SOUL

I definitely employ a woo-free spirituality approach but what can't be overlooked is the venue for the ideas. If someone is looking for the key to their inner peace a physics forum probably won't be appropriate, we probably won't find finances insight on the mechanics forum and we don't come here to find out why our car won't start. Have an understanding of the potential from the venue and what it will offer as insight. This venue is for the exploration of consciousness work and some people are pragmatic minded while others are magical minded, some religious, others skeptical, the variations are infinite. It's really a matter of fine tuning our own 'useful' detector to discover what is of value to us and work with that. It's beneficial personally and for the community though if we don't form a judgement or attitude towards what isn't useful or doesn't work for us. Oh...and there is scientific evidence of 'chakaras' but that doesn't mean every magical concept someone has about them is accurate.

@Annetta The present keeps unfolding a moment at a time and change is it's garb. In all of the potential variables it can be radical or subtle or even imperceptible but change it does. Like a cultivator of being now tending the garden of experience sometimes those ties will flourish and other times need to be pruned so it can be healing or painful.

Yes, in a variety of ways and kinds.

That title though.... it had a bunch of interpretations pop into my head all at once and I laughed at the absurdity of it.... Then the actual topic wasn't any one of those...haha, I'm can use both hands and am better with one for some things and the other for others. What does that mean? Who knows...huh

Ironically enough there are two beliefs baked right into this statement, one, that truth cannot be reliably ascertained through the mind and secondly what true skepticism means.

It's really very simple, just accept what is.

@Dodo This is what you accept exists and though it works for you it by definition is a belief even if you don't believe it to be it.

Again that is just another belief about belief that isn't the actual definition of it. The definition and in practice it is just accepting something as true or exists and it doesn't depend on whether someone knows it is true or not or even depends on if it is true or not just that one accepts it to be true or exist.

I still find it humorous that people with the belief they have no free will are forced to choose to tell others that they don't have it either.

So what you're saying is that your belief that "all beliefs are blind and groundless by definition" is blind and groundless. Which is interesting because you believe this to be a true statement and the actual definition of belief is accepting something is true. Although, the definition of belief does not mention or imply that the acceptance is blind and groundless so your belief really is blind and groundless but not the actual definition of the word belief or necessarily accurate about others belief. There definitely is some ironic humor in this.

All, none or neither of those.

.......@snowleopard

@Nahm Observing what is doesn't make one right.

You have at least one point, though.... it's just your opinion.

If you are the bills are due....

It depends on what you mean by "illusion", how are you defining it?

If it's my self on the channel I would change the it, heck I'll shut the whole thing off and take a nap.

To the ego identity it can be motivated by and can manifest in this way but this type of 'right knowledge' trigger is really found within the subconscious and is a primitive survival mode trigger. This ego taps into this resource in our psychology for the emotional, mental and physical buttons to push in us to act on behalf of it's desire to reinforce and secure identity. It's only a trap if we make it or allow it to be one but it's really just a natural mechanism that we can use for productive and beneficial work in us as well.

You recently proclaimed on this forum about some personal revelation and since then you have become addicted to calling out others about what you assume is their inner work. You didn't cease the addiction, you just changed the vice. Can you see it? It's an addiction to being right masquerading as bringing "truth". Besides.... I'm addicted to awareness like I am addicted to food, water and breath.

@Aquarius The first time our 'self' orients itself through our experience as a youth it is some of the most deeply ingrained lessons we ever get but our awareness isn't fully developed yet so we are unaware of it. So when we are working through it later in life with consciousness work we come across all sorts of stuff that may cause us to reflect 'where the heck did this come from?' There were likely many experiences very early in life that reinforced ideas, concepts and beliefs that were given to you by others that you weren't aware of it happening, it's kind of a subliminal conditioning. It's how it happens to all of us the 'first time' our self conscious and ego is established in us as we mature and continues happening all through life even though we 'know' it. Some may say to you that to deal with this you have to dig it all up find out every who, what, how, why, when detail about it to 'fix it'.... Though we don't have to dig into it, we may do it, but it's not a must. With awareness just observe the thoughts and emotions that rise up in your mind, let the ego bring it to mind, don't go searching for it...and yes, the ego will surely bring it...again and again. So when the ego brings those thoughts and emotions to you that aren't what you seek for yourself don't agree or endorse them. When the ego says 'I feel guilty about this' respond with awareness 'I'm at peace with it'. It may take awhile but if you don't want the thoughts and emotions the ego brings to you don't accept them as your own, instead affirm what you seek for yourself. There's no need to dig into every detail about how it got there, just change 'your mind' about it in the present. If you want to make it more of a forceful intent, add faith to it, have faith in the process...but even if you have no faith in the process, the repetitively affirming in the present will eventually take root in the subconscious mind and bear fruit. Eventually the ego will say, 'I am at peace with that' in reflection of the past... that you intentionally created in your present. This is likely why those church ideas are so powerful in your psyche, any experience of ours mixed into us with faith has more 'weight' in our personal psychology. It's not that those ideas or belief are really any more crucial or important in any particular way but that added element of faith is a psychological empowerment mechanism, it also adds more force to our willful intent. So we can use 'faith' in our consciousness work to empower what we seek now. Also be aware of the words used in consciousness work, ones like 'truth', 'good' and 'right' are triggers with very deep emotional reservoirs and are very entangled within us throughout our ideology. So when we are trying to establish new patterns if we us those words it usually leads to inner conflict since the new is often contradictory to the old, I prefer descriptive terms to the judgment ones. These are some things I discovered are successful in my own inner work, explore your own inner life and see if they are of any use to your own work.

It seems more like you are speaking about truisms or axioms, which can be powerful for awareness because they are existentially evident.

I'm issuing a blank check apology in advance for any pain I may cause anyone, it was unintentional but unfortunately inevitable...we're all humans.

I don't like that thumbs up notifications are turned off, I don't know who liked what. Ok, I figured out how to find it.

I haven't read even one "enlightenment book" and I have inner peace so books are optional.

@Aquarius Just as emotionally triggering as the external expectations that are internalized are to our consciousness are the internally occurring expectations we externalize and even keep internally. Those internal-internal expectations can be some of the most obscured from our awareness, they often reside within our subconscious and can only sense them after they have manifest in our thoughts and emotions. Although, from your words I can see you have some clarity of awareness already, continue to awaken your consciousness and the path for your life will be obvious.