyway. What it means is that you have a uniqueness. A purpose you came here to fulfill. The problem is that most people are not trying to find what that purpose is. They're simply doing what others tell them they "should" be doing. So it isn't about doing or not doing anything in particular. It's about doing it because it's authentic to you. That might require doing some unplugging from other people initially because you've been living this life of "I should be doing this" for so long. But once you know, you know. Then it doesn't really matter if people are influencing you because you're consciously choosing to let them influence you. In fact, you'll seek out certain influences because you know they're going to help you get what you want. Now you're consciously designing your own life. You've become a co-creator with some undefinable thing larger than yourself. That's when you're going your own way.

From the teachings I've received on the angels , dreams are definitely one of the places angels / spirit guides contact you. Your soul isn't contained to the body and can receive downloads it wouldn't normally be opened to. I'll be testing these ideas more in the future via astral projection. Keep us in the loop!

Anything in life can potentially be used for spiritual growth, given the right context and intention. I'm sure that if you seriously made the resolve that you were going to use weed to shake things up, get out of your normal state of consciousness and have some insights about yourself you wouldn't have, you could. The problem is that many people who smoke weed have no interest in doing that. They just want to numb themselves. Well, ask and you shall receive. Who cares if it "really" came from the subconscious? The subconscious mind is just another model. The question is: did this benefit @Afonso? Did he grow from this experience?

@Sophie Have you had your first enlightenment experience? if not, I would wait to see how your view of guides changes after that. My first nondual experience showed me that reality, while rendered from the brain, does not actually COME from the brain. The brain is IN consciousness, not the other way around. So the brain is really more like a transmitter. But transmitting from where??? It must be from outside all of this. And if I grant that physicality is an illusion and that non-physical is primary, is it that difficult to imagine non physical beings? Anyway, speculating about it on a forum won't do much. The rational mind doubts anything it can't understand or prove. So go get your proof. Go see a medium. Go pickup a book on how to channel. Go try astral projection. These things will all solve your question faster than anything I could say.

I can remember as a kid imagining what it would be like when death occurred. What was interesting was that no matter what belief I was given, I realized it had to involve infinite time. So I'd try to conceptualize infinite time...and basically it just made my head explode. Worse than infinity simply having no end, how can infinity ALSO not have a beginning? What does that even mean? And then I'd feel very tiny and insignificant and want to cry. So there really isn't much to say about infinity. You either become it or you just have bullshit ideas.

I see no reason you cannot do both. Yes, both require massive time and effort. But this black and white attitude of "I can either evolve spiritually OR pursue my physical life purpose" is just plain bullshit. People are failing to think synergistically / Win Win. They're not seeing how life purpose can contribute to spiritual growth and spiritual growth can in turn contribute to life purpose. Now, maybe your life purpose is to become a yogi living in the mountains who just contemplates all day. But maybe it isn't. There's room for every type of person. And everyone is evolving in their own way. You have to know you. You have to know what your role is. No one can decide that for you. Every second of every day, no matter what you're doing, you're faced with choices. They're illusions, but these choices exist for you to learn and evolve. Spiritual growth is not something you can just compartmentalize and say "oh, when I'm doing MEDITATION psychedelics, that's spiritual time. But when I'm doing all that boring "work stuff" or with my girlfriend, that has nothing to do with spirituality". So it's really just another choice of what you want. Do you want to engage with life and society, or do you want to just say fuck it? It's up to you.

Do you really not care about your dating life, or are you just avoiding having to put in effort? That's not a way to go through life.

I just bumped up my daily practice to 1.5 hours straight, so that's a record. I've been slowly working up to that number though so it's not difficult. Also, it's not necessarily about the time. I did 30 minutes outside the other day in the blazing hot Florida sun and was crying on the inside for most of it. That was hell.

Best is obviously an in person class in your city. But as far as online goes, I'd check out a YouTube channel named Kimilla. She's a certified KY teacher and is very good at what she does. Definitely can help you release negative blockages. It won't be easy though, her sessions usually push you.

Of course because evil acts are relative! That's basically the whole point of what I've been trying to say. People nailed Jesus to a cross because they thought what he was doing was evil. And don't you think Hitler was just doing what he thought was "right" as well? Of course, why else would he do it? This is true. But besides the fact that evil acts are still completely relative, there's nuance here you're missing. Let's create an imaginary character named Joe. Joe hates the world and hates people. He thinks they're evil, stupid, corrupt and take advantage of him. If Joe resists the reality that people are evil, stupid and corrupt, it makes him more hateful because he keeps thinking it shouldn't be this way! Why does the world have to be like this! These people keep hurting me. Further more, maybe Joe thinks he should be a nicer person. Society has told him "be a loving person", but he just can't because he's angry! So that's frustrates him even more. Now he is resisting his resistance. But what would happen if we introduce Love (acceptance) into this picture? Well, obviously there are no guarantees and everything is still relative. But here's what I generally have found: Joe begins to introduce love to the reality that he "shouldn't" be a loving person. He begins to "love hate" as you put it. Maybe at this point he does lash out more and become outwardly hateful. He has always been hateful, but now he is just allowing it. Damn ISIS! We should bomb them and just get rid of those assholes! Trying to take away OUR freedom #murica. This is essentially what you're talking about. "If I'm okay with hating people, won't I just hate them more?" Well, maybe. But what happens if Joe keeps going? Joe now begins to "love" the reality that people are stupid, evil and corrupt. He says "it's okay that people are this way. They are just doing the best I can, the same as I am. I am not better or worse than them. In fact, they ARE me" and really means it. What has happened? Suddenly, the evil, stupid and corrupt people aren't evil, stupid and corrupt anymore! It was always about YOU! These were your judgments. Your perceptions. Your desire for people and the world to act a certain way. It had nothing to do with them. They were perfect as they were. You have "loved evil out of existence" as Leo put it. So what need does Joe have to go destroy these people anymore? They're perfect! You can't hate what you accept. If this all seems confusing, I agree. I would have never understood any of this, which is why it's often better to just go through the process yourself. Question your morals. Question your assumptions. Question everything until you know Truth.

You end up loving life because you've accepted everything! Murder? That's okay to love. Betrayal? That's okay to love. Infidelity? That's okay to love. An inability to love all of the above? That's also okay to love. There is literally nothing you can't love. Love is acceptance. It's wholeness. It's when you take something as yourself instead of pushing it away as "not you" or "not okay". You think that love is what most people want. But it's not. Unconditional love is radical. It breaks down everything "you" want and says "everything is okay". This is why enlightened people are often seen as rebels. This is why they're often killed. Love goes against people's personal agendas. So here's the funny part. People might think that many of the "selfish" acts you see come from this radical acceptance. But often they don't. They actually come from following morals! As soon as you say "this is wrong" and you hate it, you generate more hate. Look at cultural wars. Both sides cannot forgive the other one because they both feel they've been so "wronged". And so they just keep fighting and killing each other. Acceptance breeds acceptance. Hate breeds more hate. Easy to see from a computer. Much, much more difficult to see when it's happened to YOU.

@username yes a lot of mainstream narratives when it comes to dating are held up as "moral" when they're really just a select group of people's agends. Actually, that's what all of morality is . Understand though that learning Game from a woman's perspective is typically creepy as fuck. That doesn't mean it's wrong or you shouldn't learn it. But that is how it's percieved.

@Danielle I went through something very similar. It was the worst part of the process for me. Consider finding a mentor, someone who you personally know and can guide you through this. Besides that, all I can say is keep moving. Put one foot in front of the other.

What @Leo Gura has been saying in this thread is spot on guys. This is that "dirty" part of enlightenment no one likes to touch. It's all fun and games when it's about becoming the most loving person, i.e the egos ultimate desire to be seen as "good" and therefore finally accept itself. But as soon as someone points out the obvious, which is that "no rules" also means you could stab some repeatidly in the throat and it wouldn't be "bad", people freak. The emotional reactions I'm seeing shows that Leo is striking a nerve. Why? Because deep down you know he is right. How could you not? You made it up. This is why I keep saying I love Jed McKenna as a spiritual teacher. He just slams you with this over and over again. I'm greatful he was one of my introductions to this work, even though I hated it. I absolutely still struggle with this myself. You probably can't grasp the sheer amorality of life until you've had at least one enlightenment experience. It literally is not much different than how you'd feel about some characters in a movie. It's just a huge joke. And where does much of your suffering come from? From not accepting this. I went through the typical butt-hurt atheist phase where I couldn't understand why a loving God would allow so much suffering. But notice that's YOUR OWN belief that suffering is bad. And it's completely externally focused with no personal responsibility. You have no problem with suffering if it means killing some animals for you to eat or wear clothing. What's so bad about suffering then? There is a silver lining in all this, which is that you actually end up loving life more, not less because of this. But it won't nessesarily match up with another person's definition of love. And sometimes it's better not to mention this because it can become just another delusion trap. Sometimes what people need is to get hit with a stick.