Jordan of the Shire

@Olaf Yea brother, anytime

Yes, and unchecked qualities such as lust, greed, anger, and delusion are empowered by an increase in life force energy. Arts that increase life force energy quickly are not great for these kinds of ailments in people. It's one of the reasons why taking care of the basics and being a decent human being is considered important in pretty much every spiritual tradition. It's true you can become better with practice - but you can also become worse.

100% I find fiction far more entertaining to read, and stories are always packed with implicit dilemmas that are entertaining to reflect over

I love how you're able to express emotion in your writing. I see it in your posts. I can feel what you're saying. Yea! All the themes give me goosebumps. I particularly love the part when he meets Abbé Faria. Reminds of me a time when I was young. I spent about 5 years and 6 months in correspondence with a mentor. Learning in an unconventional way. He was skilled in science and spirituality, and he would teach me in life, and through experiences. The excitement he gets in learning reminds me of the blessing of this archetype. The elder-wise man. The performances were amazing.

Prana is another word for it. We have electromagnetic fields in our body called Dan Tians. They serve to facilitate different functions, such as organizing the mind and body. When the Dan Tians are consolidated and full, the channels of the body, and channels of the spirit are open. Energy flows, accumulates, and expands outward, given release. If you have ever heard the term Siddhi, this is how these powers become available. The Taoist reframe special abilities as "efficiency of the mind and body" rather than a special gift or a sign of nobility. Yogi's will call Siddhis dangerous and distractions on the path. I've heard Sadhguru say that he will even remove siddhis from his students who develop them because they often lead to a "circus". Kind of like what we have here with Massaro. People being under his spell is probably not an understatement. In addition to being extremely skilled in manipulation and persuasion, he also has a magnetic "aura" or field which affects the quality of the electromagnetic fields around him. This is common for people who open their channels and develop their Qi. If you watch closely, while he speaks, he is repressing, controlling, and projecting. Side note: When working with psychedelics, it would be wise to do some research into Qigong Deviations. To see how energy can get mixed up while opening the circuits.

I think it's worth emphasizing and noting again that these things can happen because of too much Qi, developing too quickly, and not being mindful of ones own character traits. It's not too far fetched to say that anyone can be vulnerable to their own latent selfishness, and that this work exposes us to it. I feel like this goes understated, or unrecognized a lot of the time, as the conversation of Qi may not even come up - as we may put everything to rationality. It's important. Especially if you're doing spiritual work.

It's kinda crazy but think about a tesla self driving car. The amount of tiny miniscule changes it makes in any given movement. When you have access to the subtle bodies and not control of your character ... then you'll "self drive" to outcomes that are maybe not the best for others, or the broader network. These tiny movements of mind and intention create undulations in space and time which influence people around you. This is part of why people with access to pure awareness can be so magnetic. States of Samadhi, pure awareness, or even just certain Qi gongs, generate a lot of Qi. But how you refine that Qi, nurture that Qi, and what you do with that Qi is a matter of character. The spiritual arts are often dangerous because of this aspect. Having a bigger battery empowers all of what you are. Including the qualities of character that this person we are discussing seems to be displaying.

Yea - awakening is great, helps a lot - but it's just the place of which real spiritual work can start taking place. It's like level 1. When you're awakened, then you can start developing yourself further. It's a stage of enlightenment. When someone uses the word enlightenment and claims enlightenment, I think, here's another person who's drinking their own kool-aid - who is stuck. The smarter your are, and the more metaphysically powerful, the greater the subtlety at which you can inadvertently or intentionally try to control things. Especially when you fear losing something. The most realized people I've come across aren't up on the pedestal creating fandoms. Theyre working hard helping people, humble, humorous, and when they teach, these concepts of knowing and divine ect, they aren't shared with any kind of excitement or reverence. Just sort of matter of fact. That's actually the most odd thing I've found about someone who is realized. The excitement and exuberance with "the message" isn't there to try to convince the person or to build their credibility up. Being free from the causes of suffering for oneself and others, is continuous work - this is why i think the term enlightenment is so shady. It implies the work is done.

The dramatic truth of power. Ruthless! The striking honesty.

@Erol Stranger in a strange land by Robert Heinlein falls into that category brother

Count of Monte Cristo gives me goosebumps. Great movie! Never read the book. But i imagine the book is amazing.

Not conforming to non-conforming conforming

Seeking some insight or perspective: I have an unresolved tension with the intention to deliberately guide and direct an audience towards a product. Not that it is wrong to do that, but that it means to some extent I have to underhandedly have an ulterior motive to everything I share. Since to sell a product well, you need to build rapport, understand the needs of the consumer, then provide the solution. There is conflict of interest in relationship. So wondering what logic people have around marketing and sales? I'm sourcing a way to derive an entrepreneurial living without becoming a meme. I function as an instructor and coach, without paying clients for the moment I also have a Software application I'm working on which will be part of that. (This effort is in its grassroots) I also have a construction business. What d'yall think? Feel free to share videos, examples from discussions you've had in the past, different spiral stage perspectives, or whatever comes to mind.

Have time by yourself? Use a simply object as a practice. Start with something that causes no anger. Like a cup. Practice with the cup for a few days for like 5 minutes. Observe the cup and what your relationship to it is. Practice releasing your eyes in relationship to it. Work with objects that trigger no anger. When anger does arise, don't identify with it. If you are aware of anger, is anger aware of you? | It can't be, so it is not self. It is not you, it does not belong to you, it is not yours. So let it go. This isn't the same as, well I can just let anger fly around and burn people and things around me. What happens in the mind is like writing in sand, it can be washed out. What you act upon is like writing in stone. It is there, much harder to get rid of. Realizing something has no inherent self is like writing on water. See the contraction (anger), know there is space within it (no inherent self, or if that's not apparent, seeing space within the experience or releasing something adjacent to it can work), let go, enjoy (Practice gratitude and appreciation at the first release instead of looking for the next one.) You're stuck in the *needing others to align with expectations* this causes you to activate the assumptions that other people are responsible for your happiness. Is this true? Investigate that? But is it also possible to be happy without condition? Investigate this as well.

See the contraction, know there is space within it, let go, enjoy. You're stuck in the *need more* or *not enough* Practice gratitude and appreciation at the first release instead of looking for the next one. By release I mean spaciousness. If you're contracting in the pursuit of pleasure. That must not feel great. You're chasing away the carrot. Find the space where you are, enjoy that, rest there.

@Leo Gura distilled farts from awakening

This may seem like an odd time to say this given the fart-gistics I'm really impressed with this forum. The level of awareness and maturity in discussing topics is refreshing.

AI doesn't understand spirituality. It can predict what you want to hear though.

Sometimes I just skim the post ... haha i'll respond to your question: You're not behind brother. Behind what? Behind imagination. You're behind your imagination. Stop that! The quickest way to move from helplessness to agency is to write down what you want, then write what you're going to do to get it. And then WIN (what's important now) It's not big sweeping changes that reveal to us whether we've made it. It's slow, 1% changes over a long period of time. It's the navy seal who had been shot and had to crawl several miles in the desert to a town. How? He drew a line in the sand in front of him, and made his entire focus getting to that line in the sand. He didn't look at the many miles it would take or how far behind he was from refuge. You need to change your mindset from thinking you're behind to, you're where you need to be, relax with that, and START THERE. You're good brother. Each moment, what is your WIN? Whats the 1% thing you can do. Relationships are self reflective. You do the inner work, you attract the partner who resonates with your field. Much of "Game" is having good boundaries, vision, decisiveness, and trust that everythings going to be okay. Going by the beat of your own drum. Taking consistent action. You're basically a hero, a protector, becoming strong enough for two. Believe that. Put yourself in the state of already having what you want, and move from that frame. Take some risks. You got this. Does any of that make sense? Further Commentary by Grok: Minor critiques / places it could be sharper: It leans a bit heavy on mindset and manifestation language ("put yourself in the state of already having what you want," "attract the partner who resonates with your field"). This is useful as a frame, but some people use it as an excuse to avoid uncomfortable action. The previous post balanced it better by emphasizing going out and dating practically. The "relax, you’re where you need to be" message is double-edged. It’s great for reducing shame/anxiety, but it can slide into complacency if someone interprets it as "no urgency needed." Pairing it with "START THERE + take consistent action" (which it does) keeps it grounded. It’s light on specifics compared to the first post. The first one gave concrete dating mechanics (one date a week, specific plans, playful questions, etc.). This one is more philosophical fuel. Together they’re stronger. Bottom line: Yes, it makes sense. This is the inner game complement to the outer game in the first message. If someone internalizes both, they’ll make real progress: clearer standards, better daily habits, less neediness, and a stronger masculine frame. The combination is honestly better than 90% of what guys consume online. It promotes becoming a high-value man rather than just hacking attraction or hating on women. Practical tip if you’re applying this: Take 10 minutes today and literally do what both posts suggest—write your ideal woman + your commitments + your dealbreakers. Then pick one small WIN for this week in dating/social skills. That single action will create more momentum than reading ten more motivational posts. ----- Godspeed /\

It helps to write your ideal woman out of paper for all the qualities you want in a woman It helps to write down all the ways youre committing to show up for this woman to match the qualities that you would like in a her Have an idea of qualities you wont tolerate: lying, drama, bad attitude, demeaning, thirst trappy on social media, high attention seeking, bad relationship with parents, ect. Create the image of your ideal woman. Doing this creates the awareness conditions for that kind of woman to show up. Then focus understanding attraction. Teasing, playing around, being like James Bond most of the time then the other 10-30% boyish and silly. In your own idiosyncratic way - learn how to be confident in yourself , when you share stuff about yourself, be positive, frame difficult things as the Heros Journey - I had a challenge, this is what I went through, this is how i got through it, and this is how I'm grateful. That way if you do have negative things about your life, you can share it in a way that is empowering and builds attraction. And if she asks questions about you, be playful, not super serious, play around the answers about yourself. You don't need to be like an open book. Usually there's a setup to a good story. Then ask her a question. Women love to talk about themselves so asking emotionally inducing questions creates attraction because they will associate good feelings they experience with being around you. When you're dating someone at first. set 1 date a week, and only use the phone to set dates. After the first date, wait a week to call her and set the next date. This limits the amount of opportunity you have to talk her out of liking you, and also gives her the space to reflect on her emotions about you, and also avoids coming off too clingy. It shows you are a busy person, have stuff going on, and also allows you to reflect on your own state of being. When she starts initiating contact with you before the 1 week period, use those opportunities to set dates. This way, you get closer according to her pace. When you're setting dates, be very specific. Don't say, lets do something sometime. Be specific, friday, at 7, at this resturaunt, ect. Knowing where you're taking her, and when, creates certainty. Don't call back to confirm, indicate that your time is important and that you only set dates with people who are able to commit. When you have to call back to confirm, you may never get her on the phone again and gives her an easy out. This also tests you to honor your own commitment, while building trust and faith right off the bat. Depending on her level of attraction, she will make it easier for you, or she'll be a little harder. The key is to go for someone who makes it easy for you. Do you want someone who is kind of humming and hawwing about going out with you? or someone who is super excited? The higher the level of attraction is before the first date, the easier it will be to have a good time. This is a fun subject. Women are very interesting and refreshing, and its the start of an amazing journey. So much you can learn about yourself through relationship. Hope this is enough to start on. Where This approach could be refined or has risks: (from grok) Rigidity: The "exactly one date a week, wait full week to call" can feel robotic if chemistry is high. Adjust based on vibe—if she's clearly excited and initiating, you can accelerate without becoming clingy. Context matters (age, culture, whether it's app vs. in-person). Manifestation framing: "Creates the awareness conditions for that kind of woman to show up" is mostly true via mindset shift, but it can slide into magical thinking. You still have to go out, approach/talk to women, and take action. Clarity without execution is daydreaming. Assumes traditional attraction dynamics: Works very well for many women, especially feminine ones. In very modern/big-city scenes it might need tweaks—some high-agency women prefer more direct/equal pacing. But the core (don't be needy, be playful, have standards) is universal. Potential downside: If you're naturally very reserved or anxious, the "James Bond most of the time" can feel inauthentic at first. Start with your own flavor of confident/playful rather than copying a persona.

Happy birthday Leo

Still learning what spirituality really is. It's common that I learn what it is not, and it is usually associated with what my assumptions are about anything. So technically I am less wrong, but always wrong in some way. I think that the opposite of spiritual is the creation of a self of which to occupy a space and then empowering that. It could be good or edgy or whatever. It's sort of self-conformist tendency which is natural. And to put it that way, you could even say, that the opposite of spiritual could be composed of moments, states of mind and being, and stages we get trapped in rather than a ultimatum. What I seem to react to is the use of psychic mediumship, fancy imagination techniques, self-identified enlightenment, hedonism, kundalini-like assumptive work, and flowery language, associated with radical assumptions that create groupthink and then convey a truth but it becomes a parroting rather than experience. What i seem to react to is the presentation of the promise which is basic marketing, in the form of spirituality, which becomes the means to satisfy financial means, status, pleasure, intellectual satisfaction. These are orange tendencies guised in the form of the saint, magician, and lover. It's shadowed by the desire to obtain, to be seen, and to hold power. This is difficult to avoid for anyone. I have to see it, know it, and let it go when it arises. To say I'm free of that is nonsense. But i think there is a spectrum of self awareness. "Is the thing revealing insight into the nature of reality" This is a liberating metric. Removes the judgement from what you're doing, even if it is flawed, or fake. As long as the process is revealing something to you about deception and truth. People know their skill but without relevant comparison or humility of their skill they can easily be overwhelmed by their own assumptions and then they wont progress further than their new found excitement. In my own training, when "special stuff" happens, the common response is "don't worry about it" "let it go" "keep going" "Yes we have many of these things" "humility is essential" "as your skill grows, so too should your humility" Yadda yadda, humility seems to be important. But in the marketplace, it is elevation of the self in order to attract a market, that gets you somewhere.

I like Jensen Huang's statement. He said, if he knew how hard it would be to grow Nvidea, he wouldn't have done it. So starting with naive optimism is important. Asking "how hard could it be?" then try things. Just do it and see what works and what doesnt. This is the process. Whatever business you're in is really dependent on vision, values, networking and solving a real problem well. Building goodwill by being of service, being a reliable friend, being optimistic and courageous even when people are like, fack off you gotta get a real job. haha. and continuing to push through the hard times. It's kind of like an energy ball. The more focus and attention you put to a thing, the more it grows. Focus on first principals. What are the essential key components, make the requirements less dumb, create a prototype, pitch it to people, gather support, build feedback, iterate. Over and over. One technique I like is, if you have a service, schedule your first workshop or class or release on the calendar and then hold yourself to that date. Then invite people to that date personally. Then do it. As you approach that date, all the mental garbage comes up on why you should cancel or not do it. Just relax. Do it. I personally look at money as a bi-product of doing something well. It is the effect of different causes going well, rather than the goal. Instead of "may I have x amount of money", focus on the causes - "may I develop the skills, values, mindsets, and relationships that causes money to flow" The pressure of attaining a dollar value is backwards.

hell yea hahaha This is great advice.

Anyone can tell you the truth but to experience it you have to practice. To practice, you must renounce your conceptual views and practice. The process of developing spiritual has more to do with attention and qi and embodiment. Writing many paragraphs of theoretical views is an example of going from 0 (experience) to 10 (elaboration and division) I like the quote "I don't think before I speak, I song before I think" Song is the chinese word for an infinite scale of release. Song is the path.