Drum Teacher

@Michael569 I’m 14 days into her challenge. Doing it with my wife actually. Adrienne has a great way with bringing awareness to the whole body. Our yoga practice is here to stay.

@Shakazulu also, fir me, it’s hrlpful to not focus on quantity but quality. I time block my studies. I do what’s i can in the amount of time I have to devote to it. If it 90 min.. I am “all in” for those minutes.

@Immortal peace hey man. I’d be interested to know more. I’ve been listening to beats for several days. I didn’t last night though. Can you tell me more? About your experience?

Those careers may seem risky but if you look at the stats for the particular department you'd be a part of... you'll be surprised. Plus.. there is not much risk in the guaranteed paycheck you'll be getting on time every time! If you truly desire to take one of those assignments, try and make friends with somebody that does that to get the inside track. I have a friend that is a firefighter, and a helicopter medic. Those guys sit around and do nothing for 48 hours at a time... until the call comes...

@Shakazulu Hey there - you are on the path. I would recommend sticking with Leo, too. He has a book list for $35 that could prove very helpful since you like books. It's not just a list, but he gives you a detailed book report of each one, which is great. So - you can decide how to prioritize. He's a very well rounded person and has done a lot of the work for us. I think what @Nahm means is that you are on the way and you know what to do. Its just a matter of time and we have plenty of it. For myself, audio and video has been a great way to absorb info and ideas. Many times, I can listen at 2x speed and get everything. I love books, but I can only read about an hour a day. I am now paying an extra $75 for unlimited data because I watch and listen to over 40 gig per month and that really resonates well with me. What is your educational background? I spent 7 years in University and have read and written more than I care to admit during that time. Listening or watching a video is much more efficient for me. Do you have a meditation practice? If not, I'd recommend picking this up. It may sound weird, but since I have been meditating.. only a few months, I have found my self reading faster, typing faster, listening more clearly, and so on. So sorry this was so long... I just kept throwing down my thoughts.

So, if a newcomer to crystals has a small budget, where would one start? Which would be the best first crystal?

@NormL_is_boring You answered my question before I asked it, thank you!

@mrhognuts You mentioned practicing mindfulness... do you have a meditation practice? Just curious. Man... you're in for a real treat. Tasting your food, being completely in the moment. Like @Huginn I have found that being mindful, I take smaller bites and enjoy it longer. I bet it helps my digestion too. But, I eat less and enjoy it more. Just like anything else, be in the moment, consciously aware. Sounds like you're on the right path. Oh, and also for me... I found myself eating MUCH better quality food when I took it seriously. No processed shit in boxes or fast food, for example. I know that can be a hard trap to get out of... but now I smell somebody bringing in a bag of junk food and I do not like it. Keep up the good work!

Interesting. I've been running since June... more habitually since July and 4 of 7 days consistently since August. I ran a 5k last month and have one scheduled for Thanksgiving. My initial goal was to get myself back into shape and shed some pounds. Well, I've done that and then some, and now it has become an extension of my meditation practice, honestly. I'm 14 days into a 31 day yoga challenge, too. So, when I started yoga a couple weeks back, that really got me being more aware of my body and my breath. I have taken what I'm learning in yoga and putting it on the pavement and now it has become more of a physical meditation exercise rather than pounding out 3 miles. Most importanty, I am really enjoying it all and strive to be in the moment with all of my physical exercises. I find myself not looking at the finish line so much, but really in the power of now... as it should be.

@Marinus So... this was a while ago. Have you experienced this again since? I have been fortunate enough to get into sleep paralysis 3 times in the last 6 years or so. Thing is... I knew nothing about it at the time, was scared shitless and screamed and clawed my way out. When it happens next, I plan to explore as much as possible, honestly. As much as i can without breaking out of it. I know its scary, but I plan to let go of any fear and be fully in it, next time it comes to me. So - did you turn ten degrees? What happened? Were you able to come out of your body completely?

I look forward to trying these out starting tonight. I've been trying these techniques recently and have almost had a couple of lucid dreams, but every time I get close, something happens that scares me out of the lucidity. ( I yelled my friend's name, for example, and that gave my a jolt ) I will keep at it and look forward to these tracks. Oh - I had read somewhere that youtube compresses the audio and Binaural beats may be more effective from the original source. Anyone know about that? I'm new to it, so I can definitely feel it working... physically as well.

Real estate agent, teacher and musician.

Everything I have read and watched, indicated that it definitely CAN help in this area. But please do your research like Leo says! I used psilocybin mushrooms in college three times, but it was for recreational purposes. It will NOT be that way next time. I’ll be doing it the way Terrance McKenna (and Leo) says is most beneficial. I better stop there, I’m not completely sure about how much detail one can go into about this on the forum. Bottom line. Do your research and make sure you’re in a good place mentally first. All about set and setting my friend.

Habits that I have used, personally? Is that what you’re asking? I hope i don’t get complete off track here. I’m at a place of serious growth and transformation right now. I changed careers in June and thought my life and reality would change bc my circumstances did and I learned quickly otherwise. I was super frustrated and looking for answers when I stumbled upon leo, among others. Ok... just trying to give some background. Habits that I personally stick to include: an exercise regimen 5 days a week (I’ve lost 17 lbs and feel great) I meditate every day. I read one hour a day or more. I changed my diet, (nothing major, just eating real food and zero fast food) I stopped looking at porn (oddly enough this was the hardest thing of all) then I have a set of habits I incorporated at my work to increase productivity. That mostly includes incorporating routines and time blocking my tasks. Lastly, perhaps more to your point, when I need to relax, or take that mental break, I watch videos like a fiend. Almost to a fault, really. But I’m not necessarily just doing mental masturbation and I’m careful to make sure I don’t get in a trap. Like I said, I’m in a phase of transformation and growth right now and I use YouTube and audiobooks to learn. I dive in and try to pull nuggets of wisdom that I can use to change my mind and my life. I’m a drummer, so I play drums to relax too. That was probably way too long and tmi. But. If you’re a self actualizer, you don’t want to fall in a trap of incorporating habits that do not harmonize with your life purpose. That’s all I’m saying.

Ok. I used a different track last night and I slept a full 6 hours. I feel very well rested. And notice that I did not toss and turn as much. It may be bc I had woken up at 2 am the previous night and was more tired than usual. No dream to write down this morning tho.

Mindful meditation does it for me. With your work... Leo did a vid on this. Tune blocking is the basic strategy. Where you work your ass off for 60-90 min with great focus. Then take a 10-15 min break to cleanse the pallet, then wash rinse and repeat. Find what you like, but make sure it supports your life purpose. Or, make sure it is a positive contribution to you life and not something destructive or contrary to the positive results you’re trying to achieve.

A resounding YES! You know he gives you a book report on each one, right? This really really helps sort out which ones you should buy first. If you’re totally strapped for cash, I’d be happy to buy it for you. Just email me. Worth way more than $35... I felt like I was stealing it from him.

I have been sleeping less since I’ve started an exercise and meditation practice. I typically slept 6-7 hours and now I’m waking up after only four hours sleep. Most mornings I try to go back to sleep, or just get into a meditative state at least. Last night I woke up really early... at 2 am and I tried listening to a lucid dreaming track to lull me back. It didn’t work for the sleep too much. I barely drifted off one single time , then scared myself out of my dream right away... as soon as I realized I was dreaming. So - does anybody have any experience with sleep tracks, binaural beats, chakra cleansing tracks for sleep or lucid dreaming? Are they helpful? I have some observations from my experience since 2 am, but I’m not sure I used the track correctly for optimal results. I’ll need to do more homework before I do it again.

@Ross I agree. Porn is pretty damaging. I never thought it was a big deal before I became aware of it. Once I stopped, my sex life started to flourish in a big way.

@BjarkeT looks like you’re on the right path already with the concepts and actions you list. @Joseph Maynor adds a lot of food for thiught as well. I’ve learned that it will look different for everybody really. On my path, I have had to work hard, and still do, to develop habits that contribute to my purpose. Positive habits that run me to a degree. Staying consistent is HUGE. You listed many of the habits above. Keep it up.

@egoless OK, I got through the video. It was resonating with me for the first half, then took another turn that I'm not too versed in, then he brought it back home in the last ten minutes or so. You know, I think there is perhaps a lot of Truth in there for sure. But I'm wondering if you could take any such position, depending on the lens that you look through. I am trying to gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of the other religions to help me hash this out. Also - I'm hopeful that I experience God in a whole new ways in the days to come as well.

I'll check out that video. I know there are many many books on this subject. Many missing books of the bible, as well as many books that ARE part of the Bible that just were non canonized by the Catholic church when they decided what our bible would be. Now that I'm on this path of awareness and consciousness and finding my higher self, I see many parallels like you and others mentioned above. It really has my searching deeper, too. Thing is.. I am a Christian! So, as I struggle do dissolve past beliefs, break down my ego, and work toward the bigger picture, I have wondered what that is going to look like as I work through my Christian beliefs moving forward. Why are you searching for hidden teachings of Jesus?

@beastmode Hey there - my guess is NOT many. I'm so very new, with just a few months of meditation under my belt, BUT... I have only found one single person that I can discuss this topic with. Well, I could talk nutrition, exercise, habits, etc with many - but the mental work of consciousness, awareness, ego... I only have one acquaintance that has a clue. SO - in my short beginning of my journey that's not many. The stuff that @electroBeam is talking about is what many americans do, like Alan Watts said. Chimp stuff imo. Ego gratifying personal development that results in worldly "success" and "achievement". Many do that, yes of course. But, as far as digging down the core of who you are, the observer of the thoughts, and working toward that level of awareness and consciousness I do not feel there are many out there. BUT when you see that person, you will know, just like I did. I spent years upon years of being anxious, fearful and just an american mess of going and doing without even a moment of stillness. Now that I'm working to change that, I can really see it manifested in other people, and I feel compassion for them. I know that it sounds weird, but it tugs on my heart to see those people suffering as I did... and they don't even know it. I'm so new here, and new on my journey as well. But, I'd say lots of folks do PD to develop the ego. Not many do PD to actually get beyond the ego

@Nahm Humble brag.. interesting. Shows you how much of a noob I am! I looked up Humble brag... and definitely not my intention, but I definitely see it when i read those words in my post again. Thing is... I have only one friend that I can talk to about this stuff who can relate or understand. So... I think i just threw up all those words as they came to me. Thanks for pointing that out.

@Nahm Thank you for asking. Good question. I think I am getting enough sleep, actually. I have decided from now on, just to get up and start my day when I wake up. I am definitely not stressed or anxious. I am SO much better about letting go of all the thoughts that cause the stress and anxiety... it's not that. Weird that you speak of the food too... because I have been eating much less, and better quality food for three months as well, in addition to an exercise plan. I bet it's just my body and mind changing as a result of my new habits, actions and thought patterns. I also had a career change 6 months ago too. So... I bet it's just my physical body changing as I've been making new and better habits and a whole different life style, honestly. I have two degrees and I think I've learned more from Leo and Alan Watts than I ever did at University.