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A special case of pluralism is the academic discipline of deconstructive postmodernism. It beliefs that it is impossible to defend any belief by proclaiming that all views are subjective and therefore legitimate since everything is relative. When relativism is carried to its logical extreme no view or interpretation is better than any other. All are equal. Postmodernists believe that any metanarrative succumbs to the same subjective arbitrariness. They deny the legitimacy of all hierarchies and all hierarchical ordering. When Pluralists adopt this belief, they may be hypersensitive to perceived instances of judgment as “better” or “valuable” in human terms. According to Wilber, radical postmodernism leads to what he calls “Boomeritis (2003).” In the extreme case, postmodernists assert with absolute certainty that there is no position from which to judge anything. They do not yet recognize the inherent self-contradiction in their assertion. It is, of course, a form of judgment and hierarchical ordering of values as those who disagree clearly have a less evolved view from theirs. YELLOW Because of its global understanding and the long-term sense of oneself as part of ongoing history, this stage parallels the “integral” or yellow stage in Wilber’s AQAL theory. As mentioned earlier, the LMF emphasizes the cognitive move from linear to systems thinking as a watershed in meaning making while Integral theory focuses on the qualitatively new capacity to see the world and oneself through an evolutionary lens. The Autonomous stage is the first level that fully recognizes the need and value for the existence of all stages both in terms of diversity in society as well as in terms of one’s own development. At least, in the ideal. The human tendency to want to be among similar people and to affirm one’s own worldview can easily lead to new forms of feeling superior and pride as a member of a chosen or special “tribe.” Autonomous persons realize that they may notice different conflicting aspects in themselves at different times and in different contexts. However, -- unlike Individualists, who may despair about ever knowing who they really are -- they are capable of “owning” and integrating many disparate parts of themselves. This includes integrating previously compartmentalized sub-identities, and rejected or marginalized parts of themselves. The experience of being part of interlocking systems rather than a bunch of separate agents changes one’s sense of responsibility in conflict situations. One sees how one inevitably is part of and contributes consciously or unconsciously to them. The self and the other can be seen as both perpetrator and victim, giver and taker, product and process as actions, thoughts and feelings can no longer be isolated as was the preferred way of dealing with difficulties at the Achiever level. Instead they form a dynamic interplay. Loevinger called this stage “autonomous” because individuals can now make meaning autonomously, independent of conventional ideas. While one cannot change reality, one has the freedom to interpret it to serve one’s own preferences and to make choices about life and who one wants to be. This is possible now precisely because one fully understands that interpreting and evaluating is what human beings do to make sense of experience. We all tell stories about what is happening, who does what to whom, how we see life overall, and why we believe that we matter. Autonomous persons consciously commit to create a meaningful life for themselves and for others in the world through self-determination and self-actualization. They realize that the way they tell their life stories changes with additional experiences and insights. The crucial new capacity is to realize one’s power to generate meaning and to tell a coherent self-story by creating it. Unlike people at Stage 4/5 who are not able to integrate various parts of themselves, Stage 5 representatives feel empowered to do so. Thus, Strategist possess a relatively strong, autonomous self sense that is both differentiated and well integrated. It is different from the Achiever sense of authorship because it is much more aware of the limits of one’s control. At the same time, Strategists embrace the options for self-realization they have and see the limits to their power as part of what it means to be alive. With their sense of transformational mission comes set of broader, human principles one must uphold such as the right of all human beings to be treated with justice and mercy. Autonomous persons worry most about having failed to observe those universal principles they value deeply such as the right of all people to self-determination and for being treated with dignity and respect. With their expanded awareness, Strategist use even more channels of information to make their moves. They are often conscious of energy dynamics (physical and otherwise), and notice underlying patterns that only emerge over longer period of time. They also have a deeper appreciation than any prior stage of how challenging it is to be a mature, responsible adult and how rare their own capacities are compared with most other people they are in contact with. Thus, they may pride themselves of being in the know about themselves and about the larger issues facing the world. Whatever their personal expertise, it is likely enhanced by interpersonal skills and worldly savvy based on having learned from experience. Strategist are often motivated and infused with a grand purpose and a vision of what could be. Unlike Pluralists and Individualists, however, their enthusiasm is based on high ideals as well as on a more realistic view of what it takes to change old patterns in self, in organizations, and in society. Strategists want to hone themselves therefore as instruments of change. They realize that they need to be the most they can in order to be of most service to others. Both servant and steward leadership are part of one’s care for the larger system and future generations. Wanting to help others evolve is one of the strongest motivators for Autonomous persons. Humanists, developmental psychologists, coaches and consultants often inhabit this stage. So do Strategist executives and leaders who see human beings as precious capital and who take multiple bottom lines into account in measuring their organizations’ success. In the best work place scenario, tangible as well as intangible outcomes are taking into consideration by paying attention to the physical and mental health of the staff, to an aesthetic work environment, to a good work-life balance, as well as to serving the wider community. Strategists conceive of developing people as a valuable contribution to the individuals themselves as well as to society. When this need to have others “become the most they can be” encounters resistance, Autonomous persons may feel impatient with others’ pace of development and frustrated with their “unwillingness” to grow despite their efforts and support. This need to have others transform is one of the central flaws of this stage along with an attachment to knowing and being coherent. They also tend to be among those who are most convinced that higher development is “always” better and should be fostered at all cost. Higher is believed to be better because the more autonomous and insightful about their inner dynamics individuals become, the more they can claim that they have an objective (non-distorted) and realistic self-identity (Kegan, 1982). This is the case even though this is also the first stage that can see how all people have had to move along the developmental trajectory through the various stages to be where they are now. Autonomous individuals also understand, at least theoretically, that this happens at a different pace and to a different degree for different people depending on life circumstances and appropriate challenge and support. Developmental thinking is now an aspect of cognition, of being able to look back and see how one evolved from a totally ego-centric and self-protective, to an ethnocentric, to a global or world-centric perspective. Many Autonomous persons see life as an open-ended journey. They believe that there is no predetermined way to follow for all human beings. Each individual has to find and create his/her own life style and is responsible for his or her own self-fulfillment. Autonomous individuals are interested in psychological questions and how to come to terms with inner conflict. Unlike individuals at the conventional stages, seeking therapy, advice, or consulting from others, is not seen as a weakness, but as a necessity and an actual strength. Autonomous persons have faith in their own and other people’s capacity to make meaning out of challenges and difficulties. They can construe their own personal sense without having to impose it on all others. They may also invite others’ solutions to conflict and respect their needs for autonomy. Sometimes Autonomous persons find ordinary constraints of life stultifying such as making a living and working an eight-hour day. They see themselves as being destined for bigger tasks with a far-reaching impact different from ordinary folks. They would prefer to enjoy their passions for influence and power on their own terms with maximal freedom or a mandate to do so for the benefit of all. If leading an organization to greatness is one of those passions, it may be a fortuitous match. Cognitive: With the expansion of the 4th person perspective in time (historical) and space (global) Strategists are able to operate from multiple levels and perspectives. They have fully shifted to a systems awareness while appreciating the benefits of a traditional scientific linear view of reality. They can value and apply both conventional and postconventional practices without having to reject the former in order to feel like themselves. They also recognize natural hierarchies in life. They are no longer afraid of acknowledging that some members of society are better equipped for certain tasks, or more cognitively differentiated than others. The Strategist embraces the notion that all human beings deserve respect, but also knows that not all opinions and all perspectives deserve the same attention. Unlike Pluralists, Strategists can now prioritize among multitude of voices because they recognize that some views are based on better evidence as well as being more comprehensive and fruitful than others. Making informed strategic decisions is part of the Strategist leader’s power. She chooses who of the pivotal stake holders to involve when decisions have to be made on an issue that requires others’ input. Society sometimes recognizes as valuable the capacity of the Strategist to make difficult decisions and to compare and integrate multiple perspectives. Furthermore, Autonomous persons have become aware of the performative contradiction of the postmodernist’s position and assertion that there is no position from which to judge anything. They realize that assessing, evaluating and choosing are vital aspects of functioning and making sense of life. They distinguish between biased judging and wise discernment. Whereas one has to be on the alert to avoid bias and notice one’s evaluative preferences, judging itself is crucial in human affairs. It is at the Strategist stage, that individuals begin to see paradox and ambiguity as an inevitable dimension of living and to increasingly tolerate these. Autonomous persons become aware and fluent in using polarity thinking in order to examine issues and tensions. Complex and sustainable solutions often require that one pays attention to opposing but interdependent values. The most effective and healthy designs foster the wisdom aspects of both poles and the minimize their downsides. However, the belief that one can at least approximate an accurate picture of the territory with diligence and through dialogue and collaboration is still prevalent. Autonomous individuals are aware of multiple interrelated systems and how influences are circular, cyclical and often tapestry -like. They have beginning access to an understanding of life that can integrate psycho-logically paradoxical elements. Therefore, less energy needs to be spent on “defending.” This then allows Strategists to be more accepting and spontaneous than adults at earlier stages. Emotional: For the Autonomous person inner processes are fascinating, complex and demanding to explore. As much as they need others, they also need privacy and time for self-reflection. The self is experienced as in transformation and constantly reappraised. Watching this “unfolding” of things is one of the main satisfactions at this stage. One’s precious life work consists in trying “to become the most one can become” in contrast to the goal of Achievers hoping to be the best one can be. In the Strategist’s eyes, good company, good questions, intimate relationships, and a meaningful occupation as well as chances for self-actualization and self-fulfillment are essential for a meaningful existence. Others are valued as ongoing, vital co-actors in one’s own fascinating life drama. Autonomous persons become fine-tuned to their own psychological well-being and inner workings. They take responsibility for regulating their thoughts, feelings and behavior. They are responsive and adjust when required as part of different life contexts and career phases. Deeper life purpose and legacy issues become an important topics of concern. How does my life and my contribution matter beyond my life time and my immediate realm of influence? Relativism changes into personal commitment and responsibility for creating one’s own personal meaning. Individuals are now capable of rediscovering and owning parts of the self which have previously been disowned for being too confusing or too threatening. The shadow side of the self can be acknowledged to a greater degree and therefore a new integration and wholeness is possible. Although Autonomous folks experience role conflicts and dilemmas strongly, they recognize that these are inescapable and that ambivalent feelings are natural. Based on this capacity to integrate and take a metasystematic view of different parts of experience, they tend to be quite certain of themselves and their cognitive and emotional capacity for synthesis and integration. Unlike individuals at the later, the postautonomous stages of meaning making, Autonomous persons try very hard to keep their act together and to come across as reasonable, mature, and knowing themselves well. They feel responsible for being able to orchestrate conflicting needs and different subidentities and generally appear more balanced than earlier stages. Strategists sometimes present themselves as exemplars of humanity giving off a whiff of superiority. Now even failures and missteps are presented as positive aspects of learning. While reframing and retelling one’s story in a more positive, self-sustaining light is a great strength of this stage, the capacity of owning some of one’s failures and foibles, can be used by the ego to bolster its sense of achievement and importance. We call this the whitewashing tendency of the Strategist. “Look how well I know myself. I am not afraid to share even my less than stellar sides so you can learn." Although not inevitable, feeling powerful and insightful because one understands so much about human nature and the world can lead to self-inflation. The focus on “humility” that several leadership studies mention as an important aspect of good stewardship is likely a response to this observation. On the other hand, it is a great triumph over earlier stages, that at this level one can recognize that flaws are part of being human. Getting a perspective on them is a life-long invitation to deepening one’s self- awareness and connection to others. Interpersonal: Even more than at the Individualist stage, experiences of all kinds can be welcomed and accepted for their immediate qualities. Distressing emotions become more tolerable and offer insights that can be heeded. Strong positive and negative feelings can be acknowledged within oneself and shared with others. Self and others are accepted as complex human beings with both positive and problematic traits and dispositions. There is an infinite variety of unique expressions of being a self. Only the dynamic and intimate exchange with others makes it possible to get in touch with aspects of one’s behavior one would otherwise tend to overlook. Good feedback makes one aware of what one is defending or blind to. Feedback is vital for continuing development and for gaining ever deeper self-knowledge and wisdom. One needs both the caring and the critical presence of others to optimize oneself as an instrument of change. The deep sense of interdependence creates a need to be mutually supportive and challenging. Strategists may feel responsible to help others transform in order to fulfill what they intuit as other’s potential. The “transformational” or “evolutionary” fervor of this level is occasionally blind to the transformer’s own identification with and self-importance in being a “transformer.” Many well-meaning change agents are not aware of the potential disregard for the needs and capacity of the recipients in their efforts to help others grow. Strategists can sometimes show impatience with others’ slow development, and frustration with their perceived resistance to grow. Notwithstanding, many seasoned Autonomous persons are ever more capable of expressing tolerance and non-possessive love (or being love) because of their profound appreciation of other people in their own right as unique individuals and as adults with a growing consciousness as well as fellow human beings with whom one shares the human plight. Others are seen as actors in their own life dramas, which are deeply moving and fascinating to participate in. Beginning with this stage, benevolence towards others and increasing compassion for oneself can become an abiding attitude. Emotional: Autonomous persons have now access to a wide range of different emotions and different states of awareness. Their emotional tone is different from that of Individualists. It is often less cynical and distrusting, more upbeat and also again more certain about oneself and knowing. Feeling into various sensations and emotions is one of the ways one approaches any experience. Rational deliberation and objective analysis are fully integrated into a comprehensive approach to problem definition and solving. Strategists can also recognize subtle distinctions among similar feelings. Thus, they would likely distinguish between various kinds of sorrow, grief, regret, disappointment etc. Overall, they seek to claim an authentic, truthful and adaptive self. Authenticity, is therefore an important value in the Strategist’s value repertoire. The greater awareness of their inner depth also allows Autonomous persons to use dreams, fantasy, and imagination much more freely than earlier stages. Their thoughts are allowed to take off. Strategist seek creative, integrated solutions to large-scale and long-term problems. More even than Individualists, they can think outside the box. Their imagination is no longer constrained by conventional approaches while these are taken into account and not ignored or resisted as at the previous stage. Strong feelings are becoming of interest as indicators of something important to observe in oneself and others. Autonomous persons can see difficulties as a natural part of the human condition -- inherent in the dynamic interplay of multiple systems and of complex human interactions. Thus they are often more skilled at negotiating impasses and conflicts because they are not as likely as all earlier stages to use blaming as a defense. They can identify with others and appreciate their vulnerabilities as well as their unique strengths. Because they are aware of their own many shortcomings, hang-ups, preferences and less than ideal habits, they can express light-hearted humor directed at our general folly as human beings. Moral: Strategists genuinely feel principled anger and righteous indignation towards the injustices of the world. They will stand up against society to express their personal convictions or to uphold their higher, overarching principles regarding human rights and well- being. They are willing to go on the barricades and risk their lives and reputations in order to fulfill the aims of their convictions. Their anger does not usually seek a victim but is geared towards rectifying perceived ills. Because of their capacity for the long-term view and they often express a deep concern for the well-fare of future generations. They feel a challenge and the obligation to make wise decisions that will serve beyond their own time and region. Self-less sacrifice for the greater good can thus be part of an Autonomous person’s positive self-identification. A Strategist’s standards for living a meaningful life are elf-evaluated and internalize. “To walk the talk” becomes an expression of one’s moral character and authenticity. One’s behavior becomes an expression of one’s moral principles and convictions. When irreconcilable role conflicts are discovered, there may be a deep unease and yet also a greater tolerance for feeling dissatisfied, ambivalent or confused than at earlier levels. One must qualify this statement because total acceptance of what is, is not yet part of the Strategist mindset. A serious effort towards even greater self-knowledge and self management skills remains a facet of an Autonomous person’s ideal self-image and drive towards human perfection. When they seek to become enlightened, they may make an enduring effort to “achieve” that goal with great seriousness and diligence. They may spend years in regular meditation practice, attending retreats, and following a particular spiritual leader or contemplative school. They may not fully realize that their very efforting is in contradiction with accepting what is. The tension between effort towards achieving a goal, even a spiritual one, and acceptance of what is may intensify at the next level of development. Some Autonomous persons become charismatic moral leaders who inspire others to follow their great vision of an ideal world order and a world fit for generations to come. When they defend what they believe to be a worthy cause, they can be courageous and disregard negative consequences for themselves. But they may also be overly forceful with their convictions especially when they are fueled by principled anger. The combination of charisma, moral conviction and interpersonal skills can be a dangerous combination if not kept in check. Followers often do not have the wherewithal to see the limitations and possible self-serving aspects of such a leader and his or her inspiring ideas. Depression: Autonomous individuals become dissatisfied with their lives when they feel they have not fulfilled their unique human promise or when they have not lived up to the greatness they expect of themselves. Loss of courage as well as loss of a sense of self-agency and power can become great stressors. When using defenses, healthy Autonomous persons use mostly mature ones such as suppression, altruism, humor, and reframing. When they use less mature defenses, they may realize it as momentary fallback. They may therefore be able to see this behavior as context-dependent and are able to forgive themselves and move on. However, when they think they have failed in their precious life work and mission, they can despair and feel a deep sense loss of self. This shift from feeling in one’s full power to feeling no longer needed is especially common when Strategists approach retirement. There has been much ongoing gratification in being successful in their métier, in having raised a family (whether as a personal one, as a thought leader, or as a leader of an enterprise), and in feeling one has made a difference in the world. The question of one’s worth in one’s older, less engaged years looms large. Did one get the rewards and appreciation one was hoping for and if so, will it remain? How does one relax and trust that the next generation will reign as well and as consciously and learn from their mistakes along the way? One way of dealing with these questions is to take on the role of mentor or steward of younger leaders or an organization. When less well navigated, the perceived lack of engagement with others and/or the lack of a sense of being as loved and admired as one expected, can lead to sadness or even bitterness. Ideally, the sense of disappointment can be mitigated with self-compassion and an understanding of life’s whole trajectory – with its inevitable ups and downs, triumphs and losses, and with its beginning, middle and end. Interpersonal style: One takes responsibility for relationships while also requiring autonomy and personal space. Relationships are seen in terms of inevitable mutual interdependence. One can tolerate and appreciate others’ autonomy and their different solutions to conflict. Non-hostile, existential humor is beginning to be available in tense situations. Cognitive level:Conscious preoccupation: Strategists are concerned with self-actualization, self-fulfillment, and legacy issues. They are interested in the psychology of self and coming to terms with their preferences and conflicting needs . Chief anxiety: a) not to fulfill one’s personal potential, b) not to self-actualize, c) not to live up to or neglect those global principles of justice, tolerance etc. one holds dear above any others, and d) loss of courage. Defenses: Mostly mature ones: suppression, positive reframing, altruism, and non hostile humor When using less mature defenses, one can be forgiving and understanding towards the ego Representatives: Charismatic individuals who are ready for personal sacrifice in order to defend through personal example the moral principles they believe in. Visionary leaders with the capacity to see how systems interrelate and are aware of the long-term implications of their choices. Language clues: Autonomous persons use a complex, flexible syntax; with a wide array of topics and concerns. They try to do justice to the complexity of life in their verbal expressions. They try to present a coherent exposition of their thinking and themselves. They use differentiated psychological vocabulary and understand circular causality in human relations. “Authenticity, evolution, transformation, higher principles, life purpose, authenticity and self-fulfillment” are among favored concepts. “Both/and” as well as “either/or” thinking is used in combination or alone depending on the context. Source: cook-greuter.com

Self-Actualization & the History of Management Key Points: • Myers Briggs is the most famous and widely used method of personality typing. º We take in information in one of two ways. Through sensing (S), or through intuition (N). We process that information through thinking (T) or through feeling (F). º Development can be traced along the following combinations of these personality types. a. SF (Sensing/Feeling): Gross motor skills. The emphasis is on strength, endurance, and physical attributes. As a society, we first evolved as hunter gatherers that relied on the prowess of the hunter. With the exception of professional athletes, the modern day embodiment of these characteristics, tend to be lower paid wage earners in the manual labor field. b. ST (Sensing/Thinking): The next thing to develop is fine motor skills. Hand eye coordination, typified in artisans, craftsmen. The neurosurgeon being an example. Society tends to reward these people with more money. c. NF (Intuition/Feeling): Verbal skills. Has a higher developed ability to communicate with others, express themselves, and read emotions. They tend to be caregivers, hippies, and the financial outlier being the singer and performer. d. NT (Intuition/Thinking) Analytic/Synthetic construction. This is the last thing to develop. These skills allow us to see and move into the future. Abstract thinking. Philosophers. • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. º Maslow was a friend of Clare Graves. º Postulated that humans have a fews basic needs and that our focus goes at fulfilling these needs in order. a. Survival. Includes food shelter etc. and anything that threatens that survival. º A power mode, in which we are powerless, and in a state of struggle. Concerned with the present. b. Safety and Security. Security from going back to survival mode. º Usually about one paycheck to the next. More control of your environment is obtained. c. Love, Affection, and Belonging. Once security is met, relationships are the next priority. º Time frames extend to the seasons. d. Ego and Self-esteem. Creativity, human expression. º Time frames envelop careers, and extend 20-30 years. e. Self-Actualization. Actualizing certain potentialities within one’s self. º It is a lifetime experience. Never ending experience. f. Self-Transformation. A state beyond Self-Actualization. º Transcends time. • What would it mean for you to be self-actualized? º Maslow describes self-actualization by the following, highly interpretable characteristics: a. Superior perception of reality. b. An increased acceptance of self, others, and nature. c. Increased spontaneity. d. Increase in problem centering. e. Increased detachment and privacy. f. Increased autonomy and resistance to inculturation. g. Greater freshness and appreciation of emotional reaction. h. Higher frequency of peak experiences. i. Increased identification with the human species. j. Improved interpersonal relations. k. More democratic character structure. l. A greatly increased creativeness. m.Certain changes in the value system. • Mechanistic model of Management. º The view that a system is like a machine, and the people like machine parts. If a part is faulty or inefficient, it is simply replaced. • Organic model of Management. º Growth the primary focus of business. º The people in organizations need to be looked after and developed. • Social System model. º Organizations are made up of employees, customers, and suppliers, and it existed in a culture and a society and should have a responsibility to that society. º The needs of the employees and the customers should be attended to. • Transitions. • In order to move on, a number of conditions must be in place. º You need to have some idea of what the next level looks like. º Contradictions in your current model arise. • It’s important to transcend and INCLUDE. Everything that came before is not useless when moving to a new level, and a common mistake is to abandon everything.

@Ether Haha yes, it's me. I love the art of transformation! @egoeimai @Charlotte Thank you both, you're very kind!!! @egoeimai I was a professional makeup artist for a few years, a while back. SFX was definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of the job. I was mainly self taught but I had a year or so of 'distance training'. Your hibiscus drawing is lovely, by the way. The shading is very good. Have you been drawing long? You seem to doubt your talent <3 @Natasha Your flowers are beautiful! That must have taken some serious patience.

Learn The Keys To Development From Master Map of Success Seminar By Eben Pagan Key points: • There is a danger with having horizontal categories. Having a through explanation of our behavior can in turn, limit it, and lead to an excuse to behave in less than ideal ways. • In the vertical typology, you climb the ladder in stages. • Structure, Level, Wave. • Structure indicates that each stage has a holistic pattern which blends all of its elements into a structured whole. • Level means these patterns tend to unfold in a relational sequence with each senior wave transcending but including its junior. • Wave indicates that these levels are fluid and flowing affairs. • Change occurs simultaneously in four dimensions. • When making a map of behavior you can study the individual, the group, the inside behavior or the external behavior. • Management by objective. Quantifying from the outside efficiency and productivity. • System view. If you have a problem, it’s in the system. It won’t matter how good the people are if the system is flawed. • Cultural view. Edgar Shine said “Culture is the shared tacit assumptions of a group. That it is learned in coping with external tasks and dealing with internal relationships. Although culture manifests itself in overt behavior, rituals, artifacts, climate, and expressed values, its essence is the shared tacit assumptions. As a responsible leader you must be aware of these assumptions and manage them or they will manage you. • Personality view. The view that emotional cognizance is twice as important as cognitive ability Being able to calibrate your own emotions. Control your own emotions. Being able to read other people’s emotions. Being able to influence other people’s emotions. Tracing evolution in its four quadrants. 1) Objective Consciousness. • Facts, Brain, Simple Location. 2) Inter-Objective Consciousness. • Society, Social structures, Modes of techno-economic production. 3) Inter-subjective Consciousness. • Culture, Group meaning, Mutual understanding. 4) Subjective Consciousness. • Mind, Individual awareness, Self. • A common drawback to each of the maps is ignoring the other branches. • Evaluating claims in each of the four quadrants. 1) Truth. 2) Functional fit / Ecology. 3) Justness / Cultural fit. 4) Truthfulness. • We live in these value systems or holons (whole parts), and through evolution everything is constantly changing. • In this program we will be focusing on deep structure and the elements that drive change. • Development Happens. From physical, to emotional, to intellectual. Unique to humans is the fact that we can develop ourselves. • Master Key To Development: Contemplation. Reflection. “Going meta”. º Contemplation is the key to transformation. • Previous levels are integral to the development of the next level. They are used as the cornerstone of the next level. • Triune Brain. 1) Reptilian Brain: Responsible for territory, space, fight or flight response. 2) Emotional/Mammalian Brain: Emotional center, love. 3) Logical Brain: In charge of logic, reason, abstract thinking. • There is always a further. No matter how much you develop, learn, evolve, there is always more to go. • It is difficult to understand the other levels because you will see them through the filter of your own filter. º Looking at the behavior of the other levels through your own filter makes it appear to be either criminal or insane! • Pre-conventional, Conventional, and Post-conventional.

Eben Pagan Course Master map of Success Thing don't get better by chance, they get better by change. Thing to change you have to change. Think about word " Transform". Master key to development. It's master key to master map. This is one concept or idea you can used from which level you are at to the next level. The key is "Contemplation", "Reflection", "thinking about something." "Objectify your demons"-Ken wilber Which means turn your demons into a object. So you can step outside and look out from here. Because when you inside of it you just reacting, responding and then they hitting you. You can't see that, it just a process. When you outside and then you think about them, they become not so terrible. Contemplation is the key to transformation . In order to understand human development. We sort with matter and then we go into life and then we go Evolution, Growth and Development Key point: The key to change is becoming NOT ME. You must change yourself. • Change is not random. It follows patterns, and Wyatt will give you the map to change over the course of the program. • Two main concepts for today, the universe and everything in it evolves. • Change is not arbitrary, it happens in stages/pattern. 1. We can not resolve the problems of our existence at the same level of thinking that created them - Albert Einstein. • The Master Maps will give you a key to all conflict and disagreement. • Transformation: It’s a process. Going beyond your current form. • It has three main aspect. 1) Letting Go of the Old (beliefs). 2) Having a Path to the new. 3) Including, incorporating, and integrating everything that's come before. • We reach a point in our lives when we realize the way we are doing things will not get us the things that we want. • Brief overview of the Graves Model. EXERCISE: The Major Transformations in Life • Graves was a contemporary of Abraham Maslow. Graves was an empirical researcher his whole life. He was the first to combine many of the developmental models and added his own observations as well. • In this program will also be studying some of the theories by Ken Wilbur. Began career as a transpersonal psychologist. Transpersonal psychology is founded upon the principle that human development moves through the following stages: • Matter, life, Mind, should, and spirit. • Wilbur had the ability to change states, and retain consciousness through different states, including sleep in scientifically measurable ways. • Evolution occurs in stages, and one cannot skip a stage to get to the next. • Wilbur suggests that evolution occurs in 4 stages or tetra-evolution. • Brief introduction to Typologies. • There are two types: Horizontal and vertical. Horizontal typologies are structured around the idea that people fit into certain categories. • Vertical says we go through various stages, waves, or levels. • The most common are the Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram

If you can try to feel what it is to not feel, and go deeply into that experience then you have an opportunity for transformation more powerful than any psychedelic can offer you. It's a fascinating and exciting opportunity.

So, I feel calm ALL the time. I must have some deep transformation because I no longer feel agitated or depressed on the daily. No suffering, just calmness. But here is the trick, I dropped the anti depressants but Im still under their effect. No side effects, just the effect of numbness. I still have thoughts but no thoughts that create suffering, could it be Im at inner peace? Could someone be it with thoughts?

Yeah But when He came down down in the flesh, God the Son, He didn't condone the sin. His whole message was to bring us back to the bottom line, "Love the Lord your God, and Love you neighbor as yourself Oh boy lol Please keep in mind that I am no expert here, I can only speak off of what I know, feel, an believe First, I already have agreed in my other posts that Life requires transformation. We can't just stick with one thing, what you believe today can't be what you will believe in 10 years because, hopefully, you will have learned , more at that point. I can't speak for why or what Jews believe. I wasn't there, I can only base my beliefs off of what I learn and feel. What I read one was that the reason they found it hard to believe was because, at the time, they were under hard ruler ship (like many times in the past) and when they heard the prophecies of the coming of The Messiah, they took the whole "King on Earth", "He shall bring the kingdom of God down to Earth and rule over it all" stuff as a literal thing, and when He revealed Himself as this humble carpenter that's whole mission was to spread the Word of God and Love, they were disappointed and hurt. Makes some sense, but again, I wasn't there so I won't try to say "this is what happened". I already gave my belief on this in my previous post lol We believe in the Trinity, Three in one. Now, I am not 100% sure if my way of viewing this is the way most Christians view it, but I see it as Three separate parts, with their own functions and jobs in the Divine plan, but all part of the same overall "greater power". Although, I am still open to that viewpoint changing in the future as I learn more. God the Father I guess this is the one most think of as the "main one". This is the part of the trinity that was responsible for the Creation of all things. Whether you believe it was the way it was written in the Bible, or you believe in the Big Bang or Evolution, we believe God the Father did it. This part does not know sin and cannot "look upon it". In the Old Testament, it was required for the Jewish people to offer up a blood sacrifice for the payment of their sin I guess you could consider this a characteristic of the "ego"), because our sin is too great for us to take away on our own, we had to offer something up. "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23 but He wanted to have a real connection and relationship with us, like He did "in the beginning" so he sent: God the Son "...but the gift of God is eternal life, through Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 6:23 This parts job was to come down as God in the flesh, to live a human life, while spreading the true message of God, Love. He was not all God come down, or all human, nor was he a demigod (half human, half god). He was all God come down in all flesh. He was just as much God as human, so He knew everything that was going to happen and everything the He needed to do, but He still had to fight with His flesh. This part of the Trinity did not just come into existence at the Virgin birth. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God" John 1:1 Jesus is considered the "Word" to us because He is the physical Word of God come down, just for us. He was there since the beginning through it all. Now, Jesus had to suffer. It is stated through out the Bible that His purpose was to come and spread the news, that we may spread it to the ends of the earth. He also had to die. Once Jesus paid our debt for sin, "death", there was no more need for blood sacrifices. He was the ultimate and final blood sacrifice. And with Him going through all of the needless disrespect and unjustified torture, because He broke no laws (even Pilot "washes his hands of this mess because he couldn't see what He did wrong). He experienced the absolute worst parts of the human nature, and still loved us enough to beg the Father's forgiveness for them. Now, when you accept Jesus as your Savior, you will receive: God the Holy Spirit This is the part of the Trinity that lives insides us and guides us to love and follow God's Plan. This does not save us from temptation or turn us into perfection like God. This is the part that gives us our conviction of sin and our fire for the glory of God. This part was also in the beginning: "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Geneses 1:2 I'm not sure what else I can add without repeating myself lol but please feel free to keep asking anything you want. I do apologize for the long ass post and the delayed response

There are countless ways to meditate, but only 1 takes a person to the deepest states of Spiritual Enlightenment. Let the channeled Higher Self Consciousness guide you to your deepest Truth Consciousness Bliss state. Since the beginning of human history, meditation has been the most popular method that practiced to give a person deeper knowledge of themselves and reality. Meditation opens up a person's mind for self-examination and personal transformation. Meditation removes stress, anxiety, fear and all undesirable emotions. Meditation creates peace and happiness. The final goal of meditation is direct experience of one's Eternal Self and God Consciousness. Meditation creates so many powerful benefits. But which meditation method should a person practice for the deepest states of Spiritual Enlightenment to be reached? This Channel Higher Self videos features a channeled teaching from the interdimensional Higher Self Consciousness. You will learn how to correctly meditate. Instruction is given for spiritual students new to meditation. The entire path of meditation is examined and discussed. Many different popular meditation methods are examined and their shortcomings identified. Ultimately one meditation method is chosen to be the single most effective method of meditation for God Consciousness Self Realization. We live in the information age, where too much information is available to us. Self-proclaimed experts and self-determined gurus are teaching methods that will not lead to genuine Spiritual Enlightenment, but instead will create confusion, suffering and a stronger ego structure. The truth is very simple and ever-present. Let this direct, precise and clear Higher Self video teaching help you practice meditation correctly and effectively. May you achieve genuine Spiritual Enlightenment, Self-Realization, and God Consciousness within yourself. -Lincol Gergar

It you christian conditioning that you see things in this way. The Christian is conditioned in one way, the Hindu is conditioned in another way, but they are all conditioned. Life needs transformation, and transformation is a great work upon oneself. It is not a child's play, that: "Just believe in Jesus Christ, go on reading the Bible again and again, and you are saved." Saved from what? Saved from transformation! Jews never accepted Jesus, not even today. There was a reason why they crucified him: if on the cross he can manage to provoke God to help him, then they will be able to see whether he is the messiah or not , God will save him. If God is not even bothering about saving His own son on the cross, then what to say about others? And if Jesus cannot provoke God to save him, how can he provoke God to save others? The crucifixion was going to be a criterion. They had forced him to carry his own cross. Three times he fell on the way; the cross was too heavy. Jesus said that "those who have such faith can move mountains". He could not carry his own cross and he was trying to carry the crosses of the whole of humanity. On the cross he himself feels shaken up. He cries to God,"Have you forsaken me?" , because he sees that the crucifixion is happening and there is no miracle. And when he says, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." that is surrender, but not true , with reluctance, just a face-saving device. Nothing is happening, all is finished. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, said, “I thirst!” Now, this is the man who used to walk on water. This is the man who used to turn water into wine. He cannot even manage a glass of water , and he was able to change stones into bread! Why can't he change the air into water? Christians go on, all over the world, saving people. They don't even understand what it means to save. In the East, no religion has ever proclaimed that anybody can save you except yourself.

Of course I have heard about deities ( your spelling is wrong) and multiple gods, the question is - In all pantheistic systems , why to use God and existence interchangeably . Well, to be fair pantheism is exactly the belief that God and existence are the same thing so that is why those two words are being used interchangeably, but I was talking about pantheistic systems like this actualized.org, whose sole agenda is not to convince people that God is not the christian God but existence (which is the agenda of pantheism) but the sole purpose of actualized.org is to show and make understand the true nature of reality, and the non-material core of reality. In all this picture, why to speak of it as God? Why not just stick with nothingeness? Why to say- God is existence? That is not a useful sentence, as it only describes the nature of God , but we are not interested in God, we are interested in the nature of reality. The useful sentence is- Existence is nothingness. Existence is immateriality, consciousness. The goal of actualized.org is not to realize God (as it is in no way a religious organization that believes in God) , it's goal is to realize the true nature of existence so as to bring about a radical positive transformation in an individual's life which allows him to live an extraordinary life (which is what it's true goal is). Secondly, I asked - IF existence is god, why to call God God and not call God existence (which as I have already said , I was talking in the context of pantheistic system) and you said because there are multiple gods?Seriously? Because there ARE multiple gods, god is called god? So it is obvious? Well yes it is obvious IF just like you I was also believing that there ARE multiple Gods, but what is fascinating is how you cannot see that here in actualized.org, most people are not believers in the existence of multiple gods, most are believer in god= existence, so why do you think that just like you everyone is a believer in multiple gods (specially in this place)? Yes it would be obvious that God is called God if people believed in MULTIPLE gods ( let alone ONE), but how is it not obvious to you that here in actualized.org most people do not hold that belief? 1st question to you - Do you believe that multiple gods exist? Why? Second question - If yes, what the hell are you doing here if you don't even know the basic premise that this website is founded upon?

I agree with you. That's what happens in most cases. No one really wants to wake up from a dream until it starts to become a nightmare. Also we can see that the wisest, transcendent of all people usually have a very dark/unsatisfying past which compelled them to the journey of understanding and transformation

Sadhguru is probably the one enlightened being that has the highest probability of bringing you to self realization and long lasting transformation and empowerement. I am still waiting for Leo to show what he attained during this month but so far I am far from convinced that psychedelics are the way to go.

Excerpts from Eckhart Tolle - https://www.eckharttolle.com/newsletter/october-2011 "The “dark night of the soul” is a term that goes back a long time. Yes, I have also experienced it. It is a term used to describe what one could call a collapse of a perceived meaning in life…an eruption into your life of a deep sense of meaninglessness. The inner state in some cases is very close to what is conventionally called depression. Nothing makes sense anymore, there’s no purpose to anything........ ...... What dies is the egoic sense of self. Of course, death is always painful, but nothing real has actually died there – only an illusory identity. Now it is probably the case that some people who’ve gone through this transformation realized that they had to go through that, in order to bring about a spiritual awakening. Often it is part of the awakening process, the death of the old self and the birth of the true self. .....You are meant to arrive at a place of conceptual meaninglessness. Or one could say a state of ignorance – where things lose the meaning that you had given them, which was all conditioned and cultural and so on. Then you can look upon the world without imposing a mind-made framework of meaning. It looks of course as if you no longer understand anything..... to go around the Universe without any longer interpreting it compulsively, as an innocent presence. You look upon events, people, and so on with a deep sense of aliveness. Your sense the aliveness through your own sense of aliveness, but you are not trying to fit your experience into a conceptual framework anymore." Eckhart Tolle suggests one examines the world without a frame of reference. I can't find further explanations on the net with regard to how one should make the transition to realisation of truth. If anyone knows of any, please paste here.

Yesterday I had been thinking about this pyramidal structure of development where you work in everything through stages. The last stage or the tip of the pyramid is perfection. Work through all the stages or layers and build it up. That's the way to go forward until you get too old to do anything. But this is like a life long journey of transformation and it should just go on like that till it reaches a level of contentment and satisfaction. Also along the way is the practice of contentment since this plays a huge role in how we perceive our life and how much it motivates us to live.

what does this concept "absolute nothingness" point to, and how do you know that it exists? well, obviously you dont know if it exists, but lets be openminded and consider an option that there is some transformation of consciousness that does SOMETHING, we dont know what. how does that happen to an individual? how to trigger it? since we hit an intellectual ceiling, we cant think our way there. what can we do? according to material i've read and listened to all you have to do is to be the observer for a long enough time. what I guess would increase the chances of a consciousness jump even more is destroying beliefs, that means not to focus on "what is this absolute nothingness, i have to understand it", but to focus on "what do i believe and dont know that i believe", question everything in other words. do you agree?

“He who belies his talent, the born painter who sells stockings instead, the intelligent man who lives a stupid life, the man who sees the truth and keeps his mouth shut, the coward who gives up his manliness, all these people perceive in a deep way that they have done wrong to themselves and despise themselves for it. Out of this self-punishment may come only neurosis, but there may equally come renewed courage, righteous indignation, increased self-respect, because of thereafter doing the right thing; in a word, growth and improvement can come through pain and conflict.” (Abraham Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being)

I have nothing against this guy but if you really took your growth and transformation seriously, you would ignore him. He talks about awareness and present moment which is fine, but after that....uh yeah.

Cause we take our growth and transformation seriously. We don't give a shit about some bullshit fear of schizophrenia. That fear prevents us from exploring and finding the real tools that can make a massive impact on our lives and the lives of other people.

How i've been looking at the process as it keeps evolving is that we are undeniably dependant on our conditioning, you reap what you sow. Beginning new habits, instilling new ideas of gratitude and respect sets in motion a new conditioning that you can continue to cultivate and be a part of. Your ego runs on the momentum of your whole life, so this will take some time to undergo a complete transformation because "you" are more than the concious aspect of awareness.

What I tried to get from meditation, I got faster with technology. This is what happened ...The speaker, me, is the actual evidence of what he is talking about. He successfully found and practiced a method to get more awareness (not meditation or mindfulness). He then intentional and consciously employed techniques to rewire his brain (neuroplasticity) and as a result, was able to write himself new default programs (dominant neural networks) of thought, speech, behavior and emotion. And when his brain changed, his life changed to match it. The evidence of his successful collaboration with his brain is his life transformation: from heroin/crack/meth addict to therapist, teacher, example.

I changed my brain and my life changed to match it. This is what I did ... The speaker, me,is the actual evidence of what he is talking about. He successfully found and practiced a method to get more awareness (not meditation or mindfulness). He then intentional and consciously employed techniques to rewire his brain (neuroplasticity) and as a result, was able to write himself new default programs (dominant neural networks) of thought, speech, behavior and emotion. And when his brain changed, his life changed to match it. The evidence of his successful collaboration with his brain is his life transformation: from heroin/crack/meth addict to therapist, teacher, example.

Reality hides in plain sight. The more conceptual you are, the more you have to deprogram from conceptual-truth to find it — and then ultimately be it. There’s a personal transformation that accompanies this. It’s like looking all over for a pair of glasses that have been placed backwards on your head. Reality hides in plain sight. It’s tricky. Using psychedelics especially LSD helped me see the obvious, as I’m a pretty conceptual person too. Sometimes you’re so smart, your brain leaks out of your head — and this definitely applies to Enlightenment! Leo’s gonna conduct his experiment and tell us his results. I get it. Go for it! Explore! That’s what I’m all about. I say go for it Leo! — full tilt! See what happens. Until you do it, it’s just speculation. After you do it, you’ll know something. And that will be a notch in your belt — an item to be placed in your shore of reference. Science is all about exploration and seeing and testing stuff for yourself. Science doesn’t just sit back and rely on complascent and lazy speculation — Science actually goes out here and sees for itself! I love that approach and attitude to everything, including Enlightenment. Be an explorer! Then come back and give us a report on your findings. How could that be a bad thing? Think about it. It’s a great thing.

When I was 4 years old I received my first video game console with my all time favorite game included. I stopped counting how many times I had completed the game because I did it multiple times a season. This was none other than "Kingdom Hearts". The story was of a young 14 year old boy named Sora who one day was caught in a storm on his nearby island, losing his two friends Riku and Kairi. He woke up in another world, and sought to find his friends because he loved them dearly. And this is what got me hooked. Especially at the climax where (spoilers) Sora sacrifices himself so that Kairi can regain consciousness by her heart returning to her body. It was beautiful. The Disney worlds in between the main story were fun, but the friendship aspect is what made this game phenomenal. And so began my video game addiction in general... What I have realized is that, even with the most emotional and enchanting game I have played in my life, the feeling of connection, safety, and love you receive from genuine friends far outweighs this artificial world. It doesn't matter what the game is, in the end it is still pixels flashing on a screen generating a physiological response inside of us to the stimuli. Humans however have something special that I've learnt and experienced: We have layers. A mental, emotional, and physical body. In human to human conversation our emotional bodies can interact, and this isn't possible in the video game world, thus it will always lack that layer of connection. Anything in nature can create genuine feelings in us too, as long as it is living. So why don't people choose to be with themselves, or people or nature instead of plugging into the video game matrix? Why do I still feel attracted to play through these old games? First the second question! The time when I played Kingdom Hearts and some older video games was when I was a child. As a child I was a ball of energy, my consciousness leaps and bounds higher in vibration. Due to this relationship my adult self wants to connect with the high vibe of my child self, not the video game. Secondly, video games represent key pillars of our modern society. That is instant gratification (through rewards and achievements), and escape from bad emotions (away from a manipulative family in the real world is prevalent), and the sedentary, lazy lifestyle. Video games therefore contribute to the perpetual loop of staying in the same vibratory state of a largely shattered ego, by providing yet another place to escape from our hearts. Our hearts are calling for our attention, that is all it wants. The heart doesn't want you to pursue a life purpose, or "do" anything, it wants to be listened to. And funnily enough, that is the fastest way to spiritually evolve. So what is most of modern society built around then if we aren't all enlightened? It must mean that it is built around avoiding our heart. Television (Tell lies to your vision), video games, the internet, junk food, the belief that we need to achieve external goals to have self-worth are all meant to direct our attention outwards when turning our attention inwards is rather uncomfortable. Discomfort is the ego falling apart, and being reintegrated into the light in real-time; and as we can see the matrix we are in called society has made this belief ass backwards to, "if I feel uncomfortable then I must have done something wrong in the past to cause this". No my lovelies, you did nothing wrong at all, you are just experiencing a deep deep inner transformation. And if you made friends with discomfort, instead of running to an artificial world or an unnatural one and committed to your heart (the source of all of existence) you would see a greater reality unfold before your very eyes. Life would become peaceful, as your heart becomes content that you are there, not elsewhere. Realize too, that even meditation can disconnect us from our hearts. Well can't video games connect us to our hearts? Never. Only we can connect to our hearts, the video games do not do it for us. No matter the circumstances, what we see right in front of our faces, it never is the source of our inner connection. My darlings, we are the awareness that connects with our heart, and that is the eternal truth. So yes, while playing a video game you could be connected with your heart in brief emotional scenes, that force our attention to it, but 99% of the time, our attention is glued to a screen, not inside of us, for that is how you play a video game. You can't 100% focus on your heart and focus on a video game. You can still play, but not consciously. It's like when we talk without knowing the next word we are going to say, and in that case we can 100% consciously focus on our heart and talk, but not focus on talking and focus on our heart. We want to become as heart centered as possible. It's so simple. You don't need any routine when you have a heart that knows the best thing for you to do in each and every moment. A compass that points to the true north of your journey, where you become the parent to yourself that you never had. The world we live in darlings is designed to hard wire us to be thought centered beings in our minds, and it has a very external focus. So the effort or resistance we find in having our attention in our hearts is over coming our own social conditioning, and that which surrounds us. Be warned too, that this new center of attention accelerates the healing of old social conditioning achetypes as we become more conscious of what we have ignored. This is why I ask everyone to take it easy, start slow, and just put your attention there. Just Be in your heart space, and all of life will flow towards love at the rate you feel your heart. (btw, feeling=listening=attention in heart space). I wrote this today after what happened. Two days ago I impulsively bought a used graphics card to play some video games from this really strange guy. Long story short, the card has died, and I have the option to bring it back and get a refund of $100.00, but I decided not to because all of the money he said was going to widows in the Philippines. It was always meant to be. God gave me the most amazing contrast of my life by making that card die. I came from feeling heavy in the head, and frustrated; to, when knowing I couldn't play PC games, feeling a great joy in my heart arise. My heart was saying, "Yes!! Thank you God! Now Solace, can you give me your attention? I only ask for a little bit, just so I know that you love me". And I heard it, and responded by giving it what it wanted, and apologizing for almost falling back into video games after a year of sobriety. That is life's eternal choice, the quintessential question. To listen to my heart; or to listen to my ego (subconscious thoughts), or the egos of others? My heart, or my ego? My heart, or my ego? Infinite love. The journey is the heart, and the heart is the journey.

Video Game Bonanza When I was 4 years old I received my first video game console with my all time favorite game included. I stopped counting how many times I had completed the game because I did it multiple times a season. This was none other than "Kingdom Hearts". The story was of a young 14 year old boy named Sora who one day was caught in a storm on his nearby island, losing his two friends Riku and Kairi. He woke up in another world, and sought to find his friends because he loved them dearly. And this is what got me hooked. Especially at the climax where (spoilers) Sora sacrifices himself so that Kairi can regain consciousness by her heart returning to her body. It was beautiful. The Disney worlds in between the main story were fun, but the friendship aspect is what made this game phenomenal. And so began my video game addiction in general... What I have realized is that, even with the most emotional and enchanting game I have played in my life, the feeling of connection, safety, and love you receive from genuine friends far outweighs this artificial world. It doesn't matter what the game is, in the end it is still pixels flashing on a screen generating a physiological response inside of us to the stimuli. Humans however have something special that I've learnt and experienced: We have layers. A mental, emotional, and physical body. In human to human conversation our emotional bodies can interact, and this isn't possible in the video game world, thus it will always lack that layer of connection. Anything in nature can create genuine feelings in us too, as long as it is living. So why don't people choose to be with themselves, or people or nature instead of plugging into the video game matrix? Why do I still feel attracted to play through these old games? First the second question! The time when I played Kingdom Hearts and some older video games was when I was a child. As a child I was a ball of energy, my consciousness leaps and bounds higher in vibration. Due to this relationship my adult self wants to connect with the high vibe of my child self, not the video game. Secondly, video games represent key pillars of our modern society. That is instant gratification (through rewards and achievements), and escape from bad emotions (away from a manipulative family in the real world is prevalent), and the sedentary, lazy lifestyle. Video games therefore contribute to the perpetual loop of staying in the same vibratory state of a largely shattered ego, by providing yet another place to escape from our hearts. Our hearts are calling for our attention, that is all it wants. The heart doesn't want you to pursue a life purpose, or "do" anything, it wants to be listened to. And funnily enough, that is the fastest way to spiritually evolve. So what is most of modern society built around then if we aren't all enlightened? It must mean that it is built around avoiding our heart. Television (Tell lies to your vision), video games, the internet, junk food, the belief that we need to achieve external goals to have self-worth are all meant to direct our attention outwards when turning our attention inwards is rather uncomfortable. Discomfort is the ego falling apart, and being reintegrated into the light in real-time; and as we can see the matrix we are in called society has made this belief ass backwards to, "if I feel uncomfortable then I must have done something wrong in the past to cause this". No my lovelies, you did nothing wrong at all, you are just experiencing a deep deep inner transformation. And if you made friends with discomfort, instead of running to an artificial world or an unnatural one and committed to your heart (the source of all of existence) you would see a greater reality unfold before your very eyes. Life would become peaceful, as your heart becomes content that you are there, not elsewhere. Realize too, that even meditation can disconnect us from our hearts. Well can't video games connect us to our hearts? Never. Only we can connect to our hearts, the video games do not do it for us. No matter the circumstances, what we see right in front of our faces, it never is the source of our inner connection. My darlings, we are the awareness that connects with our heart, and that is the eternal truth. So yes, while playing a video game you could be connected with your heart in brief emotional scenes, that force our attention to it, but 99% of the time, our attention is glued to a screen, not inside of us, for that is how you play a video game. You can't 100% focus on your heart and focus on a video game. You can still play, but not consciously. It's like when we talk without knowing the next word we are going to say, and in that case we can 100% consciously focus on our heart and talk, but not focus on talking and focus on our heart. We want to become as heart centered as possible. It's so simple. You don't need any routine when you have a heart that knows the best thing for you to do in each and every moment. A compass that points to the true north of your journey, where you become the parent to yourself that you never had. The world we live in darlings is designed to hard wire us to be thought centered beings in our minds, and it has a very external focus. So the effort or resistance we find in having our attention in our hearts is over coming our own social conditioning, and that which surrounds us. Be warned too, that this new center of attention accelerates the healing of old social conditioning achetypes as we become more conscious of what we have ignored. This is why I ask everyone to take it easy, start slow, and just put your attention there. Just Be in your heart space, and all of life will flow towards love at the rate you feel your heart. (btw, feeling=listening=attention in heart space). I wrote this today after what happened. Two days ago I impulsively bought a used graphics card to play some video games from this really strange guy. Long story short, the card has died, and I have the option to bring it back and get a refund of $100.00, but I decided not to because all of the money he said was going to widows in the Philippines. It was always meant to be. God gave me the most amazing contrast of my life by making that card die. I came from feeling heavy in the head, and frustrated; to, when knowing I couldn't play PC games, feeling a great joy in my heart arise. My heart was saying, "Yes!! Thank you God! Now Solace, can you give me your attention? I only ask for a little bit, just so I know that you love me". And I heard it, and responded by giving it what it wanted, and apologizing for almost falling back into video games after a year of sobriety. That is life's eternal choice, the quintessential question. To listen to my heart; or to listen to my ego (subconscious thoughts), or the egos of others? My heart, or my ego? My heart, or my ego? Infinite love. The journey is the heart, and the heart is the journey.