Matt8800

@Harikrishnan I have not yet seen a talent with divination in myself yet but Ive always had a "knowing" that almost always turns out to be right. At this time, all I can say is those predictions are merely my personal opinions because there is nothing objective I can use to validate it. I suppose time will tell but I bet time will show that Im right.

@Neorez I think fiat currencies are artificially inflated. I do think that the US dollar has one more run up as people get out of the markets and get into the dollar and then it will crash for good. Nothing lasts forever. Rome didnt and neither will the current governments. I think people will start running to cryptos. This is just my personal opinion based on my interpretations of the markets.

@niko ev I have had pressure in my head for several years. Its gets more intense the more rooted I get in the present moment. I read it was a third eye opening and can be pleasant or unpleasant depending on the person's level of awakening.

@Myegolikestacos It can develop over time and with different abilities depending on the individual. My fiance was like that. She always had "strange" abilities but seemed to remain in the background. When we got into the occult, her abilities as a clairvoyant exploded and she is learning how to control them somewhat. Your cousin is probably a natural clairvoyant and the talent is starting to show itself.

@Calmness I was fearful as a child but had a will of steel. I once told my dad when I was around 5 that I was going to be a millionaire when I grew up. He laughed at me. Many kids that age would be discouraged with that but I was fucking furious and determined then that I would prove him wrong and rub his face in it. I became a millionaire by the time I was 33. Of course I reminded him about it and thanked him for the perfect motivation I think courage starts with a strong will. When you experience what a strong will does in your life, fear really is no longer an issue. By the time I was in my 20s, fear was becoming non-existent in my life (im 49 now). I would suggest contemplating what a strong will of steel would look like in your life, how it differs now and what are some things that you could start changing to build a will of steel over time. Do things that would require courage just so you can prove to yourself you can conquer your fears. I once decided that I would go bungee jumping and that I would not flinch or hesitate before I jumped simply to prove what I can do to myself. You dont have to do that but take steps without taking unnecessary risks. There is also a post I put on here called something like "Building strength - occult style" that I would highly recommend. There are occult practices that you can do that will literally change your energy into something new according to your will. I would keep doing that practice until you see big changes. I believe that some people have lots of strength but need more love energy. Others have lots of love but are weak. I believe it is our responsibility in this incarnation to balance these energies. Also, there is a Buddhist meditation where you contemplate your own future rotting corpse to overcome your fear of death and accept impermanence. If you conquer a fear of death, what else is there to fear?

@Myegolikestacos Some people get involved in the occult to turn the volume up with psychic phenomena. Others get involved to turn the volume down or control it. Occult author Aiden Wachter was one that got involved to turn the volume down. I would recommend any of his books or Jason Miller's.

@astrokeen I believe the climate is heading towards a catastrophe. I also believe the markets have finally topped out and are in the process of reversing. Ive studied Elliott Wave Theory extensively for quite a few years and the markets have made a perfect bullish pattern for the last 100-150 years but has come to an end. Elliott Wave Theory says that a counter move takes 50-160% of the time of the bullish move. That means that the market wont probably recover for another 75-200+ years. Although this sounds dreary, dont fret about it. It was all destined and is a part of a bigger evolution of humanity and the planet. This is the reason why there are gods and goddesses that bring both destruction and then creation. Sometimes things have to be destroyed before they can be created anew. My advice is seek love and beauty in the present moment. Seek guidance and strength from your spirit allies and continue pressing forward. Remember that you are here in this incarnation for a reason and that evolution should be continually focused on. Im not worried. It was all inevitable. After the destruction, the creation will begin imo. It has to happen this way. As for me personally, I just moved all my money, including my entire retirement, into crypto-currencies.

@Ampresus those that crave power are the last ones that should have it. Low vibrational power is what you can do to others. High vibrational power is what you can do to yourself. If you ever get power, it will become your curse.

@peanutspathtotruth Fear is irrelevant to anything.

@The Don Sounds like a Dark Night of the Soul coming on. Its a natural stage and necessary. Read Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha to understand it and how to get through it. Its a stage you dont want to be hanging out in for too long

@Rasheed Yes, you are doing it correctly. A wandering mind is WHY you do it. Just tell yourself that every time your mind wanders, to ratchet up the focus even more. If you arent staring at a focal point (dot, candle flame, etc) for concentration, i would incorporate this. There are massive benefits to this practice.

@remember Why would you think human/ape genitalia has some kind of relevance in spiritual evolution? That is your own ego's projections, attachments and aversions. It doesnt matter except in your own mind. Leo does a good video on ideology that I think is relevant to this.

@peanutspathtotruth Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the ability to move forward anyway. The universe rewards courage. There is no reward for the fearful.

@Leo Gura Nobody asked me but my opinion is that it triggered a kundalini awakening before he was ready. Ive heard of other people claiming that happened to them from psychedelics, meditation, etc. They see the Truth and it cant be unseen. Many people suffer with it for years due to fear of facing the implications of the ego not mattering. Once they can let the ego die, its one of the best things that could happen to them. Before they let the ego die, it is one of the worse. Mine wasnt too severe...probably because I was ready. Im also pretty good at processing and ignoring fear. For fearful people though, its going to be tough.

@Flowerfaeiry sounds like a kundalini awakening. It is trying to kill your ego and your ego is fighting for survival. If you want to learn how to let the ego die and accept all the implications, there is a good book called Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram. You make it through this via radical acceptance of all there is. The faster you can learn to accept all, including the death of all your ego's dreams, desires, etc, the faster you will get through this. It also means you have to accept that your life does not have the meaning and purpose that you used to think it had. Accept it does not matter if "you" live or die. It will open up to just existing in the flowing present moment. When you learn to settle into this, that is where you will experience beauty and true happiness unlike anything you have ever imagined. Keep working on locking yourself into the present moment and staying there. Ask yourself, what is "bad" in your direct experience of the present moment? You will notice all your suffering is an illusion you are creating, made worse by your ego's fight for survival. When you meditate, purify yourself by letting go of all your resistance, attachments and aversions on the exhale. Keep doing this and settle into the acceptance. I went through this a couple years back and came out the other side permanently changed. VERY difficult but necessary for the path. You have no idea what kind of beauty is waiting for you According to sacred Buddhist texts, once you make it out the other side to equanimity, you will have reached the first level of enlightenment.

@khalifaIf you are ready, go read my original post to you. Message me whenever you need and I can lead you through this process to the other side. Ive done it so I know. Good things await.

@laurel I would suggest reading the Yoga Sutras with commentary by Swami Satchinanda. You are becoming more aware of your aversions and attachments, which need to be accepted/let go. When that happens fully, it will open up to equanimity. Buddhism has a concept of "right action", which will eventually be realized regardless of feelings and influences of the ego. This will counter the lack of motivation from losing the desires of the ego that result from ego dissolution. Motivation comes from a new place.

@Richard Alpert The traditional style was Gung Fu but had a lot mixed into it. My teacher was taught by James DeMile. None of that is really relevant though.

I dont have any qualms about it in the least. Im an intense guy also. I am also the kind of guy who did MMA for six years, got my black belt, used to ride my motorcycle at 170, skydived, etc, etc, etc. He would just be him and I would just be me. If someone reflected his energy back at him and he kept his ego in check, then I would consider him worthy of being my mentor and I would give him permission to talk to me however he wants. I would totally respect him for that. If he couldnt keep his ego in check, well...... It goes against the concepts of non-duality to say something is OK for one person and not OK for another. Wouldnt Ralston say we are all one anyway? To me, this smacks of inferiority complexes, which I have never participated in. If a Zen master truly had his ego dissolved, why would he mind being the smackee rather than just the smacker? At minimum, it would be an interesting experiment. I have a suspicion that many "enlightened" masters would reveal they had more shadow work that needs to be done For whatever its worth, I believe my attitude is one of the reasons why Hecate has shown such a fondness for me. i think it would be a mistake to assume I am "wrong" without investigating this thoroughly.

@kieranperez Ive heard of Zen masters hitting people on the head with a stick if they move while meditating. When I heard that, I wondered what I would do. Knowing me, I would most likely stand up, smile at them, take the stick from their hand and smack them on the head. Then I would smile at them and see if they can smile back at me and master their ego at the same level as me or if they would lose their shit. If he can smile back, I would have no problem whatsoever with him hitting me in the head. My suspicion is they would lose their shit, which would mean to me that they would not fit to be my mentor. What that would tell me is that maybe the student should be the teacher and the teacher should be the student. If I was in one of Ralston's meetings and he was projecting "aggressive" energy, I would probably have the same stance simply out of pure fascination to see if he could control his ego at the same level that I could control mine. If he is as enlightened as he says he is, as you suggest, he wouldnt be attached to what people SHOULD be like, right? People tend to not act like that to me though, even if they treat others that way. Ive never quite put my finger on why, they just dont.

@28 cm unbuffed I have a great admiration for Yoga. I studied and practiced it heavily for a couple years. Eventually I found that the Tantra path is right for me however. Now there is no doubt in my mind. With Tantric philosophy, my life is so vibrant and beautiful in a way that Yoga alone could not quite reach. Ancient texts claim that Tantra is a faster but more risky path to enlightenment due to developing possible attachments. My temperament is completely fine with faster and risky

@AudibleLocket Contemplate your own death and fully accept it. If you dont reject or fear death, what is there to reject or fear? The Buddhist have a meditation where they contemplate their own decaying corpse as a way to accept the ultimate impermanence. Many people dont like this for obvious reasons - they fear death and dont accept it. They would rather sweep this under the rug and focus on the warm and fuzzies. This is a great place to start.

@karkaore Think of a path like a path of evolution. The True Self/Atman is on a path of eternal evolution. Just like different species take different paths on the evolutionary tree, we take different paths that lead to different ways of being and existing. There is no end point just like there is no end point for species in their evolution. Its in a continual state of flux. One species isnt objectively "better" than another; just different. A lion isnt objectively better than a badger but they are definitely different. I might subjectively prefer the becoming, being and existing of one path over another. An enlightened Tantrika is going to experience life in a radically different way than an enlightened Zen Buddhist monk. Their continual refinement will continue to take them in different directions. This agrees with many non-dual traditions, especially western mysticism and some Asian mystical traditions. Other traditions say there is no True Self/Atman but this is just a belief based on dogma if you investigate the claim further.

@karkaore No, there is no endpoint to enlightenment but the progressive journey can vary greatly.

@mandyjw I dont think it makes sense saying that the limitations of a religion has nothing to do with the religion. That is a self-contradicting statement. I think what I got out of religion is what happens when you let others tell you what to believe. It showed me the depths of the gullibility of otherwise intelligent people. I do believe that people can achieve enlightenment through different paths but I do not believe that enlightenment in different paths is the same. Ken Wilber co-wrote a book called Transformations of Consciousness. In that book, they conducted a formal, lengthy study of enlightened masters around the world. Those masters were people that were chosen by others that are in the position to make a claim to what the masters' enlightenment is, such as Buddhist leaders in Asia, Yogis in India, Christian contemplatives and many of the masters that are well known in the western world. The names were kept confidential. What they found is that when people reached enlightenment through different traditions, their experience of enlightenment, their experience of their life, beliefs about subjective "meanings" and "values" and their experience on how they interacted with others varied radically. The study showed conclusively that different paths DO NOT lead to the same place. If people are made aware of this study, and they still want to insist that all the paths lead to the same place, what do you think their motivation is to believe that despite the evidence to the contrary? Why is it important to them to believe that? I think thats a fascinating question. To claim that the path of Mormonism is the same path of witchcraft, shamanism or Tibetan Buddhism is a head-scratcher.