tyy

Wooo

in for Toronto!

@see_on_see Thanks for bringing that post to our attention.

@Mikael89 Me as well. I have JC Steven's book and have been building a practice around that, it would just be handy to hear why others have decided to grab from 2-3 books (I see JC Steven's directions and feel like this is enough to follow how can I decipher combining two teachings together?).

Just curious, as I see a few books referenced throughout this thread, is working exclusively with the one JC Steven's book going to lead to any blind spots or drawbacks? I have held off getting others because I hear about how powerful these practices are and I don't feel knowledgeable enough to mix two teachings (assuming they differ). Reading through this thread has me feeling I am moving at a turtle's pace with this work. Maybe I am taking the "only move on once you've mastered the techniques" idea and running a bit too far with it.

Thank you @Mart & @Leo Gura for the replies. I will look into a bench to assist with my distraction and I will remind myself that I am committed to this for a year, or better yet all the years. As with every other practice/habit things seem to work themselves out whether I am conscious of it happening during or recognize it after the fact!

I’ve read through all these pages at different times but can’t recall if some of the issues I experience are brought up or not. Every morning when I wake up there is a reluctance feeing in me to proceed with my practice (I have taken the route of acknowledging that and pushing through regardless), is this common in here? Is it safe to practice these techniques when I arrive to do so in that mindset? Have you gotten use to the seating position Leo demonstrated in is blog (I think)? I still feel pain in one leg after a few months and wonder if I should be seated on a chair. It becomes a distraction by the end during the concentration portion. Is om pronounced sort of like “ong”? I think I have seen others posting a YouTube channel where it is suggested that that’s how it should be said but I am unsure. Thanks for the help everybody!

@Leo Gura What was your favorite piece of work by Leonardo da Vinci? And why?

@Vipassana Throw out any paraphernalia you can get high with. I would say that was probably the step that helped me the most. Get clean off of the weed and then use your mushrooms in a fresher state with personal development goals in mind.

Brief background: I’ve never used psychedelics, quit a weed habit a few months ago and have never really enjoyed getting drunk. After listening to Leo’s AL-LAD trip report, I was using this as a warm up dose but thought it could have the potential to still be strong because of my lack of tripping history. Setting: House to myself with my cats. Most of the time was spent between my daily meditation area and living room. Intentions: Deepen my meditation and gain insight towards my life purpose. I didn’t know if a starter dose would help me much with these goals but thought it would be good to set them just in case. I was at the first visualization exercise in the life purpose section of the course and had one failed attempt under my belt. This proved to be a good warm-up dose. I was not feeling much effect until after an hour or so. I did not feel much of a body high, aside from maybe feeling lighter during the trip. I think I experienced the same head cold style sensation mentioned in Leo’s trip report. Visuals were pretty much non-existent. I felt like there was a reoccurring scent I was picking up throughout the trip. The overall mood of the trip was peaceful/happy. There were a few ways in which my afternoon differed from a regular sober afternoon. My perception of time kind of went astray; it seems I was very present in the moment. I sat to meditate during the trip and instantly felt like it was deeper too. Throughout the afternoon I listened to music, watched the rain through a window, played with my cats and watched several Rupert Spira videos on YouTube near the end. I really thought the substance would whisk me away and structure the events of my afternoon on its own; however, I feel now I didn’t have a strong enough itinerary in mind to take advantage of this time. I think this was a good way to get accustomed to the length of a psychedelic trip (probably lingered +/- 6 hours) having no prior experience. It also seems to ripple past the actual trip. The next day I sat down to do two life purpose visualizations and felt like they clicked. Meditation this week has felt calmer than normal. I could be really reaching here but since the trip I feel like I can remember so much more about the dreams I have been having at night. I am going to take some time before using 150mcg, but it will be next before any other substance.

Ok cool, thanks for the advice @pluto . I’ve read about the empty stomach; on this day I had breakfast and did weight training and cardio before tripping. I wonder what effect that had on the experience as well.

@Afonso I can relate to this perception shift. I still get lost in body image thoughts sometimes though, which was the original reason I started. Much like @ajasatya outlook, I now see training as a way to improve the daily situation. One example is: sometimes work demands a lot from my shoulders, so they get more emphasis in the gym to preserve/strengthen them. It's a good habit to keep, just modify it to suit your higher level of consciousness.

Thank you @Loreena for the love on these posts! When I got back I started a new morning routine which has me journaling by hand rather than on here; I have been enjoying that route as I don't need to question myself on what content I am including and why.

Hey everybody! Recently I completed my first major challenge (30 days of cold showers) and I have been doing all my journaling in the thread I used to document that process. Although the showers will continue, I feel a thread with a much larger scope should be created. My idea is to make this thread entirely around bringing my vision board to life. I have already started the process, so I will start posting immediately and continue to update as often as I feel is required. See the picture below, the main areas are: my passion to learn reading more cold shower therapy (duh lol) exercising creativity practicing mindfulness exiting my comfort zone meditation the couple dancing represents relationships & exiting my comfort zone exercise travel spirituality / psychedelic interests practicing compassion reducing bad habits yoga connecting with nature I'll touch on whatever topics apply at the time, some now and some down the road. Another habit I like to incorporate at the end is my three gratitude statements every day. I'll be back soon.

Stumbled upon Leo's videos a couple years ago.. tried to forget what I heard I think, but ended up coming back!

Back in Canada! Overall, Bahamas was a great time. I loved all the different sights. Sights like all the birds around the resort flying out above the ocean at sunset. It seemed to have no purpose or structure, they all just flew out there and begin going in circles and other patterns. I would stay focused on one bird to see what the idea was here, and it just flew around all over the place. Also, I am happy with the times I could still read or post, keeping me somewhat grounded amongst partying travelers. As mentioned, I read about the pain body, and how it feeds off of thought. I bring this up here to keep me reminded to shed awareness on this parasite, to chip away at its strength. I probably only catch it .0001% of the time though! And apparently it is extremely tricky too. Sounds like a life-long battle. Since I am back I am feeling ready to get going. I look forward to getting back into the gym and strengthening the good & bad habit practices. Lately some of my focus has been on trying to embrace confusion. The not-knowing for sure what is good in my life and what isn't. This confusion has caused great stress in romantic relationships before. It has also been creating monkey chatter as of late (is this a version of the pain body?). Once again mainly about my romantic relationship. I do not want to act to just abolish the confusion though; that has happened before. It's okay if I don't know. Things unfold, I'll just carry on doing what I want to do. Gratitude: I am thankful for the weekend. I am thankful for seeing a sting-ray. I am thankful for safe travels.

I have witnessed no shortage of beauty in nature while staying in the Bahamas. The different birds, reptiles, landscapes and abundance of sun have been great. I can't get over the sand, it couldn't be constructed better than the natural way it has developed. Last night I was laying on the hammock looking upwards and the depth of this reality was noteworthy. It's like high up above there was a palm tree to look at, then the resort building ending far into the air. Miles above that, the lights of an airplane cross the vast sky. Light years past the airplane the stars shine. I look at all this and contemplate what I hear Leo saying in the enlightenment videos. Happy I have been able to keep reading too. Tolle is teaching me about the pain body currently. I'll touch back on this later to self reflect. Gratitude: I am thankful for a sunset. I am thankful for new animal friends. I am thankful for sunscreen.

I mentioned hitting the ground running in the entry yesterday and want to further explore that thought as a service to my current mood. When I returned from Jamaica I was engulfed by the weed habit; it was daily (at night) while in Jamaica and continued (at night) once I was home. I think that bender contributed to the turnaround at the gym I experienced. Shortly after I revamped my training and started to incorporate the cardio habit I have had going. I want to get back and have another spark of progression, no matter what kind. Also, all this airport and flying time means I can do some listening to podcasts and continue to read some Tolle. This week I have been listening to Leo's videos regarding enlightenment and the FAQ's as well. Gratitude: I am thankful for easy travelling. I am thankful for technologies today. I am thankful we travel well together.

The past week has been one to forget when it comes to consistency and bad habit reduction. I haven't meditated in days now and the last life purpose course video watched was a while back too. This is heading into a Caribbean vacation, which will only promote more downsliding. Travelling is on my vision board but a trip like this is more or less indulgence for the lower self. All inclusive and minor sights to explore, unless you pay for a day excursion. Pretty much just eating, drinking tasty drinks and laying in the sun. I am conscious of why people take these trips, and I am guilty of the same reasons to a point. I let my girlfriend choose a weekend trip, since going places is important to her, and I kind of just go with the flow. I will try to incorporate some good habits (to go with the bad) over the weekend, and will certainly enjoy the water, unfamiliar animals and sun soaking. After the trip it will be nice to hit the ground running with my positive practices again. Gratitude: I am thankful I got localized at work. I am thankful for today. I am thankful to have savings.

It hasn't been the most positive weekend when it comes to self-development. I have found myself repeating bad habits again. With a two day work week approaching, then the Bahamas, the stage is set for another week of minimal improvements. I do hope to have some constructive time while there, and appreciate the change of scenery and unfamiliar nature. Meditation has been pretty non-existent for the past couple days. Same with comfort zone exits. Workouts have stayed on point, with cold showers, lukewarm showers, and recovery Epsom salt baths. I'll need to report back when I get back on the rails better. Gratitude: I am thankful for a great birthday party for my nephew. I am thankful for borrowed tools. I am thankful for no injuries with all these physical activities.

Over the past couple days I haven't been motivated to do this journaling. Am I avoiding it for a reason? Are there feelings or situations that I am not paying attention to? I ask myself this and start to think about my relationship and home life right now. Everything has been feeling uneventful at home. There has been a wave of boredom and restlessness here. I don't feel like my girlfriend and I have been on the same page this week. Like a thread I was interested in earlier in the week, regarding up and down spells, this happens with the relationship topic too I feel. I know my perception will change, but writing about this right now helps. I know that the mood that I have had at home probably doesn't help neither. Our conversation has been bland and activities have been blah, like just watching shows and whatnot. This weekend should bring more opportunity to get outside and shed the cabin fever. Last night's workout was fantastic. I always train in a sweater and had the sweat coming through. After that I kept consistent with the true cold water in the shower. Once the shower was done I sat down for a do-nothing meditation. Also, on the way to work earlier I started listening to the dark side of meditation podcast. This video was suggested in the thread I mentioned earlier, and could explain a lot. I am not too far into my meditation practice though. Gratitude: I am thankful for an extra day off. I am thankful I woke up healthy. I am thankful for all of my work equipment.

Not feeling overly inspired to journal today. That doesn't mean I can't stop in to be grateful though. Gratitude: I am thankful for this beautiful day. I am thankful for low stress levels. I am thankful for sunshine.

@arjuna "When you observe the ego in yourself, you are beginning to go beyond it. Don't take the ego too seriously." "All you need to know and observe in yourself is this: whenever you feel superior or inferior to anyone, that's the ego in you." Both of those are from that book I suggested. I can understand (as much as possible without having any ego death experiences) your point about language not being able to hit the nail on the head. These observation practices are valuable too though, along with meditation?

@arjuna So, being less experienced, in what ways did you deepen your awareness of this and distance your true self from the identity? Just meditation?

@arjuna "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle has been teaching me all about this topic, I highly suggest reading.