Going through the spiral

[Raphael]

Masculine Energy

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Masculine energy is strong and stable; it's self-confident. Masculine energy likes to make decisions fast. It's decisive. Knows what it wants and goes after getting it. Masculine energy loves direction and a purpose.

https://wheelofwellbeing.com/the-power-of-energies/

How to Balance and Harmonize Masculine and Feminine Energies

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Practice Nadi Shodana

Nadi Shodana is a yogic breathing exercise that helps to balance the Ida and Pingala nadis (meridians) that run along your spine. The Ida nadi represents the feminine, while the Pingala nadi represents the masculine. This pranayama technique balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain and helps to marry logic and intuition.

Here’s how you can practice Nadi Shodana:

1. Find a comfortable seated position. If you’re sitting on a chair, keep your feet flat on the floor. If you’re sitting on the floor in lotus position, be sure to sit on a bolster to keep your hips elevated above the knees.
2. Lengthen the spine and let the shoulders drop. Let your eyes shut and begin to draw your attention inward.
3. Let your right hand rest on your knee, with the palm facing upward.
4. With your left hand, fold your index and middle finger in toward the inside of your palm.
5. Bring the thumb to close your left nostrils and breathe in through the right nostril for a count of four.
6. Close both nostrils and hold the breath for a count of four.
7. Release the left nostril and exhale for a count of four.
8. Inhale through the left nostril for a count of four.
9. Close both nostrils for a count of four.
10. Release the right nostril and exhale for a count of four.
11. Repeat this cycle of breath for two minutes.

https://chopra.com/articles/how-to-balance-and-harmonize-masculine-and-feminine-energies

Quality Articles:

• 9 Ways to Awaken the Divine Masculine Within You
• 8 Powerful Exercises To Increase Your Masculine Energy

[Raphael]

About My Dad

My dad is the most hateful, xenophobic, racist, sexist, homophobic person that I know. And I feel that he is far from the worst because I only got beaten a few times when I was a kid. I mostly got insults and criticism from him and not that much love. The pressure that I felt when I was a kid was psychological without fear of physical punishments. He instilled fear of people in my psyche, he always insisted that I should never talk to anyone, he didn't allow me to go out in the street by myself, and was very controlling of my sister when she started to go out by herself. He wanted and often still wants that the curtains in the house stay closed because he thinks that people are spying on us.

The house is in ruin because of his attitude of not wanting to buy anything and waiting for things to break before repairing them, and then not even repairing them properly. We cannot improve anything in the house because as soon as we try, he starts to control everything. I will inherit a pile of ruin from him and will have to build everything from his mess.

I need to be careful and keep an eye on him as he will degenerate more and more as he gets older.

[Raphael]

On 2/28/2021 at 0:10 PM, Raphael said:

Covid free: the government took very strict actions, very quickly as soon as we got our first cases, so in just 1 - 2 months we were out of the pandemic and only had one local case that didn't proliferate since then. There are no restrictions and even if wearing masks is recommended, most people don't wear them and we are fine. The fact that the country is very small and is an island also helped in handling the pandemic.

Well... this looks like an old story now. We started to get new cases from the end of last week coming from...we aren't sure yet. My sister's flight got canceled, she was supposed to get back on the 25th. The island is now under a new lockdown, restrictions are mostly respected, only a few people are walking from time to time.

I had the feeling that it could hit harder at the beginning of the week, however, the current strict measures are recomforting.

Let's see how it goes.

[Raphael]

Masculinity and Feminity

The Dating, Relationships, Sexuality subforum got pretty fired up recently. I learned a lot from reading the discussions and also noticed some biases that I have, both biological and cultural.

I don't like conservative values, but what I noticed is that regarding man and woman relationships, they are some deep truths in those conservative values. However, the issue since the beginning of humanity is that these values have been unbalanced which caused a lot of suffering to women. And it also caused a lot of suffering for men and women who had preferences that weren't in accordance with typical gender roles, notably LGBTQ+ people. Men that weren't so manly and who didn't have so much strength as we would expect from a man suffered and women that were more logical and action-oriented than we expected from women also suffered.

The current tendency in developed countries is a shift from inequality to equality for both genders. I think that it will improve a lot the general situation for women, but it will also cause some internal issues. Women will be more liberated and men will be in more contact with women which is great, but I think that many people will turn equality into an ideology. I think that some men who are already toxic will become more and more toxic and will justify some behaviors by using the argument of gender equality. For example: not helping a woman with heavy weights because she is supposed to be as equal as a man; not giving emotional support to a woman because she is supposed to be like a man, be logical, not caring, and just do the thing; avoiding responsibility and always complaining because a man is supposed to be as "weak" (for the toxic man perspective, not from my perspective) as a woman; etc. I also think that some normal average men are becoming toxic because they feel confused by all this gender-equality stuff and feel oppressed and feel like they are losing their role in society. Finally, some women will become toxic too by taking equality as an ideology and will try to do everything like a man but will lose connection to their femininity. Both men and women will try to convince (and maybe even force) other men and women to do things like the other gender because of equality while at the same time dismissing natural preferences.

Green will solve a lot of issues, but will also create a lot of confusion between men and women.

I don't think that the solution should be oppression, nor equality, but a dance between two persons' strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Raphael]

So Many Thoughts

Sometimes I would like to be like these people who don't really think that much about life and just live it. These people usually say things like: "Don't think too much, it's not good.", they also usually aren't that smart, but at least they enjoy the present moment which is something that is difficult for me to do.

My mind is naturally explosive and very agitated, I can surely calm it down through meditation, yoga and other practices, but at the same time I don't think I should get rid of it because its my greatest asset and it feels authentic and natural to use it.

[soos_mite_ah]

3 minutes ago, Raphael said:

So Many Thoughts

Sometimes I would like to be like these people who don't really think that much about life and just live it. These people usually say things like: "Don't think too much, it's not good.", they also usually aren't that smart, but at least they enjoy the present moment which is something that is difficult for me to do.

My mind is naturally explosive and very agitated, I can surely calm it down through meditation, yoga and other practices, but at the same time I don't think I should get rid of it because its my greatest asset and it feels authentic and natural to use it.

I have the same issue. I get so bogged down yet excited over analyzing things only to end up tired. I sometimes wish there was an off button to my mind so I can just be. I guess I have to exhaust my need for analysis and then I can move on to being

[Raphael]

11 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

I have the same issue. I get so bogged down yet excited over analyzing things only to end up tired. I sometimes wish there was an off button to my mind so I can just be. I guess I have to exhaust my need for analysis and then I can move on to being

One day I almost had a panic attack while thinking about a complex system. I was so excited when I was exploring possibilities and interconnecting dots that my mind couldn't handle it anymore. I started to feel my heartbeat going faster and faster, but hopefully, I controlled it. However, that was only temporary until I got my first panic attack caused by an overactive mind and fears. The multiple experiences that I had were very difficult, but I felt liberated and clear after that.

From my POV, it looks like experiencing intense fear is a necessary step before moving into being. You will probably experience that too at some point and more than one time. But even after, I don't know if the need for analysis will be exhausted because people have different personality types that influence their enlightenment.

[soos_mite_ah]

2 hours ago, Raphael said:

From my POV, it looks like experiencing intense fear is a necessary step before moving into being. You will probably experience that too at some point and more than one time. But even after, I don't know if the need for analysis will be exhausted because people have different personality types that influence their enlightenment.

Yeah I can see situations where that can be the case. Idk about you but I think the desire for analysis comes from the desire of control because if you know what's going on, there is more of a sense of predictability and therefore more stability in the face of chaos. I see myself feeling this way about spiral dynamics and the stages of ego development because, it gives you a map of how to grow and how the world grows. 

I also feel like this clip is applicable sometimes when I want to relax and empty my brain.

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by soos_mite_ah

[Raphael]

11 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

Idk about you but I think the desire for analysis comes from the desire of control because if you know what's going on, there is more of a sense of predictability and therefore more stability in the face of chaos. I see myself feeling this way about spiral dynamics and the stages of ego development because, it gives you a map of how to grow and how the world grows.

I think this is the case, but also that they are multiple facets when it comes to the mind. The issue is that most people are victims of their minds rather than master of it. For example, believing in conspiracy theories is more being a victim of the mind where using Spiral Dynamics is more using the mind in a healthy way (even if Spiral Dynamics uses beliefs and need to be validated and balanced by experience). So... yes, all of this gives a sense of control, but the quality of it is not always the same.

For me, it looks like the higher the consciousness, the healthier the mind. When someone functions at a high level of consciousness, the mind is not a burden, but a quality asset that allows him/her to be creative, feel joy, and deal with life. Someone like this has probably a better ability to switch on/off the mind and don't get overblown by it. I read a post from Leo where he said that his mind is very creative and that he has many insights every day. I bet that in 10 - 20 years, Leo will still use his mind a lot.

It's just a tool for life. We can communicate through this forum because we use a combination of tools: eyes, hands, intuition, emotions, and the mind. Removing any of these tools would break this communication.

I think that I just got lost in my mind

Your video is funny btw, I never really watched SpongeBob in the past. I also remember Sadhguru saying something like this: "If we remove parts of people's brains, it would make them happy!"

[Raphael]

Fear

For a few years, I have been entertaining a feeling of fear in my abdomen. Sometimes it is burning like a fire inside that prevents me to sleep. This is not something temporary, but something that I have been dealing with for a few years. The first time it happened was during my first panic attack. Even if I don't have panic attacks now, I noticed that this feeling sometimes becomes stronger when I deal with people who show strong emotions like anger, jealousy, bitterness (toxic stuff in general), or when I want to go fast to attain my goals. I also had this feeling one time when watching a TV show and when the character was in a difficult situation.

I don't really know how to let it go. What would be general steps, things to check, and/or to explore?

 

 

[Raphael]

Harsh Inner Voice

I noticed that my inner voice is pretty harsh. When I read the comments on this forum, this inner voice is harsh too. It is harsh like the voice of my dad and other people who hurt me...

Edited March 14, 2021 by Raphael

[Raphael]

How To Move Someone From Stage Orange To Stage Green?

Something just happened to me. I was having a conversation with a client and I told him that I worked much more than expected this month, he responded that it wasn't the case. What basically happened is miscommunication and I ended up doing much more than I was supposed to do. He told me that it wasn't his fault and that I was responsible for everything. I personally think that it was both of us as a miscommunication can only happen between at least two people.

So... he wants me to take full responsibility for this and pays for everything. I think that we should compensate a minimum for each other, and both of us take charge, so... I should get pay but not as much as normal.

He seems very stage orange.

What do you think?

 

[soos_mite_ah]

On 3/14/2021 at 0:26 AM, Raphael said:

I think this is the case, but also that they are multiple facets when it comes to the mind. The issue is that most people are victims of their minds rather than master of it. For example, believing in conspiracy theories is more being a victim of the mind where using Spiral Dynamics is more using the mind in a healthy way (even if Spiral Dynamics uses beliefs and need to be validated and balanced by experience). So... yes, all of this gives a sense of control, but the quality of it is not always the same.

For me, it looks like the higher the consciousness, the healthier the mind. When someone functions at a high level of consciousness, the mind is not a burden, but a quality asset that allows him/her to be creative, feel joy, and deal with life. Someone like this has probably a better ability to switch on/off the mind and don't get overblown by it.

Yeah I agree. There is a whole gradation of explanatory factors from conspiracy theories to spiral dynamics along different levels of consciousness with the models that incorporate higher consciousness being more accurate since they are more aligned with truth. Having a better understanding of the world, utilizing my mind and critical thinking skills better, and experiencing more creativity, joy etc. are my motivations for moving up the spiral. But it still good to know that spiral dynamics also has it's own limitations and I'm sure eventually at some point one would have to transcend spiral dynamics as a model (don't confuse the map for the territory ). It's a great tool especially for communicating on this forum. I wish people I knew irl knew about spiral dynamics because it makes sense of so many things and makes it easier to explain complex dynamics. I actually originally made this account to find people I could talk about spiral dynamics with lol. 

I didn't really watch Spongebob as a kid either. I just know too many clips and memes from people sharing them all the time .

 

[Raphael]

On 3/14/2021 at 10:26 AM, Raphael said:

The issue is that most people are victims of their minds rather than master of it. For example, believing in conspiracy theories is more being a victim of the mind where using Spiral Dynamics is more using the mind in a healthy way (even if Spiral Dynamics uses beliefs and need to be validated and balanced by experience).

But it's possible for someone who doesn't know how to use the mind properly to use Spiral Dynamics improperly. For example, Don Beck categorized Trump as Blue/Yellow. Using Spiral Dynamics doesn't always mean that someone has a healthy mind. There's surely a correlation between using complex models and being a nuanced thinker, but they are also exceptions, and someone's environment, age, and other conditions impact how he/she will apply a model. The ones who apply it best are the ones with the most recursive variety.

16 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

But it still good to know that spiral dynamics also has it's own limitations and I'm sure eventually at some point one would have to transcend spiral dynamics as a model (don't confuse the map for the territory ). It's a great tool especially for communicating on this forum. I wish people I knew irl knew about spiral dynamics because it makes sense of so many things and makes it easier to explain complex dynamics. I actually originally made this account to find people I could talk about spiral dynamics with lol.

Yeah, I also have been noticing more and more discrepancies within Spiral Dynamics as some developmental lines can overlaps and be twisted in many ways. I even started to get bored of it as I have been knowing about it since 2015/2016 in Leo's video "The Grand Model Of Psychological Evolution - Clare Graves & Spiral Dynamics".

I never met anyone at Tier 2 in real life. The most advanced people that I met were at Green with a few hints of Yellow. Tier 2 thinkers are doomed to use the internet to meet similar people, and even on the internet it's difficult lol

Edited March 16, 2021 by Raphael

[soos_mite_ah]

5 hours ago, Raphael said:

But it's possible for someone who doesn't know how to use the mind properly to use Spiral Dynamics improperly. For example, Don Beck categorized Trump as Blue/Yellow. Using Spiral Dynamics doesn't always mean that someone has a healthy mind. There's surely a correlation between using complex models and being a nuanced thinker, but they are also exceptions, and someone's environment, age, and other conditions impact how he/she will apply a model. The ones who apply it best are the ones with the most recursive variety.

Yeah, I also have been noticing more and more discrepancies within Spiral Dynamics as some developmental lines can overlaps and be twisted in many ways.

I found it wild that Don Beck didn't use SD correctly with Trump. I don't think SD is a good idea for everyone to know about it or have it go mainstream since there is a large chunk of people who aren't mainly green yet. I can see it becoming misconstrued and turned into a eugenics-y mess where hiearchies are more solidified to stroke people's biases even more. Complex models can be incorrectly weaponized to suit survival agendas. 

5 hours ago, Raphael said:

I never met anyone at Tier 2 in real life. The most advanced people that I met were at Green with a few hints of Yellow. Tier 2 thinkers are doomed to use the internet to meet similar people, and even on the internet it's difficult lol

Me neither. The best I've found was high green with a well integrated orange. I find that people like that can be introduced to yellow ideas and ways of thought without resistance or backlash. If someone is high green without a well integrated orange, then they are less likely to want to investigate models in a methodical way (I.e. weed smoking hippie). That's at least what I observed from my experience. 

 

Also btw, I'm not sure if I mentioned this in anyone of my comments but I really like your journal and your succinct writing style.

Edited March 16, 2021 by soos_mite_ah

[Raphael]

A bad night of sleep can put me down for two days.

[Raphael]

Be the pain, feel it, merge with it, until you become it and don't feel the difference between pain and joy, until you become painless, until you become god.

[Raphael]

17 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

I found it wild that Don Beck didn't use SD correctly with Trump. I don't think SD is a good idea for everyone to know about it or have it go mainstream since there is a large chunk of people who aren't mainly green yet. I can see it becoming misconstrued and turned into a eugenics-y mess where hiearchies are more solidified to stroke people's biases even more. Complex models can be incorrectly weaponized to suit survival agendas.

Don Beck is quite old and surely has unconscious biases, fears, and cultural attachments, which is probably why he wrongly categorized Trump. Even on this forum, an ex moderator voted for Trump. I don't think that these models would ever become mainstream because nobody is imposing them compared to some religious texts, so there is less risk for SD to become mainstream, but of course, this is not a certainty. Most of the time just reading about a complex model is already too challenging for people, but some bits of information can be shared here and there and be misunderstood.

18 hours ago, soos_mite_ah said:

Also btw, I'm not sure if I mentioned this in anyone of my comments but I really like your journal and your succinct writing style.

Thanks. I also check your journal sometimes, but I don't always have time to go through the long detailed posts.

[Raphael]

Orange Obsession With Speed

Orange is always obsessed with speed, always want things to go fast, and often under estimate the time that things takes. This causes unnecessary stress and pressure on him and the people that he works with and in the end backfires: some things are done improperly and take twice the time, results and money are lost, it create health issue, create emotional issues, and contribute to a shorter life.

[Raphael]

6 hours ago, Raphael said:

Orange Obsession With Speed

Orange is always obsessed with speed, always want things to go fast, and often under estimate the time that things takes. This causes unnecessary stress and pressure on him and the people that he works with and in the end backfires: some things are done improperly and take twice the time, results and money are lost, it create health issue, create emotional issues, and contribute to a shorter life.

I fell into this trap and I can still fall for it.

Sometimes I want to go fast, sometimes I want to rush life because I want to be on top of the world without appreciating the process. Sometimes I even feel guilty for not being this perfect self-actualizer who do everything right and fast and who understand everything.