iTommy

How often you need to exercise that skill, depends on the skill you're trying to learn and yourself. Exercising is important, even going back to the basics of something. The basics create the foundation that you build upon, if you have half-assed the basics and just moving and jumping forward, then you may lack some foundational puzzle-pieces that would eventually benefit you greatly, saving you time and giving you a deeper understanding of that skill. Practice smart, give your body and mind some rest and good sleep, that's where the magic happens. Usually, the better you get at something the less practice you need. You could come back to a skill one year later, but you might be a bit rusty (again, depending on the skill and yourself).

INFJ: It describes me quite well, although there are nuances within that type aswell. I found it to be quite helpful, seeing "under-the-hood" in some ways. I've taken the test last a over a year ago, and I seemed to have a more balanced result in functions than previously, but the type remained the same. If I took it today, I am sure I would have the same type but maybe even more balanced in some aspects - moving onto a healthier version of INFJ.

By that, I mean that once shakti/kundalini is active, then you can't reverse it/making it inactive. When it's active it can cause all sorts of pain, and emotional hurdles, especially when you fight and resist the process. Many people do chakra and kundalini stuff out of fun or because it's "spiritual & cool", maybe to gain supernatural abilites (third eye meditations are quite hipp - advertised with "telepathy, seeing entities/auras" etc.). Many of those people jump right into it, without looking at the larger picture, only imagining the shiny prices they might get from it, and many of those try to force this process which then can have negative consequences. Negative consequences can be things like... trouble sleeping/insomnia, depressive episodes, chest & back pains, seeing "things" that are often interpreted as negative, headaches, digestive issues ++ I myself experience active kundalini, and I have my troubles with it at times. When I meditate it might for example give me back pain (which happens frequently). I am trying to get a reiki-session, to see if it can give me some relief, hoping that this energy flows more freely after this session (although it can actually make it worse for some, according to what I've read). It can feel as if it's "forcing" you to change certain aspects in yourself and your life, if you don't, then the bigger the chances of having unpleasant related kundalini experiences. In a way it's selling your soul (self) to the devil (or rather a higher-self), if you follow the "rules"/purification/wishes arising from shakti and work with it, then you usually have pleasant experiences and insights, if you don't, well...

Chakras have a place in self-actualization. And I'd say when kundalini is active, you're almost pushed towards the things you ought/want to do, if you don't, you may suffer physically and mentally. It can speed up your personal & spiritual progress in many ways. Yet again, it all comes with a price that can't be given back, so for some it might not be that ideal.

Experiences like those are crazy.... I've had one a few weeks ago that was slightly similar: I've had two strange sleep experiences, and I was in that 50/50-ish wake/sleep state when those occured. I think there's something about being on the brink of falling asleep, and the waking state.

@John Iverson I personally don't vote. There's little interest in politics in me, one reason is that I perceive most canidates as actors, coming across as embodying a false persona to get votes and approval from the public. Another reason is that I would need to invest many many hours gathering information from different sources about the different parties and canidates, before I would go and vote. I don't want to vote just for the sake of it and because of pressure coming from society. I know that my vote has value to it, as does the vote of everyone else, yet there's not much drive to vote from my side. Maybe that attitude changes with the coming years, maybe not.

You're right, visualization (manifesting etc.) usually does feed the ego-self, trying to get it to become a stronger, a more self-actualized ego. When you combine concentrative/mindful meditation with manifesting, then you're also dissolving ego-structures, and as you mentioned, you're more easily able to build a more healthy sense of self. It's useful to first build a strong ego, and then transcend this one, since you're more grounded at that point in life. I think mindfulness needs to be applied here, afterall, the ego/self-identification is not you and fighting something that is illusory (the ego) doesn't do much good. It's good to embody the ego, accepting it fully and eventually seeing it for what it is. Self-actualization helps with that, and visualization compliments this. I find both self-actualization and self-transcendence important. Having one foot grounded in duality, the other in non-duality

@Nicachi I find your art neat, especially the smudged/fading colored drops is a nice touch. I think you can make some money even now, before you've mastered the art of painting. Maybe through sites like Etsy, Spreadshirt, Teespring and so on, where you can monetize your own designs.

Hey Jim, what do you think "God" is (especially in relation to the Samadhi series)? What we call "God", is not bound by dogma or belief systems. This "God" isn't some entity outside of yourself that judges everything you do and decides your fate in the afterlife, but "God" is you (not the ego-you, although this also occurs within God/You/Reality). The issue that arises, that we can't properly communicate "God" and misunderstandings arise. God has many names such as... consciousness, reality, no-thing-ness, pure love and so on. Those names can only point to something, but never precicely to what most of us here are after. From the above perspective, the interpretation of the bible and other holy books are quite different than the norm, especially after non-dual experiences.

Those are quite the expectations you have there. I'd recommend you drop those, because if you really expect meditation to be like that, then you most likely become ridgid and frustrated when the opposite happens (and it will). Rather, see your expectations as something that may naturally occur, while having no set expectations. Visualizing can be a form of meditation, there are many, many meditation techniques. It's good to have multiple different meditation techniques in your meditation toolkit. I don't think visualizing a preferred future would contradict the type of meditation you're referring to. Both have a different purpose, and should work well combined. With one you're trying to quiet the mind, the other tries to impose/feel into, a preferred/self-actualized future. One hurdle here might be when you practise both types, the mind might try to visualize and think during your other meditation where you try to still the mind. The key here is to keep at it, regain your focus. The mind doesn't like to be tamed, yet eventually, this becomes easier and you'll have more control.

I struggle with this too. The book exercise for example, where you just look at the book (or another object) and you try to "not-know" what it is. After a while it seems as if the mind is able to open up a bit more, and it feels as if the book/perception has more depth to it, but I'm yet to really tap into "not-knowing". All those concepts, beliefs and ideas about everything seems to really cloud what's there, and it all happens so damn fast. It really goes to show the work, that's usually required to see beyond that cloud for clarity.

It depends on what you want out of meditation, and your own mind. Usually, consistent longer sits will give people more benefits from meditation than sits with a shorter duration, yet again, this depends on the practitioner. Some people can sit for hours, but they may not be good at meditation, rather they're half asleep. In my opinion, it's best to do shorter meditation sits, with high concentration and mindfulness, than longer sits with little concentration and mindfulness. Eventually, one can expand the duration of the shorter sits. In short: just because you're having longer meditation sessions than another person, this doesn't automatically make you the better meditator. If you seek enlightenment or similar, then you most likely will need to do long focused sits, maybe even several hours a day. Practising mindfulness whenever you can, especially after your formal meditation sessions, generally increases your chances. The first years of meditation might be quite tough and painful, yet eventually, meditation stops becoming an act/a "doing", it will become a state of mind so to speak and like any learned skill it will become easier and more pleasant. The more focused time you put into this "skill", the faster you get results from meditation. If you do 10 minutes a day, maybe try increasing the time slowly, or do two/multiple 10 minute sits a day and then increase those. What can it bring you? Peace of mind, insights, love... etc. but only you can find out for yourself

Yes, at times I feel somewhat like a caveman/more wild on psychedelics. For example, when I take cold showers during a trip, I may have a want to let out a loud viking scream, as if in blood-rage. This want is there even without trippin, but its more amplified when on a psychedelic. It's quite interesting and enjoyable to me, how much more in tune I seem to be with my animalistic nature, on psychedelics. Just feeling and experiencing the human animal within, with less imposed behavioral domestication coming from ones own and societal norms.

Hello! I'd like to share something that occured to me a few weeks ago. It was another strange experience that happened to me during sleep, and maybe some here have experienced something similar in nature, that they would like to share. I tend to pretty much always feel tired/sluggish, but on this day I felt a bit more tired than usual. After a sesson of meditation, I decided to lay down on the couch and try to get some sleep. I've tried sleeping mid-day multiple times, but I usually can't sleep even though I feel like it. I'm guessing 45 min or so had passed since I laid down on the couch, still no sleep and I wanted to get up but I kept still. Eventually, I fell asleep and one of the craziest sleep-experiences I had, occured. It was like a lucid dream, but more "real". My visual field was filled with geometrical patterns, abstractions, that I can't remember clearly. I felt an intense rush of energy, and my whole body began vibrating. This energy became stronger and stronger, the kundalini-flow that I had experienced in the waking state was just a breeze in comparison. This flow of energy,forcefully, started making its way up in three parts. The first wave of energy started at my lower spine and went up to the solar plexus (it felt as if the energy accumumlated at a certain point in the spine after each wave, just to "break" through what seemed like blockages and making its way upwards) , then from there another wave of energy forced its way to the heart-/close to the throat- chakra and the last wave went up to the head. It didn't go all the way through the head, yet it was close. This flow of energy went through the body for a while longer, before it settled down into a calmer state. Shortly after it happened, I began to regain waking consciousness. I can't say that I felt full of kundalini energy when I arose from the couch, but a subtle flow of energy was still there to be felt (although I feel it most of the time, so I am not sure if it had much to do with that experience). I was quite surprised and in awe, this wasn't something I had read about online or in books.

I'd pick the blue one. I'd be set for life. Wanting to "be enlightened", is a desire coming from ego, thus enlightenment would be included after taking the blue pill.

@Swagala For me, this is normal, although some people refer to this as "seeing energy" (that is if I interpret your experience correctly). This static is usually more visible when it's dark. Don't know if it's related to "awakening" since I'd assume that most people, if not all, experience this static effect, most just don't pay attention to it.

Thank you for posting. I'm glad that you were able to end the trip in a good way. Hold on to that friend of yours

Here's something that touches my soul. Good Sunday everyone!

@Harikrishnan Thank you for sharing. That woman you met, I'd like to meet her too She reminds me of someone in the book "If truth be told.

Hey guys! Apparently, there are palm leaf libraries in India, that reveal your past, present, future and more such as past life, karmic stuff, individual guidance etc. The knowledge as I understand it (I've not done much research, you may look it up if I am correct), was gathered by seven Maharishi's. Their awareness could move through time, and their disciples wrote down what they told them, which was the life story about us/people. Those libraries can be visited, although the access to those palm leaves can be hard to gain for tourists. They need your thumb-print, and someone eventually finds your leaf. You then can get someone to translate and read it to you. The information is apparently eerily accurate, even going into your future and more, with life guidance/advice etc. Has someone here been to one? What is your experience?

@Harikrishnan That's cool! Did you get any more? Usually, you get asked many questions that you answer "yes" or "no" to, then you get the actual reading if your answers align. Those palm leaves are said to be 2000+ years old, that makes them predict the future if they're correct.

@Jkris Before the reading, they give you many questions (personal ones) that you only answer "yes", or "no" to. If there's a definite "no", they move to the next leaf(s) until your answers align with their questions. Then, they go to the actual reading. But people are advised to be cautious, since some (if we assume that it's a real thing), are scammers that will gladly take the money out of your pocket.

Have you done research on hypnosis combined with psychedelic substances like LSD or similar - more specifically in the realms of spirituality, such as "past lives" or other deep (sub)conscious strange/paranormal memories? I am a bit interested in it since there's a vague but deep paranormal memory that came from my early years of life, that still has an emotional impact on me as an adult. I'd like to find out if there's something to it. I reckon that other things like affirmations and subliminals would be more effective during a psychedelic hypnosis session. I think it would be quite interesting, especially diving into the esoteric/spiritual territory, having a "past life" session while being on such a substance. Although I am sceptical about that stuff in hypnosis, for maybe the mind creates mental thought and images that might seem like real memories of a "past life".

I came across this video below, and similar ones like it. Has anyone tried it, and/or has insights into if this might be a healthy thing to go for?

Hey all. Yesterday I let the magic of LSD take me for a deep ride. I took the substance later than planned (14:20) on that day, which resulted in me having had a hard time getting sleep that night, at least it contributed to it. It hit me quicker than I thought too, maybe because I had my colon cleansed a few days before the trip. My goal was to focus on meditation, observing, letting things come and go, then playing the guitar. During meditation, I wanted to visualize green energy (heart chakra meditation), but this wasn't really possible since the closed eye visuals took over and had their own dance of colors, shapes, fractals etc. Even though this didn't work out as hoped, after some minutes of sitting "I" wasn't there anymore. There was Just this blank space/void in which all things arose. Emotions, thoughts, visuals, perceptions all things of perception were like waves hitting the beach over and over again, each wave moving in a unique pattern, unique shape... all having a unique impact on that beach/sand than the wave before. Fear and anxiety didn't exist in that space. The mind tried to grasp or get hold of something that it could identify with, but it couldn't. It was just looking and searching and yet, nothing was to be found other than that totality, that ocean of waves that included "me" sitting there in a meditative pose. I've been in such a space before, but what really struck me there is how harsh I judged myself for everything. It's one thing to have non-dual experiences, but another to really infuse those on an emotional level too. I saw for me, that compassion and love is the key to spirituality. I mean one could say that "the truth"/no-thing-ness is what we're after, where love is part of it but not the fundamental substance, yet love encompasses it all. This can be somewhat overlooked in non-dual experiences, for many are just looking for emptiness/consciousness. Love often is a byproduct that comes with those kinds of experiences, yet it could be much more present with some practice. When your inner being is filled with love, you find those experiences and your everyday experiences become much more vibrant and deeper. You accept things more as they are, you accept others, yourself/the ego more, thus surrendering becomes easier. It's not a matter of pushing the ego away, trying to actively "defeat" it somehow, but accepting it as it is. It's a part of You, you are a part of it. I broke down into tears when this washed over me, and sat with it for a while. Later I picked up the guitar, this was an incredible experience. I wasn't just playing/creating music... I was the music. It was as if I somehow intuitively knew what notes to play without the need to see where my fingers landed. The music did me, so to speak. Overall it was a nice trip. I should've taken notes during the trip, that is something I'll do next time, and I will focus more on gratitude and love (especially self-love) in my daily life. Thank you for reading, and I wish you all a good day/night.