Natasha

@AleksM Stay open-minded, question everything, and recognize beliefs for what they are - an illusiory thought content... even when they are sold as a cool looking shiny pendant, or channeled by a mystical 'future self' You're a smart guy, you get it.

There is a lot going on in your conceptual world right now. So like you said, don't lose yourself in the content of it

There is no such thing in reality as 'future self'. 'Future' does not exist, so does not 'self'. An enlightened person would recognize that.

@AleksM I just checked out a couple of the YT links you posted in OP. Could it be just mind control veiled in fancy content? There is also his body language that I found off-putting (lack of eye contact/shifty eyes, monotonic, fast, script-like speaking, wearing sunglasses alot). Videos of young people (esp girls) giving their 'starseed' testimonies. The pendulum advertisement (how much does he charge for that?). And the content itself sounds like something you read in a Sci-Fi book (nothing he talks about can be verified in direct experience). That's just my initial impression of Arcturus Ra, and I trust my gut intuition.

We 'follow' the body for the same 'reason' an ant 'follows' its body - an automatic/instinctive/conditioned happening. If ants had human brain, they would think they are building something meaningful what in reality is just a pile of dirt.

@kieranperez It's hard to tell what to do in your situation without knowing your condition and history. Anyone would benefit from daily meditaion and wholesome diet/lifestyle, though. That's always a good start.

The woman was dependant on the anti-anxiety meds. I'm surprised the article didn't report the effect those kinds of drugs have on one's brain and the side-affects of stopping taking them. According to the article Megan had battled mental illness long before the retreat. At the retreat the meds were not allowed, after day 7 she started to get disoriented, but chose to continue for 3 more days. She left the place suicidal while other meditators empowered and restored. The drugs/stimulants warped and altered her mind to the degree that prolonged quiet peaceful state of being became deadly to her. The giant psych drug business is behind her suicide, not a meditation retreat, IMO.

@d0ornokey Work on your personal boundaries and discernment... meaning, you either tell him to back off and let you be, or to go bye-bye. It's not friendship when two peope try to one-up each other, it's rivalry.

@nahtanoj A friend of mine of Indian origin encouraged me to go talk to a priest at a local Hindu temple when I shared with him about my shift. He said I had a gift and that without a guide I'd get lost or take on a wrong path. I respectfully declined, for the same reasons Leo mentioned in his posts above. I'm open and curious to learn about different schools, but would not join any of them. Consciousness work and deepening of awareness does not require following any particular group, it's simply a matter of sitting down and do the work in solitude, and I don't need a Hindu priest or a Zen master to tell me that.

Or as Leo put it "We are nothing, but as special something"

@Toby I agree. It's when it becomes ritualistic (as Afonso witnessed at the gathering) and following dependent and attached to the teacher/guru, that's when it's a matter for mindful re-evaluation. That being said, I have deep respect for Mooji and listen to his teachings regularly myself.

Though Mooji is listed among personality cults, I still find his satsangs deeply insightful. Cults attract insecure, neurotic people to form a following. It's ok to check it out, don't become overly dependent or attached to any teacher/guru, though.

That is how one evolves from a Butt monkey to a Majestic Ape these days

"Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take...I'll be watching you"

Goodbye My Lover: a psychopath's love song "Cos I saw the end before we'd begun, Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won..."

@Mastral 'No-self' is not achieved, it's recognized/realized. I had my shift while doing this guided self-inquiry:

@John Iverson Get to know her. If she is open to share your passion for spiritual growth and personal development, then great. If she is not, it might not work out, cos you're not going to be happy with someone long-term who thinks you're weird by doing all this consciousness work. Having a like-minded companion/partner is very important on this kind of journey.

Yes, faking is a sign one lacks emotional intelligence. Emotionally intelligent people are authentic and genuine.

Psychopaths might have low, average, or high IQ, but they ALL lack in emotional intelligence.

@2000 Sounds like he went through what you're going through. Check it out

Lisa Cairns and Tony Parsons communicate well this kind of thing. Check this out

@krazzer I got awakened while doing Leo's guided self-inquiry in his Creating the Experience of No-Self video about 2 years ago and the shift was permanent too. Even when I learn something new about 'enlightenment' and stuff, it doesn't change the state or add anything to it, only to the conceptual knowledge base. If I threw all the concepts away, the being would still be here, infinitely. Thank you for sharing.

@Shin Here in Florida there are plenty of mosquitos too, bug screens keep them out, though. All my window and back porch are screened for bugs. You can also use Essential oils to repel them http://info.achs.edu/blog/green-cleaning-10-essential-oils-that-naturally-repel-insects

@Shin Don't they use mosquito screens where you live?

@John I hope this will help put things in perspective