Joseph Maynor

Last year I gave all my books away. I had a library that consisted of hundreds (if not a thousand) philosophy, science, and art books. I gave them all way. I used to be swimming in books; but now it's hard to find a single book around me. Books are great when you're in the filling your cup stage of Personal Development. But when you hit your emptying your cup stage of Enlightenment, books are a serious distraction. But remember, you gotta fill your cup before you empty your, that's the paradox that is personal development. So, depending on where you are on the Path, some of you should be devouring books and some of you should be doing something else. We're not all at the same stage in our Personal Development. Personal Development is a circle, you have the filling of the cup stage and the emptying of the cup stage. You gotta know where you are at in that process. It's like seeing one of those "you are here" signs in a park that lets you know where you're at. You need to find that for own personal development. Where are you now?

Here's the thing: your entire life is personal development. The only difference between those of us who study and practice personal development and the rest of the people running around, is we take 100% responsibility for our personal development. We push ourselves to grow. Not everybody does that. So, whatever reason you have for pushing yourself to grow is less important than the fact that you're the kind of person that pushes himself/herself to grow. So, people vary in the degree to which they push themselves to grow. There's a spectrum on that issue. People that are masters at personal development have years under their belts of pushing themselves to grow. I've basically been pushing myself to grow since my mid-teens. In my 20's, I was pushing myself to grow. In my 30's, I was pushing myself to grow. Now I'm 40, and still pushing myself to grow. So, that pushing yourself to grow is really the golden egg in the field of Personal Development. You either have that or you don't. It's like love for Truth in that sense, you either have that or you don't. For Enlightenment, love of the literal truth is the golden egg.

I would say yes and no. I spent basically my 20's studying Science and my 20's and 30's studying Philosophy. I wouldn't have the conceptual understanding I do today had I not done that. Sure, I may have become Enlightened, but would it be Enlightened Stage Coral? Probably not. So, your education matters in Personal Development. You gotta have quite a conceptual understanding to make it to Stage Yellow and above. Now, for Enlightenment, conceptual understanding is useful in that it can help you empty your cup of ideas because you know fully what ideas are. Nothing is more sad than someone parading around a bunch of ideas in Enlightenment Work and not even realizing it. Because of the fact that I've spent so much of my life working on my conceptual understanding, I have a keen sense of what Thoughts are and what they aren't -- and this helps me, paradoxically, empty my cup for Enlightened Stage Coral Work: where the focus is on seeing and emptying your cup of the illusions of Thought and Experience.

Seeing that Maya is an illusion is not merely based on Thought. This is what Stage Turquoise doesn't understand. Seeing and Thinking are two different things. You can come to see through an illusion. That doesn't have anything to do with Thinking or ideas.

George Carlin is speaking in half-truths which is why he's doing comedy and not real truth telling. Interpreting George Carlin as telling the unbridled truth is a mistake. The unbridled truth is not funny, it's scary. Everything is bullshit is a half-truth at best.

What if there is no human mind? The idea that there's a deceptive mind is bullshit. Leo's too irritated in his video. There's no need to be irritated at bullshit. See, that irritation speaks volumes. In fact, seeing through Maya just is seeing through the deepest kind of bullshit. But -- clinging to Maya being a different way than it is actually is clinging to a Thought fantasy. This is why a lot of people talk about problems with 'shoulding' in Enlightenment Work. The Egoic self has preferences about Maya and wants Maya to be a certain way and not be another way. But that's just clinging to Thought about Maya rather than letting Maya just be the illusion that it is.

Maya is full of shit. But that’s not a bad thing, it’s just the way things are. If you’re irritated at Maya being full of shit, you’re still clinging to Maya being different than it actually is. That’s clinging to a Thought about Maya being somehow bad for wrong for being an illusion. See the subtle moral play? If you’re irritated at Maya being an illusion, you’re not accepting what is.

Is what works synonymous with what’s true? Is what works synonymous with what’s real? Can Thought replace seeing what’s actually there? Can Thought replace seeing what’s not actually there? What’s illusory?

It would be your science ‘in here’ rather than science as objectively understood ‘out there’. I’ve written about this extensively in my Journals. Here’s one example from my Journal Vol. 7: (Keep in mind that when I wrote this I was coming from a Stage Turquoise perspective. My views on this today are a bit different. For example, today I think you can know being through seeing, which is different than knowing being through Thinking. So, "need to know being" isn't really a vice after all like I once thought it was.) HOW CAN ENLIGHTENMENT HELP TIER-ONE SCIENCE? --LEMME REVIEW THE ‘FRAMEWORK OF TIER-TWO SCIENCE’ Tier-One Science goes like ham, eggs, and cheese with Tier-One Epistemology and Tier-One Metaphysics. Enlightenment is hostile to Tier-One Philosophy because Tier-One Philosophy defines Truth in terms of [Conceptually] True, Justified, Beliefs about Reality. Tier-One Metaphysics tells us about Reality by providing us with [Conceptually] True, Justified, Beliefs about Reality. Tier-One Philosophy assumes the 'Paradigm of Paradigms or No paradigms'. Enlightenment is about the transcendence of all Paradigms. So, in that sense, Enlightenment is hostile to Tier-One Philosophy. That's why I had to create and develop the Framework for Tier-Two Conceptual Understanding -- I needed a conceptual system in my Conceptual Understanding that Enlightenment is not hostile to. Enlightenment is hostile to the Paradigm of Tier-One Conceptual Understanding: including Tier-One Science, Tier-One Philosophy, Tier-One Epistemology, Tier-One Metaphysics. Tier-One Science is actually based in Pragmatism. The problem is that Tier-One Science also wants to have a stranglehold on 'Knowledge' and to tell us what's 'True'. Tier-One Science is a set of useful Frameworks masquerading as Conceptual Truths. And I think Tier-One Science will always function this way, as a byproduct of business, university, and government money and as a career for researchers that are financed by that money. Tier-One Science will always be an institution of pragmatic results masquerading as Truths. So, I don't really think Enlightenment is gonna have much of an effect on Tier-One Science directly -- although it will indirectly because a new Framework will have to emerge that doesn't presuppose 'need to know BE-ing'. I think eventually what will happen is that Tier-One Science will become much more interested in useful Frameworks rather than true Paradigms. This will happen indirectly by Enlightenment -- because Enlightenment will prefer Tier-Two Conceptual Understanding -- and the Paradigm of Conceptual Truth will eventually be forced to be seen as unsustainable -- it will die on the vine. This will drag down the Paradigm of Tier-One Conceptual Understanding as a whole in the long-term, as it's unsustainable because of it's implicit and explicit 'Need to know BE-ing'. Basically, Tier-One Science will become more focused on what works than what's true -- and it won't lay claims to Conceptual Truth as much -- it will transition from true Paradigms to useful Frameworks. So, what's Tier-Two Science? It's just a label I made up for Tier-Two Conceptual Understanding. I think it's a useful label because it tracks Tier-One Science and lets us see the difference between the Paradigm of Tier-One Conceptual Understanding and the Framework of Tier-Two Conceptual Understanding. Lemme lay out the Tier-Two Framework now: Each Perspective has a Conceptual Understanding containing unique conceptual systems -- and those unique Conceptual Understandings corresponding to Perspectives are Complex Adaptive Systems with Egos of their own. So, each Perspective has a unique Conceptual Understanding that has an Ego of its own. And those Conceptual Understandings are each uniquely evolved systems. No two Conceptual Understandings, taken as a whole, are equal -- that would be impossible. So, while Tier-One Science is concerned with knowing BE-ing'out there', as well as pragmatic results -- Tier-Two Science is only focused on my more or less useful conceptual systems 'in here'. Nothing means squat unless it means something to me at Tier-Two Conceptual Understanding. This is because I'm no longer looking 'out there' for Truth. I've become aware of my own unique Conceptual Understanding and the unique Conceptual Understanding of Other Perspectives. I'm not looking for Conceptual Truth about BE-ing at Tier-Two Conceptual Understanding. That's why I say, Tier-Two Science is me picking apples from the trees of Tier-One Science, but then baking them into my own Tier-Two Science pies. Tier-Two Science is concerned 'in here' with my Science, my Knowledge, my Useful Conceptual Systems -- it's not concerned with finding [Conceptually True], Justified, Beliefs about 'Reality'. That Paradigm of Tier-One Conceptual Understanding dies on the vine when you hit Enlightened Stage Turquoise

I had my second Dark Night of the Soul when I realized that all Thought and Experience has nothing behind the scenes. I also realized that I exist all alone and basically lose myself in Ego the same way some couch potato loses themselves in TV, as a way to distract myself away from reality, from what is true. Egos want Enlightenment until they realize Enlightenment is what ultimately takes Ego away from you. And this is more than the Egoic self -- Ego is larger than the Egoic self. Ego also includes external reality and other beings. Yeah, Ego dies in Enlightenment Work. That's the elephant in the room that no Spiritual Ego wants to accept. And when your Ego dies as a Spiritual Ego, it is a big wham-o. It's like grieving the death of all Thought and Experience. But in that death comes awareness of what actually exists, which is the true Self. When Maya dies and the true Self is all that's left, that's when you'll discover what God is. And that will be a cognizance of a new life, a different life than you thought you had before. When one door closes another door opens.

There's some truth to this. Lemme support this with a reason so I don't make just a conclusory statement myself. Reason: It's Egoic selves that need therapy. It's Egoic selves that want to manipulate reality to be to their liking. And it's Egoic selves that get frustrated when reality is not to their liking.

What makes you different from all other people? Instead on focusing on the external issue of the difference between "this and that", you should focus on the internal issue of the different between "me and that". You're looking externally for an answer that can only be found internally.

There is some truth to the idea that idle hands are the devil's workshop. Most people don't want to help themselves, they'd rather shift their focus externally and lose themselves in something else. It's really great to just be able to focus on what is good for you to do with your time and to not get distracted. That's what an advanced personal development person can do. And an advanced personal development person knows what their authentic actual problem situations are in life and spend their working hours everyday working on those. The more distracted you are, the more you're a novice in personal development. And length of time is not necessarily an indication of being past the novice stage either, because a lot of people use personal development work for other purposes than to help improve their lives, such as for entertainment or social interaction. The more you do personal development work, the more you'll gravitate towards solving your own authentic actual problem situations in your own life. Most people don't even know what their own authentic actual problem situations are in their own lives. You gotta know that. The advanced personal development person knows what their own actual problem situations are and can list them out for you if asked. If you're not working on your own actual problem situations in your own life, what are you doing with your time instead? You got people chasing changing the world "out there" when what they should be focused on is solving their own actual problem situations in their lives "in here".

Then you gotta be willing to take that and not whine about it. I'm not saying Leo is whining, but this post (topic) is slightly whining. You gotta drop the why is everybody picking one me knee-jerk reaction to be able to take criticism constructively. First you gotta be open to receiving criticism from others. Most people can't even get that far. Taking criticism is a virtue that has to be practiced and cultivated. The higher up you go in Spiral Dynamics the more amendable you'll be in accepting feedback from others. It's the people in the Tier-One Stages that think they've got it all figured out and avoid feedback like the plague. Tier-One Stages do not like criticism at all. The Egoic self doesn't like criticism.

Why would you pidgeonhole yourself like that? That's a very Stage Green thing to say. Things have to be looked at on a case by case basis. Stages Yellow and above are all about nuanced thinking. There's a spectrum between abusive unfair criticism on the one hand and constructive highly valuable criticism on the other. Not all criticism is equal. People who are against criticism across the board, and I'm not saying you are, are cutting themselves off from valuable information. I want someone to tell me what they don't like about something I write, so long as it's genuine and constructive. Otherwise I just keep making the same mistakes moving forward because if I noticed it myself I would've cleaned it up myself. So, we want feedback from others. You give feedback to others on here. The Forum is all about trading feedback. Turquoise is all about feedback across the entire Network of Perspectives. If someone doesn't want feedback, they're not at Turquoise. Blue very characteristically resists feedback from others. Blue does not want to be challenged by other people about their beliefs or their ideologies.

Really? Across the board?

Who, what when, where, why, how? Why the thin skin?

Exactly. And I admit that I'm just at the very beginnings of Stage Coral.

Is bullshit a Thought or is it an Experience that one has in the moment? Is any bullshit your bullshit? What percentage? What exactly is bullshit? Who is taking offense to bullshit? Who is calling bullshit on other people and things? Do you actually live as if what you say and do is bullshit? Is calling bullshit a covert way to say everybody but me is full of shit? Can one perceive bullshit without an associated Thought attached to it? Is the Thought that something is bullshit an actual part of reality, of what exists? Would you be willing to apply the bullshit Thought to yourself first and then come tell us about that?

What's your life purpose?

Why do you say this with such a dismissive undertone? How is TJ, who was a member of this forum by the way, wrong? Can you give me any reasons for your conclusory statement? It's easy to point at something and say "me no like" but another thing entirely to say why "me no like."

New rule on calling bullsh*t -- (1) First you apply it to yourself in actions not just words, (2) then come tell us about that.

THE LIMITATIONS OF STAGE TURQUOISE Turquoise is still too attached to Thought and Experience a.k.a Maya. They're distracting themselves literally. It's like a kid getting lost in his fantasies. Turquoise loves the sound of their own voice and loves to talk and teach. But see, all that is just an Egoic distraction away from maintaining God Awareness and seeing through the literal illusion of Maya a.k.a. Thought and Experience. In order for God to be God, He cannot be swimming around in Hell a.k.a. Maya a.k.a. Samsara. God does not swim around in Hell, see. I like to put it like this, 'God and the Devil can't exist in the same room at the same time.' If you're God and you're allowing the Devil and Hell into your life, it's only by lack of keen-Awareness that you can continue to do that. It's a lack of taking responsibility from an Awareness perspective that leads God to the Devil or to Hell. Living in Maya is not the way to live! Freedom a.k.a. Moksha is the exit of Awareness from Maya a.k.a. Thought and Experience. Turquoise half-detaches from Maya, that's the problem. Turquoise doesn't realize that Maya is a literal illusion and remains significantly bought-into Maya a.k.a. Thought and Experience.

COMPARING SPIRAL DYNAMICS STAGES BEIGE, RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, AND CORAL -- THE INDIVIDUALIST STAGES Beige people are your indigent, crazy homeless people that are just barely hanging in there somehow. And they survive -- I see the same crazy homeless people around for years and years. I'm talking about the really crazy ones for Beige. The saner homeless people are usually at Purple, Red, Blue, or Green. Red people are doers. Their principle focus is on executing what they want to do. They're not super-sensitive to things that get in their way. I think it's lack of patience more so than immorality. Red people know how to get things done. They don't always grok the adverse consequences of their actions though. Orange people don't really give a shit about Life Purpose. Their Life Purpose is in their family and relationships. They look to the external world for money-making primarily. Yellow people are realists and system-thinkers. They can and do solve a lot of problems and are much wiser than Tier-One people. Yellow understands Complexity Theory, Epistemology, and Metaphysics. Yellow people need a Life Purpose as well. Studying Engineering at the College level is a great background for Yellow. But Yellow also needs quite a bit of education in Philosophy, Art, and Science as well. Yellow basically becomes fully-conscious of Conceptual Understanding Work in Personal Development. Yellow knows how to apply theory to practice to create sustainable change. Coral is the Enlightened sage who realizes that He is God Awareness and the only thing that actually exists in reality. Coral teaches but is not a Spiritual Ego neurotically trying to save or improve the world like Turquoise is motivated to do. In fact, Coral realizes He exists all alone as God Awareness. Coral realizes that all Thought and Experience are a literal illusion. Coral doesn't need to belong to a master-mind community of Perspectives like Turquoise does. Coral realizes there is only one true Perspective, and that's the Perspective of God Awareness a.k.a. the true Self.

STAGE TURQUOISE METAPHYSICS VERSUS STAGE CORAL METAPHYSICS (1) Turquoise sees Non-duality as the Universe acting and speaking through all of its parts, as if all the parts are a conduit of the Universe a.k.a. one giant Mind. In contrast, Coral sees Non-duality as what is literally real, which is the true Self a.k.a. God Awareness but excludes Maya a.k.a. Thought and Experience from what is real because Maya is a literal illusion. (2) Turquoise tends to think of Consciousness or its rough synonym 'the Universe' as being a container that contains everything that Turquoise wants to exist in reality. In contrast, Coral is very literal in how they look at reality and realizes the only thing that exists is God Awareness, and God Awareness exists alone because all Thought and Experience a.k.a. Maya are a literal illusion. (3) Turquoise tends to think of God or 'Absolute Infinity' as they might call it as the 'full magnitude of everything that exists'. In contrast, Coral realizes that Absolute Infinity is Maya and that the only thing that exists is the true Self a.k.a. God Awareness. (4) Turquoise tends to equate Ego with the Egoic self, and tends to think of Ego as drawing a boundary in Experience. In contrast, Coral sees Ego as God Awareness forgetting who He is and becoming embedded in or distracted within Thought and/or Experience a.k.a. Maya. (5) Turquoise tends to think of Non-duality as everything losing all boundaries and becoming Oneness. In contrast, Coral tends to think of Non-duality as God Awareness being fully conscious of who He is and that all Maya a.k.a. Thought and Experience is a literal illusion. (6) Turquoise makes room in their metaphysics for perspectives of other beings and for themselves as a perspective within a Network of Perspectives. In contrast, Coral realizes that there's only one perspective that exists in reality, and that's the perspective of God Awareness a.k.a. the true Self. (7) Turquoise tends to cling to a life purpose aiming to help other people in truth-leaning ways and/or to change the world for the better in some manner. In contrast, although Coral does teach on occasion; rather than cling to an external Life Purpose, Coral is mostly focused internally on addressing their own Macro-Level Actual Problem Situations with their time.