WonderSeeker

In the city I'm currently living, people are generally pretty green, being eco-conscious and ready to protest something at a moment's notice. However, we have a pretty serious and subtle problem that nobody talks about, which I call "unintended litter." I live in a very windy city, and every Wednesday when people take out their garbage to the curb (in these open bins), the wind topples the bins over and blows the trash all over the place. Although there are implications this brings for the quality of the ecosystem at large (this city borders a large lake which is already polluted), there is a meta-problem to consider: "Whose responsibility is it to clean up?" (At the root, everybody living in this city is responsible for this, because it's a process-related issue. The way we dispose trash is not in congruence with the weather we receive, and therefore not in congruence with what we value: a clean habitat for ourselves and wildlife.) The problem is, how do we get people to become aware and take responsibility so that we can create a better process, as well as clean up what has already been dumped? I've called our mayor's office but haven't heard anything back yet. Even though activism is strong in this city, I have always thought that holding up signs doesn't really do anything to solve any problems. I want to work on a creative solution, but am having trouble creating the right mindset to most effectively get this problem solved. On the one hand, I think it would be cool to design a new process through the creative process. On the other, I want to see if I can work with local government and the I think that so few of us on this forum want to get involved in societal issues, as we are preoccupied with our own development. In a way, I understand that strategy, because the more developed you are, the more effective you can be at solving problems, therefore raising the consciousness of others. However, I think more strongly that the old saying of "chewing bubble gum and walking too" has a place here. What do you think about approaching societal issues such as this one? Looking for inspiration.

Nice post. Can you elaborate more on what you mean by a 'logical/efficiency-driven environment' as opposed to spending time on a project? I'm probably misunderstanding what you mean, but a logical environment sounds tiresome and unbalanced for the mind.

@Swarnim The duality collapse between "being on a psychedelic trip" and normal, mundane life. You can become conscious of the fact that you are literally tripping right now, as you read this, even if you did not pop any mushrooms. I first noticed this while experimenting with psychedelics. I would take say 100ug of LSD. I'd then spend the next hour trying to figure out where the border between tripping and not tripping lie. Now, being a scientist I know that neuroscientists would say, "Well technically it's when x-chemical first hits the 5-HT2A receptor in the brain." But of course, that's different from personal experience; none of us experience receptors or anything like that. You've got to feel for it. What you'll find through experience that it is impossible to tell when you actually start to trip. Sure, you'll start to become conscious of certain feelings. Aha! You cannot, however, distinguish between feelings that were "caused" by the psychedelic versus those you would have had otherwise. I like to describe this "not-knowing of when it starts" experience as an invisible sheet being slowly draped over your head. It feels like something that was there all along, yet you can't remember how it got there or when. More recently, I've been having visual hallucinations, where objects will seemingly 'pop' or 'rise up' into existence when I turn my head to look at them. Also, I've been noticing 'tracers,' which are common when one takes a psychedelic. All of this is sober by the way. At this point, it clicked at an even deeper level that "holy mind-fuck," this trip never ends (or began)!! You are always tripping.

@aurum The used materials that are getting blown around are recyclables (I should have worded that more accurately). But you're right; we dispose of waste far more than we renew and recycle. Would you say that using more reusable personal containers for things like food and hygiene products could be part of the alternative? Many people don't want to sacrifice convenience, but I don't see many other solutions yet. If everybody understood this, ...

@Elevated Agreed. One of the biggest bottlenecks to moving up is shadow material. Fixing the lower will allow the higher to flow in more naturally. Trying to move up with the lower in shambles is like trying to crawl out of a trench during a bloody war!

Has anyone else experienced this "Uno reverse card" in thinking? When I first started doing practices to discover my true nature, I scoffed at and scrutinized Leo's videos, thinking "Well if it's really true, how the fuck can a person even know it?! That's impossible!" Deep down I felt like it was really possible, I was just resisting. In the beginning, I thought "how can reality feel different than the 'separate self' way, as a human body 'here' and the world 'there,' that I am familiar with?" There's a lot I could say about the middle part of "my" journey, but let's just fast-forward to today. Over the past few days, I've had a feeling that I am the whole entire experience arising in front and behind my face, complete with ZERO control. It reminded me of the jokes people make about awakening: "It's like jumping out of an airplane and never having a ground to land on." But now, I am thinking, "Wait, how come 'this' isn't obvious?! It's the most obvious thing ever! Once you've crossed that non-existent boundary between not knowing 'this' and knowing 'this,' you have the feeling that it should be common knowledge that we are 'born' with. Complete reversal from "You can't know that," to "How do you not know that?" Shocking paradox... Can anyone relate to this? I've been having lots of internal resistance to these deep insights over the past few days. I do not consider myself enlightened, but I've had some big and small glimpses, and last night was one of them. My mind was blank, I was speechless, and I felt like I couldn't do any "practical human stuff." Is there anybody reading this who thought they awakened 'too early in life.' (I know that might be a silly question for a number of reasons, but I'm seriously questioning whether I should take a break from spiritual practices for a bit. On the one hand I feel like it's too late and 'my life' has already ended. I am D-E-A-D, and I just need to accept that. On the other hand, I feel like I'm going insane because I'm constantly thinking about awakening-stuff, when I have all of this human stuff I want to focus on too.) Much love~

@Uchral Okay so you don't want an authentic answer to your question; your mind is already made up. You are seeing the appearance that forum users are defending Leo because you are only here to look for people who agree with you without a discussion. To have a discussion of substance is to genuinely care about the truth. The opposite of a discussion is to isolate your beliefs and try to tug people over to your viewpoint. Anything that people say on this forum that doesn't fit your belief system is more evidence that this is a cult. I told you to watch out for confirmation bias...

@Uchral I don't blame you for thinking that initially. My advice is to keep open the possibility of this not being a cult. Do lots of research. Scour his website. Check out his cult psychology videos. Try to figure out the main messages behind his content. Is there anything shady here? Does it seem like Leo is trying to hide anything? Try to do this is a non-judgmental and non-biased way. Watch out for confirmation bias.

Solo trip dosage 50-200ug for the first several trips. Not everyone will agree, but keep it relatively low so you don't freak yourself out. I like to sit on my bed, with a blank sketchbook (UCreate brand) and colored pens (Pilot G-2s). I'll usually go to town, writing down insights, doodling, and most of all, jotting down my highest visions (i.e. life purpose). It's highly satisfying as a process, and really rewarding to read what you created post-trip. Also, prepare and eat the healthiest foods you can possibly find for the trip. I usually eat straight fruits and veggies and keep some water bottles handy. If you have a clean house, clean body, clean mind, you're bound for some awesome trips. ~ Also here's a small taste of the kind of notes I take (for fun ).

@vladorion I see why you'd think that, but for the most part that's just not accurate. First of all, we are way over-generalizing here. There are certain aspects of the left-wing collective that are indeed like that of people like Ben Shapiro. For example, both are still entrenched in survival needs. But buy-and-large, left-wingers are WAY ahead of Shapiro in terms of overall consciousness. The quick-phrases that Hawkins's system uses (ex. anger-pride) can quickly make two groups look the same even though they're fundamentally different. Make sure to look at what's driving these different groups, what values each hold, etc., not just the exterior expressions of each.

@levani If you really want to get serious about binaural beats, check out Centerpointe Research Institute. I've been in their 'Holosync' program for two months and it's already been very effective. It basically heightens and accelerates you through the emotional stuff that you'll go through if you have a meditation habit. There are both highs and lows, but I'd say if you've got the money this product is worth researching and investing in.

@1liamo78 Indeed. Here's an anecdote to help you set expectations. I became conscious of "no free-will" this back in October 2020, and it still puzzles the shit out of me. Just this morning I was contemplating it. Isn't it strange loopy and spooky as fuck that I can utter the words "I had no control in saying this sentence"?! And it's true!! And no matter how loudly I yell it, it doesn't resolve anything. But again, it's the process that helps. I know you'll eventually get it; your curiosity will be the ignition to get you there.

@charnini All I can do is point at the Earth and it's intricacies. The work of seeing, feeling, and understanding its beauty will be up to you! @Pericles This made me laugh.

@Javfly33 The purpose is to create, discover, and love. What else is there to this dream we have?

@1liamo78 The free-will illusion is a classic hang-up; it's not easy to resolve it's implications, even when you've become conscious of it. My advice is to accept it and move on. This isn't the most practical truth, but the process of trying to understand it is what counts. Keep wondering.

Perhaps someone could make a mega-thread on this (if one doesn't already exist), but here I want to share a couple of different videos (aside from Leo's) on life purpose that have inspired me over the years. Feel free to add more to the thread. The more perspectives we get on purpose, the more we see the patterns and habits that we need to adopt to generate mastery, satisfaction, greatness, integrity, love, etc. Inspiration + listening to your inner voice = life purpose. Go get it!

For those who have used Holosync (binaural beats), how did you reconcile it with your traditional meditation technique? I've been meditating for almost one year (currently at 50-60 min per day, using mindfulness and concentration techniques). I'm thinking about purchasing Holosync and switching to a 45 min traditional sit in the morning and a 30 min binaural beats session in the evening. Thoughts? What's worked for you? Cheers!

@Tim R You're right. Better to go one at a time to understand which substance causes which effects. Analysis before synthesis! @mmKay Interesting.

Self esteem is still important, yes. Through trial and error you will learn how to raise and balance self-esteem and spiritual altitude simultaneously. My guess is eventually you will have enough self-esteem that it's no longer something you're "working on." Then, all of the attention can be laser-focused on self-transcendence. Good luck!

To update paradigms in my field, geology; I want to blend it with mysticism to make it whole. That's my highest vision. I don't fully know what it's going to amount to or how I'm going to do it (I'm basically at square-1, so it's a bit intimidating). But that's my desire. It stems from a deep-seated love and appreciation for the earth and how amazing and precious of a thing it is on so many levels. I want to show people how they take for granted their subsistence on such a beautiful, seamless, and mysterious lithospheric blue-marble, and how they may establish a more intimate heart-connection with the earth, by interacting with it in more mindful ways. As a funny side-note if any of my professors saw what I wrote above, they'd be scathing their heads wondering whether they should keep funding me, lol. But in all seriousness, I hope to improve the science by making it more holistic through psycho-spiritual development. Lofty and abstract? Perhaps! I've got a ton of inner work to do; I'm a scientist and philosopher at heart, and I want to be the best that I can be in those domains so that I can perhaps write books, make discoveries, etc. The earth is a beautiful thing and I want all to be in a mind-space where they can see it as such. Then they'd understand.

This is mostly a response to @Leo Gura in his latest blog post. At about 13:20 he was talking about how he used to brainstorm new Rubik's cube designs. I chuckled a bit because there's this one creator I used to follow. The puzzles he makes are utterly ridiculous and jaw-dropping. Oskar van Daventer:

@Lyubov Well said. By the way, weren't you the one that told me to dress like that guy in the size XXXL jeans on a related post? For me this is one of those areas where you have to experiment a bit to find your style. It's basically trial/error. Another trick is to make a distinction between "practical clothes" and "casual-but-stylish clothes". For example, I'm an avid hiker and outdoorsy guy, so I have some fleeces and hiking pants, which is good for those activities. But those clothes are not so good for a day out in the town (or anytime you want to be seen). It pays you back well to have both kinds of clothes and use them depending on the context!

I'm a university TA and I told my students that I meditate, and one of them told me that he goes to these monastery retreats every now and then and partakes in multi-hour chanting ceremonies. I've never heard of such a thing. Have any of you ever tried this? I watched a Sadhguru video on it and it sounds legit.

+ flax seeds (ground into flax meal) + dates + turmeric. Great suggestion! I make one every other day.

Know the feeling, haha. Give it time my friend!