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I occasionally get requests to describe yellow level thinking. I haven’t engaged in this realm much the last couple months, since I have time off from academics. Yet thus situation is an excellent example for those wanting to transition from tier1 to tier2 yellow and are curious what yellow is like. Before I post more thoughts, I want to stress that this is not personal. A core component of tier2 is impersonal dialog of ideas in which there is no “owner” of the ideas. This allows for a beautiful fluidity, merging and evolution as well as curiosity, awe and excitement. Yellow level explorations are much more enjoyable, rewarding and enriching than blue/orange level debates. As a teacher and researcher in genetics, I can say with certainty that you have gaps in your understanding of genetics. I have tried to reach out from a yellow level. It is clear there is disinterest, unwillingness and inability to recognize and utilize yellow level modes. As well, there are attachments to preconceived ideas and personal identification to such ideas. Being confined to blue/orange modes significantly restricts what I can convey to you. For example, I have said over and over that I am not saying what you write is 100% false. Rather, there are partial truths relative to context in what you write, yet due to extrapolation and your contextualization have become distorted. A yellow level thinker does not have personal attachments and is not defensive of an idea that is “mine”. As well, yellow understands “partial truths” and can see how statements can be relatively true or false depending on context. Also, yellow has an unattached openness and curiosity to view things from multiple levels and form integrated holistic views. Your responses to me indicate a strong contraction within blue/orange modes of thinking. This could be a great opportunity to evolve consciousness, yet there is strong resistance. For example, you believe that your ideas are “true or false” and insist that I show you how your ideas are false. I’ve said several times that the main block to learning here is a binary true vs false mentality. A deeper level of understanding would involve nuances and an ability to see relative contexts. When I stated that from a genetics perspective, the statement “race doesn’t exist” is partially true depending on context, you responded in a strongly defensive posture in which you posted articles to support a personal contextualization that you are unconsciously attached to as being universally true based on objective facts (hallmarks of blue/orange thinking). If there one thing I would encourage to open, is the true vs false mentality. This is a blue level mode of thinking which I think is a primary chain restricting expansion in this situation.

@Pouya Yes, Absolute/God's love is impersonal, unbiased, liberating, unconditional, and accepting of all. Only this kind of love can heal the world

Taoist Resources If you need a guide to Taoism, then first start with these three books: Tao Te Ching Chuang Tzu A Personal Tao I recommend starting with A Personal Tao, as it’s specifically written with a modern perspective to help people discover their nature. Due to the nature of Taoist writings, you can easily read all three at the same time and intermix the ideas. If you desire a person as a guide, you can find a Taoist temple, Zen Dojo or local sage to chat with occasionally. Taoism’s deepest truths must come from the inside, but at times it’s helpful to get an outside perspective to see your nature. If you are in the Oakland area of California, I highly recommend The Taoist Center. Dr. Alex Feng is an incredibly open and sincere Taoist Master. I also offer classes. If you cannot find a local resource, then start keeping a journal and over time review it. A journal becomes a nice mirror to reflect upon our nature as we move through life. Casey teaches Taoism with contemporary language. Julie teaches shamanic meditation and movement exercises. Together we offer a unique retreat that reveals your essence and helps you be whole in life. Our Taoist retreats are one on one and taught in a traditional Taoist manner of a teacher directly to a student. History of Taoism Most sites will teach you the terms and history of Taoism. That might be nice for academics: but it does nothing for teaching you how to live as a Taoist. Taoism is about embracing life in the now and not in being stuck in history or terms. Originally Taoism can be considered to be a shamanic practice. However, Taoism is so old; the complete history of Taoism cannot be traced through written records. Taoism is very much a tradition that is transmitted verbally from master to student over the generations. Because of this, some of the shamanic roots of Taoism still survive today. Taoism historically is also a very flexible practice. Taoism is a practice of change, and it always changes to meet the needs of the times. Even as you read this, Taoism is evolving to keep pace with modern culture. Constant evolution is one reason Taoism has survived for so long; it always adapts with the time while holding onto a few key concepts to keep the practice true to the Tao. An early surviving text to describe the Tao is the Tao Te Ching, written by Lao-Tzu (The old master). The Tao Te Ching is a series of poems that can be considered to be a work of philosophy, a treatise on how to run a government, a how-to book for achieving a balanced life, or a sage’s reflection of humanity and the universe. It is known to have been written over 2400 years ago, but not much else is retained about the origins. Many fun stories abound about these origins; however, these are just that, stories. What is important is that the Tao Te Ching and its poetry survive, having had an impact on the course of human events over the past 2400 years. It’s an interesting book, worth skimming. I say “skim” because it is written in a light-hearted manner. If a reader stares too hard or takes the Tao Te Ching too literally, the multiple intentions within the poetry will be lost. Many many stories and tales exist about the History of Taoism. Some of these stories could be true, and some could be fables. As a Taoist, the point is to learn from the mixing of our reactions to the tales. Veracity is best left to history; time will always change “truth” for each generation. Tao and Chinese Culture Tao is a word. It translates roughly as the way. When as a Taoist we talk about the Tao, we are talking about the central aspect of our practice. However, it’s important to keep in mind, as a word, the word Tao is used for a lot more than just Taoism. Every religion has its way. Every person has their way. Every practice has their way. There is a Tao for everything. This doesn’t directly mean it’s the same Tao as what we speak about in Taoism. While from a Taoist viewpoint it’s all the same, from a human literary perspective it’s not. So it’s important to always take the word Tao within the context of the statement being made. For instance: a Confucian will use the term Tao to cover how they believe and act. On paper, the Tao of Confucianism is quite a bit different than the Tao of Taoism. A Confucian embraces order while a Taoist will dance to chaos. The Tao that a Confucian teaches is a rigid logical complex system of behavior. The Tao of Taoism is freedom to embrace all the whimsy of life. The same Tao both times: in the using the Tao to refer to a way of life, but the actual results, the teachings practiced are quite a bit different. A path is a path, but not everyone on that path will experience it in the same way. Of course, to a Taoist, all paths do lead to the same place :). It’s just the journey might seem longer to some than others. So please keep this in mind if you see the word Tao being used in a slightly different context than what you were expecting. Advanced Taoism: Tao and God This last section is for the brave of heart, for those wanting a few more advanced answers. First and foremost: Taoism respects the concept of God. Initially one might think a discussion of God would be an impersonal topic. It isn’t. Each person has a very deep and connected relationship in what they view God may or may not be. A person’s view of God is a statement and reflection of the way a person also views their own life. As a result, when discussing differences in God, it’s best to respect it as also being a highly personal and sensitive topic. When exploring Taoism, eventually a person compares the terms, God and Tao. I would suggest first reading this chapter of A Personal Tao on Religion. From this chapter: Taoism offers the option to skip the comparison. This question is irrelevant. God could or could not exist, and either state doesn’t change the way we lead our lives. Our lives are expressions of action between ourselves and the universe. To respect our surrounding environment is a furthering of respect to ourselves. This manner of living doesn’t change regardless of the nature of God or the Tao. However, most people insist upon definition and seeking deeper answers. So let’s expand upon God and Tao. God as a term is often “defined” as being an ultimate creator or universal power. The various aspects of God have been fought over as long as humans have written and used words. All definitions are based on perception. From a Taoist perspective: human-based definitions are both right and wrong: as all meanings are relative to humanity’s state of mind. A Taoist stays out of arguments of definition. It’s not productive arguing over something relative to each person. Instead, Taoism accepts each person’s view of God as being personal. A Taoist doesn’t think the Tao is before, after or is even equal to God. The Tao is a concept to describe something that goes beyond our capability to define. Taoism leaves the Tao undefined, and a Taoist happily explores the wonder that opens up as a result. All Taoist’s will agree: The Tao is indefinable… Something which is indefinable: is outside of human definition by default. However, we can still accept it as indefinable. The Tao by being indefinable removes all issues of perception in its definition since perception cannot directly reveal the Tao which is undefined. It’s just simply and utterly is: undefined! Tao and God merge towards the same concept when the definition of God is indefinable. Once a person accepts the definition of the Tao as being indefinable, that person by definition has to leave it as undefined. Once you place any definition over such a term, it takes a person further away from the whole concept of the Tao. In some of the Taoist religions, Taoism does have gods, but Taoist gods typically are very tangible beings. They walk beside us, share tea with us, laugh, play and can alter reality. A Taoist god represents an enlightened immortal that helps other conscious beings work towards grace. In Taoism, gods are shown as guides and inspiration towards how to find enlightenment. (Please keep in mind: this paragraph is an extreme simplification of how Taoism views Gods.) We do say in Taoism: We are of the Tao, or God is the Tao. Taoist’s say this because we also are undefined. We only define ourselves as we live. While living, we are still moving through life, a large part of our nature is indefinable until the end of Living. As a result: we are of the Tao. A Taoist can see the Tao within everything, a very delicate logical truth and often confuses non-Taoists. We know the Tao by witnessing our own life, and that is why I wrote A Personal Tao. We have just come full circle in the Tao’s definition. The Tao is indefinable, and yet we are complete with the Tao. A Taoist knows to leave the Tao as is, to grasp the Tao within the chase of living fully. It’s a wonderful contradiction to embrace, and it does completely full-fill one’s life within that acceptance. For a Taoist, this is all about living and exploring our possibilities, for we each are undefined and of the Tao. Trying to define ourselves just limits one’s nature and what can be done. So a Taoist instead embraces the Tao, to discover and open up all possibilities instead. From here each person is free to draw their conclusions. Conclusions will always shift to the winds of perception. If this confuses you, then please go back and repeat these three steps: Don’t concentrate on the definition of the Tao (this will come later naturally) Understand what Taoism is: Taoism is more than just a “philosophy” or a “religion”. Taoism should be understood as being: A system of belief, attitudes, and practices set towards the service and living to a person’s nature. The path of understanding the Tao is simply accepting you. Live life and discover who you are. Your nature is ever changing and is always the same. Don’t try to resolve the various contradictions in life, instead learn acceptance of your nature. Remember: Taoism teaches a person to live in their heart. Sincerely Casey ??????Taken from web sources

The last time I went to Pomroy's I got a deer tick on me, attached, which means I have to check for a rash and make sure I don't have symptoms of Lyme disease. I knew that would happen someday but I've always avoided exploring around places until this year for that reason. When I was a kid we didn't have ticks and could go wherever we wanted, we only have them now thanks to global warming. I took it as a sign that I shouldn't go back, I should stop caring so much about going to the places that seem to trigger signs and experiences, as all of those things are distractions unless you learn not to want them or chase them. I was going to go for a long run today but was so exhausted I turned around to go the opposite direction and knew I had to go back to Pomroy's. I bought some tick repelling spray, but the mosquitoes were so bad I couldn't focus much. I did find these black walnut shells though. The heart shape with the two "eyes" make them look like the creepiest Valentine I've ever seen. I also went to the cemetery which has not been mowed or well cared for after memorial day. I recently learned about a once prominent family who lived here, and on their monument stone was this. "There is no Death! What seems so is transition; This life of mortal breath Is but a suburb of the life elysian, Whose portal we call Death." Across from it was a stone for a mother who died in childbirth, then for her daughter, named after her, 10 months later. I used to feel silly for doing things like this but I sat there and cried. Fear of death, grief, all of these things meld into one collective shadow. I used to think there was something wrong with me because I was so in tune with it. Of course, it's impersonal. Christians say that Jesus took on the sins of the world that day. This had a deeper meaning than can be thought.

In Gurdjieff's writings he stressed the importance of Intentional suffering. John Bennett, a student and friend of Gurdjieff gave some commentary on this subject. In Talks on Beelzebub's Tales, Bennett distinguishes four types of suffering - Unnecessary Suffering, Unavoidable Suffering, Voluntary Suffering and Intentional Suffering. The first is Unnecessary Suffering. This would be the type of suffering that we incur because of our unreasonable attitudes and expectations towards others, from our ill-will, hatred and rejection of others, from doubt, possessiveness, arrogance and self pity. In other words, suffering arising from our self-importance. The second is Unavoidable Suffering. This would be the type of suffering that comes to us by accident or from events beyond our control, such as interpersonal conflicts, war, disaster, disease or death. Third, we have Voluntary Suffering. This would be the type of suffering that we take upon ourselves in order to accomplish a personal aim, such as an athlete who disciplines himself to win a race, or a student who labours to get good grades. And finally we have Intentional Suffering. According to Bennett, this would be the kind of suffering that we take upon ourselves in order to accomplish an impersonal or altruistic goal, one that is directed more towards service to others or to the Work, and not for any personal gain. Bennett assumes that this is what Gurdjieff meant by Intentional Suffering. The quotes here were taken from this web page which expounds more around this. https://www.endlesssearch.co.uk/philo_is_talk_ae2005.htm

(DQ)"We are beginning to see the entire universe a holographically interlinked network of energy and information, organized whole and self-referential at all scales of existence" - Ervin Lazlo (DQ)"Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing there is a field. I'll meet you there" - Rumi (DQ)"A samadhi beats an organism any day" - unknown (Q) What is the essence of stage turquoise? - Leo Gura Holistic global collectivist & self-transcendent OVERVIEW Sacrificing the self for the benefit of existential reality Experiencing the wholeness of existence through mind & spirit The universe is alive & not a dumb clockwork machine Building a human community grounded on mystical wisdom Getting all of mankind to awaken You wont find turquoise in politics, education, media, business & universities Turquoise people are mainly mystics, sages, gurus, healers, visionaries. Clairvoyants, leader & teacher Synthesis of all dichotomies for the benefit of all life & all consciousness HOW IT EMERGES Realizes that I cannot solve the worlds problems just through systemic solutions (It needs community) Realizes consciousness unifies everything & everyone (consciousness is central & every problem is rooted in consciousness) Deeply sees the limits of thinking, modeling, reason, logic & mind Realizes that all its understanding of reality so far haven't been the ultimate answer Very serious spiritual practice; a flowering of mysticism & dissolving the boundaries between self, other & outer world. Awareness of Maya, ego transcendence Realizes that mind & understanding doesn't bring happiness and yellow wants a permanent solution A shift from learning about stuff to merging with the many VALUES Consciousness & Elevating the consciousness of mankind Existential truth Deep metaphysical insights Wisdom & the wisdom of nature Mysticism, spirituality & non-duality God & Divinity Holism, integration & synthesis (vs analysis) Left & right brain synthesis Being vs knowing, doing & having Honesty, transparency & radical authenticity Minimalist sustainable living (less is more) Collaborative synergy Human wellness Healing on every dimension (physical, emotional, spiritual, etc) Exploring altered states of consciousness Intuition Channeling & direct downloads from infinite intelligence Supernatural degrees of creativity Awakening & Transcendence Liberation Unconditional Love Emotional Mastery, Mindfulness & Presence Paradox Esoteric teachings Gratitude Unity Deeper & Deeper levels of interconnectedness Selfless living Sacrificing self for the greater consciousness of the whole Meditation, Yoga, Contemplation & Self-Inquiry Spontaneity, playfulness & self-amusement The really big picture (Embodiment vs models) CHARACTERISTICS Lighthearted vs heavyhearted & logical Spiral wizard Sees the human race as a single organism (not metaphorically) Sees the world as interlinked causes & effects in interacting fields of energy Has a supernatural intuition Deeply trusts in intuition Non-manipulative, Non-ideological & non-judgmental Far beyond greens faddish spiritualty Has had a direct experience of one being God (doesn't have to be enlightened) Deeper mental & spiritual capacities are awakened (New sense & new abilities) Heightened sensory awareness Paranormal / psychic abilities can develop The mystical become the mundane, the paranormal becomes the normal Ecologically conscious Being visionary & an inspiring leader Unifies science, technology, medicine & mysticism Deeper understanding of all religions & able to integrate them Synthesis of the East & West (Western technology & Eastern mysticism) Understanding of the fulness of the spiral & uses all the colors proactively & holistically Turquoise is referred to as the 6th or 7th Chakra in the Chakra system Business is about awakening people Sexual desire is transmuted into metaphysical love Great mental & behavioral flexibility Excellent at dealing with paradox Very wise & teach in unorthodox styles Post rational & post material connects to being rather than quantifying & categorizing the world Non-linear, human-centered, supernatural intuition Ability to connect to source High integrity The universe is both impersonal & deeply personal Deeper systems thinker than yellow was (systems are alive) Life consists of fractals Stands in awe at the cosmic order (micro to macro) Reality can be experienced but never truly known Life is the most important thing there is & on the other hand my life is completely important Detects the harmonic forces witch govern organizations Moves from gross to subtle External to the internal Transcendence of morality, meaning, judgement, life & death, duality, mind, reason, science and good & evil Finally has really deep honest, meaningful relationships & communication (NO EGO) EXAMPLES Sahdguru Shunyamurti Thomas Campbell Yoda Ken Wilber David Hawkins Shinzen Young Deepak Chopra Stan Grof Osho vs his community Mooji Rupert Spira Romaji Eckart Tolle Martin Ball Yogananda Sri Aurobindo Ervin Laszlo David Loy Allen Watts Wim Hof Mat Khan The Dalai Lama Sacha Shulgin Yoga Holotropic breathwork The holographic universe (BOOK) Opening the third eye Out-of-body experience Pineal gland Samadhi experience Mediums like Bashar Some of the stuff Aleister Crowley was doing Rudolf Steiner Occultist type figures Alternative healing methods The 'Maya' Notion Psychedelics; 5-Meo-Dmt The q race from star trek Rupert sheldrakes The Akashic records Paranormal abilities Dene Radians paranormal research Gandhi's ideas of pluralistic harmony Notion of 'Gaia' Biocentrism Transpersonal psychology Jung's collective unconscious Quantum field theory Sacred geometry Morphogenetic fields Reincarnation Opening chakras Saints, sages, mystics & prophets STATISTICS O.1% of the adult population is turquoise Less than 1% of the worlds total world influence is turquoise SLOGANS We are all god Everything is one You are already enlightened Everything is perfect & everything is evolving To see a world in a grain of sand & haven in a wild flower The kingdom of heaven is within Forgive them father for they know not what they do I am that Life is a dream WHAT TRIGGERS TURQUOISE The insanity of the world It sees the unsustainability of the world The status quo Myopia Materialistic corruption Profits over truth & spirit Dogmatic scientism & rationalism Ecological dysfunction Collective suffering of mankind Little, petty & mundane affairs LIMITATIONS: Can become too mystical & too spiritual to the point where they're unconcerned with earthly problems They live in their own reality Turquoise teachings can be short & confusing for less conscious people Can develop a guru complex, here everyone serves your spiritual ego - which can lead to corruption Life can become meaningless Can deny the importance of political issues Can assume that other people are just as capable of awakening are There can be a community division on a grand scale Can get stuck on shallow levels of enlightenment & non-duality Non-duality wars - gurus can sometimes criticize other gurus from other traditions Maha Samadhi (BOOK: graceful exists, how great beings die) Its not immune to false beliefs & cultural biases/values Its not immune to mistake Its not immune to sexual cravings & addictions Its not immune to hurting people & humanity at large. Its solutions are not always gonna work and can backfire. HOW TO FULLY EMBODY? Have a hardcore industrial grade spiritual practice Contemplate everything Embody unconditional love Long solo retreats Spiritual purifications of various kinds 5-meo-dmt Read turquoise people Meet turquoise sages face to face Study cutting edge science & technology Study non-dual theory deeply Open your chakras, especially the lower ones & your heart Transmute sexual energy Learn alternative healing methods Make sure you master all the lower stages (go back on each stage and ask: What am I missing & What have I fully integrated? (DQ) = Direct Quote

In the past few months I have observed a significant but subtle change in my perspective on the substance of reality. It seems to me that it is a truer way of looking and understanding the world, or maybe a more accurate way, a more conscious way? It is like seeing the actuality of experience, leading to an intellectual framework that incorporates the nature of existence itself into language. Whereas most operate in terms of objecthood and processes, it seems that both of these are nothing but Nessness. Nessness is another word for being, for actuality or existence. I find it very fitting, because it points to what everything truly is, everything is itselfness. Red is redness, love is loveness, beauty is beautyness. Appending the word "ness" to all fascets of being, to formulize the recognition that these fascets are being itself. I feel like there is a great confusion in the general population of what consciousness is, it is like people are lost within the content but cannot see the substance of the content. Consciousness is not merely experience, experienced by an experiencer. The essential nature of consciousness is being, it is existence itself. Beingness is consciousness. What we call the material world is equally as much beingness as the "experience" of the color red is beingness. They are what reality is, they are not within reality, they are not projected upon a ground of existence. They are that which is realness, isness, beingness, existenceness. What I have not yet investigated is the connectiveness of all substance. It seems to me like all aspects of reality are intimiately connected, colorness with soundness, soundness with feelingness, feelingness with thoughtness. And these connections do not seem to be rational or logical, or coherent. These connections seem to be impossible. Impossibilityness is an integral part of them, yet I find impossibility not to be a perfectly fitting word. It is beyond impossible, it implies a Power so great and full that it is beyond all measures of power, a Power so great it exceeds greatness, it exceeds all categories, it exceeds all limitations. Understanding itself is an impossibility, yet it is there. The absurdity of the connectivity of reality seems to be divinity. Divinity being the connectedness of all fascets of realness, the impersonal Intimacy. Intimacy seems to be a very fitting word, the intimacy of realness. There is no depth to realness, it has only one layer, one layer that is itself. It cannot get closer to itself than it is. "I am". The fundamental nature of the Self is not Iness, but Amness. Amness is the same as Isness, or Beness. It is existence itself. Amness is completely impersonal, meaning it is not Iness but includes Iness. Yet Amness is Intimacy. It is not merely including Intimacy, it is the nature of Intimacy. Amness and Intimacy are one and the same (I have to note that what I mean by intimacy does not fit into the individuated category of intimacy, as a feeling). It seems to me like the category of mind is false. It implies an inherent seperation from reality, as if consciousness was unreal and our abstract thoughts of reality were true. Yet the inverse is true, or not really the inverse, because even the abstract thoughts are beingness. Consciousness is not a mind, it is existence. It is being. It is all there is, it is Isness. Everything that exists must be consciousness, existence itself is consciousness. We might as well throw out these concepts altogether. Consciousness, existence, reality. It's all the same thing. It is Ness-ness, or Nessness. That to me describes it very well, because it is itself as itself, and not just that. It is the isness of itself. Any other word would imply some sort of seperation. Or, it would not be inclusive enough. Nessness not only includes Isness, but also Nothingness. It includes absence and presence. It includes All Ness, because Ness is the nature of reality, Ness is reality, Ness is existing. Nessness is itself as all that can be and not be, all that Nesses. And all must Ness. This is Nessness cognition, where, within our usages of language and thought, the substance of objects merges with itself, where the Isness of all becomes itself, or is revealed as itself. It could be no other way, it is always this way, it Nesses. I have not yet seen the groundless ground. I am curious if it can be found in the Isness. I don't know if deconstruction exists. It does not seem like there could be anything to be deconstructed. Isness seems to be final, it seems to be untouchable. There is nothing to deconstruct it, as it is deconstructionness itself. Right now it seems to me like I can sense a veil, a sense of a source of Isness so to speak. This is the sense I get when I see the Impossibility of existence and all of it's fascets (like the impossiblity of any aspect of reality, whether it is redness or straightness, or softness) It's like the Isness is a subtle trail, it's truly magical or Absurd nature has an implication. Not an intellectual implication, not even an emotional implication. I would almost call it a metaphysical implication. That seems to be a fitting word. Metaphysical not in the sense of philosophy, but in the sense of being itself. Denying it would bé like denying consciousness/Nessness, it is not possible because denial itself is Nessness. I can't see it, I can't sense it really. It is like an aura? That does not seem to be a good word for it. All I can call it for now is incomprehensible.

Oh there is a You inside. Not personal not impersonal rather Total. Forever expanding infinite Absolute.

can you guys please stop posting this impersonal bullshit in my journal. stop projecting teal swan unto me. of course ego is her best friend!

When speaking to yourself, do you use first or second person? Is one better than the other? I’ve found that I currently lean strongly towards the second person. I think I trained myself to do this a while back in an early effort to separate my egoic self from the higher Self. It was constructive for a time, but now I’ve encountered a new challenge. This impersonal approach has created somewhat of a distance/ dissociation in myself, and I think I neglected to build an entirely loving connection there. In proceeding towards practices of self-love, I’m unsure whether to remain in a second person dialogue, or whether to reestablish the first person in order to nurture the sense of oneness? I would love to hear input and advice!

Hey guys, my first post here I'm not religious, in fact, ATM I'm practicing meditation and yoga and am huge into personal development. One thing , however, that I've noticed after lots and lots of research is what I like to call the "New Age to Jesus phenomena". I've encountered lots and lots of testimonies (some of them I've attached below) of people converting from New Age spirituality (meditation, yoga, astral projection,...) to Jesus (Holy Spirit). What I found interesting is that these experiences and testimonies seem very heartfelt, touching and compelling. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, is there anyone who has any clue as to what this means? Are these experiences just something we can't really explain? Why do people in the Christian faith deem everything that's not Christian demonic? What is the correlation between Kundalini energy and the Holy Spirit? I'm praying for the first time in my life, I guess I'm conducting a sort of an experiment, trying to figure out whether Jesus is real or not. Please, do not view me as a Fundamentalist/Stage Blue person. I'm extremely open-minded and I've had an awakening experience about a year ago, brought on by LSD... so it's not like I was raised Christian. Not at all. I was an atheist since I can remember. I also find it interesting that the New Age philosophy is "You are God"/"Everything is God" whereas the Christian philosophy is "We are separate from God". Could BOTH be true? Could God be impersonal or personal? Thanks in advance.

Yes, it is a religion. But what's wrong with religion? If you think religion is bad, wrong, or evil, then that has automatically become your religion. You see? Although it's good to be aware of it, but if you want true liberation, you won't give a damn about other people and their ideas. Not everyone has the time and ability to sit down and meditate for decades only to come to the same conclusions that everyone else has come to before them. Actual spiritual realisation is not superior to religion! Direct experience is just a belief! Notice that direct experience will become a memory after the experience is gone. A memory is merely a thought, and a thought taken seriously will become a belief. You see how this thing goes full-circle? You can't escape belief, even a direct experience of God becomes a belief in the ordinary state of consciousness. So, I prefer calling the direct experience of God a personal belief, whereas the belief that is learned from teachers I would call it an impersonal belief. To conclude, everything is perfect as it is, whether Actualized.org is a religion or not. WE ONLY LIVE ONCE. If you care about finding God, then go find God. If you care about happiness, then go find happiness. If you care about success, then go find success, etc... Total freedom, do whatever you want. Anyway, from a more practical point of view, the only thing that we can agree is a real problem with religion is its politics. If we have a religion with politics of equality and fairness, etc... Then there wouldn't be a problem at all. But that won't happen by a long shot, so the struggle will keep going.. (this post is not directed at the OP per se).

@Truth Addict thank you. Interesting, I haven't thought about "personal experience vs. impersonal theories" duality. They should be transcended, but maybe this topic is too deep for this post. I can learn how electrons were discovered, I don't want to repeat the same experiment with a vacuum tube. But to read reports on psychedelics and have own experience of psychedelics is a completely different story. I can't grasp the essence of experience just by reading reports.

Direct experience is a way of being, learning and becoming. It is a key to both personal growth and personal transcendence. Yet experience can also become a thought story that the mind and body becomes attached to. The ego loves to take ownership of an experience and personalize it. “Wow, I just had an amazing no dual experience. I am making great progress. I am at a higher level than that person now. This is what my mystical experience means. . . What my friend needs is a nondual experience like mine to help wake him up. My experience was more mystical than his experience.” . . . And on and on and on. . . I would say attachments / identification to personal experience is deeper than attachment / identification to impersonal theories. Yet they are inter-related.

I have tried all the typical advice (barefoot, nature, physical exercise, eating heavy foods, even crystals etc) but nothing seems to work. This has been a problem for me for far too long, it is a bottleneck in my personal development, if i meditate or contemplate or use psychedelics (for spiritual development), or even read, plan, use the computer/smartphone, clean up my diet (trying to be a fruitarian), i simply get TOO ungrounded, almost like losing touch with reality. The feeling is like seeing life by looking through binoculars, reality seems impersonal, detached, like it isn't even happening to me. At first it was super scary, i thought i was losing my mind (i have lots of mental disorders history in my family), now i got kind of used to it but i feel too disconnected with the world, it is hard to relate with anyone, it is hard to commit to anything, super hard to focus, be disciplined, decide what to do with my life, it feels extremely overwhelming. I live constantly spaced out, "airy", distracted. I have to say that i have a comfortable life, live by myself, unemployed (my family pays for everything), no schedule or obligations, no challenges that i don't impose to myself. I feel that this aggravates the problem, i am in the Limbo phase, trying to develop a vision of my life purpose and follow it. This is my whole focus right now, following my life purpose and make a career out of it, super bold life changes, i am considering to sell everything and travel by my own, put myself in challenging situations in order to ground myself, force myself to keep engaged in life. In the Life Purpose Course Leo talks about how a life purpose can ground oneself to reality and i believe him, i get the concepts but it is all too overwhelming, i am having lots of trouble in planning and being strategic with it, i am too in my head all the time. ps: I have noticed that some of my family members diagnosticated with mental disorders are, in fact, extremely ungrounded, too much in their heads, losing touch with "reality".

Some people treat feelings as a barometer of the group's well being. These people treat them as means to connect with others and understand them by 'becoming' them (empathizing), or 'influencing' them (harmonizing). On the other hand, some people are driven by feelings and become individualistic. Paradoxically, this individualism can be a bonding factor, but this bond is expressed through giving space. When you love yourself and your interests diverge with another person's, then this divergence is not laced with hate but with compassion. You understand that the other person loves himself too and only does this because he has to. We don't choose what we feel towards others, so in this sense, we're all victims of this disagreement. This conflict becomes impersonal in the sense that it is not about me, but about each of us trying to cope with harshness of the world to the best of our abilities. If we're fortunate enough, our abilities let us solve problems through cooperation, or compromise and violence becomes the last resort. If I truly love myself and am able to connect with others, the interest of the group becomes a factor in my well being, so it's only natural that I care about them as well. Loving yourself is just as valid in spirituality as loving others.

I’m not talking about more analysis and and constructing more complex understanding. I agree that inner work is unique to an individual, yet empathic understanding can reduce the restriction of the uniqueness to the individual. If I wanted to learn to play the guitar and arrived to the first lesson and noticed a dog training session going on, it probably won’t be very helpful. They tell me “you need to do Inner Work with your relationship with your pet dog to form a deep connection with your dog”. That is all fine and dandy, yet I don’t even have a dog and I’m looking to learn to play the guitar. I would realize that I went to the wrong room, politely end the conversation and then continue to look for the guitar lesson room. If I go to the next room over and find the guitar master he might tell me “You need to do some Inner Work with your relationship to the guitar and limiting beliefs that you can’t play the guitar”. Now that Inner Work would be helpful. My comments were not directed at you. They were general, impersonal comments. What you raise about belief systems and anti-belief systems is interesting to me. It’s a form of a duality that is great for exploration. I will likely ponder that as the day goes on ?

@CreamCat I don't know what exactly self-actualization contains without making up a definition. I listened to the .... original audiobook from Maslow sometime ago and the pyramid is explained everywhere. The point is with... spiral dynamics at stage yellow it is a different kind of political anger, it is more of intense indignation about the political situation(which is more impersonal it's not an anger which involves ones idea of one self for instance imo), values etc. It's not a psychological rant to reduce stress by cursing. The whole point about devilry is that that a devil in zen is everything that stands in your practice so theoretically, everything is a devil. My homework assignments, my schedule, my family, my cat, social media, internet, ted talks etc. Yet, it is also practice in a sense that if ones want ultimately to become the ... ultimate atman, brahman or god then it has to be in daily life and every second to some degree, otherwise it's fragmented. No way, that is going to happen. That is why I disliked church I grew up agnostic/Catholic. Then I read in a book that going to a church or religious event let's say increase serotonin and oxytocin, so bla bla you feel more bonded to others. Singing in a group and doing group activities. No, it's not self-actualization in the sense of becoming a greater version of one's self. Personal growth, fulfillment, success, happiness, health, wealth, inner freedom, luxury w/e. The point I want to make is, that I would not understand what you would regard as proper knowledge for self-actualization. Yet, I am highly curious. Because I've been listening to mostly advanced teachings and have to get the fundamentals in place, in order to grow more. What I've been doing or started doing only this year more. For instance financial situation, yet there are just things I can't do poop about, so I want to work on other parts.

Yes, but Green is still not thinking about it systemically. Green is mostly doing it from her heart. That's all great, but it is not the kind of full-bore systemic thinking I described. Green is still looking at the situation from a personal agenda level, it just so happens that saving the Earth is now part of her personal agenda. Yellow and above is more impersonal. And yet still very personal! Tier 2 is more detached.

There is an underlying dynamic here your mind-body doesn't seem open to observing. On a personal level, I think the storyline your mind is immersed in has a point and value. Yet your awareness won't expand if it stays contracted within that storyline. This is an impersonal observation. If it is helpful, great. If not, ditch it.

Trip date: 3/29/19 Substance: 105 mg LSD (1 tab) Time of ingestion: 10:20 AM Location: Golden Gate Park, Lindley Meadow Duration: roughly 6 hours on an empty stomach I’m going to start by saying this... This was both the best day of my life and also being one of the most difficult. Fortunately, that was expected as a possibility... sort of. I want to note that I don’t advocate the setting and circumstances I was in to anyone else. This setting for this trip was what it was due to my current living situation and life circumstances. I went into this trip pretty nervous. However, after a call from a great friend (that I made on this forum), I felt a lot more relaxed. By the time I took the tab I let go of my expectations and intent for some super deep metaphysical trip. I actually went in wanting to have a very pleasant “ego-trip” and just go around Golden Gate Park and have a great time... Surprisingy, the opposite happened. I took an Uber down to Golden Gate Park near Polo Field, took the tab and then began walking around. Being that this was my first psychedelic trip and I personally have a notoriously low tolerance for pretty much everything (I’ve had a pretty solid Kundalini awakening and 3rd eye opening off 1 hit of a THC vape pen - don’t ask me how. I don’t know) I was definitely in that mindset of ‘waiting for something to happen’. It was a beautiful day, sun was finally out after weeks of rain and I found a log to sit by. I placed my bag down At about the 30 min mark I started noticing my natural curiosity was starting to come more online. I remember looking at the trees across from me in the distance and just looking at them. I noticed I became more curious each passing moment to the point of laughter. ‘Why this laughter?’ I wondered. Well, because I was become more authentic. My filter that keeps my natural curiosity down and depressed was starting to melt away. I then remember saying (and this became a phrase I continued to utter through the duration of the trip), “It’s just an amplification of what’s already so.” As soon as I said that, everything started to take off from there. This was the start of a massive buildup (for me relative to my ordinary consciousness and all other “glimpses”). As this trip progressed in the early stages I became so authentic and free from my normal character that I’m used to living in I felt like I imagine a lot of gay people do when they finally own their sexuality and live it. It was pure freedom. I honesty can say I’ve never had a more honest and authentic experience of what was truly so for me in my entire life. I realized that what honesty is is simply reporting what already so and authenticity is expressing what’s truly so. In order to truly own authenticity though, you have to know what it is that’s being repressed and also have overcome the massive filter I constantly have on... and that’s no simple matter. It took a whole tab of LSD to melt that filter to get out of jail. It was a feeling of “finally! You’re finally being real! You’re finally telling the truth! There you are!” I realized that one of the biggest obstacles towards true authenticity is fear. Simply fear. Fear of being disloyal to the facade because that facade was necessary and also has a lot of memories you are attached to... however... they’re not true and in order to be free you have to shed that armor and be vulnerable. It’s fear of being judged by others. I was looking at other people like a total spastic goofball but didn’t have an ounce of fear because what I was experiencing was what was true and that I could now love myself. I realized that you can only love when you truly accept and live what’s true. As my experience became more deeply authentic, I noticed found I was finding myself more and more in bi-lateral symmetry, something Martin Ball is known for truly emphasizing as a rule of thumb when taking entheogens (psychedelics) and embodying the nondual energy. I found that I literally couldn’t “violate” this symmetry so long as I wanted to stay authentic as I noticed that when I entered a-symmetries I wouldn’t enter into a dualistic point of view of subject-object relationship. When I broke bi-lateral symmetry, duality no longer was a concept, it became an inauthentic experience. I noticed the difference in the quality and state of mind between staying in bi-lateral symmetry as opposed to going into a-symmetry so I continued to sit down and stay in bi-lateral symmetry. The longer I stayed in bi-lateral symmetry the more I noticed a process of breaking down this “inauthentic energy” I was finding in my (subtle) body... checkout Martin Ball’s video on YouTube “Fractal Energetic Yoga” to know what I’m talking about and to see a little bit of what I was doing (whoever came up with that title needs to go into marketing). At the peak of purging my authenticity I started noticing something rather odd... the feminine in me came up. This promiscuous feminine aspect of my self cane up and boy did it come out. It wasn’t like some repressed gay side cams out but I feel flourishing of feminine side came out. It was such a release. I had both no idea that was there in yet at the same time it felt like something I was waiting to burst out all along. It was just some feminine aspect of my self it had a whole feminine sexuality to it too. At one point I just blurted out “God is soooooo sexy!” Lol After a plentiful amount of time processing and shedding my inauthentic character, I suddenly reached this weird and then staggering realization while laying on the ground... “it’s Infinite... it’s Infinite... I’M Infinite!” Tears came out. Tears of Love. Tears of Truth. Tears of fear. Tears. This realization was impersonal, personal, and transpersonal all that same time. It was a conflict because all 3 of those felt equally true at different moments. I started to truly realize what the word “yoga” or “union” really meant. It was hilarious. My mind was not dissolved at all though which, looking book 3+ weeks now, is kinda blizzare... at least to me. Rather, my conceptual mind was starting to became a visual interpreter for every realization even though these realizations were totally beyond the domain of mind. I started realizing the nature of perspective. I started to realize I was the cause of all the evil in the world, all the beauty in the world, the infinite creative potential of God. I realize the vital role of creation. I started to see that duality is the design and that it’s a necessary feature such that the results we have in this relative world are all necessary towards the next creation. I started to realize just the “out of control” function of cosmic creation moment-moment to the point I was both laughing with bliss and also felt my mind was going to explode because of the magnitude.I realize my Top (7) Values: Truth/Wisdom Love Consciousness Creativity Learning/Knowledge/Understanding Authenticity Beauty As these insights started to slow down I became much quieter to the point where I was totally still. I was started to reach the beginning of the come down and I was taking in what I had just realized. It dawned on me the responsibility that comes with the realizations I just had. Responsibility with a capital “R”. Not as a moral responsibility laid down my ego or some “other” but rather what it means and entails to truly live at the highest alititude of consciousness and what the required in terms of living in Truth, making life choices based off of the Truth, etc. I realized deep down I can’t just reject the world of form if I’m going to eventually live from the highest place of Truth and highest state of Consciousness. To deny the world is to deny myself because I literally am the world and everybody else. To deny Love of others is to deny Love of myself and to do so would be a lie and would be creating a shadow and would mean living in falsehood. I realized why sages do what they do and why they feel they “have to.” It’s not becaue they have some egotistical moral obligation. It’s out of Love of Truth and ironically, out of self-acceptance. Their identity is so cosmic that helping society and the world is no different than helping themselves. Feeding a starving boy in a sense feels the same as feeding themselves if they were starving. To not do so would be hurting themselves. I sat there stunned honestly nervous and asking funnily “Can I do this?” And then I remember a quote from Ralston when @Leo Gura asked him about the possibility of enlightenment, “who else could do it?” At that point I got up and started walking only to then realize that my phone was dead. I still was nowhere near sober but I was starting to really come down. This brought slight anxiety but nothing big. I decided it was best to find a coffee shop with an outlet where I could charge my phone. As I walked though, the more I felt other people. I felt all the staring from other people. I felt the hostile energy of cars racing and honking. I could feel the hate of so many other people. I started becoming ever increasingly self-conscious of how weird I probably seemed. As the LSD came down, the more I noticed how much I taint and ruin everything. I was aware of the more I felt worse, the more I projected onto other people. I felt like I was going crazy and going schizophrenic. I felt shame every time someone looked at me. I knew what was going on and that I was projecting and I was realizing that this is what a shadow is as it was happening. Though I knew what was happening I struggled keeping it together. I eventually found my way into a coffee shop which by that point I felt like I was truly losing my mind and to cap it off, the shop was full and no outlets were to be found. The emotional energy of everybody was so overwhelming I just kept projecting it out (internally - didn’t say anything). More frustration amounted. I just wanted to go home and call someone but couldn’t. I was trying to comfort myself but it was so hard. I realized just how much I ruin everything for myself. The hard part was that my mind was just getting more and more amplified the more the LSD wore off to a shocking degree. The distortion of thought was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I began walking for the next 4ish miles to the next coffee shop I thought of. It was rough. I was trying so hard to console myself without shitting on myself. The sad part was, this was what I was already doing inside of me. I just was never aware of it. I would have my hands on my knees I was feeling so overwhelmed exhausted by mind. I decided to keep trudging and stop feeling sorry for myself. I realized that this was par for the course and that yes, this wasn’t ideal. This is what I do but goddamnit I’m going to be fine. I can keep going. I even laughed a little bit about how distorted this same trip I got a taste of God as a bad trip. The more I kept going, the more I calmed down. I sat down, bought a sandwich, charged my phone, gave another friend on here a call and started feeling better. I learned a lot this trip. This was a truly full spectrum trip in every sense for me. I’m very happy I did a lot of listening and homework before ever doing psychedelics because having that frame alone for what was happening when it went South really was a big help in ways I can’t even put into words. Having in back of my mind that this was all perfectly normal really was the safety banklet I used to allow me to console myself that this was okay and I would be totally fine. I remember Leo said in the 10 Ox-Herding Pictures video when you first get a glimpse of the ox there’s thought of “we’re going to need a bigger boat...” And man is that fucking true. I realize a big part of that “bigger boat” for me is self-esteem and self-acceptance and development of my ego. My ego is fragile that I could see that the main reason my trip went south is because my ego is frail and fragile, as ironic as that might sound for so many people. Leo once used a lightbulb analogy that I think suits this experience well where it’s like you’re a puny little bulb being plugged into this ginormous high voltage wall socket and the moment you’re put in you burst. How true. I hate, deny, and am so ashamed of myself so much that my puny ego can’t actually tolerate and handle that amount of Love and Truth that I as God am. This has been a long post so I’ll wrap it up here. Thank you to @Robby for the pre-trip call, thank you @Sahil Pandit for being available to talk to as I came down, and thank you Leo. Thank you for everything. You’ve helped me find what I truly want out of life and show me a path of who I can truly be, avenues of potential I didn’t think were humanly possible, and showing me a path to find who I’ve always been. You can’t put a price on that. I don’t know you but I hope one day I get the opportunity in my life purpose to give you credit. And thanks to those of you on this forum who are genuine and have shared kind words of support in my past posts. To seekers: God is real... Trust me... I used to be a huge Marilyn Manson and Sam Harris fanatic LOL. As far as right now I am back in my ordinary ego. I’m about to embark in less than a month on a 4 month hardcore sales gig where I can earn up to $60k this summer which I’m currently preparing for. I’m currently doing self-esteem sentence completion work but still don’t feel any real difference despite having finished this first week of daily sentence completions. Self-esteem is hands down my biggest obstacle right now. My confidence, integrity, self-accepetance, work ethic is still extremely low. Still screw ups and mix ups in my day still set me off on huge emotional rampages internally where I tear myself apart and lose all hope. I’m trying hard to cultivate hope. I hope after this 4 month gig I will have enough money to not only move out for this first time (which is terrifying enough for me as it is) but can then go to some workshops and seminars to really work on building my self-esteem, get clearer on my life purpose, and also go to a full workshop with Ralston in the Fall. Despite all the inner turmoil, the faith is still there. I’m still here and I’m still standing. Thank God ❤️

What is Duality – Part 1 Leo's smile and laugh are beautiful! I don't think he cut for the whole 2.40 minutes of that lecture . . . Not my work. Copied and pasted from a Youtube User's efforts by the name of Ask Questions --- All human cognition is dualistic, which has enormous implications for all intellectual work, including science, philosophy, and culture. This two-part mini-series presents a detailed list of over 250 of the most common dualities and how they ultimately break down. “Every stick has 2 ends” 3 major groups Common dualities , scientific dualities , existential dualities. 250 common dualities All thinking is dualistic any intellectual activity is creating duality, we create dualities unconsciously Your own mind is creating these dualitistic opposing relative notions. What is the distinction between mind and world but a duality. We build our lives and societies and cultures on certain unquestionable duality which is very threatening to the ego. All science is dualistic, reality is dualistic. Your own mind defines and created these dualities and are not absolute where all dualities collapse. You're using your mind to create boundaries. Reality arises from denial of duality which itself is a category Dualities Up vs down Left vs right East vs west Soft vs big Forward vs backward Clockwise vs counterclockwise Long vs short Hot vs cold Weak vs strong Slow vs fast Smooth vs roof Odd vs even (is 0 even or odd , is 3.14...even or odd) Easy vs hard Empty vs full High vs low Decrease vs increase Heads vs tails Shallow vs deep Narrow vs broad Good vs evil White vs black True vs false Love vs hate Positive vs negative Should vs shouldn’t Right vs wrong Moral vs immoral Worst vs best *how much time spent debating Sad vs happy* you can’t have happiness without sadness Old vs new Young vs old success vs failure* how do you know something failed ? Reality vs fantasy Life vs death Good vs bad Science vs religion Man vs women Human vs machine Progress vs regress Pain vs suffering Thoughts vs feelings Foreground vs background Useful vs useless* if you didn't need to survive nothing would be useful you wouldn’t even need uselessness when things become useful other things become useless Essential vs not essential Inefficient vs efficient Boring vs exiting Here vs there Near vs far Rich vs poor Normal vs weird Xx vs Xy* means nothing what is a chromosome? Why should we give importance to certain chromosomes? Wow. White vs black (race) Flawed vs perfect (absolute perfect) Straight vs curve Dark vs light Dirty vs clean Wild vs tamed Simple vs complex Wet vs dry Common vs rare\ Pro vs cons Up sides vs down sides Fair vs unfair (absolute fair how much do you complain about unfair? One being through all permutations * Winning vs losing Gain vs loss Fake vs genuine* Fiction vs nonfiction fearful/Cowardness vs bravery Slave vs master Superficial vs profound Abstract vs concrete General vs specific Growth vs decay * how much do you chase never ending growth whatever goes up must come down Agitated vs calm Arrogance vs humility* humble people were once very arrogant usually when you were young, you becoming humbled by your arrogance from self reflecting and get sick of your own arrogance War vs peace Violence vs peace * it's only possible to have peace through war and violence (long term design is absolute and absolute peace striving for greater unity Personal vs impersonal* both Innocent vs guilty Past vs future* Happened vs will happen Confused vs clear Capitalism vs socialism vs communism Conservative vs liberal Legal vs illegal Criminal vs non criminal Criminal vs police Terrorist vs not terrorist* who can say who is and who isn't a terrorist Hero vs villain Journey vs destination Ruler vs ruled Ugly vs beautiful Masturbation vs sex Art vs non art Discord vs harmony Student vs teacher Child vs adult Healthy vs unhealthy Product development vs marketing Biology vs chemistry Civilized vs uncivilized Spirituality vs politics Church vs state Important vs unimportant Mother vs father Democracy vs tyranny Sober vs intoxicated Beginning vs end Needs vs wants Pain vs pleasure Individualism vs collectivism Primary vs secondary Thought vs feeling Theism vs atheism Consistent vs inconsistent Extreme vs moderate attraction vs repulsion Contraction vs expansion Dominant vs submissive Popular vs unpopular Mainstream vs niche Gross vs subtle Incremental change vs revolutionary change Status quo vs change Stable vs unstable Temporary vs eternal * Addition vs subtraction Addiction vs non attached (added my own) Work vs play Content vs context Closed vs open Local vs global Minimum vs maximum Lender vs borrower Buyer vs seller Entrance vs exit Like vs dislike Ignorance vs wisdom Emotional vs rational Functional vs dysfunctional Employee vs employer Sexual vs nonsexual Leader vs follower Victim vs abuser a lot of times the victim is an abuser somewhere else Predator prey Us vs them People vs corporations Private vs public Competition vs cooperation Safety vs danger Drugs vs psychedelics Mediocre vs excellent Implicit vs explicit Culture vs cults Ordinary vs extraordinary Serious vs playful Cat vs dog Scientific dualities Mind vs brain Energy vs matter You can distinguish these things but just realize you are the one creating these distinguishes Existential duality Existential duality are dualities most people don't want to question Fundamental law of epistemology All dualities are fundamentally untenable and temporary all dualities are relative and must eventually collapse. Corollary; dualities only holds when they are not deeply explored the deeper you explore any duality to its ultimate route what you will discover is that the further away you get from the edges of this duality you will see it collapse and the edges will bleed and circle back around in a unity and the entire time the duality was defined in terms of one another. Authenticity is absolute start self reflecting be weird ,stop looking in the mirror, and stop laughing at people. move yourself into integration

Hopefully I look better in dream than I do in pixels You're telling me some of your life, but not all. One thing you have to remember is to not talk too much about your own life or direct experience and to stick to just repeating what you heard from the last video you watched. It is called impersonal development after all

There are a lot of different usages of the term enlightenment and I generally try to avoid that term because people have so many preconceived ideas about it. Regarding spiral dynamics, this would be within Turquoise. As more beings evolve into Turquoise, more distinctions within Turquoise will be drawn. There will be various levels within Turquoise. This could also be considered different levels of awakening. At the trans-personal level, there is impersonal awareness of the personality structure. I'd say generally a person reaches this stage within themself. Then, there is realization that this applies to other beings as well. I'd say this is currently a very high level of consciousness. In the future, it may be an average level of consciousness. The next one higher is even rarer. Imagine there is trans-personal awareness in a mind-body. That awareness may be detached from the personality impulses that arise in the mind. Through that mind-body there may be lots of ideas about what enlightenment is. There is no person to be attached to it or take ownership of it. This can arise at times on the forum. Yet it is still at the human level of consciousness. There is still human attachment and human identification. All those profound ideas are contextualized at the human level. There is a subconscious assumption at the level of the human mind. For any description of enlightenment, go explain it to a frog or a rock and see how it goes. Can a frog or rock be enlightened? That is a question that challenges the human level of consciousness. . . This also illustrates how low of a level the intellect, thoughts and language is. There is no way a human could explain any form of enlightenment to a frog or rock. Yet what about higher modes of being? Let's expand our idea of empathy, intuition and energetic modes. Is there a way that an essence of enlightenment could be expressed between human and frog via some type of empathetic or intuitive channel? Hmmm, here I'm no so sure. Now we are entering trans-human levels. At the trans-personal level the idea "that person is enlightened" no longer applies (since we are one level higher than the person) At the trans-human level the idea "that human mind-body is enlightened" no longer applies (since we are one level higher than the human). I'm not saying implying one level is "right" or "better" than another. It is just different levels. For example, we could look at the level of an individual basketball player, the level of the basketball team, the level of the basketball conference, the level of the national NCAA basketball organization etc. No level is "right" or "better". The problem arises when there is lack of awareness of levels and people start believing things like "that player is basketball". No, that player is within the sport of basketball. The sport of basketball includes that player, yet it also includes basketball teams and conferences. Similarly, I would say enlightenment includes the trans-personal level, yet also the trans-human level as well as higher levels. At this point, there is awareness and beingness at the trans-human level beginning to flow through my mind-body. I don't have any solid direct experience with any higher levels, maybe a glimpse - yet my baseline level is only high enough to integrate entry-level trans-human awareness and I have only scratched the surface at this level.

In Talks on Beelzebub's Tales, Bennett distinguishes four types of suffering - Unnecessary Suffering, Unavoidable Suffering, Voluntary Suffering and Intentional Suffering. The first is Unnecessary Suffering. This would be the type of suffering that we incur because of our unreasonable attitudes and expectations towards others, from our ill-will, hatred and rejection of others, from doubt, possessiveness, arrogance and self pity. In other words, suffering arising from our self-importance. The second is Unavoidable Suffering. This would be the type of suffering that comes to us by accident or from events beyond our control, such as interpersonal conflicts, war, disaster, disease or death. Third, we have Voluntary Suffering. This would be the type of suffering that we take upon ourselves in order to accomplish a personal aim, such as an athlete who disciplines himself to win a race, or a student who labours to get good grades. And finally we have Intentional Suffering. According to Bennett, this would be the kind of suffering that we take upon ourselves in order to accomplish an impersonal or altruistic goal, one that is directed more towards service to others or to the Work, and not for any personal gain. Bennett assumes that this is what Gurdjieff meant by Intentional Suffering.