theleelajoker

I thought about this as well - our reality as just one out of infinite realities. Thinking this trough - could we create ANY kind of reality as long as we all believe in it? What would it take to change fundamental stuff in this world? Infinity includes everything I can think of (+ infinitely more than that of course). So there should be a reality where for instance the sky is no longer blue but red? Where e.g. some natural laws change - for instance, gravity changes etc etc.

I like what you wrote here. Our senses are deceiving. Even if we know for 100% that it is not as it seems, our senses still tell us what they think is "true". For example, do a bungee jump in "real" and then do the "plank experience" with a VR headset. I did this, and the VR experience was crazy. Sweating, heartbeat, anxiety, the feeling of "f*** I am about to die if I take one more step". Rationality is not that rational, too. Check out the list of cognitive biases on wikipedia. And moreover, our whole believe systems are f***ed up, too. You can talk yourself into all kind of stuff. And by creating a believe, or a self image, you directly impact your experience. Just think of the placebo effect - we seem to take it for granted, but how crazy it that actually? I mean, we can CREATE all kind of weird experiences that are completely beyond what should make sense according to a rational, causal, matter based environment. You do have a point here. I perceive reality with senses - which are incomplete and deceiving. I rationalize my experience, knowing the rational part is incomplete and deceiving. This likely also includes my emotions (see the theory of constructed emotions.) Moreover, I know my senses, my thoughts, my emotions and my experience (reality) are influencing each other. So what's left? Is there a "sense of truth" beyond that? Is there any kind of "intuition" that allows us to navigate beyond what is plainly in sight?

The dress is not white and gold. The original dress is blue and black. The explanation is, according to researchers, that our mind subconscious assumes a certain type of light/shadow. This assumption is to a large degree but not only by: 1) if we identify as night owl or early riser 2) by how much time we spend in daylight in our life up to this point 3) what kind of wavelength of light we have been exposed to in the past. This creates expectations our brain makes in additions to what our senses perceive. I do courses where I show the pic and discuss with participant. One time, a woman said - "Wow, first i saw it white and gold. Now I see it black and blue." This is amazing due to two reasons. It shows 1) How strong subconscious filters (built on previous experience) influences our perception of our reality 2) How much power we have to actually change what we perceive

@ActualizedJohn When wondering whether I take a psychedelic or not, I usually do two things: I trust my instincts I gradually work my way up 1. Examples for instinct: Someone once gave me DMT as a gift. I kept it for a while. Then I felt like not doing it. Wanted to give it as a gift to a person. Felt like it might be too much for him, too. Threw it away and never regretted. I am in complete peace with this decision. I was not ready. Many years ago, someone gave me LSD (my first time doing a psychedelic). Did not think about it for a second.Took it and was one of the best and most profound experiences in my life. I am in complete peace with this decision. A third time, I had strong resistance doing mushrooms. Part of felt like doing it, part resisted like hell. I decided "I want/need to follow through". Took it and was one of the best and most profound experiences in my life. I am in complete peace with this decision. 2. Example for I gradually work my way up I did ayahuasca in 2018. I was not ready. Too much resistance in my mind and body. Now, after many years of meditation, practicing awareness, contemplating, working through things etc. and getting more experiences with what I consider "lighter" psychedelics (MDMA, LSD, mushrooms, weed) I feel ready to do it again. I know "myself" better, my psyche, my nervous system, how to deal with mental dissonance and incoherence that might appear as a result of trips. I am much better in processing experiences now then some years or even months ago. Maybe I do ayahuasca again later this year.

I don't know what's "good" for you. I believe you cannot know, too. Everybody is different, every day is different, there are unlimited ways how you can do yoga. Just start, be curious, and see what works

Love the video Well, I think I do but I am not sure...

https://neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/reality-constructed-your-brain-here-s-what-means-and-why-it-matters

@koops Few days after posting it, this pic is still making my day : ) My interpretation: The mask = ego, yes. At the same time it is a filter, or a process, an ingredient, or a catalyst (looking for the right word here) which creates something. Whatever the mask it, it's not only looking. It's part of a greater creation process. It's not necessarily limited - it's just different. When you grind wheat to flour, it's not better or worse. It's not limited. It's just different. When you use an oven to bake dough to bread, the bread is no better or worse. It's simply that it changed ihn the process.

Amazing picture

@OBEler I put "mystical" in quotation marks. For me, it a way of expressing that it something that I don't understand. I am aware that my brain is a pattern creation and pattern recognition machine. I am familiar with the content and literature around Watzlawick, Anil Seth, Chris Niebauer etc. What I am saying is that the amount and the type of experiences evokes a certain feeling that goes beyond that. And I am wondering if someone has similar experiences. IMO: Your comment "you all should go to casinos" is lacking respect. I am asking a question to learn and understand - your comment appears to have a flavor of "you're stupid" IMO: It's low quality content to tell me what's not mystical without telling me what's mystical in your point of view IMO: It's low quality content to not describe a scenario where my brain is "not only looking for patterns". What scenario needs to happen that it's more than that?

I like playing hearthstone battlegrounds. What I learned from it is Balance between planning and flexibility. You need some idea about what your "final team" needs to look like to be able to win. At the same time, you need to be flexible in your mind, react and adapt on the fly. Communication and cooperation in the "team" mode Problemsolving and systemic thinking (you gotta understand how the game elements connect to each other and how to use them) Decision making under time pressure ---> I teach soft skills and especially in conversations I have with people, the balance between planning and flexibility + read and react under time pressure comes in VERY HANDY. It's all just information that needs to be processed Downside: It can be addictive and numbing as there is no "end", you can play infinite rounds All kind of strategy games like Total War, Hearts of Iron. Cutting through complexity. Figuring out what is RELEVANT, and what is not Problem solving and systemic thinking. I KNOW there is a way to win even on the toughest difficulty levels. So I play until I find this way. --> Fail. Analyze. Optimize your strategy. Fail. Try again. Optimize. Fail again. Optimize. Analyse feedback. Try again. Fail. Repeat until I cracked the code --> Same as in life. Just without the consequences that you face in real life lol Whatever takes me into a "different world" - like Skyrim. Or Metro Exodus. Playing just for fun, atmosphere, distraction There is still optimizing, problemsolving etc. But it's more about the process, more about the story than the result Process > result keeps me more "light hearted" in life than without gaming. Or at least, that's what I tell myself Edit: @hyruga Just realizing now what a great list you already made re positive effects

Just out of curiosity: More than 130 views for this post, and only one person has similar experiences? Those synchronicities can't be that special, can they? Or am I missing sth? Just to give you one other example how strange this feels for me sometimes: My (then) girlfriend wants to move to another flat. Same time, her aunt is looking to invest money into real estate. The aunt offers to buy a flat that my gf likes and to let her live in this flat. Obviously, my gf and me talked about it so this was in my field of awareness Some time later, I do a ride sharing. Random girl I never met before sits next to me. Guess what, she tells me she is about to move. Into a flat that her aunt is buying for her because her aunt wants to invest in real estate. I mean seriously, what are the odds of this happening? And as I said, I experience a lot of events like this. I know, some will say "reality is strange, we are all connected, law of attraction, mind creating reality, check your assumptions about reality" etc. Those arguments are fair. But come on, those kind of events are too specific to NOT NOTICE FOR ANYONE. And if it is so "normal" and "easy to explain" - why isn't anyone among my friends, relatives, colleagues etc telling me similar stories? Or people in this forum saying, "yeah, I know this, I have these kind of experiences all the time, too?"

Good questions. Thanks. My temporary answers in bold

Disclaimer: I just read the opeing post @integral I go through the emotion as best and as authentically as I can. Method: accept it, feel it, express it, show it. Showing people how I feel, acting as respectful as I can and as appropriate as I feel is "right" in the current context I dis-identify from that experience as best as I can. Methods to that: Talking, sleeping, sports, yoga, meditation....whatever works for now. I accept it as best as I can. Method 1: Mirroring. I imagine the person in front of me is a part of me. As long as this person is there, as long as I am exposed to this behavior, so long there is still a part of me that is the same way as the person in front of me. Method 2: I assume, that everybody is always doing the best he/she can at every point in time (I think I read this once from Marc Aurel, stoic perspective) In the cases where I successfully completed the bullets above, I typically have to laugh. About myself lol In cases where I did not successfully completed the bullets above, I unconsciously do the opposites. I do not accept, do not express, I do identify, I blame others. Process repeats until I manage to express, dis-identify and accept. Then I laugh. About myself I move on. Life surprises me. Whatever happens, happens. Recently discovered the cartoon below. Makes me smile https://x.com/IrenaBuzarewicz/status/1783166817906708567

Love this quote. For me, self-development goes along with duality of increased freedom - increased responsibility. Can't have one without the other. Alfred Adler has some nice concepts and ideas about it. Few notes: 1) Not easy to read 2) don't know how much of his book are available in English3) I don't agree with all of it (e.g. psychologist are all about, "patients", "healing" and "fixing things" - I see it as "learning, "creating" and "playing the game") 4) I still like him and pick the stuff I like and leave the rest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_psychology

@Tudo I don't believe you can solve that by contemplating, but by experience. Be an asshole and see where it gets you. Be a nice people pleaser and see where it get you. Find a balanced middle ground with some morale standards that sufficiently satisfy your needs. Then contemplate the experiences.

One idea: Consciousness becomes/creates human reality (experience) through he combination of mind and senses. The essence of such distinctions: Increasing understanding by division. We cut the reality into smaller pieces, get a better understanding of it. Then we can put it together again to better see the whole picture. But there are limits. In a book by Lisa Barret Feldmann, she used the analogy of a bread. You can look at a bread, slice it (putting space in between the different pieces), analyze it and try to figure out the ingredients as best as possible. It works to a degree. But be aware that when putting all ingredients+ process (heat in oven, cooling down) together, sth new is created (eg the crust of a bread, the fluffiness etc) . Mixed ingredients + construction process create sth you cannot completely solve "backwards". Universal mind.... I would put it into the realm of sth like logos, universal intelligence. But words and definitions become quite arbitrary. Use a concept as long as it has a practical value added. Move past it as soon as possible.

@Leo Gura I want to withdraw my previous statement. In Reply to your quote above, I wrote this: Today, I had some humbling experiences that showed me that I significantly underestimated the resistance to "I accept that I imagined humanity". Don't really know what to do with these experiences, but I thought one thing I can do is admit that I have not seen the full scale of this issue. I think it was Breakingthewall who made a point along the line of "if there is infinity and sth is still not solved yet then it won't be solved, otherwise it would have been solved already". So, it seems like that's there we are. Alone and still figuring out what to do with it.

@Keryo Koffa I can imagine there was also the intention to share some information that you found to be relevant and helpful for others. Appreciate that. If you feel up to a idea - would love to see your insights represented in a picture or a drawing instead of words ; )

I want to emphasize what thundercat mentioned: good Nervous System Regulation. Can be achieved through meditation, but there are countless ways. Just gotta find your ways. Or even better, your system of doing it. For instance, Yin Yoga in the evening works wonders for me. I don't need to try to stop the monkey - he just gently gets more and more tired and voluntarily becomes more open to the idea of sleep. Sometimes I don't feel like doing yoga, then I take a walk or sing, or both. The awareness and body scans from meditation helps me to get a feeling for the tension in my nervous system, so it becomes easier to find out what works in which situation. The more things I try, and the more I meditate, the more aware I get, the more integrated, connected and effective my system becomes. OC, it's not a "perfect" system and sometimes I am in monkey mind state. It's a process, but I like my progress

@Ishanga Nice way of describing role of awareness. "Awareness being a form of Intelligence that is not based on Memory, then we can Perceive with Clarity" --> leading to free will I can follow on your point of karma--> life partly predetermined --> relation to awareness and free will What I don't understand is why you see the spectrum as "possibility and potential". For me, those are synonyms rather than opposites. Can you elaborate on this pls?

I agree for the first statement. Second statement: That's an opinion, not a fact. Moreover - maybe not stop it yet? Who knows, maybe consciousness needs to learn how to be on its own? Third statement: Generalization and in my experience simply not true. For me it's a spectrum. One side "let me f*** sleep" and other side "please wake me up". Same as there are 8.1 billions views of reality as Ishanga said, there are 8.1 billion points on this spectrum. Completely resonates with me. The thing I wonder and would like to hear is your view an the assumed spectrum: Can we decide if we seek truth, meaning we can decide to have a desire for waking up? If not completely able to decide, can we influence it? Or is our point on the spectrum predetermined?

When I talk, who or what am I talking to? When I write this post, who or what is replying? When I go out on the street, who or what am I interacting with? When I meet my "friends" and "relatives", who am I actually meeting? Please, be as concrete as possible in your reply. No meta BS.

@UpperMasterI can totally resonate with this. Sometimes, there is a lot of new experiences, of new information (truth?) coming in. Then, my understanding of reality changes a lot in a very short time. It's like "pulling the rug" and I notice how it confuses me, makes me uncertain, makes me question sanity. Part of me wants stability, security, something to hang on to (Ishanga explains this well IMO). Part of me is almost begging for a plan, a concept, some goddamn certainty instead of this constant change. But it passes. Every time. And over time, I notice that I get used to this process, getting better and better at managing it. Like training a muscle. In terms of practical information: I tell myself: I trust my subconscious. It reveals exactly as much information as I am able to handle Physical sensations - breath, walking, riding bike, singing etc help me to ground myself. Or simple things like reading a book When questioning sanity, I learned it's good to interact with other people. Meeting my friends, spending time, talking with them about what I believe about reality. Getting feedback instead of running thought loops in my head I would questions three assumptions you make: Is it really a choice of happy OR truth? Who says, it can't be both? How you know? Can you know this? Maybe those two things are not contradictory, but complementary Not studying for your exam is "the wrong" thing. How do you know that? Maybe you need the experience of failing the exam? Maybe you should study sth else? Maybe you should not study at all, but start working now? There is an infinity of possibilities, and "I should be studying" is just one out those infinite scenarios Am I "insane" for seeing the world like this, or are most other people weird for NOT seeing what I see? Bonus question: What value does your current experience have? If you don't see any, what value COULD it have in the future?

I really wonder what's possible and where the limits of this experience can be stretched to. Sleep, dreaming, psychedelics, (deep) mediation already seem to be a kind of "pause" from this plane of existence I guess. But for me it still feels like doing a pause in this reality, now switching to another one. Question: Anyone doing astral journeys, or anyone having different kind of experiences in a sense of intentionally "switching between planes of existence"? Or taking sth like a intentional "pause" from this dimension and then returning into this one? A friend once told me that during a LSD trip on an unusual high dosage, he had a vision of sth like a gate opening up in front of him. He said that it felt like he was given a choice to either continuing in this plane of existence or leaving it. (He did not say that he could have done it, just that this was how it appeared for him) Personally, I had a psychedelic experience (also unusual strong dose, but psilocybin) that made me curious. There was the impression of "me" being able to create respectively to experience any possible world/reality. Yet, while had this feeling, I was still experiencing this feeling in this plane of existence. I was in my room, I identified as human, etc etc. And instead of getting the impression of having the choice of leaving this reality, I got the sensation of "I want to be in this particular reality". When I went a bit deeper into this, I also received a reason. I want to be in this particular reality, because in this reality, there are consequences. With each synchronicity, and with each "strange" experience in this reality I get more and more curious what's behind of whatever I am seeing in my everyday state of consciousness...