Emerald

I have contemplated quite a lot on the topic actually since I was a little kid. The human mind creates a lot of false dichotomies, which includes the masculine and feminine dichotomy in terms of label and even firsthand perception. So, if you take a Yin and Yang sign for what it stands for metaphorically. You can basically keep zooming in and and in and in and out and out and out. And if, for example, you Zoom into the Yin of the the Yin and Yang sign (or vice versa)... you will find still more Yin and Yang signs. And you can keep zooming in (and out) forever. So, there is a broad strokes layer to which you can say some things are masculine and some things are feminine. But if you zoom in, you realize that there's ever more of those polar energies. So, you could say that everything is infinitely masculine and infinitely feminine OR infinitely Yang and infinitely Yin. Or you could say that because of this, there is not true Yin and Yang at all. The mind can't get it right because the mind doesn't work that way. It is similar to the concepts of Big and Small. Once you zoom in and continue zooming in, you pick up on different levels of bigness and smallness... until you realize that the idea is just a relative truth of the human perspective. And it's not that everything is infinitely big or everything is infinitely small. But that bigness and smallness is a false dichotomy that only exists for practical purposes to be used by the limited human mind. Big and small is only a lens for describing the practical human experience of the relative phenomena that that some objects are 'bigger' than others. But in the absolute no such distinction exists. It is the same way with any false dichotomy... masculine/feminine, big/small, up/down, internal/external, beginning/end, finite/infinite, free will/determinism, etc. etc. There are a zillion of these false dichotomies. Now, false dichotomies exist for a reason. And that's that it makes thing comprehensible to the human mind... which is inherently limited. And this is why paradox happens... because false dichotomies are false. But damn if they aren't useful in the practical arena. It's useful in the sense that you literally can't go through life in a functional way without adopting the perspective that big/small, up/down... and even masculine/feminine are relatively true. Life won't function well without the ability to adopt the lenses of certain false dichotomies. Reality become an abstraction and a wash without these relative truths but absolute falsehoods. And my primary goal in communicating with people is to meet them where they are, and give them new tools in their arsenal to deal with the challenges of life... specifically challenges of the psyche. Edit: Also, relative to the differences between a Kangaroo and a BMW... that exists on the relative level in terms of practical differences. But there are many other relative perspectives (and the absolute perspective) where there is no such distinction. So, in terms of raw perception of the visuals that are interpreted as Kangaroo and BMW... from the more scientific and materialistic level of truth, it's all just different frequencies that the eye picks up on because of light reflecting upon form. So, it's all just pixels on a screen. There is no separation or true distinction. If you take the absolute perspective, and you remove the assumption that there are eyeballs and brains and perceptions from sensory organs. And you remove the assumption that there is light and form and a phenomenal world that is separate from the individual you think of yourself as... it's all just experience. Experience playing out within consciousness. Just like everything within a dream is just dream-stuff. Everything within our reality is just God-stuff. If you could experience the Kangaroo and BMW in terms of sensation only and we had no inherent capacity for sight or sound, then we would recognize that within the sensory field the experience of the Kangaroo and BMW are just pure sensation. So, as somatic experience everything is the prima materia.

I do understand what you're saying. Mostly, what I've been doing in terms of practice has to do with experiencing the sensory field and the emotions that play out upon it in their full depth and breadth. So, I don't use the labels then, I just feel into my emotions and other bodily sensations. Just like, when I'm going to draw something realistically I detach from labels in order to see what's actually going on in front of me. Otherwise my depiction will be distorted by the ideas within the mind. So, my personal practice is about allowing and observation. Mind you, I'm no longer looking for the absolute because the attachment to that will keep me from it. Perhaps it will or won't happen in this lifetime, and that's okay. I am just seeking to cultivate deeper and more subtle levels of awareness, nothing more. Also, I figured that from the perspective of 'that which is', everything is perfect. So, accepting that permanent awakening may not be in the cards and seeing it as equally valid, puts me more into alignment with how 'that which is' orients toward everything. But in terms of how I teach, I try to give people the next right thing that they need to get out of certain traps or mindsets. And most people's next right thing is related to Masculine and Feminine integration as society is really at a crossroads in relation to these energies. Just like you might use the framework of Spiral Dynamics to give people the next right thing, I do the same with these insights. Basically, what I share in this moment is not necessarily what I'm focused on in particular as my form of inner work.

Have you ever had an experience of Divine Masculine or Divine Feminine? Years ago, I experienced the latter from the standpoint of being someone who was adamant that gender was a social construct. And the only word that felt anywhere near correct was to describe it as feminine. I understand that this is a metaphor. But the experience is empirically observable and it's a damn good metaphor. You'd know it if you experienced it. So, while you may be correct on the absolute. I'm not really talking about the absolute perspective. I'm talking about an empirical experience based in the phenomenal world. These subtle energies can be experienced with enough sensitivity. And it has just the same amount to do with mind as experiencing the wind blowing on a cold day or the burning sensation of putting your hand on a hot stovetop. So, your admonition to me sounds like you're saying something akin to, "There is no sun or ocean... only God. And if you're labelling something as sun and ocean, it is you (as God) who put that there." And while that's true on the absolute, that top shelf paradigm is woefully unhelpful to those who I was replying to. In fact, there's little to no efficacy about talking about the absolute at all. It just confuses and misleads those that aren't anywhere close to it. So, understand that I express this relative truth (based in empirical experience) in order to help those who resist their Feminine sides... as it is very common (especially among young men). And it puts them in a world of psychological hurt... as well as the women who experience the aftermath. So, the absolute paradigm isn't really helpful in this case. I recommend trying to get in touch with the Divine Feminine. It was beautiful, and I felt very connected to nature. I'm sure the Divine Masculine is amazing too. So, be careful not to invalidate relative truths, using your memory of experiencing absolute Truth in the past. The absolute Truth crystalized into an insight can cover over many important relative truths... as I'm sure you've experienced with your platform being what it is.

@Leo Gura This will explain what I'm referring to.

On the absolute level nothing has gender. But it is so, on the relative, that there are two subtle polar energies that imbue all things. And this is experienceable with enough sensitivity. So, you definitely didn't put it there either way. On the absolute level it isn't there and neither are you. So, you didn't put it there. On the relative level it is an empirically observable energetic phenomenon for those sensitive enough to pick up on the subtle energies. So, you didn't put it there. Now, the words masculine and feminine are metaphors (and the most accurate human metaphors) for the nature of those polar energies. But that label is you putting it there. So, in terms of semantics and labels you are correct. But you can also use Yin and Yang. Have you ever had an experience of Divine Feminine or Divine Masculine?

You mean the Hermetic Principle of gender... which states that everything has gender. That means that the masculine and feminine exist in everything... including rocks and stars and popsicles. So, this is why everyone is psychologically and energetically androgynous and has both masculine and feminine within themselves. And to be an integrated and highly developed person, we must accept both of our polarities. Thus, harkening to the Hermetic Principle of Gender within All actually goes against your interpretation of 100% binary gender and not for it. Integrate your Feminine side or face some serious psychological consequences.

It's a nice sentiment. But it concerns me. Be careful not to sacralize women. Women are human beings, capable of both positive and negative things, just as men are. My fear is that you may be projecting the idealized form of your Anima onto women... which also means that you'd be (at times) projecting the demonized form of the Anima onto women because that is just the natural outgrowth of sacralization. And this can be happening in the Shadow as well. So, you wouldn't necessarily be conscious of it. But it's the natural rubber band effect of female sacralization. And from there stems many of the problems that women face in society, as there are always men trying to compete with women and drag the sacralized female down off of some imaginary pedestal that they perceive... but it actually isn't there. It will also be very bad for your psychological well-being because it would make you susceptible to Anima disintegration and possession. Women in all their facets, are rendered invisible in society because of these positive and negative filters. And your compliment has my spidey senses tingling... thought I'm not 100% sure. A good litmus test to see if this message is integrative is to question whether you're referring to only the women you find attractive... as they resemble your image of the idealized/sacralized female. Are you also referring to octogenarians? Are you also referring to women you don't find attractive? Are you also referring to women that the collective would deem as "ugly"? If not, your compliment is just an outgrowth of female sacralization, and it points to some deep issues.

I've always been uncomfortable with the abortion debate because it's all very difficult to reconcile. I think both sides really suck, and there is no part of the issue that doesn't. That said, I'm very pro-choice. And I always had this intuition that it would be really dystopian and oppressive if the government came in and banned abortion. You'd see a rise in back-alley abortions, suicide, infanticide, and child abuse to force women to carry a child and give birth. And it would also lead to lots of abandoned children and children given up for adoption, which would add further weight to the foster care system which is already packed with unadopted kids. So, even though I agree that a fetus is a life in the general sense of the word, I think it's a much better solution to let women make their own decisions with their bodies. And that's because death really isn't the worst thing in the world. Suffering is. So, I think banning abortion would lead to more suffering... and likely just as many, if not more, deaths.

I'm a life-coach and I would say that one of the most helpful skills to have is the ability to intuitively come up with probing questions that leads the client down further into the obstacles to their goals. You should also understand a lot about human nature, be able to listen deeply (receptivity), and have the ability to read small cues from the other person intuitively. Now, generally, the ICF frowns upon advice giving and it's against their code of ethics. I personally think this simply exists for fear of being misconstrued as some other profession... as opposed to having to do with genuinely helping a client. Also, they probably expect that, since life-coaching is so broad, that the coach's advice wouldn't be based in expertise. That said, if you have an intuitive knowing about people through cultivating self-awareness and empathy, I think it can be helpful to share certain insights to show the client new platforms to look from that they probably wouldn't have considered on their own. But the most important thing in coaching is the ability to intuitively respond to clients' answers. So, it's something like this... Coach: So, what would you like to focus on in this session? Client: I've been having some trouble at work recently with my boss. Coach: What's the issue? Client: I feel like my boss isn't noticing my contributions. Coach: What makes you feel that way? Client: He never really acknowledges when I've done well? Coach: Is it your perception that he acknowledges others when they do well? Client: Yes. Coach: And how does that make you feel? Client: It makes me feel uneasy and like he doesn't want me working there. I'm afraid of getting fired. Coach: Do you think your assessment is accurate? Or do you think this fear arises for other reasons? Client: I'm not sure. Sometimes I think it's accurate and sometimes I think it might be my insecurities. Coach: Can you name for me another time in your life when you experienced similar insecurities? etc. Then, once the client has found some new conclusion that they weren't previously aware of, you and the client create an appropriate action step to address the obstacle or goal.

@Patrick Lynam Sexual energy can be experienced in any part of the body... the heart included. And with an open heart, it feels like bliss and love... usually directed to one's partner, as it is an expression of love instead of just pleasure. For men in general, there is a particular challenge because their sexual energy goes from the bottom up. So, it starts in the loins and then travels upward, where women's sexual energy begins in the head and travels downward. But the loins have the most gravity. So, a woman's sexuality begins in her mind travels to the heart and then to the loins. For a man, his sexual energy has the opposite path... starting in the loins, traveling to the heart, and then to the head. So, the energy works against "gravity" to reach the heart and head. What it may be is that your sexual energy is trying to move to the heart, but that there is either too much density to your energy... so "gravity" brings it down. Or the sexual energy could be beginning to reach your heart, and the discomfort you feel is a symptom of the heart opening... and the experiencing residual traumas from past events.

Firm disagree with Eckhart Tolle on this one. We are still very much Yang dominated.... which is why climate change as well as many inqualities still exist. The sixties saw an uprising of Yin in its negative form in terms of hedonism, and then those same people snapped back and retreated back into Yang. Also, the Feminist movement and other movements like that are still very much Yang. They have to be to actually make room for the rise of the divine feminine. Otherwise, we have an excess of corrupt Yang order that leads to an excess of Yin dissolution and chaos. But the current chaos exists for a very good reason, and that's so that new order can emerge. So, Eckhart is way off base in terms of his view on this particular subject. He's focused too narrowly to see the big picture of what's happening.

Fascism specifically refers to a group of people that think they're the superior people and deserve more than other ethnic/racial groups. That's definitely Red/Blue.

What I've found is that being able to both relax and contract is really helpful for climaxing. The problem before was that I'd just contract and contract and contract and contract, and there wouldn't be any opportunity for release without losing the build up and starting at ground zero. It can be difficult to learn to relax, especially when it's necessary to contract to feel enough pleasure for anything to happen. So, that's where I would start is just physically making yourself oscillate back and forth between tension and relaxation. And slow down a little bit. And from there really focus on the energy... building it up and relaxing.

Would you say that you clench up or hyper-focus on one spot (usually the clitoris). The thing that enables all these other types of orgasms is similar to what allows birth... contraction and relaxation. The difference is that, instead of passing a baby, you're passing energy. So, if the image is functioning as a way to hyper-focus and you have all your attention fixed upon one spot... then that's probably the issue. The key is to relax and become more diffuse and focus... and ebb and flow between tension (to build up the energy) and relaxation (to release the energy and let it flow).

I recommend finding lost of healthy replacements for things that you already enjoy. I'm doing a whole food plant based diet, so I eat everything that I would normally eat. I just use whole, plant-based ingredients which include fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and tubers. And then, I type it all into Cronometer to make sure that I'm hitting my macronutrient (carbs, proteins, fats) and micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) targets with my diet. Also, I don't really think Leo's soup is that healthy... unless you add a protein to it (like lentils, beans, or split peas) and a LOT less oil... ideally none.

As a life-coach myself, I recommend reading a few books on the topic first to get the general idea. Now, certification is not required because it's a new profession. But you'll want to be sure to mind the boundaries between life-coaching and psychology. So, it's important to know the distinction. But the certification and all that is not so important. There are only two things that are really important: Can you do the job well? Can you ask questions intuitively to promote self-exploration? Can you find clients on a consistent basis? The latter is the real killer for most coaches. Now, I make my living as a life-coach, ONLY because I had already created an international platform to find clients. I have a YouTube channel with over 30k subscribers. So, all I have to do is mention that I do life-coaching at the end of my videos to find clients. So, you'll want to set yourself up a social media presence through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (or ideally all four) so that you can give away a BUNCH of free content. Give it for the sake of putting value out into the world. But also know that it's your bait and your net for getting clients. Use it as an opportunity to show your skills. Life-coaching is not an easy sell anywhere. Very few make a living in the profession because they don't have a way to acquire clients. But if you build it, they will come.

Were you doing a guided breathwork? If so, which one?

This is the same as saying it's because of kind-hearted robbers deciding not to take your stuff, that you have your stuff in the first place. Therefore, thank the robbers for all the stuff you have.

@Dingo The way I fathom of my life purpose is to integrate all aspects of myself (on the individual level) and to use my knowledge of this integration to help there be more integration on the collective level. Metaphorically, in terms of Femininity, I view my role as to be a conduit for the Great Mother and to encourage the integration of the feminine (Yin), which has been suppressed from integration for many thousands of years... leaving society in a space of pain and aridity. And I try to heal and water this garden through cultivating a deep understanding of human nature and how consciousness grows. And then nurturing and teaching people from exactly where they are. This includes helping people (men and women) understand the nature of the feminine energy beyond the limited societal conscriptions around the feminine... which is the biggest obstacle to feminine integration. So, most people's association with the feminine is based around very few things... mostly beauty, sex, and motherhood. But these things are a drop in the gallon bucket of what femininity actually is. The inside view of feminine energy is all about connection, nature, integration, emotional awareness, stillness, darkness, mystery, compassion, relationship, the subconscious mind, and care for the Earth and all the creatures that crawl upon it. And I see it as my purpose to hold space for, understand, and nurture others and recognizing that all people are just as vulnerable as small children. So, the world is my baby, and I'm going to do my best to help it grow up healthy and strong. But I know I can only do this well in-so-far as all of myself is coming to the table. And it also depends on my masculine side to carve out space in the world for my feminine side. So, it is also my duty to integrate and nurture all aspects of myself, AND to develop my communication skills and forward moving energy as well. Ultimately, all well-developed people who have a life's purpose will need to integrate both their masculine and feminine aspects. Someone who only has their masculine side integrated will be able to express but won't have anything to express. Someone who has only their feminine side integrated will have things to express but won't be able to. The feminine is substance without movement. The masculine is movement without substance. You need both to develop yourself and to impact the world in a positive way.

It's "The Heroine's Journey" by Maureen Murdoch. It's a wonderful book that I read 6 or 7 years ago. It really helped me orient myself to my path. @Dingo

Well, your GF wants to keep the baby. So, you shouldn't try to get her to have an abortion or adopt as clearly she is set on it. So, you can either stay and be a dad, OR you can cut yourself out of their lives and pay child support from a distance. Those are your options. But honestly, I got pregnant when I was 21 and had my daughter at 22, and I've been able to do personal development and pursue my life's purpose just fine. And I'm the heavy-lifting parent out of me and my husband. Also, a great many of my friends had kids when they were 18. And they're doing fine. They have kids in middle school now. My daughter was a surprise to both of us. I wasn't scared. My husband was scared for a day but got used to it. And after we had the baby, it was like, "Honestly, is there anything that we're not doing now that we really want to do." And the answer was no. And having kids is so basic now.

I agree with this. Rule of law should prevail regardless of how it impacts the upcoming election for those on the Democratic side. But the reality of the matter is that rule of law won't be enforced because every single Republican will vote to keep Trump in office to avoid scorn from their constituents. So, the impeachment is a farce that parades itself as rule of law when everything is so partisan and done for political gain. So, nearly all Democrats voted for impeachment and all but one Republican (Amash) voted against impeachment in the house. Clearly, in a cut and dried case of corruption, everyone should be able to see that what Trump did was an impeachable offense. But even if they know that, it's too politically risky to vote for impeachment as a Republican because their constituents will vote them out of office. So, all Republicans (and in lesser degree some moderate Democrats in districts that went to Trump in the general election of 2016) have conflicts of interest in keeping the incumbent president. And if your jury has conflicts of interest in the case, you can't have a fair trial. And the process of impeachment itself within this system basically guarantees that the president will be acquitted in the senate because they need a 2/3 majority in favor of impeachment for the president to be impeached. And the disparity in the senate between Democrats and Republicans is never more than a handful of senators different. So, it basically guarantees that ANY president that gets impeached is highly unlikely to be impeached. I don't even know if Nixon would have been successfully impeached had he not resigned before-hand, to be honest. Everyone impeached in US history has always been acquitted in the senate.

Unfortunately, it will probably work in Trump's favor for the 2020 election. He's almost guaranteed to get acquitted by the senate because it has a Republican majority and it needs 2/3 of them to vote for impeachment. That would require at least 20 Republican senators to vote for impeachment which isn't going to happen. And when he's acquitted, it will stir sympathy and self-righteousness in his base causing even more of them (and some moderates) to come out in support of him in the general election. So, it's all just a bunch of smoke and mirrors by the Democrats, who want to appear tough on Trump to please constituents and tip the scales in favor of Trump if Warren or Sanders secure the Democratic nomination. All the while knowing that it won't do anything harmful to him.

Thank you and you're welcome! Glad to hear that my view on witches and witchiness in general was appreciated.

I think of a witchy woman as being one that is interested in the spiritual in direct connection to the Earth and our more natural/instinctual nature. So, there are a ton of women out there like that. Look in any place that celebrates the divine feminine.