Vynce

So as I revisited Leo's teachings about Self-Love I had so many insights about my own dysfunctional behaviors in everyday life. Two habits I want to address and set in context to Universal Self-Love - or more precisely, set in context with my lack of Universal Self-Love here: 1. Scrolling through media and listening to music non-stop: Because my Self-Love to ordinary people, ordinary situations and occurrences is so limited I take the easy way to Self-Love, when I look at beautiful people, landscapes and animals in YouTube or "social" media.Likewise with music. Because of my inability to appreciate the sound of my car engine or the sounds of birds, I take the easy route and listen to my favorite music for hours on end. However ordinary people, car engine sounds and birds are all me! Psychedelics showed this to me so many times, yet I seem to forget it over and over again. 2. Looking in the mirror: Because I train a lot and like my facial looks, I get addicted to "harvest low hanging Self-Love" when looking in the mirror. You could also call this ego self-love. Problems arise when my looks do not give me the same instant Self-Love and cause me to suffer. Yet when I'm extremely conscious, looking in the mirror is as pleasing as looking inside the organic waste bin. I'm interested to learn about your personal Universal Self-Love avoiding self-love behaviors.

Before we start I know this question is quite redundant, because obviously MORE consciousness solves the problem. But what do you do when reality seems completely "un-inviting" to be conscious about it. Let's say, you are meditative conscious and everything seems cozy and loving. But suddenly the exact thing you have been conscious of feels ugly, disturbing, confusing, cold ect. I am thinking of a good friend, who I absolutely love when I think about him. But as soon as we spend some time together, he seems dumb, boring and repetitive in his actions and wordings. And obviously he is me, so I try to love him through more consciousness. But this is way trickier than loving the car i'm driving, the clouds above me or anything similar. Should I tell him? Should I look him in the face for an hour till my love comes back? Should I avoid him and focus and "easier love"?

Indeed. I've completed the PDF document, you sent me and I have this novel feeling of "a new healthy perspective". Quite astonishing how mental knots can be untied so easily

Thanks! I actually downloaded the app "the work" from Byron Katie. The sensations and feeling are so subtle and irrational, so its hard to write them down. I'll give it a try anyways

@Tudo You intuit it. Usually both want to kiss each other, but neither know how NOT to make the first move awkward. I usually make us both comfortable in a close "cuddly" position to feel how open she is to body contact. If that is the case I kiss her on her temple, neck or forehead. If she likes this, she is ready for a real kiss.

Many questions here. I want to focus on this one. My ego is not in power of changing the flux of consciousness. If you ask my ego, I want "un-realness". I want achievements without work. I want love without selflessness. I want freedom without letting go. For example: Real depression, in an unsatisfactory job, is there for me to seek out my true purpose. If this depression would not feel real, there is no motivation to change. In that sense "realness" curves my way back to ever growing, infinite Love.

Threat feels real. Consciousness wants infinite "realness" to its dream. Imagine reality, if every fear exploded in pink hearts and unicorns if you felt it.

I like to have a discussion on the meta-physical structure of hope. I remember Leo talked here and there about it, but has not completely dived into the subject in a video. Currently, in my life, I notice that I passed a big unconscious flatline (probably 4 months), where reality felt unloving, annoying, depressing, cold and ungiving, despite my best efforts to stay conscious and spiritual. Even God realizations could not erupt this depression, because realizing God ment to know, that unconsciousness will get its grip back onto you. Gods necessity to struggle and fear made be depressive as fuck. Porn, lots of food, mindless media binging were result of not feeling Love towards reality. And now my sense of reality began to shift back into joyful, optimistic, creative and "alive". So much so, that I want to prepare myself for the next "limbo phase". I see the structure of struggling and liberation as Gods perfection. But only, when I'm liberated. When I'm depressed, I don't care about Gods perfection. So my question would be: How to have hope, when all hope is lost. And why do some people have so much hope and some none?

Don't your wonder how long consciousness likes to keep itself Illusioned? You say we live in the dark ages of awakening, but when will this change? Next 100 years? Next 1000 years? After all, there is no need for humanity to become enlightened, since the only one awake is you/me. Interesting question nonetheless.

This question is inspired from Tim Ferris' book "Tools of Titans". I'm currently moving out into a new home and wonder what your favorite (actually useful) material things are, which enhance your everyday life significantly. May it be for cooking, sleeping, reading, concentrating, meditating - let me know!

I don't want to get too technical but there is no "practice for consciousness". Either you are conscious right now or not. It's completely irrelevant if you sit in a "practice room" or have "practice timer" running. None of this can help you with being aware of what is. Even in the most non-practicable environment you can be conscious of what is. Spirituality is endlessly paradoxical if thinking is involved So I stop my texting (thinking) here to be more conscious.

99,99999% theory. The rest is also theory with some practice mixed in. Psychedelic awakening showed me how hopelessly unconscious I really am. I'm completely honest. Today I was probably less conscious than in 5 minutes of my last LSD experience. Here some seconds, there some seconds. Staying focused and aware for more than 15 seconds happens like once a day.

@Jahmaine I share your view on meaningless comments from users, who want to repeat their non-dual paradigm just for the sake of it. However, I do know the answer and therefore responded: I apologize, if my framing was a little too arrogant. Loving awakening to you

Sounds like spiritual ego is on the hunt for some "special rainbow enlightenment". The wording is not important. Awakening is absolute and can be achieved with psychedelics and open mindedness.

Feed your muscles some easy to digest sugar right after workout. Rice cakes or corn cakes are good options. This replenishes carbohydrates in muscle fibers and therefor ensures a "muscle growth environment". Protein intake should be ideal high throughout the day, not especially after workout.

The following question can also be asked about "Spiral Dynamics", but I'm reading Susann Cook-Greuter's model right now. Their structure is largely the same. How did the researchers of this model figure out the characteristics of different "ego groups"?. Is there any information HOW they came to the conclusions on ego development? For example, my father shares frighteningly many aspects of the "Expert stage" or "Stage orange" (in Spiral Dynamics). Here is an example (My responses = blue): "They (experts) cannot yet conceive of the possibility that things could be done well in more than one way or that others could also do them adequately." I mean it's absolutely true. My father can be described exactly like that. He refuses to see how his style of work can be made 1% better. But how can you figure that out just by asking? No real expert would admit this deficit by himself. or "Having the last word or one-upmanship - that is, listening to the other and then adding one’s own opinion to remain on top - is typical." This one is easier to sense, but still, it's so incredible to believe how scientists came up with these models just by asking people questions. or "Having just recently discovered their own separate personhood, Experts fear losing this sense of specialness. Moreover, they fear being reabsorbed and getting drawn back into the fold, into the mass of others. (previous stage)" This conclusion is just amazing. It's so true, yet impossible for me to see how someone would reveal this truth for you in the form of spoken word answers. Any ideas?

What would you personally consider to be valid criticism of Spiral Dynamics and 9 Level Ego Development model?

Meditate in stressful situations. Do pickup or public speaking and keep awareness of your body. Effective results in weeks. The problem, you probably don't want the hard, effective method

Oh did not know that. In that case it's two screenshots from his Instagram page.

Understanding is my highest value. Understanding a situation or person is deeply satisfying. Especially if it is hard and complex. Emotions like hate, ignorance, fear, envy are all product "not understanding/ not appreciating". Understanding is the gate way to love. This is typical stage orange thinking, to classify someones stage and feel superior. I have to be careful about that. Such as motive would be too ignorant. Exactly. If living in truth means to dumb all the models and maps, fine. But somehow people figured it out, how to assess someone values and worldviews. This "somehow" interests me. It interests me, because of this mysterious motivation to understand. No hidden agenda.

Coke and Pepsi have already been declared poisoning 50 years ago. The question is how consciously people can see the connection between consumption and illness. Unconsciousness can conserve you in horrible habits for decades, if you never find out how they actually harm you in direct and indirect ways. Only direct, personal experience of suffering connected to the habit can bring forth a change. However, ending the habit is also suffering. The question is, what suffering weighs more.

Important distinction. On the absolute your/my/our perfect description is infinity. Interesting to see how infinite identity breaks down into concepts like @TheAlchemist In my case it would be: Addicted to beauty and meaning

@Matt23 Thats sounds doable. My "secret" agenda of this thread is it to find ways, how to interview people, without "interviewing" them. I want to know someones ego development, without making them feel like a lab rat. Sentence completions are probably not really "real life" like. But there are ways to questions someones believe in a similar fashion.

@kray Yes. I had super productive sessions with meals like 2-3 hours before.