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Another great article by Joshua Tilghman on www.spiritofthescripture.com http://www.spiritofthescripture.com/id4256-resurrection-its-not-what-your-local-church-teaches.html Resurrection: It’s not What Your Local Church Teaches What is the Biblical resurrection? Sadly, there is much misinformation on the subject leading to wild claims. To get a glimpse of what the true resurrection is, I am going to use the Old Testament concepts from the story of Cain and Abel, and then link it back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. This chapter is greatly misunderstood by mainstream religion, so we’ll correct the fallacies and try to get a grip on what Paul meant. Understanding the Biblical resurrection must come from a greater understanding of ourselves. The story of Cain and Abel fills in some important concepts for us. The Symbolic Nature of Cain and Abel Much of the esoteric nature of of the Bible is hard to interpret, but the story of Cain and Abel is relatively simple. The clues aren’t even hidden. They’re blatant! Let’s break it down. The straightforward version: Adam and Eve conceive twin brothers. Cain comes first, then Abel. Cain is a tiller of the ground. Abel tends sheep. When the time comes, they both bring an offering to the Lord. For no apparent reason (at least not one revealed directly in the text), the Lord rejects Cain’s offering. But God accepts Abel’s offering of sheep. Is the Lord discriminatory against vegetables? Or maybe he just hates brussel sprouts and broccoli? All joking aside, the key to understanding the deeper spiritual significance of the story is actually in their vocations. Cain was doomed from the beginning. Let’s see why… Ancient adepts wrote this story to explain the very early stages of the One consciousness expressing itself through human kind. Adam and Eve being expelled from the garden symbolizes spirit expressing itself in duality on the lowest (physical) plane. Cain and Abel are two different paths the soul can take. One path aspires back towards unity with God (Abel), and the other (Cain), being unaware of this path back to unity, or even that there is unity, remains rooted in separateness, illusion, and the “I” feeling that consciousness experiences in duality on the physical plane. In many ways, the story of Cain and Abel represents the first metaphysical struggle between our lower and higher self. Abel is that beginning aspiration which seeks to establish consciousness in the higher self through love and unity, while Cain is that which is rooted in the lower ego, and is only concerned with “I,” or “me.” As this very early stage of human consciousness, Cain always prevails over Abel. Cain and the Ground Cain is a tiller of the ground. The ground is a symbol of the lower nature within the soul. Think of the ground as the lowest point of involution of spirit, or the one consciousness, in physical matter. Cain is the personality and lower mind that fully functions at the beginning of incarnating into physicality. God could never accept Cain’s offering, because his labor as a tiller of the ground symbolizes humans operating through the lower mind only. Paul tells us the carnal mind is at enmity with God. The carnal mind is not just sensations (physical), it is the entire personality comprised of mental, emotional, and physical consciousness at its lowest point of involution with the human (i.e., the ground). Sidenote: For someone wanting to see the bigger picture, the line of Cain, metaphorically speaking, represents those living and staying in the lower ego. Adam and Eve’s next line, with Seth, represents mankind who aspires, through stages of consciousness, to transcend the lower ego experience and expands his or her awareness as symbolized in Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Elijah, and Christ. The First Murder was Metaphysical Of course in the narrative Cain gets very upset. God tells him sin (separation and illusion) is always before him, but if he does well (seeks the higher self through through virtues and love like Abel), he will be accepted. And of course Cain cannot do this. Remember what the Apostle Paul also states: “Because the mind set on flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor can it be” (Romans 8:1). “The mind set on flesh” is the carnal or lower nature. Again, Cain signifies one whose mind is set on flesh because he is a tiller of the ground. You see! Poor Cain never had a chance! In fact, just understanding all this could make us predict would Cain would do next even if we hadn’t read the story. He kills Abel! The lower ego rejects love, always. Anytime we act from the lower aspect of ourselves, we act out of fear and survival. Keep in mind this isn’t literal. Cain never actually murdered a person. This whole fiasco is symbolic of the lower nature killing that aspect which seeks the higher nature / self. Why? Because it must in the early stages of consciousness evolution. It is always at enmity with God. What about Abel? The sheep that Abel tends are symbolic of virtues. Christ said his sheep hear his voice. These are ever the virtues that the soul can become rooted in around the Christ nature, drawing the soul closer and closer back to unity with God. But in Cain, the lower nature kills that aspect of our soul which chooses to tend to the (sheep) virtues. One more important point about Cain as a tiller of the ground: As Gaskell states, the lower nature must be sown and tilled to truly reap fruit. This long process of sowing, tilling, and reaping in the soul is what the soul’s sojourn on earth is all about. The soul that lives in ignorance, will need to be sown, tilled, and reaped over and over (karma and reincarnation) until that ego realizes it’s wretchedness and aspires towards something greater than it’s limited self. Next, God banished Cain from his presence. Cain is banished to the Land of Nod. Nod represents the land where the personality is in total control of the soul, and is at the mercy of the desire-nature, rooted in total separateness of the true self. The personality is expressed through the physical, mental, and emotional consciousness rooted in this illusory separation. These aspects of us, thoughts, emotions and sensations (all three manifested in the physical temple) always begin the journey away from God’s presence in the land of Nod. At first, no man knows God, and the illusion of separateness through the ego is our Nod experience. Cain’s Wife a Blatant Clue Cain even gets a wife in Nod. Again, not a literal woman. The term “wife” is always symbolic of the emotion nature allied with the mind (man). This is what the personality is! This shows the template for the lower nature made up of thought and emotion exhibited through the physical body. He is sent to the land of “Nod,” which is symbolic of being driven (or separate in illusion) from the presence of the Lord (higher self). Remember, the lower nature is at enmity with God and can never bring an offering (from the flesh) that would ever please God. When Paul speaks of the carnal mind, or the mind of flesh, he is speaking of the lower nature in its entirety, which again, comprises the personality manifested through thoughts, emotions, and sensations within the physical temple. This is why Cain is allowed to get away with murder and begin a new journey with a mark to protect him. No matter how corrupt the lower nature is, it always has the chance (through many lives), to evolve through the experiences of adversity and suffering. Early humanity spent many incarnations doing this. Abel doesn’t do much. But his symbolic meaning is the important part. Even in the beginning, the soul has aspirations towards something that is higher and greater than the limited ego rooted in the personality. For much of early humanity, it was just killed by our twin (within us) before it accomplished anything except the faintest of beginnings of a new consciousness experience. The Template has been Set Now we can begin to talk about Paul’s concept of resurrection. We understand from earlier Biblical stories (and not just Cain and Abel), that the lower nature, or the “I” feeling we all have, is comprised of a tri-part nature, or temple. Mind = thoughts, emotions, physical temple. All three make up the lower self. This is the grand illusion, and it is a very small and limited manifestation of who you really are. The Apostle Paul understood this lower nature of man quite well. In fact, at times he seems completely annoyed by it. He states, that which I would do, I don’t. And that which I would not do, I do! It’s like the Abel in him is killed over and over and he admits it in frustration. But no worries. Paul also understands the power of the Christ within us, our hope of Glory, who is able to resurrect this lower self and cause a union of it with the higher self. And it is only the power of Christ manifested in our complete temple that can affect this transformation of the mind. Yes! Christ is resurrected in a physical body, but it’s your physical body. One that is still alive. Not a body that’s already been literally put in the ground. He’s resurrected in your body! Most humans are past the Nod stage, but you still have to manifest an Abraham within you first that cuts covenant, or an agreement with God the higher self through faith. This is where the real journey begins. Abraham is the father of faith because he is symbolic of the divine nature becoming active in the soul by leaving his former land of the ego and traveling to a land that God will give to his seed. This is the Promised Land, and it is nothing like Nod. In fact, it is not a State of consciousness rooted only in the personality and lower ego, but a State of consciousness that receives the blessings of milk and honey (higher emotions – wisdom). Wisdom of what? Wisdom that comes from the intuition, the true reality, that is not separate from God. It is the spiritual food from above which transcends the human mind and intellect, and it is a remembering of where you came from before your descent (incarnation in matter). Paul’s Resurrection is Purely Metaphysical By this point in the article, you’ve already guessed it. Paul’s Resurrection is only metaphysical. The physical body will die. Your personality is fleeting. The labels and memories that make up who you are as the personality in this life, in the earthly vessel, will pass away. But the “who” you think you are now through labels and memory is really but a very tiny and limited aspect of your higher self. Paul knew this fact. He never ever spoke about a resurrection where literal physical bodies (along with all the thoughts and emotions and memories) would be put all back together from the grave. All his writings are spiritual in nature. Paul states flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Paul also taught that Christ must be fully resurrected within the individual which is this great process and the completion of the renewing of the mind of man. Not just a transformation of the lower mind, but a union of lower mind with the spiritual mind and higher self. When Christ is all in all within the individual, the higher spiritual mind and emotions are in unity, being ruled by the higher self or Christ within. This is why Jesus also taught seek ye first the kingdom of God, which is within you. Paul’s vision of Christ on the road to Damascus indicates this realization. Paul speaks of this in Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received; how that Christ died for us according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures; And that he was seen of cephas, then of the twelve.” Let’s break down some more symbols here. Cephas, or Peter, signifies the natural man, or the ego. The natural man must first perceive that there is a spiritual truth higher than himself. This is the first step, and it is why Paul writes esoterically, mentioning Cephas first. Cephas is the little rock that God’s kingdom is first built upon. The twelve are the disciples, which are symbolic of the soul qualities which have completed an initiation into the Christ-soul. Even Jesus went up to Jerusalem at twelve years of age for the feast (Luke 2:42). There are twelve signs of the Zodiac, twelves tribes, twelve disciples, and twelve apostles. All indicate the same. Now let’s continue quoting 1 Corinthians: “After that he was seen of five hundred brethern at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James, then all the Apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also.” What 500 signifies is too complicated to go into here, and would take another post about the book of Ezekiel to explain (maybe another day). But James is a symbol for the mind and enlightenment. According to Gaskell: James is “…the mental edifice of the human being, that is, the mentality or instrument of the mind, which is built up by the soul-qualities through aspiration and enlightenment.” Are we beginning to see a pattern here? Paul’s revelation of the Christ begins with the natural man, progresses through the soul qualities, goes through the state of James, and then to himself. Notice how Paul then states Christ was seen of him also. Paul’s statement here indicates that Christ appeared to everyone in the same way. How did Christ appear to Paul? Again, read the road to Damascus. It wasn’t Jesus in a physical body that appeared to him. It was a bright light on the road to Damascus, indicating an experience within consciousness. Paul’s risen Christ is always metaphysical in nature. Paul never speaks of a virgin birth, the miracles of Jesus, his early life, etc. Why? This was not important to Paul. Only the resurrected Christ is, which is the power within you. When Paul mentions Jesus as the son of David, he is still speaking allegorically. Finally, Paul follows James as the last (and in many ways the greatest) apostle to see the resurrected Christ because Paul is symbolic of the mind being transformed by the Christ. His boasting in the New Testament has nothing to do with being the greatest Apostle. He’s simply the mind which has realized the Christ, and still has to correct the natural man (Peter) through life. Paul gives a sharp rebuke to Peter in Galatians. This rebuke is not between two people. The rebuke is about the natural man (Peter) still wanting to be in charge of the soul rather than the Christ, and getting mixed up from time to time! Final Thoughts on the Resurrection and what it is that is resurrected I am going to quote Gaskell on the resurrection: “A symbol of the rising of the Higher Self from the potential to the actual in the minds of humanity: also the rising of the indwelling or incarnate Self from the lower nature ot the higher at the end of the cycle. In relation to the egos, the resurrection signifies the rising of the cosnciousess from the lower mind to the higher in the causal-body at the cycle’s end…” For beginners, don’t let the language confuse you. The Christ seed is sown by the word. In the beginning, it is only a potential and has not been actualized yet. But the word is not actually the Bible. The word is Christ itself, this power within you that must germinate to bear fruit. I have a great respect of my Christian heritage, even my first church, because it gave me an appreciation for the allegories meant to awaken something already within me. But I realized after many years that my church leaders were more interested in doctrine and doing “good deeds” to follow Christ. But this is not his message. Good deeds are great, but often have very little to do with the transforming of the mind that Paul spoke of. Doctrine and religion still seek Christ through the personality and lower mind, which although can do much good, it is still not the direct realization of Christ within you. The causal body that Gaskell speaks of is a the body of the spiritual ego (not to be confused with the lower mind and ego). The aspects of the personality are attached to it, and come forth from it, but the higher mind, the Christ mind, is established in the causal body, and is not dissolved with death like the personality. The resurrection symbolizes the raising of this lower mind to come into union with the higher mind at some point in human consciousness. Every human life has the potential to express Christ consciousness through the physical body. Those who actualize it are those sheep that hear and follow Christ’s voice – the wisdom gleaned from above by seeking the inner kingdom within each individual, and the higher virtues received through the wisdom-love nature that the higher self contains. More of this to come in future posts. So what is the resurrection? Let’s simplify it like this: the infinite, limitless POTENTIAL of the self cannot express itself (become actualized) in the physical temple, unless… The self transcends the mind, beyond the physical, emotional, and thinking machine that it is, while still in the physical temple. When this Transcendence takes place, this awakening, this enlightenment, this realization of itself, then the “I-ness” of the self is retained within the physical temple, while on earth, and the self is thus resurrected. And the union, the Divine marriage, of the lower and higher self is consummated. This is the immortality spoken about in the Bible. This immortality does not mean of the physical body, but of bringing awareness of the self, through direct realization, into death, where the individual remains aware and does not fall alseep (go into complete unconsciousness until the next birth). Blessings.

@1:12 "The Ox of Consciousness--Riding the Ox Backwards." -Shinzen Young It's the major singularity transformation from Truth, the pure consciousness, following the Everythingness realm. All the non-duality teachings, including the so-called "religious" ones, came from this Source. Are you even able to comprehend this? No way! You would have to become Truth and transform back to your ego to understand it. Otherwise, the Ox is just a metaphor for you. Oops, forgot to say that you become love before ego and after singularity.

Salutations Ross Labby, Smoking "joints" is a habit inherited after an invention patented by James Albert Bonsack who got rich by rendering the cigarette format commercially viable, which never really acounted for public health considerations since 1880 ~ 1881... So maybe it's quite about time for some healthwise update, hence please do yourself a great service by including non-combustion consumption methods in your opions! As a matter of fact i'd also point out such choice might prove crucial by significantly influencing your future user profile, for example a ~300 mg "joint" filled with potent THC-centric cannabis may already invite potential abuse, especially at 19. For starters it depends if it's being shared or not... Anyway, it would be too late to realize the initiation went wrong by the time you realize your need for "Tolerance Breaks" becomes more frequent. As a result i personally promote a toke-by-toke method, e.g. one that doesn't engage the user into stretching his "session" beyond what's actually sufficient in terms of dosage. In addition to gaining some degree of self-awareness between each toke i consider a habit ain't very satisfying if it doesn't also include a fair appreciative dimension, vastly based on aroma/taste in this most particular case; one major challenge being to do "more with less". IMO marginal/dysfunctional consumption issues often suggest there's been repeted abuse, which is why i point an accusating finger directly at the tool rather than the substance, because i recall when i used to smoke there was a difficult dilema to resolve between my urge to seek the ultimate toke vs a desire to "conserve" by avoiding loss from multiple igniting/extinctions, using the tool illustrated below (labelled as a "Tokeu"): There couldn't be a worse consumption tool for me, on top of being about combustion smoke. It rapidly led into a spiral as the more i tried the less i seemed to succeed. Not to mention that smoking actually destroys a large amount of noble molecules for no other prupose than to maintain the fire alive. That's a perfect objection to investing on something which costs more than paper & glue, while still having your consumption profile shaped by it. Now i propose we get a closer look at one fundamental challenge: The goal is to transfer to your bloodstream (via inhalation) a fair dose of the noble substances conveniently collected (practically "filtered") at the site of genesis on a molecular basis, delivered in natural packaging known as trichome glands... Assuming this is "bio" quality cannabis i'd strongly suggest to avoid any form of potential vilification by following "The Shortest Path of Lesser Transformation", which in my own case involves discrimination of the tiny "frosted" features in an approximative Pulse Heating scenario. Other solutions exist as well, though some trades-offs must be agreed in exchange for a prefered aspect. Stealthy pen comes to mind, etc. Which is one of the multiple possible forms of self-vilification as far as i'm concerned. ... In any case good day, have fun!!

@Hansu coal was a political decision. it is more complicated than this, multiple factors leading to that decision, on one hand it`s worker related and socialdemocratic nostalgia, on the other it`s about being independent in the transformation phase but still being able to get some energy from abroad until we make it completely. also the atomic powerplants in some regions in europe are not in their best years, so there is not only the risk of human errors. well it would also be a human error to overlook or miss that. enough reasons to work on it with higher pressure. (we seem to love challenges )

i used to smoke cannabis during my transition from stage orange to green but I quit 2 years ago since it wasn't serving me any longer. So far I have had 3 lsd trips and 2 mushroom trips. None of these even came close to the how incredible my cannabis trip was last night. I did it with a group in a friends room. I consumed it through 1 bong hit but I basically just sat on his meditation cushion and did my own thing while the others ate, talked, and watched youtube. When it hit, insight after insight just kept pouring through my head. Sadly, I forgot most of it shortly after. Some key takeaways: How much neuroses is stuck in my lower chakras: The healing power of cannabis is incredible underrated, I literally was just breathing and focusing on relaxing my anal, perennial and stomach muscles. As I breathed it felt like there was pent up, twisted energy that was being worked through. I feel like I've just dropped a heavy load that I've been carrying around for so long I've forgotten it was there. A recurring theme in my life-Elliot Hulse originally introduced the concept of 'dying to your old self' so you may become 'the strongest version of yourself'. What i've realized is that my identity level changes throughout my life have always been catalyzed by individuals. It is the individual people that I am drawn to, not their isolated teaching, their technique, their method, etc. Hence, I've been very drawn to Sadhguru before finding Leo although I've never actually made any attempts to go for his courses. Hence, I will go to his ashram during my summer break. DISCLAIMER: I do not advocate Elliot's recent developments as I feel they are myopic. Having said that, he is still a very valuable mentor to many people including myself. How powerful kriya yoga actually is-I've been meditating for a little over 2 years. I started off doing 5 minutes of anapanasati meditation (mindfulness of the breath) a day to 45 minutes a day. 6 months ago I swapped that for kriya yoga. Last night showed me just how goddamn powerful my practice is. I could feel my crown and third eye buzzing intensely. It's as if each time I used cannabis throughout the 2 years my sensitivity has been becoming exponentially stronger. It felt like it was activated but I knew I was still operating in a very limited perception. I felt that I could explode my reality by focusing there but I chose not to. Which leads me to my next insight-there was 1 particular book in the booklist that mentioned not to focus on the crown chakra until you're ready as it may have negative side effects. I'm only 21 and I don't feel like my life is in the chapter/phase where I can fully focus on seeking. Hence, I have to redirect my focus to building a stable foundation. Insights on my family dynamic-it's not something I'd like to get into the details into but in a nutshell, part of the reason I came down this rabbit hole was because my family is quite dysfunctional in many ways. Now is a time of transition for my family where we must heal, and I must lead this transformation. I've found the tool I've been looking for and will experiment with edibles. Thanks for reading

I also thought about posting this some time ago sometimes I watch Mike Tyson's podcast, he talks about the toad regulary and he still does it regulary love the transformation this guy has made

I wouldn't advise to tell anybody unless you feel they will understand what you are talking about. It will only make you feel even more alone. I didn't tell anybody. Actually I tried to tell my Dad but he basically ignored me. Nobody will believe anything you say about it until they see the positive results for themselves (after you complete the journey and they see your transformation). I knew that the people around me could only understand from what they themselves had already learned. I knew telling them would cause them suffering because they could not help me. They would see me as ill, and that would only cause them to suffer. Even many spiritual people call Kundalini nonsense because they know nothing of it. So the average person will surely consider you crazy. It's not their fault. I know it's hard but you have to take responsibility and walk this path alone. You will feel very alone, but you are not <3

When we can carry the red thread of the present moment for a whole day and not drop it. Then eventually, days at a time and finally get to the point of never dropping it. I vaguely remember Fourth Way text about the 'fake it till you make it' practice. After posting this, I'll go search,,, I thought this applicable from a Christian perspective. A lesson from an online Course during Lent a couple of years ago, about the pendulum of emotions. The yo yo of Being. Session 6: Growing Your Being "As we are raised in Being, so is meaning transformed. As we fall back, the old meanings return." — Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of G.I.Gurdjieff and P.D. Ouspensky by Maurice Nicoll, Volume 5 Commentary by Cynthia Bourgeault This arresting comment by Maurice Nicoll, one of the early British students of the Gurdjieff Work, provides some useful insights into how one might engage practically with the task of "perfecting oneself in the sense of Being," the goal of the second Obligolnian striving. First off, what does it mean to "be raised in Being?" Setting aside for the moment the question of "who" or "what" does the raising, let's start with the obvious — namely, that if we can be raised in being, Being must have levels. This is not hard to verify internally. With a flick of your imagination you can picture yourself in a relatively higher state of being. Maybe it's sitting on your meditation cushion, relaxing in nature, or almost anywhere you feel yourself in a greater spaciousness, equanimity, and inner alertness. Another flick of your imagination and you can (all too) easily recall those low-being states: when you're caught in negativity or reactivity, or as well when your attention is totally scrambled and dissipated, like noodling on the internet or wandering through a task on autopilot. During the day we travel up and down on the yo-yo of Being. Some days yo-yo feels like an understatement; it's more like bungy-jumping! Now what does this "meaning is transformed" part mean? Again, you can easily check this out in practical experience. When you're in a higher state of Being — spacious, grounded, present — it's easier to stay in touch with those loftier and more generous impulses: things like compassion, trust, forgiveness. It's easier to ponder the great questions like "What am I here for?" — or even to see, beneath the fragmented surface of things, a deeper order and presence. When you're in a lower state — negative or distracted — your perception of reality tends to get co-opted by mental scenarios, projections, cynicism, self-importance, urgency: all the small-self agendas. Ever notice how often perceptions based in negativity inevitably turn out to be skewed? In a lower state, it gets harder to hold onto large ideas like compassion, trust, non-reactivity. Even Being itself can sound like just another concept! From a Gurdjieff Work perspective, falling to a lower level of Being inevitably entails moving to a less energized state. This may not seem obvious to you at first, because negative states can sometimes feel highly energy-charged. But in the Work, the tip-off is not the state of your emotions but the state of your attention. A state in which you're collected, gathered, focused, present, is a higher energy state. This means that it is running at a more powerful magnitude of Being; it supports the "upward" transformation of meaning. A lower-level state plunges you back below the critical threshold needed for maintaining lively contact with that deeper aliveness of "Real I." Inevitably, once your reservoir of Being starts to get drawn down you fall back into identification with your smaller self, which in turn draws your reservoir of being down still further. It's a complete vicious circle. Unfortunately, it's not easy to spot when we move to a lower state. Just as most people can't see the moment they fall asleep at night, so they also can't and don't notice when Being starts to sink. And when you think about it, that actually makes sense: you can't go consciously unconscious! But with training and sincerity you can begin to notice more promptly when you've gotten hooked, and at least not feed the downward slide! Sometimes, as the Psalms say, you simply have to "wait in the darkness crying for the Lord." The ability to see a deteriorating state does not immediately mean that you can do anything about it. You have to endure for a while (sometimes a long while!) in the gap between your power to see and your power to do. It's one of the most uncomfortable tight spots in the whole spiritual journey. But simply noticing is a far more important act than you might at first expect: Because as you sit there in that unaccustomed helplessness and exposure, you gradually begin to see that there really is a "something" or "someone" who calls you back to your deeper spiritual intention. And it's not your own personal efforts but your growing trust in this deeper relational field working on your behalf that will eventually get you there. For the time being, your job is simply to notice as promptly as you can, always with a small thanks offered to that unknown "something" that always seems to notice, even when we don't, and to intervene on our behalf, as the ombudsmen of our real yearning for Being. To Practice What I've just given you here is actually a very condensed introductory course on what the Gurdjieff Work calls "self-observation." This is the capacity to notice, without judgment or self-criticism, what's physically going on inside you from an objective, "third-person" point of view. Today I invite you to further explore any or all of today's teaching in the laboratory of your own more being. Here are some practical suggestions: 1. Begin each day with at least twenty minutes of meditation, if that is not already your usual practice. (It is best to start this exploration into self-observation by "tanking up" your reservoir of Being.) 2. As much as possible, notice as your state of being shifts, particularly when you "fall asleep" (Work terminology for falling to a lower state of being). 3. What effect (if any) does simply noticing have on your state? 4. Can you begin to spot the hooks that drag your level being down? This should keep you more than busy! As you're so moved, please record your work-in-progress in your journal. "Becoming Truly Human: Gurdjieff's Obligolnian Strivings" is a joint project of Cynthia Bourgeault and Spirituality & Practice. Content copyright 2017 by Cynthia Bourgeault. Photo credit: Steve Nathans-Kelly and Wisdom Way of Knowing. Rev. Dr. Cynthia Bourgeault is the Principal Teacher and Advisor for The Contemplative Society (www.contemplative.org), an inclusive nonprofit association that encourages a deepening of contemplative prayer based in the Christian Wisdom tradition while also welcoming and being supportive of other meditation traditions. Spirituality & Practice (www.SpiritualityandPractice.com) is a multifaith website presenting resources for people on spiritual journeys. The organization is helping to build a worldwide community of people vitally engaged with the wisdom of the spiritual traditions and serving the world through spiritual practice. from https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ Im not sure if they're still offering this,,,?

@Truth Addict For a deeply enlightened Emotional mastery means simply absence of emotions no matter what in all circumstances. For other enlightened with lesser degree of transformation realisations insights emotions still appear and some react to that and some don't but at least enlightenment basic least enlightenment means not geting attached to emotions they are like passing clouds they don't touch them on the surface it will appear to others like that. Emotions are just appearences projections it appears to be appealing as real. The thought I hate Ralston consciously is an appearance projection which again is believed as real and the person truth addict is passing his judgements based on that. That's how ordinarily people believe judge act this is good that Is bad.This is the best that is the best etc isn't it ? I hate Ralston consciously knowingly I hate love Ralston consciously unconsciously knowingly unknowingly isn't it ? Even for the enlightened the communication has to be done to others and they best try to communicate in all possible means by the thoughts that are appearing to them in what ever language words they know knowing perfectly the life birth circumstances knowledge they have are not theirs nor their creations.It is just happening. (--- Note it is Truth Addict who imparted the wisdom to me now you are getting attached to the idea of detachment.) That's how judgemental reactive likes dislikes are transcended isn't it ? You are neither the experiencer experiences nor the doer creator.They are happening in the body mind that's not me and not my concern. I am not interested in the unreal - Nisargadatta Maharaj. What ever said are just intellectual understandings I am yet to realise experience the truth ???? @Nahm

An excerpt from an excerpt from an article. " Sustained encounters with objectless-awareness are in fact meaningfully relevant to ongoing transformation," Here, Samadhi consciousness exists as the peak form of non-dual attainment. That being said, it administers a very serious ultimatum. If one does not come down from absorption into the formless, then an inability to function in the causal world may result. Due to the notorious hardships of Samadhi subjects who endure this precarious experience, Ramakrishna believed that the subsequent “fall from grace” back into phenomenal reality could beneficially actualize an intermediary consciousness. Surmising that sustained encounters with objectless-awareness are in fact meaningfully relevant to ongoing transformation, he suggested Samadhi’s function, after having been summoned back to ordinary consciousness, was to gradually integrate the experience into Bhavamukha. This zone of liminal reception allows for a transformed multiplicity to join in with absolute One-ness, resulting in a sophisticated mode of non-dual perceiving. Through bhavamukha, personhood remains in-tune with the phenomenal world, as Ramakrishna himself, their life spared from complete absorption into One-ness for the continuing enlightenment of all beings. https://wisdomwayofknowing.org/resource-directory/on-the-imaginal-by-joshua-tysinger/

You guys are amazing! @Nahm thank you so very much for your inspiration, loving and authentic advice which is positively constructive. The problem actually is hormonal-imbalance which I’ll get corrected ASAP. I’ll just leave you guys an awesome quote from a real hero. If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself. If you want to eliminate all the suffering in the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself. Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation. - Lao Tzu

recently i discovered a method in a book that explains a simple method on how to get a lot of things done by a method called D.R.A.T what means discipline, relaxation, attention, transformation. watching the last video i found out why the letting go of fear method doesn`t work for me. as i am in denial/avoidance of blue structures, what means i try to avoid structures that are stiff, normative, rigid, bureaucratic, over regulating and dogmatic. so in a sense i am in denial and avoidance of fear as these structures work or are installed to regulate basic fears. so in a sense i can`t work with the fear method what has some parallels to that method in how it works, let`s call it F.R.A.T fear, relaxation, attention, transformation because i`m in avoidance of blue discipline. somehow i wonder if it is a fear of using fear to solve problems as i`m not in fear of the basic survival stuff, so i`m more in lack of fear than having too much of it. so i was wondering if there are other methods to attain discipline instead of fear to then work with F.R.A.T on discipline. it`s really a little bit upside down. life purpose is not enough to overcome it, creativity is not fast enough to overcome it, fear seems to be a good regulator for discipline. also working with applying fear to what i am in denial about doesn`t really work because the avoidance/fear of discipline is bigger than the avoidance/fear of the survival issue. in that sense what to do if we already have let go of fear, through relaxation about it without being more attentive about it when the A in F.R.A.T becomes avoidance instead of attention? just realized, it`s a R.R.A.T problem or maybe an A.R.A.T problem (attention, relaxation, avoidance, transformation) even C.R.A.T (confrontation, relaxation, attention, transformation) is not enough to get to the root of the problem.

@Scholar Sexual energy is used in magic in many magical traditions across the world. It is used in Tantra, Tibetan Buddhist sorcery, Thai magic, etc, etc. The reason why is, if controlled, can generate massive amounts of psychic energy that can than be used and directed to workings based on your intention. It can add huge amounts of power to magick. This magick can be used for inner transformation, enlightenment/awakening or manifesting one's will in the physical realm. Sex, in this context, is considered sacred and holy. Jason Miller wrote a great book on Sex and Sorcery that is mostly based on Tantra and Tibetan Buddhist sorcery. The term "occult" includes any methods to influence possible realities according to one's intention so doesnt necessarily just refer to Western practices.

I wouldn't mind at all. Just now going offline though, but I'll pick this back up tomorrow. Hopefully I can offer something that's useful. Almaas's Theory of Holes and his teaching about 'sitting with it', whatever it is, until it transforms is one I may l touch on some more. 'Sitting with' triggers the alchemical transformation,,,. More later on.?‍♂️ Reminder to self. Three Centered Prayer and leaping out of one's grave.

Been struggling with this for a while. I'm a tall and skinny guy. Also I dont have much motivation to workout and do a full body transformation. Any advise? Any book recommendations?

I've been reinventing myself lately. Starting new projects and following through. It's amazing what finishing a goal that seemed impossible does with the mind. The first time is the hardest, next time is going to ten times easier. For me that project was "Ambitions", an epic cinematic EP inspired by the inner drive to reach a goal. The challenges, journey and transformation a person must take in order to truly embrace and land in the newly created spot in life. I hope you like it! Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7FTaLG51n8&list=PLJHKS6bTFEp8KDG9kx5FZG5B_Ub-nEZfC Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/79OE5ilwsonbVI2KWo4TJg?si=zh6jWGxDTUSMS9Nx0GNNHA Apple Music: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/album/ambitions-ep/1473974965

I used to frown upon or even look down on the idea of “coping” but I’ve come to realize how inevitably necessary it is to experience when I think about what it actually means to cope or grieve after the loss of a loved one, I feel it is the allowing for a transformation of negative energy-pain,suffering,sadness, grief, loss,heartbreak- into Love, or perhaps the art if letting go It’s all love in disguise, loss = remembrance, acceptance = gratitude, cycle of life = love My favorite ways to cope have been listening to sad music, movies, writing letters to loved ones, and being alone, sometimes in nature

After almost doing 50 trips of 5-meo and DPT. Like 40-10 ratio, I have come to follow with a lot more heart the tantric yoga and tantric Tibetan Buddhism. All these psychedelics trips have shown me from ***Personal experience*** that enlightenment is the goal but I will not achieve through psychedelics as they are not permanent. I would suggest my good friends here to research *Kalachakra* from Tibetan Buddhism. This book " Chakras energy centers of transformation by Harish Johari " is a great book on showing you visualization on each chakra. I am going to take it easier on very powerful psychedelics but forever thankful for the opportunity on having such mystical experiences that made me more hungry for actual enlightenment like Tilopa and Naropa and Padmasambhava and Jesus and Buddha and many others. Many Tibetan masters have gotten enlighten through the practice of Kalachakra which comes directly from the Buddha when he was giving lectures on *Vulture Peak*. I have also come to learn part of the *Dream Yoga* which is 1 of the 6 Yogas from Naropa. Everyday learning more and more. This is not the end of the trail my friends. I have yet to know of anyone that got fully enlighten like the Awaken above mention. He who seeks should find.

@Inliytened1 Leo is right when he says the forum has given lot of freedom to the people to express their opinions much much much tolerant compared to the spiritual communities Indian ashrams zen monastries. People think masters monks will be very compassionate. They dont encourage asking questions at all.They crush the ego often. They hit you test your patience intimidate you crticize you rebuke demean tell you fool they test your attachment detachment likes dislikes give wrong guidance to see if one have the discrimination to call the bluff they will test how determined one is after truth how attached to money family opposite sex name fame lust and seeker ego and spiritual ego how disciplined one is how truthful how sincere dedicated ??? The prerequisites of Truth integrity listening with empty mind calmness equanimity tolerance to suffering dispassion to sense pleasures dedication compassion to all (but not attachment) and very very strong quest for Truth -Qualifications required for a seeker ??? The important qualifications are cutting the interest of seeking knowledge - but choose the path and practice - silence (no talking unnecessarily) no debates no intellual arguements. Seekers are not supposed to guide tell their experiences to fellow seekers. Speak only the Truth - Truth what they mean here what ones own experience.Not opinions not borrowed knowledge. Thoughts Speech Action should be the same. The path is not just sitting in meditation for half an hour but continously putting garbage in to the mind rest of the day Full concentration mindfulness of ones action every moment when in action work. ??? Actual spiritual life of monks can be learnt only if we have chance not just to interact but see how they live and spend time with them for couple of months. Indiscipline disobediance disrespectful words (bad words ) one will be thrown out. Daily routine. They dont emphasize or advice fast quick enlightenment. The emphasize is on purification-transformation of mind not just transcending the mind naturally. (Which is where differences come - dont get caught in purification trap - choose a middle path top down approach-bottom up aporoach etc) but neverthless I am ashamed of myself of where I am and where they are as a person and disciplined purified mind ????

Haha jokes aside, Leo was a very important person in my transformation, and the friends I met here are so important for me, too good not to share. Thanks Leo for building bridges so I could meet those incredible beings That’s me and Justin watching the sunset today in Malibu, we meet from time to time to talk about the god bufo alvarius and self actualization stuff. It’s so amazing to have other people to share this crazy and beautiful path with has someone else met in person? Would love to see more pics ?

Goes like: Truth (Pure consciousness, completely detached, completely being, no need of freewill, end of all suffering/no suffering) --> Everythingness (anything automatically coming out of it, all realms-each behaving in certain ways, some have more power of choice, some less, some closer to the Source-Truth) --> singularity (flow, transformation, black/white hole, Riding the Ox Backwards) --> ego (embodiment into your body, to love realm, as well as embodiment into the universe) _____ I was commenting on no freewill in this thread.

@Leo Gura Perhaps a green version of Trump isn't the best way to describe it. I meant it more in the sense that Trump has taken over and is revolutionizing the republican party. I think Bernie could do the same in a Green version. For example, republicans are afraid to speak against Trump in fear of being shamed, primaried etc. Yet this is done with toxic motivations. I think if Bernie got the same level of public Green energy as Trump has red/blue energy, he could use that energy to transform the party up to Green - much the same as Trump has transformed republicans back down to red/blue. Yet Bernie is a healthy version of it. We are already seeing this transformation. After a few years of Bernie, Democratic politicians may be afraid to speak out against Bernie and his follows - in fear of feeling The Bern.

Letting go quotes from the glossary. 2 of 12 from https://www.diamondapproach.org/glossary/refinery_phrases/letting-go The Personality Can't Let Go; It Just Stops Pushing If the personality stops pushing, it ceases to exist, because the very existence of the personality is a contraction, a pushing. So, when you follow this process, the part of the personality which is holding a particular tension will disappear when you see no more reason to push. When you realize that the pushing is useless, you stop doing it. This is still not exactly what is called surrender; it is what is sometimes called letting go. We sometimes think of it as the personality letting go, but even this is not accurate. The personality can't let go. It just stops pushing. And when it stops pushing, it disappears. There is no person which is letting go of something. There is no entity letting go of another object. When Ego Ceases Its Defensive Posture Completely then Being Acts This interdependence between ego and Being can also be seen in the process of inner metabolism. Ego on its own cannot complete the metabolism of experience and hence cannot bring about complete human development; Being is needed for this process to take place. On the other hand, Being cannot accomplish on its own the whole process of metabolism; it cannot dislodge ego when ego is defensive. From the perspective of the mind, Being can be resisted easily with a slight movement of ego; thus ego must first cooperate by relinquishing its defensive posture. It is up to ego to cease resisting. When it ceases its defensive posture completely, then Being acts. This is an important understanding for methods of inner realization. The work on purifying or understanding ego will not lead, by itself, to transformation. Being by itself cannot do it either. The work must be done from both directions—the letting go of ego defenses and the development of Essence.

@ValiantSalvatore All kind of acts of violence - Murder,rape,terrorism,violence,abuse,cheating which harm others physically,mentally is termed as sin. Regarding lust - It is attachment to sensual pleasure it is a necessary mechanism for pro-creation.So by itself it is neither good or bad.Only if one is attached addicted to lust - sex as a means of pleasure seeking like all other temporary sensual pleasure then it is considered a bondage.Seeing the opposite sex as object of pleasure is not expected from a Guru. From the standpoint of a Guru who is supposed to see everything as one - god if is still entangled in petty lust identifies himself as body and and abuses his position as a master and indulges in sexual activity with the faithful innocent disciples then it is pure cheating.Doing great dis-service,harm. How can such person who is deluded with lust,greed can consider himself qualified to impart Truth,selflessness,purity to the upliftment of fellow humans from bondage-suffering ? Regarding enlightenment - There are no stages.Either one is enlightened or not enlightened. There are only stages in transformation of mind. With true wisdom it is said comes true humility,love,peace,compassion,un selfishness,patience,tolerance and compassion to uplift the humanity. So how responsible the Guru should be in terms of living as an example his actions and teaching.Such high standards are mentioned expected as pre-requisites for a Guru. But if an enlightened decides not to take that responsibility and chooses to remain free - mostly they dont interact with world and remain secluded.They dont disclose their wisdom nor claim themselves to be Guru. Traditionally monks remain as brahmacharies for 12 years and only after careful observation Sanyas is offered only if their mind is pure.

@ben_pte There are so many diverse approaches to magick. First I would start with the philosophies about occult enlightenment and self transformation. There is some real power there. Become something that can be a tool for the divine and things can get very interesting. I like Damon Echols. He has a book called high magick that I got started on. He also does a great interview on Buddha at the Gas Pump where he dives deep in the spiritual ascent aspect.