Forestluv

@Emerald is a Gem

I would recommend a person follow their desire and trust their deeper intuition regarding paths. To find which path resonates with them. To be open-minded, sincere and curious. And to do self experimentation of different practices to find which one works best for them. Most religions have a path to Enlightenment. Yet, religion can be burdened with low conscious ideology and dogma - which can create traps along the path.

I've done three floats. One 60min. and two 90min. If you can meditate for 40-60min., I would recommend a 90min. float. A few suggestions for a first time: 1. Pay attention to the instructions about turning off lights, music, buttons etc. One friend I went with spent the first 15min. trying to turn off the new age music. Then another 10min. frustrated about losing the first 15min. . . . 2. Consider using a head pillow for neck support (a small extra charge) 3. Once you get into the tank, do NOT touch your face - the salt concentration is super high. I scratched an itch on my cheek, then my eyes burned for the next 20min. 4. Accept that it will not be perfect sensory deprivation - it's more like 90% sensory deprivation. Just let go of the last 10%. I've had friends that couldn't stop focusing on a slight sound or that their toe touched the edge of the tank a few times. If you let go of the little bit of sensory perception it will seem like nearly full deprivation (except perhaps for internal pains that arise). 5. If pain arises, I try to just relax deeper - rather than squirming around. It's possible to dissociate from the body such that one doesn't identify with the pain. Then, it gets interesting. 6. When you start, let go from the get-go. Let go of trying to let go. You may have thoughts like "what's supposed to happen?", "am I doing this right?", "I don't want to screw up this opportunity", "Dang, I've already wasted the first 10min. trying to let go". . . Let all of that go. Allow consciousness to drift off wherever it goes. 7. A small amount of a psychedelic or edible cannabis made it more profound for me.

Ahhh, perhaps similar to how Hollywood actors are Green culturally, yet are still being weighed down by a corporate Orange film industry.

There are states of being without thought and conceptualization. Just observing and perceiving. Just being.

Do you think academia is evolving up the Spiral toward Green and Yellow? At my institution, there is some support at Green and Yellow levels - but not Turquoise.

Do you think women start bucking gender roles of the past at stage Orange? At stage Blue, the traditional gender role is to raise children, be a housekeeper and be submissive to an authoritarian man. Stage Orange women need to buck this role to have develop personal autonomy, personal goals, enter the workforce, dress as they want etc. So, at stage Green - does bucking of the Orange female gender role ensue? I.e. the woman does not have to play a "feminine Orange" role anymore? Regarding what you call "Power". . . An upper Orange male will experience resistance to Green masculinity because Orange males will see it as "weak" and that they are giving up power. Yet, they cannot comprehend the new form of Green masculine power they will embody if they transition through Green. So, it appears as losing. . . Yes? As more females transition through Green and into Yellow, they will be less attracted to traditionally masculine "alpha males". They will be more attracted to Green and Yellow level masculinity. I think we are seeing this now. Traditionally masculine men are seeing techies, hipsters, snowflakes, yoga, politically correct males getting in on their alpha male action. These wussy Green men are becoming more successful with women, which causes confusion, anxiety and frustration in blue/orange men (hence an attraction to speakers like Jordan Peterson). Yes?

@Leo Gura And his thesis was "An Intuitive Model of Nonbinary Empathetic Love Applicable to All Morally Relative Beings".

Welcome to the forum @Orcoda Leo has a series of excellent videos. I would recommend starting with "65 Principles for a Good Life". Leo explains what actualized.org is about and key practices / mindests for an actualizer.

Once one realizes there is no Santa Claus, why continue living as if there was a Santa Claus? It no longer makes sense. Similarly, if one realizes there is no self, why continue living as a self? It no longer makes sense. You are essentially asking "If there is awakening that there is no me, what's in it for me?". Well, nothing. The self gets served a plate of nothing. Yet, if we want to motivate a self to actualize, we can hang a few carrots: there will be the end of suffering. There will be a sense of peace and freedom your self cannot imagine.

For those of you that are SD aficionados: this is a beautiful example of how Orange views Turquoise. This is a bit too conspiracy oriented and a distraction. @Trinity You've made your point and seem locked into your perspective. Cheers.

Oh my, this question is right up @Emerald's alley. . .

What you have been writing has not raised any thoughts in my mind regarding traps or delusion.

That's not what is being pointing to. There seems to be focus on the pointer, not what is being pointed to. . .

Sometimes it seems people on the forum get immersed into their story of ideas. The statement "self hates to accumulate and cling to ideas", is also true. The statement "self loves to get rid of and let go of ideas" is also true.

That is a key question to contemplate

Could that be false?

Do you believe that? Could that be false?

Yes. It is easy to see in others. Much more difficult to see in one's own self. One's own self tends to believe it's own ideas about self, thoughts, movements through time etc.

I find writing poetry to be a method to express nonlinear post-logical modes of being. I used to think it silly and a waste of time. I now see and feel it's beauty.

Would you have the understanding that a self was pursuing ideas it presents in this thread? Ideas of self, thoughts, movements in time etc. are all being entertained by a self component that has yet to be realized?

The "observer + object" duality dissolves. Rupert Spira uses a model of these stages in a few of his videos.

There are a variety of pointers. The "Everything / Nothing" pointer is commonly used by nonduality teachers. It can be a really strong pointer for some minds. It is related to understanding distinctions. It's hard to place no-self awakenings and Everything/Nothing awakenings on a relative hierarchy or linear timeline. I've had partial awakenings to no-self and Everything/Nothing. The deepest glimpse I've had was Mu - which is prior to any concepts or ideas of no-self or self.

It sounds like your capacity of love is expanding - pushing against previous boundaries. I've found the sensation to be both beautiful and uncomfortable.

The "observer + object" stage is more advanced than a self-identified stage. Yet, "observer + object" is an intermediate stage. It goes much deeper.