Mastery = Changing your State without crutches (like meditation or psychedelics)

[Spiral Wizard]

https://www.actualized.org/insights/wrong-state

I agree with a lot of what Leo says here. And I probably would have come to the exact same conclusions after my Vipassana, darkroom retreat and psychedelic experiences because they were so powerful! But, I’ve had wise guides who stirred me back to center. They were able to help me pull myself out of IMPOSSIBLE CONFUSIONS which I would have remained stuck in without their guidance. 

So let me share the bottom line of what my conclusions have evolved into: 

It may be next to impossible to actually have deep insight & emotionally liberating experiance unless & until you’ve been to an intense meditation retreat or took psychedelics. These things are DOOR/EYE OPENERS! Absolutely incredible and super helpful (potentially life changing).

Realistically, yes! We are dependent on retreats & tools like psychedelics for a good chunk of our journey. However, don’t get stuck there and always see/inquire into how you may be able to become independent of any tools. Otherwise, they become crutches. 

Powerful tools have great potential for delusion & false conclusion. 

The counter intuitive thing is that the mind makes wrong associations. Meaning, if something produces a result it thinks that thing caused the result but that is not actually true, especially in this context. The more aware you become the clearer it will be that taking a walk, or breathwork, or meditation, or even psychedelics is not what’s relaxing, insightful, or transforming in and of themselves but it’s something YOU ‘DO’ or stop doing which actually determines all internal states. 

You are all powerful, you just somehow directed your own power against yourself creating conflicting forces. The long term solution is not to force states but to release what is blocking them from being available naturally without any effort or condition (conditions are tools like psychedelics or meditation, etc. ). 

Meditation retreats, psychedelics, breathwork, etc. seem to get the result (create the consciousness, insight, energy, etc.) BUT they actually just make it EASIER while the opportunity is fundamentally equal in every moment. Nothing is needed to change your state. Except your willingness to become aware of what’s LIMITING it (which is usually some sort of resistance to pain/discomfort/reality!). 
What makes all the difference in meditation has to do with honesty, surrender, willingness, and relaxation. This is what makes meditation retreats & psychedelics work. And funnily enough, the thing that makes it work is always possible! Meditation retreats and psychedelics just increase the energy and remove distractions which makes it exponentially EASIER. However, growth happens with progressive overload. So easy is great but if you don’t slowly learn to become equally conscious and energetic in normal life as it and even in low states without crutches like meditation, techniques, psychedelics, breathwork, etc. you will be stuck and not get to the highest levels of spirituality where Real Love & fundamental awareness rules unconditionally in any state. 

Relaxation and meeting the whole of the present moment with all of its pain/discomfort (like wanting it to be in a different state) is what allows you to become aware of the limiting factors and conflicts (pain) within. 

 At the beginning crutches  are incredibly helpful - making it SEEM like they are needed or it’s practically impossible without BUT with great guidance / reflection from someone who has walked the path - it is possible to come to a level of maturity, re-centering humility, recognition, insight, and willingness to see that it’s ALWAYS POSSIBLE. It must be that way and it cannot be any other way because you are the source of all things and states. This is not an assumption or philosophy, it’s possible to become conscious of this truth. 

This is it, in a nutshell (see all buttons not just as gross dependencies like socializing, drugs, etc. but also subtle addictions and dependencies like breathwork, psychedelics, music, thinking AND EVEN - EVENTUALLY - MEDITATION ITSELF! That is the last leap into freedom, transcending even the usefulness of spirituality): 

I’ll attach a few more words on practical limitations of this radical path as the first comment in this thread below: 

Edited May 9 by Spiral Wizard

[Spiral Wizard]

 

PS.: a few words on practical limitations: 

How effective a meditation retreat is, can vary incredibly. As mentioned, I’ve been to powerful Vipassana & Darkroom retreats but they usually didn’t have a lasting effect whereas I recently did a 1-on-1 retreat with a guide who I talked to every day for 1-3 hours and it CHANGED MY LIFE! It was the first retreat that actually has had lasting changes (now, months later things are still effortlessly deepening in certain regards). Main reason is because he carefully dismantled so many of my sticking points. 
I would say receiving long term 1-on-1 guidance from an enlightened guide was A WHOLE NEW GAME/chapter in my spiritual journey. It’s categorically different. I cannot emphasize enough how much more effective it can be compared to everything else like reading books and going to group retreats. 

The following is practically impossible without a guide who reflects your blind spots to you and ‘holds your feet to the fire’ because that is a feature of the ego (ignorance and unwillingness): I will still say it here so you may know it’s possible eventually: 

If you are willing to relax into the pain of your inability to create that a desired state and the pain of being separated from any desired state you will be liberated into a higher truth/consciousness. Pain is what unifies and collapses polarities, freeing up energy, lifting oneself effortlessly into a higher perspective / clarity.

Pain processing is passing through the eye of the needle 👁️