And then, when you know yourself, whatcha gonna do with it? A lot of people don't like themselves, or what they perceive to be themselves...

To better know yourself, check out a very intesting book: Biology of Transcendence by JC Pearce, especially chapter 3. Also: The Heart's Code by Pearsall... may amaze you. 

Ciao

I can't ever imagine myself being a "joiner" or a "follower."  Neither have I been comfortable when people tried to put me in the "guru" role.  I find both things are off, somehow, weird dances of ego that just don't feel comfortable to me.

I've always felt the same way.

For a week I have been using a small pocket notebook (moleskine) to unravel and contemplate new thought-packets before they slip my mind.

I love moleskine notebooks! 

Sometimes I let my pen run, and keep it running, writing out even what seems obvious or feels stupid--I transcribe the inner dialogue until a new twist of thinking comes out and brightens me. 

Another great exercise is the 100 questions exercise.  You write out a question, any question, the first question on your mind, and then follow it immediately with 99 other quetions without stopping.  It takes me about an hour and a half.

You might start: Am I happy?  Should I be?  Who is telling me to be?  Is it me? ...etc., etc. 

I find that at about question 50 I have turned myself inside out and though the question might be a surprise to me, it'll make a strange sense--it'll reflect an energy that's been around me for a while.

That's a very insightful observation... and true not only for New Age beliefs, but political ones as well:  searching for what fills the emptiness rather than what resonates with what's already there at the core. What produces this emptiness, this insecurity? Either one is born with it or acquires it through programming, trauma, soul fragmentation, etc... It's like eating whatever fits in your stomach than what is healthy. Quantity over quality.

Normally that's no big deal, to each their own. But if their beliefs are based on ego and insecurity, then you can't contradict them without stepping on their toes. They will choose illogic and diversion over truth to avoid having to give up what gives them comfort. And if you get a bunch of them together, the pack mentality takes over and they will ridicule, suppress, or persecute others to reinforce their own security and group cohesion. This is why the "matrix" keeps going, because too many people chase and defend what betrays inner insight:

Gullible seekers and irrational agnostics both lack the internal compass. The first will cycle through beliefs like a wardrobe because nothing sticks. The second will reject it all and say we cannot know anything. Neither are willing to turn within and employ intuition checked by critical thinking and vice versa. Oh well

The point of productive discussions is to trade insights that inspire revelation. Revelation is a gnostic phenomenon, a little flash in the darkness, a tiny bite of enlightenment, an alignment between external and internal. When I write my articles, I often purposely withhold inclusion of all the raw material, personal experiences, and reasoning process used to arrive at certain ideas because I want the reader to experience an epiphany when some distilled concept I have written nudges their own puzzle pieces to unexpectedly fall into place.

How do we access our inner knowledge? If not instantly through full and sudden illumination, then through incremental series of revelations. Perhaps we have all knowledge contained within us already, but retrieving it may be like catching all the fish in a lake you own. A line cast into water catches one, just as an external observation or concept turned within evokes an inner revelation.

The trick is in "turning within" -- it comes naturally to some people, is weak or latent for others, and remains impossible for the rest. I have cultivated it by pondering mysteries and contradictions, asking questions and sketching out the intuitive answers, reading and observing interesting things to get the raw material for inner contemplation, and pursuing those flashes of insight that just come to me periodically.

Sketching them out on paper has served as my ariadne's thread through a maze of nonlinear intuitive thought-packets. For a week I have been using a small pocket notebook (moleskine) to unravel and contemplate new thought-packets before they slip my mind. Having one on me at all times has really worked to increase the flow. Personally, contemplation has done more for me than meditation.

"A teacher isn't someone who knows everything.

A teacher is someone whose enthusiasm for learning is contagious."

Enthusiasm is, for me, what sets a teacher apart as a teacher.  Or even a follower from a true seeker.

...I remember don Juan in the Castaneda novels saying that the role of the nagual/teacher was basically one of spurring the apprentice on and to help them through inertia they would naturally meet in their journey.

The issue of a joiner filtering their perceptions through the belief patterns of their guru is huge.  I've actually noticed wisps of cords from people's heads before--as if their answers and information is being piped into them from the one or more authorities in their life.

I don't mean to imply that you are the owner or even a moderator, or even that you created this place or maintain it. Apologies if my words were inaccurate and if they have added energy to an existing misconception that has caused either you or Tom discomfort.

For what it's worth, I TOTALLY bow down to Tom as the true Daddy and creator of this place, and I can't imagine how much work he has put into it all keeping it going on all levels.

So yes, mucho thanks to Tom for doing all of that ongoing work! You rock beyond belief, Tom!

But I'm still going to also thank you, Lyra, for your posts. Just 'cause your thoughts and writing have made their own positive contribution to my life.

So there Ya just can't stop me !

LipstickMystic aka Jennifer

Thanks again Tom and Lyra for maintaining this sacred space!

oh boy.  I know that I clarified this in an email that this forum is purely Tom's.  I have absolutely nothing, nada to do with maintaining or running this forum.

This is becoming such an "issue" that I'm almost at the point of starting a thread just to shout this from the rooftops.  It's a weird thing....people assume this, and even when I tell them, and clarify, it's like they're not hearing it.   They'll just keep saying it.  It's so weird!!    They just assume that I read his emails -- which I don't.   they assume that if they email me, they're emailing him, and vice versa - which they're not.   They will email me asking a forum decision-making question, when it's Tom's forum.  I mean, it's absolute insanity.  It really takes away from all the work that he's done when people give joint credit to somebody who had nothing at all to do with anything.   Please people, once and for all....this is Tom's forum, not mine.

dahhh!

There, maybe that will do it....

I also wrote a post not too long ago about the danger of thinking you're growing when you've only traded one ineffective paradigm for another.

Dreamosis, you expressed this so well.  What an excellent reminder for us not to "spin our wheels," endlessly cycling from one belief to another.

A teacher of mine once called this phenomenon "New Age window shopping," and I've known many wonderful people who truly fit this category.  Instead of investigating teachers, teachings, books, programs, etc. and measuring them against their own internal spiritual compass, determining if these things were valid for them, it's as if some people HAVE no internal spiritual compass. They are looking to outside people and programs to provide them with one.

I think I've been pretty good at absorbing the bits and pieces of various things that resonate for me, applying them to my collection of wonderful metaphysical goodies I've collected along the way, and then moving on.  I can't ever imagine myself being a "joiner" or a "follower."  Neither have I been comfortable when people tried to put me in the "guru" role.  I find both things are off, somehow, weird dances of ego that just don't feel comfortable to me.

If you're a "joiner," then you're hooking up to an external source to find validity for your own perceptions and ideas. In fact, quite often, you abdicate HAVING your own perceptions and ideas because you allow YOUR evolving wisdom to be filtered through that teacher's biases, beliefs, background, etc.  And you sell yourself short, miss out on understanding how miraculous, powerful, and creative you are, by virtue of simply having a soul.  You rock, and you rock TODAY, exactly as you ARE, even without spending thousands of dollars on workshops you don't need. I wish more teachers shared that fact with their students.

If you're a "guru," you can start out with grand and good intentions of wanting to help people and guide them into becoming empowered spiritual beings.  But somewhere along the way, the press of humanity asking you, "Am I doing this right?" starts to wear on you.

How do you get across to a student that whatever is happening with them right now is perfect and right for them? And they should honor themselves, love themselves, enough to celebrate their personal process of learning.  And not put themselves in situations where they allow their spiritual growth to be evaluated by some outside figure, because that person has no power over them.

I think it all comes down to the definition we have for a teacher.  Too often, we regard a teacher as a static being who has reached a state of all-knowingness about a certain thing.  And we don't leave room for them to be human, to be flawed, to have sex drives, to have money issues, and all of the other things that people have until they get their angel wings and move beyond physical form. 

I was given the following definition for a teacher once during a meditation, and I love this:

"A teacher isn't someone who knows everything.

A teacher is someone whose enthusiasm for learning is contagious."

And all of the best teachers I've known usually didn't call themselves teachers. They were people, like you and me, figuring it out as they went, having adventures and learning cool stuff along the way.

For me, that's what it's all about.  And I love that this forum celebrates this style of "self-study," an empowering and inspiring sharing of information.

Thanks again Tom and Lyra for maintaining this sacred space!

LipstickMystic aka Jennifer

And many times, that's all we're doing is switching paradigms, not getting free.

It was good for me to be reminded that false beliefs open one up to manipulation.  Thanks for the reminder.

I also wrote a post not too long ago about the danger of thinking you're growing when you've only traded one ineffective paradigm for another:

What should key us in that we might be only trading one ineffective belief for another is the fruit--or lack of fruit--of our actions.  Of course, there are hard tasks which require patience, work and perserverence.

But the big danger of clinging to a new ineffective belief after discarding some other ineffective belief is that, after a while, you begin to feel that the deficiency is you.  You become guilty, thinking you're not trying enough.

Integrity and naked honesty with oneself is indispensible here...Are your affirmations really working?  If not, then start asking questions.

This is what Castaneda talked about with Don Juan, when they discussed stopping the internal dialogue.   I only wanted to add this since you said:

"Your inner voice will tell you what you need to know."

I would think at this time, more people need to actually, PRACTICE this... get out of their mind's and in turn consult that inner voice.

I would hope more here on NR are doing this.    I practice it from time to time myself and have to say it's an amazing experience that has more uses to it than most would think.

J.P.

Hopefully this is unnecessary for most of you, but when I read the post that I saw in the ‘SEX’ posting in General, I felt I had to say something. And not in that thread as some people might not get back into the post to pick this up … after all, the topics Dreams, Movies, and Soul Mates got 10x the views of SEX which only got 420.  And I want to preface it by saying that this is not an attack against the person who posted. What I am copying/quoting below is the gist of what I can’t believe people are buying into – not all New Age teachings are true or useful.  And rather than just rant about that, I thought I’d add some ancillary clarification and things you might not be aware of… It is not just a rehash.

****

SEX posting said: 'By you thinking that you are in a "MATRIX" you have instantly trapped yourself in a thought that you now need to free yourself from,  something which deep down this is the case, but its not the "MATRIX" you need to free yourself from, its your habitual emotions and your habitual mind thought patterns and its incessant thinking that keeps you tied to what you think is a "wrong" and "cruel" world. (Which it is, but its like this for a reason)

'YOU are the "MATRIX" and you must free yourself from your own limitations that u have set yourselves, not anyone else, not anyone from another planet or dimension, ONLY YOU CAN!!!
When you all finally accept all that is, just as it all should be and that it is yourself that keeps you trapped in your so called "MATRIX" and that it is yourselves that have kept you bonded…'  [emphasis mine]

The person who wrote that is still in a matrix -- one that fits her paradigm. And many times, that's all we're doing is switching paradigms, not getting free.

If it were really that easy, we could all be free in 2 days – just long enough to change our thinking. So why are we still not free after 2000 years and more? As someone said: ‘The best slave is the one who thinks he’s free.’

First, the New Age point of view, again summarized, espoused by our friend:

‘You are god in your reality, what you say goes, you create your reality so you can uncreate anything you don’t like. You trapped yourself,  your belief system is your enemy, and there is nothing but the god force and your undeveloped/naïve self. You are more powerful than you think/know. Your thinking has trapped you. ‘You are the Matrix.’’ 

Oh, how I wish that were true.  When someone tells me that, I usually challenge them to go down to the nearest 7-11 store and with $1, win the Lottery.  Make it happen – you rule your reality, don’t you?

They usually reply, ‘Well, I’m (a) not interested, (b) I’m not spiritually there yet, or (c) I don’t have the time.’

And yet, getting free DOES depend on what you do about being ‘trapped in your Matrix’. If you are not in too deeply, simple Truth can set you free; and if you are trapped way too deeply, then you will need help getting free. If you are in quicksand up to your knees, you can usually walk out; if you are in up to your waist or more, you need help. The key is to know when you are trapped and there are a lot of New Agers who believe they are free --when they are really up to their waist or more.

By the way, let me share an insight here:  THE BOX.

The Box governs manifestation in 3rd D. Due to the fact that a lot of people are not advanced masters, they do not have the ability to instantly manifest what they want. A master speaks it, or thinks it, and it happens. This is where 3rd D reality comes in: all humans have some power, some ability, to apply to manifesting what they want but it doesn’t happen the first time they speak their word, think it, or visualize it. So as part of the ‘cause and effect’ world we live in, you are to persevere, keep asking, keep visualizing, keep speaking your word for what you want – and each time you do, you add to the energy of the attractor in the ‘Box’. Depending on how much personal power you have, you may be able to fill the Box with 10 ‘I wants’ at which point you manifest your thing. And someone else may have to really work at it and ask/visualize/speak it 22 times (or more!) before it manifests.   

This works because even in the 3rd density, words (written or spoken) have power – reflecting your personal level. This is how curses and blessings work. (In the case of a curse, be aware that there are always negs listening and they delight in afflicting people anyway, so when you curse someone, they can effect it for you… do that enough times, btw, and you may ‘owe’ them. That is how witchcraft backfires on the naïve.)

Now, secondly, the Matrix Control System (MCS) point of view. And I can’t say it any more succinctly than was said by Tenetnosce:

‘The Matrix concept is a metaphor for the control system by which a small group of STS [service-to-self] entities control, manipulate, and enslave the majority of beings on this planet.... It goes on and on, and the only winner is the system.’ 

But, you object – ‘That’s negative! I want to be positive! Therefore, I have to reject that.’

I agree, it is way negative, and unfortunately I cannot PROVE to you that it really is this way. Although there are many assorted statues, pictures and legends of serpents, dragons, gargoyles, lizards, etc around the planet, one just about has to intuit whether it is true or not… and again, that depends on your personal level of spiritual development. The PTB have gone to great lengths to wipe out any/all references to the entities who have used us for centuries. Sometimes, they create a Flood to get the job done. (I hear it’s Fire from the sky next time.)

The other way they keep us in ‘chains’ is to use hi-tech equipment that generates a grid of ELF (extremely low frequency) waves over/thru major population areas, and those who are not too developed mentally/spiritually (I know that’s not politically correct, but it is true) get entrained by the waves into a low alpha state (below 14 cycles per second) --around 9-8 cps. This produces a zombie or light hypnosis effect which renders the susceptible people open to believe and comply with what they are told. People become sheep. The combination of  suggestion in this state by ‘authorities’ is very effective.
‘9-11 was done by Arabs!’  and the sheep say ‘Oh, OK. The US govt ought to know.’

The sheep have just been told what to think. The brain locks it in and it is very difficult to replace it with a new ‘meme’.  Again, the issue of cognitive dissonance:  it is very hard to confront people with the truth about something when they have been previously ‘programmed’ to believe something else… the brain must actually ‘rewire’ itself, and in some people this creates confusion and headaches.  Don’t think the PTB don’t know that.

So in addition to creating religions to distance mankind from each other, they promote ‘new’ concepts like: your world is a reflection of what’s inside you – your thinking; your world is the way you created it to be; and name-it-and-claim-it teachings. Sounds great doesn’t it?  Really.

All some bippity-bop ‘expert’ has to do is TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, and you agree with them… and since a lot of real truth is esoteric and not obvious to the uninitiated, you keep the game going:  ‘OK, I like that, I’ll do a few seminars, read some books and get it to work…. (a year later)  Hmmmm, no I don’t have it yet. OK, one more seminar and book – I really understand this stuff – Why isn’t it working? Oh, I know, I need to change gurus/churches/religion/cities….’  and after a few more years, it STILL doesn’t work, but you want it to, it sounds so good… so you keep the game going. (Sometimes the negs will give you synchronicities to show you that you’re making progress… Aaargh.)

(I suggest the serious-minded take a look at the Montalk.net website and check out the great 2-part article on True Reality Creation under the Metaphysics tab. You’re not doing what you think you’re doing.)

The reason one’s reality reflects confusion, dysfunction, and/or weirdness is because that person entertains similar thoughts/beliefs (and doesn’t realize it). Like attracts like… focus long enough on it, ‘fill the Box’ (energize the attractor), and manifest it in your life. But you can't/don't always control what you attract. Some forces are subconscious and cancel the conscious desires.

To the extent that you hold false beliefs, you can be manipulated.  They told you Santa Claus was real – better be good, or no presents. Catholics were told to not eat meat on Fridays, and the fish-sellers profited. Christians believe their (past & future) sins are gone thru Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, so there’s no karma. Sin? Then Catholics can go to the priest and confess (loop that indefinitely) and believe they will still go to heaven. Thousands of people heard the Y2K hype and rushed out to buy $pecial $oftware that would see if they would have a problem with their PC on January 1, 2000. The Arabs did 9-11 so we can now attack Iraq with the blessing of the American people … And so it goes, a lot of it due to ignorance…

A major lie in education/parenting today is: let the child express himself, don’t inhibit, don’t spank. Thank you Dr. Spock. You affected (afflicted?) millions of families across the USA with your warped teaching – straight out of hell, I might add. ’Kids don’t need boundries, let them be free!’  And people believed it. Did you know that Dr. Spock’s  grandson committed suicide? Did you know that our jail population has never been higher in this country – and most of them are young people in their 20’s-30’s. (I know, I worked at the Justice Center in Ft. Worth for years. I saw it.) So much for kids ‘expressing’ themselves.  Could there have been an agenda to create it this way…?

Don’t walk under a ladder. Break a mirror and get 7 years bad luck! Be careful on Friday the 13th.  If a black cat crosses your path … ok, you’ve heard it all. To quote Arnold Schwartzenegger:  ‘95% of the people have to be told how to act.’ Guess whose side he’s on?

The truth is, your reality reflects your FRV (frequency resonance value) more than the details of what you’re thinking. And your thoughts affect your emotions which affect your FRV… And the greater reality of the American people reflects the aggregate FRV of the people in this country (plus what the PTB throws in). And the Lizzies exist whether you believe they do or not. And the MCS exists whether you are aware of it or not, or dislike it or not… Knowledge protects.

The reason for pointing out the MCS is so that we can assist in dismantling it. Hold the intent that it will fall apart, it will be unsuccessful, pray against it, ask the Beings of Light (or your favorite deity) to block it, dismantle it. And if you really hold a lot of Light, pay attention to the MCS, just observe it and dissolve it thru higher consciousness. Often, what you are aware of cannot be completely manipulated by the negs – to do so violates your freewill. You haven’t given permission for them to screw with this planet, country, state, city, school, family… what you are unaware of can be manipulated against you – Why do you think the alien bases are underground so that you can’t see them? (Or, do you not  like that either?)

Remember, false beliefs allow you to be manipulated. And what you are unaware of you cannot control. They can’t do it to you if you are aware and know… because then you know that you have a choice. Knock the chessboard over if you have to. And if enough people wake up and know, their combined FRV will make the difference (100th monkey effect) and will generate/attract a better reality.  That is how it is done – not via the New Age gibble.

Find out what is true, get the Light into you – Light is knowledge – Why do you think the symbol of higher education is often a lamp (sometimes like Aladdin’s) burning brightly? Get true knowledge and then watch the Light expand your consciousness.
(Read Lynn McTaggart’s book called The Field and learn how photons affect DNA, and rewire it – index in back of her book for quick topic checkout.)

When your personal light is awakened, we will not be discussing whether the MCS or Lizzies exist. ‘Seek ye first the kingdom… which is within.’ You will also resonate with the Truth and will no longer seek to have your ears tickled, nor will you encourage the snake oil salesmen to tell you what you want to hear. Your inner voice will tell you what you need to know.  The truth.  Namaste.