eskwire

@aryberry Wasn't obvious to me at all. It helped a lot and really shifted things. I was very fully in "The Self Matrix."

@Socrates My brother was an autodidact. He dropped out of school at 15 and now makes MUCH money. But he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to make a lot of money in computer science. He was always focused on that money, so he strategized his learning based on that. Otherwise, he also taught himself a lot of social garbage from Reddit that could have been avoided with formal education, perhaps. Be careful with that. Not having a teacher or fellow students means you can fall into some belief systems based on whatever you happen to read. Recommendations would be... 1. Have a job so you socialize and see how humans operate. You don't want to live out your life purpose as a total Martian...like some home schooled kids turn out. 2. Do the life purpose course so you know what you want to know. 3. Read syllabi online for classes related to what you want to study. Spend time in research and development for your own curriculum. 4. Find a mentor in the field. Do an apprenticeship instead of work (suggestion 1) maybe. Just ideas. I haven't done the life purpose course and have never been focused in my studies.

It's only been about 18 hrs since my last meal so no hunger yet.

Ahhh perfect!! Some of us are fasting together this weekend, too. I am definitely in.

@LRyan You are thinking the mind = the little movies of voices and images. Expand your mind and those little movies are but a blip. There is much more going on, much more to work with, putting those movies in perspective. And there is nothing to fear or trust in that regard. Trust is a goofy concept anyway. What does it mean to trust someone? Expecting them to act a certain way. What does it mean to trust your mind? Expecting it to be "right." So...maybe that was a poor choice of words. Saying "trust your mind." But you can see the difference between someone with low self esteem and one with high self esteem in their functionality, no? A person with low self esteem, in that sense, can't trust themselves to live well. Cuz they're gonna fuck it up. We all see this. The 6 Pillars is in conflict with spirituality and also not. In terms of working with the ego, it's a good book. The ego may have to be around for some amount of time. Bodhisattvas are people who teach others on the path of enlightenment before achieving it themselves. They can talk to you from your own perspective because they aren't enlightened yet. Books like the 6 Pillars can be part of the path, even though it's coming from a person who doesn't even seem like he believes in enlightenment. Maybe you need a stronger ego for a while to be a Bodhisattva. Maybe you need the contrast to learn. Who knows. Whatever. ?

@Shin Whooooooa I didn't know this existed. That sounds all kinds of fantastic. Sun is going down where I am so my retreat weekend begins now. ?

I know you're kidding buuuuut have you ever fasted? Great opportunity to look at your emo baggage. It all comes up! ?

@aryberry Meditation will be done in shifts of 30-60 minutes with breaks. Mindfulness practice and practicing diffusing awareness. Both. Also, Neti Neti method for self-inquiry. For journaling, I will probably do some CBT. I'll write down thoughts that induce anxiety, shame, and fixation. Then question them and write more reasonable or more expanded alternatives. I have to work a little bit on Saturday and also go to the gym so I can shower.

@aryberry Sounds like: plan!

It's a retraction back into the self from the relationships/ecological/hippie green stage for the purposes of systems level thinking. It devises, through clear discernment, methods and avenues that accommodate and account for the diversity of functions in life. Think of level green as like living at a hippie commune and level yellow as creating effective and benevolent national policy.

@Loreena Perfect! I almost tagged you. I had a feeling you might be down. ?

@Empty I've a actually always wanted to do Ramadan. I'll consider it!

@Shin We'll be fine, I swear. In case of emergency, call 911, don't contact the forum. Maybe take a multivitamin.

Sickkkkkkk! Yay I'm excited. Anyone else? More the merrier.

How about Friday at sundown?

@SFRL Loving kindness meditations would be one practical method. Guided ones are pretty short, 10-15 mins, and can be done every day until you make a big shift. Try a 30 day challenge of that.

@Loreena Turn off all lights you look at, phone and all, long before bed. A couple hours. No caffeine. You can Google "sleep hygiene" for more tips. Also, my favorite way to "push" sleep is to lay there and "start dreaming." I consciously allow colors, shapes, whatever comes up to play out in my imagination. I'm asleep before I know it.

@LRyan Would you mind sharing that YouTube video you saw of her?

@LRyan Looks great! ? There aren't too many methods. Just means she's versatile and, if that's her profession, she should be. It would clearly be an improvement from that last one. Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness mean this chick will totally be down with spirituality and expanding the mind to heal. PS wtf is existential therapy? The Neti Neti Method? I wanna do it!

For meateaters. My favorite hot dinner is chicken coated in turmeric and seasoned with pink salt, cooked in olive oil. Pair with baked sweet potato. You can add olive oil and pink salt to the yam, if you like, or leave it plain. Great combo.

@JustinS I am also confused. This is Family Size?

@Loreena What kind of negativity?

@aryberry Nah. You said it was a sensory input because you know it is. Red herrings are for debate. Debate is trickery and God's not trying to trick anybody. It just is. Sure, eventually, pain isn't pain. But it is when you aren't there yet. And you must cry for those who cry, for their suffering is real.

@aryberry If pain and suffering are a sensory signal, then they exist as sensory signals. Just because a phenomenon has different meaning, or no meaning, it does not make the phenomenon non-existent.

You don't deserve her time. She could be self-actualizing and clearing up her skin instead of getting used by you.