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For those of us who normally don't read long posts, this AI overview by @PureExp is well worth the read. I work with MI (Machine Intelligence) in finance, and in that industry it's an absolute arms race the likes we have never seen before. Ever. The only thing that is saving my trading edge so far, is that current financial MI systems are often given poorly-thought knowledge foundations to work with. Based on those erroneous presumptions, so far many of those billion-dollar systems are mostly good at "finding" market patterns that don't really exist - over-fitting to past data is a big problem in the financial industry. It's only a matter of time before MI becomes intelligent enough to override the faulty assumptions we dumb humans impose on it. Perhaps it already has, an infinite number of times. AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is inevitable. Consciousness is developing a more powerful embodiment in which to express itself through, and is doing so at an exponential pace. Unless we manage to destroy Mother Earth in the short term, humankind is destined to become one of evolution's vestigial appendices. Homo sapiens, please hail your new overlord.

I've been reading about 5-MeO-MiPT , which according to some reports apparently offers similar effects to plain 5-MeO, with one biiig difference: it's orally active at 4-6mg, and the experience lasts 4-6 hours. Has anyone here tried 5-MeO-MiPT?

@khalifa , we may not exist, but we still feel the pain as real as anything in this life. Hang in there, buddy - the suffering will pass for sure, hopefully sooner than later.

Anadenanthera peregrina - 12g of this common South American tree's seeds have enough 5-MeO-DMT (and plain DMT) for a decent dose. That's a heck of a lot of material to insufflate though...

Judging by successful relationships that I've seen (I'm not in one), they often display balanced attributes such as an equality in terms of maturity - i.e., there is no "leader". In other words, aim for a relationship with your equal in terms of development and experience, and grow together from that basis. We are all on a life journey, and sharing it with partners (and friends) with similar levels of experience and maturity, can turn our travels into an incredible adventure.

Khalifa, my heart goes out to you in this painful time. Hang in there, because this suffering is definitely temporary. You will rise from this dark hour and shine like a star. "It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth"

If that is your driving force, then you are guaranteed to fail. To be successful in this industry, you need to be driven by the kind of focus and serious passion that put a man on the Moon. Unfortunately trading is not a zero-sum game - you have to be in the top 10% in terms of performance just to break even over the long term. You also need to be 100% systematic in order to replicate your system(s) backtesting and work out your risk exposure, and you also need the conviction and nerves of steel to follow through. In order to be in the top 1% (and average a measly 10-20%pa at reasonable risk levels), you need to put an incredible amount of time and effort into never-ending R&D. And you need serious capital - forget the bs about 100%+ pa returns with little or no starting $. I've been trading for almost 20 years, have developed countless trading systems and backtesting platforms for almost 500 clients, and currently trading major futures (forget penny stocks). I put in an avg 80 hrs/week into systematic (AI) R&D, and I'm currently in the long and expensive process of setting up a Caymans-based fund. If I knew from the beginning how difficult and time-consuming this profession turned out to be, I would've definitely invested all my time and effort into something far easier and more productive.

So, what attracts you to this difficult endeavor?

Alicja, pausing your journey to take stock of your direction is a natural process in this pilgrimage we call life. And just like with any physical journey, it is often more beneficial to survey the path ahead from a higher rather than lower perspective. In other words, take care not to derail your path by basing pivotal life decisions during difficult moments. Your contribution to this forum is of great value, whether it is openly recognized or not. Your insightful posts are touching the lives of many, and this has an unavoidable knock-on effect on our world. It's that difficult journey that you so willingly share with us, that is so valuable to the world, not your eventual destination. And I understand your concern - no rational being wants to become that reclusive monk in the forest cave, or that strange aunt whose family hardly knows or understands. Bring what you learn into the "outside" physical world, and not just to this forum. Make the world the practicing playground of your wisdom and self- knowledge. Share your journey with the world.

Have a fight with yourself. You will be a true hero, but only if you lose the fight.

They are not his words.

Martin Ball has probably done more 5-MeO trips than anyone else on this planet, yet he doesn't strike me as a particularly ego-free specimen. Watch his last video, where he displays a few self-aggrandizement moments, often at the expense of Terence McKenna's formidable reputation. It's possible that the short duration of the 5-MeO trip (as opposed to psilocybin or the longer Ayahuasca ceremonies), may not be conducive to the integration of the non-duality experience into everyday life. Maybe the breakthrough trips crack the ego just enough to let it return stronger, akin to "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". As far as I can tell with my very limited awakening experience, Rupert Spira seems like a fine example of someone who has successfully integrated his own awakening experiences into his everyday life.

Hmmm, both 5-MEO-DMT and 5-MEO-MIPT are MethylTryptamines, and their molecular structures appear very similar: vs

Ooops... sorry - this went over my head.

A few days ago I shared a mushroom experience with a friend who has a past history of heavy MDMA use, and is nowadays on multiple meds (some possibly SSRIs). Unfortunately his mushroom trip was cut rather short (30 mins), by what appears to be a serious Serotonin deficiency/depletion. All the usual symptoms followed: depression, impatience, agitation, craving for carbs, fatigue, not able to sleep. I'm now thinking of trying to help him build up his Serotonin levels with 5-HTP supplements, the direct (more so than tryptophan) precursor to Serotonin. If so, he would have to be off his meds, which may be a bit tricky. Does anyone here have any experience with taking 5-HTP? Please share your thoughts on this - thanks.

I would change this to "The Art Of Living/Dying Well".

Related vid: Thomas Campbell's take on the Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser experiment

@Safari Celeste you're making a lot of assumptions there. My friend is being "taken care of" by high-end psychiatrists and psychologists based in Monaco, and the best they've come up with so far are numerous MRI scans, as well as the usual cocktail of antidepressants which actually do serious harm over the long run. Traditional medicine/psychiatry treat symptoms such as his under the "depression" umbrella, and provide immediate relief through drugs which *do not* address the specific root cause of the problem, a very clear neurochemical imbalance in his case. SSRIs and other types of antidepressants only work well for a limited time, before the brain eventually develops a tolerance to those drugs, and increasingly higher doses become necessary. "Tolerance" is a nice way for pharmacologists to say that over time those drugs alter the brain's neural structure in a dangerously detrimental way. SSRI-type drugs work by blocking the re-uptake of Serotonin-specific neurons in the brain - keeping excessive levels of Serotonin floating longer in the neural synapse gaps. However, over time the brain detects too much of this neurotransmitter floating around, and so begins to shut down Serotonin receptors - hence the eventual drug "tolerance" development. For some reason pharmacologists and neurologists generally don't see drug tolerance as a major issue. Not only are diminishing Serotonin levels a serious health issue in itself, but it leads to complications with the usual additional need for additional drugs such as sleep medication. @sadlabounty thanks for the vid links, but the L-tryptophan Japanese contamination that has caused Eosinophilia–myalgia syndrome is practically a thing of the past. It, as well as 5-HTP (which is the much more effective and direct precursor to Serotonin) is nowadays tested for Peak X contamination. In short, my friend has been taken care of by high-end professionals, and they've done nothing but worsen his condition over time. For him, it's time to attempt and heal his serious neurochemical imbalance in a more natural way with supplements (not substances). His psychological issues are another story. What I'm looking for here are reviews on the effectiveness of 5-HTP based on personal experience, as opposed to the usual "see a professional" kind of useless and sometimes dangerous advice.

I was sitting on the toilet while watching TV and eating a cheeseburger last night, and a thought occurred to me on understanding the fundamental nature of reality, and whether this is possible through the rational mind: If mind (arising and being a subset of the body) can model and understand the body's many functions, could our mind then (somehow) also be able to grasp the bigger superset of fundamental reality?

Quit. But before you do, find your true passion first.

Superficial "ugliness" is actually a blessing in disguise - often it leads to strong character-building traits. For example, Donald Trump didn't get to where he is today by winning beauty contests. Hmmm, poor example... "Good looks" are skin deep, and only shallow people care about that. If you fulfill some need to impress them, you will only attract superficial people in your life. vs

I've tried time and time again to explain the Internet to my dog, but she just doesn't get it - dumb as a rock when it comes to our clever and superior abstract intellectual humin concepts. We humans are smart enough to copy concepts from nature and apply them to our own needs. On the other hand, nature has no chance at copying our super-smart highly-evolved civilization. Lol... And we are so damn superior to those dumb bacteria - we've even managed to copy their gene editing system. We is so smart... Oh, wait...

Seeking enlightenment could be seen as an Obsessive-Compulsive trait. Come to think of it, OCD could well be a necessary prerequisite for posting on this forum.

Beautiful description of a divine experience - thank you @Principium Nexus

Check for air leaks - perhaps the 5-MeO has burned a hole through the top of one of your nostrils. And if so, try whistling through it.