Getting into Spirituality Too Early (A trap I fell into)

[gettoefl]

no need for all or nothing

spirituality is an hour of the 24 allotted each day

this is plenty to go all the way

each mind finds cogent excuses to postpone

its very existence depends on it

[StarStruck]

Everything is spirit in essence.

Beginning too early with spirituality is like saying I started to early with being healthy.

You misunderstood spirituality or overcompensate too much by neglecting other parts of your life.

People are following Leo's work mindlessly and then get bummed by reality. Leo should put out a statement telling people to pull their head out of his ass.

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by StarStruck

[Dabidoe]

34 minutes ago, StarStruck said:

Everything is spirit in essence.

Beginning too early with spirituality is like saying I started to early with being healthy.

You misunderstood spirituality or overcompensate too much by neglecting other parts of your life.

People are following Leo's work mindlessly and then get bummed by reality. Leo should put out a statement telling people to pull their head out of his ass.

 

I think he tries to but the true believers are difficult to convince. He dialed back some of the extremity of the god consciousness stuff which I'm sure is useful for some but probably a minefield for others.

One of the best metaphors Leo used was the eyedropper in the bathtub. Some people's tubs barely have a few drops and yet they are convinced it's the ocean.

I respect people who of their own opinion decided to step away and reaccess why they're doing it. Better to make up your own mind what's for you as opposed to blindly showing up to the Ashram faking the funk. Spirituality under the wrong pretenses does nobody any favors.

[BlessedLion]

19 hours ago, SeaMonster said:

The truth is that most serious spiritual seekers are pretty fucked up, dysfunctional, mentally ill/severely neurotic and their professional and romantic lives are for shit.

So they seek for a solution to their mental suffering and fucked up lives.  And awakening CAN HELP (e.g. Eckhart Tolle among countless examples.)

If you can fix your romantic and professional life, of course you do it first.  Spirituality can come later as an icing on the cake, the next step, "pimping your life" or whatever.

Some people genuinely just have a call to spirit. Everybody is pretty nuts, it’s just a matter of how well they can hide it. It’s not like normal people have good mental health, discipline, functional relationships and fulfilling careers

Spirituality is the icing, without it, all those other things are quite trivial and empty. They don’t create true happiness 

[BlessedLion]

Sorry,  I meant spirituality is the cake. Those other things are the icing. 

[BlessedLion]

10 hours ago, An young being said:

The need for spirituality, specifically awakening or enlightenment arises when you are undergoing extreme suffering and there is no other way to get out of it or you are extremely curious that you are ready to undergo any extreme of suffering for it.

There are other aspects of spirituality though: compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, unconditional love. Anybody can strive to practice these qualities, no matter what their condition is.

Edit: I forgot the most important thing, Mindfulness.

Again, why this need for extreme suffering for someone to be spiritual? 

[BlessedLion]

10 hours ago, Miguel1 said:

Sounds good in theory but in practice, how do you meet deeply spiritual people? Hitting on women in meditation retreats is creepy.

Anything you choose as your life purpise is serving God.

+ If you haven’t noticed for some weird reason, it is impossible to fully focus on spiritual practices, unless you are financially free.

Even teaching spirituality for a living comes with its baggage, mind games, twisting things and agendas. Less of course.

Great points. 
 

1- I’ve actually met women on meditation retreats, you wait until it’s over and just talk to them. You don’t have to “hit” on them, and they usually have a lot to share and obviously you have similar values 

2- if you really want to meet spiritual women, it’s VERY easy, you just find places that have a spiritual vibe or community. Tons of this in Costa Rica, Austin, Mexico, Bali, India, Thailand. These places swarm with women, ratio is usually much more on female, and they are starving for conscious men. Work remote if you must, these places are also great for your mental health and support your practice. 
 

3- true but you can have a life purpose more or less aligned with serving truth or healing

 

4- you’re right about the financial freedom thing, that’s a definite barrier, but you can still bring mindfulness into your day job. I was lucky enough to break free from work. If you’re serious enough, you can volunteer and do karma yoga work at ashrams and yoga schools. You live and eat for work, and are surrounded by community and yoga girls. 
 

5- for sure. That’s one reason I’m hesitant to teach, but I’ve heard it’s a massive catapult for your practice 

[BlessedLion]

4 hours ago, Dabidoe said:

I think he tries to but the true believers are difficult to convince. He dialed back some of the extremity of the god consciousness stuff which I'm sure is useful for some but probably a minefield for others.

One of the best metaphors Leo used was the eyedropper in the bathtub. Some people's tubs barely have a few drops and yet they are convinced it's the ocean.

I respect people who of their own opinion decided to step away and reaccess why they're doing it. Better to make up your own mind what's for you as opposed to blindly showing up to the Ashram faking the funk. Spirituality under the wrong pretenses does nobody any favors.

How else do you show up to the Ashram? Fully enlightened? Lol 

[Rigel]

It's probably right that taking a newcomer to the field of spirituality and throwing him off the deep end with a month of daily 5-Meo is going to be dangerous and unravel their life in unhealthy ways, but that noob can wet their feet. I think they would be making their life harder by trying to burn through every desire before even opening a book about meditation or some other practice. They won't hit rock bottom by focusing on their breath an hour a day but that's a foot in the doorstep and it most likely would help them achieve their earthly desires by dropping unnecessary mental crap they are holding on to.

I think what I am coming around to is that getting into spirituality too young is not the mistake. The mistake is making spirituality your sole and only focus before you have a way to exist and survive in the world. Unless you don't care about living and just want the cake of all cakes. Which is totally fine.

[Yimpa]

Rationalize all you want but this is a fact:

If you got rid of all spirituality everyone you love would be dead.

 

[UnbornTao]

You're limiting your consideration to a belief system.

What do you have at hand? What are you experiencing and going through? 

Question what that is. That's enough. And it can be done in the process of living life.

[Miguel1]

3 hours ago, BlessedLion said:

Great points. 
 

1- I’ve actually met women on meditation retreats, you wait until it’s over and just talk to them. You don’t have to “hit” on them, and they usually have a lot to share and obviously you have similar values 

2- if you really want to meet spiritual women, it’s VERY easy, you just find places that have a spiritual vibe or community. Tons of this in Costa Rica, Austin, Mexico, Bali, India, Thailand. These places swarm with women, ratio is usually much more on female, and they are starving for conscious men. Work remote if you must, these places are also great for your mental health and support your practice. 
 

3- true but you can have a life purpose more or less aligned with serving truth or healing

 

4- you’re right about the financial freedom thing, that’s a definite barrier, but you can still bring mindfulness into your day job. I was lucky enough to break free from work. If you’re serious enough, you can volunteer and do karma yoga work at ashrams and yoga schools. You live and eat for work, and are surrounded by community and yoga girls. 
 

5- for sure. That’s one reason I’m hesitant to teach, but I’ve heard it’s a massive catapult for your practice 

Great points, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I wonder though, I have a strong feeling those places you mentioned for meeting spiritual women… Are we talking about green hippies?

I am starving for a tier 2 conscious woman. Or women.

———

For point 3. - Of course.

For point 4. - Just out of curioisity, what did you do to break free from wage slavery?

For point 5. - That would make sense. But in order to avoid the baggage, it would be best to teach from a place of financial freedom, like Leo does. The less income you need from your teachings, the purer and less twisting it has.

[An young being]

On 13/12/2023 at 4:05 AM, BlessedLion said:

Again, why this need for extreme suffering for someone to be spiritual? 

Because, for the ones who aren't able to find way any material way out of the suffering created by the world, Spirituality ( aka chasing Enlightenment/ awakening) becomes a need rather than a want. That's when you are able to focus on Spirituality 100% where you have nothing to lose. Otherwise, it just becomes a side hustle, unless you devote yourself to Spirituality with an extreme desire or curiosity to know about reality.

Edited December 14, 2023 by An young being

[BlessedLion]

5 hours ago, Rigel said:

It's probably right that taking a newcomer to the field of spirituality and throwing him off the deep end with a month of daily 5-Meo is going to be dangerous and unravel their life in unhealthy ways, but that noob can wet their feet. I think they would be making their life harder by trying to burn through every desire before even opening a book about meditation or some other practice. They won't hit rock bottom by focusing on their breath an hour a day but that's a foot in the doorstep and it most likely would help them achieve their earthly desires by dropping unnecessary mental crap they are holding on to.

I think what I am coming around to is that getting into spirituality too young is not the mistake. The mistake is making spirituality your sole and only focus before you have a way to exist and survive in the world. Unless you don't care about living and just want the cake of all cakes. Which is totally fine.

Agreed. I was talking about this tonight and I think people usually do psychedelics way too early. 
 

Psychedelics should be done only after a deep foundational ground in spiritual work and purification of the mind through meditation books right living and yoga. Imo 

 

no one should to 5MEO until at least after 3-5 years of deep sober spiritual work 

[BlessedLion]

3 hours ago, Miguel1 said:

Great points, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I wonder though, I have a strong feeling those places you mentioned for meeting spiritual women… Are we talking about green hippies?

I am starving for a tier 2 conscious woman. Or women.

———

For point 3. - Of course.

For point 4. - Just out of curioisity, what did you do to break free from wage slavery?

For point 5. - That would make sense. But in order to avoid the baggage, it would be best to teach from a place of financial freedom, like Leo does. The less income you need from your teachings, the purer and less twisting it has.

Regarding point 2, actually you’d be surprised. Many of the people in these communities are really conscious, they just don’t fit into societies psychosis so chose to live in Stage Green communities. And why not? 
the pace of life is slow, everyone is happy, fit, beautiful, and has some baseline knowledge of spirituality. 
You can meet some very developed people and even awakened people. 
I consider myself a hippie in many ways, but not like a lazy hippy, I’m super focused and disciplined. Insanely dedicated and intelligent, but my lifestyle is in sync with nature, dance, sex, and relaxation and God of course. If that makes me a hippy then sign me up  I’m happy as fuck! 
 

4- I scored an amazing job in tech out of college and spent 6 years only saving and investing. Eventually I realized I had enough to live freely in certain parts of the world. So I wake up when I want and dedicate my time to spirituality. It’s fucking amazing. my advice: save and invest like nobody’s business. 
 

5- totally agree. I think it’s a good rule in general in life to actually not depend on anyone for anything. The second you depend on people, they own you in a way 

[Spiritual Warrior]

On 12/11/2023 at 4:19 PM, Zest4Life said:

I think that this is the great video to watch:

 

@Zest4Life I just finished watching this through, thank you for sharing! 

This is exactly what I'm talking about. 

[Dabidoe]

@BlessedLion  With an open mind without pretenses?

I might be overly judgemental about people who try to be "spiritual AF" But it seems like a contradiction to the true nature of spirituality to want to appear very spiritual.

[tlowedajuicemayne]

On 12/11/2023 at 1:39 PM, Spiritual Warrior said:

I used to feel this way about my practice as well. My mind was dividing the spiritual from the ordinary. When I would go to my teacher about this he would remind me that there is no difference between daily life and practice. If you think that spirituality is only psychedelics, meditation and yoga but isn't washing the dishes, paying bills, getting laid then you are picking and choosing. The whole of life is deeply spiritual and when seen this way, can be experienced this way. You didn't get into spirituality too soon, you've been in it the whole time! I also followed a similar trajectory to you and I don't regret it. I hope this helps you in some way. 

 

[Osaid]

This "trap" only exists in a pseudo way where you believe you can separate what is spiritual from life itself and that you can "get out of it" and "get into it" like you're leaving and entering the school book club or something.

You have no choice in the matter. You are life. What is that? You have 100 years to explore it, and you can't not explore it.

If your idea of spirituality is putting drugs up yourself for 30 days straight then I can see your concern, but I would contest that to be an superfluous definition and ultimately another dichotomy between life and spirituality.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Osaid

[Davino]

I didn't have a choice, since I exist I have always lived to discover truth. That has given me some troubles but things have balanced themselves out in the end.