Forestluv

Ahhh, interesting idea. Do you think the “if you want it to be” part is necessary? What if we rephrase it to “if you imagine it to be”?

Just some cowbell from a tentacle to spice things up ? ? ?

@Elliots Mind I also contemplated this after watching the video. This is what arose for me. . . good/bad is a deeply ingrained thought/emotional dualism that I don’t think it’s the best to deconstruct. I think something like perfect vs. imperfect has much less attachment/identification and easier ti deconstruct. In relative terms, perfect and imperfect have many different meanings. And it isn’t bimodal. For example, is a painting “perfect”. Well there are many ways to define perfect and within each definition there will be many nuances. Now if we consider Absolute Perfection - that is that Everything is Perfect. How can it not be? It is what it is. For a mind to say it’s “imperfect” we need to set ip dualistic standards in what perfect and imperfect is. . . Could we use a more neutral term? Rather than saying Absolute Perfection, could we say Absolute ISness? Everything simply IS. I’m cool with that, yet there is an essence lost by shifting away from the term Absolute Perfection. That term really puts contrast on the relative dualism of perfect/imperfect in a way that Absolute ISness does not. . . . So, could we call it Absolute Imperfection? To me, this is one step further away from the Truth than Absolute Perfection. To me, the term Absolute Imperfection introduces an assumption: that things “should” be a different way to be perfect. To me, Absolute Perfection does not carry that same underlying assumption and for this reason can point a mind toward observing it’s own attachments/identification to the underlying dualistic assumptions. I’m not saying your idea is “wrong”. The same idea arises in my mind and above are just some ideas that arose during contemplation. And cool avatar. How I wish I could play a guitar on stage like that ☺️

@abrakamowse @Soul-lover 2020 Yes, this side discussion of biblical interpretation is well off the OP theme. Please continue the discussion via PM or start a designated thread to this topic. If you do so, please avoid religious proselytizing as that is against forum guidelines.

A storms a brewin’. Batten down the hatches, Margi.

One’s own subjective sense of being mindful and the psychological dynamics of believing one is mindful can be a contracted mindset that hinders deeper and more expansive awareness. For a moment, let go of “me” and “you”. Notice here how the mind dismissed a pointer to expand. The mind concluded it was already mindful for a long time and dismissed the pointer as irrelevant. This mental dynamic will keep a mind contracted. There is nothing wrong with that, yet to expand a mind would need to let go of that narrative, get curious and explore.

And two sides of a coin. And one inter-connected side. And two partial sides with an infinite number of partial connections in an infinite number of dimensions. And no sides. And no coin. And magic. And no magic. And partial magic of infinite forms connected to non-magic. . . Relativity is fun stuff, it’s both ordinary and magical. If there was only magic, there would be no magic. Unless of course we venture into Absolute Magic. . . ?‍♂️ ?

I used the term “you” in a personal context, since it seems like your mind-body is undergoing a psychological dynamic trying to make sense of this conceptually. In other words, it seems like there is a sense of “you” trying to figure itself out. The term “free will” is tricky, imo. One can deeply contemplate the meaning of “free” and “will”. The human mind likes to think in dualistic opposites: “me or no-me”, “free-will or no free will”. The mind tends to grasp to one extreme; “wait a second, if fee-will doesn’t exist, than that must mean there is no free will”. The mind may then try to grasp at a simple no-free-will model, yet cannot embody it, because that’s not quite right either. Then back and forth the mind goes, debating with itself and others. And it never sees the inter-relatedness and nuances of the two opposites. As well, the two opposites will get re-enforced and will never collapse into each other full circle. You wrote “Everything that happens, happens”. At one level, that statement is quote liberating, peaceful and magnificent. Yet I don’t get the sense that your mind-body experiences liberation and peace with that realization. What filter does that realization go through that causes you mind-body distress? Imagine observing what IS with the knowing that “Everything happens, happens”. Whatever is happening right now is happening, There is no distress in that. . . What occurs in your mind-body that is associated with discomfort? What is the step from the liberation and peace of “Everything that is happening is happening” to mind-body distress? . . . It may seem trivial to the mind, yet the direct experience of working through this was one of the most challenging my mind-body has experienced. It was one of the keys in deconstructing the nuanced idea of “me”.

I went through a similar process when I first introduced psychedelics - they opened up so many new doors. I tripped once a week for about two months and found it wasn’t sustainable. A full tolerance reset is about 12 days, the “magic”, started to fade and I got behind on integration. So I changed the regime to one regular trip per month and 2-3 mini-trips per month. That felt much more sustainable and the mini-trips helped integrate the deeper trips. Over time, my baseline conscious level increased and my mind-body only needed a small mini-dose dose for a boost.

Beautifully said. That makes solo trips profound and meaningful. ?

@Shaun Adyashanti and Lisa Cairns speak a lot about this “limbo” space - I found it helpful when I was in a similar space. @Paul92 @Neorez Absence of meaning does not mean no meaning. You are creating a new “no meaning” nihilism narrative.

I would let go of trying to gain positive karma. I would focus on developing a genuine and kind mind-body. Things seem to flow well from that orientation.

There is a form of beauty in there ♥️ ?

@Shaun Sometimes I find it helpful to get curious and explore what is actual right now, rather than focusing on an imagined destination that is not now. Clearing out a cluttered closet can allow openness and space to explore, grow and expand.

Ime, there is very deep trans-personal love and connection that is indescribably beautiful. . . It’s not like the mannequin story at all. That sounds like a bad movie plot to me.

@leintdav000 What you describe reminds of certain skills for traveling and learning a second language. A lot of what you describe about adapting, getting in sync and mirroring another’s mannerisms and tonality is a really helpful skill in traveling through foreign cultures and learning their language.

@CreamCat I haven’t seen this fellow before. He offers a lot of healthy insights in the second video that I find helpful, Thanks for sharing the video ♥️ ?

Heartstrings ☺️♥️

Would it also capture this sentiment to say: One is always a somewhere when pointing to nowhere. One cannot point to nowhere from nowhere.

Super interesting to me. In social dynamics I’m at the other end of the spectrum. I never felt like I fit in with any social group and spent a lot of effort trying to fit in. If you were in a “high conscious” group, would you also easily adapt and merge? Maybe something like a spiritual retreat.

I’ve spent sooo much time engaged with insecurities about my intelligence. Throughout my career, I felt like I was “an imposter” and any day now people would realize I was faking it and wasn’t smart enough. A few big lessons I learned: 1. Stop accepting other people’s idea of intelligence. 2. Stop comparing myself to others based on their idea of intelligence. 3. There are many forms of intelligence: cognitive, emotional, creative, empathic, intuitive and social. Each are very powerful in certain contexts. 4. Become aware of my natural abilities and deficiencies. Play to my favorite natural abilities and work on my deficiencies just enough to get by. For example, throughout my scientific career, I was surrounded by “brilliant” scientists that had an immense amount of scientific details and knowledge stored in their brain. They were my standard for intelligent. Well it just so happens that I suck at memorization, have a crappy memory and don’t really give a shit about details. I am a natural abstract thinker that sees how things are integrated in the big picture. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until I was 45 y.o. and spent most of my life trying to prove myself on someone else’s standard of intelligence that doesn’t resonate with me. As well, I have a very strong empathic sense and a good amount of emotional and social intelligence. Those same “intelligent” scientists were absolute morons in these areas. Most research scientists suck at lab dynamics. They are clueless about the needs and inter-personal dynamics of people working in their own lab. I look back on on my days as a student researcher appalled at the emotional, personal, social crap that went on in the labs. The head P.I.s had very low intelligence and skills in so many areas. The best ones were aware of their deficiencies and hired a lab manager - which likely saved the lab from unraveling. Others were intellectually arrogant and oblivious to their own idiocy in other areas.

@Fountainbleu I have a somewhat similar family dynamic, yet not nearly as intense or dramatic as your situation. To me, it sounds like you are deeply immersed in family dynamics, stories and personalities. For one's own sanity, I think it can be helpful to get some distance from family craziness to allow a new openness and space for personal insights and growth to arise. . . I would resist the temptation to enter into a "I'm more enlightened/conscious than you and here are your problems" dynamic. It can be very subtle and easy to slip into. Yet it just doesn't do one's own mind-body any good, or family members any good. For my family, they are generally not open or interested in expanding their minds. They are in a relatively contracted mindset (stage blue/orange on the SD scale). When they are in a group, it is even more pronounced. Yet occasionally I'll be having a one-on-one discussion with a family member and they may loosen up and question one of their limiting beliefs and ask me about it. Something like "you mentioned that some of your students are gay and lesbian. How do you interact with those students?" The underlying dynamic is that they believe homosexuality is immoral and they are subconsciously questioning that belief. I can gently pull them into their "stretch zone" and talk about how the LGBTQ students are similar to other students. I can take it to the "Green" level by discussing human emotions we all share. However, I have to be careful to stay within the "stretch zone" and not push it into the "panic zone". For example, if I start talking about how we should all be using gender neutral pronouns and the politics of same-sex marriage - it would take them into a panic zone and they would get highly defensive or want to change the subject. . . This is an example of openness that is relatively rare and generally arises in one-on-one personal discussions - it very very rarely arises in a group setting in which their is a collective ego. Generally, I don't judge or try to steer them to some "high conscious / enlightened" existence that I think they should be at. Everyone has their own path. I just try to be a loving being and as aware as I can be. Sometimes they may ask me for advice, other times not. Yet, I don't try to push or pull them to some destination I think would be better for them. As well, I make a conscious effort to not "take the bait" and engage within that drama.

@Flatworld Crusades Oooh, I'm unfamiliar with the idea of social chameleon. I take it that would be someone who adapts to a social dynamic and their persona blends in with the crowd. That seems more aligned than my initial impression.

@leintdav000 To me, it sounds like you are highly sensitive to particular energetic dynamics and can absorb/immerse yourself into those dynamics. I would try and detach and develop awareness as a grounded "observer", so not to be tossed around by swirling energies. Almost like finding a grounded place to sit in the midst of a swirling storm such that you can observe the storm without being swept away by it. . .