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(These are just my thoughts, not an official representation of any authority on the matter. Some of the terms presented here use my own idiosyncratic definitions and may have different meanings elsewhere. It's also not at all a comprehensive view on the topic but only a rough summary based on my limited understanding.)
 
I've spent the past year or so really trying to wrap my head around the essence of Tier 2 cognition (starting at Yellow), namely systems thinking. Just these past 6 months, after taking some courses in communication theory and community psychology, I've gotten some insights into the matter that really solidified my previous intuitions which I'd like to share here. I was truly surprised of how much these two fields were based on systems theory (mainly the theories of Gregory Bateson and Urie Bronfenbrenner respectively, although these two theorists only serve as lightning rods for the vast meta-theoretical space that is systems thinking).

I'll open up with a quote from each of the aforementioned theorists:

What these quotes have in common is that they emphasize relationships or interconnections. That is what a system is: a collection of relationships. But isn't it the case that anybody can understand concepts such as "relationships", "interconnections" and "systems"? What makes systems thinking so special? Now, you could actually argue that systems thinking itself isn't necessarily confined to Tier 2. However, I'll say that Tier 2 cognition consists of something called a "mature systems view." It's about a way to view the world; a worldview, and it's of a certain sophistication or maturity. To truly understand this worldview, we must first contrast it with a more common worldview, which I will call "analytical thinking."
 
Analytical thinking

Fritjof Capra, a pillar of the mature systems view, refers to this worldview and way of thinking as the "Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm." It's characterized by reductionism, mechanism, atomism and positivism. The Cartesian method approaches understanding the world by breaking it down into smaller components (reductionism). Newtonian mechanics describes the world as force interactions between physical objects that consist of atoms (mechanism, atomism). Positivism refers to the idea that we can formulate consistent laws based on this type of knowledge (e.g. "laws of physics").

Another way to think about it is that analytical thinking approaches the world "vertically":


This vertical approach isn't just confined to the hard sciences (physics, chemistry, biology). It's also central to fields like psychology. The analytical tradition of psychology reduces problems down to components within the individual: symptoms, diagnoses, traits, drives, genes, beliefs, values etc. It lays the basis for individual psychotherapy (psychoanalysis, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy etc.), psychiatric medical treatment (antidepressants, anxiolytics etc.), personality psychology (Big 5, MBTI etc.), cognitive psychology (e.g. Beck's schema theory) etc. Jordan Peterson is a big proponent of this view.

On the other hand, there is a systemic tradition within psychology called community psychology. It emphasizes relationships, connections and environmental factors when solving problems (social, economic, political, cultural etc.). Not coincidentally, Jordan Peterson is not a big fan of this approach. Without making this any more about our beloved JP, let's get straight to it: what is systems thinking?
 
Systems thinking

In contrast to reductionism, mechanism, atomism and positivism, systems thinking is relational, holistic, ecological and organic. 

A system is a collection of relationships between units, and holism is about focusing on the whole. Taking a systems view is about seeing the interplay as a whole, not just the individual units for themselves. The bigger the system view, the greater and more inclusive the whole becomes, and the more holistic it becomes. Ecology is about understanding the relationships between organisms and their environment, and an organism is an interplay of smaller living units ("organs" or organic units). Systems in nature and society are complex and can be described using different concepts from systems theory (e.g. "transaction", "self-organization", "adaptation", "feedback" etc.).

In contrast to the vertical nature of analytical thinking, systems thinking is "horizontal":

 
This picture represents a social system, however the horizontal principle applies to other systems as well: organ systems, cells, molecules, atoms etc.). These are «real systems» (natural/social systems). You also have abstract systems (e.g. scientific theories, ideologies, value systems, meta-systems, paradigms, meta-theories etc.), and that's where things like construct awareness come into play (more on that later).

Meta-theories are "theories about theories", which try to understand how abstract systems work through meta-systematic observations. Fields like philosophy of science and models like Spiral Dynamics and Integral theory are examples of such meta-theories. Model of hierarchical complexity (MHC) is a good model to understand the different levels of abstract systems (e.g. "how complex is a paradigm?").
 
Context awareness, Construct awareness and Theory pluralism.
I've already mentioned construct awareness, which is one of three main facets that I think are useful to further understand systems thinking:

 
Context awareness refers to the general ability to understand the pervasive nature of relationships in the world: the vast array of relationships across different domains (physical, biological, social etc.). Any individual unit exists within a larger context (their environment or the larger system), and being aware of context is synonymous with a general form of system awareness.

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological systems theory is a good illustration of context awareness:

 
Construct awareness is the ability to the understand the relationship between the human and the world with respect to making sense of the world (knowledge, sensemaking and epistemology) and how it's a process of constructing abstract systems. People may manipulate these abstract systems without understanding how they work, e.g. what kind of system it is, how it's made, and how it relates to other systems, which would be an exercise in construct blindness. For example, it's possible to operate a car without knowing how it was made or how the engine works. To not be aware of how abstract systems work to construct your reality is to have a lack of construct awareness.

Thomas Kuhn and his book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" is a good example of construct awareness. After performing a meta-theoretical study on the historical development of science, he concluded that all scientific theories at all times are validated relative to a historically contingent framework of philosophical assumptions (a paradigm, a collection of constructs), and thus all scientific knowledge is fundamentally relational in nature. So not only are the external aspects of human behavior dependent on context (as in social interactions; Bronfenbrenner), but also the internal aspects (mind). If we go back to Gregory Bateson, in his systemic communication theory, he in fact defines "context" not as something external, but as an internal psychological framework. He does this because of the insight that the mind is constructing the external world. Alfred Korzybski's "the map is not the territory" is also a staple of construct awareness.
 
With enough context and construct awareness, you'll inevitably end up with theory pluralism: the ability to explore and understand a wide range of different abstract systems (theoretical frameworks). In a sense, theory pluralism is both a prerequisite and a consequence of construct awareness (they're co-created). However, to really develop a wide knowledge of theory, you must have a deep meta-theoretical understanding which is able to see the larger picture – the essence of construct awareness. Ken Wilber is a great ambassador for theory pluralism. His vision of integrating all domains of knowledge into a single, comprehensive framework is the pinnacle of systems thinking. Fritjof Capra should also be mentioned here with his book "the Tao of Physics", where he not only makes profound observations about context and construct in his writings about Quantum Mechanics, but he also makes theoretical comparisons to Taoism and non-duality.
 
I mentioned earlier regarding having a "mature systems view" that systems thinking is not necessarily confined to Tier 2 cognition. This is because Green is very open to context awareness and will easily appreciate models like Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. What Green struggles with the most is construct awareness. It might be able to deconstruct a lot of Orange systems, both from a rational place and an intuitive place, but it struggles to pick up the pieces, both theoretically and practically. Construct awareness also makes you more prone to grasping the concepts in systems theory, which unlocks key concepts like the meta-theoretical evolutionary lens (Beck & Cowan, Wilber, Kuhn), which Green crucially lacks.
 
So that is the gist of it, but there is so much more I could talk about, e.g. the history of systems theory (deep ecology, cybernetics, Gestalt psychology etc.) and different systems theory concepts like I've alluded to earlier. There are also other aspects of Tier 2 cognition that could be expanded upon, like the ability to hold paradox, understanding holarchies, or different real-life applications (that's a big one). I would anyways like to hear what you guys have discovered about systems thinking that I've left out. I would never turn down the opportunity to deepen my theory pluralism  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Additional notes and clarifications:
Expanding on this:
 
Analytical thinking and systems thinking must not be thought of as diametrical opposites, but as generally expressing different dimensions of movement through abstract systems (vertical vs. horizontal). Neither of them are pure expressions of either "vertical" or "horizontal" thinking, because technically all abstract thought utilizes both dimensions to navigate the cognitive landscape. An alternative description could be hierarchical movement vs. cross-hierarchical movement. The categories explored in hierarchical movement tend to have a corresponding familiarity or similarity of kind, while the ones in cross-hierarchical movement have corresponding distance or diversity of kind (in that it's possible to have many qualitatively very different things interacting with each other in a system).
 
One reason why horizontal movement tends to be more readily associated with complexity might be due to the relative simplicity of postulating it abstractly, because meanwhile it's possible to have interactions between many qualitatively different things, it doesn't actually necessitate or force a qualitative difference (e.g. you can simply have interactions between many molecules of the same kind), meanwhile a comparably complex vertical scenario is much harder to postulate, as the different levels of a hierarchy always forces a degree of difference (e.g. molecule > atom > sub-atomic), and thus most abstract hierarchies tend to be simpler (because models are supposed to simplify). In other words, the tendency towards horizontal complexity could simply be a bias of abstraction, and that in reality, systems are equally infinitely complex across all dimensions, both vertically and horizontally. Thinking is nevertheless about abstraction, and therefore horizontal thinking serves as a litmus test for complex thinking.
 
So from this alternative view, what is systems thinking? Well, the more you refine your general ability to abstract both vertically and horizontally across categories (symbols, concepts, classes and domains), the more expansive and complex your thinking becomes. Therefore, the proclivity towards the mature systems view simply depends on the size and complexity of one's perspective. Horizontal thinking is nevertheless generally an indicator of complex thinking.

The book I mentioned has a nice secuence of progression which I recommend you follow. The 5 min concentration thing is cool but also just play around with it as much as you can, I did it that way becouse I didn't know that book back then. It falls short on Musical Imagination. I'll just give you some general tips and then you can ask me to expand on Music if you want 
- Practice both exact recalling of objects of perception and also train your Plastic Imagination by propousefully changing their qualities. For example, imagine a plastic ball you just saw, exactly as you saw it, but then change it's color, texture, shape, etc.
- Start by the smallest thing you can Imagine to perfection. For example, if you try to Imagine an apple tree at once, you'll miss a lot of detail. So, first Imagine just an apple, then just a leaf, then just the truck and branches, and finally put it all together. Later, you will be able to Imagine the whole tree (and even whole scenes) at once, Imagination grows exponentially.
- Imagination has "degrees of density". It's faint/subtle/ghosty at the beginning, but becomes more dense, defined and concrete as you progress. The same way it happens with Psychedelic hallucinations as you up your dose. 
- Don't try to force Synesthesia, it comes by itself by developing all of your senses. When I started developing my Musical Imagination, I quickly and unintendedly began to see the notes and other sounds just becouse I had been working on my Visual Imagination for years prior. I also feel the texture of any object or group of objects I put my attention on.
- Psychedelics help, you'll find that as your baseline Consciousness increses, the same dose will take you higher and higher. For durable results, use them to Imagine things that are just a little bit above your level. For example, if you can imagine any inanimate object, plant or animal to perfection, but have trouble with human faces (which is the hardest), practice it both during and after the trip. But if you can't even create inanimate objects, go for that first, becouse faces will be too much to sustain after the trip. 

Hey everyone, I have been researching neurofeedback for a while now and I haven't had too much luck with leads, it seems to be a tough nut to crack for me. So I hope I can ask here directly to get some specific pointers in where I can go learn more about neurofeedback.  I've done A LOT of digging already. Any significant leads for information is greatly appreciated.  (And yes I am willing to drop $2k-3k for a proper setup as Leo recommends.) (I live in Canada BTW if that changes anything for sourcing equipment, I'm pretty sure I can get shipments from the US easily.)
 
My goals with neurofeedback are as follows:  
Healing my ADHD Learning how to meditate 100x more effectively.  
 I want to know things like:
A structure or model to help me get a grasp on the nitty gritty of neurofeedback. What theory I need to learn to put my practice into context. Where can I learn more about neurofeedback so I know exactly what the heck I am doing, what I'm looking for, etc. What equipment should I buy? Where?  Personal Stories with using Neurofeedback to 100x their meditation or cure their ADHD Etc. Thanks in advance.
 
 
I also plan to utilize the following to further progress my healing my ADHD:
Kriya Yoga (Currently In the process of reading Kriya Yoga books) Psychedelics (Ongoing) Nootropics (I have acquired Armodafinil, Modafinil, 5-HTP, NALT, L-theanine, Lions Mane, Korean Red Ginseng, a couple others.) Heavy metal detox protocols. (Still Have to research it.

@Cody_Atzori  I would make distinctions between skills, process and content. For example, if I replicate someone's artwork, am I creative? I would say no. There is a process of learning and developing creative skills. People have different potentials in different areas - based on genetics, interest, curiosity and life history. For example, I don't have natural abilities in creating music. I love listening to music, yet my mind just isn't oriented to creating music. Who knows why. Maybe my brain can't distinguish notes well. Or maybe my neural auditory pathways are not inter-connected with other neural pathways - like emotions, liguistics, neural-muscular etc. . . In contrast, my brain naturally does well with abstraction and integration of concepts. My mind can integrate concepts in genetics, neuroscience, psychology and sociology easily and my mind loves to do it. Yet my mind can't even integrate a few musical notes together!
You mentioned that you like to gather knowledge and wisdom. One question I would ask: Do you like the accumulation of knowledge or the integration of knowledge? For me, knowledge without integration is sooo boring. Last year I went on a date with a gal that was super knowledgeable and she talked for an hour about the details of some European war. General XYZ and battle ABC. Country 1 vs. Country 2. All these different battle dates and locations. . . It was a miserable hell for me. All those detailed knowledge has no color without integration. Why was Country 1 against Country 2? How did the psychology of General XYZ allow him to be more successful than General Q? How did the battles transform society? What aspects of the war is still evident in society? How did the war shape the culture? . . . Yet hear mind was oriented differently. She kept getting upset when I was in integrated/systemic/holistic mindsets. She kept asking "What does that matter? I'm trying to list out all the battles that occurred in the year 1947". She was much more oriented toward concrete, grounded facts.
In terms of developing skills of integrative/systems/holistic thinking: A helpful book for me was "How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci". This book helped me realize various forms of intelligence such as intellectual, social, creative, social intelligence. The book gave different examples of genius in each area and explained how Da Vinci was a genius in all areas. He didn't excel in seven different areas. Da Vinci excelled in ONE holistic area because he didn't have boundaries between areas such as barriers between engineering, ecology and art. . . Also, there are many expressions of Yellow. Saying "I want to become Yellow" is like saying "I want to become an athlete". There are many different ways that athletes express themselves. It's nice to have a framework, yet don't limit yourself. For example a good framework for an athlete might be that athletes develop strength, balance, flexibility and endurance. Yet we wouldn't limit ourselves to "An athlete is a soccer player". Soccer is just one expression of athletics. 
Also, it is much easier to recognize Yellow than create Yellow. You can recognize a full stage higher than you can create. For example, I recognized the Yellow in Da Vinci and was amazed. Then I started seeing the Yellow in others. Yet my mind wasn't able be Yellow on it's own. This was frustrating at times. I would be walking in nature or journaling and think "Why can't I be Yellow on my own?". . . One thing that helped me was to watch and engage in Yellow-ness. For example, if I recognized Yellow in another I would try and converse with them. I met a Yellow-level artist and he pulled me up into Yellow-ness and we would have Yellow-level discussions. I was thinking and being Yellow with him. Yet went I was on my own, I didn't do it very well. I really wanted to be able to do it on my own. With time, it just started happening spontaneously. I would be out in nature and insightful integration between nature, art and science would appear. . . I already had the skill of recognizing Yellow, so when it spontaneously arose in my mind I was like "Whoa, that's Yellow!!". Almost like learning a new language and being able to think in the foreign language naturally without translation. . . Once the language is known, all sorts of doors open. . . 

About 6 years ago, I came across Leo & Actualized.org. This bald guy and his kinda small youtube-channel, just love at first sight I guess. Little did I know that this scrawny man in his black T-shirt will change the way I looked at things forever. Was it first for those self development content he put out, he later took me on the ride into this beautiful abyss called spirituality. He fed me the red pill. What this means in particular does not really matter. All that matters is what I learned about this community, enlightenment itself and the ridiculous tumors it sometimes gives birth to. It seems to me, that the spiritual journey, is the purest of all hero journeys. What that means though, is that at the end, only a few courageous warriors will gain the real treasure, whilst well over 90% get lost in the swamps and come out worse than they got in. Sounds pessimistic? Well, maybe it does. But I have seen so much bullshit and so little real advice in this community, its not even funny anymore. Most spiritual masters/people lack nuance on every level. Leo, is definitely one of the better ones and thats why I decided to put this here. 
So who am I to say such brave things? Who am I to dare to question the advice of the enlightened ones?  It doesn't really matter. Take the message, ignore the messenger. This is what I wanted to hear when I was stuck. If you can look at things just the way they are, you will come to the same conclusions. Some of you will hate what I have to say, others will like it. This is not about the denial of absolute truth or any other spiritual axiom that is known the be true since millennia. This is about the advice I see popping up basically everywhere in this community, presented in the typical blind leading the blind fashion.

Because of all that, I decided to put something out. Something that counteracts so much of the nonsense I read on this boards everyday. This is it.
Inspired by Jamie Wheal, Ken Wilber, and many others, including my experiences/insights in the last 6 years, here are 12 suggestions for life, an antidote to spiritual bullshitting. If you are a new or intermediate seeker, I highly suggest you to take a hard look at those. Please note that I deliberately used the word "suggestion" instead of "rule". Many points are comming from a highly nuanced perspective and not from any absolute standpoint. You might have an allergic reaction to some things mentioned, and thats perfectly fine. Dont be dumb, think a bit. Thanks!


1) Do the obvious
Take all the "biohacking" and "personal optimization" off the table. We literally do so much crazy shit to "enhance our life", yet we most often forget to do the basic stuff. This is the bottom of the pyramid. If you dont have these one in order, your lifes quality will drastically suffer. We tend to forget that taking care of our meatsuit is a crucial basic fundament for any possible growth. So fuck your crossfit, fuck your perfectly balanced diet, fuck your bulletproof-bullshit or Ben Greenfield idiocracy - KEEP IT SIMPLE. DO THE BASICS. 

-Sleep deeply 
-Move often
-Get outside (sunshine/water/trees/fresh air)
-Eat real food ("mostly plants, not too much"- Michael Pollan)
-Bathe regularly (Daily hygiene is a no-brainer - this is more about hot/cold - sauna/icebath. 
-Make and play music
-BREATHE (Our life is only as good as our breathing! This is so often dismissed and not really talked about, yet so crucial.)
-Grieve FULLY (weep, dont whimper!!)
-Make love 
-Have meaningful human relationships
-Be grateful

2) Dont do stupid shit
We have unprecedented access to the world's most potent ecstatic technologies. They always used to be tightly controlled and connected with strict rituals & rules, yet it seems like that our narcissistic, dumb western culture is about to fuck it up for the rest of us. It really grinds my gear when I see people smoke 5-MeO-DMT at a psytrance-festival. How dumb can you be? Use those tools in a respectful and appropriate manner. Dont chase for the highs and the next ecstasy. Integrate what you have learned and keep your hands away from it for some time. This is why discipline is such an important thing in your spiritual journey. 

Dont end up in a: Cult, Body Bag, Jail Cell, Rehab or Looney Bin! 

3) Let the mystery stay the mystery
Dont presume to map the infinite.
If you every checked the accounts of the deepest mystic you will recognize really fast that NONE OF THEM MATCH UP! The reason for that is beacuse every attept is mediated by humans and the prisonhouse of language. Let the mysery stay the mystery. Share your perspective but realize that its just a perspective, not more, not less. When you think you have the answer, you stop seeking - Instead, plant a garden where mystery and strange plants bloom. 
4) Fuck your journey
"Love Keeps No Record of Wrong" - St. Paul

Whatever gets us to the Deep Now is both redeemed as an essential part of our path and utterly irrelavant campared to the exquisite quality of the Moment we are blessed to share. Show us how much you have grown, but please, dear God, stop telling us! Stop being a epiphanywhore. 

5) Do the hard thing
"If you have got to eat two frogs in a day, eat the ugliest one first" - Mark Twain

We all kinda know what we have to do, but we usually dont do it. Do the hard thing and rest of life becomes easier! 
Do what inherently scares you! Ask that girl out, create that business, go to that vipassana retreat, take that psychodelic (CAVE: see suggestion 2)
Stoicism is a great framework for helping with that kind of issue. 
 

BTW: Can anyone make a petition to bring the old Leo thumbnails back?

6) Never lose the One
You can go anywhere you want, and think anything you want, as long as you can reverse your steps and make it back to the last known point of consensus reality - the One. So get funky, tweak it out, freak freely, but be sure to stick the landing. This is such an important point, yet so rarely mentioned. I have seen people getting lost in the spiritual domain, never to be found again. Always put down your string when you enter the labyrinth. 

7) Its not that either
No matter how dazzling your latest breakthrough, "download" or insight, its still only a piece of the puzzle.
It may be lowercase "t" true, but the second you assert it's uppercase Capital "T" TRUE, it's become false, just by overstating the claim.
You can no more become fully enlightened than you can become fully educated. Take the insights for what/all that they are and KEEP going! 

If you have found the answer, you didnt. 

8) Dont build on a weak fundament
Honestly, if you are at a low point in your life, then this is not the the right time to start a spiritual path. Its not. Everyone who says so and doesn't tell you about the dangers/difficulties that come with going on this journey is lying to you or has no real knowledge about it. Its basically sending a soldier who suffers from PTSD back into the war zone. Dont listen to anyone that who tells you otherwise. Most often you don't really know what your psyche can bare and what will trigger a heavy psychosis. If you are in a deep depression right now or have any other psychological/physiological difficulties, give yourself at least 5 years to fix them. It doesnt mean that you cant use tools out of the high conciousness toolbox. Psychodelics, after all, are propably the best thing to battle depression with, right now (in the right setting of course). Just be careful and take care of your needs. Take Maslows hierachy of needs as orientation. Maybe your lack of sexual intercourse is going to bite you in the ass later, you never know. Build on a strong fundament and you will be far more likely to succeed. This is so freaking important, yet talked about so rarely. 

9) Be from this world,, but not of it
Do you live in unity with everything? Maybe after some DMT or heroic dose of mushrooms - but not now.
Life can be difficult and cruel. No conceptual philosophizing about how "good and evil" don't really exist will help you with that (Even though its valid from an absolute perspctive). You cant talk yourself out of a depressive episode. If your best friends dies, you will be fucking sad. Yes, this is a movie and you are the thing, that light and the projector itself. But as long as you just know this on a conceptional level, with a glimpse of "being" the projector light here and there, it wont change much. Its true for almost all people who will read this: You will remain in a relative world for 99,999% of your time. So yes, improve your consciousness. Take the psychodelics. Meditate. Do some weird astral projection shit. But don't forget that there are situations where you act from absolute and other where a relative perspective is the way to go. Its a paradox, understand and embrace it.

10) Wake up, grow up, show up

SHOW- UP:
"Barefooted and naked of breast,
I mingle with the people of the world.
My clothes are ragged and dust-laden,
and I am ever blissful.
I use no magic to extend my life;
Now, before me, the dead trees
become alive." - 10th Ox Herding picture



11) Play
Go out there and play this game. Its all about the game.
Use spirituality to enhance the experience. Become the player, not the character.
Dont let anybody tell you what "low conciousness thing" you better shouldnt do.

Experience life fully & conciously. 

Follow your desires but realise them for what they are. 

12) "Above All, Be Kind"
Dying words of Aldous Huxley, famed philosopher and man of letters, while holdind the hands of his soul mate Laura (under influence of 200 mcg of Sandoz LSD 25). If its good enough for Aldous, its good enough for us. After all, if we skip this part, does any of the rest really matter?

Love,
undeather

PS: 
Thanks again Jamie Wheal for your amazing teachings (Some points directly taken from him)
https://www.flowgenomeproject.com/

Thanks Rebel wisdom for giving that guy a platform
https://www.rebelwisdom.co.uk/
 

I want to do some basic enlightenment sessions with people.  I'm wanting to know what you all found to be the most helpful techniques, teachings, metaphors, and approaches in the beginning stages.  
I've been doing enlightenment/self-inquiry work for about two years now (meditation for about 5) and have experimented with a few techniques.  
What were/are you favorite techniques?
What were/are your favorite/most helpful teachings/philosophies/concepts regarding enlightenment that were taught to you?
Even attitudes and demeanors teachers took would be appreciated.
Cheers

This is huge stuff.
I think "flow" can be utilized to "do good" such as efforts to reform systems like education to facilitate development of a higher conscious society.
As with anything, this may also present avenues for selfish or low conscious work (i.e. feeding agendas of big business/government without realizing negative repercussions). Systems thinking is important here. Involvement is necessary to influence large-scale reformation, but it must be done in a conscious way.

Hey everyone! Hey @Leo! This is my first post even though I have been following Leo here from Norway since early 2015. You have had a profound influence on my own path. I can say we got some really major exciting things developing up here in cold. 
I have been pondering what sort of mechanism that would enable a team to develop a shared mind like in the series Sense8?
With the increasing complexity in the world, I think we need to learn to start operating as teams ( I am currently immersing myself in Steven Kotler's work on flow). I must say I am a bit disappointed that Leo has not made a video about this yet. I guess it could be a cultural blind spot, but I really think this needs to be emphasized to a  greater and greater degree as we move forward into the 21st century if the motivation is to have an impact in bridging the planet to an enlightened society. The road to enlightenment is of course on one level a personal one, but my experience is that the right group could amplify this process to a great degree for what I´ve seen in my work with teams. 
I think the people who are going to much of the heavy lifting going forward is the enlightened "navyseallike combat readiness grit and discipline" creative artistical entrepreneurial type of individuals (and teams). Be free to challenge this ideal, but this my working picture of the kind of person I am striving to be. 
So we need a place where we could develop these kinds indviduals. Here some inspiration of how such a retreat center could be: Architecture that faciliates flow.
https://juvet.com/
https://thearctichideaway.com/en/
 
A place like this will contain:
Small cabins for living around the actual center for participant
Neurofeedback brainwaves training technology like the biocybernaut center.
Floating tanks
Ceremonial room for psychedelics
meditation room
Gym
Located in the countryside near nature, but not too far from a city.
Cold exposure availability (no problem up here in arctic) 
Conference center
Creative/technology room for working with other teams across the globe.
 
What else? 
What sorts of practices could we engage in here?
What sort of skills would we need to train people inn?
 
 

He has a ton of amazing content on the Stoa YouTube channel. His "Dharma Inquiry" talk is one of my favorites. Check out my notes here: https://www.notion.so/pranab/Dharma-Inquiry-with-Daniel-Schmachtenberger-1b6fdfa69a674e4fa9dea37f804ab06b
There are a few interactive talks with him on Stoa.ca every now and then!
Also highly rec the podcasts Emerge, Rebel Wisdom, and Future Thinkers (in that order) for similar meta/"stage yellow" content

I clicked on the first mini-article on the actualized blog about Daniel when he posted it.
I got exactly what Leo promised... a Triple-A level systems thinker that is so unbelievably smart and clever and also aware of his bias and cognitive traps and also aware of his ethical footprint in a way that i hadn't seen yet before.
So, first i would suggest you to check him out if you hadn't yet. There are about a dozen of video with him on youtube, some of them have already being shared on the actualized blog.
Also, i would like to see him more engaged on youtube, at least in the IDW and communities alike. If @Leo Gura, that seemed to be a fan of him as well, wants to inverview him and can manage to bring him on the channel, that would be fucking awesome.

I skipped most of what your read (:P), but here's my general big picture perspective/advice:
Put things into these categories. Do first: The Sweet n' Juicies: Things you most want to do and/or things you think will have the highest return on investment (whatever the return is, be it financial, emotional, or getting more clear about your values, etc.) while also being things that are easiest to do, are the least risky, and require the least amount of personal investment and commitment to do. Do second: Tearing The Band-aid Off Quick (maybe third) Things that you don't necessarily think will help a ton and/or things you don't really want to do while also being things that are easy, least risky and costly, and require the least amount of personal investment to do. Do third: The Long-Term Game (maybe second depending on what you think/feel) Things that you really want to do and think will have a high return on investment while also being things that require a high personal investment, are risky, and aren't that easy to do. Do fourth: the Backburner Things you don't want to do nor do you think will have a large return on investment while also  being things that require a large personal investment and risk to do while not being easy.   Obviously it's just a template and use it as it suits you and what you think.  I think I got it from Jamie Wheal as a decision-making guide. 
It's a 4x4 grid:
Like Dislike              Hard to do ---- Easy to do Basically...
Do what you most want to do that easiest to do immediately.  Then do what's easiest to do but you don't really want to do next.  Then do what you really want to do but is hard to do.  Then leave things you don't want to do and are difficult to do last.   So do all the shit that you can right now.  All the easy stuff.  Go explore, have experiences.  Do some psychedelics if that's easy for you right now or something, while also thinking about longer-term goals that you really want to do but take more effort and planning etc.  And doing shit you don't like which is kinda easy might be a dud, but it also might lead you to discover something new and awesome.  Never know.  
Remember, hold this frame loosely.  I think life is more complicated than a 4x4 chart   Follow your intuition and inner voice and reason as top brass. 

Map of happiness: meaning and guidance and freedom
Dr Bronner's Almond Hemp
Supergoop Forever Young Body Butter
Raw cone marijuana
Angel muse Mugler
Black orchid
Alien mugler
Rothko
Pollock
Edward Hopper's Automat
Hieronymus Bosch The Harrowing of Hell
Pieter I Bruegel
Gustav Klimt
Amedeo Modigliani (enjoy these artists with a laptop, at least)
Francis Bacon
Egon Schiele
Vincent Van Gogh
Piet Mondrian
Edvard Munch
Paul Cézanne
Paul Gauguin
Henri Matisse
Claude Monet
Frida Kahlo
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Norman Rockwell
Michelangelo
Pablo Picasso
Berlin, Germany
Behave by Robert Sapolsky
U.S.A. by John Dos Passos
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Honore de Balzac
The 48 Laws of Power
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Encyclopedia Britannica
The Denial of Death
Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
Infinite Jest by DFW
1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die by Tom Moon
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Revised and Updated by Robert Dimery
Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad
The Mask of Sanity, 5th Edition by Hervey Cleckley
Without Conscience by Robert Hare
Sapiens by Harari
Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna
Psilocybin cubensis / Pan cyans
LSD (for deep inner work)
Cannabis
Catwalk Oatmeal and Honey shampoo and conditioner
It's a 10 miracle leave in product
Is it still good to ya? by Robert Christgau
Lipstick Traces by Greil Marcus
Mystery Train by Greil Marcus
Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung by Lester Bangs
How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton (recommended by John Updike)
Escapism by Yi-Fu Tuan
Fear of Life by Alexander Lowen
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
Korean bulgogi
Raspberry crème brule
Espresso
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson
Manufacturing Consent by Noam Chomsky
Lost and Found by Bruce Gilden
ASOIAF by George R.R. Martin
Shaved body
Denim jacket
Recapture the Rapture by Jamie Wheal
The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef
Earrings
Estrogen
Dove beauty bar as hand soap and butt soap
Spiral dynamics book
Personality type by lenore Thomson
Blonde hair ? Like Britney Spears
Depression is a lack of power. - Martin Butler
A people's history of the United States by Howard Zinn
Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Malignant Self-love by Sam Vaknin
Goal in life: to get through all this, through adversity, and help young people in the future who happen to be stuck in a similar situation,, to inspire and motivate, to bring light to, to share and care
^My source of meaning in life
I am a rebel of authenticity. This would be like my future ethos
 

I know Jamie and could connect @Leo Gura with him, if desired.

@PurpleTree
It all depends on the culture. In Germany they have the culture that by 18 you should leave the household. In other Asian cultures you could be living with your parents forever and is encouraged to do so.
I prefer to question all these things and not blindy accept them. Personally i find it good to have nice food prepared everyday by a person who cares about me. I don't care about fitting into any particular role or standard. It is a privilege to have good food cooked everyday by someone else. Nobody will ever love you as much as your mother. And you want to cut that relationship short because of some peer pressure? 
If you are doing it to become autonomous then that is good. And definitely you wanna be as autonomous as quick as possible. You should be able to cook your own food, and take care of  your needs without relying on anybody.
But you could be living next door to your mother, be autonomous and also have a nice meal every day cooked by her. I don't see any problem with that. This is a privilege.  An once in a lifetime opportunity. Your mother will soon be dead. You will be missing her meals in your 50s and 60s.
Every meal is a precious gift (if she cooks well and healthily lol).
Definitely there are pros and cons. But cooking your own food every day is no fun. Nor you will ever cook better than someone who has done it for decades lol. Nor is fun being alone in an apartment. 
Here in Greece , people are encouraged to stay with their parents for many years (I am not supporting this idea entirely).
Also i've noticed very very old siblings who share the same house. It is nice to have company especially if you are close to death. Nobody wants to die alone.

Also - despite what Leo claims - I'm a firm believer that psychedelics are unnecessary. The most spiritually advanced people I've ever met have never done them. Psychedelics are an effective method for shattering the ego mind identity, but they don't offer anything that will stick. You're never really ready for these experiences unless you match their level energetically. And if you match their level energetically, why do them? Meditation is far more powerful in the long run.

Raising children is both the most selfish and selfless thing someone will do, will not explain.

Just watched the Red Panda documentary, really cool stuff, I really wonder what the Science 2.0 explanation for it is, going to be exciting to see what we found out about the human body and mind in the next 50-100 years. 
If youre super skeptical and overly rational, just think about this, imagine if you were teleported from the 1300s to today and somebody gave you access to Facetime on an iPhone to talk to your mom, it would be just as unbelievable as telekinesis is to us today, yet here we are...

@Preety_India
That's basically a Rapture-Ideology (Jamie Wheal?). 
Me and my group will survive, while the rest will perish. Not a good / loving way to think about humanity if you divide us in your mind. 
Also feels like I need to post this over and over again here: "If there are whole chunks of populations that you only have pejorative strawman versions of, where you can't explain why they think what they think without making them dumb or bad, you should be dubious of your own modeling." - Daniel Schmachtenberger
There are NO stupid people, that´s your mind not understanding someone.

The opposite of conspiracy theory is that WE are responsible for the messed up state of the world, and have the freedom to do something positive about it. But that's hard work and shakes us out of our selfish bubbles, so it's easier to blame someone else and pass the buck. 

Because normies are too unwise let the highest wisdom lead them. They need something cruder, like a mule needs a whip. You can't lead a mule with philosophy.

Leadership is rarely done by the wisest and most peaceful. Leadership is usually done by the strongest and most ambitious.
The problem with those other countries you mentioned is that they lack the ambition and power necessary for leadership. You must want to lead and you must be willing to crack some skulls in the process. You don't lead by asking nicely.

Yeah, it's almost like their own stage orange shadow which is money and selfishness is projected outwards so they come to belive that other people want control, power and money when it instead is they themselves that want it but deny it.
The anti vax hipsters is like a 180 degree reaction against what is not " meaningful" which to them Is the 3D world but then at the same time hold beliefs that everything that is meaningful is power, money ect.. cause that's what they are focused on. 
They think that it is them, the enlightened wokesterz who don't care about power VS shallow Sociey.. yet they are the one who focuses on what the ego wants. It's facinating!

“Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.”
~Terence Mckenna