real power literally comes from infinite intelligence, power is literally intelligent love
so if we're talking about real psychic abilities with serious power over reality we're talking about a buddha level of consciousness that goes with it
so yes anyone that has access to real power has the wisdom that goes with it and is tuned to the universe and the harmony of the purpose of all the souls in this collective experience
so no kid with an ego will get superman level of powers to only go around and make the world his playground
while you have an ego, meaning you believe that you are not in constant telepathy with everyone, and that we're all here go evolve together in harmony and synchronicity, if you believe you're a separate being standing on a planet, you'll have no incredibly huge power on the level of paranormal abilities, many do have subtle abilities and I believe we all do to some degree
the very purpose of power is not to attain it, power is a tool to help each other, power is for those beings who will make use it for the sake of everyone, to share it with everyone,the more power is shared, the more others evolve, which makes you evolve, which makes them evolve, which makes you evolve, which makes them evolve...
see? power is literally love
its a collective evolution in an upwards spiral

For the ignorant materialist, paranormal abilities are seen as simply unreal, superstition. For the Seer who have seen the glory of reality, paranormal abilities is child's play, nothing at all. Just a child playing games with reality, as reality.

Karoi Village In (Rajasthan) Bhilwara is famous for some great astrologers. After I completed my engineering degree and I was looking for a job. So I visited a astrologer with my maternal aunt, who visited him once few years before. 
Astrologer was a young man , very good looking with large and shining eyes. He told us to sit down and wrote something on a writing slate with a chalk. Then he told my maternal aunt to ask question. My maternal aunt asked him a question. He told her to pick the slate on which he wrote something before question was asked, the answer for the question was already written on the slate. My maternal aunt told him that she visited him few years back. He told her the date and time of visit, questions asked by my maternal aunt and answers given by him. Dozens of people visit him every day still he remembered everything. 
He never charged fees for his services, people used to donate 5-10 rupees if they wish, it was not a compulsion. 
Then he rubbed the slate with a cloth and wrote something on the slate. The he told me to ask the question. My question was whether I will get a government job or not. He told me to turn the slate. It was written that I will get a job in private sector and then I will get a job in government sector, date of joining of both jobs were also mentioned. I asked him ,"do you practice yoga?" He replied ," meditation".
Few years later I found that everything he said was accurate.
When I was posted in Bhilwara city during my government job, I visited him once again but he was not using his psychic abilities now, he was telling future by asking date and place of birth, and he was not looking as graceful as he was looking before.
After I visited the astrologer with my maternal aunt, I discussed it with a friend in Bhilwara, he told me about another astrologer in a nearby village. He was a old man living in a hut, before asking him a question I said to him," should I tell you my date of birth", he said , "What's the need?", he wrote my date of birth on a paper. Then I asked him , "How can I achieve mental peace?", he said, "you are the first person who has asked such question", after this I discussed few other things with him. 
I was a hardcore atheist raised in atheistic family, but my belief in atheism shattered after few more such incidents. 

Let's start a list of the best music for listening to on psychedelics.
Obviously taste in music is very subjective, but try to post the best of the best here. This music should work well with psychedelics and tripping. Chill, moody, down-tempo, ambient, techno type stuff.
There's lots of obscure psychedelic & chillout music that can be found on SoundCloud.

Here's the list Leo mentioned in the Nootropic's Video.
* Modafinil * Lion's mane Mushroom * L-theanin * Huperzine-A * Alpha-GPC * pterostilbene * sulbutiamine * Vinpocetine * N-Acetyl Tyrosine * Phosphatidyl serine * bacopa monniera * N-A-C sustain * PQQ * COQ10 * Uridine * Ginko Biloba * Vitamin D3 * Fish Oil
Below, please post sources, trip reports, experiences, resources and links to helpful information about Nootropics. 

So, Im 25 years old and my studies are almost done (Only thesis left), I have permanent job, taking the first steps towards my dream career and basically I have met or gained tools to meet 95% of my materialistic needs.
My grand goal is to master my body in next 5 years. I want to perfect it like Roman athletes, functionality first with the looks coming on the side. I want to build mindfulness on my bodily functions, build flexibility, build muscle, perfect my eating. I want to take my body to the extremes in healthy sustainable manner that I can keep up until my death of old age. The more I work on my thesis, the more my hunger for this goal grows. I've been thinking about it for months on end now, and I want nothing more than to finally start my journey
Does anyone here have such a grand goal when it comes to health and fitness? If so, what is your planned timespan to reach the goals, how are you doing on your journey and what are thing you've learned so far?

Heyyy,
Day after having sex or masturbation I am having a very hard time especially with concentration, lack of energy and being extra sleepy. Additionally I am less creative and less chatty.
Have you ever experienced it? How you fight it? Any supplements/nootropics/techniques to overcome that?
I get so freaked out about this that I am avoiding sex if I have an important meeting next day or I want to be full of energy.
Thanks for any tip,
A

Hey everyone, thought I’d create a topic about everyone’s favourite works of art. 
 
To me Art goes beyond just paintings and drawings, and by art I mean anything creative/ created by humans, so Music, Films, TV shows, Architecture, Cities, Sports/ Sports Games& Players, Books, Drawings&Paintings, Videos, Cars, Theatre Shows etc and anything else that falls under this umbrella of Art. 
 
Also, it doesn’t have to be about enlightenment or “high consciousness” I just mean anything you love or think was an awesome work of art, that moved you or that you just simply love. 
 
I think this could be an awesome discussion and open each other up to works of art we may not have been aware of before whether that’s an amazing album, film or sport, all of life is really simply art And is beautiful. 
 
Also, art is of course subjective so someone else’s favourite may not be yours and that’s what makes life even more beautiful.

If such a thing is even possible what does it sound like? What's the substance? I've heard Leo apply spiral dynamics to music (rap songs about money were 'orange').
I Absolutely love this song:
What about the genres? Does 'low conscious' music attract those types of people? Why is it that there are no intellectual types who listen to violent rap songs, and no street thugs who listen to 'Serande', by Shubert (classical music).
Perhaps the type of music someone likes reflects the type of person they are? I imagine a hippy type person would love John Lennon's 'imagine'.

New Years: Why Resolutions Often Stink, and How to Actualize Real Change in 2020
My YouTube Video on this topic:
New Years: How to Actually Make Lasting Change in 2020
(Mods: Let me know if I messed up embedding this video or need to revise)
Most people (90%+) fail their New Year's Resolutions. For most, that is their plan for a new year. Why are people failing their resolutions? What can you do to actually make change last in 2020? Let's take a look.
About me: I'm Ken, a Mindset & Development Coach. I help you develop mental/emotional resilience, overcome challenges, and realize dreams. I'm also now making video content.
Why are people failing to make change?
1. They make a wish. A ton of people make their New Year's Resolutions like they are making a wish. Can you really expect something will happen when all you've done is hope for it - without building a vision of who you'll be and put in the sweat equity? Most people fail because they have no follow through. Hope itself won't give you the change you want. As a coach, this is by far the one I hate the most.
2. They don't want it for themselves. In the past, humans survived best in tribes- do what your tribe needs and you'll likely live. Alone, we were likelier to died. But today, in your search for personal growth, don't only do what others want you to do. Some choose professions and make life decisions based on what family or society prescribed them. If you only listen without listening to what you want, you'll run out of steam and fail. To grow your own internal voice - make mental space for what you truly want. If you make every decision with everyone else's voice in your head, there'll be too many damn cooks in the kitchen to do anything.
3. Low pain tolerance. Humans subconsciously seek to avoid discomfort and pain. To be fair, it is fine to do so in leisure. However, it is unrealistic when people want to change and grow yet expect no discomfort or pain. It sounds so silly when you read it - since it's obvious - but when people go back to actually living their lives, most act like frightened mice in an experiment. If you want change, embrace discomfort - test your limits.
What can we do to make the New Year count and *ACTUALIZE* change in 2020?
1. Want the change for yourself. Just like we discussed - be selfish with your inner voice and what you want. Don't do what you think you should only because others want you to do it - it's not sustainable in the long term. Be selfish. Want the change for yourself. Be the source of your own drive to change, then you'll make it happen. Take your time if you must- figure out what you want.
2. Set goals, not resolutions. Your new year - your new decade, should not be launched with another wish. These wishlists are often without substance - no intention of attack, no action, no plan. Don't make empty resolutions. Make New Years goals that are actionable and specific. For example: run a 10k marathon or master a new skill. Use verbs to begin your goal.
3. Build habits. The 90% of people that will fail their New Year's Resolutions will fail because they didn't build habits. Start small (at first). Make your habits specific and measurable (a.k.a SMART Goals). Determine when you'll do it and how often. Instead of: "Learn to play the piano", try: "Play the piano for one hour every Monday, Wednesday, Friday".
4. Commit: See the day through, beginning to end. People who fail often overwhelm themselves by constantly imagining how long it is to do something new for a whole year. Have an end goal/vision in mind, but don't let the idea of going to the gym 300 times in a year make you too anxious. Focus on the day; the year will come.
5. Review your progress: What do professional athletes and competitors do to make sure they are improving and on track? They reflect and review their progress (and often have coaches to help). They identify places to improve, places they fell apart, etc. Sit down at least once a week and just ask yourself if you executed on your habits, and what you could've done better for your goals. Don't be distracted or rushed- set aside time and mental space for it.
6. Get back on track: You can do #1-5 and you'll be ahead of most people. However, #6, you will not last the marathon. Humans are bound to fluctuate in consistency. Even if you're consistent for years, something down the line could derail you - death of a loved one, you are laid off, a recession, a disease/injury, a breakup.. it's okay to fall off track - have a plan on how you'll get back on track. Once you've given yourself time to bottom out, build back from your foundations - start with small habits that you easily enjoy.
 
What are your goals for 2020? And what is your most often cause of falling offtrack - and how will you properly recover in this next year?

I have been exploring breathwork and it has been incredibly interesting. I wanted to share my experiences. 
The first time doing breathwork I full out bawled my eyes out. The release...  It was beautiful. Truly. I was carrying the sufferings of all humanity with me and storing it in my body. I could feel the pain of those close to me, the pain of people I've never met, and the pain from my own, personal, "1st person" sufferings. The tension was found, was released, and then tears. I didn't even realize it was there until it was released back out. 
Tonight however...I didn't cry or experience suffering. Instead it lead me to pleasure. It lead me to multiple full body orgasms. The vibrations from the energy in my body felt like continuous pleasure was radiating out of the arches of my feet, through my spine, out my nipples, though my clit, and out the palms of my hands. Just encapsulated in plessure. It was also very beautiful.  
The release from both occassions were so open and strong. 
The release from both felt like my chakras were recalibrating and restoring balance. 
So vastly different, and yet so similar. 
Still processing it all. 
Both were love. So much love. 

"Psychotherapy is a sanctuary; it is a battleground; it is a place I have been psychotic, neurotic, elated, confused, and despairing beyond belief. But, always, it is where I have believed–or have learned to believe–that I might someday be able to contend with all of this." 
- Kay Redfield Jamison
Background 
I have suffered from depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety since I was 12.
I have always avoided the traditional ways to healing (psychotherapy & psychiatry). I thought it wasn't effective. I had gone to a few of them, but none were actually good.
No psychotherapy > bad psychotherapy.
So instead, I tried all the unorthodox approaches : Neuroliguistic Programming, veganism, Yoga, Tai Chi, theater classes, hypnosis, family constellation, hardcore meditation, cold showers, Tapping, Ayahuasca ceremonies, etc. 
Some of those things work in the short-term. But sooner or later, I'd fall on my ass and be worse off. This would make me feel very frustrated because I felt it was working because of me. 
 
"I am done with unorthodox approaches. I want the traditional!" 
A year ago, I was going through a major depressive episode. I was waking up at 5 PM, would only stay in bed, watch random stuff on the internet, was heavily socially anxious. Sleeping and eating was the most exciting things in my day.
So, I decided to try a psychiatrist a friend recommended. To sum up, he was very blunt, arrogant, and incompetent. After six months of treatment, I had a hypo-maniac episode (which is a negative type of euphoria). This was caused by being prescribed the wrong medication. 
Then, last June, I found a psychiatrist online that had very good reviews.
And I also started going to a really good psychologist. She has tons of experience, and is very empathetic. She never once told me something like: "You're being lazy", "You're too sensitive", "You need to push yourself more." She does not tell me what I "need" to do. Instead, through dialogue, I come to the conclusion by myself. And because she doesn't scold me, I feel safe to open up to her. 
And btw, psychotherapy is not just a conversation. Far from it. 
 
Results
It's been about six months that I have been with this psychologist + psychiatrist, and here's what I have accomplished so far: 
1) My mood is finally stable. A year ago, I'd have a good day, and then 6 very depressed days. Obviously, I am not 100% everyday, but I can actually function, live life with its ups and downs. It is a great blessing to not feel debilitating and unreasoning emotions. I still feel bad sometimes, but now it has a cause, is manageable, and is not overwhelming.
2) My psychiatrist gave two medications that fit me very well. One of it gives me energy and will-power. And the other one helps me shut down my mind and go to sleep. Each medication cancels the side effects of the other one. 
3) My sexuality is much healthier. 
4) I have stopped smoking weed, drinking alcohol, and using any type of psychedelics. Although I didn't admit, I was pretty much addicted to those things. And in my case, nothing that alters my normal state of mind is good for me. 
5) I am proactively finding new things to do. Instead of being in bed all day or just mindlessly use the internet; I actually want to get out of the house. (I am not neurotic about always being outside doing stuff though).
6) I have started to take keyboard and Spanish classes. I practice yoga and soccer by myself daily (I don't have to force myself; it's organic). And I also walk my dog with a dog trainer twice a week. So my routine has more meaningful and exciting things. 
7) My relationships are much more healthy. Regarding friends, I can now set healthy boundaries more easily. Regarding dating, I am actually going out with people! (which was something unimaginable a few months ago). I am learning how to deal with jealousy, rejection, and so on. And finally regarding my family, it's all getting very harmonic. 
8) I am more laid-back. I used to be very tensed up and neurotic about stuff. Instead of thinking about existential, deep and shadowy stuff all day (but having no results), I now direct all of this to my weekly 1-hour of psychotherapy. This way in my day-to-day life; I feel lighter, less tensed and overly-profound, and more playful.  
9) I can trust that I will naturally do what's best for me. I am more in-the-moment. I don't hold very strong and inflexible decisions. Instead, I flow with life. 
> If I am being too stubborn, I identify that and let it go.
> If I am being lazy or passive, I negotiate with myself so that I can actually do what I want to do. 
9) I am losing weight effortlessly. Or as some self-help authors like to put it, "I am getting back to my natural body form". Because of the depression, I was eating copious amounts of food - which made me gain weight. But now I don't crave for food anymore; and I don't have to starve myself to lose weight nor eat stuff that has no flavor. Oh, and I am also sleeping less (from 10-12 hours daily to 7-9 hours). 
10) I am taking more care of my appearance and well-being. I use moisturizer; I use a type of shampoo that covers my white hair; I am shaving some parts of my body. It is not something "over the top". It's healthy. I am not abandoning my body; instead, I am taking care of it. 
Important: Boy oh boy, did I wish I could accomplish all of that through reading self-help books, watching videos, meditating the shit out of me, talking with a "spiritual" friend; or using psychedelics. I learned the hard way that I cannot depend on those things to be healthy psychologically - they are just a complement for high-quality face-to-face psychotherapy and psychiatry. 
 
 
If you liked the quote at the beginning of this topic, check this out:  https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/beyondblue/2010/10/kay-redfield-jamison-on-psycho-1.html. 
 

Title says it all. I lean towards the BS side but don't doubt you can benefit from a strong belief in it combined with legitimate result-producing actions that it may prompt you to take (i.e. "Your orange chakra is out of alignment. Go exercise!").
RationalWiki's witty take on it:
I'm super interested in discussion as to why or why don't you involve yourself with chakras 

Hello! I would like to know what people on self-actualisation journey are doing in their free times for entertainment, relaxation, letting the mind just relax and go loose (?) for a bit, when you guys are not doing self-improvement work.
Or what is a better and smarter way to entertain yourself which helps develop you?  

Hi guys! 

In the last few months I've been interested in getting info about this kind of meditation since it has been very much sponsered by very famous people like David Lynch, who owns a foundation and who is one of my favorite artists. 

The only thing that makes me kind of suspicious about that is the enormous amount of money that goes around this meditation that kind of become a trademark for which there is a lot of spend for just a few lessons (at least in my country) and there is seems not to be much info online about the technique itself which is hold as a secret that practitioners are not allowed to share, since they're taught that otherwise their "personalized" mantra wouldn't work for them anymore.

Has anyone here learnt? What's your opinion, maybe compared to other kind of meditations? Maybe is someone willing to share what is really about?


Namaste  

I'm conflicted on choosing to pursue the full fledged Hero's Journey and make a grand adventure out of my life or just stop everything and live out my days in solitude pursuing the highest spiritual truths and then finally share them with the world. 
The issue is that I can't do both. I can't pursue the hero's journey and make my dream of being a successful musician and filmmaker if I'm in solitude, and I can't pursue the highest spiritual truths if I'm after material successes. I'm at a crossroads.

So here I am watching Leo's last video "Why Brains Do Not Exist" and the idea strikes me "what does is it mean for something to be material/physical?".
So I look up into the good ol' dictionary the word "matter" (because material = made of matter). And, it says:
"matter - the substance or substances of which any physical object consists".
After reading that I immediately felt the exact thing that I experienced whtn Leo was talking about "before Big Bang, before God, where does the brain exist?". Because what is matter made of ? And, as you probably expect, what is the thing out of which matter is made of made of ? We can go on forever. There's the assumption in the scientific world that "the matter just exists" out of which the scientific paradigm is created. It's just one way out of the many more (probably infinite) ways to look at the world.
So the short version of my insight would be "If reality is made of matter, what is matter made of?".
That was one of my takeaways of the today's video, so I thought it might be interesting for someone.

So, I'm a bit conflicted with my passions. In fact, I seem to be too passionate. Theres just so much that interests me: philosophy, science, consciousness, music and dance, personal development, astronomy, there may be more. I'm at the point in my life where I'm trying to figure out what I wanna do. I'm going to university for Psychology next fall (this is the first thing that I was really interested in, and the consciousness work has brought a huge passion for life), but a part of me also wants to make music and do dance, and then another part of me wants to become a modern sage-the vision leo shared on his video "becoming a modern sage" and dive deep into philosophy and the sciences. 
I just think that this much passion isnt sustainable I guess. I've always looked toward Leonardo da Vinci: the polymath who was an expert in 9 different fields, and I've looked up towards people like Albert einstein and such. But how do I go about this? Is there a specific focus I should have or should i allow myself to be passionate this much? 
What I mean is should I cut out all of the other passions while I solely focus on one, or allow myself to be passionate about everything while mastering a field. I know cutting out passions would make me upset because I'd feel like I'm missing out on a lot more of life I could be experiencing, but if I dont have a focus then I cant even master one.

All I know about Leo is that his dad was always looking for the next Get rich quick scheme and after he graduated University he wanted to become a game developer and that didn't work out. I think people who want more out of life kind of have similar traits but, you can all correct me if I'm wrong. I think at a very young age they sense something is wrong. For example as early as middle school I could sense something wrong when teachers hated their jobs, school was getting too tough, and I had trouble making friends. A lot of people tell you that life just has to suck and that's the way things are at an early age but, people who want to self-actualize go against that grain.
One other trait is that we don't really fit into mainstream society or tend to question it a lot. I see that a lot of people are OK with the way society is going and they care a lot about pop culture and just getting social with friends once in a while and going about their 9 to 5 jobs. I think people who undertake a self-actualization journey aren't really happy with society and the direction their lives are heading and want to see what else is out there for them. Another trait I saw was that we have some kind of master plan whether it worked out or didn't work out (in my case it didn't) for example I was always hoping that I'd give an amazing speech in front of millions of people and it would move them to give up on habits like doing drugs, drinking, and being racist. Or I'd give an amazing speech about education reform and what we could do to improve the lives of students so school wouldn't feel like such a boring pain in the neck. I also saw this in Leo when he had the idea of designing amazing video games but, the system didn't really pave a path for him.
So what I like to know and Leo if you are listening tell me at what age did you look at self-actualization when did that spark go off when you said to yourself that life has to be something more than what it is now. I'd also like to know if you hit any kind of rock bottom in your life right before self-actualization work that prompted you to think about improving your life in any tangible way. I think that information would be helpful to me and others. Anyone else though can answer this question as well. I think the more like minded people we have that can share valuable information the more valuable this forum will be to everyone. It's like a giant collaborative process of improving our lives and making it the best it can possibly be given our circumstances and capabilities. 

I recently read Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha and absolutely loved it. Amazing piece of literature, and a highly recommended read. 
With that said, Hermann Hesse is a German poet writing with a German romanticism flair about Eastern philosophies and Buddhism. Being from a Western background, I resonated deeply with the text and it's take on the spiritual journey. I wanted to take a closer look at this and do a deconstruction on the effect of our our Western filters being applied here. I came across this wonderful article and wanted to share it with you all:
https://tricycle.org/magazine/romancing-buddha/
A few excerpts:
 
 
Would love to hear your thoughts! 

Hiya! I'm Krisena. Nice to meet you!
I was inspired by the newest video on Spiral Dynamics and Leo's advice to find mentors to reach higher stages. What if we could also compile a list of art that roughly corresponds to the various stages to help us understand as well? Indeed, maybe art is the best way to inspire you to take steps forward into higher stages?
Film, literature, music, painting, architecture, poetry, video games... All is allowed. I will analyze some pieces of art that are very dear to me in high detail, as well as add some easy entries into the lists to get us started.
So when suggesting art for the different colors, I would like you to ask yourself some questions about the work:
Consider the whole work of art. A piece of art may use ideas from one stage to demonstrate another stage. The main character can start out materialistic, but change into a person that values their fellow man - in which case it's green, not orange. If there's a narrative, what kind of value does the protagonist use to win over the antagonist? The power of friendship (green)? The power of maturity (probably yellow)? The power of non-violence (yellow/turquoise)? Pure power (red or orange)? Is mythic imagery invoked? Mythic stories tend to convey archetypal truth and in general be closer to archetypes. This may or may not mean that the story in question jumps to stage yellow and above, under the right circumstances. Stories about "good and evil" can either be on a really low stage, where "evil" is demonization of the other (tier 1), or really high one, where "evil" is presented as a large-scale pattern or "ocean current" that emerges from countless small acts of malice (yellow). You really have to judge on a case by case basis without generalizing one way or the other. Argue as well as you can. Please keep in mind that there can be value dissonance between the surface and subtext of the story. The Wolf of Wall Street lets the indulgent protagonist off the hook, but this may or may not, depending on your interpretation, be a critique of a society that lets people like this have their way. Could be orange, could be green. Please clue us in on the interpretation you choose. As for music without lyrics, I would like to make some observations: Romanticism in classical music is not unambiguous. Both intense expressions love (green) and "worship of the genius" (orange) are part of it - so don't generalize based on genre. Try your best to put into words what the particular piece in question is conveying. If you think these guidelines are flawed or you have a unique interpretation, go for it! I'm here to expand my horizon so I would like that. You can argue whether the stage you're personally at hinders you in seeing the truth in certain works of art. Leo did say that you can only see two stages up. Maybe that's a limitation we should be conscious of.  
Turquoise:
Tree of Life - Terrence Malick (film) Yellow:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Luo Guanzhong (novel) Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder (novel) The Ring of the Nibelung - Richard Wagner (music drama) Green:
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë (novel) Before Sunrise / Before Sunset / Before Midnight - Richard Linklater (film) Birdman - Alejandro Iñárritu (film) Wild Strawberries - Ingmar Bergman (film) Avatar - James Cameron (film) Interstellar - Christopher Nolan (film) Symphony No. 9 - Ludwig van Beethoven (music) Orange:
Advertisements (film/visual arts) Blue:
National anthems (music) Propaganda movies (film) Red:
War marches (music) Purple:
Totem poles (sculpture) Beige:
 
...yeah, good luck finding lower than green fine art.
I have some questions for you that I hope you can help me with as well:
Where does art that only has the purpose of stimulating the senses belong? If any of you are familiar with the impressionists in music or painting... Where do you think they belong? What about modernistic psychological dramas that show the dangers of subconscious drives and urges?  
Finally, here's my elaboration on one of my entries:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms:
The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been.
The story of an empire that falls apart and the warlords that strategize and fight for power in the ensuing chaos. The main characters are Liu Bei "I will restore the rightful order and hierarchy" (blue), Cao Cao "I am destined for great things and will rule the world" (orange) and Sun Quan "When others gain power, we become an easy target, so we too must expand to survive" (???), who eventually establish three minor kingdoms that all try to conquer the others.
On the local level, the story is about power and ambition (orange) as the different warlords try to get the upper hand on each other. On the large scale however, the picture that is painted is one of "cycles of nature". In the end, as it seems like one of the warlords are about to triumph, one of said warlord's own generals overthrow him and put their own clan on the throne. In the next years, they conquer the other two kingdoms - restoring stability to the land after 50 years of war.
The ending is shocking, but powerful, as it reveals to the audience the futility of the main characters' struggles. The story starts with order, descends into chaos and in the end, returns to order, with a final remark of the narrator:
All down the ages rings the note of change,
For fate so rules it; none escapes its sway.
The kingdoms three have vanished as a dream,
The useless misery is ours to grieve.
I experience the story as a meditation on the laws of cause and effect (the string of constantly shifting alliances and battles that follow logically from one another) and the patterns that emerge from them (the rise and fall of social structures). In the end, the impression I'm left with is that the actions of humans are just a part of the larger system of nature, that is impossible to transcend. Clearly a yellow piece of art, and truly one of the greatest stories I've ever read.
 
With that I hope I can stimulate some discussion. I'm happy to answer any questions, and I don't mind feedback either. I posted a lot of fine art, but that's because I'm just into that. Please talk about the art you care about!

Some listening music for this post :
 
Humanity is dreaming.
No one can clearly say when this dream began, and it's certainly not the only one happening, within THIS Divine DREAM of be-ing. Darwinian science tells us that the human dream probably began when the first humanoid species picked up their tools, and discovered creativity, ingenuity, and imagination. Homo-sapiens weren't even the first 'intelligent' species on this planet. Our current species stepped out of the ashes of several other intelligent ape species, who were somewhere between our current creativity level, and that of simple minded animal, who merely seem creative due to many highly creative and intelligent natural Instincts, which are  laws of the greater dream all around us, a dream of Nature itself.
    The human dream is happening within, and simultaneously to Nature's dream. A dream within a dream. And yet, to be a dream within a dream, it means that the dream within, is both independent and wholly part of the dreamer. Therefore, the human dream is special and independent to nature's dream, and yet it is ALSO wholly a dream of Nature. Nature is dreaming of being human, who is dreaming of many incredible things. Likely, nature collapses into its dreamer, which may or may not be a dream of a higher dreamer, perhaps in a world of its own.  It truly doesn't matter, since the ultimate collapse is that this is a dream of God itself. Not some other being, but ALL of it, simultaneously in one open - ended continuum. Although nothing can be truly open ended as it will fold back in upon itself. 
 
     The human dream has brought us to many different places, and yet, we really haven't moved at all, especially in relation to the massive size of the solar system, much less our galaxy. We move around 'earth' like little ants. Intelligent ones, where everything is a big deal to us and we create our own suffering. This suffering sparks incredible art, though, which is one of the pinnacles of this human dream.
This dream teaches us many things. About who we are. What we do. It is self-analyzing, and self - correcting. Pain and suffering is an excellent tool for auto-correction. We tend to call it growth. Pain is part of Nature's dream, yet is inhereted and implemented in our human dream with outstanding results. Some humans have even discovered a way to dream away pain, by exerting their will and mind power.
     The dream teaches us growth. Expansion. Contraction. This is a fundamental and universal law of the Natural dream, which the human dream has inherited. It manifests both physically, mentally, and spiritually. It uses pain and rewards (contraction>expansion) to great success.
    The world is dreaming of being human. Humans are dreaming, and most of them don't understand this, because it's never been pointed out to them. When it's laid out, it makes sense. Our dream shapes our world, and impacts the layers of dream which are dreaming us.
     Our dream seems to be taking a personality of its own. It's learning. (Egyptians, Greeks, Americans, etc. ) Growing. (war, and peace) Fucking up. (remember the inquisition, or nazis, anyone?) Redeeming. (still working on that ? yet can be seen everyday.) It seems to love its technology and is excited for what it's creation of technology may bring. It wants to reach out and study other planets. Many of our current technologies are things that we dreamed up in the early to mid 1900's.  There was a period where it was mere fantasy to think one could wear a Dick Tracy watch and would function as both a communication device and video screen. Now you can get one for a few hundred bucks on eBay.
3-d holograms are now becoming a reality...
    
From www.sciencealert.com : "Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, a dystopian novel published in 1931, features a mood-altering pill called Soma that acts as an antidepressant hallucinogen. Two decades after Brave New World came out, scientists began researching antidepressants.
Almost everyone in Brave New World took Soma, which erased feelings of unhappiness.
In the real world, the first link between depression and chemicals in the brain was established during 1951"
And here's another interesting one :
" The first use of the term "credit card" goes back to Edward Bellamy's 1887 novel, Looking Backward. The use of credit cards in the US originated in the 1920s.
In Looking Backward, the main character falls asleep in 1887 and wakes up 113 years later to learn that his home has turned into a socialist utopia.
At the time, imagining that someone could just swipe their card to pay for an item and get a receipt for the transaction was considered science fiction. But Bellamy got a lot of things right, even predicting that it would be easy to use one's credit card in another country.
The first universal credit card – one that could be used at a wide range of places – became available in 1950, and it took several more years before credit cards became an integral part of American society."
And another good one :
" . In the 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, author Ray Bradbury wrote about "seashells" and "thimble radios" that resemble earbuds and headsets with bluetooth capability. Millions of Americans today listen to songs and take phone calls with Apple's wireless AirPods.
Bradbury described the Seashells as capable of producing "an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talk, coming in on the shore of [your] unsleeping mind," according to The New York Times.
Fahrenheit 451 made references to other innovations that have since become common. For example, the novel described people communicating with friends through a digital wall, which bears some similarity to the sharing of messages on platforms like Facebook."
   Humans are dreaming. This is a simple fact that is often overlooked, as we tend to focus so much on our daily personal lives which are intense and take much or all of our focus.  This is why we need to take time to think about things outside of our personal lives. The bigger picture, so to speak. If we are indeed nature, and nature is dreaming us, why do we work against it so much? I weep for the day when we finally cut down the last free forest. It's horrible. We throw millions of pounds of plastic away, without a second thought. Recycling should not be a choice, it should be mandatory. We can work together to make that happen, but we don't. It's easier to ignore it. To hide it under the rug. But in our ignorance, we destroy our beautiful world. In a way, you could say that nature (in this case, earth) is destroying itself, but why?   Does it not love itself? Does it truly wish to be reborn on another planet, through human colonization, and destroy the mother body through self Annihilation? If predictive trends of science fiction can be considered, then it's definitely possible. Especially if it is encoded in our collective consciousness as humans, through the generations who are growing up with these science fictions. Our human dream makes these predictions a reality, sometimes completely under our noses. 
  
If we love the earth, it must love itself. But there's not enough of us who are fully aware, and not enough overall awareness of what we are doing to ourselves, both as humans and as the earth itself. Never forget : humans and earth are one. We walk among it but our cells are 100% made of Earth, and will return in a never ending (?) cycle of rebirth.  But if we destroy earth's nature, what will our cells regenerate from? 
This dream is long, horrible, amazing, bleak, exciting, predictable and unpredictable. If we wished to end it, we could. We have the technology to do so.  But we don't have to be so miserable to end it. It could go on indefinitely. What if we just found a way to enjoy it? To savor it? To grow as a species, and perhaps one day we won't even call ourselves homo-sapiens anymore. Aren't we excited to find out?  
Sweet dreams everyone, and Merry Christmas!
 

@DocHoliday I agree,,, I like
From Gurdjieff 
You must first of all remember that there are two kinds of art, one quite different from the other -- objective art and subjective art. All that you know, all that you call art, is subjective art, that is, something that I do not call art at all because it is only objective art that I call art.
To define what I call objective art is difficult first of all because you ascribe to subjective art the characteristics of objective art, and secondly because when you happen upon objective works of art you take them as being on the same level as subjective works of art.
I will try to make my idea clear. You say -- an artist creates. I say this only in connection with objective art. In relation to subjective art: that with him 'it is created.' You do not differentiate between these, but this is where the whole difference lies. Further you ascribe to subjective art an invariable action, that is you expect works of subjective art to have the same reaction on everybody. You think, for instance, that a funeral march should provoke in everyone sad and solemn thoughts and that any dance music, a komarinsky for instance, will provoke happy thoughts. But in actual fact this is not so at all. Everything depends upon association. If on a day that a great misfortune happens to me I hear some lively tune for the first time this tune will evoke in me sad and oppressive thoughts for my whole life afterwards. And if on a day when I am particularly happy I hear a sad tune, this tune will always evoke happy thoughts. And so with everything else.
The difference between objective art and subjective art is that in objective art the artist really does 'create,' that is he makes what he intended, he puts into his work whatever ideas and feelings he wants to put into it. And the action of this work upon men is absolutely definite; they will, of course each according to his own level, receive the same ideas and the same feelings that the artist wanted to transmit to them. There can be nothing accidental either in the creation or in the impressions of objective art.
In subjective art everything is accidental. The artist, as I have already said, does not create; with him 'it creates itself.' This means that he is in the power of ideas, thoughts, and moods which he himself does not understand and over which he has no control whatever. They rule him and they express themselves in one form or another. And when they have accidentally taken this or that form, this form just as accidentally produces on man this or that action according to his mood, tastes, habits, the nature of the hypnosis under which he lives, and so on. There is nothing invariable; nothing is definite here. In objective art there is nothing indefinite. ... I measure the merit of art by its consciousness and you measure it by its unconsciousness . We cannot understand one another. A work of objective art ought to be a book as you call it; the only difference is that the artist transmits his ideas not directly through words or signs or hieroglyphs, but through certain feelings which he excites consciously and in an orderly way, knowing what he is doing and why he does it. ... principles must be understood. If you grasp the principles you will be able to answer these questions yourselves. But if you do not grasp them nothing that I may say will explain anything to you. It was exactly about this that it was said -- they will see with their eyes and will not perceive, they will hear with their ears and will not understand.
I will cite you one example only -- music. Objective music is all based on inner octaves. And it can obtain not only definite psychological results but definite physical results. There can be such music as would freeze water. There can be such music as would kill a man instantaneously. The Biblical legend of the destruction of the walls of Jericho by music is precisely a legend of objective music. Plain music, no matter of what kind, will not destroy walls, but objective music indeed can do so. And not only can it destroy but it can also build up. In the legend of Orpheus there are hints of objective music, for Orpheus used to impart knowledge by music. Snake charmers' music in the East is an approach to objective music, of course very primitive. Very often it is simply one note which is long drawn out, rising and falling only very little; but in this single note 'inner octaves' are going on all the time and melodies of 'inner octaves' which are inaudible to the ears but felt by the emotional center. And the snake hears this music or, more strictly speaking, he feels it, and he obeys it. The same music, only a little more complicated, and men would obey it. 
So you see that art is not merely a language but something much bigger. And if you connect what I have just said with what I said earlier about the different levels of man's being, you will understand what is said about art. Mechanical humanity consists of men number one, number two, and number three and they, of course, can have subjective art only. Objective art requires at least flashes of objective consciousness; in order to understand these flashes properly and to make proper use of them a great inner unity is necessary and a great control of oneself.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
note: Fourth way terminology 
human #1 - dissociates from life through body
human #2- dissociates from life through emotions
human #3 - dissociates from life through intellect
human #4 - balanced and integrated through inquiry

Have you made the fundamental commitment yet to give life your all?
To put your full heart and soul into your life?
To go all out even if it does not go your way?

I am. Just added this badboy to my dream board. No going back, I am riding this bitch until the wheels fall off.

I watch Leo's videos every single day. I am taking notes on them. I do it like this:
Set 1 hour timer. Start the video. Watch the video for full one hour while taking notes.    Thing is, sometimes my notes become too big; sometimes it becomes like a transcript of what Leo said. Because of this, I am pausing a lot, and it extends the whole process. Also, I am unable to review this huge notes, most of the time. 
Am I making some sort of rookie mistake here which I am unable to see?  Should notes be long or short?  Also, is it better to just casually watch the video fully and then start taking notes? Or, just start taking notes immediately?   I don't want my questions sound like I want 1-2-3 step formula...Just is this some common pitfall to fall in which I am unaware of?