quan

Member
  • Content count

    11
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About quan

  • Rank
    Newbie

Personal Information

  • Location
    Australia
  • Gender
    Male
  1. Are you an introvert? As an introvert I experience the same thing.
  2. Wow, that's amazing! Can you share what it was like going off sugar and salt? I don't think I'm ready to go off salt yet, I'm not that committed
  3. Hi all, Just thought it might be of interest to report what it's like to go off refined sugars for 5 years. At first it was tough dealing with the cravings, and I relapsed many times. But now after 5 years I don't crave or want sugar anymore. That's the biggest change for me, though. Sugar was never a significant problem to me personally. My attention increased and my mood became more stable. But that could have been due to other habits like meditation. Other than that, there's not much else to say! My own experience might be boring but I'd love to hear what you guys have experienced quitting sugar.
  4. Set I did a brief run and plenty of simple breath-focused meditation to prepare. I also stretched and practiced giving myself love. I find the best way to counteract a bad trip is to love whatever comes up, even fear. To eliminate guilt and worry about the future I completed assignments, did chores, etc. the day before. My intention for this trip was to gain deeper insight into my sense of self, to understand awareness, etc. Setting I dosed in my room alone where it would be secluded and quiet. Substance I blended up 2.11 grams of Psilocybe cubensis with lemon juice several times over 20 minutes and strained large pieces of mushroom to help prevent nausea. I also made a ginger tea to further prevent nausea. Come-Up Despite doing a lemon tek, the come-up was smooth and I didn't feel any nausea, sweating, jolting, anxiety or anything else. I became more aware of various sounds outside and colours became stronger. Tactile sensations and emotions felt stronger as well. From what I can remember, I didn't have any change in my thought patterns. However, my thoughts were clearer and I could hear them echoing through my mind. It feels as if thoughts are like little life forms, competing for attention to survive and reproducing by echoing. I tried to focus on what I am at my core, and I felt a strong attachment to an image of a dark figure somewhere right behind my head. But this image like all the other thoughts drifted off in a lake that was now suddenly clear. I could not find a thought that definitely felt like "me". All I could do was observe them come and go. 40 minutes in I was starving after fasting so I had to get up and eat some fruit. Climax It probably took me 10 minutes to get to the kitchen because tiny details grabbed my attention and provoked strong emotions. I looked at my face and it looked dirty. Although I knew this was just another visual, it sparked negative thoughts about my failure when it came to relationships - family and friends. I tend to eat out of boredom and so even though I was eating out of hunger, it seemed to accentuate my negative self-beliefs. As an introvert, socialising often confuses me. I often want to be alone but end up feeling lonely. When I made it back to my room I began crying over how I had so much difficulty connecting to people. All of my important relationships flashed through my mind as I considered that they lacked this "connection". I felt so vulnerable. And seeing how vulnerable and sensitive I am deep down, I felt empathy for myself, because I knew I was being genuine. I could truly connect with this innocent, vulnerable person. Despite this deeper sense of self-love, I still couldn't see myself being fully open in my relationships. The experience wasn't powerful enough for that. But I had some key changes that I knew I could implement. I could be more helpful around the house, I could stop ignoring people, I could appreciate people more, etc. I guess most importantly I could practice self-love more often. Come-Down This was hands-down the worst part of the experience. I felt lethargic and uninspired to do anything. The insights about love had evaporated, leaving me with a sense of loss. Perhaps I was also expecting a stronger experience. Perhaps I have a higher genetic tolerance. I cracker-dried my mushrooms right after picking them, so there's no conceivable way that the active components oxidised to lose potency. I set out to obtain deeper insight into myself, and I guess I did by revealing how sensitive I am. I have a lot more work to do, but at least I'm more aware of some concrete actionable steps that I can take. Thanks for reading.
  5. Farming algae for phycocyanin, beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acid, etc.
  6. I think describing it as pattern-recognition is a really succinct way to explain it. Can you talk more about meta-patterns? Can you give an example? And how would you extricate yourself from the observation?
  7. Here is the understanding I reached on the method we use to understand things conceptually: 1. Observe phenomena 2. Remember associations between similar phenomena 3. Re-live memory to reach desired phenomena by trusting the association This is an indirect method of understanding. You know that certain phenomena trigger certain other phenomena based on your memory, but ultimately you don't know how this happens. It is simply that phenomena are linked, and you trust that so long as it produces results. This is why science is so intimately tied with material progress. Here is an example: 1. You experience hunger pains 2. You remember an association between a memory of tasting and chewing food and a memory of later being relieved of stomach pain 3. You re-live the memory to remove the hunger pain I have yet to contemplate other methods of understanding, but they include instinct, intuition, direct observation, etc. Please let me know what you think
  8. That makes sense. It's like the incarceration system in America where many people are getting punished for their actions, even though they were driven to do those actions based on their environment or living conditions. Or like the war on drugs where Malaysians get more money out of selling drugs than farming, and they choose to sell drugs despite heavy penalties because they need to survive! Phrasing them as sins isn't helpful. The example of the negative effects of materialistic culture leading to those sins is a good example. If our society was more functional and had better healthcare systems, social support, financial support, etc., many of these problems wouldn't be so bad because people wouldn't need them to escape their own shitty lives.
  9. Interesting. Please tell me where you got that definition of pride because everywhere I look it is defined as inordinate self-esteem, feeling superior, etc. Is it common among scientists because they make connections that no one else has seemingly made before, which makes them feel cognitively superior to all others? That would seem to fit my definition but not yours. By your definition, is it common among scientists because they chase after things that will not ultimately fulfil them, or explanations of the physical world that will always be incomplete without direct experience into the nature of consciousness?
  10. Sin: an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. Pride: dangerously corrupt selfishness, the putting of one's own desires, urges, wants, and whims before the welfare of other people. The worst sin. It is the worst because it means you don't appreciate god and the fact that he created you. You have infringed copyright laws! Sloth: absence of interest or habitual disinclination to exertion. Greed: artificial, rapacious desire and pursuit of material possessions. Gluttony: overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste. Lust: intense desire for things including sex, money and power. Wrath: uncontrolled feelings of anger, rage, and even hatred. Envy: resentful covetousness towards the traits or possessions of someone else. There seems to be an overarching theme in all of these sins. This theme is to be controlled by your carnal desires instead of paying attention to higher potentials. Pride, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust are all to do with being controlled by carnal desires. Of course these carnal desires are important to survival and are a part of being human, but once these are satisfied there are higher needs and potentials to fulfil. Think of Maslow's triangle. The other sins, wrath and envy, can be integrated with the other sins to form the final overarching sin selfishness. Having such a small circle of concern to only include yourself and your own survival needs is animalistic and humans can rise above that. Whether we were designed to be separate from all other animals by god is questionable, but as far as I know humans have the greatest potential for compassion and the greatest possible circle of concern. This is where spiral dynamics comes in. In a word, these sins are EEGOOOOO. So these sins can be useful guidelines to self-actualization. Christians say that violating these sins leads to suffering, which I can validate in my own experience. Pride leads to attachment, fear of losing what you have. Sloth leads to depression and guilt. Gluttony leads to health complications and distracts one from worthwhile goals. This includes lust and greed. Wrath leads to guilt, others hating you, a criminal record, etc. Envy results in resentment, anxiety, and depression.