puporing

@Someone here I like doing a bit of dream analysis it can be helpful to uncover some stuff you didn't know about yourself, as ego consciousness I mean, still can be helpful if it is something recurring.

A more extreme case.. but a lot of music teachers in my experience are like this, not as brutal like this but the tendency is there, esp in the classical world, sadly. Also reminds me of the dad in Shine.

Happiness tends to move upward as you expand your consciousness. I'm not sure how based on the descriptions those people are internally or how much they've integrated each stage. In Tier-II it's more like peacefulness/equanimity as the baseline no matter what your outward situation is, which is a giant step. But in Tier I you can still have pretty happy people or those on the verge of suicide.

Sounds like a good plan.

If there's doubt in your mind that you may have regrets it is probably better to pursue those things you desire than bypassing them. Yes, there are different schools of thought on this but my own philosophy is to do what feels the most right to you. You don't have to be a selfish ass either, it can be a mutually positive thing, just stay conscious as much as possible that'll help. PS, wasn't sure if I understood it correctly, if you had no interest in career but do have interest around dating, and you're wondering if you could do that without the career?

@Hugo Oliveira I'm sorry you're going through this.. it sounds very lonely to me. I have similar struggles. Do you feel this way with crowds or also with one-on-one interactions? Do you find it hard to open up more or be yourself? Maybe worrying about how it comes across, also possible that you are able to be very present for others but they are not for you, so the disconnection. As well it's possible you didn't receive attunement and connection as a child, this can leave a chronic feeling of disconnection and not able to find it.

"Good" and "results"... Is what one perceives as good or not good or what is meant by "desired result". I say that truly because... Meeting strangers through apps still helped me grow in some ways.

@Nadosa Yes but I meant that he was on the verge of suicide and the awakening changed all that, which might not be for some people. I can't claim to know all the details though.

The keyword is the 'no' or 'not'-mind, or without mind. Mind can be thoughts, feelings/emotions, states, body, etc. What is left when you throw those out the window? It's like an open sky without any clouds. The open sky persists while the clouds come and go. Also words are just pointers. The other path is "everything is mind". Words are not great for grasping. Direct experience is what does it.

@aurum agreed, there's lot of pitfalls with self testing. We tend to score ourselves higher than where we actually are. Embodiment on a day-to-day moment to moment level is much more the real test

You can have God realization/awakening while going through mental health challenges which for some people are what put them on the path. And integrating things back to limited self can take time, not everyone can become like Eckhart Tolle in one fell swoop (though also possible), and awakening can also be a very confusing experience to go through by yourself which can exacerbate existing mental health issues, or the opposite and drastically diminish the hold those pre-existing issues have on you. It's just good to be aware that the two can interact with each other.

Hmm.. what was helpful was taking a good inventory of my emotional states that were holding me back - ie, fear, anxiety, etc. And often you can find the source of it through your dreams if you are not already conscious of where it is coming from. For me it was a recurring theme of being emotionally abused by a parent, showing up in my dreams frequently in various scenarios and won't go away. These are what psychologists call 'complexes' that can develop. This is something that you can grow out of with breathwork or revisiting the feelings in the dreams and challenging them as you walk through them (perhaps with a therapist is more beneficial). Past memories also helps but I haven't found a way to retrieve stuff I can't remember.

Yea.. and you might get a lot of resistance from outside for sticking to the purpose you've found... watch out for that one

Thanks for sharing this!

Perhaps lacking purpose or the ability to have one.

It can overlap for sure and how others perceive you as.

Challenge any lingering perception of 'vulnerability = weak'.

It sorta just comes to you as you evolve and grow because not finding/living it becomes too painful to your soul, and it can change with your growth. Fulfilling Maslow's hierarchy of needs, contemplating the dissolution of the physical body will help with it also.

Be aware/alert of your ‘inner states’ whenever possible, how you’re perceiving the ‘physical reality’, notice the awareness of it. What is the nature of this awareness?

Yes often this is what can push one into the 'dark night of the soul', is what I feel pushed some rich and famous folks to suicide.

Not so much Christ for me in terms of connecting. Mostly been living people who embody what I would like to embody, I connect more with living beings I guess.

Groundhog Day The Matrix

Also from Osho: https://youtu.be/w8jLSKW_yBw

From personal experience, alcohol can help one 'peel away the layers' so to speak. If you struggle to go out of your comfort zone, open up so you can connect with others more deeply/directly. Then once you realize that's a possibility with the aid of alcohol, you could do that without alcohol. But of course, integrating the experience after the fact is super important just like other drugs/substances if you're using it for growth.