-Rowan

I'd love to hear more opinions on whether these stage green type degree programs are worth it or not. I have an idea to do a masters degree in Consciousness, Spirituality and Transpersonal Psychology out of sheer interest but as you guys have pointed out there's many pros and cons to degree programs. However, I feel like there is a trend to bash degrees now, obviously yes you can learn these things from the internet, but I also feel as transpersonal psychology is a relatively new field to have established degree programs in, the way the programs might be structured by people who have been in the field for decades may be worth it. What do you think? Potential Pros of Consciousness Related Degree Programs: A structured course led by professors who have been in the field for years, their expertise would likely filter down into the quality of the program and how it is structured A qualification in this ever-increasing field (as we enter into stage green) helps to establish yourself in the marketplace against competition Genuine enhanced levels of personal development depending on the programs structure and it's modules A solid theoretical foundation Opportunities to explore niches within this developing field (Transpersonal Ecopsycology, Transpersonal Coaching, using a masters project/ dissertation as a small bet) Access to tutors and mentors who have developed mastery in the field. Potential Cons of Consciousness Related Degree Programs: Pricing (Although online programs can be significantly cheaper than on-campus type program) Over-theorizing (Although I have seen many programs have very solid practice based modules) The bad side of Academia (The standard academic approach to things not being improved on) Perhaps less guidance on career direction afterward (Although many programs I have seen do try and emphasize its practicality) Time & Energy Investment I'm trying to balance out the pros and cons here, as I know there is a tendency to bash degree programs. What do you guys reckon?

Wow, that’s awesome. Thank you so much!

+1 For this idea, I also haven't done psychs and I feel a proper coverage of what "integration" is would be extremely valuable.

Would such a psychedelic be useable by newbies if using a very small dose? Similarly to how many people take smaller doses of DMT or 5meo and slowly build up?

Hi there all, A fairly long post but any answers would be GREATLY appreciated! So I bought the LP course at the start of 2018 and was doing well up until the zone of genius contemplation questions. Basically, I've been stuck on figuring out my zone of genius for over a year and the frustration with this section has led to a lot of procrastination. I got up to the Z.O.G questions last year when I was in the 2nd year of University. I've been working hard at uni and I'm expecting to get a 1st at the end of the year as I'm almost finished with the course. I know working on university work isn't an excuse for the procrastination but I've felt really bad because I've been contemplating and re-doing the exercises on and off for over 6 months. I've even re-done all the videos and exercises up until that point, refining my strengths and values to feel like I wasn't wasting time. My problem is I just can't seem to put down an answer to the zone of genius question that feels truly authentic and really like it is MY zone of genius. I have a lot of answers, but none of them seems to really really resonate with me and make me say "It's definitely this". Sure, I have good strengths, but I can't seem to get that "oh yeah, obviously my zone of genius is THIS." Moment. I'm starting to wonder if it's an age/life experience thing. Leo also mentioned it took a lot of life experience for him to figure out his zone of genius, and I'm starting to wonder if it's just a question of me not having sampled enough experiences in life yet? I'm 21 and although the course has brought out a lot of good ideas and content, I feel like maybe I haven't had the right experiences to say "yes, this is my zone of genius." and have it feel super authentic and like it is THE answer. I'm starting to doubt if you can even nail these answers to one thing, as I see a lot of others on the forum struggling with the LP course. I've tried to answer these questions and think about them well, even using LSD microdosing and a light 80ug trip to get into the zone and contemplate the questions, which did prove somewhat useful. I'm in a bit of a rut because, in the course, Leo says "Take as long as you want, take half an hour if you have to" and I've been trying to get this section nailed for months. It's only because I really want to nail this section. Here's my latest draft: Unique Ability question: · My Humour + Playfulness * · Creative idea generation * · Love of learning * · Creative solutions · Seeing life from a different perspective · Diligence/Perseverance/Patience · Writing/Language skills · Creative solutions · Organization and research skills · Connecting the big picture concepts · Friendliness Due to my own frustration in trying to get this section done, I just decided to go ahead with the best thing that I could come up with at the time and follow through the questions as If this was the best answer. This did give me some sense of excitement, which is good progress, but I still feel that my humour is forced sometimes and I'm having some resistance to committing my zone of genius down to that skill, especially since my current domain is music technology and my entire life has generally followed a music path since I was 10 - and I thought my zone of genius would be inside that area. The "I'm the best" question Answer: Being Funny, Playful and Light-hearted, Making Myself and Others Laugh* · Being Funny, Playful and Light Hearted, Making Myself and Others Laugh · Exploring in Nature · Generating Musical Ideas and Writing Music · Generating creative ideas · In nature / Feeling connected to nature / Exploring in Nature · Exercising · Energized & Aware · Listening to / Feeling Inspired by Music · Learning / Growing · Explaining personal development The "exact thing" question Using my intuition and creativity to recontextualize a situation or reality, violating expectations of that situation or reality, causing a sudden shift in perspective that releases tension and makes myself and others feel light-hearted joyous and playful. (Reading back this makes me cringe, it's far too Abstract, not a specific skill, however, keep in mind I was just 'rolling with it' at this point to see what would come out) The "love most" question I love the feeling of transcendent freedom and playfulness and release from the seriousness of life, seeing it from a higher perspective, feeling like life is perfect and I am free. I love the release of tension from viewing life from this playful transcendent perspective and the afterglow of freedom, lightheartedness and wellbeing that I carry into mine and others lives. This did give me somewhat a sense of excitement in getting those sentences out and reading it back feels quite authentic. Working in the course I am happy to have linked up 3 main domains that appear in my life career-wise all have a link. Music, Humour, and Spirituality/Personal Growth which have been my 3 main domains to appear in my life are all linked by this virtue of Transcendence, which is probably what I've been after for a long time. This is a great insight, but I still don't quite believe that humour is my authentic zone of genius. I suppose anyone would think that humour is the right direction for the zone of genius. I'm just feeling resistance to say that my sense of humour is my zone of genius, its one of my top strengths but it doesn't feel like it's my TOP skill (even with all the indicators that it is) Is this just resistance? Or is my gut right, that there's something I'm even better at doing than just making people laugh etc. My frustration with getting a solid answer that I am really certain about has led me to doubt the course in some places and whether 'figuring out' an LP is even possible. Even my brother was saying how no one can figure themselves out like this, he thinks I was overthinking it all and sometimes I think that too. But I'm committed to completing this course thoroughly even if I've had it for over a year. I see the value in having a solid direction especially at a younger age like me but I just feel frustrated with not feeling 100% committed to the answers. What are your thoughts on this? Will it take time for me to be able to answer this question with more life experience? Do I stop doing the course until I have more life experience? Is this all bullshit I'm telling myself? Do I go with humour as a zone of genius? I feel embarrassed to have still not completed the course, but any ideas would be thoroughly appreciated. Is this a normal part of the process or am I doing it wrong? Thank you for reading the long post and helping a young guy figure himself out All the best, Rowan

@Elisabeth Thank you so much for taking the time to read and for your reply. It's just what I needed to hear. I agree I think I will for now leave Zone of genius a little fuzzy and work on impact statement. It's not that humor doesn't feel right, as its definitely one of my best strengths, but I feel like there's got to be something that I'm better at than that. Yes, I also noticed a clear link between these 3 main domains that have been in my life since I was young - music, humor, nature, personal development/spirituality are all linked by the virtue of Transcendence, so I am happy with discovering that. I'm definitely zoning in on a domain. Thanks for the reply. I do think I'm onto something with the transcendent link between things but I will work on impact statement, for now, to make sure I don't procrastinate any longer. Again, thank you for the reply, it is greatly appreciated

Happy Birthday for Yesterday, Leo! Thank you for everything.

Do you not have a favorite Music Producer you admire? Jens Bogren? Max Martin? Andrew Schepps? Any film music producers?

Ahh, the great summers of High School and University! Sounds like you're doing quite a lot to be fair. I would recommend working through the Life Purpose course if you haven't done that. It's perfect timing for you. I've been procrastinating on the course and getting stuck here and there because of my Uni work taking up a lot of time. However, won't be long till I'm finishing up my final year. I'll be using that time to complete the course. Use this summer and do the LP course if you haven't yet! Also, you could easily get a part-time job for a bit of extra money. Doesn't have to be too much, maybe a few days a week?

@Mikael89 Aren't you the incel guy who was just ranting over how you would never get a girlfriend and that love wasn't a universal experience and all that redpill/ blackpill shit? Is that thought not "impermanent/bullshit/not real" ?

@Cocolove Thanks for the reply. No, before I started Kriya I was doing 1-hour watch the breath meditation. So now I just do my Kriya session which is one hour or thereabouts. Yeah, I've read people recommending a few techniques from the Gamana book, which I haven't yet checked out. I'll probably just need to keep going with it and I'll look into getting the book and implementing the techniques he says. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm on day 100 of Kriya, having just started to incorporate KP3 from J.C Stevens Book in the routine. I've read a lot on this thread about people having some small experiences (laughing uncontrollably, body twitches etc) and maybe some people having bigger realizations. I haven't experienced anything yet I know, I am only just getting started really, and I'm only on day 100 of 365 (goal is to try it out for a year obviously) but I seem to be having slower progress. I definitely feel a subtle stilling of the mind, but nothing huge. Sometimes people talk about "feeling a surge of energy in the spine" or doing the pranayama up to Bregma as "too powerful", I don't get any of that, and only very occasionally feel a slight "adrenaline" type feeling around my lower back (Svadistana posterior area, but not exactly 'on the chakra'). I also don't see myself making 'more conscious choices', for example, I still have poor impulse control when I see a vending machine and usually fall into the temptation of grabbing a chocolate bar. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong? I wouldn't say I'm noticing no benefits or effects whatsoever, but I feel like my progress is slower compared to you guys, however obviously this isn't deterring me at all, and I'm enjoying Kriya as a method so far, but no direct experience yet to suggest "this is powerful" sort of thing. I can't do Kechari Mudra yet, perhaps that's something? I'll be going over an revising the techniques that Stevens outlines but I'm sure I'm following them all very accurately. Any thoughts are really appreciated. Thanks, Rowan

Acoustically Treated Room Speaking Voice Well Prepared High-Quality mic such as Neumann U89 Strong signal going into a High-Quality Audio Interface such as a Focusrite Octopre Professional mixing with a high-quality EQ plugin such as the UAD Cambridge High-Quality Compressor such as an 1176 or LA-2A software plugin Any other processing such as subtle width enhancement, noise gating Rendering your recording as a .WAV That should have you covered. Sincerely, An Audio Engineer type

The concept album experience is awesome No problem. Trust that you can make money from music, plenty of it, it simply requires a creative and innovative new business model, a structure to effectively monetize that either hasn't been done before or isn't used often. People who don't make money from music are the ones who aren't thinking creatively. You can't say what that model might be until that creative insight hits you!

As a student of a music-related subject currently studying the industry (in the UK), there are TONNES of ways to generate money from music. There are thousands of potential new business models, and new ways and schemes of monetizing music are popping up all over the place. Yes, the live industry in the backbone of the industry, but traditional models of making money are constantly changing. Labels are in their death rattles. It's all about finding a unique, creative new business model. Did you know that in the 2008 crash, the UK music industry actually GREW? That's a small detail that many don't know. I'm sorry I can't find the source right now, but it is true. The whole "there's no money in music" is totally false. It's there, it's just disguised in different business models and income streams. The value of music, especially popular music, will always be there. But the monetization structures to turn that intangible value of music into a tangible income are constantly evolving. Think a few years back to when Radiohead released their album for free on a pay what you want basis, and ended up generating the most gross income from an album that they ever had. Think about premium quality merch generating 20-30x the revenue of a traditional CD sale. There are new business models popping up all over the place, all you have to do is be creative and create the next one that nobody saw coming. THink about all the musicians making a living from streaming, or from youtube, or from only doing one or two live shows. The coolest marketing model I've seen this year is the case of 'Threatin'. One guy faking his entire online existence played to exactly 0 people in London. The promoters got suspicious. Long story short, the mystery of threatin has now resulted in thousands of new fans. Read about it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/jered_threatin Think about global markets. China, Japan and India are extremely lucrative markets for music right now. The UK big labels are testing out breaking bands into China, due to the sheer population and the number of cities. If you generate a hit in China, think about the streaming revenue due to the sheer population. Think about the scale of the tour. You could tour the whole of China for a year there are so many huge cities and music venues. Japan has always valued music. A Swedish guitarist called Yngwie Malmsteen in the '80s made millions by serving his Japanese market for a short while. I also noticed you loved writing stories. Maybe you could become a specialist in Concept Albums. If you don't know, concept albums are usually long pieces of music that follow a long-movie like a story structure. All of my favorite albums are concept albums. One album is over an hour and a half long and follows one musical story. It's so emotive, it has so many ups and downs, it's like you're being transported into a movie. It makes me feel so many emotions. It's great. You could write extremely creative stories, tailored to being applied to music. You could build up a brand, and artists from a range of genres might consult you, or you could design a purpose-built story or concept. Thousands of artists consult songwriters, but there are fewer people specializing in lyrics. Even less in creating epic, long stories to be applied to a musical context. That's just a quick idea that came to mind. People who buy Vinyls, Cd's, physical old style merch, are usually the same people who like to sit down to an album and consume it in full, which are usually the same people who are fans of Concept Albums. Sorry for the long post but I feel with my knowledge in this area I could guide you a bit. In summary: There are endless ways to monetize anything. There are new business models being generated and being successful by the day. Don't get trapped in "oh no how will I make money selling my music". Focus on the art, blend your strengths and passions no matter how niche it might seem. Create the value, and with some creative and innovative thinking, you can be incredibly successful. EDIT: I'm also working my way through the course. I'm currently trying to settle on my authentic zone of genius before moving onto the the next series of videos. I might post in the Life Purpose section for help or thoughts. All the best with the course.

Just an idea but would love to see a blog video, even if it’s half baked, on an updated “how to set goals” type New Years special. Im interested to see if Leo’s goal setting advice is the same or if there is any more wisdom to be shared in this area All the best, and Merry Christmas! Rowan

Great discussion which I think more attention should be brought to. My brother is a top spec electronics engineer based in Dublin, and has been discussing the dangers of 5G and 6G networks being developed, and how they can cause “burning sensations” in the membrane of arm hair folicles due to the frequency in GHZ being resonant on that part of the body, amongst other techy terminology that I don’t understand ? So I’m definitley being more cautious and open to more research about the health detriment around WiFi, 4/5G and other intangible signals. Cool thread, let’s keep the research coming

I thought listening to music on a trip was just an entertainment thing that took away from the spiritual work? I've never tripped, just wondering if Leo has changed his mind on this

I’m from the North of England but I’d definitely come down to London!! Awesome idea!

Cannot recommend Habitica Enough for tasks, habits, to-dos and daily activities. I must have been using it for 2+ years now. Gamified Task Manager. It's great. A better note taker than Evernote: Notion. I use both app and laptop app. Moment - Helps me reduce my screen time. Hold - A great app, only for students though, where the longer you go without your phone = the more points you can rack up. Spend points on a range of real-life prizes.

Hi all, How do you know if someone is investing too much time on a daily basis into personal development work? I'm not feeling burnout at all, but I tend to put all of my personal development work into a daily routine. I've started to feel like this can make my days repetitive though. Currently, I'm doing my 3rd-year Uni work, daily 1-hour meditation, learning Kriya Yoga, working on a blog, learning a language, (trying to do) the life purpose course and journalling on a daily basis. Also, I'm putting in effort into super healthy eating, setting up a healthy sleep schedule, and I'm looking into heading to the gym 3 times a week. If I'm not feeling burnout, this is good, right? Or does anyone else have the same thought that maybe each day can become too repetitive and monotonous? If anything, I am making use of my higher than average free time to work ratio as a student. Should I be doing my P.D work on a daily basis, or focusing on a different thing on a weekly basis? I originally thought that doing things daily would be the most effective way of doing P.D, but now I'm wondering if you guys divide it up differently? Perhaps I should be focusing on one thing totally for one week, then some other things a different week? This would exclude standard daily habits such as Meditation + Learning Kriya. I feel as though I might be slipping up on the life purpose course. I've got to the impact statement bit but I can't come up with a solid answer. I am looking into maybe microdosing lsd and doing a brainstorming session on this, however. Any thoughts on how you divide up your P.D work would be highly appreciated. All the best, Rowan

@Mu_ Thanks Mu, that's really helped me out. I agree, I think its about switching up the routine slightly, staying aware of the neurotic feeling, but just adapting the routine/what I work on to keep it sustainable. This has really helped. I can change up what I'm working on through the week, I don't have to do 'x' things every single day. I'll loosen up a little, but make sure to keep the essential practices. Once again, thank you so much, it is much appreciated, Rowan

The first band I thought of reading your post was a group called The Contortionist. Their older albums are bit tech-metal style, but they had a very popular album called language, which really resonated with people. Take a look at the lyrics and get to know about the band. There was even a snippet of Alan Watts on one of their tracks, which was pretty cool. Check this out:

What are my goals? Well, obviously my uni work has to be done to get this degree, although I wouldn't say it takes up a HUGE amount of time, especially if you chip away at it every day. With the Life Purpose course, I'm obviously looking for a life purpose - I like the current work I'm doing now and do enjoy it, but I'm not sure its much of a solid purpose. Meditation and Kriya for raising the quality of my consciousness. The thought "I'm doing too much" has only come up a couple times, I feel like it could just be a form of resistance or wanting to be lazy. Although how do I balance that with not being neurotic and repetitive? Am I not making progress. Well, I'm doing well at uni, I feel like I need to complete the LP course and go over it again with a fine tooth comb to solidify it, I want to know that life-long direction I'll be heading in after the comforts of uni life is gone, haha. I have a solid final year project I'm working on too, sort of in conjunction with a big company in my field who are based in Sweden. I feel like if I really nail the project, that could potentially lead to something. But no guarantees there. The blog, I've had decent immersion into WordPress on one of my 1st-year modules and I have good writing skills, so I thought I'd make use of that. I'm also sort of testing it as possible means of making some side income. Its sort of an experimental thing, although I like where it's going. You make a good point though, Mu, I do consider myself patient, but maybe I'm not appreciating/seeing results just yet with things. Although for P.D stuff I've been doing for a longer stretch of time, like meditation and learning a language, I've been happy with my progress there. I think it might be a case of me needing to prioritize what I work on. I know I can put a lot of things into every day, and that's good, but I don't want to be too neurotic and mechanical about it. Apologies for the long reply, haha @Gabriel Antonio Maybe I would say a little pressure, but that's more a positive motivation thing. I know how good life can get by doing a lot of P.D, but of course, maybe there is that side that saying "if you don't' do this, your life will be bad." I'm sure others have experienced that before. Don't get me wrong, I'm not feeling burn out or tired of the work, but I am aware that my days might just be mechanical and I might be missing out by not being a bit more spontaneous. I'm not hyper mechanical or Aspy, trust me, but I do wonder if significant results will come. I think what a possible solution is, is just to prioritize what I want to work on. For example, I can put duolingo down for a bit. What do you guys think? Do you guys have a fairly compact routine? Do you allow yourselves weekends to just do a little less? I suppose the main issues are, how do you prioritize you P.D work, and space it out so that you can still be doing the same "level" of work, without grinding the same packed routine every day. Or should we be putting more into our days? It's hard to see where a good balance is. I'm wondering if there are more effective ways of spacing out P.D work than just "add this into your daily routine, add this into your daily routine" ad infinitum. There probably is Thanks for the answers and for reading, it is really appreciated.

I’d love to see a more realistic style to these travel shows. Usually we get to see the best of the best of each place, in a super high quality camera with the best shots consisting of the best 3-4 seconds each. It would be great to have a more realistic/authentic style. Like how long it took you to get to places. What the weathers like. How long/how much planning it takes to do awesome stuff. Do you understand what I’m saying? Lots of travel shows are edited to fuck with the best bits. But it would be good if we could judge a location with some more authentic style documentation and film.