Joseph Maynor

Are you sure you're not depressed in some way?

This is a pretty strong thing to say. So, are you liberated? Are you arrogant? Do you lack nuance? You might be projecting.

I know what you're going through. I went through that stage of the Path too. I popped out of that though. You will pop out of the Mind-Matrix at some point and stop conceptualizing reality at all in a metaphysical way. And then your girlfriend will not be defined by your Mind and you can experience her directly without any kind of preconceived mental filter there. And that will open up a new kind of closeness with her because you'll be relating in this very direct and intuitive kind of connection. I think I would have sucked in a relationship when I was in the middle part of the Path. That's just a shitty place to be coming from to try to have an intimate relationship with a woman. I think you gotta kind of let all that stuff go and be very natural, open, and intuitive with a woman, and then the relationship blossoms like you wouldn't believe -- like two teenagers falling in love without any ideas of love being there to filter things and distort things in a prima facie way.

The best thing to do is to embody good habits yourself and to be a good example for others that way. People are more influenced by what you do and who you are than by what you say. If what you say doesn't comport with what you do yourself, your talk will immediately lose all credibility and you will lose credibility. But if you live it, that is the strongest statement you can make. People will notice that and be influenced by that. You gotta be the change that you wanna see in the worlds. Now, notice this isn't talk about the change you wanna see in the world, it's be the change you wanna see in the world.

Don’t think of your girl as a mental construct. She can read that energy off you and it’s not good. You’re stuck in the middle part of the Path where you’re “thinking” everything is a mental construct. But what is that which thinks? Here’s a good video for you:

Can you please give us more details about your childhood and any conflicts you’ve been involved with?

I’ve noticed this too. Watch out for this. This is a real trap for some people who are not free thinking enough.

It's hard. Green really needs a Big Picture Life Purpose: this means a career that is aligned with your values, passion, strengths, and life's calling. Otherwise Green tends to feel very compromised and miserable at work. Leo's Life Purpose Course is like a godsend for Green people looking to create a career that is aligned in this way. Green does not work for mere money alone. Green works for a greater purpose -- including but not limited to contributing to something they care about, helping people, and making a positive difference with their work.

I'm not sure Enlightenment and Personal Growth are linked in any hard way. Enlightenment is simply (1) locating being, (2) transcending the Ego, and (3) transcending the Mind.

Most definitely. Or narcissistic people use Enlightenment to further entrench and rationalize their narcissism. The God Complex. This is not a theory actually, I see this all the time. The narcissistic Spiritual Ego. What better way for the narcissistic Ego to protect itself than to attempt to conceal itself in the clothing of No Ego? The Ego-Mind is a tricky beast. In fact, I was thinking about this the other day -- just how many narcissists are drawn to spirituality and Enlightenment work. It's another way for the Ego-Mind to try to place itself on the top of the totem-pole of Egos. It's like a thief who goes into a store and tells the clerk, "don't worry about me, I won't steal anything." Or a fox who goes into a hen-house and says, "don't worry about me, I'm a nice fox."

Lemme ask you. How many times does one need to say the same thing?

This is nuts:

Have you found Awareness yet?

@zambize I love having female energy on the Forum from actual females. I think it's super healthy for the Forum. Otherwise things do tend to become quite the sausage-fest around here. I hope more females stick around. I know there used to be many women on here that I don't see around much anymore, although I often see them pop their heads in from time to time. Women are like the natural counter-part to men and vice versa. Men benefit from women and women benefit from men. Without integrating the other sex, you can become quite lopsided in your growth. There are some men on here who have integrated feminine energy a lot, but still I think that isn't enough to replace having some actual female energy on here. Women who have integrated the masculine are also super cool and often hot as well. We men tend to love women who have integrated the masculine, and I think women love men who have integrated the feminine just the same.

This is the kind of deep insight that most people will not fully appreciate although it's placed right here in front of you.

Thanks man, I appreciate your insights. Movies and art are delusion too, yet somehow we can learn a lot from these things. I remember when I was studying at UCLA, I was compelled to watch all the classic films and I was kinda neurotic about this -- and this experience had a kind of profound impact on the rest of my life, even though on some level all films are rubbish.

I don't care about the issue at all. I don't try to define things like that or try to know things like that anymore. How can I clarify this further? I know this is a mindf*ck of a different way of being for people who are trained to want to know things. The issue died on the vine for me. It died when I transcended the Mind.

I don't really care about metaphysics. In Zen, you get popped out of thinking about reality or metaphysics. I just don't really pay the issue any mind, if that makes sense. It's not an issue that I cling to as relevant 99% of the time. I'm not clinging to knowing reality in some kind of metaphysical way anymore. It's like I've outgrown that, like outgrowing a hobby or interest that you previously had when you were a kid.

I don't take psychedelics to be anything literal. I think that's a trap. You learn from the experiences but then you come back into regular life where you do have an Ego. People who take psychedelics literally I think are misled. It's a temporary brain-state like a dream that you're conscious in. I think it's important to know when to stop using psychedelics on the Path too otherwise you can become pretty deluded.

@Consilience Thanks. It's weird that Leo has never mentioned these interviews before.

Have you ever actually done psychedelics? You're the kind of person I can see psychedelics actually helping.

If you'e not feeling it, don't do it. I want you to experience these people without the burden of any request from anyone.

Ask him what he thinks of 5-MeO-DMT and come tell us.