Space

@FoxFoxFox My understanding is that not everyone has a clear physical sensation, even after years of yoga in some cases. I'd be interested in the book as well, unless its one of the ones on Leo's booklist.

I think I understand what you're asking, and the answer is the second one. Personally I visualise the spine as it is actually positioned, relative to my face/head. Rather than imagining a new entire body, from a side view for example, which I have done in the past but found it doesn't work. I've found that the most success when the visualisation is paired with feeling the prana moving up the spine as well. Both are equally important. Feeling the spine facilitates/helps the visualisation a lot. The feeling and the visualisation don't have to be absolutely perfect to reach a still mind, but of course the clearer they are the better. I still struggle with the down visualisation for some reason, whilst the in breath is sometimes nearly perfect. It just takes practise.

@Pronevron 5-MeO will show you where you're at. But you might be quite shocked at how little consciousness you have in your normal daily life. Atleast I was.

@Yannik Depends on how busy you are with your other stuff. If you don't feel like you can commit to the retreat 100% then maybe its not the right time. And if you're not excited or inspired about going then it'll be much more difficult. Then again you may just be making excuses to avoid going. If you're serious about raising your consciousness, you should go and give it everything you have. 10-day vipassana retreats are quite challenging, but you quickly get used to the schedule and it is only 10 days after all. It'll feel like a lot longer than 10 days, but you'll be glad you went. Personally it was one of the hardest things i've ever done. But some people find it easy and relaxing. If you get the opportunity to have a private room, then definitely do that.

It takes time (most of the time), although the intention to have a breakthrough/realise truth is important. Whenever you feel like you're not doing it correctly, just ask yourself, who do i honestly think I am, or what do I honestly think I am right now. Get really honest with yourself. And then inquire into whether thats true.

Psychedelics can help with these things, but they may not so i'm not suggesting to do them or not. However, there's a reason that psyches are being used in medicinal settings more and more - they're medicine! And they do actually work at alleviating mental/psychological issues. They're also pretty safe to take. I doubt it would have any negative effect on your described symptoms i.e. making them worse (but don't take my word for that). For me, the difference between a good and bad trip is always the set and setting. Trip on a day when you feel fairly level headed and positive, and ensure that your setting is as perfect as you can get it i.e. being alone, being in a clean, warm and comfortable space, and most importantly knowing that absolutely no one will disturb you and you know this for 99% certainty. Take a low to medium dose to start with.

@jerrypua Inspiring stuff! Keep at it man. You're doing more than than 99.999% of guys, including me haha.

I highly doubt your workplace is stage Purple. Purple is a very low stage of development, which is quite rare within Western society today. What you call magical crystals and gullible superstition may actually be rooted in genuine phenomena - you don't know. Try to be more open minded and less judgemental. Things like healing crystals and paranormal phenomena is more stage Green than Purple. Maybe you have a Green shadow, or maybe you're looking at your work colleagues from a lower stage, like Orange. That would be why you find it difficult to work with them.

@peanutspathtotruth So i've been an artist for as long as I can remember. It's always been my 'thing'. I guess I would consider myself self-taught. Its only recently that i've started to take it seriously and think about how it can make it into a viable career, but I think I can offer you some advice. Firstly, do not worry about not having any experience. You can build you skill level quite quickly with deliberate, focused and continual practise. Be deliberate in what you choose to study and practise. Focus on what you find the most challenging and also on what is most important for you to achieve your short and long term goals. And then practise, practise, practise. I could simplify this whole post and just say - practise! That is all that is required really. But of course, practising is a lot easier said than done. It's not always fun and relaxing. I think it's important to formulate atleast some idea about what kind of art you feel drawn to create. If you want to paint, then that will require different skills than if you want to create digital illustrations. Having some sense of direction in this regard will save you time in the long run. Saying that, learning how to draw properly is something that will be of use no matter what medium you choose further down the line. Drawing is really the foundation of most art. So learn how to draw. And draw a lot. Fill 20 sketchbooks with drawings! Expect to fail. Seek failure because failure = learning. Do not be afraid of failure, of making bad art. Learn to love your bad art. As a starting point I would set yourself some small projects to work on, whilst simultaneously beginning to study the fundamentals (perspective, anatomy, colour theory, composition, practical stuff like using a digital drawing tablet or understanding oil paints etc). This will get the ball rolling and also give you a better idea about whether this is really the right path for you. These are called 'small bets' and they allow you to test the waters before making this a real serious life-long commitment. I would advise not making any drastic changes to your life situation at the moment, like quitting your current studies etc. You need actual experience in this field first. So devise some projects for yourself. Maybe you could aim to produce 10 finished drawings or paintings, or whatever medium you have in mind, based on this idea: 'All this energy, all this potential that I see unfolding in me through consciousness work - I want all that to flow into a translation of that creative energy in the form of art.'. Or challenge yourself to do 100 drawings from observation (random objects from around your house). Or you could do 10 self-portraits in 10 different styles. Something like this will increase your skill level quite fast and you'll begin to get an idea of the actuality of producing art, and all of the joys and sufferings that come with it. Happy to answer any other questions you have. Goodluck!

@28 cm unbuffed Not many people around here will be able to offer advice because it sounds like you're having some fairly unique experiences. I mean, people's third eyes do open and people do have similar experiences, but its quite rare. So you're gonna have to just go with the flow and work it out yourself. I would advise googling around about 3rd eye opening. You probably more likely to find information and advice by doing that. Enjoy the experiences as best you can, but don't get too sucked into them. Sounds like you have a nack for this stuff so use that to realise Truth and don't get distracted by the other stuff.

@Wisebaxter This is something i've been trying to figure out as well. I tend to make a distinction between awareness watching awareness meditation, and then the self inquiry method that Leo recently discussed. Both are quite similar, but I feel there are some subtle differences. With the awareness watching awareness meditation, it feels more passive, I let thoughts come and go, and it's generally a more relaxed 'meditative' process. With the self inquiry method, I am actively trying to 'get' who or what I am. So it's more of an engaged process. I tend to (mentally) ask questions to really focus the mind. I always self inquire with my eyes open as well, as it cuts down on the monkey mind a lot. But of course they are quite similar. They both lead to awareness watching awareness. Overall I tend to lean on the side of being more active rather than passive with my attention, but as I mentioned i'm still trying to figure it out. If i'm too passive then the meditation or inquiry lacks necessary focus, and you just end up half-assing the technique. I think ultimately it requires a balance of both. Some interesting resources on the topic: https://www.personalpowermeditation.com/awareness-watching-awareness-better-than-any-sight-any-sound/ https://albigen.com/uarelove/most_rapid/chapter07.htm

@kira Vegan diet can be great for some people. Personally it had a really bad effect on my health, but each to their own I guess.

Often this just comes with continued practise and study. Search the forum for anything related to self-inquiry and read it all! Read Leo's guide at the top of the forum, watch all his videos on self-inquiry, watch his blog retreat videos because he occasionally talks about self-inquiry there. Study the technique from many different sources whilst you practise daily, and then you'll eventually figure it out. Focusing on awareness is great, but questioning and wondering about who or what is aware is also beneficial. Just remember to stay in actuality, what is actually true right now!

@ExodiaGearCEO Dude I feel the same way sometimes. Although I don't necessarily think my life is boring. I just do a lot of stuff by myself at home. I'm never bored lol. I think Leo makes a good point about being in an intimate relationship. That in itself is why people, and particularly girls, want a relationship. Theres more to attraction than simply what you do in your spare time. Most of my friends who have girlfriends don't do much outside of work. If you feel confident, passionate and enthusiastic about whatever you do, even if thats just meditating and reading books etc, girls will find that attractive.

@Dorotheus Damn thats impressive! Just randomly going out on your own and doing cold approaches. Not many guys would do that haha. Makes me kinda inspired to go and do it myself!

@billiesimon Definitely shit tests!

@outlandish @Leo Gura Ok cheers guys, thanks for the feedback

Whats the reccommended amount of time that we should wait between 5-MeO trips? Days or weeks?

@dimitri Yes my recent 5-MeO trip was all Love too. A humbling experience. Infinite and boundless Love.

Dosage ~20-24mg (Rectal ROA) The only word that needs be said is... LOVE. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, BOUNDLESS AND INFINITE LOVE. There is no room for anything but Love. Of course! Its Infinite ahaha!! Without ego there is only Pure Love. Unbounded, Boundless, Infinite. Forever and ever. Pure Love. The love was endlessly outpouring from the heart centre, from within 'me', without a beginning or end. Endless love to give - it can never end or not be. Overview of the trip: I was super anxious beforehand and had lots of thoughts about not doing it etc. Even though I hadn’t eaten for about 5 hours, I got incredibly nauseous during the come up. It was that horrible feeling of being right on the edge of throwing up but not being able to. However it eventually passed after some time. I'm also pretty sure I didn't take a single breath for a good 5 or 10 minutes. Didn't affect me in any way though. The come up experience was fucking intense and really trippy. Its such a radical shift from your normal waking consciousness, that its kinda difficult to get your bearings and figure out what is actually going on. Eventually it smoothed out though. At one point the thought ‘Love’ spontaneously arose and appeared in the heart centre, not from or in the ‘head’. Like a cork popping out of a champagne bottle the thought completely opened my heart and released a torrent of Infinite Love that I have never experienced before in my life. It literally felt like a torrent of Love spreading outwards from my heart for ever, without a beginning or end - Infinitely. I cried and cried and cried for the Love was so strong and total. So much Love. Its hard to describe and these words are not enough. The love over took ‘me’. It was me. It was so powerfull, so overwhelming. So much Love. I felt that I could give Love to everyone for ever. There was no desire for others to give me Love. There was only Love to give. Unbounded Love, Infinite Love. I finally understand what it means to Love and to give and share Love without needing anything in return. Thanks Leo!

It is all happening to you right now. Every form of torture and suffering that has already occurred was happening to you. But not to your current ego. It's not that you as an ego will experience every form of suffering.

@FredFred Thankyou

@Equanimitize I don't know, possible a mix of Green/Yellow. No I don't agree with that payment to African Americans either. Not sure that it would solve or change the issue at all really.

@Equanimitize I already posted this on the SD Yellow Thread

@Just the mage As far as I understand, Kundalini symptoms do eventually subside. I can't say i've read about anyone who has had intense Kundalini symptoms for their whole life. Although I don't know for sure. I'm sure there are plenty of spiritual therapists in the US that you can contact and get help from. Any traditional doctor is not going to be able to help you. You could get in touch with/have a skype chat with Tara Springett. She lives in the UK but does Skype consultations, specialising in kundalini syndrome. http://www.taraspringett.com/