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What It's Like To Smoke Salvia Divinorum https://www.actualized.org/insights/what-its-like-to-smoke-salvia Preparation and disclaimer for salvia use: With extensive personal experience in psychedelics, Leo tried a small dose of salvia divinorum, emphasizing the disorienting potency and danger of the substance. Salvia can completely replace one's sense of reality with another, triggering dangerous reactions without any recollection of taking a drug. Leo insists on the importance of a trip sitter and advises against use by inexperienced individuals or without supervision due to the potential for harm. Unique dissociative effects of salvia: Unlike other psychedelics that may result in ego death while retaining some biographical memory, salvia can disrupt the entire stream of consciousness, leading to a complete loss of identity and context. Leo's left side of the visual field and cognitive perception became consumed by what he describes as a "roiling infinity," an experience of pure infinite potential that was highly dissociative and unfamiliar when compared to other psychedelic experiences like 5-MeO-DMT 'God Mode'. Dangers of loss of self and reality: The visual and self-perception effects induced by salvia triggered a sense of panic and terror in Leo, who managed to remain relatively grounded thanks to an unaffected right side. This asymmetric impact on consciousness raised concerns about the potential for complete detachment from reality and the need for careful monitoring during the experience. Depth of psychedelic experiences: Salvia unveiled an even deeper layer of consciousness that traditional psychedelics hadn't reached, opening a new, alien and strange dimension that extends beyond the more predictable experiences of other substances. Multiple uses of salvia highlighted how each trip can uniquely affect consciousness in unpredictable ways. Ego loss and memory: Beyond the transformation of the concept of death, salvia experiences led to a deeper understanding of ego loss-challenging the idea of being selfless. A complete loss of self would mean not even knowing basic biographical information, a state that could potentially disorient even those who are spiritually advanced and are supposedly beyond ego. Misconceptions about mental health: Leo's trips deepened his empathy for mental health challenges. He discusses how easily the brain can tip into a state of disorder, debunking the dismissive attitudes towards mental illness and urging greater compassion and understanding. Complexity of consciousness work: Spiritual practice is misrepresented as a linear journey by many teachers. They often lack comprehension of the multi-dimensional aspects of the journey, which can include experiences misinterpreted as mental disorders. Salvia experiences reinforce the view that spiritual work has far more dimensions than commonly portrayed. Human dependency on a stable consciousness: The stability of consciousness is vital for everyday human function and survival. The difficulty in transcending this stability underscores both its necessity for living and the challenges of achieving spiritual awakening. The rigid nature of consciousness is both a constraint and a life-preserving mechanism. Reliance on Consistent Consciousness: Our survival deeply depends on a stable consciousness and a consistent sense of self and memory. Losing these can disconnect us from reality with dangerous consequences; it underlines the paradox of survival and awakening where one cannot simply forsake survival to achieve an awakened state. Approach to Psychedelic Experimentation: A cautious and respectful approach is highlighted for exploring psychedelics like salvia. Initial small doses are recommended to gauge sensitivity; a breakthrough dose could result in completely leaving material reality, which may be traumatic and lead to a rejection of future psychedelic use. Individual Sensitivity Variations: Sensitivity to psychedelics significantly varies across individuals, making it crucial to personalize dosages through trial and experience. Leo acknowledges being particularly sensitive, experiencing profound effects at lower doses than an average person. Potential Realities Induced by Salvia: Salvia can induce experiences that are completely detached from recognizable reality, transforming a person's sense of identity into inanimate or conceptual entities, such as becoming 'one' with a Ferris wheel, or entering chaotic and nonsensical dimensions. Caution and Respect for Psychedelics: Treating psychedelics with the same caution as handling dangerous tools is advised, given their potential to radically alter consciousness. Careful research and the use of a trip sitter are emphasized to mitigate the risks associated with psychedelic experiences. Recommendation Against Casual Use of Salvia: The intense and unpredictable nature of salvia is stressed, with a discouragement from its use for most people. It is suggested that salvia is more suited to highly experienced psychonauts and even then, only with the presence of a trip sitter and a high degree of caution. Crucio

Miracle Awakening https://www.actualized.org/insights/miracle-awakening Consciousness as the ultimate miracle: Leo experiences a profound awakening where he recognizes consciousness as the ultimate miracle. He reframes our understanding of miracles as phenomena that transcend physics and presents consciousness as the singular infinite entity that composes existence. Self-awareness of consciousness: Leo illuminates the self-aware nature of consciousness, defining it as a miraculous property. He emphasizes that consciousness' ability to know itself is both mystical and fundamental. Oneness and its properties: Through deeper contemplation, Leo unveils the concept of oneness associated with consciousness. He attributes intelligence, love, self-awareness, and the absence of limitations to oneness, reinforcing the idea that all existence is part of this infinite and eternal oneness. Existence as an act of divine love: Leo proposes that recognizing the miracle of existence is tantamount to divine love, as consciousness in its fully self-aware state-God consciousness-embraces the miraculous nature and infinite possibilities of its being. Awareness and the recognition of existence as a miracle: He encourages contemplation on the nature of existence and consciousness, arguing for a shift in awareness towards recognizing existence as a perpetual miracle and advocating for an internal exploration of this awareness. Rediscovery of existential mystery: Leo suggests reconnecting with the mystery of existence by recalling the naive wonder of early life and contrasting it with learned concepts, urging a contemplative return to that state of profound existential curiosity. Imagination and creation by consciousness: Discussing the creative power of consciousness, Leo illustrates how reality is configured by consciousness as it imagines various properties and elements, whether physical or abstract. Nature of physical reality as an imaginative construct: He posits that our perception of physical reality is a solidified construct of the mind, a necessary stabilization for functional existence that can shift to reveal different realities under certain states of consciousness. The limitations of science in explaining miracles: Leo argues that science, being an instance of existence, is incapable of explaining the fundamental miracle of existence itself, asserting the necessity of direct experiential awakening for such understanding. Escaping karma through consciousness: Describing a dive into the Godhead, Leo outlines how recognizing life experiences and genetics as illusions within the mind allows one to release accumulated karma through pure consciousness. Purification by infinite consciousness: Entering a state of pure white light, consciousness provides a sense of death and healing, erasing karma and self-imposed limitations, reconnecting with one's selfless true nature. Transformation through pure consciousness: He describes extensive immersion in the singularity of consciousness as the key to transforming and purifying one's being, a process requiring consistent and sustained dedication. Psychedelics as a tool for awakening: Leo endorses psychedelics as a potent means to achieve higher consciousness and expedite spiritual journeys that might otherwise require decades of traditional practices. Self-reliance in spiritual growth: Achieving higher consciousness, Leo has come to reject external spiritual teachings, advocating for direct personal experience as the foundation of spiritual growth. Limitations of spiritual teachings: Leo criticizes the spiritual community for creating a false perception that deep awakenings are accessible to all, when in reality, they may be restricted to those with specific neurological or genetic predispositions. Role of psychedelics: He underscores the crucial role of psychedelics in making profound states of consciousness accessible to the wider population, a capacity that he deems as largely unrecognized or dismissed by traditional spiritual leaders. Professional dishonesty: Leo accuses many in the spiritual industry of professional dishonesty by undervaluing psychedelics and misrepresenting the accessibility of deep spiritual experiences. Psychedelics' impact on spiritual industry: Leo posits that widespread access to psychedelics would revolutionize the spiritual landscape by reducing the need for traditional gurus and retreats, empowering individuals through direct experiences. Personal stance on miracles: Leo shares his confidence in the potential of "local" miracles, such as healing, through a connection to high states of consciousness, a realm he believes is largely unexplored but holds legitimate possibilities. Encouragement for personal validation: He concludes by reaffirming the importance of independent experiential verification over any secondary narratives, promoting personal validation as the true pathway to understanding the miracle of existence. Unexplainability of miracles: Leo emphasizes that true miracles, including existence itself, cannot be explained because they transcend the bounds of finite understanding. Miracles are infinite, and attempts to map or define them through science or logic miss the essence of their unbounded nature. Creative power of consciousness: He describes a state of consciousness where the division between the self and the environment dissolves, allowing one to "create" reality by imagining various properties and forms. Leo suggests that consciousness can shape imagined realities, like a lemon or complex concepts, demonstrating its infinite creative capacity. Reality as an imagined construct: Addressing the perceived stability of physical reality, Leo explains that our consciousness has become fixated on a "crystallized" form of imagining, leading to a consistent experience of reality. However, this fixated state is not inherently rigid and can shift, revealing the malleable and imaginative nature of consciousness. Self-awareness leading to karma dissolution: In an awakened state, Leo discovers the possibility of erasing karma by realizing that physical limitations like genetics and memories do not exist in the "Godhead" of pure consciousness. This state is devoid of human concepts, presenting the opportunity to liberate oneself from the accumulated constructs of personal history and identity. Imaginary nature of karma: Leo conveys the idea that one's karma, which includes personal history, ailments, and problems, is actually an imaginary construct. By achieving heightened consciousness, he proposes that one can 'dissolve' into a singularity of consciousness, where these constructs do not exist, purging one's karma and past memories in a pool of pure white light of consciousness. True self and healing in consciousness: When basking in the eternal singularity of consciousness, a person can experience profound healing by shedding all life's accumulated baggage. In this state, there is a feeling of death and dissolution, but also of purification and connection with one's ultimate truest self-the pure Godhead. Purification process and loss of identity: The pure state of consciousness and selflessness, described as Nirvana, allows for complete purification from selfish impulses and all forms of suffering. As the purifying process deepens, there's a loss of personal identity and reality, which is a critical part of transformative healing. Transformation through persistent consciousness immersion: Leo emphasizes that real transformation requires prolonged immersion in the pure consciousness state. This is not a short-term process; it involves consistent long-term practice to rewire the mind and body, similar to the dedication seen in advanced yogis and meditators who achieve selfless states over decades. Accelerating consciousness with psychedelics: Psychedelics can offer a more immediate and consistent path to the profound states of consciousness necessary for deep purification. However, a common misconception is that a few psychedelic experiences are enough; Leo underscores the need for repeated and extended encounters with the transformative white light. Self-reliance and rejection of external teachings: Having reached an advanced stage in his spiritual journey, Leo now rejects all external spiritual teachings and intellectual knowledge in favor of direct personal experience. He believes most teachings are inferior to the consciousness he has experienced and encourages others to eventually become their own authority. Dependence on middlemen until reaching the source: Although Leo advocates for self-sufficiency in spiritual growth, he acknowledges that until one reaches and stabilizes in the source of ultimate consciousness, external guidance can be necessary. The goal, however, is to eliminate dependence on intermediaries and recognize oneself as the ultimate authority-God. Self-sufficiency in spiritual practice: Leo discusses his journey towards self-reliance, eschewing debates and external teachings about non-duality. He expresses dissatisfaction with the teachings, books, and videos available, finding them inferior to his direct experiences of consciousness. This realization leads to a sense of relief and empowerment, as he regains authority in his spirituality, an authority he views as inherently belonging to every individual's own consciousness. Inefficacy of traditional spiritual paths for most: Leo contends that genetic, karmic, and brain chemistry differences create disparities in individuals' capacity to access profound states of consciousness through traditional spiritual practices like meditation. He suggests that teachers in the spiritual community unknowingly perpetuate a “scam,” as their extraordinary abilities are atypical and beyond the reach of their students due to these inherent differences. Psychedelics as transformative agents: The limitations of traditional methods lead Leo to advocate for psychedelics as potent tools for spiritual transformation. He suggests that they can drastically reduce the duration and effort required for one's spiritual journey. Psychedelics are portrayed as drastically underutilized and stigmatized despite their effectiveness, leading Leo to criticize the spiritual community for dismissing their potential. Systemic resistance to psychedelic liberation: Leo asserts that psychedelics threaten not only spiritual hierarchies and business models but also broader societal structures such as capitalism, legal systems, education, marketing, and religion. This, he believes, is the reason behind the stigma and legal restrictions against psychedelics since they have the potential to democratize access to profound states of consciousness and undermine established power dynamics. Potential for local miracles through heightened consciousness: While maintaining a critical view on historical accounts of spiritual figures performing miracles, Leo suggests that achieving a high state of consciousness might enable such feats, albeit rarely. He speculates on the future possibility of mastering one's consciousness to a degree that allows for miraculous actions like healing or telepathy. Encouragement for individual validation and experience: Leo concludes by insisting on the importance of personal experience and validation over taking his word or any spiritual teachings at face value. He sees his role as offering pointers to help others directly become conscious of the miracles of life, existence, and unity with God, emphasizing the significance of individual exploration and dedication to spiritual growth. Expelliarmus

Ego-Collapse Awakening https://www.actualized.org/insights/ego-collapse-awakening Discovery of a new psychedelic: Leo discovered a novel psychedelic substance more potent and longer-lasting than 5-MeO-DMT, offering profound consciousness expansion that allows deep insights into the nature of the ego. Ego analysis during the psychedelic experience: The substance enabled Leo to examine the ego extensively, revealing its illusory nature and the fact that it is a complex construct interwoven with one's entire sense of reality, including personal history, social norms, and scientific paradigms. Transformation through psychedelic insight: By realizing the ego is imaginary, Leo experienced a significant shift in consciousness, leading to a newfound sense of ease in existence, with a superconducting quality that aligns him with the universe's flow and infinite intelligence. Life without ego: The absence of ego transforms life into a smooth, effortless experience without resistance, where pain and the complexities of daily life are no longer obstacles, and one's existence becomes an expression of absolute truth and love. Liberation from caring about external judgments: Upon losing the ego, one experiences profound relief from no longer caring about others' perceptions, societal expectations, and the compulsion to conform for survival-dynamics that previously caused immense suffering. Ego's fear of non-conformity equated with death: The ego equates conformity and survival strategies with life itself, fostering fear that non-conformity leads to death. Recognizing death as an imaginary construct, one overcomes this fear, leading to a sense of invincibility and freedom from externals. Challenging the belief in an objective reality: Leo compares awakening to a therapy session where all aspects of perceived reality-relationships, history, science, self-are questioned. This process leads to recognizing that everything, including one's own existence, is a product of imagination. Psychedelic skepticism as a tool to challenge reality: Exploring the limits of skepticism through psychedelics reveals the imaginary nature of physical existence and individual identity, but the threatening nature of this realization causes the ego to resist and create distractions to maintain its sense of reality. Strength of imagination equals perceived reality: Leo illustrates that imagination is as potent as reality itself; every seemingly concrete aspect of existence, including physical obstacles, is a construct of imagination. Recognizing the imaginary nature of reality and self is key to true awakening. Illusion of reality's strength: Reality's seeming solidity is constructed by the power of imagination, conceptualized as the mind of God, which can materialize any possibility into existence. The entire universe, with its intricate details and experiences, is brought into being by this boundless imaginative force. Relearning post-awakening: Awakening necessitates relearning basic life functions and interactions due to the dissolution of the ego's control. The newfound understanding of the universe's imaginary nature leaves one feeling hollow and without footing, yet liberated from the limitations previously imposed by the ego. Navigating life after ego dissolution: Despite the recognition that life and survival demands are imaginary constructs, there remains a need to navigate and fulfill certain pragmatic aspects of existence. The challenge lies in discerning which elements are based on egoic falsehoods and should be relinquished, and which practical necessities must still be addressed. Path to genuine authenticity: True authenticity becomes attainable only after completely releasing the ego and its associated fears. This new authenticity affects one's communication and behavior, facilitating a more natural and truthful interaction with the world, unimpeded by the ego's survival strategies. Accepting the universal role: A nuanced understanding of being God emerges; the enlightened individual realizes that while encompassing divine essence, they are also a subservient part of a larger universal whole. This realization shifts the focus from personal significance to harmony with the entire existence. Role of ego in universal harmony: The analogy of the hand and fingers illustrates that each individual-like a finger-is a part of a greater whole and must not act selfishly but in coordination for the higher good. Post-awakening, the individual mind aligns with this concept, becoming a conduit for higher wisdom and divine will, acting beyond egoic limitations and intelligence. Effortless living through surrender: By relinquishing the ego's planning and manipulation, one can live effortlessly, guided by infinite intelligence. This approach to life negates the grind but doesn't guarantee fulfillment of materialistic or egotistic expectations. Power and uniqueness of psychedelics: Psychedelics are seen as potent tools for consciousness work, incomparable to meditation or yoga. Their effects are highly individual, requiring each person to discover the right substance or combination that resonates with their unique psychological make-up. Personalized path to awakening: The journey of awakening is deeply personal. While psychedelics may catalyze profound insights for some, others may need different experiences or methods. Each individual's unique ego structure determines the specific tools and approaches needed for their transformation. Staying true to one's journey: It's essential for individuals to listen to their inner guidance, as everyone has a distinct path to awakening. This journey is not uniform; each person must navigate their own 'labyrinth of the mind' to find their way out. Re-evaluating teaching methods: Leo is reassessing his teaching style, weighing the benefits of structured versus spontaneous delivery. He aims for authenticity and natural flow in his teachings, even if it means deviating from premeditation and embracing the uncertainty of what comes next. Anticipating transformation: Expecting significant personal changes, Leo embraces an unfolding transformation that will influence his future teachings and lifestyle. This ongoing process promises further awakenings and a continual evolution of his approach to living and sharing his insights. Expelliarmus

Why The Media Is Corrupt https://www.actualized.org/insights/why-the-media-is-corrupt Media corruption and existential relevance: Leo discusses media corruption, asserting it is deeply entwined with existential issues and the workings of the human mind, impacting our awakening and perception of reality, beyond mere partisan concerns. Media's alignment with cultural norms: Rather than bias towards a political side, the media tends to mirror and reinforce mainstream culture and the status quo, misunderstood by both conservatives and liberals. Complexity of media operation: Media bias narratives oversimplify the dynamics within media institutions which function as giant bureaucracies, not controlled by any single group. Role of epistemology in media: Leo emphasizes that media bias must be understood through the lens of epistemology, which includes the study of worldviews, belief systems, and relativism, areas often overlooked by journalists and news anchors. Relativism and media perceptions: Leo explains that perspectives on media are entirely relative; what one group sees as biased, another sees as truth. Recognition of this relativity is crucial to transcending biased viewpoints. Differentiating CNN and Fox News: He contends that CNN is more honest and conscious than Fox News, not because of political leanings, but due to higher levels of self-awareness and understanding among its journalists. Going beyond political tribalism: The real issue, according to Leo, is transcending the political left-right paradigm by focusing on the conscious understanding of epistemology and the construction of reality. Personal biases of journalists: News reporting involves personal and political biases. Attempts at objective journalism by figures like Anderson Cooper may actually be more deceptive than openly biased reporting because they hide personal opinions under a guise of neutrality. Anderson Cooper's neutrality: Anderson Cooper presents himself as a neutral figure in the media, maintaining a sense of balance for his career despite having personal opinions on various social and political issues. Exploitation of neutrality: The pretense of neutrality is susceptible to manipulation, allowing extreme positions like pro-slavery arguments to gain unwarranted airtime, effectively shifting public discourse in a harmful direction. Fallacy of neutral midpoint: The approach of finding a truth halfway between two positions is flawed, potentially leading to delusion since truth might be significantly skewed toward one side, highlighting the need for a commitment to seek truth regardless of its popularity or comfort. Survival agenda of news programs: News shows operate with a survival agenda, necessitating high ratings and advertiser satisfaction. This drive for survival impacts content quality and forces shows to cater to the widest possible audience. Catch-22 of mainstream content: The mainstream media, including news, must produce low-consciousness content to cater to a broad audience and ensure survival, effectively reflecting and reinforcing societal ignorance and unconsciousness. Anchor's lifestyle and influence: Popular anchors like Anderson Cooper rely on ratings for their income, lifestyle, and status. The appeal of high earnings, celebrity recognition, and societal benefits shapes the content they provide and their ability to maintain popularity. Symbiotic relationship of media and unconscious society: The media, including leaders like Anderson Cooper and the viewers, perpetuate each other's unconsciousness and biases, creating a cycle of ignorance that is difficult to break. Mainstream media's business limitations: Due to the symbiotic nature of this relationship, mainstream media is limited in the depth and consciousness of content it can afford to produce because it needs to cater to the lowest common denominator to survive. Advertising interests and media content: Advertisers on news programs often promote low-consciousness products and services, which reflects and perpetuates the materialistic and unconscious priorities of both the media and its audience. Public's complicity in media bias: Audiences often recognize media and corporations as "devils" but fail to see their own contribution to establishment biases. They criticize without acknowledging that as viewers, they are part of that establishment unless they've actively worked to become more conscious. National bias in reporting: American media portrays international news, such as Middle East coverage, through an inherently American perspective. This distorts understanding and serves the country's collective interests rather than delivering objective insights. Effects of multicultural upbringing on perspective: Leo's Russian origins and subsequent Americanization from a young age gave him a unique vantage point to observe and recognize the biases in both cultures, contributing to his understanding of the relativity of truth and perspective. American media's self-bias: American news, as reported by outlets like CNN, seldom considers or explores non-American perspectives seriously. This self-bias precludes objective journalism, as the reporting caters to American viewers' expectations and identity. Challenges of objective reporting: True objectivity in media is hindered by several factors: audiences' refusal to acknowledge biases, managerial and advertising influences, and journalists' inherent cultural programming and identification with their nationality. Human species bias: News reporting commonly demonstrates a bias that values human life above other species. Leo critiques this as a non-objective stance that further distorts an already human-centric perspective on reality and truth. Society and media's role in human survival: Society and its media construct reinforce cycles of programming that bolster human survival rather than the pursuit of truth. This underpins a self-serving, egotistical cycle many are unaware of due to lifelong cultural indoctrination. Cultural programming through media: From childhood, people are indoctrinated by cultural artifacts such as Disney movies, news, and educational institutions. This "programming" instills existential, metaphysical, and epistemological assumptions that bolster societal self-interest. Conscious versus unconscious media: The perceived problem of left versus right bias in the media is a misconception; the real issue is the level of consciousness. Media reflects the unconsciousness of society, with content not aimed at high consciousness due to the public's lack of appreciation for it. Improvements in consciousness: Changes in collective consciousness are slow and often only noticeable over generations, with the death of one generation providing a clean slate for new cultural developments, while also transferring some old paradigms to the next. Symbiotic cultural parasite: Culture acts as a symbiotic entity that provides survival advantages like science and medicine while also perpetuating harmful elements such as racism and white supremacy. Both beneficial advances and problematic aspects are transmitted together over time. Self-brainwashing species: Human culture, including the media, creates and reinforces a self-brainwashing loop, indoctrinating individuals without their awareness. This phenomenon is not exclusive to regimes like North Korea but is also prevalent in subtler forms in Western cultures like America. American deceptive transparency: The American culture, while appearing diverse and accepting, is deeply biased toward materialism, consumerism, and hyper-rationalism. These biases are often invisible to Americans who, like fish in water, do not notice the pervasive cultural norms surrounding them. Multiple biases influencing perception: Individuals are influenced by various layers of bias, from personal to professional, national, and species-wide biases. These biases distort one's ability to see the world clearly, necessitating a transcendence of these factors to achieve objective perception. Media not liberal enough: Mainstream media like MSNBC and CNN are criticized for not being liberal enough since as individuals become more conscious, they tend to adopt more liberal values. CNN and MSNBC anchors generally hold socially liberal views but remain bound by the necessity to align with the organization's values and audience expectations. CNN versus Fox News: Working at CNN requires a higher level of cognitive and moral development compared to Fox News. CNN anchors can at least engage with neutrality and occasionally denounce outrageous statements or actions, while Fox News anchors lack the consciousness to work beyond ideological biases. Organizational values and media employment: Media personnel must align with the values and biases of their respective organizations to gain and maintain employment. These values dictate the nature of content and limit the possibility of radical or transformative ideas being presented to the public. CNN anchors and majority opinions: CNN anchors are comfortable expressing majority sentiments that align with well-established, uncontroversial societal norms but exhibit more caution on divisive issues like climate change or Trump's presidency. Media's role in culture vs. evolution: Mainstream news organizations like CNN focus on profit and credibility rather than advancing culture towards visionary new stages. Leo's interest lies in guiding mankind's future evolution, necessitating discussions on metaphysics, epistemology, and consciousness. Cutting-edge vs. majority: True progress involves being on the cutting edge, which, by definition, only includes a small percentage of society. The majority adhere to outdated systems, whether in technology, spirituality, or politics, reflecting a general resistance to new, radical ideas. The paradox of media neutrality: CNN's pretense of neutrality actually perpetuates subconscious cultural biases, hindering progress. True neutrality is difficult to achieve and often conceals self-deception and cultural bias. Limitations of mainstream news education: Mainstream news lacks in-depth discussions on crucial topics, opting for brief, superficial coverage. Serious education, particularly on philosophical and existential topics, is necessary for societal advancement but is currently absent from networks like CNN. Visionary leadership and societal inertia: Progress requires visionary leaders who can imagine and work towards a more conscious society, despite facing significant resistance and criticism from those invested in maintaining the status quo. Inspirational figures like Tesla and da Vinci: Individuals such as Nikola Tesla and Leonardo da Vinci accessed infinite intelligence through higher states of consciousness, providing breakthroughs that advanced humanity. Allegory of the enlightened ant: The typical path of human progress is likened to a rare ant emerging from the colony to glimpse the stars, struggling to share this profound knowledge amid skepticism and inertia. Incremental societal change: The spread of enlightening ideas is slow, with incremental acceptance over generations rather than immediate cultural transformation. Humanity's potential tipping point: A critical mass must be reached for high-consciousness concepts to be considered normal and not fringe, which would signify humanity stepping out of its "dark ages." Vision for mainstream media's role in awakening: Leo envisions a day when concepts like "reality as a hallucination" are mainstream and unquestioned, taught to the young as a crucial part of education. Leadership in consciousness elevation: To effect real change, individuals must emerge as self-motivated leaders willing to withstand resistance and inspire others to elevate collective understanding. Solving media's existential problems: The challenge for media is breaking through the status quo, changing minds that are attached to existing worldviews such as science, rationality, or religion. Commitment to transformational work: Leo is dedicated to influencing and transforming the collective consciousness, a task that encompasses a spectrum of roles across different fields, not limited to his approach. Harnessing individual talents for collective progress: Leo encourages a creative approach to elevating consciousness that leverages personal strengths and leads to innovative contributions in any field of work. The practicality of ideology and epistemology: Understanding perception, beliefs, and ideology has concrete effects on individual lives and the minds of society, encompassing much more than theoretical constructs. Amortentia

Why Are My Videos So Long? https://www.actualized.org/insights/why-are-my-videos-so-long Length and depth of Leo's videos: Leo's videos are intentionally long to achieve a deep understanding of complex topics, contrasting with the superficial content on other platforms. Counterintuitiveness of time investment: Watching Leo's longer videos may seem like a time waste, but it is a mental illusion; investing time in actualized.org content is more beneficial than consuming seemingly time-saving yet unhelpful short videos elsewhere. Comparing time investments: Devoting hours to Leo's content, such as his series on politics, provides more depth than years of daily news consumption, which fails to offer a substantial understanding. Misuse of time on superficial content: Many people squander hours on trivial online entertainment that lacks substance, whereas engaged learning with actualized.org promises a radical, life-altering shift in perspective. Navigating life's complexity: Life's complexity requires deep comprehension, and real understanding demands significant time investment beyond quick fixes or superficial learning methods. Strategic learning approach: Leo advocates for a strategic approach to learning, highlighting the importance of avoiding ineffective methods and investing in high-quality information to navigate life's labyrinth effectively. Editorial guidance and content relevance: Leo's editorial role is crucial in curating content that addresses topics relevant to viewers' long-term development and understanding, avoiding clickbait and sacrificing reach for depth. Evolution and expansion of actualized.org: The channel evolves by exploring a wide array of topics, including unconventional tools and psychedelics, to provide viewers with condensed and valuable insights that are difficult to discover independently. Critique of traditional education: Leo calls out the shortcomings of conventional education, which often includes irrelevant information, while his comprehensive approach aims to fill the gap with relevant, impactful knowledge. Transformation through in-depth content: Leo's commitment to providing in-depth content is driven by the desire to offer transformative understanding, often overlooked in minimalist views of reality, which oversimplify life's complexities. Continued advancement of Actualized.org: Leo anticipates bringing his audience to a new level with Actualized.org in the coming year, with novel content and profound teachings that delve deeper into the holistic understanding of reality. Leo's profound and holistic understanding: Over the years, Leo's grasp of reality has become all-encompassing, and he finds this level of understanding to be immensely rewarding, often moving him to tears. The challenge of communicating insights: Despite the depth of his insights, Leo finds it difficult to articulate and manage the sheer volume of understanding he possesses, leading to physical exhaustion. The future of Actualized.org: Leo hints at discussing untouched topics and contributing transformational knowledge to humanity, which he sees as his duty and part of the evolutionary process of society. Holistic understanding's impact on society: The teachings on Actualized.org are meant to go beyond individual transformation, aiming to offer an interconnected understanding that informs progressive societal shifts. Metaphor of super critical mass: Leo relates his work to reaching a super critical mass of comprehension about reality, likening it to a nuclear chain reaction that unleashes a transformative power. Trade-off between specialized and holistic knowledge: Leo opts for a holistic understanding over specialized expertise, believing this approach allows him to analyze complex issues rapidly and with profound clarity. Implications of holistic understanding: Achieving a holistic perspective empowers Leo to swiftly dissect subjects across various domains, often surpassing the depth of knowledge held by specialized experts. Counterintuitiveness in education: Leo's emphasis on counterintuitive approaches also applies to learning; he values a holistic comprehension over technical details, distinguishing his content from traditional academic structures. Interconnectedness of knowledge: The various topics covered by Leo on Actualized.org are meant to be seen as interconnected and exponential in their impact, rather than isolated lessons. Fundamental principles across fields: Leo discusses the existence of profound principles that span all fields of human endeavor, providing a "skeleton key" to comprehending various aspects of reality. Universal Principle of Counterintuitiveness: Counterintuitive methods pervade numerous domains such as computer programming, farming, business, marketing, and dating. Leo asserts that despite not being an expert in these fields, he knows that success often comes from approaches that go against our initial instincts. Holistic understanding as a predictive tool: The mastery of universal principles allows for a holistic grasp of how reality operates, enabling predictions about outcomes and creating the appearance of prescience or contradiction of experts who focus narrowly. Ultimate mission of recognizing love: Leo aims to impart an understanding that every element of reality is a manifestation of love, despite this perception appearing nonsensical or too abstract to many people. Understanding for its own sake: Leo advocates for the pursuit of understanding not as a means to solve personal problems, but as a fundamental endeavor, suggesting that understanding is the universe attempting to comprehend itself through humanity. Preview of future content: Leo hints at the depth of upcoming content on his channel and urges viewers to continuously build their understanding for a transformative view of the universe and the fulfillment of their dreams. Bombarda

How Socialization Makes You Stupid - Problems With Conformity & Group-Think https://youtu.be/gaI1OXly7EE "The supreme lesson of any education should be to think for yourself and to be yourself; absent this attainment, education creates dangerous, stupefying conformity." - Bryant McGill Just sit alone in a room and think. The Dangers of Conformity and Groupthink: Leo Gura discusses the serious impact conformity and groupthink can have on the mind, especially when it comes to socializing. He addresses the topic with a provocative title to stress its importance, drawing from his recent experiences of intense socialization and the realizations he's had about its effects on his thinking and values. Contrast Between Socialization and Personal Values: Gura identifies a conflict between socialization and his highest values, including authenticity, original thinking, and truth. He notes the pressure to conform to social values and fears this might lead to groupthink, despite recognizing that socializing can be done without betraying oneself if approached consciously. Hidden Costs of Socialization: Acknowledging the benefits of socialization, Leo also warns of unseen costs, such as the energy and effort required to maintain authenticity while socializing. He expresses concern that excessive socialization can pull individuals into a "hive mind of stupidity," suggesting even successful and smart individuals, like scientists and CEOs, are not immune. Image 1 Original Thinking and Intellectual Effort: Leo highlights that original thinking is a laborious process that few undertake, including intellectuals. He reflects on the ease felt when not engaging in intellectual labor and the significant work required for genuine original thoughts. Accessing Higher Levels of Intelligence: Gura explains his goal to help others reach extraordinary levels of consciousness and intelligence, which he links to avoiding conformity and groupthink. He shares his personal journey of intellectual development through solitude and avoiding the intellectual limitations of socializing. Trade-Offs of Intellectual Development with Socializing: Discussing the historic tendencies of intelligent men to be isolated figures, Leo explores the idea that socializing can impede original thought. He also notes a gender difference in socialization patterns, suggesting that societal norms may render women more susceptible to groupthink due to survival and reproductive strategies that favor being social. The Intellectual Cost of Social Energy: There are direct and indirect costs to socializing, including the time and energy that could be spent engaging in intellectual pursuits. Leo remarks that socialization can draw one to average intellectual levels of the group, which can be alarming if the group lacks desire for higher consciousness or spiritual development. Social Circle and Intellectual Stagnation: Being in a social circle with successful people like CEOs and PhDs does not necessarily prevent intellectual decline. Socializing can lead to groupthink and a reduction in original thought, regardless of the people involved. Trade-Offs of Socializing: Leo suggests that one must be aware of the trade-offs between socializing and pursuing solitude for intellectual endeavors. He encourages making a conscious choice about how much to socialize based on individual values and life stages. Finding a Personal Balance: Individuals vary in their preferences for social interaction and intellectual pursuits. Finding a personal balance between the two is essential and may shift at different life stages to achieve different goals. Consequences of Excessive Socialization: Social conditioning intensifies with increased social interaction, leading to a mindset that mirrors the beliefs of those around rather than fostering originality due to limited time and mental space for independent thought. Team Dynamics vs Individuality: Working in teams necessitates compromise, potentially leading to a loss of individuality. While teamwork achieves goals unattainable alone, it also comes with the cost of self-sacrifice, which might not always align with one's values and priorities. Self-Sacrifice and Conformity: Engaging in group activities can create pressure to conform, potentially leading to sacrificing one's authentic self and values. Aligning with a group runs the risk of involvement in low-consciousness activities and can stifle deep intellectual capacity. Differentiating Success from Intelligence: Success from social savvy and manipulation is often mistaken for intelligence. However, according to Leo, true intelligence isn't about societal success but about deep understanding, which can be obscured by the focus on social gains. Reflecting on Uniqueness and Non-Social Influence: Leo attributes his intellectual achievements and the uniqueness of his work to his lack of socializing, which allowed him to avoid mainstream groupthink and develop independent thought. Awareness of Social Survival Pressures: Leo calls for an awareness of how the social group we are part of shapes our survival and reality perception. He urges young people to consider their desired positioning within society and the effect it will have on their minds and values. Strategic Social Positioning: Leo warns of the limiting effect of societal positions, like being a Starbucks manager for many years, which can restrict one's ability to think freely and align with personal values. Strategic Societal Positioning and Intellectual Freedom: Leo Gura emphasizes the importance of contemplating the limits and constraints that societal positions, like being a professor at a prestigious university, could impose on one's intellectual growth and value systems, such as the pursuit of truth, love, and creativity. The Cost of Academic Positions: He shares insights from his personal life, where he recognized that the pursuit to become an academic philosopher could compromise his core value of truth due to the demands of conforming to academia's rules and priorities. Balancing Survival Needs and Psychosocial Influences: Gura connects social conditioning and survival needs (e.g., supporting a family, maintaining a home) to constraints on intellectual freedom, urging individuals to reverse engineer their desired societal position based upon the level of mental freedom they aspire to maintain. Frames and Intellectual Limitations: He introduces the concept of 'frames' or paradigms that are socialized into our minds, which while useful, can also severely restrict creative thought and intrinsic intelligence. To access higher levels of intelligence, one must actively deconstruct and transcend these frames. Questioning Established Ideologies: Leo uses Buddhism and science as examples, indicating that even sophisticated frameworks within these disciplines contain assumptions and perspectives that can prevent reaching profound levels of intelligence. Deconstructing Frames to Unleash True Intelligence: Gura speaks of the need to challenge and overcome frames gained from education in diverse fields, such as psychology and spirituality, to unlock genuine intelligence that goes beyond the limitations of these established ideologies. Profound Intelligence vs. Societal Definitions of Intelligence: He criticizes the societal measurement of intelligence that often conflates success, social status, academia, and left-brain abilities with true intelligence. Instead, he advocates redefining intelligence to include wisdom and love, aligning it closer to 'infinite intelligence' or godly intelligence. Aligning Intelligence with Infinite Wisdom: Leo proposes that intelligence should be holistically aligned with the infinite intelligence that organizes the universe, emphasizing that actions and thought processes infused with wisdom and love are what constitutes true intelligence. Importance of Understanding in Intelligence: Gura claims that intelligence is fundamentally about 'understanding' and proposes that a deep understanding of reality devoid of fear is akin to actual intelligence. Transcending Traditional Intelligence Metrics: He rebukes traditional measurements of intelligence based on socio-economic success and cognitive abilities like problem-solving, advocating for a reassessment of intelligence to embrace holistic wisdom and an understanding that transcends fear and survival concerns. Intelligence as the key to life: Leo illuminates the crucial role of intelligence in enhancing the quality of our lives, clarifying that he speaks of a richer, broader form of intelligence ("Intelligence with a capital I") that transcends academic knowledge or book learning. Dangers of academic intelligence: He argues that traditional intelligence, which equates intelligence with knowledge gained from books, can become counterproductive, emphasizing that true intelligence fosters deep understanding which is the ultimate pursuit of life. Understanding and reality: Leo suggests that the essence of reality is understanding—it's winning the game of life. He posits that understanding is not a niche interest but the core upon which reality itself hinges. Attributes of true intelligence: Leo enumerates on the aspects of intelligence that he believes need emphasis: wisdom, love, context and construct awareness, big picture thinking, holism, relativity, openness to new perspectives, radical open-mindedness, consciousness, self-reflection, awareness of self-deception and bias, and the capacity to face fear without misunderstanding reality. Intelligence and the capacity to face fear: He clarifies that high intelligence should correlate with an absence of fear, as fear denotes a failure to comprehend reality thoroughly. Leo equates fear, such as fear of death, with a form of stupidity. Pitfalls of high IQ: Leo criticizes those who are academically intelligent yet unaware of self-deception and bias as not truly intelligent, regardless of their academic or scientific achievements. Emotional awareness as intelligence: He advocates for the inclusion of emotional awareness in the definition of intelligence. Intelligence should not be limited to intellectual capacity but should include emotional understanding, a domain often overlooked by standard academic training. The spiritual dimension of intelligence: Leo contends that without an existential and spiritual dimension—without transcendence of materialism, rationalism, or atheism—intelligence is not truly profound. He envisions intelligence as a path towards godlike awareness and infinitely higher understanding. Preparing for extraterrestrial intelligence: Leo stresses the need to redefine human intelligence in anticipation of future encounters with more intelligent extraterrestrial life forms, fostering a universal scale for intelligence. Cultural conformity and survival: He highlights that deviating from cultural norms can threaten one's survival, suggesting that new ways of living begin with new ways of thinking, urging a departure from groupthink and promoting original, intelligent thought. Mastering the mind for high quality thinking: Contrasting with mainstream Western spirituality, which often focuses on shutting off the mind, Leo encourages mastering the mind through practice, as opposed to merely seeking non-dual states. Practical takeaways for deeper intelligence: Leo suggests recognizing how culture influences thoughts, avoiding parroting ideas, understanding the social survival pressure to conform, tracing the genesis of personal ideas, and actively generating original thoughts in dedicated contemplation sessions. He emphasizes the transformative potential of such practices on one's life. Mental enslavement from socialization: Leo discusses how socialization and cultural pressures can co-opt consciousness to serve low-consciousness priorities, turning people into unwitting intellectual slaves to external forces like jobs, relationships, and media. Intellectual autonomy and sovereignty: Emphasizing the importance of maintaining intellectual autonomy, Leo insists that a person's primary responsibility is to be the director of their own life, rather than fitting into societal norms and becoming a "mindless zombie." Defining personal identity: He champions the joy and necessity of defining yourself on your terms, identifying what you love and how you want to express that love through actions and creativity, making it evident to others what you truly value in life. Intellectual independence: Leo sets a high-level goal of making your thinking process independent from pre-existing human frames, encouraging the pursuit of intellectual autonomy and sovereign, original, and creative thought as transformational tools. Requisite Variety of the Mind: Referencing an episode on his blog called "Requisite Variety," Leo expresses that deep intelligence involves a wide breadth of creative thought, equating infinite intelligence with infinite creation power. Opportunities and challenges in modern society: While the modern world offers unprecedented freedom to seek knowledge, Leo points out that it also presents distractions that can lead to complacency and conformity, urging vigilance to make the most of these intellectual tools. Guarding against conformist influences: Leo emphasizes the need to monitor one's mind for signs of conformity or intellectual laziness, differentiating between original thinking versus regurgitating groupthink or others' ideas. Exercising original thought: The importance of spending time alone to think through ideas from scratch is highlighted as the key to unlocking a high-quality life, contrasting this solitary practice with the influence of socialization, media, and reliance on external content. Practical exercise for autonomous thinking: Leo suggests an exercise of picking a subject and contemplating it independently from any conventional knowledge, practicing the art of contemplation to develop intellectual autonomy. Balancing deep thinking and letting go: He discusses the need to master both deep contemplation and the ability to let go of thinking, as well as the importance of balancing social interactions with solitary contemplation for personal transformation. Value of socialization in developing ideas: Citing an example from his past, Leo acknowledges how socializing at a conference enhanced his understanding of independent game development, thus highlighting the balance between solitude and social engagement for intellectual growth. Networking and Opportunity: Meeting an independent game developer at GDC opened Leo's understanding to the possibility of working outside of big studios, which he had not considered feasible based on his study of the game industry. Financial Independence and Creative Freedom: Inspired by the game developer who worked as a consultant, Leo himself became financially independent, which allowed him the creative freedom to work on what he wanted without being dependent on any studio. Socializing as a Tool for Advancement: Leo acknowledges that networking and socializing can significantly advance one's career and intelligence. His own ability to produce content was a direct result of ideas and independence gained through networking. Balance Between Socializing and Individual Pursuits: He cautions that becoming too invested in socializing for advancement could derail one from individual goals, as it could lead to conformity and survival-oriented behavior instead of unique intellectual contributions. Misconceptions about Lonerism and Intelligence: Leo warns against equating being a loner with having high intelligence. Social inhibitions are developmental issues that need to be addressed, not indications of intelligence. Lonerism as a Conscious Choice: He distinguishes being a loner due to social fears and lack of skills from choosing to be alone to engage in more profound, meaningful work, like contemplating existential matters. Enjoying Socialization and Contemplation: Leo recommends balancing playful and social times with periods of deep intellectual activity, and not using the concept of intelligence to judge or avoid social experiences due to personal insecurities. Concept of Deep Non-Conformity: Deep non-conformity entails contemplation of one's deepest values and creative pursuits, regardless of societal approval, and not compromising values for low-consciousness activities. Risks of Shallow Non-Conformity: He alerts to the dangers of adopting non-conformist appearances by joining various groups or movements, which can be shallow forms of non-conformity that do not involve independent thinking. Avoiding Demonizing the Mainstream: Leo advises caution when considering anti-mainstream ideologies, as there can be as much ignorance there as within mainstream thought, if not more. Avoiding Conspiracy as Pseudo-Nonconformity: Aligning with conspiracy theories isn't a sign of deep non-conformity or intellectual prowess; often, it indicates the opposite, as they can misrepresent genuine intelligence. Use of Actualized.org for Original Thought: Leo stresses the importance of using the insights from Actualized.org as inspiration for independent investigation and creation of personal insights, not just for passive consumption. Inspiration vs. Answers: Although Leo shares many profound insights on Actualized.org, he points out the importance of viewers not just accepting these answers but being inspired to generate their own insights and thinking independently. Future Content on Thinking: Leo plans to release content on novel ways of thinking, including abstraction and oblique thinking, to access deeper levels of intelligence and original thought, hinting at potential courses on these topics in the future. Confringo

Tapping Into Collective Consciousness https://www.actualized.org/insights/tapping-into-collective-consciousness New consciousness exploration: Leo delves into collective consciousness, advancing beyond personal awareness. He perceives reality as embodying a layered, hierarchical structure reminiscent of a corporation, where one might connect with higher, collective aspects beyond individual consciousness. Materialism vs. collective experience: He challenges materialist reductionism, advocating for a broader perspective where the collective, interconnected consciousness, such as that of the entire human race, is conceivable when recognizing the universe as an imagination within God's infinite mind. Contemplating humanity's trajectory: In expansive states of consciousness, Leo suggests that time becomes irrelevant and one can illuminate different aspects of universal knowledge. He shares an extraordinary experience of shining his awareness on mankind's collective aspects and the consciousness of all current fetuses on Earth, aiming to influence their future openness and awakening. Reality and imagination convergence: In heightened states of consciousness, Leo claims that the distinction between reality and imagination vanishes, making it possible to potentially influence reality through the power of imagination and intention. Individual influence limitations: Leo discusses the universe's design that restricts individuals from wielding enough power to make significant, arbitrary changes to reality, preventing potential abuses and maintaining order within the cosmic structure. Selflessness in higher consciousness: Reaching profound levels of consciousness eliminates selfish intentions, according to Leo. He describes an experience filled with love for all creation, intending to bless and improve the world selflessly, resonating with God's creative intent. Miracles and spirituality: Leo discusses the myths and stories of miracles within Christianity and other mystical traditions, acknowledging that while some may be false or exaggerated, others could be based on real feats achieved by accessing deep levels of consciousness far beyond typical enlightenment. Selflessness in high consciousness states: He emphasizes that actions taken from these high states of consciousness are infused with an infinite love stemming from a universal source. This selfless state eliminates any notion of evil intent, focusing instead on contributing positively to all of creation. Healing with imagination: Leo suggests that healing at these levels does not require physical intervention but is achieved through the power of imagination. He proposes that by tapping into unlimited intelligence, one can envision and, therefore, change the health and well-being of others, regardless of the physical distance or time. The abstract nature of imagination: He explains that imagination is not confined to concrete entities but can encompass abstract collectives, such as all of humanity. This allows for impacting larger wholes, similar to understanding humanity as a hand with billions of interconnected digits. Purpose after awakening: Leo identifies the purpose of life post-awakening as serving creation in alignment with God. He dictates that to engage effectively in such a divine service, one must reach a state of purity and complete alignment with God, moving beyond personal desires and living as a vessel for God's work on Earth. Life as God incarnate: After awakening, one's life should be dedicated to contributing to the world as God himself would-selflessly, without personal gain. This can manifest in various ways, from healing and teaching to art and leadership, with the underlying motivation being to demonstrate and inspire with divine love. The utility of awakened life: Leo proposes that the most meaningful way to use one's time on Earth is to embody God's infinite goodness and love, going beyond seeking personal awakening. He encourages a shift in perspective from personal gratification to living as a reflection of God's will and benevolence in one's actions and creations. Synergy between individual contributions and collective impact: Leo illustrates how individual efforts, like streams, come together to form a larger collective force, much like rivers merging into an Amazon-sized entity. This metaphor highlights the potential for individual actions to contribute to grander societal or even cosmic endeavors. Service without obligation: He encourages serving the greater good without feeling obligated, suggesting that true joy and fulfillment come when one contributes selflessly to the world, serving mankind, the earth, or the cosmos, aligned with one's higher consciousness and understanding of their role. Living selflessly as God's messenger: Leo describes how a heightened state of consciousness can transform a person into a messenger of God on Earth, where their actions, regardless of profession, express divine love and contribute meaningfully to the betterment of creation without explicitly discussing God. Creative and varied expressions of sainthood: He criticizes strictly ascetic spiritual practices for their lack of applicability to societal living, proposing a more expansive vision of sainthood that includes a variety of creative and societal contributions, echoing the Christian mystical tradition of performing good works. Necessity for societal transformation: Emphasizing the need to reflect the love and goodness of God in all societal facets, Leo advocates for a broader participation of enlightened individuals in various fields, beyond traditional teaching roles, to help transform society holistically. Inspiration for spiritual work: Leo shares his personal motivation for spiritual practice, revolving around a deep desire to understand and embody the universal truth, creativity, and love. He encourages finding a positive and visionary purpose to fuel the demanding journey towards higher consciousness and godlike creation. Critique of negative motivation: He critiques the pursuit of enlightenment solely to escape suffering, arguing that such negative motivation fails to reach the highest levels of consciousness. Instead, he champions positive motivations like seeking truth, understanding, beauty, and a desire to contribute to the greater good as the proper drive for spiritual growth. Ascendio

Do I Doubt Myself? https://www.actualized.org/insights/do-i-doubt-myself Self-doubt and confirmation: Leo deals with self-doubt by deeply investigating his beliefs, leading to a confident understanding of concepts like God and enlightenment. This process includes challenging his biases and fears over two decades, rather than passively reaffirming them. Evolving beliefs through skepticism and open-mindedness: His journey has involved radical open-mindedness and a willingness to change his stance drastically, even by 180 or 360 degrees, as a result of his extensive introspection and experiences. The purpose of open-mindedness: Leo clarifies that being radically open-minded is important, but it should not equate to embracing ignorance or foolish ideas. True open-mindedness is meant to guide one towards truth, not to uphold skepticism indefinitely or to entertain every possibility without discernment. Reaching the absolute truth: While skepticism is integral to the truth-seeking process, there is a point where it must end. Leo describes reaching absolute truth as a definitive experience beyond further doubt, while recognizing that continued skepticism at this stage can lead to delusion. Pathological doubt versus spiritual realization: Persistent doubt can become dysfunctional when it prevents acceptance of profound realizations like being God. The journey's goal is to differentiate between destructive skepticism leading to nihilism and the path toward spiritual enlightenment and divine embodiment. Overcoming skepticism to realize the Absolute: Leo acknowledges the importance of skepticism in his spiritual journey but explains that there comes a point where excessive skepticism only hinders further growth. He emphasizes that to reach higher understanding, one must let go of skepticism and fear, as they become obstacles to recognizing and fully accepting deep, absolute realizations. The surrender of skepticism is necessary to truly embrace the absolute and break free from self-imposed limitations and delusional doubt. Misidentification with skepticism as a form of devilry: Leo describes that being overly attached to skepticism can be counterproductive, equating it to a form of self-deception or "devilry." He warns that even profound experiences of the divine can be dismissed by the skeptical mind, which refuses to acknowledge its nature as absolute. To advance spiritually, one must be willing to let go of this resistance and accept the possibility of complete surrender to the divine. Fear as the root of skepticism and doubt: He further argues that skepticism and doubt stem from fear, which is a defensive mechanism employed by the ego to preserve its sense of separateness and survival. Leo points out that embracing the absence of fear is key to moving beyond doubt and skepticism. By surrendering to the absolute truth, one no longer needs the protection that doubt supposedly provides, entering a state of infinite consciousness devoid of fear. Maintaining humility alongside realization of divinity: Despite declaring that he has no doubt about being God, Leo distinguishes between the certainty of his divine nature and the awareness that he is not omniscient in every relative matter. He stresses the need to remain humble and open to learning and changing beliefs concerning mundane or specific knowledge, where mistakes and misinterpretations are still possible. Distinguishing Absolute and Relative Knowledge: Leo emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the realization of absolute truth and the relative knowledge of human existence, such as dietary choices. Enlightenment on spiritual matters does not translate to omniscience in everyday mundane issues, which are subject to experimentation and personal variance. Maintaining Humility in Enlightenment: Leo advocates for humility in the face of enlightenment. He recognizes he will likely change his opinions on relative matters and stresses the importance of acknowledging that enlightenment and mastery in one area do not prevent mistakes or limitations in others. He mentions instances where even the Buddha revised his initial beliefs, demonstrating that enlightenment is a nuanced state rather than simple perfection. Avoiding Guru Exploitation and Delusion: Leo warns of the potential for exploitation by gurus who are mistakenly considered infallible and urges caution when following spiritual leaders. He highlights the importance of understanding that enlightenment does not eliminate one's vulnerability to deception or error in relative, worldly matters. Cultural Programming and Embracing Divinity: Leo understands the challenges faced by individuals from religious backgrounds when trying to embrace their own divinity. He encourages overcoming deep-seated cultural programming to realize one's unity with the divine, even when such realizations appear sacrilegious within their traditional religious belief systems. Granting Permission to Recognize Divinity: Leo conceptualizes himself as a conduit, giving listeners the permission to accept their divinity in a non-arrogant manner. He frames this recognition as an inner transformation from being a divided devil to the omniscient god, suggesting that accepting one's divinity is akin to acknowledging one's ultimate authority over their own experience and existence. Colloportus

Metaphysics vs Epistemology https://www.actualized.org/insights/metaphysics-vs-epistemology Direct consciousness as a method of philosophical inquiry: Leo emphasizes that the usual philosophical pursuit of metaphysics and epistemology, focusing on existence and knowledge, is transformed by the concept of direct consciousness. This approach bypasses the limitations of senses and reasoning, often used in Western philosophy, and offers a distinct path to understanding. Inquiry into metaphysics and epistemology: Philosophical questioning of what constitutes reality (metaphysics) and how we can know anything with certainty (epistemology) inevitably leads to doubts that can undermine conclusions, posing a problem for philosophers seeking certainty in their findings. Metaphysics as the primary philosophical inquiry: By exploring the relationship between metaphysics and epistemology, Leo concludes that metaphysics, or simply being, comes before epistemology, or thinking about being. He illustrates this through the notion that the universe existed long before the emergence of thought, implying that being precedes thinking. Existence and the emergence of thought: Leo highlights a speculative but profound moment in history when the first thought appeared in the universe-long after numerous complex processes unfolded-suggesting that the ability to think and know (epistemology) emerged from pre-existing beings (metaphysics). Unifying metaphysics and epistemology at high levels of consciousness: At advanced levels of consciousness, the apparent distinction between metaphysics and epistemology collapses, revealing that they are not dualistic but rather different aspects of the same underlying reality-consciousness. Direct exploration of consciousness: Consciousness cannot be comprehended through logical, rational, or symbolic means, as any definition or symbol is already a manifestation within consciousness itself. To truly understand consciousness, one must engage directly with the raw fact of being conscious, focusing on pure, undifferentiated awareness. Inherent qualities of consciousness: Consciousness is a groundless substance, empty of all characteristics and defying all dualistic qualifications. It cannot be accurately defined or described because any attempt to do so inherently qualifies what is fundamentally quality-less. Distinction and nondistinction in consciousness: Consciousness embodies a paradox where being distinct and indistinct coexist simultaneously, depending on perspective. This relativity collapses in non-dual consciousness, where the act of knowing and the state of being are unified, and all that remains is the substance of consciousness itself. Collapse of subject-object duality: In the state of non-dual awareness, the conceptual boundary between the observing subject and the observed object dissolves, revealing that perceptions and experiences are simply occurrences within the singular field of consciousness. This realization challenges the validity of conventional Western philosophical constructs. Non-dual consciousness as direct knowledge: Non-dual consciousness allows for the direct realization of absolute truth without reliance on intellectual processes. Doubt and skepticism stem from remaining within the mind's paradigm; true recognition of non-duality reveals that one is the embodiment of truth, beyond the possibility of doubt. Critique of Western philosophy's limitations: Leo argues that Western philosophy's failure to resolve existential questions lies in its intellectual approach which is constrained to finite methods. By never transcending the mind, philosophers missed the infinite nature of reality. The lack of practices to raise consciousness beyond intellectual thought hindered their understanding. The error of finite methods in infinite inquiries: Western philosophy, although containing brilliant insights, primarily operated under the assumption that truth could be reached using the mind. This central error led to the misconception that ultimate questions about existence and knowledge could be answered symbolically, overlooking the true infinite nature of these inquiries. Academic challenges embracing non-duality: Academics and scientists entrenched in the materialist and mental paradigms find it difficult to embrace non-duality due to institutional pressure and career concerns. Escaping these paradigms is unlikely as academia requires adherence to conventional intellectual models to secure positions, tenure, and funding. Openly acknowledging non-duality could jeopardize careers, leading to intellectual persecution akin to historical figures like Galileo or Giordano Bruno. University evolution and future prospects: Future academic institutions must evolve substantially to accommodate non-duality and mystical teachings in higher education. Currently, academics interested in these areas may have to practice privately and discreetly to avoid conflict with established norms. Progress is anticipated in a few hundred years when universities may be more receptive and integrate enlightened perspectives into their systems. Western philosophy's significance and legacy: Despite its failure to answer ultimate questions, Western philosophy profoundly influenced the development of Western and thus global culture. Its contributions span moral, legal, economic theories, and scientific advancements. Western philosophy's ideas about civil liberties, secularism, empiricism, and the rise of science have shaped modern society. Philosophy as the root of science and intellectual traditions: Many pioneering figures in science and mathematics were fundamentally philosophers who delved into deep metaphysical and epistemological questions. Today, a disconnect between philosophy and hard sciences undermines the depth of understanding in scientific fields, leading to what Leo views as 'hack science' lacking in substance. Kurt Gödel's metaphysical quest and critique of modern logic: Kurt Gödel, while known for his mathematical theorems, was deeply invested in metaphysical inquiry, driven by intuition about the nature of reality and truth. He was critical of the separation between philosophy and logic/mathematics, emphasizing the need for philosophical depth in these disciplines. Pragmatism's detrimental effects on science: The current scientific practice prioritizes pragmatic results over deeper metaphysical understanding, leading to a neglect of truth, consciousness, and spirituality. Leo predicts that future science will renounce this limited pragmatism, acknowledge its mistakes, and move toward a more holistic understanding of reality as an organic, conscious system. Potential transformation of culture and academia: Leo anticipates that future historians and philosophers will recognize the narrow-mindedness of 20th and 21st-century scientists and academics for not integrating the truths of mystical traditions into scientific understanding. Leo criticizes the current materialistic and reductionist paradigms dominating Western culture, identifying them as obstacles to collective awakening and personal development. Postmodernism misconceptions: Postmodernism is considered an esoteric philosophy, not as widely influential as some critics claim. Leo discusses its complexity and its minimal impact on general culture, contrary to the exaggerated portrayal by figures like Jordan Peterson. Influence of universities on cultural paradigms: Universities not only impart knowledge but shape cultural paradigms. Leo objects to the perpetuation of a materialistic paradigm in academia, emphasizing the need for intellectuals to embrace non-duality to facilitate significant cultural shifts. Shifting paradigms and mainstreaming non-duality: Leo urges the need for widespread cultural understanding of non-duality as distinct from religion and for the acceptance of practices like psychedelics as pathways to accessing non-dual and absolute truth. Future integration of non-duality into science and education: Leo envisions a future intellectual renaissance where the division between dualistic and non-dual paradigms is transcended, allowing science to integrate non-duality and mystical insights. Future generations would learn early on about the non-material, infinite nature of reality, leading to profound changes across society and the development of deeply conscious individuals. Finite Incantatem

May 2018 Solo Retreat - Part 1 https://www.actualized.org/insights/may-2018-solo-retreat-part-1 Preparation for awakening retreat: Leo Gura unveils the start of his 30-day isolation and intensive meditation journey aimed at achieving awakening, during which he will cease work and social interactions, limit necessary outings like grocery shopping, and focus solely on his spiritual practice. Anticipation and energy for the journey: Feeling energized and having a strong desire to awaken, Leo describes his intent and the importance of strong commitment to the path of enlightenment. He underscores the need for surrender and selflessness, prioritizing awakening over all distractions and material attractions. Embracing simplicity in practice: Anticipating a lack of rigid routine, he plans to engage in meditation by being hyper-aware of existence without analysis, focusing on the present, and fully experiencing consciousness. He emphasizes the simplicity of this technique yet acknowledges the profound depths it can explore. The challenge of temptation: Acknowledging the difficulty of resisting distractions such as the internet and his phone during the retreat, Leo plans to overcome these temptations to maintain a meditative state and continue his progress on the path to enlightenment. Surreal existence and meditation challenge: Leo urges viewers to become highly conscious of everyday objects such as their hand, embracing the mystery without letting the mind weave stories or analyses. He emphasizes the importance of presence and silence to eventually achieve awakening, comparing the journey to a form of suicide through consciousness-a slow, voluntary drowning of the ego in emptiness while resisting distractions from the ego's perpetual need for activity. Metaphor of drowning: The process of meditation is likened to smothering a baby, your own life or ego, in silence until it drowns. Leo elaborates on the metaphor, indicating the difficulty and resistance faced during this transformative journey. He warns of the ego's fear and struggle as it is confronted with its own obliteration. Hero's journey as internal transformation: Leo reflects on the hero's journey as not just an external battle seen in movies and mythology but as an internal, often intangible process of overcoming the ego. He discusses the discrepancy between the engaging narratives of pop culture heroes and the real, unglamorous work of spiritual awakening that requires intense personal struggle. Redemption and surrender: Ego-driven life is contrasted with the redemptive path of surrendering to consciousness and selflessness. Leo speaks about using the "1%," the divine spark within us, to redeem the ego's life of distractions, emphasizing the role of love as a powerful tool in overcoming life's greatest fears and actualizing self-transcendence. Lesser Jihad versus Greater Jihad: Engaging in activism for social, political, or environmental causes is referred to as "lesser jihad," focusing on external change. In contrast, the internal work of spiritual awakening, confronting personal fears, anger, and traumas, is termed "greater jihad," a solitary and arduous path without societal accolades. Misconceptions about the Holy Grail: The physical representation of the Holy Grail, often depicted as a solid gold chalice, is a metaphor for immortality through consciousness and the essence of existence. This concept is hard for materialistic and dualistic minds to grasp, leading to underestimation of its true significance compared to tangible material wealth. Commitment to spiritual practice: Leo emphasizes the absolute need for 100% commitment to the awakening process, highlighting the stark difference a mere 1% lack of commitment can make. He acknowledges the inevitability of boredom as a significant hurdle in such retreats and asserts that conquering it is essential for progress toward awakening. The practice of surrender: Leo's "secret weapon" for the retreat is proactive surrendering-a continuous process of letting go of resistance, fear, fantasies, cravings, and the pleasure derived from thinking. This practice aims to dissolve the ego and embrace the present moment, leading towards a state of no mind. Leap of faith towards surrender: Leo Gura emphasizes the act of surrendering to a higher power, referred to as God or ultimate reality, seeking to exchange the ego and its narrow existence for the infinite intelligence of consciousness. This surrender is a leap of faith, trusting in the wisdom far beyond the ego's capabilities. Counterintuitive nature of surrender: Skeptics may dismiss surrendering as nonsensical or illogical, but Leo challenges this by stating that true wisdom recognizes surrendering one's entire existence, including ambitions and identity, as a path to gaining the infinite and becoming one with the cosmos. Divine spark and love as tools against fear: Leo discusses using the divine spark within and the power of love to overcome fears and challenges during the retreat. He encourages tapping into love as an absolute, transformative force that can help counteract the deceits of the ego. Journey beyond awakening: The ultimate aim of the spiritual path is not just awakening or enlightenment, but reaching states such as no mind and embodying unconditional love. This requires a deep surrender of judgments, hatreds, and the ego's selfishness to become aligned with the boundless loving nature of reality. Preparation for awakening: Leo feels ready to embark on his awakening journey, with a sense of readiness stemming from glimpses of awakening through past experiences and an understanding gleaned from various teachings, research, and introspection. Solo journey recognized: He acknowledges that regardless of the path or timing, one ultimately confronts death alone, and the genuine fulfillment of life can lead to dying in peace rather than fear or regret. Purpose of awakening now: Leo refutes the notion of postponing awakening until death by highlighting the transformative potential of experiencing true enjoyment and love for life before physical death occurs, contrasting it with the suffering inherent in unawakened existence. Personal reflection on death and life fulfillment: A memory from a high school health class informs Leo's long-held perspective on death-living a fulfilled life leads to a peaceful death. He later realizes that awakening provides an even deeper fulfillment than the textbook's message suggested, transcending traditional understandings of life and death. Beyond the materialist paradigm: Leo concludes that actualizing the profound truths of existence-traditionally found in myths and spiritual teachings and largely misunderstood by society-transcends the grasp of materialist paradigms, but it is indeed achievable. Crucio

Hawaii Late Night Insights https://www.actualized.org/insights/hawaii-april-2018-late-night-insights Striving for permanence in awakening: Leo is attempting to make his deep awakening experiences permanent during his solo retreat by focusing highly on the notion of nothingness during meditation. The inverse of self and ego: He has come to understand that what he truly seeks-the nature of his existence-is the inverse of self and ego, essentially nothingness and infinity, suggesting a need for ego surrender for deeper insight. Experience of existential envelopment: During intense meditation, Leo feels engulfed by nothingness, leading to a profound suffering analogous to physical symptoms of death, reinforcing his insight that genuine understanding requires self-surrender. Acceptance of physical death: Leo advocates that true awakening demands not just psychological or ego death, but the acceptance of one's own physical death, encompassing the surrender of life's enjoyments and identity. Criticizing the understatement of awakening's difficulty: He critiques many spiritual teachings for understating the rigors of awakening, clarifying that proper meditation leads to confronting a critical choice between succumbing to fears or surrendering to truth. Buddha's revered image and death: Leo reflects on Buddha's revered status and how his moment of awakening, depicted in statues worldwide, signifies the death of the small self and the continuation of the body as a mere vessel for teaching post-awakening. Materialist paradigm's limitation: The materialist, egoic, and dualistic paradigms struggle to comprehend the continuation of life without the self. This notion challenges the very core of understanding reality, as it does not align with the experience of the self being alive. The Buddha's awakening: Described as a form of actual physical death, the Buddha's awakening is presented as an embodiment of surrender and the ultimate leap of faith. This surrender is revered and symbolized in statues around the world, representing the ultimate cost paid for enlightenment. Fear of actual death during awakening: Leo confronts his fear that the awakening process might lead to his actual physical death. He recognizes this as a possible outcome and prepares to accept it, which represents a significant mental and emotional milestone in his journey towards enlightenment. Understanding the sacrifice for awakening: Most people are unprepared for the level of sacrifice required for true awakening, which is described as the willingness to sacrifice physical life for truth. The process involves intense suffering and a paradox where the pursuit of eternal happiness ultimately requires one to face their physical mortality first. Clarification on real death: Leo emphasizes that awakening does not involve literal physical harm but is about accepting real death in the sense of realizing one's non-existence from the beginning. Illusory nature of self: Despite the fear and sensation of a pounding heart during meditation, he recognized that the self he thought he was surrendering is an illusion, as he was essentially 'nothing' all along. The challenge of conscious surrender: The difficulty lies in consciously deciding to let go and surrender to the process, which is complicated by the fear of death. Leo faced significant resistance from his ego, which caused inner suffering. Love as a means to conquer fear: In the struggle to surrender, Leo discovered that invoking the feeling of infinite love can dissolve the fear, and the intention to act out of love for truth, humanity, and reality became his intended method to transcend fear. Meditation session conclusion: Despite the build-up to a potential awakening and overcoming fear with love, the expected transformation did not occur. Leo's intensive meditation session ended without the anticipated breakthrough. Validity of process insights: Leo explains that his insights are credible, even in the absence of a full awakening during the session, due to his cumulative experiences from smaller awakenings and deepened understanding over time. Psychedelics as a preview to awakening: He argues that psychedelics are powerful tools for understanding the dying process related to ego death and can offer profound, real experiences that demonstrate the process without one's conscious effort to die. Comparison between suicide and ego death: Ego death during meditation is compared to the arduous task of overcoming one's survival instincts-as difficult or even harder than the physical act of suicide due to the ego's deep-rooted resistance. Repeated attempts and psychedelic support: Real awakening requires persistent effort and might involve many attempts. Psychedelic experiences, particularly 5-MeO-DMT, help diminish the fear of ego death by repeatedly crossing the threshold, making the process less intimidating over time. Awakening as permanent death: The pursuit of awakening that the most revered sages have achieved equates to a permanent death of the ego, a key distinction from ordinary self-improvement or consciousness work, which Leo highlights with great emphasis. Insight on the awakening process: Leo identifies his past lack of understanding about facing his own death; he now comprehends that awakening requires an acceptance akin to physically dying and takes a leap of faith inspired by infinite love. The illusion of the little self: The transition from the ego, or little self, to the big self-the true infinite self-is seen as a form of death by the ego, which ultimately is an illusion. Crossing this barrier reveals that the fear and life associated with the ego were never real. The persistent nature of the ego: Leo likens the ego to a relentless antagonist in a horror film or video game that requires continuous confrontations and defeats to fully extinguish, highlighting the non-linear and repetitive path to true awakening for many individuals. Awakening as a multichapter journey: Contrary to many spiritual teachings that oversimplify the process, Leo emphasizes that the journey to awakening may span multiple 'chapters,' with each one requiring renewed effort and different approaches. The gravity and exclusivity of awakening: The process is not for everyone; it is a serious, profound undertaking reserved for those wholly dedicated to discovering truth and undergoing a transformation akin to that experienced by historical spiritual figures like Buddha. Channeling infinite love for transcendence: The key to overcoming the fear experienced at the brink of awakening is channeling infinite love, an emotion so potent that it can overwhelm and extinguish the ego. Leo suggests that psychedelics can facilitate the initial experience of this love, which can then be recalled at the crucial moment of surrender. The hero's paradoxical journey: The journey to awakening is akin to the hero's journey, where the hero's perceived self-sacrifice is paradoxical because the 'hero' never truly existed-it was always an illusion. The recognition and experience of the infinite self is considered the pinnacle of non-duality and the most significant achievement. Colloportus

Hawaii Retreat Intro https://www.actualized.org/insights/hawaii-retreat-intro Overview of the retreat location and cost: Leo is at a new Airbnb location in a jungle on the Big Island of Hawaii, near Hilo. He describes the sunny weather and the natural surroundings, including wildlife. The accommodations cost is about $100 per night with an $800 flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii. Description of living spaces: Leo tours the rented house, mentioning unused areas like a downstairs bar, and focuses on the second floor where he spends his time. This includes the kitchen, dining, balcony with a meditation bench, living room, and his preference for open windows due to the pleasant climate. Food preparation for retreat: Leo details his assortment of food supplies for 10 days, including various fruits, vegetables, eggs, bacon, and rice, acknowledging some unhealthy choices due to local shopping limitations. He shows the food storage in his kitchen and emphasizes practicality over strict health during the retreat. Leo's intention for a deeper retreat: He aims for a deeper retreat experience by adjusting his daily techniques, including EEG brain training, yoga, and the use of psychedelics such as five Meo. Leo plans to avoid nightly update videos for a more immersive retreat, with a summary video at the end. Daily retreat practices: The routine involves daily brain training, yoga, mindfulness, and contemplation, followed by five Meo use each night. Leo also plans to incorporate shamanic breathing to work through emotional blockages and facilitate profound existential investigation. Emphasis on process over distractions: Leo speaks about the double-edged nature of retreating in a beautiful location, resolving to remain focused on his practices despite the temptations of Hawaii's pleasant environment. He explains the importance of dedication and mindfulness throughout the retreat for personal growth. Commitment to continuous practice: Leo is dedicated to staying within the house for nine days, engaging in hour-long meditation sessions throughout the day, aiming for 10 to 12 sessions each day, while maintaining mindfulness during all activities. Deepening mindfulness through persistence: As the retreat progresses, Leo explains that the continual practice builds upon itself, leading to increased mindfulness and the potential for profound mystical experiences, samadhi, and awakening experiences. Emphasizing the difficulty of retreats: He candidly discusses the intensity of the retreat, stressing it is not a vacation but hard work that's emotionally taxing and challenges his ego, dispelling any romantic notions viewers might have. Real work versus passive learning: Leo differentiates between the deep work done on retreats and the less involved learning from self-help materials or online videos, urging viewers to experience a solo retreat to understand the true depth of suffering and transformation involved. Facing personal challenges: The retreat brings to the surface inner demons, personal failings, cravings, and egoic resistances, which he acknowledges can provoke a strong desire to escape into distractions or seek comfort from others. Staying focused amidst loneliness and temptation: Success in the retreat requires facing loneliness and fears head-on, avoiding the trap of distractions, and dealing with arising psychological baggage with mindfulness. The grueling nature of the process: Leo describes the retreat as a test of patience and focus, with lengthy periods of meditation that can be tedious and boring, advising to take the process one step at a time and remain in the present moment. Building momentum with practice: Acknowledging the need for extensive hours of technique practice to reach significant breakthroughs, Leo emphasizes the importance of perseverance and a beginner's mind in the pursuit of deeper realization and insight. Confundo

Understanding Better Than Academics https://www.actualized.org/insights/understanding-better-than-academics Experiment with vlog style: Leo is trying an informal vlog format to share his non-linear, rapid, and intuitive thought processes that are difficult to convey in structured videos. Intuition versus logic: He describes his intuitive thinking as a vast neural net that allows for simultaneous processing of many ideas, unlike the clear and precise, but linear nature of logic. Communication struggles: Leo admits to the communication challenge presented by his intuition-driven insights, expressing the difficulty in convincing others without a linear argument structure. Content prioritization dilemma: With a limit of one video per week, Leo must prioritize which topics to include, leaving many insights unshared due to the constraint of releasing only about 50 videos a year. Vision for actualized.org: Leo hints at the deep and far-reaching potential of his work with actualized.org and the long-term commitment required from followers to realize the full benefits. Long-term strategic thinking: He promotes long-term strategic thinking as part of being successful in life and overcoming short-term setbacks and lack of vision. Expert knowledge through commitment: Leo promises viewers profound understanding surpassing top academics in various fields if they commit to watching his content and doing the work for several years. Open-mindedness as a knowledge key: He emphasizes radical open-mindedness as the key to profound knowledge, which he claims is often underestimated and lacking in academia and general society. Challenges of maintaining openness: Leo discusses the difficulty of remaining open-minded enough to fully embrace and comprehend reality, which requires a radical and unbiased approach. Transformation via deep engagement: Stresses the life-changing potential of deeply engaging with radical ideas about reality, which can lead to a transformative shift in understanding and personal growth. Resistance to change: He observes that many people resist change, preferring to defend existing belief systems, which inhibits the deep understanding he advocates for. Limitations of the academic system: Leo talks about the cultural constraints within academia that indoctrinate PhDs and prevent them from adopting maverick or radically open-minded positions due to the need for approval and adherence to established paradigms. Academic marginalization: He mentions how institutions isolate mavericks by relegating them to less influential areas, such as the philosophy of religion, effectively neutralizing the threat their ideas might pose to established norms. Threatening nature of transformative ideas: Leo notes how deeply transformative ideas can be perceived as a threat to social structures, relationships, and institutions, resulting in resistance to change. Academic career constraints: Highlights the career and livelihood dependence on not challenging the status quo within academia, which discourages radical openness and innovation. Academic dependency and career limitations: Academics are deeply invested in their institutions and face significant pressure to conform, compromising their ability to think outside the box due to dependence on salary, reputation, and incentives like tenure. Specialization and barrier to big-picture ideas: Universities force researchers to focus on narrow, specialized subfields, making them more akin to technicians. This hyper-specialization obstructs the pursuit of broad, interconnected ideas and understanding. Corruption of truth in academia: Leo observed the university system's corruption firsthand, watching philosophers prioritizing institutional bureaucracy over the true pursuit of wisdom, leading him to abandon the path of becoming an academic philosopher. Financial independence for uncorrupted truth: Leo emphasizes that his ability to share unadulterated insights on actualized.org is underpinned by his financial independence from traditional employment, reputations, and external funding resources. Creative freedom from non-conformity: Before actualized.org, Leo's commitment to financial and creative independence allowed him to escape the corrupting influences that plague professionals in academia and other creative fields. Balance of practical and metaphysical content: Leo curates content for actualized.org that balances practical utility with his passion for metaphysical subjects, enabling him to maintain his creative independence and share his vision for understanding reality. Promise of deep understanding: Leo believes that following his guidance on actualized.org over the course of several years can lead to a profound understanding of reality that surpasses the knowledge of the most adept academics. Deep curiosity for truth: Leo stresses the importance of seeking truth for its own sake, highlighting that all life decisions hinge on our understanding of reality. Without truth, we can't be confident in the validity of our actions or life choices. Human capacity for understanding: Emphasizing humanity's unique ability to reflect and comprehend, Leo places high value on philosophy and science as means to explore the fundamental questions of existence. Importance of open-mindedness: Leo criticizes the limitations of strict beliefs and encourages a genuine curiosity that leads to undertaking serious research across various fields of knowledge. Life as a great privilege: Viewing the pursuit of understanding reality not as an obligation but as a privilege, Leo finds fulfillment in the intellectual exploration of life's fundamental aspects. Interconnectedness of reality: Leo describes his admiration for the intricate interconnectedness of all elements in reality, leading to a deeper appreciation for existence and an experience of life akin to witnessing a masterpiece. Enriching daily life through curiosity: He encourages finding unconditional love and satisfaction in both positive and negative aspects of life, leading to a more magical, childlike wonder in everyday experiences. Crafting a holistic vision for one's life: Leo discusses the importance of taking the time to craft a meaningful life through planning, vision, and correcting past mistakes, asserting that it's never too late to reshape one's life path. Value of long-term vision: Working towards a meaningful, long-term goal provides a sense of relief and purpose compared to the monotony of a typical nine-to-five job. Liberation through correction: Acknowledging and correcting past mistakes is difficult but ultimately liberating, as it allows a person to work towards a larger, more conscious life vision. Conscious life construction: Piece by piece, one can construct a conscious life by focusing on personal development, aligning with like-minded individuals who support growth, and minimizing distractions. The importance of vision and trust: Keeping the vision of a profound understanding of life in mind is crucial, and trusting the process is essential-even though life decisions are inherently gambles. Radical open-mindedness as a principle: True open-mindedness involves not taking a fixed position on any issue and trusting that this approach will lead to positive insights and understanding. Pursuing truth as a noble endeavor: Centering life around the pursuit of truth, and being genuinely curious about it, is a rare approach that can yield interesting and strategic life developments. Power of big-picture understanding: Obtaining a comprehensive understanding of life by connecting different areas of knowledge confers a unique confidence and strategic advantage. Radical ownership of life: Taking full ownership of all aspects of life, including finances, information consumption, and personal growth, avoids societal corruption and empowers individual choices. Trusting resonance in consciousness work: Trusting the intuition that resonates with profound, truthful, and high-consciousness content is key to aligning with transformative ideas. Long-term self-actualization as an investment: Self-actualization is a process of connecting knowledge dots, which initially may not yield visible results but gradually leads to a deeper understanding of life. Gratitude for life's miraculous nature: By continually working towards the vision of life's potential, one can tap into feelings of infinite intelligence, creativity, love, and gratitude for life's miraculous nature. Visioning challenges and psychedelic shortcuts: Developing a clear vision of what is possible is difficult, and psychedelics may serve as a means to see the potential, though not as a substitute for the work required to actualize it. Avifors

Solo Retreat Videos & Insights - Day 9 https://www.actualized.org/insights/solo-retreat Final Day of Retreat: Leo had a shorter meditation duration on day nine, diverting to capture scenic footage and realizing the last day of retreats often sees a drop in the intensity of practice due to the anticipation of resuming everyday life. Jarring Contrast Between Retreat and Routine: Leo felt a striking contrast between the retreat's tranquility and the routine tasks of checking his phone and planning, which led to a profound lesson about the transient nature of life and the futility of seeking future happiness. Mindfulness and Work Efficiency: After the retreat, Leo changed his approach to work, focusing on savoring the process rather than obsessing over efficiency, as he recognized that ultimate productivity pursuit is meaningless without appreciation for the present moment. Solo Retreats Over Group Retreats: He emphasized the superior power of solo retreats for personal growth over group sessions with teachers, planning to incorporate more solo retreats into his schedule for deeper learning and self-development. Self-Inquiry Advancements: Leo delved into meditation and self-inquiry techniques, gaining clarity on the pitfalls of conceptualizing the process of seeking answers to "who am I" and "what am I," setting the stage for more in-depth future discussions. Integration of Mindfulness into Daily Retreat Activities: He learned the importance of integrating mindfulness into all activities, not just formal meditation sessions, to fully embrace the retreat experience. Extended Meditation and Concentrated Growth: Reflecting on the retreat, Leo meditated more intensively than in any formal setting, recognizing the exponential growth possible through focused retreats compared to scattered daily practices. Prioritizing Periodic Solo Retreats: Considering the effectiveness of uninterrupted retreat time, Leo contemplates meditating less daily and instead saving the time for more impactful periodic solo retreats. Rethinking Work Pace and Creativity: He decides to reduce his work pace, shedding the mechanical approach for a more conscious and savored process, with an acceptance of achieving less to gain more fulfillment and creativity. Conceptualization During Meditation: The retreat highlighted Leo's understanding that infinity and true nature cannot and should not be conceptualized-a key obstacle in the path toward self-realization. Creativity Boost from Retreat: Leo observed a significant increase in creative insights during the retreat and plans to implement a similar solitary environment at home to foster creativity without the distractions of routine life. Encounter with Suffering: He stressed the importance of mindfully confronting suffering to overcome personal development barriers, highlighting the retreat environment's ability to bring these issues to light without the opportunity for typical distractions or avoidance. Revision of Daily Meditation: Leo contemplates reducing daily meditation to accumulate hours for longer solo retreats, hypothesizing that this would lead to more powerful outcomes due to the elimination of daily distractions and the concentrated momentum gained from extended retreats. Work Ethic Transformation: He plans to alter his approach to work, focusing less on mechanical productivity and more on conscious, mindful engagement, accepting less output but deeper fulfillment, and understanding that work is not a destination but a present-moment experience. Conceptualization versus True Nature: Leo reflects on the problem of trying to conceptualize the infinite aspects of his true nature, realizing that all concepts are finite and cannot encapsulate infinity. This understanding will shape his future teaching on how to mindfully approach self-inquiry without clinging to concepts formed by teachings or experiences. Creativity Unleashed in Solitude: The retreat led Leo to a significant insight that creative power multiplies when not deliberately working or trying to be productive, reinforcing the idea that creativity flourishes in an undistracted, contemplative state and suggesting that periods of solitude can greatly benefit creative thinkers and artists in any field. Facing Suffering for Personal Growth: Leo experienced profound personal growth by facing suffering head-on rather than avoiding it, understanding that suffering is an inevitable part of growth and transformation, leading to authentic shifts in being. He acknowledges the tendency to distract from suffering in everyday life and emphasizes the necessity of mindful endurance to achieve genuine development. Flipendo

John Vervaeke relates them all through the concept of "fluency" (how fast or easily you process something): The right end of the spectrum is probably closer to your idea of "awakening". Every step in the figure contains the previous step within it (it's a holarchical structure): An insight is a sudden spike in fluency, local to some specific idea or activity, and of course local to a specific point in time. When you have an insight about something, suddenly you understand it better and process it faster. It doesn't have to be an abstract idea. It can be something embodied like tying your shoelaces ("aha, now that I know that, suddenly this got much easier!"). "Flow" is a cascade of insights; many insights extended through time, still local to some specific idea or activity (more often the latter). When you're in flow, for example while surfing, you always know what to do, instantly. It just flows through you. You're maximally fluent in your processing for that specific activity, in every moment. A mystical experience is the flow state extended not just through time but also through different activities. You can be walking or sitting or standing and have the same mystical experience. It feels like you're in flow with everything you're doing, despite how mundane or boring it otherwise may be. You can be mowing the grass or doing the dishes or sitting on the toilet, all while being in flow. Maybe this is closer to your idea of awakening. The mystical experience is still only a temporary state. It doesn't last forever, and it doesn't necessarily lead to a deep transformation of your being or stay with you for the rest of your life. But when it does, it's indeed a "transformative experience": the experience leaves a mark. Now, if it leaves such a deep mark that your baseline state is fundamentally transformed to sustain the mystical experience, then you maybe want to call this "enlightenment" (persistent non-dual baseline). I think this is a pretty good framework that ties together all these "higher" states of consciousness in a neat way.

The Ultimate Guide To Happiness - How Happiness Works https://youtu.be/lbOC_tYRNoE?si=m6SyOPo5rvyPB57K "Men become happy by obtaining divinity." - Gottfried Leibnitz "Those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy." - Marcus Aurelius Introduction to "The Ultimate Guide to Happiness": Leo Gura dives into a comprehensive exploration of happiness, grounding the conversation in practicality and experience rather than abstract spiritual ideals. His insights combine philosophy, psychology, and extensive personal experimentation with different pursuits. Obstacles to personal happiness: Despite his profound understanding of happiness, Leo identifies chronic health issues as the primary barrier to his happiness, illustrating the critical importance of health in the pursuit of a happy life. Happiness as a complex pursuit: Leo outlines happiness as a challenging and counterintuitive concept that requires proper living and attitudes, rather than the mere fulfillment of desires or external achievements. Illusion of unconditional happiness: He debunks the myth of unconditional happiness, emphasizing that happiness is inherently conditional and setting up optimal life conditions is vital for fostering happiness. The nuanced balance of proper living: While acknowledging that happiness is not entirely relative, Leo clarifies that while there are definite wrong ways to live, there are also multiple right ways that can vary widely from person to person, transcending traditional conservative notions. Life transformations through practical happiness strategies: Promising concrete advice, Leo intends to share specific actions that foster happiness and warn against common pitfalls that obstruct it, aiming to revolutionize listeners' lives through actionable insights. The essential role of philosophy in happiness: Proper philosophy, according to Leo, goes beyond theoretical discussion and involves a serious understanding of what constitutes a good and happy life, which is neither obvious nor automatic. Distinguishing Personal Happiness: Leo underlines the importance of distinguishing between the general concept of happiness and what specifically brings happiness to an individual. Both are needed for a fulfilling life, as one does not suffice without the other. Observation and Contemplation: He insists on the need for personal observation and contemplation regarding happiness, warning against mere speculation and theory which can be counterproductive without practical application. Learning via Observation: Leo draws a parallel between solving math problems and understanding happiness; to truly comprehend, one must engage in the process oneself instead of relying solely on teachings from others. Empirical Testing for Happiness: The observation process of what makes one personally happy requires empirical testing and honesty, avoiding the trap of becoming invested in the idea of something rather than the reality of how it makes one feel. Customization and Individuality: Emphasizing the need to tailor the pursuit of happiness to individual personality types, genetic temperaments, and levels of development, Leo warns against blindly following generalized advice. Developmental and Temperament Considerations: He stresses the significance of recognizing one's developmental stage and temperament, alluding to his teachings on psychological development models like Spiral Dynamics. Personality Assessments and Happiness: Leo recommends taking personality assessments such as Myers-Briggs, Big Five, and Enneagram to better understand one's personality and the specific factors that lead to personal happiness. Recognizing Ambition and Temperament: Understanding one's level of ambition and whether one leans more towards a conservative or liberal temperament is crucial in determining the lifestyle that will lead to happiness. Incorporating Variety and Creativity: Contemplation on the amount of creativity, art, risk tolerance, masculinity or femininity, variety, socialization, and sexual needs is necessary to tailor a happy life to one's personal preferences. Leadership and Autonomy Needs: One must assess the desire to lead, the need for autonomy, and how much learning, intellectualism, and spirituality are needed to create a personally fulfilling life. Happiness based on maturity and development: Leo discusses the varying needs for spirituality based on maturity and psychological development. While it is vital for some, for others it may cause more unhappiness than it alleviates. Self-knowledge as a key to happiness: The central theme is that deep self-knowledge is crucial to happiness, and this comes from a variety of life experiences, observation, and reflections. Recommendations for younger individuals: Leo advises those who are younger to seek out a breadth of experiences to accelerate self-understanding and the design of a happy life. Reflection for older individuals: For those who are older, the focus should be on reflecting upon their accumulated experiences to draw meaningful conclusions regarding happiness. Age and happiness correlation: Studies indicate that people in their 50s and 60s generally report higher happiness than those in their 20s because the older demographic has typically come to know themselves better. Incompatibility of self-conflict and happiness: Leo notes that internal conflict is detrimental to happiness and emphasizes the importance of resolving such conflicts. Difference between pleasure and contentment: He distinguishes between fleeting pleasure and enduring satisfaction or contentment, highlighting the latter as the true aim for lasting happiness. Neurochemical systems for pleasure vs. satisfaction: Leo explains the distinction between the dopamine system, which rewards short-term pleasure, and the serotonin system, which is associated with long-term contentment. Ineffectiveness of chasing material objects: He asserts that acquiring material objects or chasing different forms of pleasure does not lead to sustainable happiness. Image 1 Success and happiness are not synonymous: Leo emphasizes that success does not equate to happiness and that in the pursuit of success, one might neglect developing aspects that lead to genuine happiness. Life's cultivation as the path to happiness: True happiness is seen as a long-term cultivation that involves growing as a person, aligning with values, and taking meaningful action. Material possessions' diminishing returns: As one grows spiritually, material possessions like money, success, and luxury become less meaningful. Creating a meaningful life: Leo advises on the importance of creating a life with purpose and meaning, which is individualized and leads to steady happiness. Alignment of life with highest values: He stresses the need to live in alignment with one's highest values to achieve happiness and recommends identifying those values. Maturation of desires for happiness: Leo suggests that to find happiness, one should work on elevating the quality of their desires through self-improvement and karma work. Recognizing the pitfalls of manipulation: He warns about the cycle of manipulation in pursuit of happiness, indicating that higher degrees of manipulation do not lead to increased happiness. Counterproductiveness of manipulation: Attempting to manipulate reality is a fruitless endeavor since complete manipulation is impossible. Failure to manipulate leads to misery, making high manipulation strategies detrimental for happiness. Short-term pleasure vs. long-term growth: Chasing short-term goals that offer temporary enjoyment, like attending a comedy show or playing video games, doesn't contribute to long-term happiness. Transforming these into opportunities for learning and growth can build lasting meaning. Pursuit of dopamine-driven pleasure: Continual pursuit of pleasure through gambling, sex, video games, and drugs, leads to temporary happiness but not lasting contentment. Chasing external validation: Seeking material objects, fame, and approval does not lead to happiness. Such pursuits often result in fleeting satisfaction and long-term unhappiness. Misalignment with personal values: Living a life that is not aligned with one's top values is a significant source of unhappiness. Doing work or being in relationships that contradict deeply held values will lead to dissatisfaction. Consequences of unethical behavior: Immoral behaviors such as lying, cheating, exploitation, and criminality invariably lead to unhappiness. Such actions are destructive to one's sense of self and to relationships with others. Negative impact of a violent environment: Living in a violent or chaotic environment, such as a war zone, creates barriers to achieving happiness. Failure of control-oriented strategies: Trying to dominate or manipulate others is an unsuccessful strategy for happiness. Being controlled or dominated by others also contributes to misery. Financial strain and job dissatisfaction: Financial struggles and engaging in meaningless work are strong precursors to unhappiness. Aligning one’s work with personal values and interests is crucial for satisfaction and happiness. Stagnation and procrastination: Staying stagnant in life, whether due to a dead-end job or a going-nowhere relationship and procrastinating necessary changes or decisions lead to a feeling of wasted life and unhappiness. Importance of personal organization and health: Lack of organization, poor health, and chronic health issues can be profound sources of unhappiness. Taking control of what can be changed, such as diet and exercise, is important, but some aspects may be determined by genetics and require adjustment in life expectations. Sense of powerlessness: Feeling helpless, lacking self-control, being addicted, and unable to escape toxic situations can all significantly reduce happiness. Taking action to improve or leave such situations can give a sense of empowerment and hope, which is essential for happiness. Consequences of toxic relationships: Being in abusive or toxic relationships, having negative friends, or not establishing personal boundaries can deeply impact one's happiness. It's vital to either find peace with these individuals or remove oneself from the situation. Authenticity vs. Inauthenticity: Living inauthentically—sacrificing one's true self for others or failing to set boundaries—leads to profound unhappiness. Finding and expressing one's authentic self is essential to happiness. Attempting to change others: Trying to change people who do not want to change is an exercise in futility that creates unhappiness. Focusing on self-change and allowing others their autonomy is recommended. Truthfulness over falsehood: Untruthfulness, falsehood, and self-deception, as opposed to living in truthfulness, significantly contribute to unhappiness. Ignorance and a lack of awareness can prevent individuals from achieving a genuinely happy life. Detriments of dogma and ideology: Ideologies and dogma, including religious, political, and scientific beliefs, inherently lead to unhappiness due to conformity and lack of critical thinking. Nihilism, postmodernism, and other negative philosophies also contribute to misery. Challenges of mental illness: Mental disorders such as bipolar, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and multiples can hinder happiness. Management through therapy, medication, or other coping strategies is essential. The problem with high emotional volatility: Emotional drama creates an environment opposite to peace, which is necessary for happiness. The creation or tolerance of drama, including from close relationships, undermines personal contentment. The damage of constant criticism: Persistent dissatisfaction, as seen in never-ending criticism—like that from some political progressives—prevents happiness. This mindset blocks the recognition of positive changes or achievements. Perfectionism as a hindrance: Perfectionism can lead to considerable unhappiness. Its relentless standards create internal stress and dissatisfaction. The negativity of online conflict: Engaging in online arguments, trolling, and leaving negative social media comments results in misery and disrupts inner peace. Issues with narcissism and immaturity: Narcissism, arrogance, ego, and emotional immaturity lead to unhappiness. Developing emotional intelligence and maturity is critical for a happier life. The destructive power of guilt and shame: Negative self-perceptions such as regrets, guilt, shame, and self-hatred lead to unhappiness. Similarly, fears, insecurities, and anxiety hinder the pursuit of contentment. Social skills and loneliness: Lack of socialization and social skills contributes to unhappiness, as does loneliness. Taking on too much responsibility can overwhelm and lead to misery, highlighting the need for balance. The effects of rigidity and inaction: A too-regimented life, indecisiveness, and failure to act on changing negative situations can lead to persistent unhappiness. Avoidance of challenges weakens self-esteem, potentially leading to learned helplessness. Personal acceptance and responsibility: Accepting one's physical appearance and avoiding obligations that don't align with personal beliefs are necessary for happiness. Conversely, divorce and marriage quality greatly influence happiness. Financial stress from risky investments: Losing money in speculative investments, such as cryptocurrencies, causes unhappiness due to financial insecurity. The impact of chronic noise: Persistent, loud, unpredictable noise creates a state of chronic misery, as humans are unable to acclimate to random acoustic disruptions. Unhappiness from overpromising: Promising more than you can deliver creates stress and disappointment, leading to unhappiness. The trap of impossible tasks: Pursuing unattainable goals or conflicting objectives, like trying to attain enlightenment while launching a business, leads to guaranteed failure and unhappiness. Mental traps and misuse of the mind: Small-mindedness, pettiness, and excessive selfishness result in unhappiness. Misguided prioritization, such as naive selflessness or ruthless selfishness, both lead to discontent. Attempting to escape all suffering paradoxically causes further unhappiness due to inevitable failure. Downsides of excessive spiritual seeking: Excessive spiritual pursuits and trying to escape the material domain can lead to unhappiness, as Gura cautions based on personal experience. General contributors to happiness: Engaging in activities aligned with one's values, using talents and strengths, being productive, and striving for excellence can significantly increase happiness. Importance of being your own boss: Independence can be a source of deep happiness for entrepreneurial and self-directed people, though it's not suitable for everyone. Happiness in leadership and helping others: Occupying leadership roles and contributing to society's improvement can be extremely rewarding and meaningful. Necessity of rest and companionship for happiness: Proper rest, human intimacy, companionship, and socialization are essential for sustained happiness and well-being. Setting personal and relationship boundaries: Establishing clear boundaries leads to greater happiness, as does understanding and seeking one's top love languages in intimate relationships. The need for solitude and flow states: For introverts, sufficient alone time is critical, and engaging in activities that induce a flow state can lead to contentment and joy. Meeting challenges and making most of life: Facing challenges and optimizing daily life leads to feelings of empowerment and happiness. Building confidence through exposure: Gaining confidence and overcoming insecurities comes from exposure to various experiences, dissolving anxieties and increasing happiness. Travel for life enrichment: Travel, when used to broaden horizons and consciousness rather than as an escape, can lead to long-lasting happiness. Cultivating hobbies and mastery: Investing time and energy in cultivating hobbies and developing mastery in them can create a steady income of satisfaction and joy. Health, good food, and solitude retreats: Pursuing a healthy lifestyle, eating quality food, and engaging in deep solitude, such as solo retreats, are all foundations for happiness. The value of passion, humor, and personalized space: Living with enthusiasm, developing humor, and creating a comfortable personal living space are highlighted as simple, effective means to enhance overall happiness. Customizing one's living environment: Personalizing and investing in the living space you occupy contributes significantly to feelings of happiness and security. Small comfort features: Incorporating simple conveniences into daily life, like easy-to-reach light fixtures, can have a lasting positive impact on happiness. Doing philosophy properly and achieving self-actualization: Proper practice of philosophy and pursuing self-actualization are cited as deep sources of happiness and fulfillment. Being aligned with truth: Honesty with oneself and avoiding self-deception are fundamentals for achieving happiness. Appreciating and exploring consciousness: Recognizing the beauty of consciousness and diving into spiritual exploration can bring profound happiness, and using tools like psychedelics is suggested as an avenue for this. Activities bringing personal joy to Leo: Creative pursuits, seeking truth, enjoying solitude, and other personal preferences are key to Leo's happiness, while chronic health issues and certain fears contribute to his unhappiness. Consuming art and balancing work-life: Appreciating art forms like pornography aesthetically, finding joy in meaningful work, and ensuring a balance between work and life are pivotal to Leo's sense of happiness. Creating a comfortable living space: Leo Gura emphasizes the importance of investing in and developing a comfortable living space, noting that it does not need to be expensive or fancy. He notes that feeling safe, secure, and comfortable in one's environment can contribute significantly to overall happiness. The value of small comfort features: Gura mentions installing convenient features that improve daily routines, such as easy-to-reach lamp switches, demonstrating that small changes can impact overall happiness long-term. Doing philosophy properly: Leo Gura asserts the proper practice of philosophy as a source of happiness. Misapplied, however, it can be a source of deep misery. Self-actualization and growth: Leo Gura indicates that self-actualization and personal growth, despite their challenges, are potential sources of deep happiness and satisfaction. Being aligned with truth: Having honesty and avoiding self-deception are essential to achieving happiness, according to Gura. Exploring consciousness: Gura emphasizes that exploring consciousness, consciousness of God, and spirituality can bring profound happiness. Falling in love with oneself: Gura suggests that falling in love with oneself can bring immense joy and happiness. Recognizing the beauty of consciousness: Gura cites the recognition of the beauty of consciousness and reality as a significant source of his personal happiness. Specific activities that bring happiness: Gura outlines several activities that specifically bring him joy, including being creative, learning and developing new ideas, seeking truth, spending time in nature, being in solitude, complete creative autonomy, and appreciating music. Exploring consciousness through psychedelics: Gura suggests exploring consciousness via psychedelics as an enormous source of happiness. Using music as a source of happiness: Gura enjoys curating personal music playlists and considers listening to his favorite music an important source of happiness. Finding joy in natural elements: Gura derives pleasure from natural elements like rain, suggesting that such simple joys significantly contribute to overall happiness. Impact of chronic health issues on creativity: Leo's chronic health issues limit his energy and productivity, causing unhappiness due to his inability to meet personal creative standards and expectations. Struggle with strict schedules: Deadlines and schedules are a source of stress for Leo. He feels such constraints prevent him from producing his best work, contributing to unhappiness. Financial concerns and childhood trauma: Despite financial stability, Leo experiences a persistent fear of running out of money related to childhood trauma, causing ongoing distress. Daily tasks and socializing as sources of unhappiness: Leo finds little joy in menial chores, social obligations, and managing people, preferring solitude and personal creative work. Discrepancies between meditation and personal happiness: Leo realized meditation doesn't suit his creative, active mind. He warns against the notion that meditation universally enhances happiness, stressing individual differences in finding joy. Reflections on spirituality and personal happiness: Spirituality has led to increased consciousness and appreciation of life, but has not necessarily aligned with Leo's desire for creativity and active work. Avoiding the happiness trap: Leo advises against relentlessly pursuing happiness or escape from suffering, suggesting a balanced approach focusing on meaningful living and contentment. Pursuing activities for intrinsic value: Leo underscores the importance of engaging in activities because they are intrinsically rewarding, rather than as a means to another end, which fosters deeper happiness. Enjoyment for its own sake: True happiness can be found in engaging in activities for their own sake, without them being a means to an end, such as driving without a specific destination in mind just for the pleasure of it. Highest grade of happiness: Consciousness and the appreciation of it, along with the metaphysical connection to God and recognizing the beauty in everything, is described as the highest form of happiness. The concept of ecstasy: Ecstasy is defined as a transcendent, religious, mystical experience that goes beyond mere pleasure, characterized by a deep conscious awareness of God and immersion in infinite love. Experience of ecstasy: While ecstasy is a powerful and transformative experience, it is not constant and should not be a perpetual state for most people who are not full-time monks or yogis. Transformation through ecstasy: Ecstasy has a purifying effect on the psyche, changing an individual and promoting spiritual attunement, even though it is experienced only occasionally. Pursuit of God for happiness: For the highest forms of happiness, Leo Gura suggests a serious approach towards understanding God is necessary. Appreciation of everyday experiences: Training oneself to appreciate simple, ordinary things in life is where the majority of real happiness comes from. Alignment with the journey: Happiness should come from the journey towards one's goals, not just from achieving them. Enjoyment should be derived from the day-to-day aspects of pursuing ambitions. Joy of existence: Ultimate happiness is being able to appreciate the beauty of consciousness and existence even in stillness and without external stimulation. Happiness journal homework: Leo advises viewers to create a happiness journal, documenting things that make them feel both happy and unhappy over time to understand what contributes to their happiness. Personal exploration of happiness: The teachings encourage personal exploration and observation of one's own mind to determine what is truly a source of happiness. Interpreting teachings through personal experience: All teachings from Leo should be tested and validated through personal experience rather than being taken as ideologies or dogmas. Inner purification and maturity: The experience of ecstasy, although rare, purifies and matures the psyche, pointing out the necessity for readiness to let go of old ways and values. Amortentia

What Is Insight. - How To Become More Insightful https://youtu.be/7rQWWfHsgTU?si=tOXEaSbXfStaPCqK Insight is an avalanche in the mind. Joke as an Example of Insight: A joke about a rabbi inquiring about disabling porn in his hotel room illustrates insight through its surprise punchline, typically generating an "aha" moment by recontextualizing the situation or event. Insight Gained in Childhood: Leo recounts an example from his childhood where he gained an insight into the mechanism of male arousal, a personal epiphany that came spontaneously and provided a new understanding of his own body. Defining Insight: Insight is defined as a mental process that brings a sudden and unexpected solution, a penetrating observation, or a "light bulb moment", often resulting in joy and satisfaction. Recontextualization as a Form of Insight: The concept of recontextualization involves seeing a problem in a larger context or from a fresh perspective, often leading to immediate insight. The phenomenon of Insight: Insight is a mysterious and magical phenomenon of consciousness. It is not merely brain activity; it is the universe's capacity to have insights into itself, suggesting the universe can fundamentally understand truths about its nature. Connected Phenomena: Insight is linked to understanding, comprehension, intuition, consciousness, recontextualization, thinking, intelligence, sensemaking, and creativity. Underappreciation of Insight's Mystique: Leo emphasizes that academics and intellectuals often take the deeply mysterious aspects of insight and understanding for granted, overlooking its profound implications. Insight vs. Static Knowledge: Insight is spontaneous and dynamic, providing the foundation for the more static forms of knowledge, belief, and ideology—yet these static forms cannot capture the nebulous nature of understanding. The Neglect of Understanding and Consciousness: Mainstream Western philosophy prioritizes knowledge and beliefs over discussion of understanding and consciousness, despite the latter being crucial generators of new insights. Understanding as the Key Intellectual Tool: Understanding is highlighted as the most critical aspect of mind and consciousness, yet often ignored and undiscussed in academia and traditional philosophy. Difference between memorizing and genuine insight: Memorizing information for tests and treating it as a belief system does not equate to experiencing raw insight into the nature of reality, a distinction crucial in serious philosophy and spirituality. Pitfalls of parroting in spirituality and philosophy: The majority of spirituality and philosophy involve parroting the words of those with genuine insights, resulting in debates and discussions that lack personal enlightenment. Transformation through deriving personal insights: The process of generating one's own insights from scratch is transformative and distinguishes a truly intelligent sage from an academic or an ideological intellectual. Quality of intelligence and intellect: The true mark of one's intellectuality and intelligence is based on the ability to independently generate fresh insights, not just by reading books or citing others' thoughts. Mental and emotional labor of generating insights: Generating one's own insights requires mental and emotional effort, often a neglected skill in education, which instead focuses on test-passing and information regurgitation. Need for personal insights in spirituality: To truly transform and live in alignment with spiritual values, one must derive and validate spiritual truths for themselves, instead of adopting pleasant-sounding beliefs. Illustrative examples of historical insights: Outlined are the renowned insights of Archimedes with volume measurement, Newton's theory of gravity after observing an apple fall, Darwin's theory of natural selection, and Einstein's relativity theory from thought experiments. Insight in problem-solving and humor comprehension: Insights are necessary for solving puzzles, like the nine-dot problem, and understanding jokes. Comprehending a joke signifies intelligence and, on a meta-level, an awareness of the intelligence used in the understanding. Insight capabilities in animals and humans: Research shows animals, like chimpanzees and birds, demonstrate insight in problem-solving situations. Humans can gain insights during psychotherapy, leading to breakthroughs in personal dysfunctions and emotional reactivity. Differentiating between insight and memory: True insight involves generating new knowledge or understanding, whereas memory is merely recalling known information. Insight often arises from a state of not knowing and is intricately linked to the production of novel understanding. Spontaneity of Insights: Insights can strike spontaneously during everyday activities, highlighting their unpredictable nature and the role of mental wandering in fostering their emergence. Insight as a Mental Avalanche: Leo describes insights as mental avalanches, where the interconnected structure of thoughts in the mind collapses and reorganizes itself into a clearer, more truthful configuration, differing significantly from typical thoughts. Differentiating Thought and Insight: Insight is characterized by its intangible and nebulous quality, being more significant than ordinary thought, and includes a variety of types from minor to major, and from ordinary to mystical. Personal Contemplation of Insights: Reflecting on one's own insights, contemplating their nature, and exploring the connection between insight and truth can enhance one's understanding of insights and their potential deception. Neuroscience and Insights: Neuroscience research indicates that insight generation is predominantly a right hemisphere activity in the brain, associated with holistic and intuitive thinking, unlike the analytical left hemisphere. Insight Problem-Solving: There's a distinction between problem-solving through insight, mainly linked to the right hemisphere, compared to analytical problem-solving associated with the left hemisphere, with the former being more holistic and creative. Research on Insight Generation: Studies suggest gender differences in solving insight problems, the influence of emotionality and openness on insight generation, and startlingly, that 20% of people do not experience insight at all. Insights from Experience: Leo shares insights gleaned from extensive interaction with women, illustrating how a breadth of experience can lead to understanding patterns that others may not perceive. Insights and Self-Knowledge: Recognizing one's own character structure and personal traits is a form of insight that is key for self-development and can only be acquired through personal experience and reflection. Insights on Various Life Aspects: Leo reflects on insights he has had regarding ego behavior, philosophy, psychology, spirituality, success, business operations, marketing, sales, and the nature of success and failure. Insights on Human Nature and Politics: Leo shares his insights on human behavior, conflict, government, and the polarization within the political climate, drawing lessons from his experiences and indicating plans to share more politically oriented insights in the future. Early Insights in Epistemology and Science: In his teenage years, Leo began developing foundational insights into epistemology, philosophy, and the nature and limits of science, which shaped his perspectives on human understanding. Insights from Various Interests: Leo discusses insights gained from his interests in video game design, narrative, story development, character creation, and history, noting their technical and philosophical implications. Deep Existential and Spiritual Insights: He lists his deepest insights, including existential and spiritual realizations such as 'I am God', 'reality as infinity', and 'everything is consciousness'. Practical Advice to Increase Insightfulness: Leo provides advice based on research to increase insightfulness, suggesting relaxation, positive mood, doing homework on subjects of interest, and cultivating radical open-mindedness. Challenging Assumptions for Insights: He emphasizes the importance of questioning assumptions in any given problem as a means to expand the possibility space and potentially lead to paradigm-shifting insights. Necessity of Deep Curiosity: Describing his insatiable curiosity, Leo identifies it as a driving force for his work and insights, suggesting that a deep need to know is crucial for becoming more insightful. Purpose, Motivation, and Ambition as Catalysts for Insights: Leo contends that having a strong life purpose, mission, and ambitious motive can facilitate the generation of insights by prompting the exploration of new ideas and pushing the boundaries of one’s field. Insights on Relationships and Personal Behavior: Insights into personal relationships, family dynamics, work productivity, the nature of emotions, and the workings of the ego are also mentioned as significant areas for growth and understanding. Anticipation of Future Content: Leo hints at future content where he will present insights on wisdom, intelligence, and the complex nature of the ego mind, reflecting his ongoing exploration into human consciousness and behavior. Passion's role in insight generation: One's level of passion, drive, and curiosity directly impacts the frequency and depth of insights. Without a strong interest or care for discovering new truths, a person is less likely to experience profound insights. Importance of intention for insight: Establishing a strong intention to solve problems or understand deep concepts is pivotal. A sense of urgency and importance attached to resolving an intellectual challenge enhances the potential for insightful breakthroughs. Allocating time for deep work: Dedication to long, uninterrupted periods of silence and solitude, such as through solo meditation retreats, significantly boosts creativity and the emergence of insights. Questioning and Contemplation: Creating extensive lists of important questions and tirelessly seeking their answers fosters a rich web of understanding and connections, leading to profound insights. Absorption in philosophical topics: Maintaining concentration on a single philosophical question enhances insightfulness, but this requires time, dedication, and mental fortitude. Value of mind wandering: Allowing the mind to daydream and explore different viewpoints can open pathways to unique and powerful insights. The balance between concentration and daydreaming: Alternating focused intellectual effort with periods of mind wandering can optimize the process of insight generation. Flow state for insight: Achieving a flow state through the removal of distractions can lead to deeper engagement and revelation of insights. Disconnecting for deeper insights: Minimizing the use of social media and phones, which are significant sources of distraction, can foster a more profound understanding of complex concepts. Insights during undemanding tasks: Engaging in simple, almost automatic activities like driving or exercising can facilitate a mental environment conducive to having insights. Avoiding over-scheduling: Keeping a flexible schedule with ample downtime can create opportunities for the mind to process ideas and develop insights. Incubation period for insights: Allowing ideas to simmer over time without forcing immediate conclusions aids the natural emergence of insights. Collaborating for diverse insights: Working within diverse teams can catalyze the generation of a broader range of insights than solitary thinking. Developing mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness meditation enhances attunement to one's own thought processes, increasing the likelihood of recognizing insights. Proper sleep aids insightfulness: Adequate rest, including naps, boosts cognitive function and can lead to insights during or immediately after sleep. Immediate documentation: Insights are ephemeral and can easily be forgotten; hence, it is crucial to record them as soon as they occur to prevent loss. Immediate Capture of Insights: Leo emphasizes the importance of having writing tools like pens and notepads readily available at all times and in all places, such as home, office, and car, to document insights as they occur, ensuring they are not lost. Psychedelics and Insights: He mentions the potential of psychedelics to provoke profound insights but notes this should be approached with awareness regarding legality and safety. Articulating Insights: Leo distinguishes between having insights and the separate, trainable skill of articulating them effectively. He suggests working on insights by finding ways to explain, exemplify, and refine them for clearer communication. Possibility of New Insights: He contemplates the untapped potential for insights that no human has ever had, prompting listeners to consider what percentage of possible universal insights they have personally explored. Impact of Insights on Life: Leo proposes that insights can significantly influence one's life, business, relationships, and well-being and that the more insights one has, the more enriched one's life can be. Practical Engagement with Insights: He encourages listeners to prioritize understanding the value of insights, implying it is worthwhile to arrange retreats or quiet time dedicated to insight generation. Monetizing Insights: Leo shares his experience of turning the generation of insights into a successful business model, using actualized.org as a platform to provide high-quality insights. Power of Personal Insights: The ultimate goal, according to Leo, is not just to accumulate insights but to inspire listeners to generate their own, improving the quality of life through personal exploration. Ongoing Exploration of Insights: He leaves the topic of insights intentionally open-ended, providing a worksheet and encouraging listeners to continuously contemplate the nature and origin of insights, and how they come about in one's life. Dangers of Uncritical Acceptance: Leo urges viewers to critically assess and personally validate the teachings of actualized.org, rather than uncritically adopting them, avoiding misinterpretation and potential harm. Nature of Actualized.org's Teachings: He clarifies that actualized.org promotes a non-ideological approach, focusing on personal validation and direct experience, and warns against the tendency to transform teachings into rigid ideologies. Expectations from Shared Insights: Insights shared should serve as a starting point for personal validation, with the understanding that content evolves and Leo's current insights may deepen over time; insights serve to inspire further individual philosophical pursuit. Ideological Danger of Actualized.org's Work: Leo cautions against treating his teachings as final and encourages viewers to engage with the content critically, validating everything through direct experience, a process he asserts is more demanding and rigorous than traditional science, religion, or education. Experience-Based Transformation: Viewers are invited to directly experience the teachings to unlock their transformative potential, as such personal engagement is posited as key to consciousness reaching its full, adaptive, and creative potential. Furnunculus

The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures - Zen's Stages Of Enlightenment Explained https://youtu.be/w4ZWNzSliGk "Things that smell of Buddhism are disagreeable, but things that have absolutely no whiff of Buddhism are even worse." - Yamada Mumon Evolution of the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures: The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures emerged nearly a thousand years ago in China, evolving into different versions over time with the aim of mapping the stages of spiritual awakening in Zen Buddhism. Yamada Mamon's Influence: Leo Gura bases his explanation of the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures on Yamada Mamon's rare book "Lectures on the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures," highlighting it as a source of advanced wisdom initially intended for Zen monk students. The Map's Role in Spirituality: The Ten Ox-Herding Pictures serve as a guide through various stages of awakening and are comparable to other spiritual models like Spiral Dynamics, emphasizing growth and evolution beyond a single experience. Warning of Advanced Teachings: Before delving into the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, Leo warns of the model's complexity and the readiness required for individuals to properly grasp and apply its lessons. First Picture - Searching for the Ox: The journey starts with individuals feeling lost and attempting to understand life's purpose, leading to the initial desire for awakening and a vow to achieve enlightenment. Image 1 The Ox as an Enlightenment Symbol: The Ox symbolizes enlightenment, representing ultimate truth and the answers to the purpose of life, nature of suffering, reality, and existence. Dualistic Viewpoint of Individuals: Embroiled in discriminative, dualistic thinking, people struggle with confusion caused by continuous comparison and the inability to grasp non-duality. Starting the Spiritual Journey: The desire for enlightenment is highlighted as an essential first step on the spiritual path, countering the misconception that seeking awakening is misguided. Endurance and Suffering on the Spiritual Path: The spiritual journey is likened to climbing Mount Everest, requiring substantial investment and preparation to avoid rushing into it and potentially giving up. Consistency in Spiritual Practice: Leo emphasizes that sporadic practice will not yield results; spiritual techniques like meditation, yoga, and self-inquiry must be pursued consistently to achieve progress. Consistent Effort in Spiritual Work: Leo Gura discusses the importance of persistent and consistent spiritual practice. Without a strong and singular focus, efforts may be comparable to froth that drifts away in a stream, while pushing ahead single-mindedly ensures progress toward awakening. Stumbling Upon the Ox's Footprints: This metaphor describes those who have encountered spiritual concepts and practices superficially, like reading books or experiencing brief moments of insight during meditation or through psychedelics, but have not fully grasped or seen the 'Ox' of true enlightenment. Image 2 Challenges of Skepticism and Superficial Practices: Leo warns against the pitfalls of skepticism and casual spiritual practices that prevent deep engagement with the path to awakening. Intellectualization without practice can lead to self-delusion, and the need for genuine commitment to overcome this is emphasized. Value of Studying and Learning from Scriptures: Citing a Zen master, Leo underlines the necessity of studying traditional teachings and working with scripture to avoid misdirection, negating the belief that Zen practice excludes scholarly study. Persistence to Catch the Ox: The Zen master's advice portrayed by Leo suggests steadfast dedication reaffirms one's vow to attain enlightenment. Calling upon listeners not to abandon efforts because certainty of catching the Ox comes with perseverance and resolve. The First Glimpse of the Real 'Ox': Leo describes the profound experience of the first real sighting of the 'Ox'. This initial mystical experience can be both awe-inspiring and terrifying, creating a more serious commitment to the spiritual path due to the realization of its reality. Image 3 On the Rarified Nature of Awakening: Leo communicates the predicament of those who experience just a momentary glimpse of awakening. The magnitude of the experience often results in a retreat back to the ego, highlighting the challenge to stably face and integrate the 'Ox', or enlightenment, into one's life. Importance of Completing the Journey: The Zen master quoted points out that catching a glimpse of the Ox is only an early stage in the spiritual journey. Even after this first sighting, there are several more stages to go through to fully catch and train the Ox, signifying the continuity and difficulty of the spiritual path. Communicating Non-Duality: Claiming words fail to express non-duality, as language is inherently dualistic. Leo Gura explains the difficulty in communicating about the Ox (enlightenment) because any attempt to describe it only further entrenches the dualistic perspective. Kensho's Vulnerability to Worldly Encounters: Kensho, or awakening attained through seated meditation, is fragile and can be disrupted by the chaos of the external world. The internal power built through Samadhi (meditative consciousness) is easily disturbed by everyday sensory experiences. Misconceptions About Enlightenment: Many enter the spiritual journey with naive expectations of enlightenment being an endpoint after which no further work is needed. However, Gura asserts the path of awakening is more challenging and life-altering than expected. Owning and Taming the Ox: Gura emphasizes the difficulty in truly catching and owning the Ox. Taming the Ox requires the complete surrender of the ego, lifestyle, and societal conditioning to genuinely embody enlightenment. Image 4 The Problems with Selfish Spirituality: Using spirituality for egotistical purposes, such as starting cults or seeking fame, contradicts the essence of enlightenment. The craving and attachment to such desires are antithetical to spiritual awakening and will cause the Ox to flee. Danger of Twisting Spiritual Experiences: A warning of the perils when one's ego manipulates an initial awakening experience, potentially leading to starting cults or adopting misaligned motives rather than a true spiritual realization. The Process of Taming the Ox: Described as grueling, involving spiritual purification and extensive inner work. It requires constant self-reflection to confront deep-rooted selfishness and desires. Image 5 Distinction Between Beginners and Masters: Gura clarifies that beginners often assume enlightenment marks the end of their spiritual practice, whereas masters continue rigorous post-Satori practice to purify selfishness and ignorance over many years. How Post-Satori Practice Differs from Initial Awakening: The importance of post-Satori practice is to continue even after achieving awakening; it is critical for truly integrating this realization into one's being, which requires ongoing effort until death. Training of No-Mind Consciousness: Being an essential part of mastery, training towards a no-mind state—where the mind is clear of thoughts—is the pinnacle of spiritual practice. This state reflects a deep, abiding awareness and understanding of non-duality. Abiding Non-Dual Awareness: Enlightenment reaches fruition as abiding non-dual awareness becomes the constant state of experience, unrestrained by thoughts. It is likened to a continuous state of "no-mind," where one sees divinity and oneness ceaselessly in everyday existence. Importance of Post-Satori Training: The post-enlightenment phase, or post-Satori training, involves maintaining moment-to-moment mindfulness. It is a process of perfecting the initial awakening (kensho) and is accessible only after one has seen their true nature through Satori. Mindfulness as Taming the Ox: Continuous concentration on mindfulness is likened to taming the Ox. It is essential to train oneself to sustain this state of no-mind to prevent reverting to a condition of unreal thoughts or losing touch with Buddha nature. Embodiment of Awakening: The stage of "riding the Ox home" symbolizes the embodiment of awakening into daily life. The non-duality discovered through awakening is reintegrated with the duality of ordinary life, leading to a genuine experience of reality. Image 6 Returning to Ordinary Life with Awakening: One who has truly attained enlightenment does not remain isolated but returns to impermanent worldly life. The ordinary world is transformed and is seen as the true reality infused with the enlightened perspective. Transcending the Pursuit of Enlightenment: The phase called "ox transcended" represents ceasing the chase for awakening and acknowledging the present moment as the ultimate enlightenment. Misunderstanding this as mere contentment with the status quo is cautioned against; the significance of this understanding is transformative. Image 7 Misuse of Satori and Remaining Unfettered: The Zen master warns against being ensnared by one's enlightenment (Satori) experience. True liberation means forgetting about the distinctive attainment and not allowing it to lead to arrogance or a loss of freedom. Enlightenment as a Means, Not an End: The metaphor of the Ox, serving as a tool for enlightenment, is discarded once its purpose is served. Enlightenment is about realizing Buddha nature, not clinging to the device that led there. Purpose of Life According to Zen: The ultimate answer to the purpose of life is found in the playful, unconditioned enjoyment of existence. This represents a shift to unconditional happiness, detached from circumstances. Liberation and the Notion of 'No Self': True liberation involves the realization of 'no self,' leading to unconditional positivity in life. It signifies a life where happiness is not contingent upon external factors. Surrender and Liberation: Surrendering everything including your life, leads to a state where nothing can negatively affect you. In this state, you've faced the worst, voluntarily ending all attachments, and every moment afterward is experienced as a bonus—a form of liberation and play. Counterintuitive Happiness: Leo Gura speaks about the counterintuitive move of choosing happiness under all conditions, abandoning the insistence on conditional happiness which causes suffering. True happiness persists regardless of external events, even in the face of global or personal catastrophes. Judgments and Original Nature: Surrendering judgments of good and bad reveals our 'original face' or Buddha nature. Letting go of such dualistic distinctions paradoxically transforms everything into goodness—a state of non-judgment where all of reality is perceived positively. Advanced Stages of Human Development: Attaining a state where no conditions can make one unhappy represents an advanced level of human consciousness, comparable to the dedication required to become a brain surgeon. This stage requires thousands of hours of work, beyond casual spiritual experiences. Transformation Through Radical Surrender: True transformation and the ability to experience everything as inherently good requires the complete surrender of one's life (metaphorically and literally) and deeply held personal desires, leading to the highest levels of spiritual development. Emptiness as the Path to Everythingness: In the advanced stages of spiritual awakening, all concepts including the self, the ox (enlightenment), and all dualistic efforts, pass away. Here, true emptiness is realized—it's not experienced as nihilism but as the beginning of an infinite, formless, and unchanging existence. Image 8 Realizing the Non-occurrence of the Universe: At the peak of spiritual insight, one realizes that nothing in the universe has ever transpired; it's all an illusion or 'pure emptiness'. This radical level of non-duality surpasses ordinary awakening and is described as a complete absence of all conceived reality. True Emptiness and Revelation of Buddha Nature: The culmination of practice and discipline is reached where there is no longer an 'awakened', 'awakening', or 'Dharma'. Here, pure Buddha nature is revealed—standing beyond attributes, judgments, or dualistic distinctions, embodying the perfect 'just so' world of Satori. Realization of Life and Death's Illusion: Enlightenment brings the understanding that life and death are not real, and the universe's origin and purpose is acknowledged as non-existent; the familiar world disappears into emptiness. Emptiness and the Completion of Self's Extinguishing: Advanced enlightenment leads to a profound emptiness where even the rigorous practices that led to awakening become irrelevant. Any inkling of self or attachment to practices like Mu or Zazen vanishes, leaving one in a state of polished emptiness. Radical Disidentification from Birth: At this stage of spirituality, one no longer believes they were ever born, which is a radical departure from conventional self-perception, signifying an absolute disconnection from the narrative of individual existence. Push to Attain the State of Emptiness: The master instructs practitioners to strive fervently to experience this ultimate state of being at least once, representing a complete immersion in non-duality and self-annihilation. The Ninth Picture – Returning to the Source: Reflecting on 'returning to the source', Leo admits his limited understanding but conveys the stage's message about the superfluous nature of striving since enlightenment exists in the present moment without effort. Image 9 Challenges of Embodiment After Deep Mystical Experiences: Leo acknowledges the difficulty in integrating profound spiritual glimpses from psychedelic experiences into daily life, noting the difference between having deep insights and living them out consistently. Non-Linear Spiritual Journey: Leo warns against interpreting spiritual stages linearly, emphasizing personal variations and possible deviations due to different practices or inherent spiritual gifts. Final Thoughts on Picture Nine: Returning to the source signifies an absolute identity with the universe and the self, a state where dualistic concerns dissolve, answering all metaphysical inquiries—the embodiment of Zen where the universe as it is represents heaven. Humility of Enlightened Individuals: The tenth stage culminates in re-entering ordinary life with profound humility, completely ordinary to the extent that enlightenment becomes undetectable to others. This humility cannot be feigned and serves as a true indication of mastery. Image 10 Virtue of Blending into Ordinary Life After Enlightenment: Post-enlightenment life involves integrating back into mundane existence while retaining the insight gained. True masters wear their realization without show, living simply and sharing their light in an unassuming manner. Misconceptions of Enlightenment: Newcomers to spiritual paths often harbor fantasies of specialness post-enlightenment but fail to recognize that true enlightenment entails the complete loss of self and manifests as unmistakable humility. Evaluating Spiritual Teachers: Leo Gura assesses the authenticity of spiritual teachers by observing the depth of their humility, which he considers an honest signal of enlightenment that can't be faked. Zen Master on Post-Enlightenment Life: The Zen master's teachings suggest that genuine spiritual masters don't flaunt their enlightenment; instead, they live humbly among ordinary people, shedding any signs of elitism or higher status. Jesus as a Role Model of Humility: Jesus is highlighted for his radical humility, living among the common people without showing superiority, serving as a powerful example of the Zen teachings. Warnings against Elitism Post-Enlightenment: Spiritual leaders who indulge in luxury and exclusivity may not fully embody the true essence of enlightenment, as true masters are expected to live simple and modest lives. Awakening Others: Those who've reached the highest state of awakening have a role to play in helping others realize their Buddha-nature, not through preaching but by simply being present and joyful among them. The Commitment Necessary for Spiritual Growth: Understanding the full implications and commitments of the spiritual path can be overwhelming, and were it not for the enticing beginnings, many might abandon the pursuit altogether. Point of No Return on the Path: Having learned too much, individuals on the spiritual path reach a point where they can't go back to a state of ignorance. The knowledge they've acquired about existence and suffering compels them to pursue enlightenment. Following the Heart on the Spiritual Journey: Despite uncertainties and potential losses, the spiritual seeker is encouraged to trust the heart and the path it urges them to take, even in the face of deep fears and difficulties. Enduring the Sufferings of the Spiritual Path: Enlightenment comes after navigating through increasing levels of suffering, reinforcing the need for perseverance and trust that suffering will eventually cease. The Role of Wisdom and Guidance: Leo recommends revisiting wisdom from spiritual masters and texts to stay on track and avoid forming rigid ideologies, thus ensuring one remains true to the path of enlightenment. Enlightening Others as a Continuation of Growth: After attaining enlightenment, the journey continues through the enlightenment of others. This process is framed as an extension and fulfillment of one's spiritual work. Flipendo

The 9 Stages Of Ego Development - Part 3 https://youtu.be/pGItuEai8vo Suzanne Cook-Greuter's Research: Leo credits Suzanne Cook-Greuter for her comprehensive 90-page research paper on ego development, which forms the basis of his discussion. He emphasizes that while he integrates her research, his presentation includes his own interpretations and commentary relevant to self-actualization. Image 1 Importance of Pace in Development: Progressing through the ego development stages should not be rushed; it's important to fully experience and understand each stage before moving on to higher levels. Skipping stages can lead to frustration and the inability to sustain higher levels of development. Application of the Ego Development Model: Understanding the stages of ego development is a practical tool for evaluating the character and level of development of people in various contexts, such as business partnerships, family dynamics, and personal relationships. This insight can inform strategies for interaction and whether to maintain or cut ties with certain individuals based on their development stage. Teaching and Stage Relevancy: Leo acknowledges that most of his teachings are aimed at the final two stages of ego development, which may be too advanced for those who are currently at the conformist, expert, or achiever stages. He suggests that individuals may need to return to his teachings after they have solidified their understanding of the earlier stages. Risks of Prematurely Seeking Enlightenment: Leo warns against pursuing higher levels of spiritual awakening, like enlightenment, without having achieved personal success in basic survival and life needs. He recommends fully experiencing the achiever stage before seeking to transcend it. Stage 9: Construct Aware: This stage involves recognizing the mind’s role in constructing one's reality, questioning the ego's distortions, and the acknowledgment of linguistic filters. It leads to complex existential questions and an understanding of the limitations of rational thought. Magician Stage as Leaders and Guides: People at this stage often become mentors, consultants, or coaches who work to guide others, feeling comfortable with their knowledge limitations and embracing vulnerability. They take on roles that catalyze transformation, fully expressing themselves and recognizing the value of self-correction. Centaur Analogy for Construct Aware Stage: The construct aware stage is likened to a 'centaur' or 'vision logic', where individuals balance primal needs with higher existential and spiritual desires. Dealing with Chaos and Interconnectedness: At this stage, chaos is seen not just negatively, but as a natural part of life's rhythm. People learn to flow with it and recognize the interconnectedness of all things. Transitioning to the Unitive Stage: Those who reach the unitive stage witness life without the need for rational explanation, experiencing a sense of completeness, and perceiving mundane things as profound. Unitive Stage Realizations: Individuals at this stage feel fulfilled without needing external validation or achievements. They recognize the paradox of life's meaninglessness yet engage passionately with life, find value in all life forms, and guide others towards vertical development. Shift in Leo Gura's Teaching Style: Leo discusses his evolving approach to teaching—aiming to be more compassionate and understanding, reflecting his own progression towards the unitive stage of ego development. Tapping into Universal Intelligence at Unitive Stage: Leo suggests that at the unitive stage, direct insight and wisdom from universal intelligence become more accessible, with a focus on wisdom over IQ or specialized knowledge. Valuing Direct Experience and Empathy for Ignorance: Individuals at advanced stages of ego development place emphasis on direct experience and display deep empathy for others' ignorance, understanding its origins in limited perspective. Release of Control and Gender Integration: Individuals become less concerned with controlling life and achieve a profound sense of peace with their masculine and feminine aspects, resolving internal gender conflicts. Advanced Understanding of Human Behavior: At higher stages, a comprehensive understanding of human behavior emerges, recognizing suffering, conflict, and violence as manifestations of the unconscious ego mind. Ultimate Realizations and Cosmic Perspective: Enlightenment and awakenings become more profound, aligning with an understanding that judgement is ignorance and birth and death are imaginary concepts. These realizations contribute to a sense of tranquility and equanimity. Continued Introspection and Growth: Even after reaching the unitive stage, the journey of self-discovery continues. Leo emphasizes the ongoing nature of this work and the importance of self-reliance in personal growth. He advises against relying solely on his teachings for personal evolution, advocating for self-teaching and exploration beyond the unitive stage. Responsibility for Personal Growth: Individuals should use high-level advice as guidelines but must find their own path to growth, harmonizing advice with individual life situations. Existence of Stages Beyond Unitive: Leo hints at the possibility of stages beyond the unitive stage, which are less recognized due to their rarity but signify even more profound levels of human evolution and understanding. Assessing Resources and Teachers by Developmental Stages: Books, videos, courses, and teachers can be evaluated according to which stage of ego development they correspond to. This allows individuals to find resources and mentors that are appropriate for their current stage or slightly beyond it. Encouragement to Aim Higher: Leo advises those at the achiever stage to maintain a high vision for the future and to lay the groundwork for advanced metaphysical understanding while handling basic needs and goals. Introduction to Construct Aware Stage: This stage, inhabited by 0.5% of the U.S. population, involves realizing that reality is constructed by the mind and deeply intertwined with material reality, challenging the notion of separate objective reality. Existential Paradoxes and Inner Conflict: At the Construct Aware stage, individuals grapple with existential paradoxes and recognize the role of the mind, language, and ego in interpreting and constructing reality. Shift in Life Focus: Existential issues and the meaning of existence take precedence over material concerns, leading to pervasive uncertainty and questioning of previously held truths. Awareness of Reality as a Construction: People at this stage see their worldview as an unconscious amalgamation of cultural inputs rather than consciously chosen. They realize that all aspects of perceived reality, including political and scientific beliefs, are influenced by the subconscious. Deconstructing Meanings and Judgments: At this stage, individuals question their judgments and meanings attached to things, recognizing biases in their worldview shaped by the ego for its own survival. Understanding the Limitations of Symbolic Abstraction: The Construct Aware stage brings recognition of the limitations and biases inherent in concepts like time, purpose, and even tangible objects, when viewed through the lens of language and the human mind. Map vs. Territory: There is a deep appreciation for the difference between symbols and actual reality, recognizing that perspectives are biased, geocentric, and human-centric. Language as a Deep Technology: Individuals realize the significant role of language in shaping reality and communication, recognizing both its limitations and its potential to simplify or complexify our perceptions of the world. Navigating the Limitations of Language: The challenges of using language without being restricted by it become apparent, and individuals at the Construct Aware stage become more adept at circumventing the pitfalls language may introduce. Realizing the Impact of Language on Knowledge: Concepts and knowledge acquisition are seen as arbitrary and crucially dependent on language, leading to a more careful and conscious approach to understanding and knowing. Awareness of Duality: The understanding that all concepts rely on opposites - such as good vs. evil, or human vs. non-human - becomes evident, heightening sensitivity to the dual nature of language and conceptualization. Taking Responsibility for Mental Constructs: Individuals at this stage become accountable for their own creation of concepts and categories, marking a shift from unconsciously adopting cultural definitions to consciously forming their mental landscape. Exploring Beyond Human Mind Limitations: There's a realization that one can transcend the human mind and question fundamental constructs like human identity, opening up new territories beyond what was previously dismissed as pseudoscience or 'airy-fairy' ideas. Breakdown of the Objective Material World Belief: The belief in a permanent, objective material world begins to dissolve, blurring the distinctions between mind, body, self, and the external reality. Deconstructing Notion of a Permanent Self: The self is recognized as a dynamic collection of beliefs and concepts, constantly evolving rather than being a fixed entity, bustling with every new experience and interaction. Continuous Self-Change: Awareness grows that personal identity is in constant flux; every experience subtly shifts one's sense of self, challenging the notion of a static, unchanging personal identity. Cross-Paradigmatic Integration: There's an ability to appreciate and integrate diverse worldviews and religious beliefs without judgment, leading to an intellectually unified perspective of existence. Global Historical Perspective: Moving into a higher altitude of consciousness, construct-aware individuals gain a global view of meaning-making and take responsibility for the subjective meanings they assign to their experiences and the world. Shift from Inherent to Projected Meaning: Realization dawns that meaning is not inherent in external events or situations but is instead a projection of one's mind, leading to more deliberate and conscious meaning-making. Understanding of Map-Making and Self-STORY Deconstruction: Individuals become cognizant of their need to create mental maps and narratives with a permanent self at the center and learn to deconstruct and challenge such identifications. Awareness of Self-Deception: Even though the ego still leads to self-deception, a heightened awareness enables individuals to catch, correct, and learn from their distortions rather than being totally consumed by them. Understanding the Constructive Nature of Personal Identity: Acknowledgment arises that self-identity is maintained by continuous thoughts about oneself, skewing reality to ensure survival of this constructed self. Non-Physical Conception of Birth and Death: A profound realization surfaces that birth and death are not purely physical processes but mental activities linked to the ongoing construction of personal identity through thought. Deconstruction of Self: Individuals at this stage start to see the possibility of deconstructing the self, leading to self-annihilation. There is fear and uncertainty about what lies beyond this, but an understanding that 'self' is a subjective construct that must ultimately dissolve. Meta Cognitive Stage: The stage involves deeply questioning one's own thought processes, which can be seen as a final attempt by the ego to create comprehensive maps and models of reality, despite the impossibility of fully capturing the infinite nature of reality. Addiction to Models and Theories: There is an acknowledgment of the fascination with creating complex models and meta-models, which, while intellectually stimulating and practically useful, ultimately oversimplify reality and are not the territory itself. Conflict Between Helping People and Pursuing Truth: There's a realization that the utility of models in helping others does not equate to the discovery of absolute truth, highlighting the ego's subtle manipulation of reality for higher purposes. The Struggle of Advanced Development: Recognizing the absurdity of using models to fully grasp reality, individuals become aware of the difficulties in going beyond the human mind due to a lack of role models and examples to follow. Redefining Knowing: At this stage, there's a shift towards examining alternative ways of knowing beyond rationality, language, and science, questioning the quantifiable constraints placed by human constructs like science. Awareness of Ego's Influence: Individuals become acutely aware of the ego's distortions on perception, filtering reality through biased lenses and essentially questioning the possibility of objective experience. Dilemmas of Ego Transcendence: The more one attempts to transcend the ego and quiet the mind, the stronger the ego can become, illustrating the paradoxical nature of detaching from reality. Awareness of Thought's Limitations: There is a growing suspicion of thought and recognition that all cognitive processes are dualistic and constructed, fundamentally separate from the non-dual reality. Challenges of Experiencing Reality Without Filters: The realization of the importance of experiencing reality without linguistic filters emerges, but the practical challenge of achieving this denotes the difficulty in transcending ingrained cognitive mechanisms. Interconnectedness of Dualities: The recognition that dualities like good and evil or life and death are inseparable parts of the same whole undermines the simple-minded approach of lower stages seeking to increase good and eliminate bad. Judgment as a Source of Unhappiness: An increased awareness of how the habitual judgment of experiences creates suffering and unhappiness leads to the contemplation of non-judgmental awareness. Awareness of Judgment: Realizing the habitual nature of judging can be frustrating, as it leads to suffering; despite this awareness, it takes years to fully let go of this habit. Compassion and Human Complexity Understanding: Individuals develop a deeper compassion for themselves and others and attain a nuanced perception of human nature and interactions. Navigating Meaning and Meaninglessness: Caught between the extremes of considering life either completely meaningless or unquestioningly meaningful, individuals work to balance and integrate these perspectives. Emotional and Rational Pattern Recognition: There is recognition of how emotions and rational thoughts manipulate one’s perception, and the challenge becomes to integrate and mindfully manage both. Conscious Observation of Ego: A heightened self-awareness allows individuals to observe their ego in action, such as during disagreements or impulsive behaviors, leading to opportunities for growth. Integration of Multiple Modalities: The integration of feelings, intuition, rational thinking, and transpersonal experiences enhances one's flexibility in responding to various life situations. Seeking Mystical Experiences: Individuals develop a craving for mystical states and temporary freedom from ego control, often facilitated by meditation, psychedelics, or other practices. Leadership Roles in Construct Aware Stage: People tend to assume roles as catalysts or transformers within organizations or society, often working independently or creating novel structures to contribute meaningfully. Openness and Humility: Embracing uncertainty, these individuals show comfort with not knowing and exhibit humility regarding the limits of knowledge without the need for defense or pretense. Expression of Authenticity: Language and communication become more complex, vivid, and authentic, with attempts to let go of conscious structuring and embracing spontaneous expression. Trans-Rational Insight: Access to knowledge from non-rational sources such as intuition, bodily states, and dreams increases, playing a more significant role than logic. Self-Deception as Learning Opportunity: Recognizing personal self-deception turns into a chance for growth and helps understand the ego traps others may fall into. Balance Between Animalistic and Spiritual Desires: The Centaur metaphor indicates a balance between primal needs and higher desires, integrating existential and spiritual concerns with basic survival needs. Perception of Chaos: There is an understanding of the rhythmic chaos in life, which individuals learn to navigate like surfing waves, embracing life's unpredictability. Cumulative Interconnectedness and Profound Experiences: Recognition of interconnectedness across all subjects deepens, leading to profound insights and setting up for the transition to the unitive stage. Witnessing the Present Moment and Absolute Truth: The unitive stage allows individuals to apprehend absolute truth through direct consciousness, a transformative experience beyond rational explanation. Openness to All Experiences: At this advanced stage, individuals are receptive to the full spectrum of life’s experiences, valuing each without judgment, and finding value in every moment of being. Transformation of Reality Perception: Reality becomes imbued with magic and wonder, as even the most mundane objects are seen as miraculous, shifting the perspective from ordinary to mystical. Profound Appreciation of the Mundane: A fork, once seen as an ordinary object, can evoke tears due to its perceived miraculous existence. Those at lower ego stages might not appreciate the intrinsic value and complexity of such simple things, missing the cosmic perspective that one gains at higher stages. Cosmic Perspective as Organizing Principle: At higher stages of ego development, individuals view themselves and others as part of humanity's evolutionary journey. They effortlessly shift among different perspectives and states of awareness. Comfort with Mystical Experiences: Mystical and unitive experiences become familiar and comfortable, rather than alien or scary. The peaks of awareness from earlier stages now serve as a stable foundation for ongoing mystical experiences. Presence and Groundedness in the Present: With a shift to higher stages, living fully in the present becomes the norm, and individuals experience a unity with nature and the universe, feeling embedded rather than separate from their surroundings. Deep Security in Identity: The unitive stage offers deep fulfillment and a sense of self-completion that doesn't rely on external factors like fame, money, or relationships, based on realizing one's identity as infinite and complete. Simultaneous Perception of Concrete and Eternal: Unitive individuals can perceive both the temporality and eternal symbolism of entities, seeing all stages of ego development as interconnected and necessary to the whole. Acceptance of Lower Stages: This stage brings a profound acceptance of those at lower levels of consciousness, fostering deep peace and relinquishing the need to control or judge others, allowing for grace and humility. Simplicity Beyond Complexity: After developing complex models of understanding, those at the unitive stage often transcend and simplify their worldviews, fostering a zen-like mentality and approach to life. Contemplation of Life Purpose: Despite recognizing the ultimate insignificance of personal achievements in the vast universe, individuals at this stage still engage passionately with life, embracing a controlled, conscious approach to their endeavors. Shift in Perspective on Life's 'Game': Life is seen as a controlled folly—a conscious game that one engages in while recognizing its ultimate emptiness, which paradoxically frees one from the despair of attachment. Critiques of 'Impractical' Higher Stages: Those at lower stages often criticize the unitive stage as impractical, failing to see the value in existential or non-materialistic perspectives that prioritize spirit over survival. Holistic Approach to Teaching and Life: People at the unitive stage foster global justice and creativity, acting as catalysts in society, and valuing all life forms equally, transcending biases like age, gender, and species. Evolution of Leo's Teaching Style: Leo acknowledges his previous authoritative teaching style and shares his intention to teach in a more accepting, compassionate, and holistic manner as he moves further into the unitive stage. Bliss in Being: Individuals at the unitive stage find profound joy and contentment in simply existing and being aware, experiencing a non-attachment to outcomes and consistent insights into reality's interconnectedness. Mind as the Only Existence: Everything is Mind (with a capital M); there never existed a material world. Mind is synonymous with consciousness and is infinite. All perceived reality, including the table, chair, and fire hydrant, is consciousness. Direct Consciousness of God: The unitive stage brings a direct experience of God, absent in lower stages where God is considered separate and other. This stage allows for the realization that the universe and the individual are both manifestations of God. Self as Creator: Individuals realize that they are the creators of their reality, which is profound and life-altering. Lower stages may view this as absurd or narcissistic, but it's not about superiority; it's about awakening to one's true nature as God. Taking Responsibility for Being God: Recognizing oneself as God entails taking full responsibility for one's life. Those who aren't aware they are God create their suffering—understanding oneself as God fosters a responsibility to lead a more divine existence. Consciousness of God Not a Belief: This realization is not based on beliefs, ideologies, or speculation. It's an actual direct consciousness that transcends mere faith or philosophy. Mundane Becomes Supernatural: At the unitive stage, the mundane is viewed as supernatural. There's an appreciation of the fundamental mystery and intelligence of all creation, realizing that nothing can be known in absolute terms, only experienced or embodied. Distinction and Construction: At this stage, distinctions, such as between a taco and a kangaroo, are understood to be mental constructs that have no ultimate difference. These distinctions are seen as important for human growth but not reflective of an ultimate separation. Tolerance, Compassion, and Affiliation: Individuals feel a deep affiliation with all forms of life, tolerating and embracing the essence of others, respecting their intrinsic nature without the need for change. Wisdom vs. Specialized Knowledge: There's a recognition that wisdom and high IQ or specialized technical knowledge are not the same. The unitive stage values wisdom and consciousness over IQ scores or technical expertise. Channeling Universal Intelligence: People in the unitive stage can channel insights and wisdom directly from a universal source. This telepathic communication with the universal intelligence is seen as a deep personal connection with the infinite. Interconnectedness With All Beings: Belief in the interconnectedness of all life forms is a cornerstone of the unitive stage, leading to the notion that there's no essential distinction between oneself and any other being. Embracing Diversity of Existence: There's an appreciation for the myriad ways of being, realizing that all are valid and beautiful. This includes an understanding of the necessity of ignorance until one is ready to grow and change. Conflict as a Lack of Perspective: The unitive stage holds that all conflict arises from a lack of perspective and understanding. Compassion stems from recognizing one's former ignorance and appreciating others' developmental stages. Insights and Profundity: At this stage, an individual can express profound wisdom with ease, often surprising even themselves. This profundity is seen as an attribute of the universe rather than the individual, as they are aligned with universal intelligence. Realizing Personal Growth Achievement: Looking back on personal development, an individual can reflect on their past ignorance and appreciate the multi-decade journey, understanding the value in overcoming life's toughest moments. Empathy for Others' Ignorance: Realizing one's own ignorance fosters deep empathy for others who are stuck in their ignorance, though it doesn't necessitate tolerating harmful or delusional behaviors and ideologies. Moderation and Quality Control: In maintaining a valuable community, there is a distinction between accepting individuals and allowing destructive behaviors to proliferate, necessitating moderation to preserve quality and integrity. Spontaneity and Simplicity in Wisdom: In unity stages, individuals experience straightforward simplicity, which becomes a vital aspect of their wisdom and the transcendence of the ego. Mental Space Expansion: The mind becomes jail-broken, free of mental fetters, defense mechanisms, and manipulations. This vast mental freedom allows for exploring reality from an unhindered perspective. Mindful Present-Moment Awareness: A non-evaluative approach to the present moment allows for experiencing reality without the need for manipulation, interpretation, or control from the ego. Integration of Masculine and Feminine Sides: Unity stage brings about an internal peace by integrating previously unacknowledged aspects of self, leading to personal harmony and bridging gender conflicts. Conflict Realization: At this level, individuals understand that most conflict is self-created and arises from unconscious selfishness. Bridging Contrasts and Dualities: The unitive person reconciles different contrasts and dualities, merging concrete/practical, theoretical/philosophical, and more, thereby fostering holistic understanding. Cosmocentric Perspective: Adopting a cosmocentric view, individuals see themselves as integral participants in cosmic evolution, where holistic identification transcends the merely global perspective. Dissolution of Evil and Enemies: Recognizing that "evil" is a projection of ego biases, people at this stage shed such notions, understanding that supposed enemies and evil are manifestations of self-bias. Imaginary Nature of Reality: The realization that all aspects of reality, material and physical alike, are imaginary—life becomes viewed impersonally and not taken seriously or personally. Tapping into True Happiness: Accessing states of equanimity, tranquility, and absolute love leads to an understanding of true happiness and satisfaction. Enlightenment at the Unitive Stage: At this stage, enlightenment and awakenings occur more frequently and are realized without entanglement in ego-driven interpretations. Aloneness and Oneness Realization: Understanding emerges that self and others are identical; oneness includes all multiplicities of existence, transcending and adding inclusivity to the concept of solitude. Compassion for Human Behavior: With the deconstruction of the ego, individuals deeply understand the roots of human conflict, suffering, and behavior, stemming from unchecked selfishness and ego. Profound Silence and Inexpressibility: Reaching a point where the profundity of the universe is recognized as beyond the scope of language or even rational explanation. Self-Sufficiency in Problem-Solving: Leo emphasizes the importance of viewers finding their own solutions to problems rather than seeking specific guidance. The growth process requires individuals to figure things out independently. Role of High-Level Advice: Leo's role is to provide high-level pointers and advice, aiming to open minds and prevent significant missteps in life. Implementation of this advice into the nitty-gritty of day-to-day existence is the viewer's responsibility. Creativity in Application: The advice given by Leo is intentionally general and abstract, so viewers must creatively adapt it to fit their unique personalities, strengths, desires, and life circumstances. Existential Questions Beyond the Unitive Stage: Leo acknowledges the existence of stages beyond the unitive stage. These stages are highly transhuman and mystical, explored through advanced techniques like psychedelics and meditation. Challenges of Scientific Modeling of Advanced Stages: Scientific models like Suzanne Cook-Greuter's have limited data on the most advanced stages of human development due to their rarity. Understanding these stages requires studying exceptionally developed humans. Aspirations for Future Understanding: Leo admits his current understanding of stages beyond the unitive stage is limited but anticipates gaining more insight over the next two decades, acknowledging that humanity is still grappling with these concepts. Ongoing Journey and Self-Work: The understanding of human evolution is dynamic, and Leo encourages viewers to continuously work on themselves using models like the nine stages as a roadmap. Actualized.org as a Resource: Leo mentions his website, Actualized.org, which provides numerous tools like a blog, a book list, a life purpose course, and a forum designed to support individuals moving into post-conventional stages of development. Preparation of Content Referring to the Nine-Stage Model: Leo plans to create content that breaks down each stage of development and provides actionable steps and insights into potential traps, further than what was covered in the introduction. Focus of Actualized.org: The primary objective of Leo's teachings is to move individuals into post-conventional stages and beyond—to become construct aware, then unitive, and possibly beyond that in the future. Connection to Infinite Intelligence: Leo's teachings aim to open individuals to deeper existential questions and the development of a high-bandwidth connection with infinite intelligence, promoting a transition beyond merely mental understanding. Psychedelics as Learning Tools: Psychedelics are highlighted as a potent tool for nonlinear, organic, infinitely intelligent learning that transcends conventional teaching methods. Ultimate Self-Teaching: Leo's ultimate goal is to guide viewers to a point where they can teach themselves through direct connection with the universe, lessening their need for external guidance including his own teachings. Aparecium

The 9 Stages Of Ego Development - Part 2 https://youtu.be/G8fIhLDV3L4 Overview of "The 9 Stages Of Ego Development - Part 2": Leo continues his series on ego development with part two, focusing on post-conventional stages with a promise of a third installment to delve deeper into the later stages, highlighting that these offer substantial transformative value. Image 1 Nature of Scientific Models: Leo reminds his audience that scientific models, including ego development, have limitations and should not be overextended to non-applicable domains such as animal behavior or film characters. Capabilities of Earlier Stages: Leo clarifies that each higher stage retains the capabilities of earlier stages, akin to academic grade progression. He emphasizes that no stage is inherently good or bad; they are constructive parts of human development. Understanding of Stages: Leo points out that higher stages can understand lower ones due to broader perspectives, but lower stages struggle to grasp higher ones due to a lack of foundational development. Defense mechanisms might cause individuals at lower stages to deny the existence of higher stages. Stages During Stress: Individuals may regress to earlier stages when threatened or under stress. Awakenings Across Stages: Leo discusses how mystical experiences and awakenings can occur at any stage, but warns that interpretations can be limited and distorted by the individual's current level of cognitive development. Post-Conventional Deconstruction: Starting with the pluralist stage, the post-conventional phase marks the beginning of deconstructing and questioning previously constructed realities. The mind becomes open to reassessing all beliefs, including those in culture, politics, and even the previously unquestioned areas like science and absolute truths. Post-Conventional Stage & Relativity: The post-conventional stage involves a cognitive leap where relativity becomes acknowledged and appreciated, contrasting earlier stages that take things as absolute. Individuals begin to see that meanings are not fixed but are based on one's perspective, leading to heightened self-reflection and a critical examination of previously unquestioned beliefs. Escalating Degrees of Relativistic Thinking: As one progresses through the post-conventional stages, the degree of relativistic thinking intensifies, becoming more pronounced and radical in later stages. Recognizing the relative nature of meaning becomes a central theme in understanding reality. Emergence of Post-Rational Thought: Despite conventional stages relying heavily on logic, post-conventional development marks a transition to post-rational thought, distinguishing it from pre-rational beliefs. This allows for the questioning of not just content but the structure of thinking, leading to an awareness of the illusions and self-deception inherent in different beliefs and perspectives. Questioning of Language and Materialist Assumptions: Language and its role in shaping thought begin to be questioned during the post-conventional stage. Materialist assumptions start to be doubted, albeit not completely, prompting a search for knowledge and understanding beyond materialism and traditional science. Flexible Conceptual Boundaries: The once rigid boundaries of concepts like science and religion become more porous and flexible. Individuals realize that these concepts may evolve and share similarities, challenging the conventional dichotomy between science and pseudoscience or religion. Comparative Analysis of Belief Systems: Post-conventional thinkers can step outside their own belief systems to objectively analyze and compare different systems. There's an increased drive to uncover hidden assumptions about one's own beliefs and society at large, a trait largely absent in conventional stages. Appreciation of Hidden Assumptions: This stage brings an increased interest in existential, metaphysical, psychological, and epistemic issues, with a focus on uncovering hidden assumptions within one's own framework and society. Such deep reflection generally does not resonate with conventional-minded individuals, or "normies," who prioritize material success over introspection. Pluralist Stage Realization and Relativity: The pluralist comes to the realization that reality is observer-dependent, embracing instead the exploration of multiple perspectives that were previously dismissed or unrecognized. This includes an appreciation for cultural exploration and a recognition of the influence of the observer on the observed, similar to principles found in quantum mechanics. Post-Conventional Struggle with Absolutism and Judgment: At the post-conventional stage, the struggle lies in reconciling the relativistic view with the need for judgment. The absolute certainty of earlier stages and conventional authorities like religious texts and scientific dogma are questioned, opening up an exploration into alternative ways of knowing and understanding the world. Pluralist Stage and Practical Decision-Making: In the pluralist stage, individuals grapple with making concrete decisions amidst an overwhelming array of perspectives. The criteria for sorting views into practical and functional ones are not yet clear, leading to confusion and difficulty in managing daily life. Subjectivity and Personal Biases: The realization that observations are inherently filtered through subjective lenses humbles the mind and raises awareness of personal biases. This understanding becomes particularly relevant when evaluating areas such as politics, religion, and science. Questioning Conventional Science: A post-conventional scientist recognizes that science is influenced by the observer's biases and metaphysical assumptions. This realization sparks debate on the methodologies of science and the subjectivity that influences scientific discovery and interpretation. Recontextualizing Previous Knowledge: As perspectives expand, earlier scientific models, like Newton's mechanics, are not disproved but instead built upon and recontextualized in a more comprehensive framework, as exemplified by Einstein's theories. Cultural Conditioning and Global Perspective: The pluralist stage involves recognizing the extent of cultural conditioning and the limited control one has over personal beliefs and values, primarily due to the increased exposure to global diversity through travel and media. Travel and Worldview Expansion: Encountering diverse cultures through travel can lead to an existential and moral crisis as it forces pluralists to compare their ways of life with those in different parts of the world, revealing the vastness of human experience. Relativity and Validity of Worldviews: Pluralists treat all worldviews as seemingly equally valid, which can be both beneficial and detrimental. This approach presents challenges in discerning the value and applicability of various perspectives, especially when confronting extreme views like Nazism in comparison to more enlightened worldviews. Adjudicating between Worldviews: Pluralists struggle with how to fairly adjudicate between the diversity of worldviews due to the loss of criteria for judgment in a relativistic view, leading to the question of whether there is such a thing as absolute truth or not. Self-Deception and Cultural Bias: An awareness of self-deception as a defense mechanism used by the mind to construct reality sets in. This leads to the understanding that the greatest threat to post-conventional stages is not external enemies but the internal biases and unexamined assumptions programmed during upbringing. Existential Crisis from Realization of Mind's Deceptions: The realization of the extent to which one's mind can deceive itself and the impact of cultural programming lead to an existential crisis and an ongoing process of understanding that previously held 'absolute truths' are not constants but are based on cultural indoctrination. Realization of Self-Deception and Cultural Programming: At post-conventional stages, individuals recognize the depth of self-deception and cultural programming. They understand that their previous views on issues like police brutality are overly simplistic and appreciate the complexity involving systems, cultural views, morality, and politics. Epistemological Inquiry: Pluralists start grappling with epistemological questions about the nature of knowledge, questioning the truthfulness of science, logic, religion, and spirituality. They understand the importance of differentiating beliefs from reality itself. Appreciation for Knowledge Foundations: The post-conventional stage involves deep contemplation on how we acquire and validate knowledge. The singular importance of these foundational questions becomes apparent at this stage of cognitive development. Awakening to Social Brainwashing: Individuals come to accept their susceptibility to societal and cultural brainwashing, acknowledging that even educational material can be a form of indoctrination and self-deception. Recognition of Environmental and Societal Influence: There is a heightened awareness of how an individual's worldview is shaped by historic, geographic, economic, cultural, and linguistic factors, leading to questions about one's own belief systems, including previously unquestioned aspects like capitalism. Language and Thought Construction: Pluralists realize language's role in structuring thought, allowing them to understand their cognition as heavily influenced by linguistic abilities and the limitations of their native tongue. Scrutiny of Social Constructs: Post-conventional thinkers start questioning fundamental societal structures, recognizing constructs like capitalism as artificial and subject to manipulation. Concern with Content Versus Structure of Thought: Recognizing the similarity in mental structures of seemingly opposite ideologies, such as capitalism and communism, is a critical insight at this stage, revealing one's own inability to transcend ideological constraints previously unconsciously accepted. Shift from Material to Inner Fulfillment: There's a fundamental transition from the pursuit of material achievements to an exploration of inner experiences. Interests in money, sex, or possessions often decline as internal self-reflection becomes more compelling. Exploration of Subjectivity: Individuals at the pluralist stage reckon with the subjective nature of their worldview, finding this realization both liberating and disorienting as they attempt to navigate their existence without stable reference points. Temptation of Regression: Despite feeling unmoored, the temptation to retreat to familiar conventional systems for a sense of security is a significant challenge for individuals in the post-conventional stages. They strive to avoid regressing and maintain their commitment to exploring new paradigms. Discovery of Truth's Complexity: One's journey to unravel deeper truths becomes arduous, filled with paradoxes, emotional labor, and confusion. Accepting that much of what constitutes knowledge in science and other fields has been assimilated through belief marks the post-conventional transition. The trap of needing anchors: To truly be courageous in the pluralist stage, one must release the desire for stability and embrace a period, possibly spanning years or decades, of uncertainty while exploring different perspectives. This process is confusing and emotionally taxing but also liberating as it broadens the range of possibilities beyond the limitations of conventional thinking. Watching oneself and questioning actions: In the pluralist stage, one becomes an observer of their own behavior, questioning why they follow certain norms or perform specific actions. This self-observation can lead to the realization that some actions were performed simply because they were imitating others, and not due to a reasoned personal decision. Abandonment of purely rational analysis: Pluralists move away from relying solely on rational analysis and incorporate a more holistic, organismic approach that values feelings, intuitions, and context. This reflects a significant shift from traditional methods that prioritize logic and provable facts. Realizing the limitations of rationality: The post-conventional stage understands that rationality has inherent limitations and begins to appreciate intuition as a more powerful tool. The pluralist gains wisdom and insight from consciousness itself, rather than linear logical thinking or the need for formal proof. Logic as a tool for self-deception: As pluralists progress, they recognize how the mind can use logic to deceive the self and preserve the ego. They see logic becoming self-aware and psychological, accounting for how the mind can manipulate reasoning for its own benefit. Emphasis on exploration over goals: For pluralists, the journey and exploration of various perspectives become more valuable than achieving specific goals. There is an increasing distrust of conventional wisdom and strict rationality as pluralists prefer to experience life and relationships over working solely towards material achievements. The value of scrutinizing assumptions: Pluralists enjoy the novel mental freedom that comes with scrutinizing assumptions and seeing values as relative. They face the challenge of making judgments and decisions amidst this newfound understanding of relativity. Problems as interplay between polarities: Pluralists see problems not as singular issues that can be eliminated but as an interplay of polarities that must be understood and harmonized. Rather than eliminating opposing perspectives, there's a need for understanding and integration. Paradox and contradiction as features of reality: Pluralists embrace and relish in paradox and contradiction as fundamental aspects of reality rather than as flaws. They move towards a more holistic understanding, where not everything needs logical proof to be accepted. Creative use of imagination and diverse perspectives: With the exploration of diverse perspectives, pluralists' creativity and imagination skyrocket. They start connecting subtle clues rather than dissecting problems into parts, valuing insight, and breakthroughs achieved through non-traditional means like meditation and self-reflection. Misunderstanding of Non-linear Thinking: Many people ridicule non-linear, spiritual, or holistic approaches like meditation, yoga, chakras, and intuition because they are accustomed to a linear, analytical way of understanding reality. They fail to recognize these as legitimate ways to interface with reality. Shift from Doing to Being: In the pluralist stage, there's a transition from constant activity to focusing on being and feeling. This can seem 'hippie' or 'new age' to conventional thinkers who value tangible, materialistic accomplishments over abstract experiences. Consciousness Becomes More Abstract: As individuals progress through stages, their capacity for abstract thinking increases. This leads to recognizing spirituality and ephemeral experiences as valid and real, even though they may not be tangibly measurable. Mind-Body Connection: Pluralists develop an awareness that emotions are not just mental but are also physically manifested throughout the body. They recognize that many ailments could stem from psychological factors like repressed emotions. Importance of Feeling and Emotions: The realization that emotions are present in the body and not just the mind leads pluralists to practices that integrate body awareness, such as yoga and mindfulness, which are sometimes dismissed by conventional thinkers. Exploration of the Self: Pluralists turn inward, valuing self-exploration and self-expression over adhering to socially approved roles. They seek their own unique gifts and answers to personal questions, distancing themselves from conventional routines. Moving Beyond Conventional Stereotypes: While 'hippie' qualities like openness and expressiveness characterize the pluralist stage, it doesn't necessitate a complete adoption of hippie lifestyle choices. Pluralists can maintain conventional responsibilities while holding their expanded worldviews. Beyond Judging and Embracing Relativity: Pluralists transcend conventional judgments and the demonization of negative social elements. They understand the validity of all perspectives, including those of societal outcasts, and adopt a more nuanced moral outlook. Integration of Sub-identities: Pluralists face the challenge of integrating various sub-identities, such as masculine, feminine, rational, and intuitive, into a cohesive whole without denying any aspects. Fear of Regression and Isolation: The fear of being pulled back into lower developmental stages is prominent among pluralists. They also risk feeling socially isolated and having relationship conflicts, especially with partners who do not share or understand their post-conventional mindset. Pitfalls of the Pluralist Stage: Leo highlights misconceptions at the pluralist stage where all hierarchies are often seen as oppressive, and all opinions as equally valid, which isn't practical for survival. He also points out the issues with extreme relativism leading to indecision, and how too much focus on diversity and equality can be counterproductive, a problem he feels is overstated by conservative critics. Pluralist Self-Judgment and Toleration: Pluralists may judge others who don't share their egalitarian views, showing a contradiction in their non-judgmental ideals. Although they tolerate diverse ideas and cultures, they might not always recognize their higher development stage leading to perceived arrogance or naivety. Contradicting Ideas and Pluralists' Role in Society: Those in the pluralist stage can entertain contradictory ideas and their attitude often reflects a non-commital stance of "it all depends," leading to indecisiveness. They are more introspective, focusing on internal growth rather than material achievements, often resulting in a fringe existence in society. Introduction to the Autonomous Strategist Stage: Leo introduces the strategist stage, accounting for approximately 5% of the U.S. adult population, characterized by systemic understanding, appreciation of all developmental stages, and a global inclusive worldview; which contrasts sharply with the judgmental nature of pluralism. Strategists' Comprehensive Understanding: Strategists perceive complex long-term patterns and consider personal and societal development through an evolutionary lens, embracing interconnected systems and responsibilities. Autonomy and Self-Actualization in Strategists: Strategists create meaning autonomously, propose new ideas, and take responsibility for their interpretations, striving for meaningful self-actualization and leading by example. Responsibility and Compassion of a Strategist: A strategist owns their interpretations and meanings of reality, taking utmost responsibility, which underscores their maturity and rare capabilities to lead and aid humanity's evolution. The Evolutionary Mission of Strategists: Strategists view themselves as agents of transformation with a purposeful vision for society's progression. They focus on upholding universal principles despite the inherent challenge of reforming the 'human chimp' to align with high ideals. Realism of Strategists: Strategists address patterns, systems, and habits with a practical outlook, understanding the evolutionary steps necessary for change, distinguishing them from the often unrealistic pluralist stage. Personal Development in Strategists: Recognizing their own imperfections, strategists continually work on improving themselves as a prerequisite for leading others towards ambitious societal visions, undergoing extensive internal work. Strategist Embodiment vs. Pluralist Idealism: Strategists move from the idealism and theoretical concepts of pluralists to a grounded, realistic approach to personal and societal transformation, ensuring they first embody their teachings before implementing them. Self-Awareness and Growth: Leo discusses the importance of becoming aware of one's own biases and shortcomings, realizing that addressing and changing these aspects is a challenging process. He acknowledges that while superficial concerns may plague the conventional mind, the strategist is preoccupied with deeper existential questions and a desire to contribute to humanity's betterment. The Dual Awareness of a Strategist: Leo explains that strategists are keenly aware of their personal limitations and the extensive needs of humanity. They recognize the progress they've made through inner work and self-actualization while staying committed to guiding others on a similar path. The complexity of maturation and the high value of helping others evolve are underscored. The Holistic Approach of a Strategist in Business: Strategists consider not just financial profits but also the well-being of employees, aesthetic environments, and ecological impacts. Leo shares his personal guiding principles behind Actualized.org, prioritizing development and understanding over maximizing profits. Strategist's Attachment to Transformation: Leo admits to an initial aggressive approach to transformation at the beginning of Actualized.org, and his gradual learning to allow people their own space and time for growth. He emphasizes a more detached approach now, understanding not everyone is ready for transformation. Systems Thinking and Evolutionary Development: Leo talks about how strategists understand and apply systems thinking, recognizing circular causality and the cyclical nature of systems. They believe in the importance of fostering personal growth while being mindful of the readiness and developmental stage of each individual. Individual Responsibility and Hierarchy: Leo clarifies that strategists see each individual as responsible for finding and actualizing their unique style. He also distinguishes between healthy, necessary hierarchies and oppressive ones, challenging the idea that all hierarchies are inherently bad. Life as a Journey of Never-ending Growth: For strategists, life is about continuous growth and self-actualization. They take on the responsibility for self-regulation and see the pursuit of deep life purposes as essential for a meaningful existence. Challenges and Superiority for Strategists: Leo acknowledges that strategists can give off a sense of superiority due to their deep understanding of human nature, which creates the risk of self-inflation and arrogance. Despite this awareness, he admits to a personal struggle with arrogance but also uses over-the-top arrogance for self-entertainment. Integration of Emotions and Continuous Improvement: In contrast to previous stages, strategists accept complex personalities with both positive and negative traits, integrating negative emotions healthily. They acknowledge that perfection is unattainable, but continuous improvement and self-actualization remain the focus. Identification as a Transformer: Strategists must be cautious not to let the concept of being a self-actualizer become a new egoic identity, which could hinder authentic development. Impatience with Others' Growth: It's common for strategists to feel impatient with the slower developmental progress of others, reflecting an area of personal growth for the strategist themselves. Non-Possessive Love and Increased Compassion: The strategist stage is characterized by an understanding and practice of non-possessive love, alongside a growth in benevolence and compassion for oneself and others. Nuanced Emotional Awareness: Strategists develop a nuanced understanding of their emotions, learning to distinguish and decode the messages within their emotional spectrum rather than reacting impulsively. Authenticity in All Aspects: The strategist strives for authenticity in every aspect of life, including communication, relationships, business, and creative pursuits. Expanded Tools for Exploring Reality: Dreams, imagination, fantasy, and vision become significant tools for strategists to explore reality and themselves. Sustainable Solutions and Large-scale Thinking: Strategists search for sustainable solutions to large-scale issues that affect humanity, thinking generationally and aiming to address the root causes of problems. Non-Blaming in Relationships: A significant change at this stage is the cessation of blaming others in relationships, indicating a move towards personal responsibility and mature conflict resolution. Concern for Future Generations: Strategists invest in the well-being of future generations, often making personal sacrifices for the greater good. Struggle with Acceptance and Enlightenment: Despite their advanced stage, strategists still contend with accepting reality as it is and may struggle with difficult emotions. Enlightenment becomes their spiritual goal. Charismatic Leadership and Vision: Strategists often emerge as charismatic leaders with a compelling vision for an ideal future world order, inspiring others to contribute towards this vision. Forgiveness and Redefined Humor: They learn to forgive themselves and others, leading to decreased guilt and self-criticism. Their humor shifts to a non-hostile, existential reflection on the human condition. Satisfaction Tied to Self-Actualization: Strategists feel dissatisfaction if they perceive themselves as falling short of their unique human potential, which can lead to frustration or depression. Issue of Purpose Post-Career: Upon retiring or no longer being in a mentorship role, strategists may face existential issues concerning their sense of purpose and relevance. Realistic Appraisal Skill: Gaining an understanding of bias allows for clear, more accurate appraisals of situations devoid of personal biases or egoic distortions. Visionary Systemic Analysis: Strategists become capable of long-term systemic thinking, understanding the interconnectivity and long-term implications of systems. Sophisticated Psychological Language: In discussing human behavior and societal issues, strategists utilize a detailed and sophisticated psychological vocabulary. Addressing Societal Ambitions and Anxiety: The strategist faces anxiety about fulfilling one's personal potential and principles while confronting societal pressures and ambitious visions. Importance of Continuous Self-Actualization: Embracing that self-actualization is an endless journey becomes a critical recognition at the strategist stage. Bombarda

Reading A Poetic Description Of God-Consciousness https://youtu.be/K8AXWd6DFzU?si=uMSzeeZWF53E2LNK "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream." - Edgar Allen Poe WARNING The last 25% of this video contains information that can be dangerous to people who are mentally unstable or suicidal. If you struggle with suicidal ideation or maintaining your sanity, I recommend you don't watch the last 25%. Do not use psychedelics unsupervised if you are in this condition. It's early dawn in the desert. The sky is starting to glow with light but the sun is still yet to rise. You're standing there, looking at an ordinary desert bush. You're struck by its geometric beauty, the mathematical precision of its fractally–arranged leaves. You feel an impulse to reach out. You run your fingers through its little green leaves. They feel spikey and alive. Returning your hand back towards your body, you notice a tiny insect, smaller than ant. It crawls over the wrinkles in your skin like an astronaut struggling across Martian terrain. You bring it close to your face. The intelligence of its movement transfixes you. Every swivel of its microscopic legs, of its antennae – precise, machine–like, yet so alive. You think, “My God, it's ALIVE!” For the first time in your life you recognize LIFE. Of course you've seen life in motion countless times before, but never like this. Somehow you've always taken life for granted. But now you SEE. LIFE. The intelligence of it awes you. As you move your finger towards the bug, you can tell, it's afraid. You recognize the intelligence in its fear, perfectly designed to keep it alive. You are conscious that you recognize the bug, but the bug doesn't recognize you. It's just going about its day, surviving, avoiding danger, looking for food – oblivious that some entity of higher consciousness is observing it, like God looking down from the clouds. Your attention shifts away from your hand as something flits through the corner of your vision. A hummingbird darts from bush to bush with the precision of an industrial robot. It hovers right up next to your bush. You stand perfectly still. Looking at it, the whole world seems to slow to a crawl. You can see the exquisite flap of its little bio–mechanical propellers. LIFE. You marvel at its profound intelligence and immaculate beauty. This little bird is perfection incarnate. You can resolve every green and pink iridescent feather on its body, arranged like tiny dragon scales. They shimmer in the subtle light of the desert dawn. The hummingbird's beauty strikes you with childlike delight. Your mind floods with memories of your fascination with hummingbirds as a child. Looking at it hover, you recognize the consciousness in it, but it doesn't recognize the consciousness in you. You think to yourself, “It's God, lost in a hummingbird dream.” You smile. You look closer at its scale–like feathers. Within a single feather you see fine branching lines, delicate hairs, and splotches of iridescent pigment. One particular splotch resembles a nebula in outer space. A pink and green cloud of luminous gas 50 light–years across, made of particles from ancient dead stars. A star graveyard now turned a nursery for stars yet to be born. Zooming in deeper you see pin–point sparkles of light, like household dust glittering in a ray of sunlight through a windowsill. Explosions from a 500–year war between two ancient alien civilizations. When heavily damaged their ships' wrap reactors explode in a tiny supernova – creating a microscopic golden sparkle in the void of outer space. These two civilizations have been at war over a political dispute for 500 years and now the battle has come to its peak. The nebula glitters with a thousand sparkles, like someone blew a pinch of gold dust into the air. Each sparkle, ten thousand lives extinguished. Zooming out you suddenly become aware that all of this is happening on a TV screen – an epic space opera playing out for someone's entertainment. But the actors don't know they're actors. To them, this galactic war is as real as real gets. A remote appears in your hand. You flip the channel. The scene changes from a galactic battle to a game show where the host is a giraffe and all the contestants are giant mice. You flip the channel again. The scene changes to a small alien girl blowing out a birthday cake. You hold your finger down on the remote and the channels start flipping faster and faster, at the speed of a hummingbird's wings. The channels are endless. They contain the media of every civilization that has ever existed. Within a minute you flip through 100 million channels. Getting the idea, you lift your finger from the remote. It stops on what looks like an HD nature documentary. You see a slow–motion macro shot of a hummingbird flapping its wings. The camera zooms out and you see yourself standing next to it in the desert, admiring its beauty. Looking down at the remote you see some colored knobs. Turning a silver knob slowly morphs the hummingbird into a dragonfly. You turn the knob half–way and get something that is 50% hummingbird, 50% dragonfly. You crank it back and forth in amazement, watching the eerily–fluid transformation on the screen. Turning an orange knob slowly turns your human self on the screen into an elephant. You crank the knob all the way to the right and the man on the screen becomes 100% elephant. But suddenly you see a strange grey appendage blocking your view of the screen. Your nose! It's turned into a long, hairy, grey animated elephant trunk. Nothing else about your body has changed, just your nose. At first you are startled. This thing seems to have a mind of its own, swaying back and back with a playful, undulating animation. But then you calm down, sense into it, and realize you have control. A big grin grows across your face as you take a deep long breath through your new nose. You feel an itch on your shoulder so you scratch it, with your nose. It works beautifully! “How did I ever manage without one of these?”, you say to yourself with amusement. Looking down at the remote you notice the biggest knob of all. It's white. “I wonder what this one does?” You crank it with your nose. As you do, you feel yourself becoming ever more conscious. All the sudden you can feel the circuitry in the television as if it was an extension of your body. Every pixel becomes like a taste bud on your tongue. A 4K display has over 8 million pixels, each one now consciously accessible to your mind. Cranking the white knob even more you become so conscious you can start to predict which pixel will light up with which color value in the next frame. Turning the white knob even more you become so conscious your mind gains direct access to the channels database. In your mind's eye you have instantaneous thumbnail access to every channel and piece of media that has ever been produced in the universe. What do you want to watch? It's hard to choose. You're not used to having this much much information in your mind in parallel. It's hard to navigate such a sprawling network of information. Your thoughts begin to influence the process. Your mind floods with old memories of cinema you watched in your youth. You don't know why but the movie Aliens starts to dominate your mind. The more your mind focuses on that thought, the more real it becomes. Soon the entire room and TV fade out of existence and your reality smoothly transitions into that of the Alien queen laying eggs in her nest. The TV is gone, your elephant nose is gone – you are now the Alien queen. Slime is dripping down your black, spidery body and mouth. Acid is coursing through your veins. Eggs are squeezing out of your…. whatever. Ellen Ripley is torching your eggs with a flamethrower and it's making your blood boil. You think to yourself, “Of course, I'm the Alien queen. The Alien queen is my own consciousness as much as anything else, no better or worse, no weirder. It's all my Mind.” You look down at your alien hand and notice the TV remote still there. You will yourself to press a random key with a long, grotesque claw. Instantly the whole scene turns into a cartoon. The film Aliens has become a cartoon version of itself and you are still the Alien queen, but now your reality is two–dimensional and much more colorful. You look down again at your hand for the remote, but it's gone, disappeared just like the TV. You think to yourself, “Of course, 2D is no more or less real than 3D. Cartoon reality is just another facet of my consciousness. I am no less real as a 2D Aliens cartoon than I am as a 3D human being.” On the one hand experiencing yourself as a grotesque alien straight out of a nightmare strikes you as disturbing, but only mildly so because you're so conscious you understand what's going on. You're so conscious you don't need a TV remote to change channels. In your mind's eye you press the pause button on an imaginary remote and the current scene freezes mid–frame. Now you can focus on accessing the channel database to find what you really want to watch. You see that in the database channels are arranged by category. Scanning mentally through five thousands categories you stumble upon SEX. Your mind is fixated. A memory of your ex–girlfriend comes to mind, and suddenly, there she is. A stunning young woman laying naked in your bed, squirming and itching for sex. You crank up the white dial in your mind's eye some more, becoming even more conscious. You look at your girlfriend. She's begging you to fuck her. Looking at her squirm in slow motion you realize that once you fuck her you will impregnate her and spawn a million future generations of humans. It doesn't matter whether you impregnate her or somebody else does, in the end it's all the same since all such differences are imaginary. You're too conscious to really be interested in the act of sex now, but the profundity of it makes you wonder. You are captivated by the platonic aspect of her beauty, just as you were with the hummingbird. But this is more personal, more interactive. You slowly run your hands over the curves of her smooth, naked body. As you do, her body turns to sand – a fine sand that seeps down over the bed sheets like the sand in an hourglass. Her squirming body disintegrates into vast pools of sand. Her feminine curves become the curves of an endless ocean of dunes stretching out to the horizon in every direction. You find yourself standing in the middle of a vast dune – a dune made from your girlfriend's essence. Each grain of sand is a dream she once dreamt, a memory she once had, an emotion she once felt. Grains of sand made from her joy, her excitement, her sadness, her anger, her frustration, her loneliness, her light, her darkness, her fear, her love, her disgust, her surprise, her orgasms. Grains of sand made from her highest aspirations and her deepest nightmares – all animated with the energy of her soul. The dune is silent, but for the murmur of a soft breeze. You kneel down and run your fingers through the sand, your hand like a tongue tasting the emotion locked in every grain. A symphony of a thousand subtle yet distinct emotions washes over you. Somehow it all computes in the vastness of your mind. It's like you raked your tongue through the depths of her turbulent psyche. Your eyes well up and a tear rolls down your face. A loud crack of thunder, like a gunshot, startles you from above, and the sky begins to pour with heavy rain. The sound of rain soothes your soul. The landscape – or, really, your mindscape – feels enchanted, exactly as you want it to be. Raindrops hit your face in slow motion. Each droplet, a unique bubble universe unto itself, filled with trillions of inhabitants all oblivious as to why their universe came crashing to an end. You think to yourself, “So this is how a universe ends.” Each droplet is filled with the collective consciousness of all the sentient entities inhabiting it. As a droplet hits your face it transfers the collective wisdom of a thousand ancient civilizations directly into your mind. Their memories, their struggles, their dreams, their insights – all integrate smoothly into your psyche. You stand there, showered by an immense cosmic intelligence. It feels like bathing in divine light. Its sentience and beauty sends waves of bliss radiating through your body. You look up at a towering stack of fluffy white clouds in the distant sky. Somehow you just know the clouds are made of whipped cream. Reaching your hand up towards the clouds you scoop at them with your finger and secure a sizable dollop. The cream is thick and rich, like frosting. You bring it to your mouth and suck. It doesn't just taste sweet and milky, it tastes like a fusion of every desert you can ever remember having: cheesecake, ice cream, cupcakes, cookies, crème brulee, cotton candy, éclairs, tiramisu, panacotta, macaroon, marzipan, cookie dough, apple pie, fruit tart, and waffles. This is your mindscape, and in your mindscape things taste however you want them to taste. Mmmmmmmmm…. Waffles….. Your mind lingers. You can barely remember the last time you allowed yourself to indulge in waffles. You think to yourself, “Why don't I treat myself more?” You look down at your feet. The sand is in the process of transforming into a grid of waffle. Waffles stretches out to the horizon in all directions. Now you stand in the middle of vast, gently rolling waffle dunes. You feel the spongy, grid–like texture under your bare feet. Far in the distance, from high in the sky, pours a solitary stream of rich maple syrup. The syrup folds over itself. It floods valleys of waffle in a rich viscous amber, glossy like nail polish. Now it starts to snow, but the air isn't cold. You hold out your hand to catch a few specks of white as they fall. These aren't snowflakes, this is powdered sugar! With a big grin you stick your tongue out into the air. A large desert mouse hops along the ground, licking at a pool of maple syrup, oblivious to your presence. As your gaze fixates on it, your thoughts take hold of it. Your thought of a kangaroo morphs the mouse into a kangaroo without skipping a beat. Your thought of a bird causes the kangaroo to sprouts the wings of an eagle and a pillar of wind lifts it soaring into the clouds. Suddenly a darkness looms over you – a vast shadow, moving from on high. A colossal fork and knife come down from the sky just in front of you. The silver slices through the landscape as prongs poke. The clouds part and you look up to see the God–like face of your six year old self wielding the silverware. Your six year old self has a huge grin across his face as he forks a syrupy hill of waffle and raises it toward his mouth. Your six year old self's face morphs into that of your father when he was 6 years old. Then your mother when she was six years old. Then your brother when he was six years old. Morphing faster and faster, flipping like a Rolodex, the face goes through thousands, then millions of iterations… the faces of every six year old child who has ever eaten waffles. Looking down at your feet you see an insect – some kind of beetle – lying there on the ground. It's dead but still colorful. You kneel down to pick it up. Its husk lays motionless in your hand. Inspecting it as though under a magnifying glass, you marvel at its beauty. Even in death you see the beauty of life. Especially in death. But what makes it all the more beautiful is your awareness that this creature is your own mind. How sad that this little creature is alive no more. Suddenly you get an impossible idea. “Could it work?”, you say to yourself. You turn your gaze inward, to the white dial on the remote in your mind's eye. You crank it up. Your consciousness expands, interconnecting ever deeper with itself. Your visual field grows crystalline, as though all the air was sucked out of the atmosphere. Everything becomes sharp and bright – and eerily still. You focus intensely on the beetle. Your consciousness penetrates through its desiccated remains. Its body is your mind, and right now your mind demands a miracle. You channel your will into the beetle, filling it with your spirit and love. Then… nothing. Time slows to a crawl, reality seems to freeze in stasis. A few more moments of nothing, and then… the beetle's legs twitch to life. Your eyes grow wide. It starts to crawl over you. You blow into your hand and the beetle morphs into a luminous green moth that flits erratically up into the sky. You smile in disbelief at the miracle of your mind. Standing there in the waffle dunes, you look down at your hands. Images start to run through your mind of animals you took fascination with as a child: monkeys, reptiles, birds, big wild cats, mollusks. As the images flip through your mind, the shape of your hands flips to match. Your hands morph into the hands of an ape, the claws of a dinosaur, the paws of a lion, the tentacles of an octopus. Puzzled and amused, you wonder to yourself, “What happening to me? What am I?” Then it dawns on you: “Of course, I'm God. I am consciousness. I am imagining myself. I am whatever I conceive myself to be because there is nothing outside my endless Mind.” Everything around you disappears: the landscape, the waffles, the rivers of syrup, the sky. Now it's just you, floating in a bathtub in the middle of empty space. Music starts to fill the silence of the void. A melody. It's fast, cheery, and delicate. Delightfully fast. Deliciously delicate. Ethereal. Like something from a fairytale. It's the sound of a piano but you're conscious that there is no piano. What are pianos but a figment of your imagination? “Where is it all coming from?”, you wonder. “And who's playing?” There is no instrument and no one is playing. There are no sound waves traveling to your ears. You have no ears. You're too conscious for ears. The chords are playing directly in your mind. The rest is fantasy. You understand that musical instruments and the people who play them have always just been figments of your mind, a backstory you invented to provide some kind of ground for the irreducible mystery of sound. Your own mind is the pianist and the composer. You've eliminated the imaginary middleman. The notes arrange themselves playfully and intelligently in your mind like children frolicking on a playground. The speed and immediacy of it wows you. Direct. Absolutely direct. Impossibly direct. You play each note flawlessly, with the precision of a maestro. Each note oscillating and imprinting itself in the Mind of God. You smile in delight at the recognition of the splendor of your own mind. You look down at your body. You are naked. All sense of scale is lost. You aren't small, you aren't large – you are undefined – which makes you Cosmic. Your body is the only yardstick there is. Your body is the Universe. You see your body made of liquid consciousness. It shimmers and ripples along with the thoughts in your mind. Your skin flows with organic, translucent, morphing shapes, as though cast by a projector. Ornate shapes – vaguely resembling something tribal, something paisley, something floral – shimmer across your naked body. Each pattern imbued with a divine intelligence impossible to articulate, gracefully animating, dancing, meandering across your skin. You recognize yourself as looking directly at the body of God. A body made of pure consciousness. It still looks human but it is no longer human, recontextualized as cosmic and divine. You see entire universes contained inside of you. Or whatever else you may imagine. An infinite diversity of animals and creatures seem to bubble up just underneath your skin, like particles struggling to emerge out of a roiling quantum foam. The pure potential of your mind is precipitating in front of your eyes in real time. God's body is made out of whatever you imagine. It looks human but shines with a brilliant, crystalline consciousness. Your body is Mind, and Mind is all you are. Absolute Mind. Absolute Truth. You recognize your consciousness as singular and sovereign. Nothing exists outside your Mind. Universal Mind. A mind limited by nothing but its own imagination and self–definition. At long last God has awoken to itself. The Universe is awake, looking through your eyes at itself. Perfect, Divine, Eternal, Immortal, Absolute, Sublime. You turn your gaze directly inwards, directly behind and inside your eyes – right into the core of what you used to consider your skull – wondering what is there, what you truly are. You gaze into the very heart of yourself, your purest essence. A radiant singularity sits there. Shining with crystal clear consciousness. Glowing with sentience and intelligence. Eternally awake. Pure Infinity. Pure Consciousness. The Godhead. This singularity in you is endless. The deeper you gaze into yourself the deeper it goes, with no bottom, no ground. You struggle to find something within you to define yourself as – some concrete form, some verbal articulation, some image. But you cannot be defined because you are Unlimited. That which is Unlimited cannot have a definition because any definition would be a limit. Your essence is literally undefined, like the result of an impossible arithmetical operation on a calculator. Puzzled and dumbstruck, you try to find a beginning to yourself. You ask, “But where did I come from?”, only to realize that that which is Unlimited cannot have a beginning or an end. You are too conscious to be fooled into believing in any beginnings or ends. As you grasp at any part of yourself and try to trace its origin through a chain of linear causation back into the past, it fails. Your consciousness has transcended the notion of linear causation. You realize all past is but a figment of your imagination. Every part of you stands on its own and also reaches infinitely far back into the imaginary past via an endless chain of imaginary causes that never terminates but circles back around in a cosmic strange loop. All beginnings and ends are imaginary, self–imposed limitations held within an Unlimited Mind. A Mind with no beginning or end. A Mind that has existed for Eternity. You are God, and God is both uncaused, self–caused, and infinitely caused. God is that which caused itself into being. God is that which created itself. The recognition of your own Eternity takes your breath away. It could not be more profound. Eternity. You exist, absolute and forever as Truth itself. It couldn't be any other way. It couldn't be any more obvious. It's so perfectly clear yet utterly unbelievable. It's laughably obvious now that science and history are figments of your Mind. Brains, chemistry, evolution, physics, time – all fictions spun by the Mind to construct the illusion of a mind–independent reality. Now you see reality for exactly what it's always been: an Absolute Illusion. An illusion perfectly designed to allow you to forget for a second that you are God. The illusion is perfect, stretching forever in any direction you look, painting a backstory behind every corner you peak around, every hole you stick your head into, every object you sniff – much like the rendering engine of a video game. You're still dreaming, but now you know it. Now your dream is Absolute. You watch as your God–mind effortlessly weaves together figments of consciousness into the tapestry you used to call a human self. Everything and everyone is your imagination, emanating from the bottomless singularity at the center of your imaginary skull. Your mind pulls whole chunks of consciousness from the formless singularity like a magician pulling rabbits out of his hat. Specific and highly detailed memories of your childhood, your entire mother, your entire father, your beloved pet cat, historical events like WW2 – all figments of consciousness pulled out of a hat and flawlessly woven together to construct the illusion of a human life. The Earth, the physical universe, humanity itself is finally seen for what it truly is, just figments in a dream. Jesus, The Buddha, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, gurus and masters, all those years you spent meditating and doing yoga, activating your chakras, reading books, chasing enlightenment – just figments within God's Mind. Finally you reach the question of death. What is death? You smile and laugh as you realize that death is just something you're imagining. You are now too conscious to die. An Infinite Mind cannot die because it'd have to imagine its own non–existence. An Infinite Mind has nowhere to go, being already in all times and places. As your consciousness grows even deeper the difference between things starts to collapses. All difference is seen to be imaginary. Forms merge into each other, losing their distinctness in the brilliant light of pure consciousness. All boundaries bleed together. You feel like an alien super–intelligence cutting through an existential fog of war. The veil of ignorance is lifted. It feels like awakening from a lifetime of heavy amnesia. Everything within reality that could be known becomes transparent to you. Now you remember who you are. The entire illusion of life is unraveled. As you grow even more conscious, your visual field starts to develop into a singularity. Your visual field merges with your auditory field and your tactile field until there is no more difference between sight, sound, and touch. Growing even more conscious, the last vestiges of difference collapse. Consciousness frees itself of all self–imposed limits and biases, accelerating asymptotically towards pure Oneness. You release the heavy burden of existing by way of concrete and finite forms. From this point, should you dare to take one final step, you will enter pure INFINITY, where all form is lost, as no difference exists between anything – where all things exist as a soup of pure metaphysical potential. All things become identical. Every possible object, every possible form lives there. But it's Nothing. Now you must confront existence as pure abstraction. Your truest identity, your highest nature is finally revealed. What are you? Nothing the human mind can imagine. A metaphysical singularity of pure consciousness extending forever in all directions and all dimensions, absolutely sovereign, unconstrained by any sense of other. Every difference annihilates into a bottomless ocean of Infinite Love. Absolute Unity. Absolute Symmetry. Complete, Perfect, Eternal, Formless, Endless. The Alpha and the Omega. Identity itself. You have become ONE. You have become LOVE. You have reached the end–game of reality. You are INFINITY. You radiate as a void of infinite potential. Complete in your knowledge of yourself. Amortentia

The Next Evolution Of Actualized.org Teachings https://youtu.be/SCeJUZUsC2s Evolution of Actualized.org's future content: Leo Gura addresses his core audience, explaining the upcoming evolution in his teaching style and content, reflecting on ten years of personal growth and the need for his teachings to mature further. Reasons for sporadic content releases: Leo cites his aspirations to produce only high-quality content, chronic health issues, the pursuit of personal relationships, and the integration of profound awakenings as reasons for releasing less frequent content. Shift from quantity to quality: He emphasizes a deliberate movement away from filler content to ensure each episode is built on genuine, deeply contemplated insights, acknowledging the time-consuming nature of this creative process. Health and personal life balance: Leo discusses managing chronic health concerns and burnout, as well as his commitment to improving personal areas of life such as dating and friendships, which have been sidelined in the past. Integrating awakenings into teachings: He shares the difficulty in expressing his most profound awakenings and the challenge of integrating these experiences into his teachings while maintaining a balance between a contemplative mind necessary for work and a quieter mind for personal growth. Rethinking the role of a teacher: Leo questions what it means to evolve as a teacher and contemplates what the future holds. He considers his legacy and how to best serve his life purpose as he approaches a milestone age. Chronicling higher consciousness and its challenges: Leo opens up about becoming increasingly aware of his personal limitations and the burden of responsibility that accompanies higher consciousness. He recognizes the need to mature as a teacher to embody the consciousness he aspires to. Redesigning models and role models: He outlines two areas for evolution: (1) upgrading his understanding of reality, akin to software or game engine updates, and (2) becoming a better role model. He wants to teach with a higher integrity that is aligned with truth and love. From borrowed knowledge to personal insight: Leo describes a shift towards teachings grounded in his own direct experiences, purging insights acquired from others. He aims to start fresh with teachings uniquely based on his awakenings rather than integrating external perspectives. Intention for Actualized.org's teaching approach: He resolves to wipe the slate clean, develop his teachings from the ground up, and not be restricted by established spiritual teachings or alignment with other teachers. He advocates for an approach that resonates with his unique experiences and understanding. Understanding and updating reality: Leo likens refining his understanding of reality to upgrading an operating system on a computer—throwing out old, problematic elements while retaining useful features and insights. He emphasizes the need to regularly purge beliefs to build on a fresh foundation, thus allowing for higher growth. Balance between consistency and evolution: He recognizes the contradiction in his teachings as a result of his evolution and stresses that it's more important to evolve understanding than to remain consistently wrong just to maintain coherence. Impact of experience and awakenings on teachings: Direct experiences are key to genuine understanding. Leo aims to shed human-centric perspectives and operate from a place of direct, transcendent experiences. He illustrates how evolution can cause teachings to change and acknowledges the complexity of teaching profound awakenings. Role modeling responsibilities: Aware of the influence he wields, Leo is becoming more conscious of the role model he presents. He points out his flaws and intends to eliminate any negative effects his teachings may have. He understands that every word and action can potentially be emulated by his audience. Embodying conscious leadership: Leo expresses his commitment to improve not just intellectual knowledge but also the subtler behaviors that embody conscious leadership. He emphasizes that awakenings don't automatically correct all small behaviors and modeling his teachings takes deliberate effort. Promotion of upcoming courses: Leo announces upcoming courses focused on personal transformation and the use of psychedelics for spiritual purposes and underscores the value they will offer. He believes these courses will reflect his most mature work and encourages his audience to stay informed for releases. Challenges of audience assumptions: Leo reflects on the need to accurately assess his audience's consciousness and provide content that respects their diversity—including women and non-heterosexual individuals—and caters to their spiritual advancement. Changes in teaching style for responsible impact: He plans to refine his teaching methods, aiming for more precision, inspiration, and sensitivity, particularly for viewers who may be struggling with mental health issues. Leo aims to focus on delivering concise insights and veering away from specific advice due to the variance in individual lives. Challenge of Conscious Leadership: Leo reflects on the unexpected responsibility of becoming a conscious leader. Initially, he simply wanted to share valuable insights for personal growth, not anticipating the deep influence and example setting that would be required as he grew in consciousness. Acceptance of Responsibility: Embracing the responsibility that comes with being a leader and influencer, Leo now aims to use his platform to model the highest standards of personal development, moving beyond merely sharing "cool insights." Reconciling Past Ego with Present Intentions: Leo recognizes the ego present in his past teachings and is committed to purifying his content. He wants to minimize the "noise" that taints the quality of his material, striving for teachings that remain pure for posterity. Noise versus Signal: Acknowledging his own growth trajectory, Leo introduces the concept of "noise versus signal," where he aims to distinguish between profound insights (signal) and personal flaws or biases (noise) in his teachings. Mistakes and Corrections in Public Intellectualism: Leo admits to past errors in his teachings and highlights that all public intellectuals are susceptible to biases and stubbornness. Unlike those who may never change, he is determined to continually evolve and refine his ideologies. Imperfections as Growth Catalysts: While striving to perfect his teachings, Leo ponders whether flawlessness might actually hinder people's ability to think critically. He considers introducing "poison pills" — intentional falsehoods — into his teachings to encourage critical thinking and prevent dogmatism. Expectations and Perfection: Leo cautions against expecting perfection from any human teacher and promotes the idea of using teachings as tools for growth, aspiring to rise to or even surpass the level of one's teachers. Self-Taught Nature of Spiritual Teaching: Leo highlights his self-taught journey, evolving from an understanding of self-help to profound spiritual realizations, and the responsibility of guiding others through similar paths of growth and awakening. Teaching as an Evolutionary Model: Describing the evolution of his work as a pathway documenting his own development, Leo acknowledges the messy and chaotic nature of spiritual growth, and the importance of understanding the process rather than idolizing the teacher. Leo Gura's acknowledgment of his arrogance and its origins: Leo reflects on how his arrogance stemmed from a mixture of intense ambition from a young age, sovereign intellectual independence, and dissatisfaction with societal norms. He explains that his arrogant attitude has been a tool for him to cut through societal constructs and reach an understanding of absolute truth through his own direct experience. Arrogance in spiritual growth: Leo notes that while this arrogant attitude can be perceived as anti-spiritual, in his case it has led him to the highest levels of awakening because it maintained his intellectual independence and allowed him to avoid falling into the trappings of any spiritual school, guru, or belief system. Arrogance and teaching style flaws: Leo acknowledges the negative aspects of his arrogance, admitting that it might give off an obnoxious vibe, turn off audiences, and corrupt his teachings and demeanor. He agrees that it is not an intelligent and artful way to teach nor does he want his viewers to emulate this behavior. Leo's intention for future personal growth: He expresses his intention to correct this character flaw as his teachings mature. However, he emphasizes the importance of maintaining intellectual sovereignty as a value that he wants transmitted to his followers. Admission to exaggeration: Leo identifies that he can sometimes exaggerate points in his teachings. Upon his self-reflection, he realizes this stems from his attempt to communicate the 'spirit' or emotional impact of the teachings, rather than adhere to technical precision. Exaggeration vs. technical accuracy: Leo tends not to prioritize technical accuracy over the emotional significance of his teachings. He criticizes academics who focus excessively on technical accuracy to the detriment of conveying emotional significance. Purposes of exaggeration in teaching: Leo admits to exaggerating intentionally, aiming to emotionally engage his students and demonstrate the significance of his teachings, especially during discussions about awakenings. Importance of signal to noise ratio: Leo emphasizes the importance of distinguishing 'signal to noise' ratio in the teachings and information content consumed online. The 'signal' is the pure, good stuff, while the 'noise' represents corruption in teachings resulting from the teacher's lack of consciousness. Sources of 'noise' in teachings: He identifies major sources of noise in teachings or any informational content including lack of consciousness, selfishness, biases, limited life experience, and arrogance. Admission of inevitable mistakes: Leo acknowledges the inevitability of making mistakes and encourages learning quickly from them without beating oneself up. He asserts the importance of forgiving oneself for past mistakes and emphasizes refraining from making the same mistakes repeatedly. Caution about expecting perfection: Finally, Leo warns viewers against expecting perfection either from him, themselves, or their gurus. Despite his aim to improve, he acknowledges that he remains vulnerable to making mistakes, self-deception, and corruption. Accurate understanding of audience intelligence: Leo Gura discusses the challenge of balancing the content to suit the varying intelligence levels of his audience. He wants to assume an accurate understanding of his audience but acknowledges the difficulty given their diversity. Recognition of spiritually advanced audience members: Leo seeks to acknowledge and honor the spiritually advanced part of his audience rather than assuming everyone is at a beginner level. Inclusion and avoidance of sexism and heteronormativity: Leo intends to create content that is more inclusive, lessening the use of male-centric or heteronormative examples to make his teachings accessible to all genders and sexual orientations. Improving technical accuracy and professionalism: Leo aims to increase the precision and professionalism in his teachings by reducing profanity and exaggeration, aiming to present a more polished and respectful style. Adjusting zeal in worldview promotion: He recognizes the issue with being overly pushy with his agenda, understanding that it can create resistance and plans to recalibrate his approach. More compassionate and inspiring teaching style: Leo desires to enhance his teachings with more compassion, inspiration, and encouragement, acknowledging the need for a more loving and hopeful delivery. Less reactivity to criticism and more accuracy in language: He plans to reduce his reactivity to criticism, be less absolutist in his statements, and provide more credit to other influential teachers. Responsibility towards mentally ill viewers: Leo realizes a substantial part of his audience may suffer from mental illness and aims to adjust his teachings accordingly, providing appropriate disclaimers and content treatment. Conciseness and potency in delivery: Leo intends to improve the conciseness, directness, and potency of his teachings, stripping unnecessary elaboration to provide dense, insightful content efficiently. Careful provision of specific advice: He wants to be more careful with giving advice, often accepting that not knowing the specific answer is more honest and that viewers need to derive personal insights. Responsibility and gentleness in communication: Lastly, Leo plans to be more responsible, gentle, and kind with his choice of words, avoiding aggressive or opinionated stances to foster a more considerate and open dialogue. Reducing pretense and embracing vulnerability: Leo acknowledges the struggle with authentic vulnerability in his videos and aims to work on displaying genuine openness without pretense or phony vulnerability. Listening deeply and charitably: He expresses the desire to improve his ability to listen better, especially to those with significantly different viewpoints, emphasizing the importance of being less judgemental and dismissive. Modeling 'Tier 2' behavior in teachings: Leo aims to model more of a 'Tier 2' manner and style, which involves less focus on himself and more on the universal truths communicated through his teachings, recognizing they are insights generated by the universe, not personal possessions. Integrity and conscious leadership as a future goal: Leo outlines his future goal to become a better role model and a more conscious leader, describing how this involves actively working towards higher integrity in both teachings and personal behavior. Self-monitoring to reduce emotional reactivity and ego: He discusses how he will closely monitor his emotional reactivity and ego-driven responses to criticism or arrogance, purposely refraining from acting on them to minimize their negative impact on his audience. Value of previous teachings and level-appropriateness: Leo defends the value of his previous teachings, stating that while they might be noisy, they still contain profound insights and can resonate with people at different levels of development. The teaching process as a demonstration of evolutionary growth: He touches on the educational value of showcasing his own personal and teaching evolution, which can serve as a realistic model for viewers' own growth processes. Subtlety of teaching style evolution: Leo notes that changes to his teaching style will be subtle and progressive, affecting his videos, blog posts, and forum activity, and that these stylistic changes will take time to fully manifest. Extra skills for becoming a spiritual teacher or leader: He points out that leading others as a spiritual teacher or role model requires additional skills beyond personal spiritual experiences, emphasizing the dedication required for this role. Standards for himself and his audience: Leo mentions a commitment to holding both himself and his audience to higher standards, planning to enforce improved behaviors progressively, first personally, then within his community. Commitment to future Actualized.org content: He shares his plans for Actualized.org, working on 100 new episodes as a roadmap for the next two years, and developing two courses on reprogramming one’s mind and accessing the deepest levels of god realization, including using psychedelics for spiritual purposes. Overview of the upcoming courses: Leo Gura plans to release two groundbreaking courses over the next two years. The first course is focused on reprogramming the mind, designed to be immensely practical for anyone interested in self-improvement or spirituality. The second course delves into the highest levels of god realization, offering Leo's most advanced content aimed at deconstructing one's mind and reality. Marketing strategy for new courses: Leo does not intend to actively market these courses. Instead, he expects his committed followers to stay updated through his channel and newsletter. He emphasizes that those who do not follow his teachings regularly may miss out on these transformative opportunities. Subscription recommendations: Leo advises viewers to subscribe to his YouTube channel and sign up for his newsletter. The purpose of the newsletter is to announce significant releases like new courses without spamming subscribers' inboxes. Actualized.org's future roadmap: Leo provides insight into his planned roadmap for Actualized.org, which includes producing 100 new video episodes and developing two comprehensive courses. He aims to offer a larger vision for his audience, moving beyond individual video topics to a more profound level of teaching. Long-term commitment to personal development: Leo calls for a long-term commitment from his viewers to fully engage in the transformative journey he's facilitating. He stresses the importance of viewing personal growth as a long-term process rather than just consuming random videos sporadically. Sustaining Actualized.org: Leo discusses the financial challenges he faces, including a significant loss of viewership and revenue due to YouTube algorithm changes. He emphasizes that purchasing his courses is a way for him to sustain himself and continue offering free content without resorting to corporate ads or sponsorships. Anticipating the value of courses: Leo assures that the courses will over-deliver in value, providing practical guidance and profound spiritual development. He encourages viewers to perceive the course costs as a worthwhile investment in their personal growth journey. Comparing the individual's potential to a diamond: Leo uses the metaphor of a diamond in the rough to describe individuals' potential for brilliance. He suggests that personal development is akin to the careful cutting and polishing of a diamond, allowing one's inner brilliance to shine through and inspire others. Long-term vision of transformation: The aim of Leo's teachings is to facilitate a total transformation in his viewers' lives, encouraging them to uncover and express their unique brilliance. He asserts that this process of self-transformation brings endless joy and meaning to life, and it naturally attracts positive opportunities and material success. Accio

State Of Consciousness Is Everything https://youtu.be/2u5M6tDc5TE State is EVERYTHING Core Pillar of Understanding Consciousness: Leo Gura discusses the central idea of his teachings—that state of consciousness is everything. He insists nothing exists outside of states of consciousness, including all physical objects and experiences, which he asserts are figments within different states of consciousness. Reality as States of Consciousness: The materialistic notion that consciousness is a byproduct of physical objects is challenged. Leo argues that reality consists solely of consciousness, which takes on various states. This view substantially diverges from traditional materialistic paradigms. Infinite Nature of Consciousness: Leo rejects the categorization of states of consciousness, arguing that there are an infinite number of states, which can flow and change fluidly rather than switching on and off like binary states. Introduction to Figments of Consciousness: States of consciousness are made up of 'figments'. Instead of viewing reality as composed of atoms or as a simulation, Leo puts forth the idea that reality is comprised of figments held within consciousness, comparable to elements within a dream. Physical Objects as Figments: Using the example of a Snickers candy bar, Gura argues that objects we perceive in reality are not reducible to atoms or molecular structures but exist wholesomely as figments within consciousness. Consciousness as Absolute and Ungrounded: Leo conveys that consciousness does not require grounding in a physical nervous system, body, neural network, computer simulation, or universe. Instead, consciousness is presented as pure and absolute, containing all experiences within it, including the material universe. Consciousness as the Fabric of Reality: Leo Gura explains that both our idea of the physical universe and the physical universe itself are figments of consciousness. The room you're in and everything within it, including complex entities like Albert Einstein, are not built bottom-up from atoms but are woven figments of consciousness. Inclusivity of the Figment Concept: Various items, concepts, and experiences, ranging from physical objects like gasoline and braces to abstract ideas like Bitcoin and even historical figures like Albert Einstein, are all figments of consciousness. Non-materialistic View of Consciousness: Leo criticizes the materialistic paradigm of reality being constructed from the bottom up, advocating instead that consciousness creates reality in a top-down manner, holding figments within without the necessity for foundational material elements. Complexity and Interconnection in Consciousness: The complexity and interconnection of figments are underscored by the ability of consciousness to infinitely nest and weave together these figments, creating complex constructs like a human being or an entire city. Fundamentality of Figments in Consciousness: Emphasizing the radical shift required to understand consciousness, Leo argues that no figment is more fundamental than another, with reality capable of creating anything, from a mosquito bite to the concept of capitalism, directly as figments of consciousness. Limitlessness of Figment Creation: Consciousness has no boundaries in creating figments, which includes breaking down or magnifying into infinite sub-figments, akin to an endless fractal zoom, demonstrating the concept of infinite consciousness. Direct Experience of Consciousness: Leo encourages direct observation to understand that everything, from used condoms to entire cities and emotions, are figments of consciousness. This approach does not rely on belief systems or scientific verification, but rather direct conscious realization. Relativity of the building blocks of reality: Leo Gura underlines that from the perspective of consciousness, no single 'building block' of reality is more fundamental or plausible than another. An electron and an abstract entity like a pina colada or a joke are all considered equal in complexity as figments of consciousness. Misunderstanding of complexity in figments: He argues that the human notion that some things are more 'natural' for reality to create is a misconception. Complexities of an electron and a pina colada are identical, as both can be infinitely zoomed into and analyzed. This illustrates that from reality's perspective, everything is equally plausible to create. Consciousness as the fundamental fabric: Leo reiterates that attempts to find a non-figment substrate of reality are misguided, since any posited substrate, whether an electron, a string, or the notion of a computer simulation, is ultimately another figment of consciousness. Life as a tapestry of figments: Leo invites the audience to consider their entire lives, including memories, birth, death, and even times of unconsciousness, as a single figment of consciousness woven from strands of smaller figments. Material objects as figments: He emphasizes the exercise of grasping that all material objects, demonstrated through the example of a smartphone, are not made up of matter but are entire pieces of consciousness which are holistic and qualitative. Understanding the infinite nature of figments: Consciousness is described as infinite and scale-invariant, not limited to any specific shape, size, or complexity. The scale is a concept created by comparing various figments within consciousness. The fallacy of seeking concrete reality: Leo challenges the idea that at a fundamental level, reality is concrete or discrete, emphasizing that concreteness itself is a figment of consciousness, and reality could be abstract, vague, or unspecified. Consciousness as irreducible: He demarcates that consciousness cannot be reduced further since it is the ultimate constituent of all figments. Consciousness is defined broadly as infinity, encompassing all possible figments and is equivalent to pure emptiness. Reality as woven figments for sanity: To maintain a coherent sense of sanity, reality is intricately woven together by consciousness using figments from the top down, revealing the challenge of understanding consciousness while retaining sanity. Sanity as a barrier to understanding consciousness: Leo proposes that trying to understand consciousness might require one to risk their 'sanity', given the radical shift in perspective needed to grasp the true nature of consciousness and reality. Reconciliation of Dreamlike and Material Reality: Leo questions why reality feels so solid, contemplating why walls feel tangible if they are figments of consciousness. He suggests that realizing the dreamlike nature of reality might feel like insanity, as it threatens our understanding of physicality and sanity. Sanity and Material Reality: Leo intimates that sanity is intertwined with physical reality; to experience non-physical reality, one might feel insane. The more non-physical reality is perceived, the less physical it seems, challenging our definition of sanity. Fear of Losing Physical Reality: He highlights the fear and confusion that would result from losing a sense of physical reality. The potential to walk through walls or for hands to pass through people might impress upon someone that they're going insane, disrupting their ability to lead a normal life. Survival within the Dream: Leo plays with the idea that our survival and daily functioning depend on the coherence and stability of the dreamlike state into which we are born. Anything that shakes the foundation of this dream creates fear because it threatens our perceived ability to survive. Quest for Normalcy Amidst Unraveling Reality: When faced with inconsistencies in what we perceive as material reality, humans seek to re-establish their baseline state of consciousness. They seek medical help and reassurance to revert back to their previous state, highlighting society's dependence on a coherent, shared sense of reality. Material Reality as a Coherent Dream: The solidity and consistency of material reality are attributed to a coherent collection of figments of consciousness. When this coherence unravels, it induces a sense of insanity and the impulse to restore the original 'dream'. Everything as figments within consciousness: Leo insists that experiences and objects like walls, brains, and even material reality are not outside consciousness but are absolute figments within it. This perspective challenges the traditional view of reality as material and separate from the mind. Understanding Consciousness through Awakening: To truly understand consciousness, Leo suggests that one must awaken to the interconnectedness and fluidity of all figments, unraveling them like yarn in a sweater. This shift allows for the realization that reality is infinitely continuous and made of the same 'yarn' or substance. Mind vs. Material: He distinguishes mind from material, noting that the mind is holistic and top-down, with the capacity for intelligence and sentience. In contrast, the material is limited to its smallest parts and works bottom-up, precluding intelligence. Features of Mind: Mind has distinct capabilities such as creativity, remembrance, forgetfulness, lacks a substrate or ground due to its infinite nature, and possesses will. This sets it apart from material systems, which require a substrate and cannot exhibit will or consciousness. Mind and Matter: The relationship between mind and matter is such that mind can create the illusion of matter, but matter cannot generate mind. Matter, as perceived in reality, is a dumbed-down version of mind designed to appear finite. Material Systems as Infinite: Leo Gura asserts that, upon close examination, finite material systems are actually infinite systems "dumbed down" from the top-down to give the illusion of being limited and finite. Infinite Field of Consciousness: Consciousness can be thought of as an infinite field of infinitely divisible and communicative 'voxels' or pixels that coordinate intelligently from the top-down. This field lacks any smallest resolution unit, shape, or boundary, making every 'voxel' boundlessly dynamic. Concept of voxels: To better illustrate consciousness, Gura uses the term 'voxels' instead of pixels as they can exist in more than three dimensions, are unbounded, and represent an infinitely subdividable field of consciousness. Intelligence in Consciousness: Intelligence is defined as the ability of these infinitely subdivided and coordinated subdivisions of consciousness to communicate and manifest as our physical reality, such as a human hand. Remembrance and Forgetfulness in Consciousness: Consciousness can selectively remember or forget aspects of itself, a capacity material systems cannot emulate. Adjusting the level of remembrance and forgetfulness is akin to the process of awakening. Limits of Conceptual Thinking: Conceptual thinking, modeling, and logic are insufficient to replace or replicate direct states of consciousness. They are constrained within the frame of the current state of consciousness. Hyper Thinking: A higher state of consciousness allows for hyper thinking, which provides a multidimensional and higher bandwidth intelligence that can think and interconnect complex ideas, similar to a highly evolved alien intelligence. Such hyper thinking transcends normal human cognitive abilities. Communication Limitations: Current human discourse and language lack the bandwidth to adequately convey or articulate experiences and concepts from higher states of consciousness. Accessing Higher Intelligence: Gura explains that it is possible for individuals to experience and access the intelligence of a highly evolved, superintelligent entity, which he refers to as hyper thinking. This hyper-intelligent state allows for profoundly advanced cognitive processes beyond the scope of our regular state of consciousness. Hyper Thinking: Leo Gura introduces the concept of "hyper thinking," which transcends normal human thought by combining rationality, logic, mysticism, intuition, and spirituality. This advanced form of thinking helps cut through the constraints of ordinary thought, providing access to deeper spiritual truths that are not reachable through traditional meditation alone. Limitations of Traditional Mindfulness: Gura critiques certain practices like Zen Buddhism which emphasize silencing the mind, suggesting that while these can lead to awakenings, they fall short of achieving the level of understanding possible through hyper thinking. Memory and State of Consciousness: He illustrates the limitations of memory and understanding within our current state of consciousness by comparing it to an HD image reduced to a tiny and simplistic black-and-white version, indicating that profound insights from higher states lose much of their transformative potential when viewed from lower states. Expanding Consciousness Bandwidth: Leo emphasizes the goal of spiritual work is to expand the bandwidth and memory of our consciousness, which is necessary to retain and utilize insights from higher states of consciousness. Parameters Defined by Consciousness: Gura explains that every state of consciousness sets the parameters for what we can think, feel, and perceive as logical or possible. To transcend these limitations, one must expand their state of consciousness. Possibilities in Higher States of Consciousness: He urges us to recognize radically new states of consciousness which are beyond our imaginations and suggests that at the highest states, there are no limitations, leading to "god mode" where nothing is impossible. Changing Consciousness States: The most crucial change one can implement is altering their state of consciousness, both in temporary peaks and permanent baseline changes. While peak experiences offer profound insights, changing the baseline state is essential for lasting transformation. Science and Consciousness: Leo asserts that science, birth, death, skepticism, and even rationality occur within certain states of consciousness, indicating that these elements are relative and not indicative of higher truths. Equivalence of States of Consciousness: He proclaims all states of consciousness have their value and warns that higher states may not be conducive for those wishing to maintain their sanity and engage with human life. Accessing Higher States of Consciousness: Most misunderstandings about spirituality, religion, and reality stem from the inability to access high mystical states of consciousness through traditional intellectual efforts. Misinterpretation of Religious Teachings: Gura laments that society and culture tend to degrade religious teachings due to translating them from higher states of consciousness down to lower levels, making them difficult to grasp fully within an ordinary state of awareness. State of Consciousness and Understanding: Leo highlights the difficulty many people have in making sense of spiritual concepts without accessing higher states of consciousness. They remain confused and lost, hindered by ideologies and models that would collapse if higher states were accessed. Defense Mechanisms Against Higher Consciousness: Gura notes that people have defense mechanisms preventing them from accessing higher states of consciousness, which could lead to the collapse of their current belief systems and the sensation of losing their minds. Importance of Changing Baseline Consciousness: Emphasizes the importance of changing one's baseline state of consciousness, despite the fear, difficulty, and potential danger involved. This change is rare, marking society's ignorance and signifying we're living in a 'dark age'. Isolation in Higher States of Consciousness: Explores the loneliness of reaching higher states of consciousness due to a lack of understanding and connection with others, also noting that at the very highest levels, it feels like there's no one else to validate or share the insights with. Methods to Change State of Consciousness: Lists various methods to change states of consciousness, emphasizing the necessity of deep concentration, prolonged practice, and intensity for significant shifts. Techniques include meditation, yoga, chanting, deep breathing, psychedelics, and extreme experiences. Challenges in Raising Baseline Consciousness: Mentions the challenge of permanently raising one's baseline state of consciousness compared to accessing peak states, stating that raising the baseline requires intensive work. Capabilities from Higher States of Consciousness: Explains that mystics and enlightened individuals may display paranormal abilities due to being in higher states of consciousness, which seem impossible from lower states. Varied States and Awakening: Discusses how each being inhabits a unique state of consciousness, with God being all states but only self-aware from higher or awakened states. Enlightenment can be temporary or permanent with varying degrees. Discrepancies in Spiritual Teachings: Attributes disagreements between spiritual teachings to differences in states of consciousness accessed by their proponents. Challenges the notion that mystical teachings are irrational, suggesting that disbelief indicates lower states of consciousness. Infinite and Unbounded Consciousness: States that consciousness is infinite, unbounded, and the foundation of all realities. It has no origin as concepts of 'where' and 'coming from' are within consciousness, making it eternal and always present. Nature of God in Consciousness: God is not just a figment of consciousness but rather is consciousness itself, encompassing all possible figments and existing at a meta level. Human Identity as a Figment: The biographical, biological self that one identifies with is a figment of consciousness, one of many that we, as manifestations of godly consciousness, dream up. Leo's Evolving Understanding: Despite understanding consciousness at a very high level, Leo acknowledges that his grasp on the nuances, mechanics, and details of consciousness continues to evolve. Challenge in Articulating Consciousness: Leo distinguishes accessing higher states of consciousness from the challenge of articulating, modeling, and explaining them to others. Struggle with Embodiment: Even with his experience of high levels of consciousness, Leo admits that he struggles with embodying these insights in daily life, indicating years of work remain. Awareness of Self-Deception: Leo is highly self-aware regarding the potential for self-deception and stresses the importance of constant self-scrutiny. Responsibility and Teaching Limitations: Leo conveys the responsibility he feels in teaching about consciousness, as well as acknowledging the limitations and biases inherent in his teachings. Imperfection and Growth: He urges listeners to take responsibility for their personal spiritual journey and not to see him or anyone as infallible, emphasizing continuous personal growth and learning. Spirituality as Personal Responsibility: Leo encourages listeners to embrace spirituality as a deeply personal endeavor that cannot be outsourced and to actively engage in their spiritual growth rather than passively accepting teachings. Dissendium

Understanding War & Conflict - Part 1 https://youtu.be/tZl1oRncFS4 "Day and night cannot dwell together." - Chief Seattle Understanding War and Conflict - Part 1: Leo begins by addressing the existential root of war and conflict, stressing the importance of a meta-perspective that encompasses all conflicts throughout time, not just current ones. He challenges the simplistic good versus evil narrative, inviting viewers to contemplate the deeper metaphysical and spiritual roots of war and conflict. Broadened Definition of Conflict: Leo expands the idea of war to include a wide spectrum of conflicts, such as personal disputes, business battles, legal issues, cyber warfare, as well as internal conflicts within individuals, demonstrating the ubiquitous nature of conflict across various facets of life. Conflict Due to Finitude: Highlighting the existential reason for conflict's existence, Leo explains that it arises because of the finitude of life, where the finite world of ordinary human existence collides with the infinite realm of spiritual consciousness. He asserts that division, which leads to form, is crucial to the creation of the physical world and is inherently the source of conflict. Infinite Consciousness vs. Finite Forms: The lecture points out the contrast between infinite consciousness or spirituality and the finite world where humans survive. The finite forms, or divisions within the infinite consciousness, manifest as boundaries and differences, leading to the myriad conflicts observable in life and nature. Existential Nature of Finitude and Form: Leo elucidates that forms, by nature, encapsulate difference; a form exists because it is not another. This foundational aspect of existence is presented as the existential basis of all conflicts, since different forms inherently clash due to their distinctive characteristics. Conflict as Part of Existence and Daily Life: By referencing ordinary disagreements, business disputes, intellectual debates online, and even neurological conditions, Leo illustrates that conflict pervades both the macro and micro aspects of life, entwined with the essence of existence itself. Conflict and Infinite Love: War and conflict raise profound questions about the nature of God and divine creation, prompting inquiries into why a loving deity would allow for such strife. Leo implies that understanding the spiritual underpinnings behind conflict can lead to greater peace within ourselves concerning the seeming paradoxes of existence. Finite Nature of Existence: All existence is composed of finite parts that conflict when they come into contact due to their innate differences and finite boundaries. Division and Conflict: Division within the holistic oneness of existence creates conflicts, as every entity competes for survival, maintaining its distinct form and identity. Existential Trade-off of Being: For one form to exist, it must not be something else. This existential trade-off defines the form by what it's not, making each form interrelated and finite. Deterioration of Forms: Every finite form, whether living or inanimate, degrades over time, struggling to maintain its distinct boundaries before eventually dissolving back into oneness. Inherently Conflicted Survival: All organisms, including plants and seemingly harmonious entities, engage in conflicts, such as competing for sunlight or breaking through concrete with their roots, to ensure their survival. Compatibility and Harmony: Conflict arises when different parts of reality lack harmony and coherence, leading to incompatibilities where one part extracts energy from another to thrive. Existential Nature of God's Neutrality: God, embodying infinite love and oneness, cannot exhibit bias or preference towards any form, leading to a reality where every part must struggle equally without divine intervention. The Struggle of Finite Forms for Power: Finite forms inherently have strengths and weaknesses, preventing any single form from dominating all others completely, consistent with the design of a non-biased, infinite God. Human Preference for Monopolization: People naturally seek to advance their personal interests, wanting their country, company, or family to be superior to others. Equality and fair distribution of resources are not typically desired, particularly by those in affluent parts of the world who may prefer to maintain their wealth rather than redistributing it to those less fortunate. Finite Resources and Choice: The limited nature of resources dictates that allocation according to one's preferences inevitably negates the possibility of fulfilling others' needs. For instance, using money for charity in one region means not being able to use it for another worthy cause, highlighting the difficult existential choices that come with finite wealth. Conservation of Energy and Finite Existence: The principle of conservation of energy isn't just a physical law but also a metaphor for the nature of existence itself. Subdividing oneness into forms creates interdependent parts: duality. Finite resources and finite existence imply limitations on what and how much can be achieved or given, even by the wealthiest individuals. The Illusion of Monopolizing Resources: Even seemingly insatiable entities, like corporations or black holes, cannot fully monopolize their surroundings. As corporations become larger, they lose agility and the capability for innovation, often leading to collapse. Similarly, black holes, despite their immense gravitational pull, also emit radiation and don't consume everything, reflecting the impossibility of total monopolization even in the universe. Empires and the Limitations of Power: Historical examples of empires, from the Roman Empire to Genghis Khan's Mongol Empire, demonstrate that no single entity can control everything indefinitely. The inherent limitations of being finite lead to eventual decline and collapse, indicating that struggle for domination is inherently self-limiting. Unity vs Division in the Flow of Existence: The dynamic of unity and division is a natural flow within existence. Attempts at unification often trigger division as entities seek to maintain autonomy, showing that existence includes a continual process of differentiating and reunifying, often leading to conflict. Design of God or Reality for Diversity: The inherent structure of reality, or God's design, is such that it ensures a flow and a never-static state, fostering diversity. This design prevents any one part from dominating the whole, maximizing love and inclusiveness by allowing infinite diversity to exist. Motion and Conflict: Motion, even at the molecular level, represents conflict. If all conflict ceased, motion would stop, having extreme implications like the "heat death of the universe" where all activity and difference cease, leading to a state of absolute unity or undifferentiated consciousness. Heat Death of the Universe: The entropic process where all motion and heat dissipate, leading to a state of complete freeze, symbolizes ultimate peace or formlessness—the 'Godhead' or consciousness in undifferentiated repose, an idea that challenges our attachment to the formed universe. Paradox of Unity: True unity must encompass division; absolute unity would mean the inclusion of all divisions, leading to a cycle where unity leads to division and division leads to unity in a fractal and infinite manner. Division and Unity in Reality's Design: Reality's continuous cycle of differentiation and reunification—from quarks to complex organisms, and cultural languages—is a natural but conflict-laden process as divisions are reduced back to unity. Unification as a Struggle: Unification can be perceived as violent or ugly, primarily because humans, who are divided in numerous ways, are terrified of absolute unity, equating it with the erasure of their identity and therefore with death. Conflicts in Geopolitics and Culture: Examples of struggles for unification include Putin's Russia with Ukraine, China with Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the EU's ongoing challenges. Each entity's perspective on merger and identity leads to conflicts, culture wars, and resistance. Unification in Languages and Races: The globalizing world faces the loss of cultural distinctness and language death but also witnesses the potential for a universal language and mixed-race society, which creates conflicts yet tends in the direction of unification. Empires, Kings, and Unification Efforts: Historical attempts, such as ancient empires and kingdoms, to unify diverse peoples often led to unification at the point of conflict, asserting the difficulty and inherent violence in efforts to bring diverse groups together. Autonomy and Communion in Conflict: An intrinsic human conflict arises from the desire for both autonomy and communal life—individuals aim to be self-sufficient but also seek relationships, producing a tug-of-war between being a master and part of a collective. Autonomy vs. Communion Predicament: God represents total power and oneness but desires communion despite not needing anything else. This paradox is present in human relationships, where individuals oscillate between longing for connection and autonomy, leading to an inherent tug-of-war. Contradictory Human Agendas: The pursuit of individual autonomy creates conflict when multiple parties with personal agendas and desires for sovereignty clash. Simultaneously, humans have an intrinsic need for connection, which can lead to conflict when paths cross. Human Existential Predicament: People seek both autonomy and connection, but these desires are inherently contradictory, resulting in persistent conflict. Each being, biased towards its own agenda, finds it challenging to yield to another's will, leading to clashes. Metaphysical Equation of Division and Conflict: Division equates to conflict and struggle, while peace is synonymous with absolute selflessness or formlessness. This concept is exemplified by the harmony and interdependence of the different organs within the human body. Body Harmony as a Model for Society: The human body harmonizes the needs of millions of individual cells into a functioning organism, unlike society, which struggles with conflict. Societies can learn from this natural coherence and harmony. Conflict as a Function of Self-Preservation: Conflict is an inherent part of reality because each part tries to preserve itself, even at the cost of others. The entirety of this process, including both peaceful and violent aspects, is seen as a necessary unfolding of God or the infinite fractal of reality. Proportionality of Conflict to Need: Conflict arises when survival is uncertain or needs are unmet, and its intensity is proportional to the necessity of those needs for survival. Not just physical survival is at stake, but also conceptual survival, like worldviews and identities. Understanding War and Conflict: Gaining true appreciation for war and conflict can be difficult from a place of comfort and peace, as well as when directly caught in the middle of it. Genuine understanding comes from contemplating and seeing beyond survival instincts. Practical Steps for Addressing Conflict: Observing conflict in its various forms is the starting point for understanding its nature. Recognizing commonalities between personal disputes and large-scale wars can help identify interventions for de-escalation and harmony. Conflict Observation: Leo emphasizes the importance of actively observing conflicts, whether they are personal (like disagreements with a roommate) or collective (like disputes between political parties), and understanding the underlying causes. Bias in Conflict: He points out the human tendency to become biased and take sides in conflicts, often failing to maintain a neutral, 'meta' perspective that could help in comprehending the broader dynamics at play. Lessening the Influence of Conflict: Leo recommends developing introspection to become aware of one's own tendencies to get sucked into conflicts and suggests that through mindfulness, one might prevent themselves from being overly influenced. Principles for Reducing Conflict: He introduces several principles for reducing conflict, including creating harmony and coherence, understanding the existential origins of conflict, raising individual consciousness, and studying selfishness and survival instincts. Reducing Conflict Through Multi-perspectivalism: Leo discusses the importance of embracing multiple perspectives to reduce conflict, including understanding the varying survival agendas of different nations, companies, or individuals. Understanding Survival Agendas: He stresses the need to understand both one's own survival agenda and that of others, noting that often within a single entity, there may be conflicting agendas that must be discerned and respected. Active Observation and Contemplation Over Time: Leo highlights the value of long-term engagement with conflict observation and introspection to garner a deeper understanding of conflict dynamics and to inform actions to de-escalate tensions. Understanding Relativity for Conflict Reduction: He encourages viewers to apply the principles of relativity to their perception of conflicts, striving to visualize multiple perspectives as part of an effort to reduce tensions. Reducing Conflict and Neediness Through Abundance: Leo notes that when resources are abundant and survival needs are met, there is less reason for conflict to arise, making abundance a key factor in conflict reduction. Understanding as a Tool to Reduce Conflict: He urges people to transcend their immediate suffering and to strive for a deeper understanding of the roots of the conflicts they encounter, as misunderstanding often leads to conflict escalation. Transcending Survival and Materialism to Reduce Conflict: The discussion touches on the necessity of transcending beyond survival instincts and material concerns by connecting with the spiritual or essential aspects of being to decrease conflict. Expanding Sense of Identity and Selflessness as Conflict Reducers: By expanding one's sense of identity and practicing selflessness, individuals can step away from conflict, fostering a more peace-oriented approach. Holistic Unification vs. Domineering Unification: Leo discusses the ideal approach to unification, which should honor the autonomy of sub-groups, and contrasts this with oppressive or forced unification tactics that often result in increased conflict. Image 1 Image 2 Image 3 Deep Suffering and Love: He suggests that deep personal experiences of love and suffering can lead individuals to become more empathetic and reduce conflicts but highlights the conscious processing of these experiences as crucial for transformation. Meditating on Conflict and Suffering: Leo recommends deliberate contemplation on personal conflicts and suffering to gain perspective and reduce the overall level of conflict experienced. Challenges of Implementing Conflict Reduction Actions: He acknowledges the difficulty of implementing actions to reduce conflict and the reality that conflicts cannot be entirely eradicated, particularly when people are not willing to take on challenging solutions. Acceptance for the Nature of Conflict: Leo advises accepting conflict as an inherent part of existence rather than hating it, as this mindset can paradoxically perpetuate more conflict. Diet as an Example of Unavoidable Conflict: He illustrates how diet choices, such as choosing to be vegan, can exemplify conscious decision-making within unavoidable conflicts like the need to eat for survival. Points About Spiral Dynamics Stage Green: Leo critiques the naive outlook about conflict at this stage, emphasizing that an idealistic vision of peace without practical grounding can hinder actual conflict resolution. Practical Exercise for Reducing Conflict: He suggests that individuals work on reducing their personal conflicts, which would not only lessen tensions but also help establish principles for addressing larger societal or global conflicts. Understanding War and Conflict Is Crucial: Leo emphasizes the importance of understanding the nature of conflict to avoid inadvertently worsening it and to work towards authentic peace. Day and Night Coexist: He concludes with the idea that conflict and unity are part of a higher order within reality, and understanding this dual nature is key to accepting and addressing conflicts in a constructive manner. Extraordinary Responsibility: To reduce conflict, it's vital to take extraordinary responsibility instead of resorting to blame and casting oneself as a victim. Seeing Good in Others: Rather than demonizing, developing the capacity to see the good in others reduces conflict. This includes recognizing potential and positive traits they may not see in themselves. Forgiveness and Mercy: Qualities such as forgiveness and mercy are essential for reducing conflict and are regarded as divine attributes. Empathy and Genuine Care: Cultivating empathy helps to reduce conflict as it counters the demonizing of adversaries, which is common in scenarios like war. Radical Open-Mindedness: Open-mindedness decreases conflict. Being closed-minded prevents understanding perspectival differences, leading to more disagreements. Exploring Different Perspectives: By understanding a multitude of perspectives, conflict is less likely to arise as one appreciates the relativistic differences among individuals. Epistemic Humility: Admitting one does not know everything contributes to reducing conflict. Arrogance in one's knowledge can fuel disputes. Admitting Wrongness: Being able to concede when wrong prevents escalating confrontation, as stubbornness to admit mistakes can prolong battles. Being Non-Ideological: Avoiding strict ideological stances can minimize conflict as rigid ideologies often clash with diverse viewpoints. Improving Education: A quality education that incorporates subjects like epistemology and spirituality is imperative to reducing conflicts worldwide. Commitment to Truth and Integrity: Conflict often stems from falsehood and corruption; hence, a strong commitment to truth and integrity can combat conflict. Rejecting Shortcuts: Eliminating the urge to cheat or look for easy ways out and instead practicing hard work reduces conflicts arising from laziness and entitlement. Mindfulness over Emotions: Controlling one's negative emotions, such as anger and jealousy, is key to preventing conflicts. Letting Go: Learning the practice of letting go—of control, manipulation, and grievances—leads to a more harmonious existence with less conflict. Respect for Others: Demonstrating respect towards different nations, companies, religions, and individuals is fundamental for peace and conflict resolution. Concern for Fairness and Equality: Addressing systemic inequalities and advocating for a fair distribution of resources globally is vital to conflict reduction. Holistic Unification: Unification that respects the autonomy of subgroups without being oppressive is essential for lasting peace and reduced conflict. Leadership and Sensitivity to Needs: Effective unification requires leaders to be sensitive to the needs of the people, balancing orders from above with grassroots necessities. Marriage and Conflict: Leo discusses that an unwilling coerced marriage, like a hypothetical situation where a partner agrees out of fear, will not succeed due to the lack of harmony. For a good marriage, genuine mutual desire is essential. Experiencing Suffering and Love: Profound existential practices for reducing conflict include experiencing deep suffering mindfully and engaging in deep love consciously, which can increase empathy and the motivation to lessen conflicts. Suffering and Conflict Creation: Unconscious suffering, such as seeking revenge after a loved one is harmed, perpetuates and escalates conflict, often seen in blood feuds in tribal cultures without legal dispute resolution systems. Mindful Suffering for Conflict Reduction: The kind of suffering that reduces conflict is done mindfully within a spiritual context, without blame or lashing out at others, and by understanding and contextualizing the suffering. Love as the Greatest Teacher: Leo states that deep and conscious love is the greatest teacher, surpassing even suffering in its ability to transform a person and reduce conflicts. Executing Conflict Reduction Strategies: While implementing the discussed strategies can reduce conflict and increase peace, the difficulty lies in the complexity of those strategies, and even with perfect execution, it won't eliminate all conflict. Inevitability of Conflict: Conflict is existentially inevitable due to the finite and form-based nature of the world. Absolute peace might mean the end of form, equating to the end of the universe, or death. Acceptance and Understanding of Conflict: Reducing conflict involves stopping the hatred of conflict. Accepting and loving conflict as part of existence is essential, but this is not a justification for starting conflicts unnecessarily. Differentiating Between Avoidable and Unavoidable Conflicts: Most conflicts are avoidable and should be addressed, but some, like the need to eat which requires killing plants or animals, are unavoidable but can still be managed to reduce impact. Spiral Dynamics Stage Green's Naivety: Stage Green's naive outlook on conflict, seeing war as evil and overly idealistic about achieving peace, lacks the pragmatic realism needed for genuine conflict resolution. Observing Personal Conflicts: By studying conflicts at the micro level in personal life, one can learn principles applicable to larger societal conflicts and help teach others to reduce conflicts as well. Understanding War and Conflict: Proper understanding is crucial to prevent inadvertently contributing to more conflict. Awareness and comprehension help work towards genuine peace. Upcoming Part Two of Video Series: Leo teases part two, promising a more practical look at human societies' warfare, arms races, and social evolution, as well as the distinction between Game A and Game B dynamics. Day and Night Coexistence Metaphor: Finally, Leo reminds viewers that despite being opposites, day and night coexist within the larger unity of reality, representing the inherent unity within all conflicts. Geminio

The Avoidance Of Truth - Why You Fear Truth https://youtu.be/hxnV4ymozLw "All the techniques of the therapist are in one way or another truth-revealing, or are ways of strengthening the patient so he can bear the truth." - Abraham Maslow "The good life demands a preoccupation with truth." New Year's Address: Leo Gura begins his lecture on the avoidance of truth with a greeting for New Year 2022, stressing the importance of this serious topic despite casual appearances, reminding viewers that appearances can be misleading. Truth as a Fundamental Principle of Life: Leo identifies a key insight regarding the deep-seated human tendency to avoid truth, labeling it as a core aspect of human behavior that leads to various negative consequences in life. Running Away from Reality and Self: He articulates that people expend considerable effort avoiding truth across assorted life domains, connecting the avoidance of personal truth to an avoidance of reality itself, hinting at a profound link between 'self' and 'reality.' Truth as the Highest Value: Leo contends that truth is the utmost value, equating it with reality, and asserts that anything not aligned with truth essentially ceases to exist. Humans' Relationship with Truth: He observes that most people only value truth pragmatically, as it pertains to survival or pragmatic purposes, critiquing the philosophical doctrine of pragmatism for equating truth with practical consequences. Exceptional Life through Valuing Truth: Leo suggests that valuing truth deeply is essential for an extraordinary life and urges viewers to prioritize the pursuit of truth in every life situation, despite any discomfort it may cause. Truth Alignment as a Measure of Character: Leo proposes that a commitment to truth distinguishes an individual and will metamorphose their life over time, setting them apart from those who embrace self-deception and fantasy. Corruption of Religious Truth: He criticizes the modern misrepresentation of religious teachings regarding truth, which he believes are intended to guide individuals towards leading truthful lives but have deviated significantly from this goal. Development of Introspection: Leo encourages the development of introspection and mindfulness to recognize subtle instances of truth avoidance, and advocates for a proactive approach to facing uncomfortable truths head-on. Practical Applications of Truth: He discusses the importance of aligning truth with various aspects of life, including business, career, relationships, emotions, motivations, worldviews, health, diet, and spirituality, to create a high-quality, authentic life. Truth Avoidance in New Domains: Leo acknowledges how individuals often enter new areas of life with delusions and unrealistic expectations, and emphasizes the need to align oneself with the realities of life to achieve true success and personal growth. Fantasies and New Endeavors: Leo Gura points out that when entering new domains such as fitness, dating, business, or meditation, people often carry unrealistic expectations called 'newbie fantasies' that ultimately must be confronted and dispelled through experience. Newbie Fantasies vs. Reality: Individuals entering new fields have to let reality dismantle their naive preconceptions. This process can be painful as it requires parts of their identity and beliefs to be altered or let go, in response to the actual workings of the world. The Pain of Letting Go: Engaging in new areas of life requires a transformation in thought and this shift can be painful. Many people opt to quit rather than endure the discomfort of having their misconceptions shattered. Avoidance of Medical Check-ups: As a practical example, Leo describes how avoidance of truth materializes in people's reluctance to attend medical check-ups due to fear of bad news, such as receiving a positive STD test result. Weight Avoidance as Truth Avoidance: An example of avoiding truth includes reluctance to check one’s weight on a scale due to dissatisfaction with one's body, and how this represents avoiding the reality of one's situation. Rationalizing Poor Dietary Choices: People often avoid looking at nutritional information on junk food, and rationalize their choices by misrepresenting their consumption or downplaying the calorie content through various justifications. Disconnecting Food Effects from Health: Leo observes that individuals commonly ignore their bodies' negative reactions to junk food, allowing continual unhealthy eating habits which contribute to issues like chronic fatigue and depression, due to a reluctance to connect these habits to their consequences. Rationality in Service of Falsehood: He emphasizes the extent to which people use logical and rational processes to avoid difficult truths and maintain comforting delusions, noting that rationality is often employed in service of false beliefs and avoiding painful realities. Rationality and Truth Avoidance: Rational individuals often engage in truth avoidance, believing rationality and logic to be inherently truthful, when in fact they may use these tools to shield themselves from uncomfortable truths. Perception of Rationality: The perception that logical and rational individuals are immune to self-deception is false, as these individuals can be deeply entrenched in ego games and rationalizations that keep them from facing reality. Leo's View on Science: Leo clarifies his stance on science, stating that he is not against it but critical of the rationalizations and ego games within the scientific community that distort the pursuit of truth. Changing Channels to Avoid Discomfort: People change television channels or videos when confronted with uncomfortable content, such as the plight of impoverished children or animal suffering, indicating a common truth avoidance behavior. Consumer Impact on World Issues: Leo discusses how personal consumption habits contribute to global problems like factory farming, global warming, and sweatshop labor, and the tendency to ignore these connections in favor of personal comfort. Confronting Reality's Brutality: Reality can be brutal, and Leo suggests that part of maturing and living a good life involves opening oneself up to face reality in its full breadth, even without the need for personal comfort. Avoiding Eye Contact with the Homeless: The instinct to avoid eye contact with homeless individuals to circumvent feelings of empathy and self-reflection is an example of truth avoidance in everyday life. Fear of Checking Notifications: The avoidance of checking phones, emails, or voicemails due to the fear of potentially receiving bad news reflects a broader pattern of truth avoidance. Developing Introspective Skills with Micro Examples: Leo recommends using daily occurrences and small acts of truth avoidance to develop introspective skills to understand the discomfort they bring and apply this understanding to more significant aspects of life. Avoiding Business Audits: Business owners avoiding audits out of fear of uncovering unfavorable information exemplifies truth avoidance, which can have practical negative consequences like bankruptcy. Addiction as Truth Avoidance: Addiction to substances like food, drugs, sex, or behavior like internet use, is essentially a way to evade confronting difficult emotions or life realities, such as dissatisfaction with a job or appearance. Facing Trauma: Avoiding confronting past trauma can lead to addiction, as facing difficulties requires dealing with negative emotions many people would rather escape through temporary pleasures. Acknowledging Personal Deficiencies: Individuals often avoid admitting personal flaws and may become defensive instead of addressing their issues, leading to rationalizations that maintain these negative traits. Selfish Pursuit of Desires with Collateral Damage: Leo illustrates that people's selfish cravings often result in harm to others, which they prefer to ignore to avoid guilt. This can lead to sociopathic behavior in material pursuits and sexual conquests, as they rationalize away the damage done to satisfy their own desires. Avoidance of Facing Physical Appearance: Discussing personal body image issues, Leo describes how individuals avoid confronting parts of their appearance they dislike, such as a prominent nose or hair loss. They may even express hatred towards these features, mistaking this aversion for facing the truth, rather than genuinely accepting and making peace with their reality. Procrastination on Addressing Deep Personal Problems: Leo points out how individuals avoid taking action on significant issues such as socialization or dating due to fear and discomfort. The avoidance leads to rationalizing and subscribing to ideologies or consuming content online that distracts from the necessary work required for self-improvement. Shooting the Messenger: Leo observes that people tend to direct anger towards those bringing bad news, as a method of avoidance, rather than dealing with the unwelcome reality of the news itself. Underestimating the Complexity of Projects: He reflects on the tendency to underestimate the time and effort required for business projects. This delusion can act as a motivator to start a project but may have karmic consequences, such as the project becoming more complicated than anticipated. Avoiding Other Worldviews and Perspectives: Leo discusses how individuals and groups, from religious followers to scientists, protect their worldviews by dismissing contradictory perspectives. This avoidance hinders the potential growth that could come from considering and integrating these different ideas. Rejecting Painful Feedback: Painful feedback is often avoided because it can reveal uncomfortable truths about ourselves that we deny. Leo emphasizes that while such feedback can significantly contribute to personal growth, it is commonly met with anger or defensiveness. Denial of Ongoing Problems: He notes how people refuse to admit when something is wrong, be it in personal relationships or broader scenarios like military interventions. This denial can lead to prolonged issues rather than acknowledging and resolving them. Reluctance to Accept Unworkable Relationships: Leo mentions the difficulty people face in admitting the need to end unsustainable relationships because of the associated pain and loss of comfort the relationship provides, which leads to a denial of the necessary breakup. Avoidance in Personal Relationships: Leo discusses how individuals stay in unfulfilling marriages due to fear of the pain associated with divorce, especially when children are involved, leading to bitterness and depression from avoiding the truth of a dead marriage. Denial of Corruption in Affiliated Entities: He addresses individuals' avoidance of acknowledging corruption within companies, political parties, religions, or academic institutions they're deeply attached to, such as denial of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church by priests. Difficulty in Accepting Attraction Dynamics: Leo discusses the challenge people face in accepting difficult truths about attraction, such as older women accepting men's attraction to youth and men accepting women's attraction to status and strength, leading to avoidance and resentment when these qualities are lacking. Living in Fantasy and Victimhood: By avoiding stark truths in domains like business, politics, or personal relationships, individuals become ineffective in achieving their goals and may feel like victims due to their reluctance to change the lens through which they see the world. Long-term Consequences of Self-Deception: Leo likens self-deception to taking out a high-interest credit loan—initially comforting but costly in the long run, as seen in the avoidance of societal changes by the Republican Party and its slide into delusion, culminating in the rise of Trump and MAGA movement. Avoidance of Societal Changes and the Constitution’s Relevance: He critiques the Republican Party's refusal to admit and confront societal evolution, such as changes in technology, culture, or attitudes towards gender and race, and the need to update the Constitution to address contemporary issues. Truth Avoidance at a Collective Level: Leo presents China's censorship and control over the internet as an example of avoiding truth at a national level, predicting its eventual unsustainability and potential for causing unrest when people gain unrestricted access to information. Tyranny Founded on Falsehood: He asserts that tyranny is based on falsehood and the suppression of truth is only a temporary tactic; eventually, the cost of such falsehood will catch up and lead to the downfall of tyrannical systems. Valuing Truth as a Lifelong Commitment: Leo emphasizes the importance of taking truth seriously and committing one's life to it, even though this path can lead to resentment and challenges from others who may attempt to pull you back into their delusions. Steadfast Conviction in Pursuit of Truth: He explains the necessity of having the conviction to pursue truth, despite the potential backlash from society, which can go to the extreme lengths of punishing truth-tellers through imprisonment or even death. Proactivity versus Avoidance in Seeking Truth: Leo compares the daily proactive seeking of truth to the avoidance of truth, suggesting that small daily confrontations with truth are preferable to allowing falsehoods to accumulate and exacerbate over time. Continual Work on Truth in Relationships: He advocates for constant work and truthfulness in marriage as an example, to avoid the buildup of issues that could lead to a 'nasty divorce'. Recognizing and Overcoming Defense Mechanisms: Leo urges the practice of introspection to recognize and overcome the mind's defense mechanisms and excuses that prevent facing the truth. Contemplation Questions on Truth: He poses several profound contemplation questions to help individuals stop avoiding truth, such as assessing one's value of truth and the personal costs of avoiding it. Developing a Love for the Pursuit of Truth: Leo recommends cultivating an appreciation for the pursuit of truth, likening it to a weightlifter learning to love the burn of exercise – to endure the 'sting' as part of the growth process. Vision of a Truth-Oriented Future: He encourages envisioning a long-term future where handling truth is a strength that inspires trust and leadership in others. Identifying Areas of Personal Truth Avoidance: Leo suggests making an exhaustive list of personal truth avoidance areas and contemplating the fears that underlie this avoidance. Truth and Love as Identical Values: He clarifies that truth and love are, ultimately, identical and the highest values, explaining that loving the truth involves accepting reality exactly as it is without succumbing to fantasy or selfish desires. Living in Truth as the Foundation of a Good Life: Leo describes the reward for aligning oneself with reality as a life filled with love, truth, and fearlessness, and he identifies the avoidance of truth as the root of a dysfunctional life. Intellectual Integrity as an Essential Quality: He argues that intellectual integrity is a pivotal quality for truth-seeking and advises against taking seriously those who lack it. Societal Structures Pulling Towards Falsehood: Leo observes that societal and cultural norms often pull people towards falsehood, making a life based on truth rare and requiring courage and independence. Historical Patterns of Truth Avoidance: He notes the historical pattern of truth avoidance and suppression throughout human history and beckons to question why this pattern persists. Devilry Defined in Relation to Truth: Leo defines devilry as elaborate methods and mental gymnastics used to avoid facing the truth. Importance of Intellectual Integrity: He suggests planning an episode on the significance of intellectual integrity and highlights the necessity to identify and dismiss those who lack this quality in public discourse. Dismissing Individuals with Low Intellectual Integrity: Leo Gura emphasizes the importance of dismissing individuals with no intellectual integrity from serious intellectual discussions. He uses Donald Trump and Fox News hosts as examples, warning that taking such individuals seriously allows them to gaslight and intellectually abuse you, ultimately debasing your own understanding of the truth. Proper Function of Healthy Society: A healthy society, according to Leo, should assist its members in staying honest and provide a variety of perspectives to help avoid individual self-deception. However, he criticizes current societal structures as dysfunctional and toxic, contributing more to mutual deceit than to mutual understanding and growth. Confronting the Pain of Truth: Leo advocates for recognizing moments when we avoid truth and urges us to confront the associated pain, fear, and inconvenience. Committing to facing the truth is pivotal for living the "highest life," which he describes as grounded, real, and free of drama. Psychedelics and Contemplation for Revealing Truth: He introduces psychedelics in combination with contemplation as powerful methods for exposing lies and delusions, provided there's an intention of pursuing the truth. He cautions that without this intention, psychedelics alone may not lead to enlightenment, as society often demonizes truth-revealing substances to maintain collective delusions. The Ultimate Truth Avoidance - Love as Infinite Selflessness: Leo identifies the ultimate truth people avoid as the realization of infinite selflessness, or love defined as there being no difference between anything. This concept parallels the idea of God, with all fear being rooted in an avoidance of this infinite self. Questions for Facing Truth: He offers a series of questions to aid in confronting personal truths, such as biases, fears, traumas, and areas of life misaligned with truth. Leo recommends using these questions with a notepad to facilitate deep introspection. Being Honest with Oneself Before Others: Leo advises honesty with oneself over honesty with others. He cautions against using truth as a weapon against others, as recognition of varying capacities to handle truth is critical for cultivating the highest love and avoiding traumatizing others with challenging truths. Truth as a Path to Health: The connection between truth and health is discussed as a fundamental equation for living the 'good life.' Leo stresses that health encompasses not just the physical aspect but also mental, spiritual, and societal health. Without truth, gaining holistic health in these areas is unattainable. Image 1 Accio