Emerald

All cats, big and small, are obligate carnivores. So, that probably really isn't good for the lion to go Vegan. But human beings can. I am Vegan myself. But it's important to give the kitties what they need.

Actually, when I first found Leo's videos... I was like, "Holy Crap! There's another one!" I was shocked to find someone so similar to me. And it was ultimately the fact that Leo was making videos, that made me consider starting my own channel. I had always wanted to share my perspective, and had even fantasized about being a philosopher-type as a teenager, but thought "Nah... I have to be practical." But as time has gone on, I've met a lot of people who are similar to me through my channel. So, I feel less uncanny about my similarities to Leo. But no worries. I definitely am just a person, who is working class going about my working class existence. Kind of socially awkward and kind of nerdy. Leo and I have never met, and I just film stuff out of my bedroom with no affiliation with anyone else but myself. Now, of course, that's exactly what someone in a secret organization would say. But it is true what I'm saying. I'm a one man band.

Even the darkest traits come from innocent roots. So, perhaps you have some aspect of yourself that have been repressed away into the shadow and away from you conscious mind and that aspect uses narcissism to cope with being repressed or various traumas or unmet needs. And perhaps, this is why you're so attracted to women who have these traits. Sex with women that resemble that repressed aspect of yourself if very symbolic of communion and wholeness, so it would make sense for you to be attracted to women like that. But keep in mind that the narcissism is just a coping mechanism that that rejected aspect uses, and not a quality that is inherent to that aspect. So, it's not about integrating narcissism. It's about integrating the aspect of you that has been coping with some trauma or unmet need by being narcissistic. The narcissism is a tool and not an inherent trait. And if you are able to integrate that aspect of yourself and meet its needs, then the narcissism will become an obsolete coping mechanism. And it will naturally fall away. And you will no longer be so into narcissistic women as a result, as there is not need to project your own unmet needs onto them. Another example of this would be if someone has repressed something like greed. And if that person decides to shadow work, they might be perplexed and say "Am I really supposed to integrate greed?" But that's not the point. There is no need to express greed to integrate that shadow. What must be understood is that there's actually an inner aspect of themselves that's using greed as a coping mechanism. Perhaps, as a child, they experienced trauma around not having enough. So, that inner child aspect is still coping with that perceived lack through the vehicle of greed. But the inner child is not inherently greedy. It's a coping mechanism.

You can't get any girl you want. But you can increase your chances of being successful with women in general. But the most amount you'll become successful is 10% of women willing to sleep with you, and 1% that are head over heals for you... though you'll only hurt them if you act like a Playboy toward those in that 1%. I recommend focusing toward the 9% that are attracted to you and willing to sleep with you but not the 1% that are crazy about you... unless you're looking for an actual relationship. Now, this may seem like a bummer that you can never be universally attractive to all women, but that's actually a lot of women. But this reality check is necessary if you want to have a clear idea of the reality of the situation, and not get swept into a fantasy that just exists in movies really.

I just released my first video, if you're interested... A bit blurry because my camera had some issues with it and I had to film on my computer instead. I hope you like it

I'm not sure if this is the right subforum to post this, but I wanted to start a discussion here about Tarot. I think The Tarot is a very helpful tool for looking at things from different angles than we're used to. And this is because it engages the part of our mind that's more visual and narrative as opposed to logical and linear. So, it's kind of like an archetypal language that can be mixed and matched to create new stories that pertain to the experience of being human. I'd be interested in what other people's experiences are relative to interests in or using the Tarot.

Awesome! My email is thediamondnetchannel@gmail.com if you have any questions.

That would be a very unethical way to use Tarot cards... or any spiritual tool/teaching. There are a lot of vulnerable people out there. And there does exist many spiritual teacher (and probably Tarot readers as well) that want power/money/etc. from keeping these people dependent on them. Always be cautious of spiritual teachers/and others who try to tell you that they're your only source of insight. Always remember that wisdom is always internal, even if others can help you retrieve it.

From what I've seen, there are many different philosophies around Tarot reading. For some, it's a tool for divination, and it can be used in the way that you mentioned. But that's not true for me because I don't possess psychic abilities. Instead, I use it as a tool for the querent and I to use while we explore the topics that get lit upon in relation to the cards. So, it's more collaborative like life-coaching. But there are many different ways to look at it. For some, it's a parlor trick. For others, it's fortune telling. For others, it's usuing divination to get clarity. And for others, like myself, it's an archetypal framing device for life's patterns. And I'm sure there are many more perspectives than that.

You're welcome.

I've actually found quite a few people who are interested in the Tarot from a Jungian perspective. It really just depends on how you present it. Also, what helps for me, is that I have a YT channel where I present somewhat "Woo" topics from a perspective that's more palatable to those who identify with rationalism. I'm like a gateway woo...

I reread it again. I apologize. But I don't see it as a cognitive bias. I just mis-read something and I mis-read it multiple times. No need to be passive aggressive.

I have seen that deck but I don't have it. It has some very nice illustrations to it. Normally, when I choose a card, I tend to just imagine that reality is creating a kind of synchronicity through the cards. So, no matter which card is draw, I begin with the assumption that it's relevant. But I do it by feel when I shuffle and cut the deck... and choose the significator card. I get a feel for it. But sometimes it's visual for me too.

So, what you're saying is that Veganism is the "single largest driver responsible for environmental degradation, human health degradation and economic inequality/food insecurity that we see all over the world today." How do you even take yourself seriously? How can a diet that less than 1% of the global population follows be the single largest driver of anything?

Thank you! I'll start releasing videos on it next Sunday.

Absolutely. I think it's very important to read the cards based on an awareness of what all the elements within the card represent as opposed to just the general meaning. And it's these small elements in the card, that can jump out to you and help you find new paths to think through. For example, I was doing a reading for a fellow Tarot enthusiast and he had asked the question of "What are the deeper implications of the Tower card in relation to my life and life in general?" And I had begun the reading kind of scratching my head about how the cards relate back to The Tower. But then, I noticed that the very first card that I drew was the 2 of Wands, which depicts a man at a high vantage point, overlooking the land with a globe in his hand that is yellow and red instead of blue and green. And the typical meaning that I take from this is that he's keeping himself from the world because his worldview is distorted. And he's too attached to his own worldview. And I could only somewhat make this fit with the meaning of The Tower card... which tends to represent the breaking down of systems and the chaos that ensues. But then I realized, that the man in the 2 of wands is standing up on top of a Tower. It's an obvious detail but I had overlooked it at first. So, I could then see that there is a connection in that, when the Tower falls in someone's life, it brings them from illusion and the high and safe place that they're used to look from... all the way down to the ground. And often painfully, as when we are attached to our worldviews and ideas about the world, it is painful to have those illusions and security blankets stripped away from us. It is the meaning of disillusionment. But it also allows us to have a closer experience of life. And it allows us to experience instead of just being intoxicated by the illusion of knowing.

There is always an element of danger when it comes to things of a spiritual nature. And this is specifically the danger of becoming ungrounded. If we are trees, and the mind/spiritual represents our branches and fruit and the mundane/emotional represents our roots... then if we are too focused toward our branches without developing our roots, the three can become uprooted. So, it's very important to have a stable relationship with reality and mundane existence before engaging in anything spiritual. But yes, the I-Ching is very similar in that it's a probabilistic system for mirroring meaning back to us. The same is true of cloud gazing, reading tea leaves, and doing Rorschach tests.

The thing that I think is so powerful about the Tarot is that it engages our connection with the archetypes of the collective unconscious. Each card in the Rider-Waite deck (which is the deck most people learn on), corresponds to a pattern within human life that applies to all people. So, using these images, gives us a more intuitive perspective on these cycles we experience throughout our lives. It's similar to how myths teach us about life in a non-linear and non-rational way that is more engaged with emotions and our story-teller nature. This was always how we learned prior to the discovery of rational, scientific, and linear thinking modes. Now, this is not to knock any of those ways of thinking. But we can be quite neglectful of our primary learning mechanism, which is through visuals and hearing stories. So, the Tarot is like a probabilistic mix and match myth, that you can use as a map and framing device to derive meaning from in a similar way to how people would learn from myths, fables, and fairy tales.

I recommend "The Ultimate Guide to Tarot" by Liz Dean. In the beginning part it talks about all the different systems within the Tarot that will really help your readings. There are suits, numbers, colors, astrological signs, correlation between Major and Minor Arcana cards, etc. Once you know these systems, you can read more intuitively, as opposed to just memorizing the meanings of each card separately (though I do recommend this as well).

I plan to make a video or two on my channel. But I also just opened up a second channel specifically for exploring into the Tarot. Here is the link if you'd like to subscribe... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ9MsKTslg8bSAktOz-tZfg I don't have any content on it yet, but I'll start releasing videos on my original channel and my Tarot channel later on this week.

Great points. I always think it's important to approach everything with an open mind, but also an open hand. I know that a lot of people can use something like the Tarot to get attached to it as a tool or attached to its outcomes. I think, using it as a guide, and taking it with a grain of salt is the wisest thing to do. It's more effective that way anyway, because your mind will be able to let go more and you'll be able to shift more into that intuitive space.

It could work. I've actually seen people do Tarot readings with Uno cards before, for yes and no questions. There is a correlation between the swords, wands, cups, and pentacles suits in the Tarot and the spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds respectively. So, all you'd have to do is to see those connections and know the meaning behind the numbers, aces, and the court cards. The Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings are related to the Jacks, Queens, and Kings in the deck. But no card represents the pages, so it's a little different. Also, the Jokers relate to the Fool card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. But otherwise, the other Major Arcana are not represented. So, you could definitely read the Tarot, though it would be more limited and it wouldn't engage the narrative mind of archetypes, since there's not a lot of visuals to latch onto with a typical playing card deck.

It's similar to that. But it's often much more open. The way I work, is usually that I have the person draw the first card at random. It's the significator card, which means it represents themselves in their current state. Then, I share the general meaning of the card, and ask them if it resonates with them and how. And from there, I pull the other cards in the spread using that same narrative thread from the significator, as I'm using the visuals of the cards to FIND the story that comes into my intuition. But I am not a psychic. So, it's really about me using the connections that I see, to see if they fit with the other person. It's really them that has all the answers, and I'm just there to help them see it from different perspectives and to teach insights through the vehicle of the cards that are helpful in regard to the situation at hand.

Actually, I've thought the same thing. I do both life-coaching and Tarot reading (both as lines of work), and they're quite similar. The main difference with the Tarot, in facilitating a person to find their own answers is that you're using a visual framing device, that has a more direct link to the archetypal/narrative aspects of the mind. So, the Tarot is a lot like a vehicle that can drive you to aspects of the mind that you would have a much harder time reaching without that vehicle. The difference between trying to walk across the desert versus driving.

I agree with your perspective in this way. Basically, these archetypal images are always relevant to our lives in some way, as we're always running through these cycles in some form or another. So, no matter which card you draw, you can find a connection to it. And through finding that connection, a deeper understanding can emerge. Personally, don't get very interested in Tarot through a divination perspective... though I don't rule it out. I do like to assume a sense of synchronicity, but this is less important to me. My interest is more in line with helping the mind pick up on meanings and patterns that it typically wouldn't, to give better insight to either me or the querent. It's kind of like how a fable works. So, you can tell someone not to lie... or you can tell them the fable of the "Boy Who Cried Wolf". And since people are natural story tellers and our first language is the visual language, we can imagine the consequences of those actions as opposed to just knowing them rationally. So, it engages more of the heart and the intuitive faculties than just the intellect.