Emerald

Well yes and no. Yes in the sense that doing meditation, self-inquiry, and contemplation will help you clear space in your awareness to have a breakthrough. No in the sense that it is all an illusion anyway.

Indeed. Have you had any similar experiences? Could it be a sign of awakening to the truth, or is it just another state of mind? It reminded me of my deeper experiences with OBE where I'm just floating in a void, but more intense. Most of the time in OBEs I'm walking around in my environment or some other environment, but I've had a few where I was just floating in the void. But I consider OBEs to be another part of the dream and not actually waking up. So, I'm wondering if it's a step toward awakening, or if it's just another novel "spiritual" experience.

Great analogy.

Yes it was Ayahuasca. It's grasping in the sense that it is seeking happiness through future enlightenment, instead of practicing unconditional love and acceptance of the present moment. It is hating the present moment, and wishing for a better future moment. I would agree with this last point. Ultimately, I know that my Ayahuasca experiences have caused a lot of trouble for me. I don't want to see someone else make the same mistakes. That said, the suffering and awareness of enlightenment has become very useful to me in many ways. So, I believe that it will eventually work in my favor.

This is precisely the idea that keeps presenting itself to me over and over in the past few days. I've recently made some great breakthroughs with the perspectives of the other people on the forum. So, now that I've whittled down what is actually true and what is just a belief, the only thing left to do is to accept and love what is.

Looking for techniques or methods for letting go and surrendering to the situation at hand. Any practice to increase acceptance would be much appreciated. Thank you.

These experiences were catalyzed by a shamanic tea that physiologically acts on the brain structure responsible for creating the ego identity. Most people don't have enlightenment experiences from drinking this tea, but I did both times I tried it. So, they weren't permanent, but I did get a glimpse of what it is like to be enlightened. They were the most beautiful hours of my life. So, coming back to the average perspective, with abstract knowledge and memories from having experienced ego-transcendence, there have been many drawbacks. Number one, I have spent years trying to replicate the experience, so it is grasping for a future moment. You can only achieve enlightenment by accepting the present moment. Number two, it gives me a false impression that I know what it is like to be enlightened. I do not. The experiences are now only a memory and because memory is a thought, it cannot comprehend the enlightened paradigm. It doesn't translate. Number three, after the experiences, I made many foolish decisions because I was trying to apply the insights I remembered from the enlightened state from the non-enlightened state. Wisdom is a living, breathing, ever-changing thing. What is wise now, could be foolish five minutes from now. Number four, I'm a hot mess now. I've had the best and now everything else feels grossly inadequate. I'm acutely aware of my suffering. I can't buy into reality fully but I also haven't successfully transcended ego. It's like being stuck in limbo. So, there are many drawbacks. This is why I don't recommend using psychedelics or other entheogens. If there was one thing that my experiences gave me is that I don't have to exercise any faith that enlightenment is real. I probably would have given up on enlightenment had I just approached it out of curiosity. It's a pretty intense process.

Boil down what you perceive. You perceive only sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, and thought and only in the present moment. All else is belief, which is only ever the content within a thought. When a thought comes up just perceive that it has come up. Don't identify with it or try to stop it. It isn't you. It doesn't come from you. You have no control over it. Just notice it come up and focus on another perception to keep yourself from being mired in its content. You will notice that your awareness it outside of your thoughts. It's the difference between being caught in a trap and watching the trap.

It's not a need in the sense that you need it to survive. But I would certainly call it an instinct.

Get there early and start a nonchalant conversation with one woman. Gauge for her response. She'll probably already suspect you're interested because women get approached all the time. But keep it nonchalant and gym-conversation related for the first few conversations, because you don't want to seem like someone who goes to the gym to meet girls. Then, after an adequate acquaintanceship is struck, weave in some flirting. If her response is good, ask her if she'd like to go for coffee some time. Just keep advancing and gauging her response. If she seems receptive take a step forward. If she doesn't, take a step back. It's the mating dance. She invites, you approach.

Watch in the order the the has them posted, starting with the earliest. All of his newer videos depend on knowledge shared in the older videos.

This video was tailored to fit. Thank you.

It doesn't make them any less problematic, knowing that other people have it worse.

I don't know. I had two experiences in the past where I transcended my ego. They only lasted a few hours a piece. All of my information is based on memories of that experienced cross-referenced through research that I did later to give context to my experiences. That said, I would describe it as a deep realization of the truth which creates complete peace of mind and freedom from fear. It is also accompanied by access to wisdom that is otherwise obscured by the illusions of the self and the ability to love unconditionally. It is also a feeling of connection with all of existence, that you are a part of the fabric existence and the entirety of existence at the same time. But these are just memories at this point. They stand in my way. So, it's probably best to try to forget the description that I just gave.

It's very weird.

Ask yourself what it is that you want from being so beautiful and be brutally honest with yourself, even if it doesn't paint you in a good light. Here are some questions for you to ask: -Do I want to be attractive, to attract a mate? If so, that makes sense. Do you feel inadequate for that person, if you are deemed unattractive? This could be fear of rejection. Then explore your past and feeling regarding fear of rejection. -If it doesn't have to do with attracting a particular person and you just want to be attractive in general, ask yourself why. Why is it good to be attractive? What value does it hold for you? -Do you have any fantasies relative to others finding you attractive? If so, what happens in the fantasy? How do people react to you in the fantasy? -Do you want social approval for being attractive? If so, what kind? -What is your perception of unattractive people? Do you think it makes them less worthy of some sort of attention? -Describe to yourself your self-image and ideal persona. When you inquire into these questions, it can reveal a lot to you about your own insecurities. Most are based upon unconscious attitudes and beliefs that you hold about yourself and others.

Thank you for the advice.

Also, I recommend the book "The Heroine's Journey" by Maureen Murdock. I really related to it a lot.

Same here. My problem is that my heart and libido are lovers of present-moment passion and not long term happiness. They conspire against my brain in the most saccharine-sweet ways. So, my husband and I got pregnant when I was 21 out of plain old irresponsibility. Ha. But I guess that was what was supposed to happen. I'm 26 now, and I have a 4.5 year old daughter and an 11 month old son. I love them very much, but I find myself lacking the zeal and passion for motherhood that most mothers seem to have. I hope that I'm doing right by them, but I'm probably screwing them up like every other parent does. It's a bit depressing that I have such a difficult time just enjoying and being present to what's happening in my life. I fear I may one day look back and think that I really missed out on the joy of watching my children grow. So, my advice is to make sure that your heart and libido aren't leading you away from long-term happiness, in the decisions you make.

I'm right there with you. In fact, when Leo was talking about making major structural changes to his life and his reservations about quitting Actualized.org. I was like "Just Go! Do it now before you have a kid. The only person's life you have to fuck up is your own. Be radical!" But I know this feeling very well. I've considered leaving my husband before too. But the problem isn't him and isn't the limitation. It's lack of acceptance. It's my wishing reality were something other than what it is. It's the contant crazy-making thoughts of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I have no advice to give. Personally, I have decided to remain settled in my situation, and do personal development here and there until my children are old enough to care for themselves. If I had no kids, I'd be doing a ton of meditation retreats and nothing more. But the good news is that I'll be empty-nesting in my early 40's, so then I will do whatever I want and not waste a second of my time. But until them, I am going to try to accept my limiting role as wife and mother, while slowly growing myself a little every day.

My experiences tell me that is true.

@werlightThank you.

I was thinking about using this for cultivating acceptance. Thanks.

This is exactly what I needed. Thank you.