Loving Radiance

Yes, I saw some mistakes GPT made and am grateful that you quoted some parts of your essay.

@Adrian colby Amazing share ✨️ I didn't think I could contribute any criticism so I asked ChatGPT. I agree with points 1, 2, 3, and 5, and it lets me reflect how I am seeing things unholistic: This essay presents a well-structured critique of conspirituality and the so-called “Great Awakening,” but it has several blind spots that weaken its argument. Here are the key areas that need more scrutiny: 1. Oversimplification of the Demographics Involved The essay correctly identifies that marginalised and disillusioned individuals are particularly vulnerable to conspiracy movements, but it implies that their participation is largely due to a lack of education, critical thinking skills, and psychological stability. This overlooks the fact that many educated, middle-class, and even elite individuals have also been drawn into conspirituality. Intellectuals, doctors, and entrepreneurs have embraced these narratives, sometimes due to cognitive biases rather than pure ignorance. A deeper exploration of why educated individuals fall into these traps would strengthen the argument. 2. Reduction of Conspirituality to Psychological Deficiencies The essay heavily focuses on trauma, victim mentality, and a lack of psychological stability as key reasons why people embrace conspiracy-based spirituality. While these are contributing factors, it overlooks the larger existential crisis that modernity has created. The rapid technological, cultural, and economic changes in the world have destabilized traditional meaning structures, leaving people grasping for certainty. Many turn to conspirituality not just because of trauma but because they seek coherence in a chaotic world. This broader sociological perspective is missing. 3. Dismissing Political and Economic Factors Too Quickly Although the essay acknowledges political manipulation, it primarily attributes the rise of conspirituality to psychological and cognitive failings. However, many conspiritualists are responding to real issues—corporate overreach, governmental corruption, media manipulation, and global inequality. While their interpretations may be misguided, their underlying concerns are often valid. By failing to recognize this, the essay risks alienating readers who may resonate with aspects of the Great Awakening movement but disagree with its conclusions. 4. Lack of Self-Reflection on the Writer’s Own Biases The essay presents itself as a neutral, enlightened perspective but does not acknowledge its own position within the spectrum of spiritual discourse. While critiquing dualistic thinking, it subtly engages in it by positioning conspirituality as purely misguided while portraying its own structured awakening model as the correct path. A more balanced approach would acknowledge that all perspectives, including the writer’s own, are filtered through subjective experience. 5. No Concrete Solutions Beyond Individual Awakening The essay’s proposed solution is personal awakening through self-inquiry, mental deconstruction, and dissolving conditioned beliefs. While this is valuable, it does not address the larger systemic forces that contribute to conspirituality—economic instability, media propaganda, the role of social media algorithms, and the decline of traditional community structures. Without addressing these, individual transformation alone is unlikely to dismantle these movements on a large scale. 6. Overemphasis on “Transcending Belief” Without Acknowledging the Role of Belief While the essay emphasizes dissolving belief systems, it does not fully explore the human need for belief and meaning. Even those who claim to transcend belief still operate within mental models and narratives. A more nuanced approach would recognize that belief itself is not the problem—it’s unexamined belief that leads to manipulation. Conclusion The essay provides a strong critique of the Great Awakening movement but falls into the trap of reducing complex phenomena to psychological deficiencies rather than addressing the broader sociopolitical and existential factors at play. A more holistic approach would integrate perspectives from sociology, philosophy, and political theory, rather than relying primarily on spiritual psychology.

@asha176 1. Trauma: Trauma disconnects us from ourselves, leading to emotional suppression, relationship withdrawal, and ignoring instincts. It also limits key brain functions like emotional regulation and empathy. But the brain can rewire with safety, awareness, and support. Healing is about reconnecting with ourselves, processing emotions, and trusting our instincts. It’s about reclaiming who we truly are. 2. Child Fundamental Needs: Children need both attachment and authenticity. When authenticity threatens attachment, children suppress their true selves to avoid rejection. Healing is about reclaiming our authentic selves by overcoming the fear of rejection and reconnecting with our inner truth. 3. Systemic Change: The system is built on trauma and unconscious needs for temporary relief, leading to harm, including environmental destruction. True change requires a shift in consciousness—facing discomfort, reconnecting with true needs, and building lives rooted in awareness, not trauma. 4. Separation from the Earth: The exploitation of the Earth mirrors our disconnection from our bodies. Healing requires restoring that connection, recognizing that the Earth’s well-being is inseparable from our own. 5. Compassionate Inquiry Therapy: Compassionate Inquiry helps people uncover their truth through questioning, not answers. It guides people to see their conditioning, wounds, and inner wisdom. Healing starts with embracing the truth within. 6. Healing: Healing is empowering. When we realize our triggers come from within, we stop being victims. We reclaim freedom by owning our responses and choosing not to let external factors control us. 7. Vision of Society: A trauma-informed society values connection, emotional intelligence, and vulnerability. It understands that healing is collective. We may not see it in our lifetimes, but we can move toward it by creating spaces for healing. 8. The Healthy Self: Beneath trauma lies the healthy self. Healing isn’t erasing trauma but making space for all emotions to coexist. Integrating pain and joy allows the true self to emerge, fuller and more authentic.

@Tristan12 http://happinessbeyondthought.blogspot.com/2015/09/are-our-mystical-experiences.html "Differences arise in how mystics and psychotics describe their experiences. Mystics describe their experiences as ecstatic and joyful and having serenity, wholeness, transcendence and love. Psychotics are often confused, terrified and highly distressed by their experiences which may incorporate an angry, vengeful, "higher being". Mystics and psychotics experience a break from normal reality differently. Mystics long for it and when they return to "normal reality", they share their experiences coherently and function effectively in "the world". However, for psychotics, this experience is involuntary, usually distressing, and can last for years, moving into progressively deeper states of social isolation. Differences arise in interpreting the meaning of their experiences. Mystics typically experience a loss of pride and ego, a quieting of the mind and emptying of the self. Psychotics often feel they are a special emissary from God, blessed with an important world message and w/ great healing powers."

In my experience the line between genuine awakening and psychosis is small when the only thing you have reference to is yourself. I thought I had awakening experiences when in fact looking back now I had HPPD. Parts of my mind didn't function anymore on a daily basis and I glorified it as "being", "no-self" and "collapsing of distinction". Even if this is awakening, do enough grounding. It's important. Even if this is awakening, do notice the negative motivation which pushes you towards the psychedelic substance to escape from and avoid this reality. It will bite you. Like you I had strong egoic impulses to not be this person anymore. I asked people on this forum and here are some helpful quotes to distinguish what you experience: "Awakening impacts your cognition positively, and it adds more clarity to your life. The opposite with mental illnesses." "The difference is quality of life, if you don't move forward after a period of time and your life gets worse, it is mental illness." "There can be thousands of alien and weird states of consciousness, some of them quasi-mystical, but not really the same as full on God-consciousness." "[Awakening] is not a loss of personal identity but an expansion of your sense of self." "The difference is that [mental illness] doesn't make me go "Holy fuck! Me and the universe are one!" It's more like "wait... this is weird.""

I can recommend looking into IFS, Voice Dialog, and Process Work. You can use every feeling and thought/belief as an opening to dive deep & feel into yourself to notice, embrace and integrate every part of you and gain awareness of your shadow.

Please speak to a friend who can lend an ear and hold space for you.

Damn. I feel sorry for Ukraine and also Zelensky for having to put up with this alpha-aping clown.

Amazing find! Insightful articles about many different countries.

https://www.ubiquityuniversity.org/ "We offer transformational higher education for people ready to make a positive contribution towards solving current global challenges. We believe that the fundamental nature of these challenges requires the development of our inner qualities and competencies in tandem with academic study. From healing past traumas to working with consciousness to co-create the future and the radical collaboration needed to make impact at scale; all are grounded in a lived experience of interconnectedness. The quality of the space from which we create solutions will define the breadth, depth and effectiveness of their impact. Go deep to go far, as we like to say." "At Ubiquity we offer a broad selection of graduate degree programs that focus on the inner transformation needed to make a positive difference in the world today. We have our own in-house Wisdom Studies degrees, drawing on the depths of the wisdom traditions to inform our action for the future. We also offer a number of degrees with partners in the field of transformational learning. The partner provides most of the course content and we provide core coursework and the thesis or dissertation writing support. We believe that taking the time to research a topic properly and produce a well-grounded piece of work through a Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation is what our world needs right now – providing the depth and trust amidst all the surface snippets and stories out there that no-one knows how to evaluate. That is why at Ubiquity we insist that your writing includes your reflections on your own inner journey – unlike materialist universities where you’re not even allowed to start a sentence with “I”, Ubiquity University Publishing completes the cycle and supports our graduates to get your work out into the world."

@integral @Jodistrict Your well-meaning messages cannot be delivered. The individual has been absent for over a month. He left a farewell note in his journal prior to his departure.

Yes it can be the difficult family situation impacting you. The other opinions it being something physical like mold or viruses is also plausible.

Way more energy and mental clarity since cutting out processed foods.

@manuel bon I've had similar experiences. The first time it happened was when I lived in a community where we did intense shadow work, which changed and matured me a lot. When my family visited me there, I felt uncomfortable because I reverted to my old self when interacting with them. I found it helpful to confront the discomfort I felt when presenting a false version of myself to my family. Internally, I wanted to be true to who I was, but I feared my family's judgment and rejection. I realized that I cared deeply about their opinions of me. The mask I wore was a defense mechanism to avoid feeling pain and shame from their potential rejection. I discovered that I wasn't grounded in my own identity and wasn't standing up for my boundaries and desires. When I visited them for Christmas, I was able to communicate my boundaries and desires more effectively and show my true self more authentically. Although I did revert to my mask in the last few days, it was a significant improvement from not being able to be authentic at all. What is your discomfort with your family fundamentally about? Mine was fear and thus hiding myself. In my experience, the protector parts in me made it happen that I developed headache and cold symptoms faster than ever before in order to shield myself from feeling pain & shame.

@manuel bon The mind is very powerful.