Carl-Richard

So the sun can still exist even if you don't see it visually.

Self-deception is a consequence of being a limited being. Survival is just a process of keeping yourself limited. And because you're limited, you also have limited capabilities for survival. For example, your visual system works within a certain range of electromagnetic frequencies. Your ability to pay attention is literally about filtering out information and biasing your perception towards a specific goal. Your working memory is limited (you can only entertain a certain amount of information in your head at one time). The list goes on. Now, there is ultimately nothing "wrong" with this, but it is indeed self-deception.

He is describing, not demonizing.

It's not a book, but it's something:

Your eyes don't exist visually.

I haven't read it, but it sounds very interesting. Yes, psychological death is like undressing at a very deep level, and when you start putting the layers back on again, you become more aware of how each layer relates to each other (or you become aware of new layers you didn't know existed). This undressing process is inevitable, and most people do it only once, and they really want to avoid it altogether. That is what I think reincarnation is for most people: you don't want to do the undressing process, so you instead want to jump straight into a new set of clothes while still wearing the same clothes underneath. I'm saying that it even if it's the case that you'll be given new clothes, you still have to take off your old clothes before you put on new ones. You might remember your old clothes some time in the future, but that will just be a memory. I've heard about it, but I know nothing about it. I've heard about too many weird past life stories to not think there could be something there (but again, I just don't think it matters a lot). This one guy Jan Esmann says he remembers all his lives for the past 2000 years. He is a very interesting guy for other reasons too. I recommend his BATGAP interviews on YouTube if you want to feel like a true spiritual weirdo

I think it's because the extremes get more attention and it colors our judgement of the internet as a whole. The vast majority of stuff out there is probably pretty sane and normal.

There is a bookmark function where you can save the best post so you can access them later all in the same place. But more importantly, what are you looking to get out of the forum? Do you have some specific goal in mind? Because that alone will help you to make the decisions you think you need.

I guess my point is that the thing that is kept consistent across lifetimes is not the thing that will console your fears or the thing that compels most people to believe in it in the first place. "That" idea of reincarnation, I don't think exists. To put it more simply, you will have to experience death, loss or annihilation of the most "substantial aspects" (literally) of your current identity (the wordly aspects that most people are aware of and attached to). I know this because I've experienced it (psychological death, not physical death of course, but it's the same experience psychologically speaking ).

I've tried to do them and it's quite powerful once you get it going.

I don't think there is such a thing as a stable ego that reincarnates, or at least not in the sense that most people would care about. People project a lot of psychological baggage onto the concept to comfort themselves about fears about death, non-existence, loss. You have to face all of those things regardless of what you believe

But Leo's best stuff is free ?

I know.

Ah, so that is why I visited Jan in a dream ? I've actually thought about it many times that "he" was orchestrating it (if I were to put it in those terms).

I feel like I live in such a weird world. If my real life friends were to know what the hell people on this forum are saying, they would think I was absolutely insane, yet I talk to both types of people nearly every day and understand what they're saying ?

Although I will admit that I feel like there is something rotten about spiritually bypassing terms like "gaslighting", as it sort of presents an aura of delegitimization around using that term to identify actual psychological abuse. It's like on the one hand, you'll probably say "no, of course actual psychological abuse is horrible", but on the other hand you'll say "you're just imagining that you're being abused!". There is a conflict between underlying beliefs and surface level expressions, which could be considered problematic with the right level of sensitivity.

Jan Esmann is in Europe and he is known to have insane transmission abilities. I can't even watch videos of him, it's too intense.

Spiritual bypassing in the way I used it here can be a perfectly valid way to teach. I just find it funny the way you do it to basically every concept in existence ?

For most people, the idea of a ground refers to the idea of an objective/physical reality which exists separately from a subject, but I know you like to make every word equal to the absolute, so I understand why you feel that way.

@Holykael Please keep this kind of talk to the mental health section in the future.

PTSD? ??

That is only when you're on the other side. Before that, it's just conjecture. It's part of the frameworks of beliefs and goals I'm talking about.

Leo is not outright dismissing meditation. Psychedelics just has different outcomes, and he values those outcomes more. I would also be careful to equate meditation with causing lasting change while psychedelic doesn't. Both meditation and psychedelics need to be couched within a very specific framework of beliefs and goals to actually be conducive to the lasting change you're talking about. My mom meditates for stress relief. My friends take psychedelics for fun. You won't see them progressing on a gradual path towards enlightenment at any significant rate. Besides, even within the specific framework I'm talking about, you can argue it's not the meditation or the psychedelics that is the most crucial step for finally "getting there". It's to finally let go of all attachments. If you're not progressing towards letting go of your attachments, your baseline state will remain forever stuck in a contracted and cyclical state of unsavory behaviors referred to as "suffering". You can have 1000 very deep awakening experiences, but it will still not stick unless you fully surrender all notions of control, all notions of identity, effectively your entire life.

I've heard about it, but I didn't know it had an effect on alcohol metabolism. Interesting.

Strongest stimulant I've had is crushed Ritalin pills, which wasn't that fun. Last party I was at (the first one I didn't touch any substances including alcohol btw), I was outside with the drug people (where I belong), hiding in a dark corner chopping lines on their phones in the wind. My friend who was super drunk had some of it, and instead of sobering up, he somehow became more incoherent and more mellowed out. Either huge amounts of alcohol + small amounts of coke is something else entirely, or all of it is just super individual (he usually gets very chill on alcohol while I get hyper as fuck).