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@Leo Gura I am also very impressed by how she conducted herself in this interview and am excited to watch her perspective represented on the debating stage. She is clearly displaying a deep understanding of the institutional, economic and foreign policy dysfunctions and is laying out a great policy vision for political transformation on many issues, with an undeniable systemic intelligence to implement it. However i do want to point out as freedom of the press, journalism and speech in general is a high priority for me that her take on the Julian assange situation and some other blind spots deeply concern me. 9:20 Backing away from medicare for all and opts for a more moderate plan, but to me there is no half measure on healthcare. 21:40 Sharing her views on the Julien assange wikileaks situation which made me have to pass on her and stick with candidates like Bernie and Tulsi Gabbard.

Do you have any record of your transformation of consciousness? I would love to know what your experiences are like.

Three good Enneagram books I recommend. The Enneagram of Passions and Virtues: Finding the Way Home Introduction This book is not simply about the enneagram. It is about inner transformation. It is about understanding some of the major characteristics of our consciousness in the state of personality or ego—that of believing and taking ourselves to be the person who is the product of our personal history. It is also about the changes our inner atmosphere undergoes as we become free of that identification. And finally, it is about skillful means, as the Buddhists would say: how to orient ourselves so that this transformation has the possibility of becoming a reality. Obviously, these aims imply that most of us are living within inner confines of which we are unaware, and that there is much more to us and to our potential experience of reality than we experience within the perimeters of ego. It also implies that it is possible to expand our consciousness beyond these constraints. This has been the endeavor of spiritual seekers throughout the ages, based on an inner intuition, or perhaps direct experience in extraordinary moments of deeper dimensions beyond those of ordinary consciousness. ,,,,,,,, Sandra Maitri's, "The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram: Nine Faces of the Soul" This review appeared in the 2003 July-August issue of New Dawn Magazine: ___________________________________ While the ideas inspiring the modern Enneagram concept can be traced at least as far back as classical Greek philosophy, the majority of material currently being taught about it, including the psychology of the nine Enneagram types, is the work of contemporary authors. In this sense, the Enneagram is not an established model, but a work-in-progress. Many fundamental ideas are shared by Enneagram formulators, but there are also significant differences and diverse theories about the types themselves, and the underlying philosophical base. A great deal of confusion even exists concerning the contributions made by different authors and teachers. The Enneagram was originally disseminated in the 1970s by enthusiasts passing around photocopied notes from Oscar Ichazo’s Arica School and Jesuit sources. These notes were not attributed to anyone, which made it extremely difficult to know who had authored them. As books were published, some clarity began to emerge, but even so, many assumed everything about the Enneagram belonged to an ancient “oral tradition” from the Sufis and was therefore in the public domain. For this reason, it is almost mandatory for a newcomer to read the work of students who received the first model of the teaching. The father of the modern Enneagram is Oscar Ichazo whose contributions were central to the development of the modern system. Ichazo linked the nine divine qualities or aspects found in Neoplatonism, Kabbalah, and mystical Christianity, to the Enneagram symbol. Most modern authors build their work on this model. Following this work was Claudio Naranjo, a student of Fritz Perls, founder of Gestalt therapy. Naranjo learned the Enneagram from Ichazo during his stay in Chile in 1970. He returned that year and began teaching the basic concepts to a small group in California. Naranjo combined his background in psychiatry with Ichazo’s teaching, and further developed the alignment between the nine types and modern clinical psychological categories, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) personality disorders, various defense mechanisms, and other personality theories. He developed additional ideas, and further applications for the 27 combinations of Enneagram types and Instincts. With the exception of A.H. Almaas and Sandra Maitri, no major Enneagram teacher or author has ever been a student of either Ichazo or Naranjo. More often than not, teachers and writers are part of the obscure and virtually untraceable line stemming from self styled teachers with their own methods and aims. While some of these may be quite progressive, the majority do not understand the concepts completely and interpret the Enneagram without knowledge of its essential properties. Sandra Maitri, author of The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram, is known as one of the Ridhwan School’s principal teachers who, with Almaas, taught the Enneagram system by Claudio Naranjo over twenty-five years ago. Her vast experience and direct knowledge and transmission of the initial concepts make her a formidable source for students interested in a different application of technique. The Enneagram has gained popularity in recent years as a system of understanding ourselves and others in which nine basic personality types – each having specific cognitive, affective, and behavioural characteristics – can be discerned. Nearly every modern Enneagram-related work treats the system only as a typology of personality, and while an extremely valuable psychological tool, its deeper purpose is largely unexplored. This is precisely where Maitri’s book is set apart. Rather than simply presenting the Enneagram as a definitive psychological typology, she seeks to illustrate the spiritual applications, and convey the original spirit and purpose of this body of knowledge as a tool for spiritual development. The Enneagram’s true function, Maitri explains, is to “point the way to who we are beyond the level of personality, a dimension of ourselves that is infinitely more profound, more interesting, and more rewarding.” Maitri shows how the Enneagram charts the disconnection from our inner depths, how each personality type develops as a part of this estrangement, and how traversing the inner territory particular to our type can bring fulfillment and meaning to our lives by bringing this deeper dimension to consciousness. She explores the nine types, the subtypes, the wings, and the inner movement of the Enneagram, all in the context of spiritual development. She includes a clear explanation of the concepts and methods for personal application, including a chapter on identifying your personal Enneagram type and the implications for your own development. For the reader interested in the development of the soul through an intimate knowledge of oneself, The Spiritual Dimension of the Enneagram is perfect. While so many spiritual models focus on the external factors, this is one of the effective few that find the path to spiritual development within the mind and personality of the individual. – Robert Buratti

I came to think that what I call mental enlightenment is actually enough. Because the evolutionary leap in biology and stuff will be an automatic consequence of a critical mass of enlightened people in the world. I came to this conclusion using the realization that "nobody is a doer" as the criteria for enlightenment. That's a purely mental conditioning. Of course, there has to be a change into the deeper subconscious levels of the conditioning of the mind, but still it's about the mind, not necessarily about the biology of the body. And actually, for example Eckhart Tolle has hinted about higher levels of existence on earth: "... when collective human consciousness becomes transformed, nature and the animal kingdom will reflect that transformation. Hence the statement in the Bible that in the coming age “The lion shall lie down with the lamb.” This points to the possibility of a completely different order of reality." - The Power of Now, ch. 9

@Mu_ yesterday one person uttered disrespectful comments and I gave him back.When I said this my dad you shouldnt have done that he is acting in ignorance.I said so I am,How I am not supposed to react when I myself is in ignorance and these so called spiritualists are so irritating in asking me to behave in a way as if I am self realised when I am not ???. The point is ego,mind will be there as long as a body is there. The treatment is for the ego,mind,personality though they are appearences in conciousness. Absence of identity or sense of seperate person is not absence of ego or personality or the mind. Emotional mastery or maturity of complete inner transformation of the mind,personality has to happen and the mind or ego or personality should be free all impurities lust,anger,hatred,jelousy,desires etc. The mind itself should become pure like the Self. Just non identification with thoughts or knowing they are not me is not enough but the very impure thoughts should be seen what they and should be completely eradicated or burnt once for all. Hence psycoanalysis or any form of purification is a must pre or post realisation. Traditionaly from the begining purification of mind is emphasized. The ego-mind is not an illusion but not permanant or real like the Self but yet they are real till body is alive. The identity is an illusion or maya. I dont take the absolute truths like nothing exists world doesnt exist Self alone exists etc though they are truths from absolute stand stand point is not practically useful for life as long as body mind exists. So one has to follow the relative truths of life world where the body mind lives and act accordingly. This is my practical understanding of Advaitha as of now. @winterknight Please free feel correct my understanding. ???

I would LOVE this! People into spirituality I feel need to have a better understanding at the interconnection between nonduality and politics. I notice a lot of people into spirituality (particularly on this forum) are quite politically retarded in regards to their understanding. If we want a more conscious and awakened world in a way that is both not a pipe dream and sustainable, we need a more conscious politics. Theres a reason Sadhguru, Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Krishna, and reknown mystics both past and modern, and have worked with the rulers of their civilization to help bring transformation for those in power in order to bring conscious transformation to the people.

Once it happened…Four men were walking in the forest. The first was a gnana yogi, the second was a bhakti yogi, the third was a karma yogi, and the fourth was a kriya yogi. Usually, these four people can never be together. The gnana yogi has total disdain for every other type of yoga. His is the yoga of the intellect, and typically, an intellectual has complete disdain for everybody else, particularly these devotional types who look upward and chant God’s name all the time. They look like a bunch of idiots to him. But a bhakti yogi, a devotee, thinks all this gnana, karma, and kriya yoga is a waste of time. He pities the others who don’t see that all you need to do is know that God exists, hold his hand, and walk in trust. All this mind-splitting philosophy, this bone-bending yoga is absurd to him. Then there is the karma yogi, the man of action. He thinks all the other types are just plain lazy. Their lives are pure self-indulgence. But the kriya yogi is the most disdainful of all. He laughs at everyone. Don’t they know that existence is just energy? If you don’t transform your energy, whether you long for God or for anything else, nothing is going to happen! There can be no transformation. These four people customarily cannot get along. But today they happened to be walking together in the forest. Suddenly, a storm broke out. It grew fierce. The rain started pouring down relentlessly. Drenched to the skin, the four yogis started running, looking desperately for shelter. The bhakti yogi, the devotion man, said, “There’s an ancient temple in this direction. Let’s go there.” (As a devotee, he was particularly familiar with the geography of temples.) They ran in that direction. They came to an ancient temple; all the walls had crumbled long ago; just the roof and four columns remained. They rushed into the temple—not out of any love for God, but just to escape the rain. There was a deity in the center. They ran toward it. The rain started lashing from every direction. There was no other place to go, so they moved closer and closer. Finally, there was no alternative. They just sat down and embraced the idol. The moment these four people hugged the idol, suddenly God appeared. In all their minds the same question arose: why now? They wondered, “We expounded so many subtle and arcane philosophies, worshipped at every possible sacred shrine, great and small, selflessly served so many people, did so much body-breaking penance, but you never showed up. Now when we’re just escaping the rain, you turn up. Why?” God said, “At last you four idiots got together.” From: Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy by Sadhguru

Yes. Transformation from the No-self to your ego, which is the body/mind/world. You will be No-self, then everythingness, then this singularity (aka, blackhole) that goes back to your ego.

I see the doomer/bloomer video as an analogy of spiritual transformation. Our modern day's equivalent of Zen model. "It's modern day's 10 ox hearding pics hahaha. Now we just have 2 stages to accommodate for our attention deficit."

Mm, yes transformation, baby!

@ivankiss Your subtle expectation is in holding patience to allow for transformation. That's fine but don't think you can't also have intent! Your art can come from absolutely any opportunity you pounce on! Suffering is fine and all but Love is expressed infinitely. Stay open and don't ever stop working on yourself!

No expectations. Purpose. The question is not "if". The question is "how". And knowing exactly how would ruin the fun part. It's all a part of the journey. Pain is welcome. No matter how hard to swallow. Wouldn't be half the artist I am without suffering. Love will always have the final word. And I...I will always dream. Transformation, baby!

@Gili Trawangan what do you mean ignore it at my own peril? Also in terms of inner work. I DO do that. Transformation mastery, meditation, therapy 1x a week, journaling, deepest fear exercises. I definitely doninner work, but it doesn’t do shiit. It’s like I know why I’m fucked up but nothing changes. It’s like ok I know I’m a bird, but I’m still a bird

OH. MY. GOD. OK...uhm...I am going to start this by making it clear that there is absolutely no possible way for me to describe exactly what the hell happened last night. I can only dance around it like a lunatic. It's probably going to be sloppy and not very well articulated, as I have not integrated the experience fully... Or at all. Not even sure if I can call it "an experience"... I'm still kinda shocked from what went down. However; I want to get it out while it's still fresh and raw. Will let it marinate. The idea is to let go and see if anything valuable comes out of this post-documentation, on it's own. Be not mistaken; I am going to write about this from a rather limited perspective and level of understanding. Although there was no "me" involved, really. It all happened to awareness, by awareness, within awareness. So here goes nothing... Some background: Had a strong intention of breaking the pattern and living intuitively these days. Acting on intuition strictly instead upon thoughts. Ignoring them. Turning the cheek on them. Emphasizing synchronized being and surrender. Have no job. No responsibilities. Live alone, far away from anyone I know. Parted ways with my gf. So basically have all the time in the world. Absolute freedom to experiment and do whatever the hell I feel like doing. Reached whole new levels of mindfulness and mindstillness. The breath deepened, blasted through. Senses sharpened. Linearity started fading. Perception was getting increasingly higher in definition. I was centered. Calm. Blissfully fulfilled. On the flip side; Went through a few ego backlashes, conceptual deaths, minor panic attacks and everything that comes with the package. Felt like I was dancing with physical death often. Insanity was right next door. Had difficulties with staying grounded. The body started adjusting itself in weird ways. Troubles with maintaining breathing pattern. Occasionally lost in thoughts and emotions. Overall; was embracing the process of transformation - looking forward to that next big shift. And boy was it big and intense. Completely caught me off guard. There is just no possible way to ever be "ready" for this. Impossible. It's always 100% real and in your face. Can turn no cheek on death when it comes for ya. It's horrifying. But... Turns out; death is not even the biggest fear, really. There is something else. Hyper-awareness: Cannot find a more suitable word. This one seems to sit well. I can only describe it as becoming "way too aware" of every tiny little detail in reality. Of its totality. Simultaneously. Continuously. So much so it starts to freeze. Crystalize. Time starts slowing down; stopping. Literally. Actually. It's crazy! Every configuration of reality; every split second is like a snapshot. And you are not the experiencer of it. Nor the observer. You are freaking it! You are each and every one of those frozen, static snapshots. Nothing in-between. Think stroboscope! The five human senses completely dissolve. Collapse. No lag in perception whatsoever. Not a corner blured in visual field. Crystal clarity. Language starts sounding like garbage. Nonsense. All sounds merge into a giant sonic field. All undefined. Sensations turn alien. Otherworldly and super sterile. Oh man... I can already see how I'm chasing my own tail. There just is no way for me to give this any justice. It's just way beyond my comprehension. It's like swimming within myself. Moving within stillnes. Absolutely crazy. Each thought is a reality on it's own! As perfect and complete as it can be. A static snapshot! Each thought is THE TRUTH! That's the paradox! You're already in it. You are it. You're a thought experiencing itself. Right now, right here. "Reality" only seems solid and "real" because your mind can't catch up with it. It's happening waaay too fast; to put it that way. Yet it's static. You're only jumping from one complete configuration of reality to another. Shifting continuously. As if you were running from yourself. And you do this only because you fear crystalization. You don't fear death. You fear being frozen in time. In no time. And not as you now might think. Not as a human being. As pure, crystalized awareness. Holy macaroni! I really do hope any of this makes sense to you. I could not overblow it even if I wanted to. I'm just trying my best here. This is not just about transcending the mind/body complex. It's so much more. Your true work only starts after letting death pass through. It does not end it. Not even nearly. Death is still within the game. This... This is not a game anymore. I have no idea what it is but it's unlike anything. And somehow I am it. But also not. "GOD" is not a good enough word for it. Nothing can give it justice. It is unthinkable. Unimaginable. Incomprehensible. Somehow I became aware of every possible configuration of reality "within my reach" last night. There was not a single move I could make without seeing it happen beforehand. It's hard to explain because there was no more experience of time. No before and no after. And I was not really seeing the configurations... More like sensing them. Being aware of them. It all happened within pure awareness. Was on extremely high alert. Shifted from taking everything for granted to taking nothing for granted, whatsoever. Paying attention close, unlike ever before. All naturally; through synchronicity and surrender. The Hologram; This is how reality is. I feel pretty confident to claim that the mind is responsible for it. Imagine standing still while simultaneously, rapidly spinning around yourself. That which is still, is nothing. It's the formless you. That which is spinning rapidly, is the infinite amount of configurations of reality. Of thoughts...Of you! Hah! It's all one; however you put it. But in order to reach an understanding of yourself, you must separate yourself from yourself. Create an illusion of duality. Which is exactly what's been going down all this time and now you know why. You cannot see the hologram, because you're immersed in it. You don't see the projector because you're too occupied with the projection. I cannot let you know how to step outside of it, but it can be done. Only you know the way. But you must face your biggest fears. They are the guardians of exits; to put it that way. Of course I'm only scratching the surface here. Will share more in depth insights once I integrate and do further investigations/explorations. The sweet sleep; Thank God there is a percentage of you that is unconscious of itself. Seriously. Be grateful for it. Being 100% aware of your totality is not a tea party. To a human being; it is beyond any imaginable horror. At least it scared the shit out of me. Managed to "lower" my frequency/level of awareness by masturbating for an hour and watching nonsense on my phone. The only two distractions I could (barely) come up with. It was just over the top. Back in the game. Feeling (mostly) human. Need a break.

mandyjw, How can you be Him? First of all, you were created by God. Secondly, you're not the same gender as He. So, thirdly, you're not my old flame. Nothingness is the absence of beauty. Beauty is the fullness of being. I'm very happy for the imperfect to be made perfect, for the corruption of all things to dissolve and be replaced by incorruption, in other words TRANSFORMATION. That and our reconciliation with our Creator is the ultimate goal. Andrea

TLDR; Need 3 more people to request a 3 months consciousness program with Peter Ralston from August to October 2019. Let's be clear. When we talk about enlightenment you really have no idea what is being talked about. What you have has to be an image, a thought, a concept or some kind of perception but not the enlightenment itself at all. Something that is not generally knowing is that the absolute most of the times is "incompletely" realized. You can know what your nature is, clearly, yet not know what another is, or life is or what existence is. Your insight is, yes, "absolutely true" but still you somehow still make the error of perceiving that as your nature only and not the nature of everything else. What's inspiring is that you really are encouraged to be at the driver seat and do it now. You are repeatedly instructed to get it now, directly. I mean really do it now, at each moment. Seriously, how do you know you need 10,000 hours? This is not a "skill" we are trying to develop. We are trying to have an insight into the absolute nature of something, whatever that is. The absolute is not relative. The absolute is not a function of mind or the brain. The mind exists as a function of the absolute and so does the brain. The consciousness is a higher order property of all of perceptions. The absolute contains(or is the same as) all distinctions. How is it that you relate something you have no idea about (absolute) to a thought (10,000 hours)? Could this somehow open you up into considering that you can actually do it now? I am here to find people who care about actually understanding what is occurring for them. Individuals that want to put an end to the bullshit and set out to investigate with real openness and intent. I want you to know that if you really care about the results, If you really want to understand what is being talked about and you are willing to throw all fantasies and beliefs regarding enlightenment and consciousness and get what is actually true and real then I invite you to consider attending a 3 Month Consciousness Program with Peter Ralston. Significant points: The program will most likely run from August to October 2019. (90 days) Details about schedule/pricing http://chenghsin.com/workshop-threemonthtraining.html The beginning of August to the end of October. The Cheng Hsin Center is located in Texas, United States. The program actually ends with a whole 1 month workshop. Specifically designed to penetrate your experience. http://chenghsin.com/workshop-fall-series.html This might be your last chance. Peter mentioned multiple times that he wants to retire. He might die as well... Be imbued with the attitude of "I am powerful and so are you." Actually get what it takes to be a powerful human being. Aren't you tired of superficial change? ~2 hours of Peter lecture almost everyday. You can simply raise your hands and ask questions. Use the force of other people, the pressure of the environment to increase your odds. You will work on personal transformation too. Such a two fold approach seems to ground the work. Peter mentioned that this approach actually increases the odds of absolute breakthrough even more. The "method" is completely open. I just said, COMPLETELY OPEN. It is the equivalent of saying that there is no method. The goal is to become directly conscious, using whatever means possible. Ever had this doubt thing going on when meditating? Is this the method/the way or whatever? Your doubts will be acknowledged and you will be instructed to go in whatever direction is necessary. Only truth is the goal. My sole purpose of writing this is to gather enough people so that I can do the program myself, as Peter only does them with usually a minimum requirement of 6 people. We currently have 3. There is no guarantee that Peter will agree. We have to contact him personally. Please beware that there is a chance there will be a 7 month apprenticeship program in 2020 or sometime after. (not guaranteed as well) Please ask me anything below, private message me if you're interested in attending.

Check this one out ''...I would like to share the following teaching I received several years back when I was studying Shamanism. Picture a warrior with bow, quiver and arrows. The bow is a symbol for you as "self," aiming at the target of life. The quiver, your bag of physical and spiritual resources, contains seven dark arrows, seven light arrows, and seven rainbow arrows. These arrows represent the decisions and choices you make from moment to moment about how you direct the energies of your life experience. We are in the dark mirror when we seek validation for self outside of self, looking for emotional approval, mental recognition, physical security, and /or spiritual acceptance from others. When this occurs in our life, we are out of balance and we give away our power, picking up one or more dark arrows to aim at the target of life. The seven dark arrows are: attachment, dependency, judgment, comparison, expectation, the needy child syndrome, and ego self-importance. It is the dark arrows that keep us stuck in our patterns and in karma, with low self-esteem and a negative, skewed approach to life and the world. We are in the light mirror when we carry within ourselves self-reliance and personal happiness regardless of how others perceive us and react to us. We are now empowered to be all we can be, gaining individuality, transforming karma into dharma, and picking up the seven light arrows in the process. The light arrows are: self-awareness, self-appreciation, self-acceptance, self-pleasure, self-love, self-actualization, and impeccability (always doing the best you can whenever you can, and if you could do better you would). Each time we pick up a light arrow we break a dark one, and through this process of transformation we are gifted with a rainbow arrow. The seven rainbow arrows are: illumination, introspection, trust and innocence, wisdom, open heart-to-heart communication, balance of male and female energies, and abundance and prosperity. We are now fully matured, self-actualizing humans.'' -TDLH

I have been observing some of the most recent heated posts and feel this may help bring some awareness to my brothers and sisters when responding or projecting your thoughts on this open forum. I would like to share the following teaching I received several years back when I was studying Shamanism. Picture a warrior with bow, quiver and arrows. The bow is a symbol for you as "self," aiming at the target of life. The quiver, your bag of physical and spiritual resources, contains seven dark arrows, seven light arrows, and seven rainbow arrows. These arrows represent the decisions and choices you make from moment to moment about how you direct the energies of your life experience. We are in the dark mirror when we seek validation for self outside of self, looking for emotional approval, mental recognition, physical security, and /or spiritual acceptance from others. When this occurs in our life, we are out of balance and we give away our power, picking up one or more dark arrows to aim at the target of life. The seven dark arrows are: attachment, dependency, judgment, comparison, expectation, the needy child syndrome, and ego self-importance. It is the dark arrows that keep us stuck in our patterns and in karma, with low self-esteem and a negative, skewed approach to life and the world. We are in the light mirror when we carry within ourselves self-reliance and personal happiness regardless of how others perceive us and react to us. We are now empowered to be all we can be, gaining individuality, transforming karma into dharma, and picking up the seven light arrows in the process. The light arrows are: self-awareness, self-appreciation, self-acceptance, self-pleasure, self-love, self-actualization, and impeccability (always doing the best you can whenever you can, and if you could do better you would). Each time we pick up a light arrow we break a dark one, and through this process of transformation we are gifted with a rainbow arrow. The seven rainbow arrows are: illumination, introspection, trust and innocence, wisdom, open heart-to-heart communication, balance of male and female energies, and abundance and prosperity. We are now fully matured, self-actualizing humans. Source of information: Song of the Deer by Thunder Strikes and Jan Orsi. and http://www.thewildrose.net Lyn "Starflyer" Hopkins and Shama, Cht, CDC, TDE One of the teachings I received on the Shamanic path that still bites me in the ass is: “Self importance is nothing more than a mask for Self Pity”. Sincerely and with Gratitude!

Hurrah! I did it. My place is now clean again, and I also did a 20-min yoga-program. Gosh, it has been more difficult to keep up my yoga-pratice lately. Whenever I make a decision that I want to focus with more dedication on something it usually comes out of a sense of suffering and that I need something to cling on to in this difficult life, but then after a while of having been dedicated to something it brings good results and I feel better and then the need to focus on it doesn't feel so pressing anymore, so it becomes harder to maintain my discipline. That has happened with my yoga-practice now. I feel much better in my body, and my mood seems more stable as well. But no need to get complacent now. If I want to continue getting these results this is certainly the time to keep going. I just got to be aware of all the different ways that this resistance I sometimes feel will manifest itself. In fact I should expect this resistance to come up a lot - that is what I'm working with. We all have this resistance in us I believe. But those who choose to do a spiritual practice will go through a beautiful transformation if they continue to work with this resistance. Even though I've been practicing both yoga and meditation for a long time I still only feel "half baked."

Many so-called rational people completely underestimate the Bible. "To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father." - Revelation 2:26-27 "The one" who will be victorious is not a single person, like a dictator, but the global collective consciousness. "You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth." - Psalm 2:9-10 "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” ... There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." - Revelation 21 "The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." - Isaiah 11:8-9 At the same time there are Christians who misinterpret the Bible. The Rapture is not about being taken to heaven. "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." - 1 Corinthians 15:52-53 "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." - 1 Thessalonians 4:17 If the Rapture was about being taken to heaven, then that would be basically the same as death. And people will be resurrected on earth, since the dead are already in heaven. "Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." - Matthew 22:29-30 The Rapture is about a transformation here on earth and "meeting the Lord in the clouds" is about our ability to levitate with our glorified bodies here on earth, not in heaven. To the "rational" person this might seem like fairy tales, but consider the possibility that our reality is deliberately limited. Arthur C. Clarke's 3 "laws": When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

@Truth Addict If you spot it, you got it. Did anyone guide Dr. Strange to a manifestation of his True Nature? So. . . I also am in a bit of a personal transformation dilemma. That rascal @Nahm won’t show me how to build a crystal grid that transcends nonduality, stage Coral and 5-meo. So I guess I better go create a grid without an instruction manual. I don’t know how to create it, yet I do.

A while back there was an insight/joke here on the Journal forum about spongebob being hung up spending 3 hours writing the word 'the'. I've had a bad case of it lately. I thought writing about it might help me get past it. One reason for it is an avalanche of ideas coming together. The ingredients here are - the idea of shadow work, forgiveness and love as a focal point in practice, kenosis (letting go), metanoia (reversal), transformation in rebirth, unveiling of essential qualities, 3 Centered Awareness as the result of alchemy.

Can one expect a raise in consciousness and inner transformation from just staying present to the moment throughout daily life? I often forget to stay present when driving or doing mundane tasks and wonder how much different I would be as a person if I always took advantage of opportunities to stay present. I'll be testing this out more for myself but was wondering what other peoples experience has been when using presence as a tool for brain function, equanimity, peace of mind, consciousness, inner growth, happiness and other benefits. Thanks

This guy is my hero. in a twist of irony to what he says in this, I am so grateful for his teaching. But i would like to get some understanding, context, and maybe guidance in how i can assimilate, or simply navigate this. Ok so there is this story told by Tara Brach which summarised my psychological mindset now. And it's about a horse. There is a horse tamer and a horse. Who would of thought? And they were really good together. He was a race horse. But before he was a race horse he would be out of control. That is, until he met this horse tamer. So one day as the horse is doing one of his routines, something happens that triggers one of his early childhood trauma that he was suffering from. And it sent him into a panic. And bucked the rider and fled in fear. So the people go to the tamer to try and get it back for the race. So the tamer goes as and acted in accordance with the respect that their close connection deserved. He approaches, but maintains a lengthy distance. A healthy distance, he stood there in the far distance. Not close enough to see his face, but not far enough so that you can't distinguish him. He's quite far. And it showed that he was there for the horse in whatever capacity it needed him to be. This was obviously to do with my conditioning as a child growing up and not being given that space needed to come to terms with reality...on your own terms and not someone elses. But then upon listening to my friend Roger he begins to say that we will compile all sorts of stories and explanations dependant on past experience and circumstance to create a version of reality. Even when we think that "all is one" and all of that. Conceptually thinking it and thinking that conceptual thought leads to experience. And that that is not the teaching. And that this place he was talking about was really transforming me while i was listening to it. Everything began to appear to me a dream. All the people i met today were dream characters and with that perception with it came this sense that i really was creating the stage for everything to happen. When you're in a dream there is a feeling present within my experience that i do not share in reality. Maybe it's not when I'm in the dream but when awake i realise that the whole setup was created by conciousness. And that there is this emotional charge that runs through each happening. And that you get to in some part decide how you'd like to participate with each happening. Attitude wise. He then speaks about "flip flopping" from enlightenment experience bringing forth great peace, to losing that and going back to the old ways of thinking. And being hard done about it. And also realising that this whole procedure of transformation is part of the dream i am creating. I want to be changing. And that conciousness doesn't have a body, but it localises it within the body as a means to partake in this life. But the whole experience can't be divided into inside and outside. And that all of this is not true as these are thoughts and ideas are dependant on circumstance and experience. And that through this flip flopping of insight, from peace to anxiety one gets upset with him/herself. And personally these insights (which he directly adresses in this video) hav led me to recognise how dependant i am upon circumstance to be happy. And he cleverly re frames it. To, now you know, this is direct proof that happiness is NOT to be found in circumstance. So you find yourself in a different place. Where your attitude counts more than you ever thought possible. Rather than think our happiness is dependant on circumstance, a flow of opposites in intercourse with each other as you observe the happening. So it's a deeper recognition that happiness comes from your attitude to circumstance and does not come from circumstance itself. I also had this surreal sense that reality is silk. That we were all connected with silk, but that silk extends through to all forms. As this way of thinking implies the real untethered connection between all things.

@TheOne transformation happens inside time, creation from nothing is outside of time. What do you think of that?