Zigzag Idiot

As a lazy student of Astrology, I've been observing Mercury retrogrades off and on for years. Associated with them is mechanical breakdowns in travel and problems in communications. We could observe if it seems a higher rate of these problems occur in the next few weeks. Let's see what happens in the next few weeks. Maybe nothing but then again who knows? How to Use the 2019 Mercury Retrograde Calendar This calendar indicates the main phases of Mercury Retrograde using a color code. The Mercury Retrograde Pre-Shadow The Mercury Retrograde Pre-Shadow phase is indicated in blue and corresponds to the time during which Mercury traces the path in the sky that it will later return to as it moves backward, during the Mercury Retrograde Phase. Often it is during this time that the conditions are set up for the Retrograde phase that follows. As Mercury slows down, just prior its retrograde motion, the contributing factors and the experiences of the cycle are strengthened, and this is indicated in the calendar by a violet color. The Mercury Retrograde Phase The Mercury Retrograde Phase is in light red. The actual Mercury Retrograde Station, as Mercury appears to have stopped and is about to go backward is shown in red. Near the beginning and the end of the retrograde phase, Mercury seems to slow down in the sky, and its effect tends to stronger. This is shown with a darker color. The retrograde phase is famous for revealing the consequences of inattention to detail, wrong assumptions as well as errors in communication and transportation. Many of these are often set up in the pre-shadow phase. The actual moment when Mercury appears to be stationary and is about to move forwards is the Mercury Direct Station. This is shown in dark brown. As Mercury is still moving slowly before it speeds up the effect tends to be stronger, indicated with a darker shade of brown. The Mercury Retrograde Post-Shadow The Mercury Retrograde Post-Shadow phase is indicated in brown. Mercury is now moving forward, and this phase refers to the time during which Mercury is retracing the path in the sky where it had formerly moved backward during the retrograde period. Often, the Mercury Retrograde Post-Shadow can reveal the errors in communication and travel that may have occurred during the pre-shadow and retrograde phases. Mercury Retrograde at the Personal Level One way of looking at Mercury Retrograde is that it reveals the shadow or disowned component in our awareness, communication, and interaction with others and with the world around us. Mercury rules the signs Gemini and Virgo. With Gemini, Mercury expresses the way that we reach out into our neighborhood, interact and discriminate. The shadow of Gemini is Sagittarius. When Mercury is retrograde, it often expresses the negative or disowned nature of Sagittarius. When this happens, the tendency is to generalize, anticipate, gloss over, judge or assume, without reality checking. The other expression of Mercury Retrograde is through the shadow of the sign Virgo. With Virgo, Mercury expresses the way that we integrate what we experience and how we make sense of the world around us through our mind. The shadow of Virgo is Pisces. When Mercury is retrograde, often the negative or disowned nature of Pisces is expressed. We may think that someone else will do it, or we may imagine that things will turn out for ‘the best’ or we may imagine or hope instead of doing something for ourselves. Often the disowned nature of Pisces is revealed in our disconnection to our core and in seeking that connection outside of ourselves instead. Clearing Your Shadow You may want to look at each Mercury Retrograde cycle as a small wake up call and an opportunity to notice when you are caught up in the patterns of your shadow. It is then that we tend to be less conscious, and not as aware as we could be. Moreover, when we act from this place, we set ourselves up. The Mercury Retrograde cycle is a good time for introspection and to become more aware of your own patterns. If you wish to take advantage of this time, you may find this book is very helpful in revealing the ways we become unconscious in our actions, and it gives clear practical steps to regain our integrity with our core. It comes highly recommended: Being Centered. ............................. This extra stuff above, I left in for the convenience of those who are interested Generally for this topic it be about the observation and discussion of mechanical breakdowns in travel and problems in communications, which will center around a lower or higher rate of occurrences.

Has to be in the top 10 for all time most mellow albums.

That's wisdom in and of itself!

We have commonalities. I have zero hours of university education. An interest in psychology. I enjoy listening to Sheldrake. Welcome to the forum!

Gurdjieff's description of humans as 3 brained beings was validated more with Dr. Paul Maclains triune brain theory from back in the 50's or 1960's with work in tandem with intellect, emotion and instinct.

@Rilles Great topic! I get burned out in reading Inquiry or inner work material. Books like Michael Murphy's novel Golf in the Kingdom, mix a fictional narrative to spiritual truths and helps me to get recharged. Or maybe I'll read just a pure fictional novel or biography by a favored Author.

This is a strange book. A 700 page monster labyrinth that I found impossible to read front to back but provided some interesting picking around in and spot reading. (Disclaimer)- My memory of the takeaway from years ago could be way off from what it actually says,,,,, By some, it would be a very heretical notion to say the least. Here it goes: The result of the historical Jesus produced the actual antichrist! Not in absolute terms but in the upside down manifestation of today's fundamentalist believers in Christ. "Dualistic Christians" of today's Christianity who in their imaginations (belief) cling to a dualistic fairytale version instead of a Teaching pointing to the transformation which results in the capacity for Christ Consciousness. Which he also associates with the second coming. How heretical is that notion?!? Especially on the surface of the statement.

He's referring to Inquiry. Specifically Fourth Way Inquiry called by some, esoteric Christianity.

Development and Actualization of a State is what is Needed to go Beyond It The process of development is the same thing as the process of unveiling or shedding at the same time. The development and the actualization of a state is what is needed to go beyond it. They are not two separate things. You cannot go beyond self until you actualize self. For instance, when finally you know your true self, you are it, you realize in the same instant that you’ve gone beyond it. You do not need it any more because you’ve got it. That is the hierarchy of needs—when you do not have it, you need it. You must look for it, but the moment you get it, get it completely, you do not need it any longer. It is not exactly that you do not need it any longer; you realize that it is not important. You realize that it is an idea in your mind anyway. But you do not know that it is just an idea in your mind until you get it. The process of the satisfaction of the needs, the totality of the hierarchy, is the same process as the process of unveiling or shedding. So it looks paradoxical but it is really not a paradox; it is the same thing. When I say you need to let go of your desires, how do you do that? You do not let go by saying you are going to let go; you let go by actualizing them, by understanding them completely. In my opinion, there is no other way than by completely experiencing them. Complete understanding and actualization opens the door for transcendence, for Being to take consciousness further. You cannot let go of self until you completely have self. You cannot let go of your own will until you completely have your will. You cannot let go of love until you have love. That is the natural process of penetrating, of unveiling. If we remember that this is a process, that the actualization is at the same time a loss, a going beyond, that will help us to not get so frustrated and suffer so much. Diamond Heart Book Four, pg. 154

@mandyjw In a google search just now, this article mentions both magnesium and chromium. https://www.realbuzz.com/articles-interests/nutrition/article/5-food-cravings-conquered/ You're right about magnesium. It gives chromium deficiency as the reason more for sugar cravings.

Did someone mention chocolate? ? I heard in the past chocolate cravings can be lessened by taking chromium supplement. I've had mixed results with experiments in the past with this. It's maybe time to for me to experiment again.

@ValiantSalvatore Everything is about the same since my small trip, emotionally and meditation wise. The second half of the day after the trip though I did feel more opened up, like I described above. I didn't pay much attention to his hand movements in the video other than label them roughly. Similar to what you suggested as some yoga or energy work/practice. This is all new to me too. I have much to learn.

In addition to opening the heart (4th chakra) more, is the notion of closing up the 5th chakra which has a common malfunction of being too open. Being able to "hold one's tongue" is a form of intentional or conscious suffering which leads to more understanding which in turn grows one's capacity to love more.

The following quotes by Ocke de Boer is meaningful to me in regards to love. Ocke: Remorse will bring conscious suffering. This is to see and feel your own mechanical behaviour or negativity and seeing you can’t do anything about it. Conscious suffering will bring the Work deeper in you and therefore will increase your being so that conscience can speak. It will give a constant and unflagging need to work and enable you to pass the first threshold. Conscious suffering is the medicine to make the Automaton surrender to the Permanent Witness. The Automaton is an instrument. The Permanent Witness has to learn how to use it. One of the aims of our Work is to bring us in contact with Conscience, which is in our subconsciousness. Conscience is the inner memory for those actions necessary to bring any given situation back in tune with Unity. Although this definition of Conscience is correct, it stays incomplete, because Conscience cannot be reasoned but must come into Being. Zigzag Idiot note: Guilt is the distorted experience of remorse. Conscious love cannot be experienced until we are in contact with Conscience. We have to be able to stomach ourselves. Also from Ocke: Conscience is intuitive Intellegence, the Intellegence of the heart which is also the Intelligence of the Universe.

Unlike evidenced in the video above, in my short NN dmt trip, (smoked) I experienced some loss of balance and coordination. Also it seemed like the small psychological shaking I went through gave the sense/feeling of my heart being opened a little more for the rest of the day. I felt opened up similarly to way grief softens and opens one up. Not in a big way, I didn't cry, but more subtle to medium in intensity.

Do you think this practice would work if you left out the expectation?

@ValiantSalvatore Video looks really interesting. Just now started watching it. Thanks!!

A few days ago You posted what looked like a phone video of a guy walking through a crowd and past a woman who hit him with an object she was swinging. I had an epiphany about it. Do you remember the one I'm referring to?

I feel Elliot Hulse is putting a distorted emphasis on Patriarchy in regards to Eastern Christian Orthodoxy. From a larger frame of reference, Identification with Patriarchy is a promotion of violence. The following is about Claudio Naranjo from Wikipedia- "For in this book, which has a foreword by Jean Houston, Naranjo explores what he sees as the root cause of the destruction of human civilization (as evidenced in the 2000s (decade) as war, violence, oppression of women, child abuse, environmental endangerment, etc.)—patriarchy—and brings both the problem and the solution home to an intra-psychic level. Patriarchy, he says, has taken root over millennia in the workings of our own conditioned minds." The above is a small extraction from below excerpt. ?? Since the late 1980s, Naranjo has divided each year between his activities abroad and his writing at home in Berkeley. Among his many publications, he has revised an early book on Gestalt therapy and published two new ones. He has published three books on the Enneagram of Personality, as well as The End of Patriarchy, which is his interpretation of social problems as the expression of a devaluation of the nurturance and human instinct and their solution in the harmonious development of our "three brained" potential. He has also published a book on meditation, The Way of Silence and the Talking Cure, and Songs of Enlightenment on the interpretation of the great books of the West as expressions of "the inner journey" and variations on the "tale of the hero". Since the late 1990s he has attended many education conferences and sought to influence the transformation of the educational system in various countries. It is his conviction that “nothing is more hopeful in terms of social evolution than the collective furthering of individual wisdom, compassion and freedom”.[6] His book Changing Education to Change the Worldpublished in Spanish in 2004, was meant to stimulate the efforts of teachers among SAT graduates who are beginning to be involved in a SAT-in- Education project, that offers the staff of schools and the students in schools of education a "supplementary curriculum" of self-knowledge, relationship-repair and spiritual culture. In 2006 the Foundation Claudio Naranjo was founded to implement his proposals regarding the transformation of traditional education into an education that does not neglect the human development that he believes our social evolution depends on. His most recent book (2010), Healing Civilization: Bringing Personal Transformation into the Societal Realm through Education and the Integration of the Intra-Psychic Family, is both a continuation of and a turning point in Naranjo's lifelong work. For in this book, which has a foreword by Jean Houston, Naranjo explores what he sees as the root cause of the destruction of human civilization (as evidenced in the 2000s (decade) as war, violence, oppression of women, child abuse, environmental endangerment, etc.)—patriarchy—and brings both the problem and the solution home to an intra-psychic level. Patriarchy, he says, has taken root over millennia in the workings of our own conditioned minds.[citation needed] He also offers a remedy, which derives from the work of Tótila Albert regarding the "triune" being of our nature: the "Inner Father" (corresponding to the head), the "Inner Mother" (corresponding to the heart), and the "Inner Child" (corresponding to the instincts). As people learn to integrate these three "brains", Naranjo believes, they may bring about a functional, even divine, family within. And this, he believes, in addition to transforming education oriented to personal and collective evolution, could bring about the healing of civilization.[citation needed] In the Watkins' Mind Body Spirit Magazine he was listed as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People of 2012.[7]

In an online course Cynthia Bourgeault had a couple of years ago there was a pretty high standard put forth in the forum there. I found myself breaking that standard time and again. It made me see myself a little better. It was not a very comfortable feeling,,,,, Anyway, this was the standard- The word "respect" literally means "to look twice," and respect is at the core of this fourth Obligolnian striving. Today, after beginning your morning with a period of meditation, I invite you to look at the systems in which you are embedded with intentional respect. Rather than moving too quickly to criticize and judge, you can exercise respect by practicing conscious speech. Before rushing to respond, stop, ground, take a couple of conscious breaths, then ask yourself these four questions: Does it need to be said? Does it need to be said now? Is it my place to say it? Can it be said with kindness? Allow these four precepts to guide your conscious speech today and see what changes you can detect in your relations with the world, both inwardly and outwardly.

@Corpus Thank you! Thank you! Very helpful!

Sedona Arizona would be a cool place to live that has no grass pollen.

I can agree with some of the things he says but Elliot Hulse seems to work himself into a frenzy of cynicism and anger just so he can feed off that energy. Too much unnecessary machismo and negative emotion when looked at closely. For me, anyway,,,

@ValiantSalvatore ?I'm an old fan of Terrence McKenna. What a mind that guy had! Thanks for mentioning the video of Leo talking about machine elves. I haven't seen it. Actually I feel like rewatching all the videos he has made about tripping. I need to check out Martin Ball and his perspectives also. Just vaguely familiar with the name,,,,

I love that quote,,,,