Forestluv

Nice realization ?? Notice how your mind then wants to make up a story about what that realization means. My mind does the same thing after each realization. The next stage for me is to over-conceptualize, then deconstruct all the constructs I created. From a realization, there is an infinite number of stories would could tell about it. Sometimes I try to just sit in silence and contemplate the realization in my direct experience.

@Omni To me it seems mind-body dynamics and resonance evolve as I head up the spiral. Many habits / addictions I had were neuroses that got deconstructed as I spiritually matured. The neurosis kinda dissolved. Yet, there have also been new habits that have arisen that I would say are associated with some discomfort.

@Ampresus It’s great to see you explore a new meditation environment. Meditating with a group at a center may have a different dynamic than meditating at home. It may resonate with you and be all you need. Or maybe you do a mix of home and center. In terms of maintaining meditation discipline and consistency, I say yes it counts as a meditation day. The winter’s where I live can get quite cold. Sometimes I run outside, sometimes I run on the treadmill indoors. I count both as a “run day”.

Lack of reason to exist does not necessarily give rise to an energy seeking to exterminate that which exists. Some of the most beautiful moments in life have no reason. I just did a silly dance during my yoga for no reason at all. Or who knows, there could be a cosmic reason. . ,

@Aakash Gotcha, no worries. Being genuine and curious is more important than having all the right words.

I’m not saying bad ego. I’m saying that when awareness reaches a new depth, it can be unstable and a subtle egoic dynamic can enter in an effort to regain control how the mind-body is oriented.

@Aakash When I reach a deeper level it is unstable at first. An energy appears that wants to create stable grounding. I try to be aware of that dynamic. The deeper I go, the more “paranormal” it seems and the desire for control gets more subtle. This is just a dynamic in my mind-body. If it doesn't resonate with you, ditch it and move on.

Be mindful of a psychological dynamic in which there is a “good ego” and “bad ego”.

Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.

My mind-body likes to think freedom and peace is the absence of emotions like fear and sadness. So, my mind-body tries to avoid them, push them away and get rid of them. There seems to be a deeper sense of freedom and peace. . . When fear comes knocking at the door, allow it enter, allow it to be present and allow it to leave.

@DocHoliday ♥️ ?

Whoa, lots of assumptions in the original post. Perhaps we can all consider an issue that has no assumptions. We all agree that it is essential to address the pressing issue of Third Leg Syndrome (TLS). It’s clear that TLS has a negative impact on our world. The economic impact is obvious and goes without saying. Yet, it’s also important to consider the emotional toll TLS has on communities and it’s impact on biodiversity. Even insects are impacted by TLS. One may think they don’t have TLS, but how can one be sure? The answer to this widespread terrible problem is both complex and elusive. There is a reason TLS has baffled humans for thousands of years. We now know that TLS is caused by an amorphous supernatural entity. Even scientists agree on this. Obviously, this entity has an intention. Yet, how can we communicate with the entity? What is it trying to tell us? Since we live in a computer simulated reality, how can the program communicate with the programmer? This problem becomes more baffling the more I think about it . . . ?

Good point. From a personal development and human perspective, reprogramming would have practical uses. For example, there is a disorder in which a person has an intense fear of making left hand turns while driving. This can turn a 10 minute drive to the grocery store into hours. It can create a lot of angst and difficulties in a person’s life, including their family. If there was a way to flip a switch in their brain to remove this fear, I think most would say go for it. From a nondual perspective, there is no difference.

@RobertZ There seems to be a lot of intellectualizing in the original post. My hunch is that you feel safer in your head than in your heart. It can bea long journey from one's head to their heart. For me, direct experience was the key to open heart channels of empathy ♥️ ?

@DocHoliday For me, it is a marker between relief and true peace, Resistance seeks relief, true peace just is. Fear and insecurity dynamics are really interesting to observe in my mind-body, yet it can be uncomfortable. One thing I’ve learned is that much of my mind-body is oriented toward avoiding fear and insecurity. It’s deeply ingrained and hard to reprogram.

When conflict arises, my mind wants to frame it as an external problem. That is, the conflict is due to external reasons and if that stuff gets worked out, problem solved. I’ve found it helpful to look inward and observe the internal conflict dynamic within my mind-body.

The absence of resistance does not mean the presence of embracement. It just is without resistance or embracement. There is noone to resist or embrace. There is simply appearances.

Even in my worst bouts with terror, when the resistance dissolved there was a dramatic energetic shift. I’m not sure I would still call it fear. With surrender, resistance dissolves and it just is.

What is 99% of zero?

Without resistance to fear, does fear exist?

The personality seeks, the personality does not become enlightened.

If your audience is Orange and confined to logic, then yes. Once someone reaches Green and higher, all sorts of communication modes start opening up.

I used to think laying meditation was a half-ass form. I even looked down on using chairs. I was a true half-lotus kinda guy until I did sensory deprivation tanks and went places traditional seated meditation didn’t. I was fully alert and reached deep relaxation states I didn’t know existed. I do both seated and laying meditation these days.

@now is forever I have observed that dynamic in some users as well. I find it fascinating how many variations of experience psychedelics yield - among people and within a single mind. I did three Ayahuasca ceremonies at a retreat and each one was completely different for me. I sat in a similar spot during each ceremony, they each started at the same time and were all within one week. Yet, each was completely different. As well, I was amazed by the diversity of experiences of participants at the retreat. Other drugs seem to effect the mind-body in a roughly similar way - things like opiods, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cannibis, amphetamines have fairly predictable and similar effects on the mind-body. If someone drinks six beers there will be a similar effect on the mind-body regardless of whether they are watching a football game or at a Bar-b-que. Of course the details of the experience will have variations, yet the effect of the alcohol is similar. Yet with psychedelics there can be completely different effects depending on so many different variables. Among different people and the individual themself. It's a major reason I think people should be cautious with psychedelics, especially newbies. I've been with first-time trippers many times and the range of experience is astonishing to me. . . . I was in an AirBnB in Medellin Colombia and people at the place were smoking weed and drinking moderately. One of the women just seemed to thrive in party atmospheres and going with the flow. Around midnight, they decided to go out clubbing. Someone pulled out a bunch of LSD tabs and about half the group took one. I noticed the woman nonchalantly took a few of them and swallowed them without hesitation. This got my attention and I asked her how often she does this. She replied "this is my first time taking a psychedelic". I thought she is totally screwed tonight and I'm not going to be part of the train wreck that will happen in a couple hours - so I stayed in. I see her the next day and she is totally fine. She looked fatigued from a late night out, yet there was not indication at all the LSD caused her any adverse effects. It was real LSD and she had a great time. She seemed unfazed the rest of the week. . . I've seen other first time users go through terrible struggles. My own experiences have ranged from indescribable love and connection to indescribable terror and suffering. I've noticed all the clinical psychedelic therapy studies tried to neutralize as many variables as possible. Participants went through psychotherapy, prepared for the psychedelic sessions, the sessions took place in highly controlled settings and psychotherapy sessions continued after treatment for integration. I think this is one reason the studies were so successful. I think if they got loosey-goosey with preparation and setting, the results could have been different. Imo, psychedelics don't become an efficient spiritual tool until someone has reached a Green level of awareness and maturity.

@Shakazulu I wouldn't say the insights are more profound. I would say there is an expansion of the profoundness. This is an analogy appearing in my mind space now. Imagine a diamond that has many facets. For one's whole life, they were unaware of the diamond. The first look at the diamond is of just one facet. So one becomes aware of that one facet, yet still unaware of the whole diamond. Yet that first good at just the facet is extremely profound. It's the first time you've ever seen it. It could change the way one looks at life. It could open a door to something previously unimaginable. So now imagine re-visiting that same facet over and over. It may start to become obvious and ordinary. One may think "why can't most people see this facet? It's so obvious". The mind may assume that "this is it" and "I have awakened". After time, another facet may be revealed and it is ground shaking. "Omg!! There is another facet!!". You had assumed this was it, and now this whole new facet revealed itself. It is unique from the first facet. You see how the two facets are inter-connected. It is deeply profound and can again change the way one looks at life. Now imagine this cycle continuing with a third, fourth and fifth facet, leading to a more holistic view. Is the revelation of any one facet more profound than the other? I'd say they are each special, yet I don't think I would rank them in terms of how profound they are. As well, I would say that as more facets are revealed there is a spiritual maturity that develops and a more holistic experience and understanding arises. Ime, yoga and meditation are essential to integrate psychedelic lessons. When I first started using psychedelics, I skimped on the yoga / meditation and just tried to hit home runs with psychedelics. I had practiced meditation for over 20 years and thought I was good in this area and it wasn't so important anymore. This eventually caught up with me. Things got unstable and unsustainable and I had to slow down. Ime, integrating psychedelics doesn't necessarily make the insights more profound, yet it is really important for observing contextualization patterns, seeing bigger pictures and developing spiritual maturity.