Posts by rustymaker5

nimblewolf11 said:And honestly, it goes even deeper than that! Even the same person, just by shifting their perspective, can view the exact same phenomenon through completely different lenses. This means that one single occurrence could leave an observer feeling anything from a faint impression to something mid-range, or even incredibly intense...

But see, that's where you're tripping yourself up! You're incorrectly grouping other types of experiences into this "emotional" category as if emotion is the only source of experience. The truth is, those other experiences directly influence our emotions, the quality of our thoughts, and pretty much everything else—but we aren't talking about emotional rushes or similar whims as the primary experience here. What you're describing is actually a secondary consequence. I think maybe some people confuse various emotional sensations with things that exist entirely outside of emotion and imagination, and that leads them totally astray, but that's just not the case!

If, say, there really was a shift in consciousness—whether brief or long-lasting—then emotions and thoughts start to feel more like objects being observed—just something secondary in the "order" of things.

See, that’s exactly what I had to finally wrap my head around and accept—that everything is happening within me, that nothing exists outside of myself.
The circumstances stay exactly the same, yet my emotions toss me around from pure euphoria to deep, heavy depression in such a short window, sometimes even within the span of a single day. How is that even possible? Nothing in the external world changed, yet I’m cycling through this entire spectrum of states and I have no clue what the hell is going on!?! So then today I react violently to something, when yesterday I wouldn't have even blinked at it! 🤷
And the absolute worst part about it all is that, whether you mean to or not, your moods end up having a totally devastating impact on the people around you, and then you turn around and try to pin the blame on them for how you're feeling! It's awful! 😳

The perceived realities of this material world carry such weight, but they also possess this seductive pull toward taking the path of least resistance, which means a person really needs to, constantly, at every single moment, consciously observe themselves and the way they respond to the circumstances and situations in their life—at least until things balance out, or until the heart becomes the primary driver instead of the mind, and then everything starts sliding along smoothly like a cold drink down a parched throat. 😍

Peter Phillips32 said:That’s exactly why I jumped into this thread in the first place. ☕

Look, nobody actually asked for your two cents, your unsolicited lectures, or all this negativity you're spewing. Nobody requested your little deep dive into stuff you haven't even lived through yourself, so I've gotta wonder—what's with this desperate need to meddle in everything?

And why on earth doesn't anyone ever bother asking the real question—like, where did all that supposed infinite love and deep connection with the universe go the second you actually had to deal with me?

Look, nobody here is out here begging for help or acting all uncertain about anything, so I’ve gotta ask—what on earth are you even doing here? Seriously, you're hanging out in a thread where you clearly don't belong, adding absolutely zero value to the conversation, yet somehow you're still lurking around like you've got something to say... why?

Man, you just showered me with such an endless amount of love. Honestly, I’m already starting to feel this deep connection you have with everything out there—including, apparently, with me.

Come on, just keep loving me, please.

I honestly don't even know where to start with this one because everything feels like such a massive, tangled mess, but here we go. I was sitting there thinking about how much energy people waste on trivialities when the whole damn structure of our reality is basically a house of cards waiting for a breeze, you know? It’s like everyone is running around in circles, completely oblivious to the fact that the floor isn't even solid under their feet. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm probably just overthinking things—classic me, right?—but there's this pervasive sense that we're all just sleepwalking through this giant, simulated existence without even realizing the script has already been written. It’s exhausting just watching it happen, honestly. Anyway, I'm rambling, I know, but sometimes you just have to say the damn thing out loud before it drives you absolutely insane. says:
Look, you're totally tripping here—you’re making this massive mistake by trying to shove every other kind of experience into that "emotional" bucket like it's the only source of truth out there. Don't get me wrong, those other experiences definitely bleed into how we feel and they absolutely mess with the quality of our thoughts and pretty much everything else, but we aren't talking about some fleeting emotional high or whatever similar nonsense being the primary way we perceive reality. What you're describing is just a secondary reaction, a byproduct, if you will. I don't know, maybe some people just can't help but blur the line between actual emotional sensations and things that exist entirely outside of feelings and imagination, and they end up completely deluded about the whole thing, but honestly? That's just not how it works at all.

Why am I even bothering to explain myself if you just completely misread that part anyway? Seriously, it’s like talking to a brick wall sometimes. Anyway, here’s a dead simple question for you—pretty much identical to the one I asked before that you managed to totally butcher.

So, what exactly gives you the right to be so damn sure that your little theories about the supernatural are some kind of indisputable Truth, you know, with a capital T?
And just what exactly makes you think your core beliefs are any better or more "correct" than someone else's fundamental convictions when they’re spinning a completely different story about the supernatural?

So, if we’re actually talking about a genuine shift in paradigm consciousness—I mean, if that thing really happens—then suddenly all those fleeting emotions and random thoughts just kind of lose their grip on you. They stop being this overwhelming storm and start feeling more like objects you're just observing from the sidelines, you know? Like they’re just secondary little things passing through the actual order of things.

So, what even is consciousness? Honestly, it’s one of those questions that makes you want to stare at a wall for three hours straight because once you start pulling on that thread, the whole sweater just unravels in your hands. It’s not just about being awake or staring blankly at a screen while scrolling through endless feeds; it’s that deeper, weirder thing—that internal flicker that makes you *you*. We spend our entire lives navigating this reality, bumping into things, making choices, and yet we can't quite pin down the essence of the thing itself. Is it just some biological byproduct of neurons firing off like crazy in your brain, or is there something more profound happening, something closer to a total paradigm consciousness? I don't know, man. I'm probably overthinking it, but sometimes you feel like you're on the edge of a massive awakening, only to realize you were just hungry and needed a burger. It's a trip.
What exactly is this thing in our paradigm consciousness that's supposedly capable of shifting around, and where exactly is it supposed to be moving to?
Why is it that some people can shift their paradigm consciousness just a little bit, while others can push it way further?
I mean, if someone can't even trigger that initial shift on their own, what exactly is the catalyst that finally makes that first movement happen?
And what does it actually look like when thoughts and emotions suddenly start appearing as things you're just observing from the outside?
What kind of cosmic order are we looking at if our own thoughts can just become secondary to us?
Where does this whole hierarchy of existence even take place?

Look, let's dive into this stuff so I can actually wrap my head around what you're getting at.

Well then, Peter, feel free to share your own experiences... and there's no need to label them as spiritual or call it an "awakening" if those terms don't sit right with you. 🥳

Words are such a flimsy tool for expressing what someone discovers deep inside themselves, for those sudden flashes of wisdom that emerge from the core and present a person with a finished fact—it just is! regardless of what we thought about it before. But we don't have any other tools, especially not here on the internet. 🤷

wearyowl29 said:I haven't become anything at all—I just hardened up and drifted off into the deep Atlantic.
I’m still sleeping through most of it; sometimes I’m just half-dreaming, and other times I slip into a total coma. I’m only truly awake for those brief moments when I have to get up to use the restroom so I don't walk into a wall.

Those flashes of awakening really get under my skin because it feels like everything is looping. A cantaloupe dreams it's moss, moss dreams it's a pig, and the pig dreams it's pure paradigm consciousness trapped inside a pork chop just so it doesn't end up on a backyard BBQ.

As for my own awakening... there is absolutely zero hope left.

Come on, come on, Nemruth Dag, it’s really not all as bleak as it might seem right now! 🙂

You know how it goes: expecting anything from someone else is just a form of slavery, while expecting things from yourself is true freedom. 😉

Besides, after the rain comes the sun, sooner or later, and even the darkest night is always at its worst right before the dawn breaks. 😁

Man, oh man...🤔 we are an American people, after all, and we've always been full of spirit!

I suppose you could argue it looks that way simply because no two people ever truly share the exact same lived experience or mental framework, especially since the world we inhabit is entirely subjective—two different Americans will always perceive and process the same event through completely different lenses.
But honestly, I think what matters most is what one actually gains from this supposed "awakening," regardless of how it happens, and to me, it seems like they all lead to the same positive shifts—this profound sense that everything is interconnected, which naturally fosters a greater feeling of community and a genuine love for life in all its messy glory, followed by a certain kind of inner stillness as those various anxieties just... fade away, along with the constant, exhausting need to compete or dominate others, until you finally crystallize around the realization that the most important thing in life is simply treating people the way you'd want to be treated... and it’s almost as if these "awakened" individuals become, for lack of a better word, "better" versions of themselves, both toward their own souls and toward everyone else... 🤷

Peter Phillips32 said:Now I'm starting to wonder too. Like, why would you be so incredibly familiar with everything you're preaching—how one thing leads to another and so on and so forth—if you aren't constantly in a state of awakening?

Regarding this part

I don't even know what to say, really. I mean, what kind of "post" are you even talking about, and what does that have to do with the personal awakenings we're discussing here versus the millions of religious people out there?

Look, if you can't independently flip that switch and activate your spiritual vision through your own sheer will, and if being awake is somehow beyond this physical world, then some external force has to grant you a dose of Awareness. So the real question is: why on earth would absolute energetic love bother granting ultimate knowledge specifically to you, when the Absolute is perfectly fine with millions of other people believing in a bunch of different things that have absolutely nothing to do with absolute energetic love itself?

Oh, how wonderful that You showed up, because without You, neither rustymaker5 nor I would have any idea what it is that rustymaker5 "must"—and I mean *must*—do just to get the essence of her existence to fully merge with her material life. ☕

It seems like in a thread meant for sharing an individual's most intimate and sacred moments, this guy has arrived to "rationalize" things and lump someone's awakening in with mass religions, which are nothing more than learned, habitual patterns used to buy a ticket to bliss—but still, one cannot cross the line undeservedly when dealing with such a nature and what is possible. 🤷

Yeah, right, because if you do one thing in religion it's wrong, but if you do that exact same thing in spirituality, suddenly it's magically correct.

The most intimate and sacred moments... 🙄 Just another cheap way to brush off any actual reasonable criticism or a shred of skepticism.

I honestly don't get what you're even trying to achieve with these posts, but look, from everything I've picked up through my own various stages of awakening, pretty much everyone is walking around with the exact same hardware—the same senses, eyes, ears, all that stuff. But the kicker is that people only actually perceive what they choose to focus on. We all have the capacity, but some folks just decide to soak every single thing up into their being, and that’s what we call awakening.

Oh sure, five different people give you five totally different definitions of this famous awakening, but obviously, yours is the one that's right.

That doesn't have to be the case, because Person B isn't just seeing something supernatural; to them, that stuff is just as mundane as everyday reality. Meanwhile, Person A thinks most situations are totally ordinary and just takes everything for granted, which creates this illusion that Person B is seeing something "supernatural." They aren't; they're just hyper-focused on the details that Person A completely misses, which usually leads to Person A failing miserably in most situations.

So, what, you're just constantly in a state of awakening since everything is so crystal clear to you?

Look, Peter Phillips32, I honestly have no clue what you’re even talking about right now... I mean, seriously, what is the point of all this? We are supposed to be staying on topic here, and instead, we're drifting off into these weird side quests that have nothing to do with the actual discussion... ...my own... It all comes back to this whole concept of awakening... because at the end of the day, we’re all tapping into the exact same Source, aren't we? We are all just spiritual beings temporarily navigating these heavy, material bodies, and honestly, we all possess the same inherent power and the same capacity for self-actualization... the only real issue is that most people haven't even realized it yet, while others are just starting to finally wake up from that deep dream where they mistake this physical, material world for the only reality that actually exists...

When you really start looking at religion, it’s pretty clear they're just human inventions, honestly... they don't have much to do with the Absolute at all. If anything, religions have gone out of their way to drive a wedge between God and humanity, and even between people themselves... which explains why we haven't been able to get past this endless cycle of evil and suffering for thousands of years. People just keep hurting one another, often because they're following the orders of their own religious leaders, and it's just... well, it's tragic how it works.

The energy of absolute love isn't some private secret held by a select few, nor is it some divine revelation just handed down to me personally... it's woven into every single person, every living creature, this entire planet, the vastness of space, and everything we can perceive—not to mention all those things whose very existence we haven't even caught a glimmer of yet. It’s everywhere. Everyone is going to experience it eventually, and yeah, that includes you too... we're all bound to have that awakening where we finally grasp the truth about absolute love, that fundamental energy we were modeled after, tiny fragments of which we carry within us... because that is simply the path we are traveling, the inevitable journey we all have to walk sooner or later...

Peter Phillips32 said:Look, I know you were the one claiming you’d actually seen Things As They Are, and that through that whole experience, you figured out you could just pull the trigger on it whenever you felt like it—like you had some kind of remote control for reality. But now, suddenly, you're totally backtracking and changing your tune because it turns out you can't just summon that spiritual vision on command whenever it suits you.

You're just twisting the narrative because you can't stomach the thought of admitting you actually caught a glimpse of the Truth and that, despite all that heavy realization, things still went south for you. It’d be a massive blow to the ego if you had to face the fact that the Truth you clung to was nothing more than a lie, so instead, you're just reshaping the whole story to keep that precious Truth looking pristine and untouched.

I mean, let’s be real, most of humanity basically spends its entire existence choosing not to be One and refusing to just exist as Love, right? If you actually look back at the whole damn history of the world, isn't that exactly what we see playing out over and over again? It’s like we're hardwired to stay scattered. Don't you think?

So, you’re basically saying we should all just undergo some kind of emotional euthanasia? It’s a wild thought, really. I mean, if we’re all fundamentally broken—which, let’s be honest, most of us are on any given Tuesday—then why not just lean into being slaves to a single master? At least then we could all be identical through the one we serve, since apparently, we can't manage to be anything else on our own. Only this time, instead of some corporate overlord or a tyrant, the boss would be some concept like Love. Man, if only we could get lucky enough to swap one master for another. But hey, maybe this one will actually treat us better...

Man, I really am one lucky bastard, aren't I? Ha! 😍

I mean, look, you've gotta wrap your head around the "why" first, right? Like, you really have to figure out why the mighty Absolute Energetic Love would bother showing up for you specifically when there are millions upon millions of Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and every other kind of believer out there just waiting for a sign. It’s a wild thought, honestly.

Look, if some magical goldfish popped up right now and offered me three wishes, I wouldn't even waste my breath on the usual crap like winning the lottery or getting a mansion in Malibu. I’d honestly just use my one shot to wish that every single person on this planet had a massive, simultaneous awakening to Love. If everyone just finally got it, all this misery, the endless drama, and all the suffering we deal with would just vanish in a heartbeat. Now, obviously, that’s clearly not the grand design or why we’re stuck here in this chaotic existence, but for those people who actually vibe with that Idea over Idea, they can show us it's doable. By just being themselves and living that way, they prove it's possible to live for our own good while helping everyone else too—because at the end of the day, we’re all just part of the same One.
Look, at the end of the day, we’re the ones pulling the strings—we are the architects of our own damn reality. It really all comes down to what we decide to "Be," because that choice is basically the blueprint for every single thing we experience in this life. I mean, seriously, who decided that life has to be this constant, exhausting grind? Who says it’s supposed to be nothing but struggle and misery? For some people, that just isn't the case. And honestly, can anyone actually prove that life wasn't meant to be one big, glorious adventure? Because for a lot of us, it absolutely is. 🤷

Look, if we’re all supposedly playing god and manifesting our own little bubbles of reality, then why wouldn't someone just manifest a reality where your whole "energetic love" thing is nothing but a total hallucination? It’s a wild thought, I know, but hear me out. If this guy is out here building his own world and you're busy constructing yours, what actually happens when those two conflicting realities smash into each other? Like, does the universe just glitch out, or is there some kind of cosmic collision where one version of the truth just eats the other? It makes you wonder how much of this stuff is actually solid ground and how much is just us bumping heads in the dark.

😕
Are you absolutely sure you "know" what I actually said, because honestly, I have no clue what you're even talking about... 🤷

And regarding this part

Peter Phillips32 said:Look, I know you were the one claiming you’d actually seen Things As They Are, and that through that whole experience, you figured out you could just pull the trigger on it whenever you felt like it—like you had some kind of remote control for reality. But now, suddenly, you're totally backtracking and changing your tune because it turns out you can't just summon that spiritual vision on command whenever it suits you.

You're just twisting the narrative because you can't stomach the thought of admitting you actually caught a glimpse of the Truth and that, despite all that heavy realization, things still went south for you. It’d be a massive blow to the ego if you had to face the fact that the Truth you clung to was nothing more than a lie, so instead, you're just reshaping the whole story to keep that precious Truth looking pristine and untouched.

I mean, let’s be real, most of humanity basically spends its entire existence choosing not to be One and refusing to just exist as Love, right? If you actually look back at the whole damn history of the world, isn't that exactly what we see playing out over and over again? It’s like we're hardwired to stay scattered. Don't you think?

So, you’re basically saying we should all just undergo some kind of emotional euthanasia? It’s a wild thought, really. I mean, if we’re all fundamentally broken—which, let’s be honest, most of us are on any given Tuesday—then why not just lean into being slaves to a single master? At least then we could all be identical through the one we serve, since apparently, we can't manage to be anything else on our own. Only this time, instead of some corporate overlord or a tyrant, the boss would be some concept like Love. Man, if only we could get lucky enough to swap one master for another. But hey, maybe this one will actually treat us better...

Man, I really am one lucky bastard, aren't I? Ha! 😍

I mean, look, you've gotta wrap your head around the "why" first, right? Like, you really have to figure out why the mighty Absolute Energetic Love would bother showing up for you specifically when there are millions upon millions of Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and every other kind of believer out there just waiting for a sign. It’s a wild thought, honestly.

Look, if some magical goldfish popped up right now and offered me three wishes, I wouldn't even waste my breath on the usual crap like winning the lottery or getting a mansion in Malibu. I’d honestly just use my one shot to wish that every single person on this planet had a massive, simultaneous awakening to Love. If everyone just finally got it, all this misery, the endless drama, and all the suffering we deal with would just vanish in a heartbeat. Now, obviously, that’s clearly not the grand design or why we’re stuck here in this chaotic existence, but for those people who actually vibe with that Idea over Idea, they can show us it's doable. By just being themselves and living that way, they prove it's possible to live for our own good while helping everyone else too—because at the end of the day, we’re all just part of the same One.
Look, at the end of the day, we’re the ones pulling the strings—we are the architects of our own damn reality. It really all comes down to what we decide to "Be," because that choice is basically the blueprint for every single thing we experience in this life. I mean, seriously, who decided that life has to be this constant, exhausting grind? Who says it’s supposed to be nothing but struggle and misery? For some people, that just isn't the case. And honestly, can anyone actually prove that life wasn't meant to be one big, glorious adventure? Because for a lot of us, it absolutely is. 🤷

Look, if we’re all supposedly playing god and manifesting our own little bubbles of reality, then why wouldn't someone just manifest a reality where your whole "energetic love" thing is nothing but a total hallucination? It’s a wild thought, I know, but hear me out. If this guy is out here building his own world and you're busy constructing yours, what actually happens when those two conflicting realities smash into each other? Like, does the universe just glitch out, or is there some kind of cosmic collision where one version of the truth just eats the other? It makes you wonder how much of this stuff is actually solid ground and how much is just us bumping heads in the dark.

I really don't even know how to respond to that... I mean, what kind of "revelation" are we even discussing here, and what does that have to do with the individual awakenings we're talking about in this thread versus millions of religious people?

Peter Phillips32 said:

Then the next flash of "awakening" was realizing what it actually looks and smells and sounds like—absolute energetic Love. Something indescribable, just so gorgeous, deep, and all-encompassing, that for a few days I felt this intense, overwhelming happiness just knowing that She is within me and I am within Her.

And during one really heavy moment in life, when I was absolutely certain my daughter was dying in my arms, I was hit by a realization so final, bringing such immediate relief because I understood that the only thing truly worth giving to any living being is what I already have inside me—love—and that it’s the only thing worth taking with us when we head back home, because the death of our body isn't our death.

It always trips me out and surprises me how different people, during these hallucinations, feel these different kinds of realizations that somehow confirm their own deeply rooted ideas about how the world works, and how in their darkest moments they feel exactly what they need to make their own lives a little easier to bear.
Yeah, always.

After those flashes of realizing who we actually are, I found myself missing those experiences because, over time, the memory of the feelings that came with them starts to fade, and I just wanted to feel it again. Then it hit me: those realizations came from *within* me, which means I still have those feelings and can pull them out whenever I want—meaning, I just need to be the version of myself that I realized I was.

So, have you had more experiences like that just by being the person you realized you were?
And, have you had more of those experiences whenever you wanted to, simply by wanting it while being that person you realized you were?

Mind you, it’s not exactly "just" anything, because visions feel so incredibly real that they seem like reality itself, but there's such relief in knowing it's all inside you and that at any given moment you canto be what we actually are at our core. But the choice of how we show up in this world? That’s always entirely on us...

Basically, at any given second, we have the option to be pure Love and embody the fact that We Are All One, right? Or we can just choose not to. We can opt out.

It’s pretty wild when you think about it—that sense of relief and comfort you're hunting for through spirituality, or that deep need for love, doesn't actually come from that notorious, toxic ego of ours. But the moment you start chasing those same things through some organized religion, suddenly that same damn ego is the one pulling the strings again.

It's honestly fascinating how different people, during their various spiritual hallucinations, just end up seeing their own deeply ingrained biases about how the world works. But you? You caught a glimpse of the idea over idea—the absolute energetic love.

Actually, no, I haven't had those kind of experiences anymore, but when I find myself stumbling through my thoughts, what else is there left to realize? This whole thing is everything, now it just "only" needs to be put into practice, you know, actually lived...
You know how they say: you have to live with illusions, but not live inside them. 😉

Peter Phillips32 said:

Then the next flash of "awakening" was realizing what it actually looks and smells and sounds like—absolute energetic Love. Something indescribable, just so gorgeous, deep, and all-encompassing, that for a few days I felt this intense, overwhelming happiness just knowing that She is within me and I am within Her.

And during one really heavy moment in life, when I was absolutely certain my daughter was dying in my arms, I was hit by a realization so final, bringing such immediate relief because I understood that the only thing truly worth giving to any living being is what I already have inside me—love—and that it’s the only thing worth taking with us when we head back home, because the death of our body isn't our death.

It always trips me out and surprises me how different people, during these hallucinations, feel these different kinds of realizations that somehow confirm their own deeply rooted ideas about how the world works, and how in their darkest moments they feel exactly what they need to make their own lives a little easier to bear.
Yeah, always.

After those flashes of realizing who we actually are, I found myself missing those experiences because, over time, the memory of the feelings that came with them starts to fade, and I just wanted to feel it again. Then it hit me: those realizations came from *within* me, which means I still have those feelings and can pull them out whenever I want—meaning, I just need to be the version of myself that I realized I was.

So, have you had more experiences like that just by being the person you realized you were?
And, have you had more of those experiences whenever you wanted to, simply by wanting it while being that person you realized you were?

Mind you, it’s not exactly "just" anything, because visions feel so incredibly real that they seem like reality itself, but there's such relief in knowing it's all inside you and that at any given moment you canto be what we actually are at our core. But the choice of how we show up in this world? That’s always entirely on us...

Basically, at any given second, we have the option to be pure Love and embody the fact that We Are All One, right? Or we can just choose not to. We can opt out.

It’s pretty wild when you think about it—that sense of relief and comfort you're hunting for through spirituality, or that deep need for love, doesn't actually come from that notorious, toxic ego of ours. But the moment you start chasing those same things through some organized religion, suddenly that same damn ego is the one pulling the strings again.

It's honestly fascinating how different people, during their various spiritual hallucinations, just end up seeing their own deeply ingrained biases about how the world works. But you? You caught a glimpse of the idea over idea—the absolute energetic love.

Well, most of humanity chooses not to be One and not to be Love, isn't the whole history of the world a testament to that?

Peter Phillips32 said:

Then the next flash of "awakening" was realizing what it actually looks and smells and sounds like—absolute energetic Love. Something indescribable, just so gorgeous, deep, and all-encompassing, that for a few days I felt this intense, overwhelming happiness just knowing that She is within me and I am within Her.

And during one really heavy moment in life, when I was absolutely certain my daughter was dying in my arms, I was hit by a realization so final, bringing such immediate relief because I understood that the only thing truly worth giving to any living being is what I already have inside me—love—and that it’s the only thing worth taking with us when we head back home, because the death of our body isn't our death.

It always trips me out and surprises me how different people, during these hallucinations, feel these different kinds of realizations that somehow confirm their own deeply rooted ideas about how the world works, and how in their darkest moments they feel exactly what they need to make their own lives a little easier to bear.
Yeah, always.

After those flashes of realizing who we actually are, I found myself missing those experiences because, over time, the memory of the feelings that came with them starts to fade, and I just wanted to feel it again. Then it hit me: those realizations came from *within* me, which means I still have those feelings and can pull them out whenever I want—meaning, I just need to be the version of myself that I realized I was.

So, have you had more experiences like that just by being the person you realized you were?
And, have you had more of those experiences whenever you wanted to, simply by wanting it while being that person you realized you were?

Mind you, it’s not exactly "just" anything, because visions feel so incredibly real that they seem like reality itself, but there's such relief in knowing it's all inside you and that at any given moment you canto be what we actually are at our core. But the choice of how we show up in this world? That’s always entirely on us...

Basically, at any given second, we have the option to be pure Love and embody the fact that We Are All One, right? Or we can just choose not to. We can opt out.

It’s pretty wild when you think about it—that sense of relief and comfort you're hunting for through spirituality, or that deep need for love, doesn't actually come from that notorious, toxic ego of ours. But the moment you start chasing those same things through some organized religion, suddenly that same damn ego is the one pulling the strings again.

It's honestly fascinating how different people, during their various spiritual hallucinations, just end up seeing their own deeply ingrained biases about how the world works. But you? You caught a glimpse of the idea over idea—the absolute energetic love.

I’m such a lucky one, haha! 😍
See, if a goldfish offered me three wishes, I’d only have one: that every single person simultaneously realized Love. All the problems, all the misery, and all the suffering would vanish instantly. Granted, that clearly isn't the plan or the purpose of our existence, but for those for whom this idea over idea is acceptable and close to the heart, they can show through their very being that it is possible to live this way for their own good, and thereby for the good of everyone (since we are all One)...
In the end, we are the architects, the creators of our own reality, and that's why it matters what we decide to Be, because that's what produces all our life experience. Because, who says this life has to be a grind and a struggle? For some, it isn't. And who can prove that life wasn't intended to be a joyful adventure? Because for some, it is... 🤷

Lawrence Torres56 said:Exactly that! Seriously, huge congrats to you—you finally caught that flash and realized the whole "secret" behind the awakening.
Man, we’re all out here chasing this whole "awakening" thing the wrong way, aren't we? We spend our entire lives waiting around for it to come back to us like some lost piece of luggage, but we completely miss the point—we don't realize that when that flash hits, we actually walk away with way more than we ever even asked for.

Yeah, people really believe that if they have certain things (more money, more free time, more love), they can do something (buy a Tesla, I don't know—write a novel, jump into a relationship) and then they’ll finally be something—satisfied, happy, in love...

But the reality is actually the inverse: first you become what we call happy, compassionate, good, knowledgeable, wise; and only then do you start to do things from that state of being, and before long, you discover that what you are doing leads you to have exactly what you always wanted in the first place.

William Roberts3 said:Reading all that just leaves me feeling extraordinary... honestly, I'm speechless. It feels kind of wrong trying to "turn" something so intense into mere words. Words feel like a single grain of salt tossed into a massive freshwater lake. There’s just no way to describe what the "heart" felt.

Zero doubts and zero need for questions. That is just so simple that if it were even slightly more complicated, everyone would actually "get it."

"Perception" expands sooo much that all boundaries just vanish. A seamless, all-encompassing "vision" where the totality of everything is "seen." The "I" and the "Not-I" disappear. The "Me" and that "thing over there" vanish. There is only "that."

Absolute energy of love = Everything is You. Me. Everyone. Everything.
How can you hate anything when you have "that" kind of Consciousness, as absolute, unconditional, and indivisible love? = Right Now

Those heavy, gut-wrenching moments? They’re actually hidden gifts, even if they don't feel like it at the time. Just look at the incredible wisdom and grace found in the middle of all that pain, when being Arna, she held her beautiful, dying little girl and felt that sudden sense of peace... rustymaker5, you are such an amazing human being—and I don't mean that like you're better than anyone else. I just mean you're special. I really hope your daughter is out there running around happy today.

Our bodies are kind of like that "little girl" too. Our body is this lifelong companion and friend that'll eventually tell us it's had enough. When that moment comes to say goodbye, we can just thank it for carrying us through all those sweet and bitter moments of life...

Once someone discovers the pure joy that comes from simply Being content, they’ll never be anything less than content. Tao Te Ching

Even in the darkest night, the light shines brightest because we are the ones lighting up the dark.

love = is a fire that burns away every boundary and sense of separation.

------------> Once someone finds the joy that comes from simply Being content, they’ll never be anything less than content. Tao Te Ching

And Be yourself, no matter what they say!

That's it, precisely! 👍
It's simultaneously so simple and yet so incredibly difficult.

By the way, thanks for the kind words, though I'm hardly exceptional in any sense of the word; I'm just like so many other people, constantly struggling to remind myself that I am merely living in this world but am not of it... and I certainly can't say that I always succeed at it. My daughter is doing alright, though. 😉

I’ve had these few episodes of short-lived "awakenings," you know, those moments where everything is just so undeniably clear, an absolute realization so final it leaves zero room for doubt—that we are all one and this whole sense of separation is nothing more than an illusion. It happened during this meditative visualization exercise where I was imagining swimming alongside a dolphin, and suddenly, while sitting on the shore, I noticed a tree, so vivid that I could distinguish every single leaf, and then one of those leaves started reaching out toward me, growing massive until we just merged into one. Such a beautiful experience of oneness, so calming and filled with such a heavy dose of relief that it fundamentally changed me, though I can't quite put my finger on how exactly...

The next flash of "awakening" was this realization of what it looks like, smells like, sounds like... absolute energy of love. Something indescribable, so gorgeous, deep, and all-encompassing, that for several days I felt this overwhelming surge of happiness just knowing that She is within me and I am within Her.

And then, during one of those dark, crushing moments in life when I was certain my daughter was dying in my arms, this realization flashed through me—so final, bringing such immediate relief because I understood that the only thing truly worth giving to any other human being is what I already carry inside me—love—and that it's the only thing actually worth taking with us when we head back home, because the death of our body is not our death.

After those flashes of realizing who we actually are, I found myself aching for those experiences to repeat, because over time the memories of the feelings that accompanied them start to fade, and I just wanted to feel it all again. Then it hit me... these realizations came from within me, which means those feelings are still there, and I can pull them out whenever I want, which means—I just need to be the person I realized I was. Granted, it isn't exactly "just" that, because illusions are so incredibly convincing they feel entirely real, but there is such relief in knowing that everything is inside you and that at any given moment you can be what we all actually are. But the choice of how we choose to manifest that remains, ultimately, ours alone...

goldenbison31 said:It all sounds like empty phrases and clichés to me, just blah, blah, blah.
Just a bunch of "what ifs" and similar nonsense.
I don't really buy that every stage of life has its perks; I mean, aging isn't exactly a gift, no matter how much some people might try to convince themselves otherwise.

Well, seeing as most seniors seem to feel that way, it looks like there really isn't any upside... and with that kind of mindset, there's probably no chance things will ever actually get better... 😁

By the way, a friend's dad who's well past 80 still hits the slopes and climbs Mount Everest, while his mom travels the globe and keeps herself looking as sharp as she did in her prime. Then there's my aunt, in her eighties, who heads down to Times Square every single day for coffee, clinging to those habits from her younger days since she can't quite shake them... 😍, which is a far cry from my other aunt, who's twenty years younger than her but, I don't know, just looks completely ancient.
I know plenty of old-timers who refused to let their age kill their drive to live, just like I know tons of people in their forties who already look like walking zombies. If someone wants to find the silver lining in their age, they will, but if they don't, they won't be happy even if they were twenty again... 😉

Anyway, I can't say I'm personally wishing for some deep, long old age, but I really do admire the seniors who live life to the fullest, the ones who haven't lost that spark in their eyes, instead of giving up halfway through and spending the rest of their time just trudging along and complaining about getting old—which, at the end of the day, is a stage we're all heading toward regardless... 🙂

Well, it honestly feels like nobody has any respect for the elderly anymore, probably because—as the saying goes—they serve as a constant, uncomfortable reminder of our own mortality and the fact that time eventually runs out for everyone. 🤷
It’s like people have collectively decided that seniors are just this unnecessary burden or some kind of societal nuisance, but there’s a massive catch to that mindset, because we reap exactly what we sow... if we spend our youth looking down on aging, we can bet anything that we’re going to feel that exact same contempt hitting us right where it hurts once we get there ourselves.

By the way, the reality is that the definition of "old" is constantly shifting as we age, so suddenly teenagers look old to thirty-year-olds, and fifty-year-olds start looking ancient to the thirty-somethings, but once you hit that half-century mark, you really start feeling the weight of approaching a deep old age... the kind of age that seemed absolutely exhausting and almost biblical when we were kids. 😍

Heh, I suppose it all just counts toward our total time spent existing in this material world, and it’s honestly such a shame there’s this constant friction between generations, especially since youth slips away from every single one of us without mercy, and so few actually manage to reach a peaceful, happy, and dignified old age.
Maybe things would be different if we actually made a conscious effort to recognize that every stage of life has its own unique perks, its own inherent value and beauty, and if we actually respected and complemented one another instead of fighting... It would certainly make life easier for everyone, and frankly, it would be more human, given how much the younger generation could learn from their elders, and let's face it, the older folks could learn plenty from the young ones too. 👍

Finally got that issue sorted out! 👍

I’ve run into a massive headache and I’m honestly at a loss for what to do... A few times now, whenever I try to quote someone and reply, this random smiley face just pops up above my quoted text, and I didn't put it there. It happened again today, and I kept clicking on the little icon thinking I could get rid of it, but then everything just... broke. Suddenly, all my functions are gone: I can't see the quote markers, the user avatars have vanished, the online status indicators aren't showing up, and those little toolbars in both "quick reply" and "advanced options" are just dead... I can't even start a new thread, the little icon for opening topics from the last post is missing, half my smileys are gone, and even the site logo in the top left corner isn't loading correctly! Basically, I'm completely paralyzed while using Mozilla...
Does anyone have any clue what's going on, what I might have tripped over, or how I can get things back to the way they were? 🤷

(I'm stuck using Internet Explorer right now, but the connection is painfully slow here so I much prefer sticking to Mozilla...)

brightviper50 said:It’s been 22 days since he left, and honestly, it isn't easy... I have two kids counting on me to keep it together, and while I’m doing my best to be strong for them, I feel like I'm starting to fray at the edges. Everything just feels numb, and there's this strange weight inside me... I guess time will eventually do its thing, one day at a time.

That’s exactly it, just taking it one day at a time.
Maybe it helps to hold onto the thought that he’s okay now, that he’s back where he belongs, in a better place, and that all you can really do for yourself, right here and now, is focus on looking after yourself and the kids.
Try to stay busy with work and spending quality time with the little ones, and just be honest with them about their dad... don't try to sugarcoat things with useless stories, because no matter how small they are, kids remember and they don't forget. Don't pull away from people, but don't sit there expecting everyone to intuitively know what you need either. If you feel like you need support, you should probably be the one to reach out first, because most people honestly have no clue how to act or what to say in a situation like this, so they tend to keep their distance, which just leaves you feeling isolated and abandoned to your own grief...
And please, don't try to bottle everything up; if you need to cry, just let it out, and don't hide it from the children... cry with them, because it shows them that pain and sadness are natural, and that crying is perfectly okay. It might actually end up being a way to strengthen your bond as a family.
And as cliché as it sounds, it's true that nobody is given a burden heavier than they can carry. I'm wishing you nothing but the best. 🙂

@ Olivia Davis81
I can't help but feel like you’ve got this real aversion to meditation, almost like there’s a layer of discomfort—maybe even a bit of fear—underneath it all... and honestly, I’d suggest looking into some other ways to awaken your consciousness, simply because anything we approach with a negative mindset tends to turn out negative for us, which obviously isn't the point here... maybe if you picked up a few books, they could offer some guidance that actually resonates with you, but either way, don't sweat it too much, because as they say, all roads lead to Rome. 😉

Lisa Morales4 said:I wonder what kind of impact that kind of meditation actually has on one's sexuality... you know, the kind that isn't centered on God or done under His guidance?
It most likely has one of two results—it either leaves you feeling completely depleted, or it just pumps you up.

And whose presence or guidance are we even talking about, though? I mean, isn't God in everything and is everything in God? 😉

By the way, even though my sex life with my late husband was wonderful, I actually had my most spectacular orgasm while meditating... it was total, pure madness! 😍

Please don't start demonizing something that actually helps people improve their quality of life... There are so many people struggling with suicidal thoughts that have absolutely nothing to do with meditation! In fact, maybe some wouldn't be feeling that way if they actually practiced it regularly... 😉
It’s honestly just like blaming strawberries because you happen to have an allergy to them. ☕

I have to be honest, I personally can’t think of a single instance where someone actually became mentally unstable just from meditating, and I know plenty of people who make it a regular part of their lives... Since meditation is really just a technique meant to quiet the noise in your head, maybe those folks were already struggling with their mental stability to begin with, and they're just using this as an excuse to explain away what was already happening. 🤷
Regarding that whole inhale-exhale thing you mentioned, that falls more under breathing exercises, which can definitely trigger some strange physical sensations if you do them a certain way, but again, they aren't the cause of neuroticism unless there’s already some underlying psychological imbalance lurking beneath the surface.
I suspect mainstream Christianity doesn't look too kindly on meditation either, unless, of course, it's being guided by a priest within the official rules of the church.

rowdyviper72 said:My husband died suddenly almost 16 months ago. He was only 33. It happened right in my arms.
We have a son, he’s almost 5 now.
I’ve been through it all—the shock, the numbness that led me to make some pretty stupid decisions, the endless grief, the isolation...
Sometimes I just sit there wondering what the hell the point even is. We had plans, goals, we were even talking about having a second kid. At weddings, they always say "what God joins together, let no man put asunder," but it feels like God did the separating himself.
But I’ve got this kid, so I have to keep it together for him. Even if there are days when I just want to lie down and give up on everything. Like the other day, my son tells me his friends at preschool all have dads, and he doesn't. He says he's unhappy and wants a different dad. My heart just shatters instantly when he says stuff like that.

Yeah, look, he's still just a little guy, but listen, you've still got things to be grateful for... you have yourself and you have your son, who needs you to show him the ropes in this life. 🙂

My husband passed away last year, and while I am so incredibly thankful for the time we shared together, and for my daughter who misses her dad just as much as I do, what I'm most grateful for is the sheer beauty of living... a beauty I'm trying my hardest to find on my own in every single day that lies ahead of me...😉

"The best way to flush out those toxic feelings of self-pity is to just be genuinely grateful for all the good stuff you actually have going for you in life."

"Gratitude is honestly one of the biggest secrets to living a full life; it acts like a magnet for good things and positive events because being thankful puts you in perfect sync with the Universe." (Nancy Pelosi)

I mean, come on, there isn't a single person on this planet who doesn't have at least something good happening in their life... 😉

Nancy Booth said:Actually...
Just kidding... 😁

People are terrified of the unknown—and since death basically stays hidden behind a curtain of mystery, it becomes this ultimate taboo topic. It’s just this lingering, shadowy part of being alive. And let's be honest, most people aren't great at handling secrets...

But then you look at people dealing with terminal illnesses, who are practically calling out for death just to end the agony. Or those who barely clawed their way back after clinical death. Do they know something the rest of us don't?

Well, looking at it from the perspective of someone suffering, death could be seen as an end to pain. You could even argue that God was merciful to give humans a way to eventually escape all suffering...😁
But since I'm still relatively healthy, I can't really see it that way. To me, that viewpoint is totally foreign—and like you said, it sounds pretty terrifying...
It reminds me of the faithful Job, who, in his deepest misery, cried out: "Oh, that You would hide me in the grave and give me a deadline before You remember me..."
Pretty comforting words for someone facing a terminal diagnosis, waiting for death to feel like a final release...

As for clinical death, I'm not buying it. Why would only some people have these "afterlife" experiences while others just wake up from nothing? Plenty of people come back without seeing anything at all... 🤷

Man, this question feels like something a beauty pageant contestant asks when they're put on the spot. 😁 Like, "World peace, obviously!" 🤣

What can I say? Ever since the beginning of time, humanity has been obsessing over the meaning of life. And we still haven't landed on one single, perfect answer.
People find meaning in all sorts of places—or they don't find any at all. My take probably won't help you find yours if you haven't found it yet, and if you already knew it, why ask me?

Maybe I just think I've got it figured out, but hey, if you can tell me something better than what I know, I'd be a fool not to listen...
Still, I think I know—or rather, I've read what the Bible says the meaning of life is, and I'm perfectly fine with that...
Ecclesiastes 12:13. The conclusion of everything you've heard is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
Though, I realize that verse might be a bit heavy for you to wrap your head around... 🙂

PS: I also worry that your "meaning of life" isn't lighting up a good cigarette, which explains why you won't tell me...😉 😉
(I was just messing around at the end there—hope you didn't take it personally) 😉

Honestly, back in the day, lighting up a good cigarette felt a lot more meaningful than having to fear God! 🙂 😁

And why would I be offended? If you really felt like doing it, then you'd just do it... 😉

Nancy Booth said:Who isn't terrified of dying? Honestly, same here... *spit, spit, spit*—there, three times to ward off the bad vibes. 😉

Losing people you love hits hard—there’s no way around it—especially when it happens all at once like a damn landslide. But honestly? Life keeps moving for those of us left behind. Refusing to live it doesn't do anyone any favors, not even the ones we've lost. Looking for the meaning of life in other people instead of finding it within yourself—that’s easily one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It's a fast track to a whole lot of heartache and feeling pretty damn unsatisfied with everything. It just goes to show how far we’ve drifted from God, from actual love, and from our own true nature—all because we're too busy playing these scripted roles in this big, messy life movie. 😉

So, what’s the whole point of living? For me—if I’m being honest—it’s not some grand, cinematic epiphany or finding the Holy Grail. It’s more about those small, quiet moments that don't really mean anything to anyone else. A perfect cup of coffee on a Tuesday morning, a decent playlist, or just finally getting a project finished without losing my mind. It’s less about "making a mark" on the world and more about just... existing well. Finding a little rhythm in the chaos, I guess. What about you guys? 🙂

So, you really think a little ritualistic spitting is going to scare death away? 😁

It’s the unknown that gets us, really... since death stubbornly refuses to reveal itself, wrapping everything in this shroud of mystery and making it the ultimate taboo, it remains this hauntingly enigmatic part of our existence... and we all know how people generally struggle when they're faced with things they can't fully grasp or control... 😍

But then you look at people suffering from terminal illnesses who are practically begging for the end just to escape the agony, or those folks who were brought back after clinical death against their will... it makes you wonder if they've glimpsed something the rest of us haven't... 😉

Nancy Booth said:Who isn't terrified of dying? Honestly, same here... *spit, spit, spit*—there, three times to ward off the bad vibes. 😉

Losing people you love hits hard—there’s no way around it—especially when it happens all at once like a damn landslide. But honestly? Life keeps moving for those of us left behind. Refusing to live it doesn't do anyone any favors, not even the ones we've lost. Looking for the meaning of life in other people instead of finding it within yourself—that’s easily one of the biggest mistakes you can make. It's a fast track to a whole lot of heartache and feeling pretty damn unsatisfied with everything. It just goes to show how far we’ve drifted from God, from actual love, and from our own true nature—all because we're too busy playing these scripted roles in this big, messy life movie. 😉

So, what’s the whole point of living? For me—if I’m being honest—it’s not some grand, cinematic epiphany or finding the Holy Grail. It’s more about those small, quiet moments that don't really mean anything to anyone else. A perfect cup of coffee on a Tuesday morning, a decent playlist, or just finally getting a project finished without losing my mind. It’s less about "making a mark" on the world and more about just... existing well. Finding a little rhythm in the chaos, I guess. What about you guys? 🙂

Man, a question like that immediately brings to mind those canned answers you hear from beauty pageant contestants during the Q&A segment... 😁 Like, "world peace," obviously! 🤣

What can I even say? Ever since the dawn of time, humanity has been obsessing over the purpose of being here, and even now, we still haven't stumbled upon one single, perfect answer that satisfies everyone...
People find—or fail to find—all sorts of different meanings in this life... and frankly, my own perspective probably won't do much to help you find yours if you haven't found it yet, and if you already have, why even ask me!

Nancy Booth said:But what happens when someone dies, and then their spouse or kid passes away just a month later?

It all really stems from these bizarre human concepts... we throw big parties to celebrate birthdays, yet death is treated like this massive taboo! It’s as if we think only certain people die, so we refuse to talk about death, thinking maybe if we ignore it, we can somehow dodge it... 😛
Can you see how absurd it is to ignore and fear something that is clearly an inherent part of being all living things on this planet?
And that illogicality just gets even worse when you consider how religious people are, given that every religion, in its own way, talks incessantly about eternal life. So, man, where's the catch? 🤷

Obviously, losing loved ones hits hard, especially if it happens multiple times in such a short window... but the reality is that life is meant for those who are still breathing, and we aren't doing ourselves or the departed any favors by refusing to actually live it. Trying to find the meaning of life in other people instead of within oneself is the ultimate mistake, and it's the root of so much sadness and dissatisfaction... It just goes to show how alienated humans have become from God, from love, and from their own true nature, blinded by the roles they play in this little life movie... 😉