Emerald

On the spiritual development side, I enjoy Shinzen Young, Teal Swan, and Matt Kahn.

Seek alignment with your true nature (enlightenment) by relaxing and surrendering to the experiences of your life. Love what comes up unconditionally by accepting all emotions and experiences. Relaxation is the only way.

@Trisha @abrakamowse I had two experiences similar to what you described; simultaneously giving and receiving unconditional love and a deep connection to al that is. Mine were induced through drinking a tea often used in shamanic vision quest rituals. Even though the experiences were the most beautiful experiences of my life bar none, I recommend seeking these experiences without the aid of psychedelics or entheogens. The heightened awareness ended as the influence of the tea subsided, leaving me with the memory of insights translated into a lower level of consciousness. I made some very unwise decisions in my life after that happened by trying to abstractly apply those insights.

Great video! Exactly what I needed right now.

Thank you for the advice. I sort of hit a dip this past week because I've been sick, but I normally post on Wednesdays and Saturdays. This I've been consistent with until this past week. I have to get the fire poker after me. When I said my content quality was high, I wasn't meaning that it needs no improvement or that it would resonate with everyone. I put this to avoid getting advice on improving content, and to put emphasis on getting advice on marketing techniques. I will definitely look into Gary Vaynerchuk.

"successful people do things well, especially when they don't want to." - my high school chemistry teacher

"Love and work is to human beings, what sunshine and water is to plants." - Jonathan Haidt

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk

Enlightenment is just as pointless as non-enlightenment in the grand scheme of things. But looking for a point is only a mechanism of the human lens. But enlightenment is optimum happiness and peace of mind. Since everyone's actions are trying to lead them to happiness anyway, enlightenment is the most worthwhile thing to pursue. This isn't because it confers value upon a person or that i will make your personhood more enduring or that it will solve all your problems. It's worthwhile because you will be truly free for the rest of your life. Fear of death causes much of our suffering. Enlightenment is freedom from all fear of mortality and change, because you have nothing to lose but a concept. From this comes clarity and equanimity that no one is capable of from the egoic perspective. It is the freedom from self-lies and illusions of separateness. It is ultimate receptivity to love. From my experience, I can't imagine that a nihilist is truly enlightened. Those two perspectives seem like polar opposites to me.

Just be an emotionally healthy and well-developed person without fear of approach. I'm certain David Bowie never had a problem attracting women, and he isn't a typical alpha-type... he was just awesome. Be you. No apologies. That's alpha.

Reality supersedes reason. Reason is a mechanism of the human lens and nothing more.

I enjoy her work a lot. I watch her videos every Saturday, and I know I'd be in a much worse place psychologically, had I never seen them. But she has an energy that I'm put off by. So, I hold the things she says very loosely and only use what is useful to me. I think, ultimately, I'm put off by her because she is the closest thing to the human embodiment of my personal shadow. Thus, I get a lot of good information from her, as well as a strong aftertaste of emotional discomfort. That's when you know the medicine is strong.

When I had my experiences, there was no true distinction between other and self. So, I naturally wanted to treat others well in a most genuine way. On the other hand violent, hedonistic, and destructive urges came up too; chaotically clashing up against my urges for benevolence. It was like a perpetual thought war going on in my mind that I was suddenly able to take myself out of and watch from the sidelines. I even had an urge to cut myself just to see the blood and enjoy the sight of it. But I had the wisdom to know that these urges weren't worth acting upon because they would cause suffering to me and others. But I also realized that everything was always in divine order: the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, if I were to act on my destructive urges, reality would still be perfect. So, it seems to me as though that particular Zen master directly ignored the voice of wisdom... either that or the voice of wisdom was telling him to do some fucked up things... The latter possibility is terrifying to me from the perspective I now hold.

I enjoy Teal Swan. I know that I would be in a much worse place than I am now, without having seen her videos. It's a possibility that she's manipulative. Some say that she's lied about her past. Some say she's a cult leader too. It could all be true, but it is irrelevant to me because her work is downright helpful. But if she ever offers me a glass of Koolaid... I might have to pass.

From my perspective, I tend to be attracted to men who are great at making plans, warm-hearted, encouraging, deep-thinking/intellectual, mysterious, reserved, hard-working, laid back, with the ability to laugh at himself. I also appreciate it when a man clearly delineates his higher and lower nature. Business on the streets, animal in the bedroom. I like to feel as though I'm peeling back layers and uncovering mysteries and tapping into deeper levels of intimacy. I also like to feel stable, emotionally supported, intellectually stimulated, happy, and calm. So, I'm attracted to men who make me feel this way. Looks, muscles, and other manly-man traits are secondary concerns at best. At worst, they may feel inauthentic, which will undercut my ability to feel calm, stable, or to experience deep layers of intimacy. So, be yourself, if you approach enough women, you'll find the ones that are attracted to you.

I'm definitely going to try this in a systematic way. When I was a kid, I used to try to stay conscious as I fell asleep. I wasn't trying to get anywhere, I was doing it for fun. I also had a lucid dream a few weeks ago where I was dreaming but I was still conscious of the sensations in my sleeping body. This was the first time that this had happened to me.

Did the lady give you details about her experience?

INFJ or INFP - I've taken the Myers Briggs many times and always score like 49/51 in favor of either the J or P. INFJ generally fits better though.

To Leo: What do you believe your biggest barrier is to achieving full-blown, permanent enlightenment? I believe that mine is fear of letting go and relinquishing control, but I was curious what yours is.

Thank you for the reply. I don't ask this question out of basic curiosity, but more-so to find others who have had similar experiences to what I have had. It can be a bit lonely having experienced ego transcendence for a short time, then to come back to the egoic perspective without anyone to talk with about it who will understand. So, in hopes that I might get some good information on how to go further, and also make a place for people to share, I've created this thread. So, I promise not to take your insight interpretations too seriously or become misled by them, if you're comfortable sharing.

What do you think happened that enabled you to live this way? Is there a moment when everything finally clicked?

I've had many OBEs myself, mostly through Sleep Paralysis. Although they are interesting, they are a lot different from the type of experiences that I'm talking about. But the latter experiences sound similar to mine. Which practice were you using when you had these experiences?

The irony with my experiences is that I wasn't seeking at all. I guess that I've always been an insight seeker and spent a lot of time in contemplation, but I never thought anything of spirituality or enlightenment before my experiences. I was a college student seeking a recreational experience and nothing more. So, I tried a tea used for vision quests in shamanic rituals with some friends. None of them experienced what I did. Their experience was only visual. For me, it dissolved my ego for a couple hours, which was enough for me to glimpse enlightenment. I did it again five months later but instead of recreation, I used it for escapism from harsh life circumstances. Both times it was like the contents of my unconscious mind were made conscious as all fear of my own mortality left me. Having said all this, I don't recommend trying any "shortcuts" to enlightenment. They are not permanent. For me, the most valuable thing that came out of these experiences was that it showed me that there was a dimension of existence that I was completely blind to. So, it's easy for me to make the journey because I know that the road leads to an amazing place.

I'm aware of this logically. But it is a feeling nonetheless. So, it is my attempt to be mindful and radically honest. But I also posted to help others be mindful of this pattern in themselves. It can be a discouraging feeling, so I figured solidarity might help.

I'm from Florida too.