Matt23

I always thought the military uses both a lot of Blue and Red. Then, dpeending on where you are, Orange. I heard Ken Wilber saying that stage Blue knows how to handle stage Red...?

Using frustration as fuel for survival.

Yeah. I agree. Tom Sizemore (the actor) in Saving Private Ryan really, to me anyway, seems to be Red and oozes a ceratin maybe healthy red... Like in battle scenes when he gets hit or something, all he does is get super frustrated and yells and just goes berserk on his enemies instead of shrinking back in defense or being ok with it.

@Shiva I think that puts things into a new and perhaps more realistic perspective. I just don't want to make a wrong decision and then realize that I've wasted my life. I feel like I need that one thing. I really want to know that it's that right thing. "Right" thing. I think I might be stuck on thinking there is some sort of one thing I need to do that 's meant for me, and that it's out there for me, or in me. That it's not about just doing random stuff, that it's about finding my "true purpose", like it's God-given or something. I dunno. Maybe some sort of destiny-type thinking about it. Thanks though. Thanks all for your responses.

Sounds like you're working hard to be happy and do the right things, but that it feels like an uphill battle... Sounds like a tough time and that it would be difficult and demoralizing. What if you allowed whatever situation your in to be ok? For now. Not necessarily as a forever thing or saying you won't try to grow or pursue dreams. But just as a way to find an oasis amidst the storm. I've noticed, when I'm feeling at my lowest, I get many self-critical thoughts (even one's i'm not aware of that come in the form of negative feelings) and I get tunnel vision. I forget the beauty and gratitude and all the good things in my life. I forget that it's not so bad. I forget to recognize the state i'm in and go "Oh! I'm super sad, hurt, and depressed right now! I should really go easy and go do something that I enjoy." Maybe buy myself a treat or hang with a friend, even not doing some disciplined thing I "should" do. If you were another person who saw you from the outside and knew what was going on inside of you (how you're feeling, thinking, and experiencing), how would you treat you? What would you want to give yourself? How would you approach yourself? What would you want to give yourself? Would you want to give yourself something you know you need? It may also require some balance between knowing when to kick your butt into high gear and create discipline for happiness versus knowing when you need to just relax, enjoy yourself, allow yourself to heal and love... When in doubt... Be Here Now Sights, Sounds, Textures ... Experience Presence You'll get there. Shape your stone. It takes time to turn those sharp edges into smooth surfaces. Here's a poem Time Water --> light as rain --> splashing against stone --> hard as rock --> turning into sand --> playing in kids' hands --> smiles on photos --> memories inconceivable joy... love --> forever in hearts --> Love The master craftsman --> the crane waiting for the fish --> 3.3 billion years of pressure to create a diamond --> Love No matter how blunt the edge --> Love It will cut through anything --> Love Given enough of itself --> Love Love -- You

Cheers Hmm... sounds like the LSA isn't very enjoyable. My friend said if you take a shit ton of ginger before hand it helps....?

Hey. A friend has some of these psychedelics and I would like to gain more knowledge about them. Any technical info, study info, case studies, or personal anecdotes appreciated.

@Leo Gura One concern I have with spirituality is that I may be creating a "phony" life purpose out of it. When I talk to people about it, I remember feeling quite excited about it. But part of me thinks it might just be a "faux" life purpose as you've spoken about (more about ego and getting basic needs met than true inspiration). I think this because, yeah, it seems I'm passionate about talking about it, learning about it, but implementing it is another story. I enjoy contemplating a bit, but I find my meditation and self-inquiry are often a struggle to do. I've got to force it mostly. On the other hand, I think my more basic needs haven't and aren't being met and I may have a lot of shadow, trauma, and neuroses going on which may be making things way harder and "pulling me down". I also think low self-esteem and self-image ("I'm not good enough" etc.) may be playing a role as well. What would you say would be fairly accurate signs that distinguish a true life purpose from a false one?

I feel like there's a lot of enlightenment techniques that are solo, and that the group aspect is lacking. Not saying the solo is "bad", but for some people working in a group setting might be way more motivating. Like chanting, dancing, or something else entirely new. But something that gets people into group-flow and "group-enlightenment".

@supremeyingyang Yeah, problems, but sometimes problems are there and you just gotta work through them. I feel like community and togetherness are things I'm willing to fight for. Hmmm...a recipe you say?... haha... yeah... It seems to me like this is where spirituality and enlightenment work might come in handy... Ego seems to be a central issue, and that if people didn't have a sense of self to defend and survive, doing the ultimate "good" would be effortless. Like the "right" or most beneficial ways to be (and be together) would be way more easy to do. Then again, that's my image of enlightenment and what it can do, and it might be severely flawed (I remember hearing from Leo about monks in Japan who killed each other). So maybe it would involve not only enlightenment but other facets of growth... Maybe some enlightenment method which A) gets people into non-dual awareness, B) brings people together (is group centered). Or/And... Maybe inventing some sort of practice/method/community which not only enhances one aspect of growth (ex: non-duality vs. parenting vs. technology vs. morality, etc.) but all or multiple parts simultaneously.... Like a place (a community or a center) which is so multi-dimensional and holistic that being there raises the bars on so many levels at once.... Like the architecture, the scheduling, the communication skills, the individual people, the ethics, the teachings/classes, the food, the play, etc. all work together like a puzzle, in unison.

ugh... trade jobs and me don't mix... I think I was ranting a bit... I've also tried some of the more artistic things that seem more practical, but I do actually think I'm supposed to be working with people somehow.... Togetherness and community are big values for me, and recently I was in the university cafeteria and thinking about how the university puts on all these different events, but it seems like it doesn't really create a cohesive culture... I thought if, instead of several bulletin boards across the campus, there was one central circular shaped hub with all notices on it, it might act as a type of anchor for people (increasing also the probabilities of people interacting and, if it wasn't in the hallways, it might get more visits since it's not in a thoroughfare)... Maybe some sort of social design... incorporating both physical (like architecture) and process (like how communication happens between people/groups, etc.) to create smoother and more cohesive social systems and organizations. But also having more people have enlightenment experiences would be great too, even though I've not had one. To be in some role where I can be some sort of "in-between" guy, where I'm interacting with different people throughout the day and trying to make the whole thing (organization of some kind) work together smoothly, efficiently, benevolently, and healthily... So I could be interacting with others, giving advice and leading, while also being able to step back and not be "in the thick of it" all the time and develop ideas, use wisdom, take my time, get the big picture, etc. I'd love to be able to run my own center I think... To be able to explore all the various modalities for healing, psychology, spirituality, and develop new ones... I'm just not sure what exact skills I should be working on... This is a very general dream, but I'm not sure about the more specific skills I'd master (I'd definitely like to master something, I'm just not sure what yet) that would help this vision... I think I want a skill to master, for a large part maybe because I feel I need it to be "good enough", but also because I want that warm feeling, that centerdness and security in knowing I have something nobody can take away, something I can come to in lonely days and hard times that will guide me and center me... something that I know brings me joy.... something I can obsess over... to lose myself in... something where my genius flows through... something which sparks my passion and creativity... something magical... I guess I feel lost without that skill, that thing I can do to center me... I want one so bad...

Yeah, I feel like I want something more practical. Something I can actually create/do. I might be frustrated/victimizing a little as well.

The ones you're truly and most passionate about

Also, how did you developed your skill set?

I've noticed this belief in me as well... This belief being "There's an entity/consciousness/intelligence outside myself which is all -powerful and all-loving"... I'm starting to see that as a projection of my mind... belief. To me, this belief doesn't make sense since the suffering, etc., you mentioned. Maybe it's still possible that there is such a God or consciousness/intelligence, but I don't know. It could be some weird trick God is playing or a million other things. "I don't know" may be an honest place to start... and a place to not necessarily leave too soon.

@Apparition of Jack Does Turquoise man instantly move people into stage Turqoise? ... Imagine if human culture was so familiar with Spiral Dynamics that, for Halloween, kids would dress up as their favorite Spiral Dynamics super heroes. That, from an early age, an aspiration for all people was to become fully integrated at stage Turquoise. Including dreams of success, life purpose, etc., kids' dreams included going up the spiral ladder. I wonder if there's a form of healthy competition in "out-spiralling" your friends. --> "I just meditated for 4 hours staight", or, "I just reached being able to take on the 4th person-perspective"...

@Focus Shift he's like an older version of Jerry Springer... To me, it's like he's putting on an act. At least partly. Or maybe he's put on the act so much that he became lost in the act.... Seems to me like he's just putting on this character for his show (i.e., money). The way he insults his hosts seems inauthentic... like the words he says are harsh, but something in his voice says he doesn't fully believe what he's saying since his primary concern is probably just money.

Maybe it's about finding that point where your levels of development/strength/capacities overlap with degrees of challenges/externals/struggles to create maximum growth. Too much and too little challenge both hinder growth. Find the sweet spot. Do what you can handle without collapsing or regressing. Maybe ultimately you can be happy in any circumstance, but are you there yet? Growth seems to require both compassion and effort (balance). Apart from this idea, even if you could fully be happy in any circumstance, maybe there would still be intuitions telling you where you "should" be... A higher calling or something that guides you... Maybe...

Nice! Traditional methods may also work for some and not much for others, or even being with the "right" person could affect things... lots of variables

Oooo The host said something like "You won't answer because you feel guilty, isn't that right?" This made me think, "The host believes Leary is guilty because he himself (the host) would feel guilty and is projecting his own fears/self onto Leary" You can almost see in the host's eyes that he's not seeing reality, he's seeing his own mind projected onto Leary. That he wasn't seeing reality clearly.

I wonder if people at 2nd tier can't/don't have those passions, excitements, and hands-on experiences with life... I've only watched Leo's, Glen Beck's, Ken Wilber's and a few others' videos on the spiral and haven't actually read any of the books, but I find it hard to imagine that people at tier 2 can't do, have, and feel the things you're talking about (or beyond). Who says people at stage Yellow can't have businesses? Leo in his spiral series claims that people at 2nd tier can do, have, and feel all the things from lower tiers (perhaps just at healthier & more vivid ways. Why would things be more subdued at stage Yellow? Where did you get that info? You might be making a mistake in thinking that simply because there's "nothing to do" (i.e., everything's perfect as is, etc.), that you don't actually do anything. "Before enlightenment, do the laundry. After enlightenment, do the laundry." ...I dunno, I guess i thought your perspective was kinda weak and not nuanced enough or accepting of all possibilities... like you're saying it's bad to be at those higher levels .... and I think that it's good to be at higher levels.... haha ... I got triggered a bit I still think that there's tons more freedom, love, and general well-being to be had at higher stages since A) you know a shit ton more, thus, can do a shit ton more (and successfully), B) you'll be super clear about what's most meaningful to you so, I could imagine one's ability to align with that and actually create w/e is most meaningful would be way more plausible and "pure" (not sure I like that word, but meaning not all neurotic n stuff)..... but hey, you could be right. P.S. did you read any of the spiral dynamics books (or Ken Wilber's books)? If so, would you recommend any?

Emerald Village in the U.S. (I think near San Francisco)

What do you think the purpose of fear is? When fear arises in you, check and see. Contemplate it, feel it, uncover it. Why is it happening? Are you creating it? If so, why? Watch the thoughts... if they weren't there, would the fear still be there? Are the thoughts creating the fear? Are the thoughts true? Look at the thoughts as if from another persons point of view. When looking at yourself from another's perspective, do the thoughts seem neurotic, fantastical, ridiculous? Do they sound like victim thoughts? Do they seem like thoughts created by your ego/homeostasis? When you see that the thoughts which are creating the fear are absurd, and obviously not true and are designed simply for you to stay where you are and to not help you, then, I've found, you'll be way more free of the fear and those thoughts. You'll see the thoughts and say "Wait! Why the hell am I believing these thoughts?! They obviously only have one goal: to bring me down. Haha! Why would I ever believe these thoughts?" If a thought arises, see it as something other than you and ask yourself "Am I believing this thought?" If you are, then you know it's not true and you can stop believing it. If no, then, already, it doesn't have a hold on you.

Self-compassion Self-kindness: The ability to treat oneself with care and understanding rather than harsh self-judgement - Helps to alleviate harsh judgments A sense of common humanity: Recognizing that imperfection is a shared aspect of the human experience rather than feeling isolated by one's failures - Helps to feel connected when vulnerable Mindfulness: Holding one's present-moment experience in balanced perspective rather than exaggerating the dramatic story-line of one's suffering. - Helps stop rumination Got this from a study done by Texas University. I've attached it down below. Self-compassion psych resilience paper (1).pdf