Posts by Michael Gonzalez77

Jacob Sanchez7 said:Exactly. Also, prayer is strictly an act of gratitude. You don't pray *for* things; you pray to express thanks to God, the universe, or whatever you choose to call it. At the end of the day, the label doesn't matter.

But people also seek through prayer. They ask for everything that aligns with the Creator's path—everything positive and necessary that a person simply can't handle alone. That’s where the Creator steps in, making spiritual energy available to us. It’s the natural connection between human beings and the creative energy of the Creator. A human being isn't on that energetic level and never will be, so asking for help or petitioning is perfectly natural. It's about receiving that assistance and, of course, the gratitude is mutual—just like how someone who helps you feels grateful just to have been able to pass that help along.

Spirituality boils down to this: the universe helping humanity specifically through prayer. A person's true spirituality is reflected in how much their effort is rewarded—basically, how much capacity they have to channel that spiritual aid.

I know you're thinking of selfish requests—the kind of prayers a secular mind might use that aren't actually seeking help, but are just pure ego. Usually, those are things a person could easily do for themselves anyway.

So, I disagree— prayer isn't exclusively an attitude of gratitude. Because if you're just being thankful, that's called gratitude. Prayer is prayer. Think of it like a child wanting a parent to provide something they need but can't get on their own. Sure, the Creator knows exactly what we need better than we do, but most of the time, we don't even realize what would serve us best. 🙂

Olivia Davis81 said:It might all be fine, except for the fact that there seem to be so many cases where people end up becoming mentally unstable...

Mental instability isn't caused directly by meditation; it's more about having a nervous system that was already compromised. Think of it like this: certain meditative techniques can actually irritate an already fragile nervous system, which then gets pushed over the edge by other stressors in life.

Jeremy Ross said:Silvio Berlusconi is a Mason. People claim he isn't anymore, but honestly, that's just a lie.

Nowadays, most Masons are just political figures chasing an ego boost. They think joining this group will grant them some kind of "divine" status or hollow prestige. The reality is that very few modern Masons actually possess true spiritual depth; it’s mostly just a parade of vanity. In fact, you see some of the most corrupt politicians in the US hanging out in those circles.

Originally, the whole idea behind Freemasonry was about progress, humanity, and spiritual growth—helping mankind by putting humanitarian ideas into practice through people of high integrity, like prominent scientists and capitalists. That was supposed to be the foundation. For instance, one of the highest-ranking Masons in America during the last century was actually Michael Pupin.
I believe the only real requirement for membership is belonging to one of the monotheistic religions. It isn't some grand mystification; it's just that their ranks have historically included people with a certain "mystical" insight—spiritualists, scientists, even "alchemists"—basically folks who aren't strangers to spirituality and hold a different worldview than what you get from standard schooling. People who don't know anything about it tend to view it as some dark, negative secret society, but while it might be "in" right now, it’s always been a hub for various industrialists and capitalists. Today, it basically serves as the backbone of that social structure.

nimblewolf11 said:That is such a flawed perspective, and it honestly just comes from not understanding the fundamentals of effective meditation!!! It’s actually the exact opposite—true meditation quiets things down and settles that restless, messy ego! Anyone who has ever meditated and practiced observing themselves from a distance knows just how much a good session can unburden a needy ego—you know, the kind that usually needs constant little distractions and treats just to feel "whole" to itself.
And group meditations (those established circles)? Even if you aren't physically together, they actually amplify that effect!!!
Of course "meditation" feels boring if you're just sitting there waiting for something to happen, calculating, or overthinking everything in your mind. But that’s not actually meditation!

Drinking, smoking, drugs—even coffee, sedatives, or other useless stimulants and depressants—aren't necessary to feel "better"!

Personally, I think coffee is great. I have one a day, especially if I have someone to share it with while having a cigarette. Two is hard for me, and three is definitely overkill. I might grab a beer when I'm out, but even then, I usually stick to something light like a Bud Light. 😁

I love my coffee; it keeps my digestion steady and keeps me calm all day, every day—especially when I'm fasting (my version: small meals throughout the day, avoiding meat, practicing meditation constantly. I lean into it heavily because I try to avoid negative thoughts, so I practice even when I'm "not fasting"). 😁

That said, I can't claim that coffee is the fundamental reason for my good mood. 😁

p.s. If someone doesn't understand what meditation actually is, you can't explain it to them for anything in the world. Trying to explain it ends up being total nonsense, because you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Jacob Sanchez7 said:Prayer, meditation, mantras, rituals—none of them can substitute for that.
Spirituality is woven into everything, but if you can't see it within yourself, you'll never truly possess it.

BUT, prayer, meditation, a mantra, a ritual, or even a psychedelic—they can all serve one purpose: reminding us of what we already are.

We are already one with Him. Everyone. Because if we weren't, we wouldn't exist at all.😁 (A technicality, sure, but vital for perspective.)

We’ve wandered into an adventure here. An adventure of forgetting, of limitations, of pure experience. And people don't actually "need" anything. They don't have to *do* anything. There are deeply spiritual people who have never even heard the word "spirituality," while others "study" spirituality and miss it even when it's staring them in the face.

Only one thing matters. Who do we want to be? What story are we telling the world through the lives we lead? That is the only thing of consequence. Other people aren't the point; what matters is how we show up in relation to them. 🙂

No judgment, no preconception, no expectation.

I agree, though I’m speaking for the majority—those folks who need a constant nudge, a finger pointed in the right direction, just to get moving. Most people need that initial push to head toward the right path, and once they're on it, it's hard to go wrong. To make that happen, you need more than just spiritual guidance; you need political and economic structures too. If we were surrounded by content that actually encouraged growth, we’d already be halfway saved.

I wouldn't say we're just on an adventure; I think we've spiritually lost our way. We just need to get back on the right track—the cosmic track, if you will. Once we're there, we can embark on a real, productive adventure centered on growth rather than destruction.

I agree that how our lives reflect outward is vital, but it's equally important to me how we all exist as a collective. I’m building myself in my own way and I'm happy with that progress. I've been through the wringer and found my footing, but when I look at others, I mostly see what has changed within *me*. They seem stuck being who they've always been—unhappy, rarely satisfied, increasingly sick, stressed, aimless, and often apathetic. I feel like part of one big family, but despite everything I've said, I am a massive optimist. I truly believe things will improve over time. It won't just happen by magic, obviously, but I am fully convinced this is a positive trajectory. Even if it doesn't happen in my lifetime, it will. This optimism is a permanent part of who I am; it can't be burned away by any circumstance because it is, in a sense, my daily prayer, my drive, and my joy.

Lisa Morales4 said:Zivom. She’s the one who inspires and gives strength

to the feminine side 😁 if you really want to know 🙂
.. just a little curious thought 😍

EDIT
She is the one from whom you live through love and for Love itself
as the driving force of life
there isn't any psychedelic out there that can ever replace that

Exactly. The only author truth is God creating everything visible and invisible, and Christ is one with Him. You become one with Him too when you accept Christ as a brother—then you possess everything granted to anyone searching for the truth. You don't need books, or specific knowledge, or any fancy techniques, because everything ever written resonates within you. In that moment, time expands to feel as vast as the entire universe, without beginning or end. Verb tenses lose their meaning, and you don't need a clock with hands anymore; you just need a pendulum, whose steady rhythm reminds you that you are breathing within the Zivom God.

That’s the reality of it. If only the human race weren't just a bunch of lost sheep projecting every random thought from their subconscious back into themselves, trapped in an endless loop. Generally speaking, people crave spiritual teaching regarding the most fundamental truths, yet they fail to find it. Even though they carry everything they need inside them, they don't see the key, they don't look for the key, and they don't even believe a key exists. Instead, they spend all their energy chasing third-rate distractions.

Lisa Morales4 said:I mean, sure, Jesus wouldn't need copyright anyway since everything he ever spoke was for God rather than himself, yet his words are still universally recognized as his

That's just what spirituality is all about.

The real issue is that we have a massive amount of stuff attributed to him that he almost certainly never said, but the apostles wrote down anyway. It's like people today need a psychic like Vanga to sift through it all to figure out what's real and what isn't. The fallout from that is messy. You have genuinely kind, spiritual people who can take one simple sentence about tolerance—like "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"—and actually live by it. Then you have the intolerant, brainwashed types who have the Bible memorized word-for-word, but they haven't applied a single thing to their actual behavior. The Scripture hasn't even touched their character. 🤷

Honestly, it seems like Jesus wasn't just familiar with Buddhism, but deeply understood all the philosophies of his time. His teachings are universal truths, even if they feel eclectic in how they blend different philosophical ideas. At the end of the day, truth is singular; where it came from doesn't change the fact that it's true.

Jacob Sanchez7 said:We all have the capacity to do everything you described; we’ve simply forgotten how. The limitations we impose on ourselves exist solely so we can consciously choose who we want to be. This is all just a game, though it operates far beyond the spectrum of the human mindframe. And goodness knows, spirituality isn't something meant to hold "value" in the way we think. 🤣

Theoretically, we can, 🙂 but it’s like saying anyone can become a millionaire—sure, in theory, but the practical reality feels a lot different.

Spirituality definitely holds weight when you look at its effectiveness—specifically how it allows us to participate in what we call the spiritual realm. I see spirituality as an active engagement with something much larger than a single human life or the temporary existence of our species. We're talking about the entire cosmos. Aside from the spiritual dimension, there isn't a single speck of matter or a single organized habitat out there that isn't part of this bigger picture.

If everything just worked—if you could follow a simple recipe where "this plus that equals success"—the world would be Paradise. Instead, it feels more like pure chaos. Honestly, even the concept of Hell seems more organized than this reality we live in, driven by the unconscious, unevolved depths of the human psyche. The result is a long, documented history of ignorance, suffering, pain, discontent, oppression, vice, and generally low consciousness.

It’s easy to lecture someone facing a massive, objective struggle when you haven't lived through anything remotely close to it—regardless of how much they claim their own past issues were "huge" before they solved them solo. Real trauma leaves deep, invisible scars that you can't just fix with basic mental exercises. While the intent to give advice is human and positive, it borders on being unrealistic. A person has to seek a way out, and if they can't find one, things get messy. They might just have to accept that their condition is chronic, riding a lifelong roller coaster of highs and lows, stability and instability. Anxiety, panic attacks, and severe neuroses aren't just buttons you can press to turn off; they represent a fractured psyche where mental constructs hold very little power. The only real lifelines are constant social engagement and healthy habits like sleep, diet, and exercise, but often, people don't even have the energy to attempt those. All this happiness and pain doesn't happen at once; it comes in waves.

Jacob Sanchez7 said:There is only one specific point where the physical body is lost, but let me be clear: that is neither the end nor the peak of spiritual evolution.

I’m not saying that’s the finish line for someone's spiritual journey—on the contrary, it’s one of the highest achievements possible, and honestly, one of the most noble too. It’s not like you actually lose anything tangible; think of it more like a total transmutation. In that process, there's a moment where a person sheds everything—every past incarnation, the physical body, the brain, the organs—basically everything that is subject to change or could be called illusory because it isn't permanent or eternal. They do this to emerge as pure spirit. At that stage, nothing familiar remains—no aura, no physical shell. But once you reach the other side of that process, everything returns to its rightful place. The person then lives their physical life acting in perfect parallel with their spiritual energy. For them, the cosmos holds no boundaries or secrets; they can travel spiritually and connect with divine energies across the entire universe. Their spirituality becomes much larger than just the Earth Globe or the human race; it reaches a cosmic level, existing as an equal to all universal energies. Of course, they still carry the mission to help people along the way.

Anyway, I guess I really struck a nerve with this topic. 🙂

Jacob Sanchez7 said:It isn't painful, or scary, or terrible. It’s only that way if you believe it is.
Besides, we have about a thousand years to get there. And that is light-years away from the actual peak of spiritual development. 😁

But... spirituality is precisely now. I’ve noted a few Phoenix Archetypes where you can extract plenty of algorithms if you draw parallels. That’s where 'transmutation' comes into play. You realize that from every single experience—no matter how dark or uncomfortable—we can extract something that pierces through that darkness. Every experience holds potential; it’s up to us whether we tap into it. We can dwell on the negatives and impose limitations on ourselves, or we can uncover why we believe those limits exist and discover who we truly want to be. And naturally, everything is relational. No two situations are identical, no two people are the same, which means there are no "wrong" choices or bad decisions. Whatever you decide, regardless of how negative it might look initially, it can be leveraged for something profoundly positive. The only context in which something can be "wrong" is when we act against our own nature—when we pretend to be someone we aren't.

We prove who we are through our actions. Our life is the story of ourselves that we tell the world. What kind of story are you telling? What kind of story do you want to tell? Live your dreams. 🙂

But that's not what I'm getting at. What I'm talking about is the absolute summit of spiritual growth—something incredibly rare for any human being. I think I just missed the mark with my previous point.🙂

There’s this peak stage in the spiritual evolution of cosmic beings—some call it the Transmutation Point, though you might hear it phrased differently depending on who you ask. When someone passes through this point, they stop being just a physical entity. They become enlightened, which is the only way to describe it, because at those high levels, there’s nothing else beyond that. At this stage, a person starts operating as a spiritual being—essentially acting as pure spiritual energy or part of the cosmic field. It’s an intense journey, a transformation that can be incredibly daunting and painful, but let me be clear: nobody actually dies.

Maria Fox4 said:So, what you're saying is every single "high" in life is just a manic episode in disguise? Like, someone falls head over heels in love, the spark dies down, and then they just shrug and go, "Oh, I guess that was just mania."
Either way, there’s no shot they would have even considered that diagnosis if the patient hadn't brought up medication first. It's like doctors just grab at any diagnosis they can find the moment someone mentions pills.

I don't usually bother with rhetorical questions, but I can tell this one was aimed right at me.

Look, I'm not a doctor. I'm just someone who has been living with bipolar disorder for the last 13 years 🙂 and I've experienced—more than once—exactly what this kid is describing (which, honestly, is about 50% luck and 50% misery). That's why I spoke about what I went through.

Nobody except people actually living through this can truly grasp it through some theoretical example. It's like trying to explain the effects of microdosing mescaline; you can't really abstract it without experiencing those subtle yet incredibly deep shifts where your personal impressions shape how you perceive the world through hormones and biology. Of course, I'm talking about mescaline based on theory here, and I'm not trying to trivialize things with bad analogies just because of a defensive reflex or cynical rhetoric.

I am not handing out diagnoses. This condition isn't exactly rare, but the experience is deeply tied to an individual's personality, goals, and beliefs. I'm simply sharing my own life to show that it's not quite what you think. What I don't know, you don't know either. I'm not claiming to be an authority, so please don't claim that I'm trying to act like one.

If you still don't get what I'm talking about, YouTube is full of explanations, or you could listen to Beethoven's symphonies—they might tell you more than I ever could.

analoghawk13 said:Yeah, let's drop the wind thing from the debate. I'm with you there.

And my point was more like... actually, let me rephrase:
sometimes I just get a bit tired of people who are perfectly content cruising along in this endless loop of shallow success and total mediocrity.
I honestly think life only hands out real happiness to those who can push through the fog of a heavy, complicated existence toward something a little brighter.
It’s not just about those >> extreme states of 'divine' bliss ... <<, it’s about widening the spectrum of what life can actually be for you.
I really hope Drew Gray4 caught onto a sense of freedom he'll never forget, regardless of how he feels when he wakes up tomorrow.

Anyway, it felt a bit like watching someone try to explain away the obvious.

That expansion happens in different ways. It doesn't matter if someone is dealing with illness (think Hemingway, Beethoven, and others) or if they're navigating it through their mental state—people who haven't hit depression or anxiety. Mania, for instance, can be liberating and refining; it allows a person to tap into their potential with incredible ease because they're finally leaning into who they really are. Before that, they might have been held back, like dead capital sitting idle. It's about an open expression of self-love and seeing God in everything, based on whatever philosophical foundation one wants to project—beauty, timeless perceptions, etc. But that's a tougher path, one that puts a person through significant trials.

Life offers happiness to everyone by default. We always feel like we're lacking something, but life itself isn't missing anything. Our own ignorance, disorientation, and certain flaws in our character make us feel like we have to "push through the fog." I wasn't saying that struggle is inherently bad; I'm just aware that's one way it manifests.

I agree that those who endure a lot without letting it distort or break them eventually reap the rewards of something truly sublime.

analoghawk13 said:There are definitely people who would be classified as depressed due to organic medical issues.
But the idea that > the depression and stress leading up to it absolutely wrecked your nervous system < is impossible to prove. The notion that depression destroys the nervous system on a hardware level? That's ideology. At best, it's correlation.

What actually matters is a person's life situation. And a situation is made up of facts, interpretations, perspectives, and mood.
Plus, you have external demands on how you're supposed to function. You "Must Not Be Depressed." And that’s where the vicious cycles start.

> psychiatry is just quasi-help for the symptoms <
Sure, there's some truth to that, but there's also the fact that quick quasi-therapy often just permanently locks you into a low state. How often does one single, heavy-handed label—like, "You Just Have Anxiety-Driven Depression"—create the whole reality? Suddenly, you're forced to interpret, feel, and act based on that label just to defend yourself.

Every intense emotional state leaves its mark, obviously. Every illness has a root cause, and for most, that stems from severe stress or heavy emotional burdens—that’s nothing new.
Then, the chronic issues and pain that arise from that—both physically and mentally—create a feedback loop. Those states impact your functions, which feeds back into the cycle, causing symptoms to flare up and fade away periodically. Depression absolutely wrecks a person's life, their behavior, their thought patterns, their relationships, and their drive to live.

analoghawk13 said:There are definitely people who would be classified as depressed due to organic medical issues.
But the idea that > the depression and stress leading up to it absolutely wrecked your nervous system < is impossible to prove. The notion that depression destroys the nervous system on a hardware level? That's ideology. At best, it's correlation.

What actually matters is a person's life situation. And a situation is made up of facts, interpretations, perspectives, and mood.
Plus, you have external demands on how you're supposed to function. You "Must Not Be Depressed." And that’s where the vicious cycles start.

> psychiatry is just quasi-help for the symptoms <
Sure, there's some truth to that, but there's also the fact that quick quasi-therapy often just permanently locks you into a low state. How often does one single, heavy-handed label—like, "You Just Have Anxiety-Driven Depression"—create the whole reality? Suddenly, you're forced to interpret, feel, and act based on that label just to defend yourself.

You're theorizing more than stating facts now, but okay, I get what you mean. Just let's not talk about mental illness in such broad, abstract terms; I was simply offering my opinion to him, not making an absolute claim.

My point in reaching out to the guy is this: I hope he isn't experiencing mania, because when someone goes through a manic episode—whatever kind it may be—they can feel enlightened, like they're Jesus or God. We all know people like that, and there's nothing wrong with it. But afterward, those lower moods tend to follow because the brain functionally and hormonally "burns out." Much like a drug, it exhausts its normal resources and falls into a deficit, leading to states that are just another form of "spending," only much more unpleasant. — Of course, it doesn't have to be intense, and I'm not claiming that's exactly what's happening in his case; in fact, I really hope it isn't.

analoghawk13 said:You’re talking like Drew Gray4 needs to pop mania pills just to get back to some "pleasant" baseline where he was taking antidepressants.

No. He woke up to the world, to himself—he finally took control in total freedom. Everything gained actual value, color... there's really nothing more to say about it.

Actually, you're putting words in my mouth; I never said any of that. 🙂

I'm simply pointing out how much this resembles what he's describing. There isn't really a "spiritual awakening" when you're coming out of severe, crippling anxiety or depression. In those cases, that "awakening" is actually just mania. When deep depression and intense stress wreck your nervous system, you can't hide behind philosophy. That said, I don't think that's what's happening with him, and I truly hope it isn't. People struggle with this their entire lives. Honestly, many just give up because these states swing wildly between feeling "divine" and feeling like you're in literal hell. Psychiatry is mostly just there to manage the symptoms.

People experience these shifts in all sorts of ways, but at the end of the day, they're still just people dealing with real problems.

Maria Fox4 said:but staying this positive for several days straight can't be mania, right? I thought those episodes were way shorter, or am I missing something?

@kudos to Drew Gray4 for being real. Keep it up. 🙂

It can actually last for months and then spiral out of control, almost like a wave pattern. Or it might dip away for a while, only to resurface a year later as a continuation of that manic phase.

Dennis Nguyen said:God lives within all of us. You can feel it whenever you try to see the true value in people—when you look at them through the eyes of a parent, a sibling, or a child. At the end of the day, God’s heart is just like a parent's heart. Any parent knows that no matter what their kid pulls, they aren't going anywhere. That kind of love isn't conditional.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note

🙏 Such a beautiful, pure quote. It really radiates.

Bottom line: if you’re feeling steady, and if that stability actually sticks—meaning you aren't sliding back into those old patterns—then I’ll be genuinely happy for you. 🙂

You might need to hang in there for a few more weeks; you just can't sustain that level of intensity indefinitely.
Look, I don't want to sound harsh or cynical, but what you’re describing sounds exactly like my own manic episodes. There isn't much difference. These states are always deeply personal, and honestly, mania can feel like a divine, pure experience—though that really depends on the person. If someone is spiritually inclined, they’ll express it through that lens. But if they lack any spiritual insight or are driven by ego, they’ll just experience it as this overwhelming, intense rush. Regardless, it’s usually mania, and it almost always follows a natural cycle of anxiety or depression.