Justin Evans

I don't think Leo should go mainstream. There are too many problems that come with adding more contributors, especially liability. I dont think theres anything wrong with Leo being a one-man shop, and the quality of his work is already amazing and good enough for the audience that learns it. Yes his health might go downhill in the future, maybe he can't sustain it, but adding more people into the equation takes away the personality from his work, the personality that makes his work so special in the first place. I'd rather see his work shine the way he wants it than to see it become a conglomerate and potentially burst into flames because of emergent collective ego problems that come out of it that Leo can't anticipate. I don't think that's a control issue, its a very real thing to be cautious about.

One thing that helped me personally with this question is instead of asking myself "How is it possible?", ask "Where does it already happen?" Because this question helps you see that there are plenty of scenarios where we admit we imagine things and we dont even need to ask why or how it works. The biggest example that comes to mind is dreams. Some people have more vivid dreams than others, so not everyone can relate but I will stick with this example for simplicity. Notice that in a dream, you become a character, your mind creates the place, time, and setting, all of this happens in one single present moment but creates an illusion of continuity. You can go to a museum in your dreams, you can remember being in that museum from 15 years ago and you can still recall art pieces the tour guide is talking about. It is only when you wake up when you realize it is imagination. On the topic of objectivity, how is it that a glass of water stays on your table when you leave your house? We can go back to the dream example, you can dream that cars pass by on the highway, you dont know where they are all going, it feels objective, but it is all created by you, and it works. The point I am trying to make is that asking where imagination already happens is important, because those outlier experiences such as dreams, where there is Illusion of time and objectivity, IS part of reality. Of course, not to misinterpret as using dreams as the answer to your questionbut rather just to help see new possibilities and ways to open your mind.

Everybody has their own way of making that leap, the key is finding your strength. That might sound generic so I will give you an example. I grew up with my mom teaching me how to move and create energy in my body when I was young. Regardless of whether that was something real or just my imagination, I got really good at doing it, and it became something I did subconsciously. It turns out through habit, I started doing it in my dreams, and your willpower can manipulate reality in your dreams. Fast forwarding to college, I did so much meditation and mindfulness that I started doing it accidentally in my dreams which triggered awakenings. This is very different than lucid dreaming because in lucid dreams you know you are dreaming. Instead, you sincerely believe it is reality and you still question it with your meditation and will. Doing this along with building a practice of surrendering your fears away in real life can make you surrender fears in your dreams (as fears are oftentimes what makes a dream more solid and real, letting that go makes the dream melt away.) Why am I talking about this? It helped me realize that you won't always know the exact steps to getting awakenings and to deeper embody what you already know. It is best to plan your growth on grounded things that you can use every day both awake and asleep such as learning to let go of fear, becoming more courageous, letting go of comfort, practicing will power as if you can improve the outcome of your life solely through that. And that these skills build up in unexpected payoffs and events based on your strengths and when you need it the most. Hope this helps!

When I do mindfulness exercises, I notice that my eyes strain and hurt a lot (even when it is pitch black and I'm not trying to look at anything). I think one reason this is the case is that I identify mindfulness with sight, and that the source of what I am is like an eyeball seeing things, seeing sights, seeing what I am hearing, feeling, smelling, and so on. I want to be able to feel and hear into my experiences by being them rather than seeing them if that makes sense but I am not sure how to do this. Do any of you share a similar frustration? Do you know of any alternatives?

To be clear I am writing an argument against Alan Bloom. I think stage green is very positive compared to the previous stages (although they all have valuable lessons on their own) However, I am presenting my thesis to a professor heavily invested in stage blue and orange so it is important that I chose my wording wisely so it can better relate. I have watched Leo's SD videos, I love them and I wanted to bring that in some shape or form into academic discussions. I might just buy the book anyways because it could be useful tool for personal growth, but if it does not have historical / political examples in it then I cannot use it in my thesis. Thank you for your reply btw.

Forgive me if this is the wrong topic channel, I was unsure where this question would go. I am taking a senior seminar class, a hybrid of political science and international affairs. I am writing a thesis which challenges the book "Closing of the American Mind" by Alan Bloom by comparing the perspective to spiral dynamics. Alan Bloom believes that the characteristics of stage green (relativism, multiculturalism, mob mentality, democratic theory, and values) are a degradation to democracy, the university, and to humanity which could potentially spiral into a new form of fascism. From what I've heard, spiral dynamics includes all of these facts and recognizes the limitations of these characteristics in stage green, however, they see it as a necessary stage which we will eventually grow out of. Going to the question, I found the book online, but it looks like it talks about business and leadership. Before I buy it for research, does anyone know if inside that book there will be historical or political examples or is it just business related?

I recently lost my best friend, potentially my whole friend group, my original career path, and "relating with others like I used to" because of my journey. The lesson I learned was that the costs of seeking truth are immense, but the rewards are the of the greatest yields in life. Here is the catch, if you halfway pursue the journey, the costs will be detrimental and you probably won't get much in return. In that case it's not worth pursuing truth. That indecisiveness is the downfall. In my opinion, it's worth it, IF we go all in and fully commit.

It's probably safe to say that any teacher is going to have believers who can't embody what they are learning and turn it into a "religion" or a cult of personality.

To my boy Leo, your teachings are PURE GOLD! Seriously I hope your meditation will bring you to the collapse of self. I hope you can fully let go of your worries about Actualized.org, because you have already made a huge impact. As a token of my appreciation, have a gold Leo. Summer is coming and I will be joining you on the meditation challenge . Good luck to anyone else who is doing the challenge, see you on the other side.

Thanks for sharing man

On a beautiful crisp sunny day, I finished all of my college school work, completed two quizzes, a test, and finished my homework early. I feel victorious, I feel productive, and I feel clear with an abundance of energy and mindfulness. I'm ready to surrender the rest of the day to meditation. It's 3:30 P.M. when I arrive at my apartment complex, it's time to pop a squat on a warm sunny pool chair, and I begin some mindfulness labeling. 10 minutes in, two helicopters fly over the pool and begin hovering relatively close. That’s odd; what could be possibly going on? There couldn't be a fire because there isn't a cloud in the sky. I don't hear sirens so there isn't a war going on. Could there be protests at my college about a mile and a half away from my apartment? Anyways, my mind starts rambling and contemplating the purpose of the helicopters. Eventually one of them flies away and the other remains. 30 minutes later as I am still meditating, I have a deep and profound realization. My mindfulness has vastly improved over the past year, yet my concentration and discipline is SHODDY WORK. As I look into the air, a helicopter, a FUCKING helicopter flying in the air can stay perfectly still. Here I am, ME who is sitting at a pool with nothing to do, nowhere to be, on a sunny day, ON THE GROUND, and I can't sit perfectly still for 30 minutes without a quick break to scratch my scrotum or to worry, "Is my blood vessels clotting because I'm sitting for two long? Should I get up? What if my toes don't get enough oxygen?" ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, I am not going to stand for such shenanigans anymore! It's me versus the helicopter! Either it goes, or I move, one or the other. I am not going to let a flying metal machine beat me, the person who couldn't be more comfortable and 'grounded' than the fuzzy pair of wooly socks on my feet. The battle of stillness began. That vow I made, as silly as it seems, triggered something in me. It supercharged my discipline and intention. The distractions no longer became an issue, and I was laser focused. I learned a lot about helicopters. Surprisingly, they are great to meditate to, and I would of never thought that a pair of metal blades slashing into the sky could sound relaxing or even mystical with the right perspective. After 1 hour and 15 minutes, I finally won, the helicopter left. What's the moral of the story? 1. Sometimes you need a wake up call. Your environment and intuition is constantly offering you OPPORTUNITIES to take your work and discipline to the next level. 2. The environment at times can appear be irritating and counterproductive to meditation UNTIL you can observe it long enough to realize it's been your ally this whole time. Your greatest enemy can sometimes be used to your advantage. 3. Don't let the helicopters meditate better than you. Your helicopter may be your neighbor, your co-worker, or the squirrel your back yard. Ultimately what matters is what triggers that fiery passion within you. Find your helicopter, and then BEAT IT. Thanks for reading, and if I may ask, what is your helicopter?

Thanks for all the feedback, I will check out those ingredients : )

I will never look at my cat's hairballs the same ever again.

I've cooked brown rice as my staple food for meal prep every week. I usually put uncooked brócoli and bell peppers in it. However, I used to use shredded cheese but now I am cutting it off. Does anyone know any good alternative spices or something that is healthy and would add some flavor to my meal prep dish? Thanks a ton

Seeing around through a tunnel is very common, although it varies in different ways. Sometimes there are physical sensations such as vibrations, feeling empty, light, energetic, and more. Other times it is like a geometric singularity, there may be a feeling of timelessness, feels like you are traveling the speed of light, and sometimes there is an undeniable raw intuitive understanding of whatever you experience. A combination of these can occur as well. Depersonalization / derealization has happened to me many times, and I get mixed feelings. Sometimes its blissful, but other times its horrifying and leaves my ego curled in a ball days or even weeks after those moments. However, I always heal, grow stronger, and understand more over time because I let myself work through it and I can connect the dots when later insights come. Derealization and the "wormholes" occur frequently but they aren't permanent for me. I don't feel like I am separated, but more like everything is happening to me, in a holistic type of a way. I'm honestly not sure what enlightened people see because I don't consider myself to be enlightened yet. I think derealization and depersonalization certianly has its place in enlightenment, but our glimpses are "filtered by our ego" which makes it feel negative because its still unknown, we don't have a full understanding of it yet, and when everything becomes clear, peace follows.