Waken

Follow what option contains most excitement/joy/passion. Perhaps you are also assuming that you have to pick one or the other while you don't. If at the moment they don't combine well, or the combination doesn't elicit more excitement than picking one over the other, I would pick the one that contains most joy and follow that. If you find that that way is 'blocked', take the other. Oh this video, I like it very much and is very much a reply to your question

I didn't watch the whole video. But I saw a video of Tony recently and found him quite appreciate and generous in his own unique way. I think those are things many people can have much benefit from when watching him. A lot of people here too can learn lots from that. No need to bring him all down because he's spewing some bullshit here and there, which approximately every one here does too. If someone is quite nice, but has a couple shitty things, that person can get brought down all the way to the level of trash lol, that's not very sensible.

@allislove Yes, love that one. Abrahams' things are really great, positive and SO much easier than the impression you might get when dipping your toes (and then all the way until your head) into spirituality. Oh and there was a great reminder in that video too, thank you^^

When not feeling good about something, or when having mental or emotional problems, stop focusing on that. Stop trying to fix issues. At a certain time I created fearful mind patterns and could really spiral downwards into them. I would really want a solution for it. I would try to evade having those thoughts, and my mind would monitor these thoughts all the time 'Is it there still? Is there still fear now? Oh, still some there, hope it doesn't get worse. Ah, if I do that, these thoughts will come again. Is the fear still there, is it getting worse?' blahblahblah I would suggest, stop focusing on ANYTHING that doesn't feel good and in general, stop forcing yourself to do things. If something in your work doesn't go well, if you have a disease, a trait you can't 'fix', someoe you don't like, anything. Stop focusing on that. Instead perhaps just try to start your day in a way that makes you feel good (perhaps meditation, perhaps listening to a song you really like, taking a walk, etc) and then spend the rest of the day on things that have the best available feeling in them or, and it's the same thing, focusing on what you would do with the least resistance. If something uncomfortable does come up, just be with it, relax, perhaps if it's a mental problem say something like 'I don't need to fix anything, just focusing on what feels best' and when feeling better, move on to what you do like. Just wanted to share

Some options: - Put together a good and long playlist for your trip, use headphones, put some blinders on (sometimes I knotted 2 socks together and attached it to my head so my vision was dark), and lie on bed. - Put your phone off and don't contact anyone with it while tripping. That last one I sometimes wrote on a note to myself for when I was about to trip lol - State your intention for the trip before tripping

And how do you like finding out what it's like? Pleased with the results?

Just follow your attraction. No need to analyze things when you don't feel like it, if you do, of course that's different. Just loving yourself, being gentle with yourself, forgiving yourself and others (if you feel something is to be forgiven) will go a long way. Let that boat float gentle down the stream, in ever deepening expansions

I do it a little different than analyzing it, trying to let it go, diving in it, accepting it, etc. Not to be too lazy, but if you read my latest reply in the following thread, you might find a usefull approach there (the one about repeating words of well-being):

I can see you think that you need to act on certain things that you THINK are good for you. However, I feel differently. This one principle explained in this video can completely turn it all around for you, that seems to be my experience anyway. If the video seems to long for you to check, here is a shorter one of only 2:42 min, lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThgAP9xbaKQ

Thank you, and yep I very much resonate that it can be really hard to focus on betting feeling thoughts when negative thought spirals have a strong momentum. It drove me to tears at times when it was very bad. As I see it now, when you've created a strong momentum with these thought patterns, when it comes up again sometimes you just got to ride through it to a certain degree. I've actually downloaded 2 days ago a guided meditation CD from Abraham Hicks, which is pretty much build on dealing with these things. The meditations requires you to align your breathing with the music, which takes enough of your attention so that your focus on other things goes away. I feel some curiosity about trying that out. In general, I found just doing things throughout the day on things that feel good to you, that contain attraction/joy/excitement/wellbeing/etc will just make you feel much better and put your focus on other things. Because to me anyway, it is very exciting to feel to be on the path towards my wholeness by following the guidance of my feelings. You might then awaken with some thoughts of enthusiasm and the not-so-good feeling thoughts can diminish very quickly this way. When some thought patterns do come up now for me, they are not that strong as they used to and so it's easier to redirect the focus. When it does come up, I repeat something like 'I don't need to fix any thoughts, I don't need to monitor any thought, I don't need to correct any thought'. For me, I know that that is true and knowing that gives some relief. Or perhaps I'll repeat some general words of well-being like 'letting go, safe, love' over and over, and repeat them slower over time. Afterwards I don't always wait until the negative energies are completely gone, just mostly and at that point but I'll just start thinking about what I would like to do most throughout that day and I'll do that. Then if it wasn't gone already at the time I'm doing what gives me most enthusiasm it will be gone quite quickly anyway. But you'll just got to find something that works for you and makes you feel a little better at that moment of negative thought. I like repeating words of well-being like described, puts a smile on my face after doing it for some time. Maybe instead of finding thoughts that give you some relief, you like it more to put your focus down in your belly (I've also done that), or playing some nice music, taking a run, whatever. Still what helped the most I feel has just been focusing on what was most attractive/enthusiastic/etc throughout the day. Well, that was a rather long reply wasn't it.

Yes, I like how you phrased that:) Cool. I know, it sucks very much these downwards spirals @Peter Miklis Nice, thank you. Also, nice part about depression that you shared. I once heard something about it which I liked which went something like that what we call depression is just like a realization that we won't find the answers we are looking for outside. And if you don't label that as depression you won't experience that phase so negatively.

My suggestion, stop trying to fix things, heal yourself, find out what your problems are. Instead, just do things that make you feel good. Just pick something that makes you feel even a little better than you do right now, or that you can do with a less resistance (same thing). Perhaps in even a couple of days you'll already feel much better and more enthusiastic. If you do something you enjoy, or are planning to and something uncomfortable comes up. Be with that/relax/let it go as best you can and refocus again. It's quite easy to feel good again, really is, just need to stop putting attention on things you don't prefer.

Actually, what Abraham said something like that with psychedelics there is a defocusing on resistance, and what she is suggesting is a focus on alignment. In alignment there is no resistance, but the no-resistance brought by psychedelics don't necessarily help that that much on coming into alignment. The video is here (I think, but didn't check): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTziyeviMJM

My view on it, I just got these insights about it when pondering something Abraham Hicks said, so I'm putting it down here for my own sake too: Your higher self/soul is the larger part of you, that is still nonphysically focused. No real need there thus, to connect to it. It is rather about coming in alignment with it. Coming into alignment with what you are, is done by doing what is in line with what you are. When you are in line with what you are you feel joyous, loving, etc. So do what makes you feel good. What makes you feel good is just what you allow most, or with other words what you resist less. So you can either focus doing life with the path of least resistance, or the path of most allowance. Same thing, but you might interpret 'the path of least resistance' in an easier to hear manner. So that's that. So just do whatever attracts you, listen to your inspirations, joys, passions, etc. Don't do things because you think they must work, etc, because this is coming from your beliefs. Or you could say, do things that feel the least bad. Just act in accordance to your feelings and you'll come into alignment with your higher self. As I see it now, for a large part all spiritual practices are just about releasing resistance too. So if you feel attracted to a certain technique, WHATEVER that is, do it, because it will then obviously put you in a state of least resistance/most allowance. If you do something that feels good, it is thus in accordance with your higher self. If you want resources (that will tell you the same thing) you could watch Bashar or Abraham Hicks.

@ajs Nice! And I understand. Would this translates to "I believe it would be very difficult"? Well I think the Bashar you watched, might say that if you believe it would be very difficult, then it will be because reality reflects you back at you and that if you would just feel good about it, that you would get that reflected back. Perhaps you can look at it, and think of ways in which it won't be difficult. Maybe you could think of what would be really exciting/joyful to do, and do that and allow life to do a bit of magic for you

It's easy to feel good. Easy to choose to do something that contains more happiness, joy, excitement, passion, bliss than how you felt before. It's easy to put on a song that makes you feel better than you did before. Easy to think a thought that feels better than the previous one. Easy to do change your focus on something that feels a little better than what you used to focus on. When you feel good, doesn't goodness come to you? Easy to feel good when goodness comes to you. And then thus more goodness coming to you? Even easier to feel good then. It's easy, and fun, to think, while walking in the supermarket, on how you can do so in a most fun/exciting/joyous way. Easy to say something to someone that makes you feel a little better than what you used to say to him/her. It's fun, it's exciting, to make your day feel as good as you can and then the next day again. Easy. Easy! Easy!! No need to figure stuff out. No need to try hard or struggle with all sort of techniques. No need to take all sort of things into consideration when you want to choose something that feels good. You feel a little sucky at work and feel that you can't just quit with it? Still easy to make it a little more fun, joyous and exciting than the day before. Before feeling bad has gotten momentum, stop it before it's gets big, take a pause, do something that feels better. Even easier to feel good the next day, and the next, and the next! It's easy to overcome not good feeling states. It's easy to feel joy, easy to feel excitement, easy to feel appreciation for your life. Easy, sneazy, peasy

@Aaron p Sounds good. I can relate. I think many spiritual teachers suggest 'dont bother with it', but I've found too that being a little more proactive in this and actively making some effort to make a more positive adjustment seems to help me more.

This video came to mind (especially what starts at 0:51) when seeing your post:

@Surfingthewave Thank you too! Yes god, how easy it is to go with whatever cycle/momentum you, or others around you, currently have. If your friends or family is skillful at negativity, and you're not that practiced in your better feeling state yet, easy to get dragged down a little. Better in that case perhaps to lessen the contact to those and choose things that contains goodness. No need for much struggle and effort to make your life feel much better.

In reply to your post, I've gotten the idea or sense at times, that perception IS the expression of pure beauty. The more you undo the disortions of perception, the more perception itself feels like pure beauty. Some forms seem to take you to the experience, that you could call beauty, faster than others. Or perhaps you can say, some forms can direct your focus on the reality of beauty better than others, but beauty doesn't seem to be in my sense of things, to be confined to form. Rupert Spira says something similar, that if you come to realise the infinite through perception, you call it beauty, you come to realize it through feeling, you call it love, you come to realise it through thinking, you call it understanding.

Just adding my two cents here. I've inquired about numerous things, besides inquiring about the self/person. The really first thing I found that when I looked into desire was that I saw, that which I called desire, were actually just sensations. I sat there after I saw this with my mouth dropped for what felt like to be almost a minute. Something I discovered later, and what is a more important insight is that there isn't actually anything that causes one to react or do anything. There is the belief amongst people that there is something which causes you to react. Like you see a cake you crave, and think and thus feel that there is something that pushes you to react to it. Or someone says something that you interpreted as you being triggered, and you react to that, because you think and thus feel that there is something in you that causes you to react. Maybe if you look into it, you find that you thought the feelings pushes/urges you to react, although this is obviously not true when you really look at it. There is nothing that causes you to react, you can see this by simply watching your experience. Once you see/know this, your reactivity, your sense of being pulled, can become much less and you become more tranquil. The whole structure of reactivity, which is what people might also interpret as being (a part of) desire, was felt in my experience to be just like another layer of 'the self', and one you can just see through. Might be much easier once you know there isn't a self/person, not sure if you can really grok it if you still believe you're a person.

I'm all for following your joy and excitement. If you would go there to fill up a hole inside yourself, then I would say don't. But if you feel excited, enthusiastic about those events or you do it out of your joy, then I would say go at it

The book Conversations with God explains it yes. Also a book from God/Source is 'ask and it is given' by Abraham Hicks. Name says it all. You only have to ask once and then stop being busy with it, because something can only come in your experience when you don't have (much) contradictory energy within you. So the energy of wanting a thing, or the feeling a sense of lack of what you want will keep it (longer) at bay. Ask and then know it's coming and/or do other stuff

I've had similar experiences, albeit less intense. Interesting read:) There were also episodes were I freaked out over evil spirits when I was half asleep and couldn't move. What I learned or heard is that first, there really aren't evil spirits, only immature or confused ones and that secondly you attract them with your own fearful energies. Like attracts like. Be of positive vibration and you're fine.