Consilience

It seems like once every 2 weeks is a good amount or possibly more time in between. Integrating the experiences is the challenging part though and if taken too often, I could see the experiences not having the time needed to fully integrate. Contemplating and journaling about the experiences is a helpful tool for integration. Even meditation will help. So if the goal is to use these substances as tools, definitely watch the frequency of use and make sure you’re committed to integration work imo.

This was awesome to read. Thank you for sharing! If you don't mind me asking, how long did the trip last?

As odd as it may sound, yeah... The duality between free will and determinism eventually collapses. It’s neither, both, or one or the other all depending on your perspective. Reality just is, always, right now. This is definitely a wild insight and cannot be understood with the mind. You just have to become conscious of it. Which isnt a helpful answer per-say but it’s a good pointer imo.

Couldn’t disagree more. Weed has been extremely beneficial for my personal development and spiritual progress. But it can also be highly (pun intended) addictive. While it works great for me, it would be foolish to say that weed is an effective tool for everyone. Likewise, it would be foolish to say weed isnt a good PD tool. It depends on the individual. All paths are unique. The only way to truly answer your question is to experiment with it yourself.

Thank you for sharing your report and insights ??

This is precisely my point. You cannot, and literally could not get outside of direct experience. In this regard, your existence is direct experience, the two are inseparable. The mind has stories about existence, about theoretical facets that exist outside of direct experience but notice what that is - it’s the mind telling stories about reality but it’s doing so within direct experience. No matter where you turn or how hard you try to find a piece of reality beyond direct experience, you will never do so. Funny how that works. My ultimate point that models and knowledge all occur as direct experience. All of your life, of reality has only ever been available to you through direct experience... so look there. Who are you directly? Not what the mind tells you (via models and knowledge) but who are you directly, in this present moment, and all moments? If there is ever going to be an answer, it must come through direct experience just as every point of your life already has.

Step 1 is realizing literally all you’ve ever, EVER, had is direct experience. At no point in your life have you experienced anything outside of direct, conscious experience. Anytime you experience existence, it only occurs via conscious experience and it has been so at every point you’ve been alive. Step 2 is realizing that existence literally cannot manifest any other way EXCEPT through direct experience. When scientists learn about some facet of reality, they do so through direct conscious experience. Reality doesn't manifest any other way for you. So *if* there ever was a way for you to find the existential truth of your self, the absolute truth of who you really are, it must by default manifest through direct experience, as there is no other way for anything within reality to manifest. If these points are understood (within your direct experience ) this will open the rabbit hole for further inquiry.

Holy shit ? And you made a thread claiming enlightenment..? Bruh

I would be interested to hear his perspective. After having multiple experiences with LSD and an extensive amount of experience with weed, I can say Ive had more intense non-dual experiences from edibles than I did on the LSD. But LSD showed me infinite love which is something weed has never done so... it’s interesting. The non-dual states with weed always feel masculine. Ive also wondered whether 5meo would affect the highs from weed. One of my goals in life is to try 5meo, one of the reasons being Im curious how it’ll affect the headspace from weed usage. Drugs are fascinating. Even more fascinating is when you realize sober and high are completely and utterly relative. Life is just as psychedelic as the highs from psychedelics but much harder to recognize as such.

I definitely feel you on that. Not knowing to me seems to be dis identifying with the mind though, or rather, recognizing the mind for what it is in actuality. As strange as this may sound, you can be in a state of not knowing while simultaneously having the mind thinking. From my perspective, Not knowing = Being. His work is immense and often times thing will click after I set down his books and then return to them. Overall one can not know while the mind is on full throttle. Why? Because it’s actually impossible for the mind to know anything, which is something we easily lose sight of. The mind is a shapeshifting, symbol creating machine used for concept survival. It never *really* knew anything.

What Ive noticed is that sometimes I will have glimpses into certain truths but then the ignorance returns, much like what you’re describing here. But over time, the glimpses seem to slowly percolate back into direct experience. So the embodiment occurs slowly over time, rather than it being this immediate, decision to do so.

Sales is an intense field. You will learn and grow a lot by the end of the 4 months

@pluto It’s been awhile since Ive seen so much ego on this forum ? Humility with a capital H is what you’re looking for.

The difference I feel between 10 minutes and 60 is massive. And so are the mindfulness gains, so to speak ?

I would argue distinctions do exist, it’s just that none are separate from the whole. In fact, there are an infinite amount of distinctions to be made in any direction one looks, with any of the senses.

I love this perspective. Also Im happy you’re finding your balance ?

I have a degree in exercise science. Only a third muscle type can shift between fast and slow twitch. But there is a threshold for how much this can occur. So no, you’re not quite correct.

For the first 10 months or so of meditating 1 hour a day, everyday, I would spend half of the hour watching the breath saying a mantra, and the other half doing the do nothing technique. The mantra (breath watching) was very effective at quieting my monkey mind and building the endurance to meditate for long periods of time. There’s also something intrinsically rewarding about hitting an extremely focused states of consciousness like that. Very blissful. Now, however, I only really do nothing when I meditate. My mind is generally somewhat quiet and I typically get into very present, focused states from doing nothing. And it is ultimately where consciousness work leads

This is awesome man... makes me really happy to hear. I hope you can make it to one of Ralston’s fall workshops, Im going to one as well. It would be goat to meet in person.

Love this ❤️??

For me surrender has been key. Contemplation on this topic was extremely effective at the beginning of my path, and it still is when it comes to dissecting the ways in which the self structure operations in terms of addictions, cravings, desires, life stories, bottom line beliefs, etc... but when it comes to getting “separate” which I think you really mean dis-identifying with the self structure, I find that sitting and literally doing nothing (total surrender) but letting being/existence unfold for 60 mins per day is better than contemplation for the purposes of embodying the fact that I am not the ego structure. As Ive done this practice of totally being/surrendering to myself, it becomes increasing obvious that I am not the ego. I also find contemplation spurs the mind rather than stills. The mind cannot know truth, so it asking questions to itself will not yield any meaningful result other than keeping itself focused, hopefully producing a leap in consciousness. But! I already know (and I think you may too) that you arent the ego. So how much can you surrender and embody this truth? That’s the next step. Total embodiment; total surrender to that which is true. As you increase this embodiment, you’ll discover deeper and deeper truths about what you are.

??

If no self = ultimate self, who identifies with the ego?

Mantra meditation used to help me. Now I focus on surrendering everything, just surrendering all effort or direction when meditating. Literally do nothing and eventually the mind slows down. You have to be patient though, and some days will be better than others. The problem is, there is no way to stop the mind because you do not control the mind. You are not the mind. You are witnessing the mind manifest. So if the mind stills one day, it wont be because you do anything.

Who are you?