Jcent

It's a metaphor for self-actualization, consciousness, metaphysics, epistemology, psychedelics, Etc.. And a whole bunch of other stuff; like minor technical training in math, science, english, history, language, etc.. It means: becoming a fully-whole and extraordinary human being.

One word. Ikigai.

Charlie Kaufman's films are great. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind Synecdoche, New York Anomalisa

@CreamCat Changing my posture from back-against-the-wall to upright COMPLETELY took everything to the next level. The results from my practice increased by 50% just by making that one move. Granted, it took 3 weeks of excruciating lower back pain for my back to get strong enough. Trust me it's worth it. Buy a meditation cushion/ foam pad for 20 bucks and never look back.

Ever heard of Reiki? Yesterday I went for my first ever Reiki session. I had absolutely no expectations going into it. I didn't really even know what it was. But I have been getting massages pretty frequently over the last few months and a girl recommended I look into Reiki. So I book an hour session, go to this yoga center, and see this Reiki healer. She has me take off my shoes, leave my clothes on, and lay on the table. She starts putting weights on my shins and a weighted eye mask on. We begin the session. Right off the bat things start to get crazy. She starts moving her hands parallel from the front to the back of my head, never touching me. Immediately I feel this intense heat radiating from her hands shooting through my head and connecting like dozens of thin hot strings. I had to ask her if she was using a heating pad or something, but she said she was just using her hands. We continue working. She starts moving her hands around my head and over my face. She makes her way down to my neck and shoulders and chest. Then she gets down to my stomach. This is probably about 30 minutes in. And this is when things get fucking crazy. I complained about some tension in my stomach, a place where I store some of my emotions. I had been working with massages on my stomach as well. She places her hands on my stomach for a few minutes. Then she starts gently rocking her hands in a sort of wiggling motion. I was starting to breathe quickly, energy was shifting around. She kept going. And shortly thereafter I just EXPLODED energetically. There was this shockwave of energy that moved up to my chest, heart area, and to the base of my throat. It was so intense that I couldn't breathe and we had to take a break. I was gasping like someone who had just run a marathon at full speed. It felt like a nuclear explosion had taken place within my upper body. It also felt like there was a metal rod going through the center of my chest, clean through and through. It was just raw, uncontrollable, power. It was like Iron Man shooting a molten laser beam out of the arc reactor in his chest plate. And for the remainder of the session (she actually spent 2.5 hours with me) she tried to ground the energy and dissolve it. She did this by placing several stones on my chest and stomach and one near my feet. They all had different properties. Some immediately starting absorbing the energy. And what was crazy was that I could palpably feel this happening. It was very very tangible. Other stones amplified the energy and took away my breath again. We were communicating together the whole time. One of the most interesting things that happened was the energy in my chest kept leapfrogging around. It was like a whack-a-mole machine. If she placed her hands on my chest to alchemize the energy, it would bounce to my stomach and my head. It was like she needed three hands to control it. It didn't want to leave. Eventually, it calmed down. And just like after a Vipassana retreat I did earlier this year, I've been burping like crazy for the last 30 hours. A true physiological response. What are the takeaways here? Well, first and foremost, Reiki has the potential to be a super powerful technique in your tool belt. I had a really crazy time at Vipassana (the teacher telling me to slow down) but this was even more potent. And it took me 8 days at Vipassana rather than 2.5 hours with Reiki. Is Reiki a substitute for discipline and serious daily practices? No. But it can synchronize with them. Furthermore, a huge takeaway for me was that reality is definitely not physical. This experience really made that obvious. Ever since a severe concussion I sustained 2.5 years ago I've noticed some new spiritual abilities/ attunement. I might be more sensitive to this stuff than the average person. But who knows? You'll have to see for yourself. This girl just gave her everything during that session. She was just a normal girl in her thirties wearing yoga pants. And, afterwards, she was as exhausted as I was. At the end of the session she put both her hands over my heart and it was the warmest thing I'd ever felt. We also talked after the session for 15 minutes or so. We just have this crazy connection even though I've never met her before. For the remainder of the day I was just exploding with creativity and intuitions. I felt so much lighter. Major decisions I'm about to make in my life are becoming clearer than ever. Check out this technique. Book an appointment and keep an open mind!

@kieranperez Thank you man I will look into that. @daniel695 Maybe. I have a better technology for curing headaches and brain fog though. I plan to write a post about it soon. I used it to cure 2.5 years of severe headaches after a concussion in 2 weeks. PM me if it's urgent. @Gabriel Antonio I'm not freaking out! I'm completely sane and back to work on my creative pursuits and schoolwork. I'm functioning fine. @Peace and Love Incredible post! Thanks for sharing! Can you describe what Karuna Reiki is? Also, do you use stones? Any good resources for practicing Reiki/stones on myself?

@Gabriel Antonio Yeah it was a really positive experience. Afterwards I was exploding with creativity and intuition. I got genius-level intuitions about how to make my life purpose work and in what direction to go in. This is something I've been trying to resolve for a while. Update: I've still been burping since Sunday. I've also had some regression/ ego backlash. Last night I was running around my house like a monkey for an hour and a half. I was making "ooh" "ooh" and "ee" "ee" sounds. I was on all fours! I was playing with my little sister who's 12 (I'm 19). She was going along with it. I was also dying laughing. At one point I was laughing so hard that the SAME exact feeling in my chest was awoken! I could feel the energy still trapped inside. This time, though, I felt like I was losing was mind. But I also felt like a kid again because I was having so much fun. My parents thought I was fucking insane! At another point I got into a laundry basket and hopped in with the dirty clothes. Just sat there for 30 mins smiling. Lots of whacky stuff going on. To say the least, I'm going to wait a week or two before going to another session. Any thoughts on what is happening? @Leo Gura I've had backlashes after big growth, but never this shit.

@Leo Gura Have you tried Reiki or other alternative healing modalities?

I don't practice Kundalini meditation at the moment. I do 30 mins of do nothing/ mindfulness with labeling. I felt a ton a subtle energy at Vipassana though, I was getting energy shooting up my spine for hours towards the end. The deepest I went was feeling like there were small microscopic bubbles in my hands vibrating ridiculously fast. When I talked to the teacher he told me to stop moving energy around and focus on the body scans. He told me to sign up for a longer course.

@seeking_brilliance This was my biggest concern going into it. I was more than prepared to try out 3-5 different healers before I judged Reiki. I think I just got incredibly lucky. And yeah, this girl has been doing it for 7 years. You truly have to master the energy and learn to manipulate it. Many people can't get anything out of the stones. Funnily enough I was thinking to myself that this could be used for serious harm if not done ethically. It's powerful stuff. @Nahm Thanks Nahm! I might look into that in the future. She told me I could practice Reiki on myself if I learned how to. I'm assuming you're pretty advanced in this work. You could probably get a lot out of this yourself. I'm still just a beginner. Maybe see if you can find someone experienced in your area! @Strikr I forgot to mention it in the original post, but I entered a state of no-mind for over 2 hours straight. I probably had 3 or 5 thoughts the entire time. I was so completely absorbed in the energy that I didn't have the time or interest to think about anything else. A flawless diet is, in my book, a requirement. I've been eating whole-foods plant based for the last 7 months. I also went there on an empty stomach. I think that helped. I haven't read any books about it. But one interesting thing I did was "prime" myself for this session by getting a bunch of massages done. That kind of loosened everything up. Then I went it there and hammered it with Reiki. If you have the money, that might really help. The massages have given me a lot of body awareness and I've released a lot of stuff just with those. Haven't read any books on this yet but I'm about to buy a book on crystals: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1623159911/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 Also, for anyone else reading this, let me know if you've gotten Reiki done or have any tips for progressing in this work. I'd love to hear some interesting stories.

@Leo Gura Maybe send out a survey and do some basic market research. With the influence you have on this forum, it'd be a joke. Start a new post and ask people from 1-5 how likely they'd be to attend (for each city). The people who say (4/5) multiply by 0.3. And the people who say (5/5) multiply by 0.8. This will give you a somewhat realistic idea of the turnout. I'd definitely come to New York, and I'd definitely stay for Saturday!

@Faye Completely normal. Feminine energy loves to be dominated.

Javed seems to be stuck in stage orange materialism...

@Leo Gura Have you heard of Michael Greger and his website NutritionFacts.org? He seems to be on the cutting edge of nutrition, hiring 20 full time researchers to sort through all the science, advocating a whole foods plant based diet. What are your thoughts on eating meat?

I've recently stumbled upon something called Ormus. Though I've only done some basic research, I was wondering what you guys thought of it. Taken consistently over the long term, people claim that it has profound effects on their awareness, concentration, etc., and that it amplifies their intentions. Some guy even said he cured his ADHD with it. From what I gather, the people who make it are like modern-day alchemists. Legit? And if so, any side effects? I've been working hard on eating healthy and detoxing so I was worried that I would be consistently ingesting heavy metals (gold, silver, tritium, rubidium, etc., etc.) which would be moving me backwards. Is it correct to view it as something like a daily supplement (similar to Omega-3, D3, B12, etc.)? If it's an effective tool for consciousness, you have my attention. Thanks. Some videos I saw: Especially interested if @Leo Gura has anything to say about it.

@Salvijus Yeah apparently half the work to make this stuff goes into "blessing" it. It's probably unlikely that I'll stumble across some modern day wizard of an alchemist. And @Leo Gura thanks.

@Leo Gura Do you take colloidal silver and colloidal gold daily or is it something you take intermittently? Also what's the difference?

@MrDmitriiV Yeah I agree. That's really the only issue here. Exploration versus exploitation (of what we already know to work). Same reason why most research leads nowhere. Does anyone have direct experience with this?

@MrDmitriiV I know there are no magic pills. And I know there is no substitute for putting serious hard work into daily spiritual practices. I was extremely skeptical of it to begin with, but I want to keep an open mind. How can I discount the experiences of hundreds of people saying it worked for them?

I actually just recently (within the last few days) made the jump from an iPhone to a $50 flip phone. I essentially did what you wrote about: I bought a digital timer for my meditation habit and my cold showers, I bought a physical calendar for appointments, I bought an SD card to play audio in my car, etc., etc.. All of my social media has been gone for a year. I actually wrote a blog post about it here: https://maximilianmcguiness.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/first-blog-post/. As most people here know, anything can be addictive. All that matters is how we choose to use and relate to these technologies. iPhones aren't inherently addictive. Sometimes all that's needed is a long pause. Sometimes when we leave something alone for a while, we can learn to use it properly again. Most of this fear that "we need to have it" is completely false. We think that if we get rid of our smartphone or our social media we will actually die and get obliterated. But I have done both! And I'm still here!

I'm 17 years old. By the time I finish my senior year in June, I'll be 18. For the last several months I've been thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of going to college, and now I've just recently started to consider the advantages and disadvantages of continuing to live with my parents. Not to sound arrogant or cocky at all, but simply to give context and perspective, I've done really well my entire high school career. Though I am waiting to hear back from many colleges regarding admission decisions, its safe to say that I can go to some of the best schools in the country. I also am fortunate enough to be able to afford these colleges too-- money is not an issue. What is an issue for me though is the time that I cannot get back. Though I'm trying to consider every angle of this, I'm starting to get the idea that it's a waste of time (and my parents' money considering that I don't just lightly make a decision to spend upwards of $200,000 in anything). I'm not interested in spending money that isn't mine and drinking until I go unconscious. Don't get me wrong, my parents aren't millionaires, but they've been saving a lot of money for a very long time. Just to be clear too, my passions have largely to do with creative endeavors and conducting business/ creating a tribe/ creating brand. I currently am pretty passionate about making music. In terms of the relationship I have with my parents, I can only say that it is deterioting very rapidly. My ideas about life, college, the status quo, etc. are becoming so drastically different and incompatible with those of my parents that our relationship is starting to get pretty toxic. We just don't see eye to eye. To be a little clearer here, too, I'm an avid student of personal development. I realize that my schooling is not my education, and that doing well in school is in no way predicative of future success. That being said, however, my unquenchable drive to be excellent, and to better myself, is probably one of my most valuable assets. I guess I just want to know and hear other people's opinions. I would appreciate any feedback from people who have been in similar situations or have had to make similar decisions, that is: move out/ not go to college. Has anyone been successful? Has anyone failed miserably Thanks!!! Joey

I'm 17 years old. In April of 2016 I suffered a pretty severe concussion from blacking out in my shower. I searched the forum for anything related to concussions but couldn't really find it. I'm a high performer. Before my concussion I would kill it in school and my music. For the majority of my junior year in high school I could work 18 hour days, five days a week, like they were nothing. It's now fall of my senior year. For over seven months I have been suffering from headaches, fatigue, fogginess, mild depression, etc. I was hesitant about writing because I'm not usually one to comment or post things online. I've been to multiple doctors, taken multiple supplements, tried multiple prescription drugs, etc. Now, everyday I meditate for 30-60 minutes. I take supplements in the morning and at night. I've cleaned up my diet. I've been trying to do everything I can to get better, but I still have ridiculous headaches, especially after grinding hard in school and trying to work on making music as well. It's funny too because I basically found self-development because of my concussion. As every newbie initially does, I wanted relief -- and I saw self-development as a way to get some, especially after hearing about enlightenment. In many ways I don't think I would be the same man if I hadn't gone through the majority of it (though I am still going through it). I am hopeful for the future. I know my future is bright. My concussion has taught me incredible patience. I'm more patient with my recovery, but I'm also more patient on my road to self mastery (and mastering my music). I can't help but be happy that I've had a concussion (as twisted as that sounds). I know that without pain there cannot be growth. I know that it's made me stronger. I just want the headaches and fatigue to go away. It's weird too because I know that I create my own reality, but I can't help but be upset with my headaches at times. It's almost like I haven't reached a high enough level to not let this daily physical pain affect me. I guess I made this post because I wanted to hear people's input. Has anyone else gone through something similar? Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone know of any alternate healing methods that have worked? What are your thoughts? Are there any other positive habits that I can implement towards my recovery? Thanks!

It's great to hear input from you guys. Thanks @Arman and @Epiphany_Inspired !!! At this point my focus is on getting 100% better. Though progress is slow, I definitely know that I am on my way to come back stronger. I appreciate your response here. It's good to hear reassurance once in a while! There really is something perfect about all of this, like an elevation of consciousness that is happening all by itself, whether or not I want it to. I guess nature is set on resolving the problems it made for itself. There's this newfound awareness, this indescribable pleasure in this whole process knowing that SOON everything probably will be OKAY. I just recently rediscovered an old analogy that I came up with and previously found resourceful. I thought I'd share it for anyone going through something similar. "Having a concussion is like running with bricks on your back, and as with running with bricks on your back, once you remove the bricks you always return stronger and faster." I think what I was hinting at was that pain is TEMPORARY but lessons are ETERNAL. There's absolutely no way I could go back to a "normal" life now. While the knowledge, wisdom, and ideas being talked about here are incredibly eye-opening and powerful, they also come with a huge burden of KNOWING. I can't just forget about something like enlightenment! I can't just go back to living life like my friends and family. It's complete unconsciousness. I guess as most people here warn, the greatest fear I have is self-sabotage, and the idea that I might somehow backslide. While this could be possible, I feel like my evolution and reincarnation are permanent. In other words, the lessons I have learned from this experience are permanent. I will continue to post with updates and comments. I hope more people will contribute to this topic. While the conversation was perhaps sparked by talk of concussions, I think everyone here is hinting at something larger going on with all injuries and dark phases. A kind of Katabasis... I hope to hear more stories, ideas, and discussion! But I think @Epiphany_Inspired put it best: Thanks, Joey

Hey @Epiphany_Inspired and @Schulzy thanks for replying! I haven't checked this in a little while! To @Schulzy I would say that the pain fluctuates. Recently it has been pretty bad, but I'm working through it. To @Epiphany_Inspired I would say thanks for posting such a detailed response. The fact that even one or two people are out there that care enough to write deeply and meaningfully is heartwarming. To be honest I'm still looking for good supplements. I take basic fish oil and magnesium, astaxanthin, Vitamin A and D, EGCg, some Vitamin C and a centrum multivitamin every day. It's a lot to take all at once so I split it between morning and evening. I often stop taking certain ones too to see if they are actually working or not. I am amazed how much you have been through. I can't imagine 10 more years, but there seems to be a softness in your voice, and that you too can look to some positive things. Tell me, do you meditate? Do you know much about enlightenment? I'm not sure how much you are into these kinds of things, and I am certainly not an expert on either of the two, but my perpetual headache seems to disappear when I meditate. After hearing about some enlightenment material, I've also learned that it's possible to completely dis-identify with things. I will often try saying to myself "This pain is unnecessary. It serves no purpose. I am not this pain." I've had some luck so far, but it's something I'm working on and educating myself on. I have been a little frustrated lately, but I'm learning to accept the present moment, like on a very deep level. It's not like "Yeah! Just live in the present moment" because that means nothing to me. I don't know... I'm interested to hear more about you. What is your life like on a day to day level? Do you have something you are passionate about? While in many ways I have woken the fuck up after getting hit on my head, I can't help to think that this gift of awareness has come at such a great cost. I DO believe that time can heal almost anything. It's hard to stay positive, but I know my future is bright. I refuse to let this pain and fatigue keep me from living out my dreams. My top priority is to get better and to find inner peace. I conceptually understand that there would be no pain if there was no "me", but I haven't reached that level yet... There's almost a twofold frustration in the difficulties of getting better and the difficulties of personal work. Thanks again, Joey