WonderSeeker

After 8 months of daily meditation, I've noticed that I'm experiencing deeply buried old memories; stuff from childhood that hasn't come to my attention in years. It's nothing short of mind-blowing and most of it causes deep joy when recalled. My question to you is have you tried any techniques for intentionally channeling memories vividly? With the Cause-Effect nature of reality as a given, I'm trying to understand what can trigger these things so I can relive them more. I think there's insightful stuff to gleam from one's history. Cheers!

There's no need to close off yourself from resources that are "out there" for learning. From the way I see it, you still need to go within to first to realize that as Doug, you need to help yourself by seeking professional help with that molly addiction. Then if you manage to clear that up, then you can go within again and find the next step. However, you're also partially right. You also probably need a roadmap to do these things. But taking deliberate action will show you how important going within is if you've tried it. They kind of play into each other. In short, you need to have your bases covered (kind of like how Maslow puts it) before you can go within to solve deeper metaphysical deficiencies and so on. Perhaps someone else has a more nuanced answer; this is just my take. Cheers~

Perfect, I understand now!

@justfortoday Neat technique, thank you for sharing. Also, solid illustrations! Just for clarification, when you say "you," do you mean just the body, or are you using "you" a more nuanced way. Otherwise, and please forgive me for sounding arrogant, but everything is relative so are both the world moving around you and you moving through the world? I don't see how you can just say one over the other. Thanks again!

First of all I'm sorry to hear that you've experienced such fear, it sounds pretty frightening. It seems to me that you are a thinker type, and from that you generate some solid insights. But integrating those insights into the dream can be problematic and triggers some unwanted thoughts and the thoughts can translate into the body. Maybe try doing Byron Katie's The Work. If you have her book, Loving What Is, she has a chapter (11) which talks about doing The Work on the body. "The Work" is just a series of introspective questions that you impose on thoughts to see that they cause self-deception. For example: Is that true? Can you absolutely know that's true? How do you react to the thought? Who would you be without that thought? After reading that book and doing the exercise I feel like a different person. That's my perspective on working with difficult stuff. Hope this helps! Be well~

So far... 1. Loving What Is, by: Katie Byron 2. The Big Leap, by: Gay Hendricks 3. Food Of The Gods, by: Terrence McKenna 4. The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions, by: Thomas Kuhn 5. Mastery, by: George Leonard

Long story short, it sounds like you're going through an inner transformation which will manifest outwardly sooner or later. I'm in a similar boat right now as I am in graduate school and feeling highly dissatisfied with it. I'd say pick up some "Emotional Mastery" books on Leo's book list and work through them. Especially Loving What Is, by Byron Katie. What you'll come to realize is that you are perfectly okay where you are and things will fall into place. Trust your highest intuition. Strategize. Do some contemplating and introspecting and you'll start getting answers. As @Origins said, it's your decision. Best of luck!

What does your experience tell you about the difficulty of self-actualization work? Say you've been at this for five years now. Was year one the hardest? Did you underestimate the time-commitment? The emotional labor? Does the difficulty stay the same and you just become used to it? Or does it get harder/easier? I'm closing in on one year since committing to this work. It has already been very rewarding. On the same token, it has been an emotional roller-coaster. I now truly appreciate why most people would rather just live life blindly. Cheers!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that. You are principled, and you are aware of cultural programming. Good. It's going to feel weird and scary walking a different path than others around you. Understand and love others for who they are, but live your life the way you want. It may take a few years just to put your life on track to begin more rapid, serious growth. That's where I am right now. I've come to grips with the fact that I need to take 3-5 years to rearrange things and pay-off debts. What you have to do is begin self-actualizing. Don't just follow the work. Take action. It will cause more suffering in the beginning, but pay-off in the long run. Good luck!

I take it you have negative experience with school? The way school is administered today is certainly conducive to suffering. I'm in grad school right now; I understand. Best of luck to you! That's the spirit!

Nice topic! I would say that I've been in the green-yellow transition zone for the past year or so. Similar to your own and UDT's experience, I've been deliberately exploring systems and the theories of how they work. After a while, you realize that you-yourself are a part of many different systems. You feel a need to care for each system, because you know that what you do "out there" can come back to bite you in the ass if you act selfishly. You simply become a lot more careful about how you act in the world, owing to higher levels of responsibility-taking. I've noticed that in the transition. Above all, this transition has been nothing short of wonderful, but also emotionally laboring. Let me tell you, the emotional baggage that you need to carry with you as you transition gets heavy. But of course, as someone learning the yellow values, you can see that you are doing this intentionally because you have long time-horizons in mind, and you know that the baggage will be worth it!

This speech alone is why Bernie should be the leader of the Democratic Party. He laid out accurate, highly principled viewpoints. His vision is superb, and on top of that, his framework for how to approach the election, including all of the possible scenarios that could occur, will be key for strategizing and understanding!

Children doing childish things. The sad thing is they wouldn't have designed the ad this way if conservatives weren't into this crap.

Physical violence and specifically domestic terrorism will continue to increase. I'd imagine there will be loads of intimidation to "fall in line" from his most passionate supporters in a mob-like fashion. It will be utter madness if he's reelected.

@Leo Gura, What inspires you?

@PeaceOut96 If you are getting fearful, then I'd highly recommend reading some of the "Emotional Mastery" books on Leo's book list. These books are almost mandatory if you want to make a smoother ride in this territory. At least that's my POV. Just started reading Loving What Is, by Byron Katie, and I can tell you that one is huge for this work. Best of luck with your journey!

@neutralempty I agree with the meta-structure point. An individual climbing the rungs within an Orange-dominated society is a hell of a lot different from an individual doing so in say a Green-dominated society. The collective ego affects the individual ego and vice-versa. Kind of like Newton's Third Law, but applied to SD.

I'd imagine that those at the unitive stage would already have a profession chosen before getting to that level. It could probably be anything, but being a teacher of some sort seems about right.

I'm considering buying a meditation cushion for the sake of improving posture and discipline for a more effective practice. The question is, What do you sit on? Would you recommend using a genuine cushion? Cheers!

I like how @allislove put it. In general terms, psychedelics allow you to experience reality from a literal elevated point of view, as opposed to the default, or what Terrence McKenna called the "mundane plane." To me, the benefit here is you are humbled by the sheer immensity of reality. If you've ever wondered what paradox looks like, psychedelics are great for revealing paradox and shoving it right in your face so you can't deny it. Same goes for stage loops if you've studied that concept. To me, the benefit here is increased understanding. If you have your life purpose or a subject that your are passionate about, you can journal about it during your trip. While you are doing this, it's like all of your mental blocks are removed and there is no hesitation. The benefit here is that you can explore your interests and learn more about yourself and what you want. Other benefits: confidence, self-esteem boost, a deep love for humanity/reality, open-mindedness, and more! There are so many benefits, and it's fun just sitting there, tripping, and discovering them for yourself. Cheers!

Are cycles of depression novice meditation side-effects that are to be expected? I've been doing daily meditation since February, and right now is the second time in which I've felt this depression feeling in my chest that has shook my emotions. Thank you!

Good luck and get busy!

Over the past few weeks I have been contemplating the positions of Free-will vs. Determinism. During a 200ug LSD trip last week, the notion of no free-will hit me strongly. A few days ago, I watched Leo's video on Free-will vs. Determinism, and it all squared with what I found just days prior. However, accepting this truth has been very emotionally challenging. I find this truth somewhat useless in its practicality, in that it can slow one's motivation down and make one feel like a doormat in life, because whatever happens, happens. At the very same time, you can take the opposite approach and feel empowered for knowing such a deep truth. The only problem is, that no, you can't. You don't have a choice! Only one of those options will happen, and you have no control whatsoever over it. It's freaky and a tough "problem" to work through! P.S. I had no free will in typing this, and likewise you had no free will in reading or comprehending this.

What are your top 5? After reading about 20 books off of Leo's Book List this year, my top 5 are: 1) Spiral Dynamics, by Don Beck and Christopher Cowan This book is the ultimate map to realizing why you think and act the way you do on a rock-bottom level. Truly mind-blowing stuff. The book is written relatively well, but the concept and the practicality of it make it paramount to self-actualization work. Become a Spiral Wizard today! 2) The Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks Mr. Hendricks is a very authentic man, his words resonated on a very personal level as I read his book. In fact, previously being a non-reader, I don't think I've ever enjoyed a book so much in my life. This book will show you some ingenious tricks for pointing you toward your life purpose. And even if you think you already have your life purpose figured out, it is still worth the read. I refer to the advice in it weekly. 3) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn If you want to discover how science has evolved as a practice through time, then you best read this book. You will be shocked by what the history of science really is about (hint: it's not a linear accumulation of facts and truths). Rather, there are many twists and turns in science and the rules have changed time and time again to accommodate for new phenomena and surprises that have arisen. As a masters student pursuing a science degree, this book helped recontextualize what science is, such that now I can be more flexible with my work. If you are a scientist or are pursuing a science degree in school, this is mandatory reading. 4) Mastery, by George Leonard To become a master at something, is to follow a certain set of principles. Leonard shows you just what principles you need to live by, and how each will help you on your path to mastery of _____________. He also points out how American culture is toxic and distracting, and how you will have to go against the tide if you want to be a master. It's a lonely road, but truly worth it. 5) Labyrinths of Reason, by William Poundstone As someone who was previously devoted to strict reasoning skills, I did not see what blind-spots this way of thinking had. In this book, Mr. Poundstone shows you where you can find some holes in logic. He lays out dozens of puzzles and riddles that turn into clear examples of reasoning gone astray. I thouroughly enjoyed this book, although it was difficult to read at times...it's like a labyrinth to read!

@Leo Gura, @tuckerwphotography , great suggestions! I think I'll buy a second SD book just for lending to people. Everybody who I've explained the model to are at least intrigued by it. Most aren't willing to take the book right away, so perhaps using examples of healthy yellow may help draw a more true interest. @soos_mite_ah , I like your way of building a bridge between green and yellow by highlighting what green does well, yet showing how its blindspots can be realized and worked on in yellow.