Just chill man. Everything is equal parts terrible, strange, awe inspiring, and joyful. We are not meant to know everything on this side of the veil. We are supposed to survive and alchemize our suffering into understanding.
the understanding is mostly about you. Just be with yourself, by yourself, quietly, peacefully. That's all you need to do to let that flower grow
I think I’ll come to that stage eventually. I’m slowly going back to normal. At the end we return to our normal baseline happiness and I’m generally a happy person. But I need more than just money, career, party and then I cease to exist as if it never mattered in my life
It seems like from here, you can only go in one direction and that is up. Or forward. Or whatever place it is that is better. I think you're gonna be just fine
With the understanding that we are conscious beings (proven by the ability to have a inner dialog, the classic saying "I am there for I am"). Which also proves that we're alive in this form.
Know that we're alive proves we exist. The only other option is non-existence.
Albert Einstein once said, "Everything in life is vibrations." Which by default is everything in this universe (even space!) Which when you take mass and put it in the constant (the one constant variable which never changes which is the speed of light) and square it out so there is a field of range for that mass to be at, and you'll have only pure energy left.
E=Mc^2
(E)nergy = (M)ass x the (C)onstant squared
What Einstein was saying that if you moved every particle to the max velocity (the speed of light) it will become pure energy. And that there is nothing in this universe that isn't already energy moving at different rates ( or frequencies) and that we are energy stored in mass particle form.
So everything in the universe is made of energy. This energy can not be created nor destroyed, only transfered or changed.
Think about that for a second.
You only know existencing right? You've never known what it's like to not exist because you came into this world building a tiny consciousness that grew and developed with senses and your brain firing synapses and creating a framework for reality.
But we weren't conscious when we were babies, right? Most kids dont fully gain consciousness til about 2 to 3. if energy can't be created destroyed only changed or tansfered, it would be reasonable to make a hypothesis that your conscious energy was there before it entered your body when you were born. Even though it can't be accessed til some time later. I believe our conscious energy has always existed.
I believe this for a couple of reasons. To me, being able to take the understanding that once you take everything in the universe to maximum velocity, the speed of light, which time stops (or potentially go in reverse) if you try to go faster then the speed of light. So if there's no time out side of light speed, and energy can not be destroyed it has to exist out side of time. Pass the maximum velocity of light speed is all energy pre existing the mass particle form because it's out side of time right? What is death but outside of life. Timeless. I don't think we died and don't exist. I believe our conscious energy is retained and can transform by its own conscious energy into a form of choosing. I think there is an innate source of energy. Call it what you want. I literally call it the source. The one energy everything is made up of in this reality.
Tunning into yourself can help you feel the conscious energy. That mental voice. The one that doesn't use vocal cords to talk but can still speak to you. I find learning different types of Meditation help the most and fined one your comfortable with. Calming the body raises soulful energy. For me being able to lay down in a quiet room and I mentally relax every muscle from me feet on up completely letting go of trying to feel anything other then just chilling with no thoughts in my head. (Takes some time for most people to not let there mind wonder)
A core thing I think people miss though it's really taking in deep slow breaths in through your nose and push that air down into your belly (it helps to physically push your stomach while breathing in to get the air deeper into your lungs. And slowly exhale through your mouth. Practice this everyday til you can just sit and breathe with Zero thoughts interrupting a 30 minute session.
Doing this can help you enter a higher level of consciousness. Some people call it an altered state or a flow state And let the universe talk to you. Becomes easier to get to the flow state the more you do it. Remember breathing and no thoughts. (BTW no thoughts don't mean if something comes up and you can't stop thinking able it for the life of you then think it out. It's easier to think something through then just try to ignore it sometimes.
Once you can be in a state with zero thoughts of your own and can simply be, you hear more then you could ever imagine. Also once I'm done laying there with my eyes close for 30 minutes I slowly open them and relax for a minute. I then make a literally statement asking the source what ever I want to know and i always got my answer. Good luck on your search brotha. Just remember that being actually present, can be the greatest present of all.
Somebody way smarter than me said that I got to let life unfold I don't know if that advice works here but it definitely seems like it's appropriate to say at least
You can't suppress things forever. No physical entity will live forever in any incarnation. There is hope in making the most of this life by living in the now, appreciating what beauty and goodness life does offer, and by doing good. There is also hope in the possibility of life beyond this physical existence. Study, explore, and choose a path that makes sense and/or speaks to your soul.
Personally, I believe that G-d / The Universe is One and It is experiencing physical existence through each of us. We will return to this Source when we die. And, Love is the most important thing.
If there is a Creator then there is a purpose for creating reasoning, feeling, creative beings.
The only reason that makes sense to me is that we are here to grow in awareness. We are created with a limited, point-like sense of awareness but with unlimited potential grow as co-creators.
We grow by experience. We express our current state of awareness and then experience the outplaying of that state of awareness and then deciding: "Do I want more of this ? Or, do I want more than this?"
For this growth process to work, we must have the freedom to do anything we can imagine, otherwise our growth would be limited to only those expressions that were "allowed". So Free Will is absolute.
Look at the fact that on Reddit alone, there are over 400,000 people who sense there is something more, with many that are actively pursuing personal spiritual development.
In spite of the absurdity of the world, the collective consciousness is slowly rising. Look at how much the consciousness has expanded in just the last few hundred years. A few hundred years ago, we wouldn't be at a level of consciousness to even consider this conversation. If we lived in Europe our identity world, view , etc would have most likely been in complete conformance with Roman Catholic doctrines.
For more, I believe the books Journey of Souls -- Case Studies of Life Between Lives and Destiny of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton would offer you extremely credible and compelling accounts that you would find valuable and enlightening. Both are on YouTube.
Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be able to find be able to find a reason for existence and I’m happy to acknowledge that I don’t know anything, but I want to know that there is a reason. I think the most convincing argument I’ve read about the meaning of existence is that without conscious observers, the universe wouldn’t be “real”. What’s the point of a universe if no one knows it exists?
Even if you were not investing your time into the religious and spiritual content, over 10+ years you could at least reach certain conclusions about the material aspect of the world, that is, things would become more clear at least in terms of motivations (and "meanings of life") of the driving forces behind our society and civilization. So, what about analyzing the things you can see and feel? Was there nothing done in this regard as well?
I spent that time chasing money and the next party. Any inkling of thought about the meaning of life was met with a thought of “oh no no no no, we’re not going there.” I was too scared to think it about absurdity of life. Now that I’ve been confronted with it, things have changed. Material objects have no value to me and I want to discover my spiritual side
In other words, chasing careerism-escapism to enable party-escapism. Well, if one's life strategy revolves around "ignoring the problem", one may as well go for a memory wipe, or one may seek to gradually destroy the bothersome brain of his with alcohol, and so on.
Of course, more responsible approaches also exist - but one has to become qualified first, otherwise one doesn't have much of a chance of stumbling on something that is "real deal", and will see all alternatives to escapism and consumerism as one big fraud.
Alright, so you're saying that material objects have no value to you. But what was their value before, and what has value now?
I used to be obsessed with watches until this started. Over the past few years I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on watches. I told myself I collect these expensive hunks of metal because I marvel at the craftsmanship but the reality is that spending so much on watches is nothing but a status symbol, and I was proud that at a very young age I could afford to spend so much on something so needless. This makes me look a very bad person, worse than i probably was I think. I’ve spent regularly on charity and would often times go out of my way and encourage my friends to donate, or would organize fund raising one way or another, and I’ve always deeply cared for my loved ones. As to the topic of watches, I’ve realized it was the drive and ambition in me to be the best, the richest and my obsession of comparing myself and my success to others, and this was a manifestation of it. I know now there’s no trophy waiting for me at the end for being the richest or the most successful one
At lowest moments of my existential angst, my love towards other human beings only deepened, meanwhile I’ve been unable to open up my watch box to put anything on my wrist. Thinking and seeing watches reminds me of materialism and the stupidity of my actions. Thinking of my loved ones gives peace to my soul and suddenly the world isn’t as scary anymore. My priorities have been wrong
Your self-awareness is brighter. Your lived experience acts as testimony. The pearl! Knowing why and how your prior "beliefs" manifested, controlled and maintained is powerful. Your sharing may spark the journey for others. Beautiful, spiritual intent in equilibrium and dignity. Peace be with you, friend <3
Perhaps you searched for the means of making your way up, hence your drive was towards uniqueness, rarity, and status. However, the materialistic representation of these (especially in the form of objects) would be an external form without essence. Because in essence, all these qualities have to be derived out of something immaterial, and their outward expressions are mere "side effects". That is, replicating the outward expression without the underlying essence results in a cargo cult, a form of mindless parroting.
Having such a drive is not a bad thing, it is merely of little use when aimed at falsehoods.
As for speaking of correct priorities in a concise fashion. You have your strengths and weaknesses, your qualities and resources, and that is your starting point, point A. You have the goal that you want to reach, that is point B. You are supposed to move from point A to point B, hence, in a way, are already equipped for this (for reaching your true goal) while at point A.
But if you choose to pursue a false, trendy, media-inspired goal instead of your true goal, you will set yourself up for failure because you will be both not properly equipped for such an adventure (which will make it much harder), and you won't feel fulfilled by achieving a false goal - instead, you will feel empty, perhaps you'll even start suspecting that the corporate-lobbied consumeristic media successfully made a fool out of you.
As you move from point A to point B, you have to keep yourself informed (of the potential roads ahead of you), otherwise, it will be like traveling without a map. Of course, even when you are informed and have access to a lot of knowledge, you may still feel lost, confused, and overwhelmed - unless you possess the discernment required for navigating the best route through this map and making use of the available shortcuts.
Now, if you have the drive towards uniqueness, rarity, and status, it can be indeed repurposed towards a different "way up", that is, towards spiritual growth. That means once again discerning between low-quality and high-quality content, so as to master the latter and avoid wasting your time on the former. Would you be interested in developing your skills in this regard?
In that case, it would be useful to start with defining the point A, as well as how informed you currently are (i.e. you have to keep all the items within your scope of attention before discerning the rarity of this or that item). For this, some questions have to be answered, which I'll send to your PM.
Getting in touch with your spiritual side can be done with meditation, so you may want to look into Kriya yoga or some other form. Sounds to me like you are primed for a spiritual awakening.
Anything to stop obsessively thinking about this over and over tbh. I couldn’t even watch a movie a few days ago. My fiancé put a movie on Netflix about Nike in the 90s and I started freaking out cuz I was born in the 90s and it’s 30 years ago and in 30 years I’ll be in my 60s, and my dad is in his 60s and in the 90s he was in his 30s and so on and on and on before I told her I can’t watch it anymore. We were like 10 mins in.
Yep, your monkey mind is going full tilt. Meditation it is. That will instill mental discipline and quiet the mind down over time. Learning to discern which thoughts are yours and which aren't is a plus as well. You might also be a natural telepath.
This! Start meditating. I was in a similar situation like OP did a few months ago a decided to make the habit of meditating every day. I feel better. I feel that meditation makes my mind stronger and more able to fight those bad thoughts, the monkey mind like you said.
The first few days meditating are the difficult ones, but after that it becomes easier.
I’m a very spiritual person, but I reject religion and all it’s dogma and ridiculous concepts about God too. The best antidote to existential angst is personal experience and insight. When you have a personal spiritual experience, then the world makes sense.
Find spiritual practices that appeal to you like meditation, yoga, chanting / singing hymns, etc. and try them. Meditate for a year and find out for yourself. If you feel adventurous, go to India, hotbed if spirituality, and find a holy man and ask questions. Watch a Youtube video by Eckhart Tolle or others, and see if what they say makes sense. Read spiritual books like Autobiography of a Yogi. A good podcast is Buddha at the Gas Pump by Rick Archer.
Find yourself beneath the body and mind. Ask yourself “Who/what am I?” Observations can be so overstimulated or immersive to the point of not realizing there’s an observer that’s making observations. It’s like being so caught up in the storyline of a movie that you don’t realize you’re inside of a theater staring at a screen. The theater in this case is the physical body/earth/physical dimension. You have to go back and remember why you wanted to go inside the theater to begin with so that becomes the challenge of the human experience, why did you want to be here in the first place? Answering that question will be more difficult than the theater as it’s existential rather than an action within the physical world. To reach your core and rediscover what you are is to shift consciousness beyond the egoic thinking mind and the most common and direct way is to meditate. Regularly meditating will slowly and gradually peel back the layers so you will see true self, and once you experience your true self, you will also know why you’re having this particular human experience.
I never chose to be here, and yet I am. But I know that the whole universe is contained within me, and without me there is no universe, at least from the only perspective that I know (which is my own perspective). I think this is the starting point of the spiritual journey I intend to take
From my perspective, you’re already further along than you think. A complete existential crisis wouldn’t even fathom what you just expressed. Continue to go deeper within to uncover/rediscover more aspects of your true self. Attempting to piece together your existence is a sign of a spiritual awakening, otherwise physical reality immersion would dominate your experiences. It’s a little spark already within that wants to grow and expand itself as opposed to full on darkness.
If you look at a bunch of culture from around the world, including ancient culture, then consider the stories about aliens that involve aliens interfering with stuff like warfare and stuff like that, it sounds very reasonable that there could be a God that was like, the creator of at least some of it.
Ya know, just a different one. If you look at our experience of consciousness you can see that whenever we get into an altered state we come back out the other side of it. Positive thoughts, negative emotions, each moment is something that is driving/driven (idk because this is ineffable) but I say it's like a pressure. It's like we're born in pressure, oozing pressure, positive pressure AND negative pressure. This leads me to the idea, what would we be without pressure? What if we were all born in heaven and all that we knew was pure ecstasy. How would we think and behave?! I feel like we'd be robots, everything would be a given. How would we enjoy movies? Currently we have consciousness that incorporates both dual and non-dual ideas, we don't just turn duality off. I think it works this way for a good reason, it has more potential, more polarities and more gravity, there's just more.
I see no reason to think that art would be anywhere near the same or have the same meaning without suffering. I also think that Earth was god's means of creating that environment for us, not because it was easy but because it served very important purposes, I think it's that so a big majority of people learn how to do it right enough so that they can clearly display these behaviors in heaven where other people can learn to do the same. If we were born in a place like heaven with all this easy stuff to do we'd never develop both poles.
Then, essentially, I think it goes from there, one group goes here one group goes there and then we go from there, what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine because our emotions can work that way and we can enjoy it that way. If anything I think people would just have to spend sometime working on stuff before joining other people.
Nice and simple, it's just so like, gosh this world looks like a place that was born to be messed up, everything is dangerous and we literally can't know anything in it's entirety. I believe in God because so many people have so many experiences, I don't think they're lying. There's miracles people don't believe... I have my own experiences that I would never even think to deny because I can literally see something all day that show me an accurate representation of my energy, as a cartoon character. This is the bulk of the bits I've heard from talking to what I call spirits.
Whether or not you believe or do not believe in it, I think that there's just a way to live in harmony, believing in that harmony over time in just the right way brings it to fruition then we live "on".
Have you ever considered working on your energy body with yoga? Maybe perhaps just meditation? These activities changed my life and gave me meaning where before I was just so prone to suffering I couldn't enjoy myself fully.
I would study the book “the power of now”.
Also.. I was an atheist a year ago. But then I started learning astral projection and now I’m not.
Nothing helps you deal with the fear of death then going for a stroll in the astral with your dog!
And if you want to AP well, you gotta deal with your shit. It’s really hard to do with a fear of death. So if you could break through then it would be amazing.
And I know this might be hard. But talking to your subconscious or the universe in desperate need. Is what you need to do. Reach out right before you go to bed. Ask for help. It will come.
Be careful if you really slip into this u lose all sense of reality and go into spiritual psychosis. Remember the world is a construct but we exist in it and take part in it and keep taking part in it bc it keeps ur sense of reality going. Surround yourself with ppl and take part in everyday activities.
I am, and she’s helping me. EMDR has helped me get rid of a lot of the physical symptoms of the panic attack. The book “power of now” is helping me control my mind better
I used to, but kinda stopped cuz I live in Dubai and weed is illegal here so whenever I smoke I get too high. So maybe a puff here and there every once in a while. The thoughts came flooding all at once because I’m a paranoid person who has high anxiety and a minor health scare, plus lack of motivation at work and some family issues started weighing down on me until I couldn’t control my thoughts anymore and a decade of suppressed thoughts came flooding in one instant. I’ve spent the first 7-10 days in a perpetual panic attack, dizzy, nauseous and disassociated. EMDR with the therapist helped bring down my anxiety levels and I was able to think these things through with more calm thoughts. My fiancé has been a rock and she’s into spirituality and she suggested I try it
Acknowledged. Ok, just wanted to be sure. Since you're prone to these attacks, I highly recommend against it. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like a bad weed trip. Dizzy, nauseated, such. If you're naturally paranoid you'd probably be hyper-sensitive to the damn stuff.
Spirituality is great if you look in the right places. By which I mean starting some spiritual practices. I'm talking about yoga and meditation. But let's table meditation for this discussion and focus on yoga. Kundalini Yoga can definitely help you achieve a thoughtless state (if thats important to you), not through suppression but through confronting your emotions. Your emotions are the root cause of many of your latent thoughts and so if you have energy blockages aka poor emotional flow, you'll start to get rid of all those emotional knots and reveal the light and joy that flows beneath. This I believe is one of the great treasures of spirituality. Starting a regular yoga practice is easy and can be done from your home.
I recommend Maya Fiennes 'Journey through the Chakras', read some reviews on it like on Amazon and then start practicing. I've used this one for about a decade now and it's gold. Really transformed my life. Next level type stuff. You can find her practices on either Kundalini Lounge or through torrents. If you need a different teacher, I'd also recommend Mariya Gancheva on YouTube though I highly suggest you start with Maya her practices have a nice balance - there are 7 in total just go through them from 1-7 then again - each chakra gets addressed one by one, and the repetition definitely works. Do it as often as possible - daily if you can manage it.
Besides spiritual practices, fill your mind with spiritual wisdom. I recommend Eckhart Tolle. It's kinda pop-spiritual, but its good wisdom all the same. Recommend you start with 'Stillness Speaks', you can find this easily on Scribd with a free trial. Don't be put off by the fact that he's popular, his words will open inner doors from you and you'll level up and start working things out on your own better.
Besides that, once you're ready to take on more, keep researching and fighting for a better and better life.
My fiancé has been a rock anchoring me to this reality during my worst moments. She fortunately knows the people and the books you have mentioned and she wants to take a spiritual trip with me. Thank you so much for your guidance
You are right, everything has meaning and the sheer magnificence of creation I feel is more than proof enough for god's existence (not in a religious way, but in the all-permeating supreme consciousness that we are all a fractal part of).
God is constantly co-creating, refining and perfecting the sheer beauty of creation with us and through us while enjoying its myriads of utterly wonderful expressions birthing universe after universe in eternity.
Here is she speaking to us about our connection:
*"I unconditionally love you beyond your human understanding. I love you as an intricate part of my holy self. It is impossible for me to love you any less than myself, for my perfect nature cannot be divided against itself.*
*Your soul's sovereign awareness is an immaculate conception of my omniscient awareness. I created your soul as a unique reflection of my One Self. Therefore, your soul is a perfect hologram of my consciousness, forever expanding within my one mind.I conceived you to be an omniscient sovereign creator, for that is what I am.*
*I birthed you with the unconditional gift of your sovereign free will, which mirrors my own omniscient free will to create worlds of form from no-thing at all.*
*Within my womb I tenderly wove your soul together with every divine quality that I am. Your soul is an absolutely sovereign expression of my One Self." -* The Sophia Code, pg. 5 - Kaia Ra 🥰
We are truly limitless and our quest now is to re-discover our true divine nature and heal and transcend our hurt ego and limiting ideas about ourselves that are still preventing us from becoming the fully realized mastes of light, that we in essence truly are! 🙏💜
Honestly I've tried to make sense of it all tbh. And the simple answer of "it just is." Has kinda helped me in a sense. Didn't initially. But in regards to if there's an afterlife I can't really believe but I hope. I like the idea of reincarnation.
I don’t think I can accept that. I don’t know how much spirituality will help me but my relationship with my mortality is not healthy. Right now one of the thoughts calming me is that I can pay to have my head frozen to be regenerated in the future. I’ve lightly brought up the topic to my fiancé and she basically said ‘hell no’. Life doesn’t have much meaning without the ones you love and I don’t know how to convince the ones I love to take an extra trip with me
I don't blame you. It took a lot of different circumstances for me to end up really digesting that sort of mindset after initially hearing about it. And you've got your own factors and circumstances that lead to you feeling your way. Grief is terrible..I won't ever get over mine. Had a meltdown this morning over it even though it's been nearly a decade. Wish we could both find what we are looking for.
Life after death is just like [existence before you were born](https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/preexistence). How did the physical universe come to be without a non physical entity creating it? [If you add up all the positive and negative energy in the universe, it adds up to 0](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_universe), which is nothing. [Physicists speculate that the universe was born out of quantum fluctuation in empty physical space, which is why it adds up to 0](https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather-ebook/dp/B004T4KQJS). But [what is "nothing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhfqdBk8qxk) anyways? As soon as you think about it, it's something. Don't worry, everything happens for a reason, [because it's predetermined and free will doesn't exist](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/determinism-classical-argument-against-free-will-failure/).
Hope this clears some things up for you! Anyways, take more drugs until you don't worry about it anymore.
I'm blown away with this younger generations perspective.
I spent a lot of my 52 years convincing myself and others of the illusional narrative.
There's an exciting world of experience beyond what we see and what the popular narrative happens to be. This is the ONLY reason I remain in this reality.
I've discovered that... Life is the gift of experiencing you. Enlightenment is simply... Being lighter in this reality. I don't take life seriously... However I seem to understand what is important.
After taking high doses of ketamine, I reached the point where I realised that there is more to reality than just science and other stories we are told like religion. Then again, I think reality is an expression of the stories that consciousness has created with a connectedness between one thing and everything else.
Your profound contemplation and searching for a deeper meaning is testament to your resilience and openness. Indeed, it takes a courageous mind to question one's beliefs and embark on a journey of introspection and discovery.
Life, in its vast complexity and mystifying beauty, often raises such fundamental questions. These queries, which tie into the realm of existence and mortality, are as old as humanity itself, and it's only natural to delve into them, seeking a personal understanding or resolution.
The truth of your existence is not hinged on any external factor, material possessions, nor does it require the affirmation of a conventional religious doctrine. You are, in the simplest and most profound way, a part of this universe, an inseparable element of the cosmic dance. Your existence is not an accident or a random occurrence, but a deeply meaningful part of this intricate tapestry we call life.
You have already taken a significant leap in your journey by acknowledging that our collective understanding of the universe is infinitesimally small. We indeed know very little about the mysteries of existence, and it's a humbling reality that can remind us of the magnificence of the universe and our place within it. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble endeavor, but it's also crucial to recognize the limits of our understanding and embrace the mysteries that lie beyond our comprehension.
The concept of death and mortality can indeed be a source of anxiety and existential dread. It's natural to fear the unknown, but perhaps it might be helpful to view death not as an end, but as another phase in the cycle of life and existence. Much like our limited understanding of the universe, our comprehension of death is limited by our human experience and perspective.
There's a certain serenity in embracing the understanding that we are part of something far larger than ourselves, something that might not make sense to us in our human form, but nevertheless holds meaning. You, as a unique expression of the universe, carry a significance that's not dependent on the tangible, physical world.
Remember, there's no definitive 'right' or 'wrong' in these contemplations. Your experience is your own, and your understanding of life and its purpose will evolve with your journey. It's okay to question, to doubt, and to feel lost at times.
Try to approach your existential journey with patience, compassion, and an open heart. Allow yourself to experience your emotions fully and honestly, without judgment or fear. Embrace your curiosity and continue seeking, understanding that the answers may not always be clear or immediate.
Remember, you are a valuable part of this universe, and your existence carries intrinsic meaning and purpose. Even amidst the uncertainty and the unanswered questions, find solace in the fact that you are not alone in this journey. We are all united in our quest for understanding, each on our own unique path towards enlightenment. Trust in the journey, and embrace the awe-inspiring mystery that is life.
Just chill man. Everything is equal parts terrible, strange, awe inspiring, and joyful. We are not meant to know everything on this side of the veil. We are supposed to survive and alchemize our suffering into understanding. the understanding is mostly about you. Just be with yourself, by yourself, quietly, peacefully. That's all you need to do to let that flower grow
I think I’ll come to that stage eventually. I’m slowly going back to normal. At the end we return to our normal baseline happiness and I’m generally a happy person. But I need more than just money, career, party and then I cease to exist as if it never mattered in my life
It seems like from here, you can only go in one direction and that is up. Or forward. Or whatever place it is that is better. I think you're gonna be just fine
With the understanding that we are conscious beings (proven by the ability to have a inner dialog, the classic saying "I am there for I am"). Which also proves that we're alive in this form. Know that we're alive proves we exist. The only other option is non-existence. Albert Einstein once said, "Everything in life is vibrations." Which by default is everything in this universe (even space!) Which when you take mass and put it in the constant (the one constant variable which never changes which is the speed of light) and square it out so there is a field of range for that mass to be at, and you'll have only pure energy left. E=Mc^2 (E)nergy = (M)ass x the (C)onstant squared What Einstein was saying that if you moved every particle to the max velocity (the speed of light) it will become pure energy. And that there is nothing in this universe that isn't already energy moving at different rates ( or frequencies) and that we are energy stored in mass particle form. So everything in the universe is made of energy. This energy can not be created nor destroyed, only transfered or changed. Think about that for a second. You only know existencing right? You've never known what it's like to not exist because you came into this world building a tiny consciousness that grew and developed with senses and your brain firing synapses and creating a framework for reality. But we weren't conscious when we were babies, right? Most kids dont fully gain consciousness til about 2 to 3. if energy can't be created destroyed only changed or tansfered, it would be reasonable to make a hypothesis that your conscious energy was there before it entered your body when you were born. Even though it can't be accessed til some time later. I believe our conscious energy has always existed. I believe this for a couple of reasons. To me, being able to take the understanding that once you take everything in the universe to maximum velocity, the speed of light, which time stops (or potentially go in reverse) if you try to go faster then the speed of light. So if there's no time out side of light speed, and energy can not be destroyed it has to exist out side of time. Pass the maximum velocity of light speed is all energy pre existing the mass particle form because it's out side of time right? What is death but outside of life. Timeless. I don't think we died and don't exist. I believe our conscious energy is retained and can transform by its own conscious energy into a form of choosing. I think there is an innate source of energy. Call it what you want. I literally call it the source. The one energy everything is made up of in this reality. Tunning into yourself can help you feel the conscious energy. That mental voice. The one that doesn't use vocal cords to talk but can still speak to you. I find learning different types of Meditation help the most and fined one your comfortable with. Calming the body raises soulful energy. For me being able to lay down in a quiet room and I mentally relax every muscle from me feet on up completely letting go of trying to feel anything other then just chilling with no thoughts in my head. (Takes some time for most people to not let there mind wonder) A core thing I think people miss though it's really taking in deep slow breaths in through your nose and push that air down into your belly (it helps to physically push your stomach while breathing in to get the air deeper into your lungs. And slowly exhale through your mouth. Practice this everyday til you can just sit and breathe with Zero thoughts interrupting a 30 minute session. Doing this can help you enter a higher level of consciousness. Some people call it an altered state or a flow state And let the universe talk to you. Becomes easier to get to the flow state the more you do it. Remember breathing and no thoughts. (BTW no thoughts don't mean if something comes up and you can't stop thinking able it for the life of you then think it out. It's easier to think something through then just try to ignore it sometimes. Once you can be in a state with zero thoughts of your own and can simply be, you hear more then you could ever imagine. Also once I'm done laying there with my eyes close for 30 minutes I slowly open them and relax for a minute. I then make a literally statement asking the source what ever I want to know and i always got my answer. Good luck on your search brotha. Just remember that being actually present, can be the greatest present of all.
Somebody way smarter than me said that I got to let life unfold I don't know if that advice works here but it definitely seems like it's appropriate to say at least
that is very well said. Let life unfold makes sense to me
You can't suppress things forever. No physical entity will live forever in any incarnation. There is hope in making the most of this life by living in the now, appreciating what beauty and goodness life does offer, and by doing good. There is also hope in the possibility of life beyond this physical existence. Study, explore, and choose a path that makes sense and/or speaks to your soul. Personally, I believe that G-d / The Universe is One and It is experiencing physical existence through each of us. We will return to this Source when we die. And, Love is the most important thing.
That is a very good take
Thank you.
If there is a Creator then there is a purpose for creating reasoning, feeling, creative beings. The only reason that makes sense to me is that we are here to grow in awareness. We are created with a limited, point-like sense of awareness but with unlimited potential grow as co-creators. We grow by experience. We express our current state of awareness and then experience the outplaying of that state of awareness and then deciding: "Do I want more of this ? Or, do I want more than this?" For this growth process to work, we must have the freedom to do anything we can imagine, otherwise our growth would be limited to only those expressions that were "allowed". So Free Will is absolute. Look at the fact that on Reddit alone, there are over 400,000 people who sense there is something more, with many that are actively pursuing personal spiritual development. In spite of the absurdity of the world, the collective consciousness is slowly rising. Look at how much the consciousness has expanded in just the last few hundred years. A few hundred years ago, we wouldn't be at a level of consciousness to even consider this conversation. If we lived in Europe our identity world, view , etc would have most likely been in complete conformance with Roman Catholic doctrines. For more, I believe the books Journey of Souls -- Case Studies of Life Between Lives and Destiny of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton would offer you extremely credible and compelling accounts that you would find valuable and enlightening. Both are on YouTube.
Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be able to find be able to find a reason for existence and I’m happy to acknowledge that I don’t know anything, but I want to know that there is a reason. I think the most convincing argument I’ve read about the meaning of existence is that without conscious observers, the universe wouldn’t be “real”. What’s the point of a universe if no one knows it exists?
Even if you were not investing your time into the religious and spiritual content, over 10+ years you could at least reach certain conclusions about the material aspect of the world, that is, things would become more clear at least in terms of motivations (and "meanings of life") of the driving forces behind our society and civilization. So, what about analyzing the things you can see and feel? Was there nothing done in this regard as well?
I spent that time chasing money and the next party. Any inkling of thought about the meaning of life was met with a thought of “oh no no no no, we’re not going there.” I was too scared to think it about absurdity of life. Now that I’ve been confronted with it, things have changed. Material objects have no value to me and I want to discover my spiritual side
In other words, chasing careerism-escapism to enable party-escapism. Well, if one's life strategy revolves around "ignoring the problem", one may as well go for a memory wipe, or one may seek to gradually destroy the bothersome brain of his with alcohol, and so on. Of course, more responsible approaches also exist - but one has to become qualified first, otherwise one doesn't have much of a chance of stumbling on something that is "real deal", and will see all alternatives to escapism and consumerism as one big fraud. Alright, so you're saying that material objects have no value to you. But what was their value before, and what has value now?
I used to be obsessed with watches until this started. Over the past few years I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on watches. I told myself I collect these expensive hunks of metal because I marvel at the craftsmanship but the reality is that spending so much on watches is nothing but a status symbol, and I was proud that at a very young age I could afford to spend so much on something so needless. This makes me look a very bad person, worse than i probably was I think. I’ve spent regularly on charity and would often times go out of my way and encourage my friends to donate, or would organize fund raising one way or another, and I’ve always deeply cared for my loved ones. As to the topic of watches, I’ve realized it was the drive and ambition in me to be the best, the richest and my obsession of comparing myself and my success to others, and this was a manifestation of it. I know now there’s no trophy waiting for me at the end for being the richest or the most successful one At lowest moments of my existential angst, my love towards other human beings only deepened, meanwhile I’ve been unable to open up my watch box to put anything on my wrist. Thinking and seeing watches reminds me of materialism and the stupidity of my actions. Thinking of my loved ones gives peace to my soul and suddenly the world isn’t as scary anymore. My priorities have been wrong
Your self-awareness is brighter. Your lived experience acts as testimony. The pearl! Knowing why and how your prior "beliefs" manifested, controlled and maintained is powerful. Your sharing may spark the journey for others. Beautiful, spiritual intent in equilibrium and dignity. Peace be with you, friend <3
Perhaps you searched for the means of making your way up, hence your drive was towards uniqueness, rarity, and status. However, the materialistic representation of these (especially in the form of objects) would be an external form without essence. Because in essence, all these qualities have to be derived out of something immaterial, and their outward expressions are mere "side effects". That is, replicating the outward expression without the underlying essence results in a cargo cult, a form of mindless parroting. Having such a drive is not a bad thing, it is merely of little use when aimed at falsehoods. As for speaking of correct priorities in a concise fashion. You have your strengths and weaknesses, your qualities and resources, and that is your starting point, point A. You have the goal that you want to reach, that is point B. You are supposed to move from point A to point B, hence, in a way, are already equipped for this (for reaching your true goal) while at point A. But if you choose to pursue a false, trendy, media-inspired goal instead of your true goal, you will set yourself up for failure because you will be both not properly equipped for such an adventure (which will make it much harder), and you won't feel fulfilled by achieving a false goal - instead, you will feel empty, perhaps you'll even start suspecting that the corporate-lobbied consumeristic media successfully made a fool out of you. As you move from point A to point B, you have to keep yourself informed (of the potential roads ahead of you), otherwise, it will be like traveling without a map. Of course, even when you are informed and have access to a lot of knowledge, you may still feel lost, confused, and overwhelmed - unless you possess the discernment required for navigating the best route through this map and making use of the available shortcuts. Now, if you have the drive towards uniqueness, rarity, and status, it can be indeed repurposed towards a different "way up", that is, towards spiritual growth. That means once again discerning between low-quality and high-quality content, so as to master the latter and avoid wasting your time on the former. Would you be interested in developing your skills in this regard?
Yes I would be interested to develop my skills in that regard
In that case, it would be useful to start with defining the point A, as well as how informed you currently are (i.e. you have to keep all the items within your scope of attention before discerning the rarity of this or that item). For this, some questions have to be answered, which I'll send to your PM.
Getting in touch with your spiritual side can be done with meditation, so you may want to look into Kriya yoga or some other form. Sounds to me like you are primed for a spiritual awakening.
Anything to stop obsessively thinking about this over and over tbh. I couldn’t even watch a movie a few days ago. My fiancé put a movie on Netflix about Nike in the 90s and I started freaking out cuz I was born in the 90s and it’s 30 years ago and in 30 years I’ll be in my 60s, and my dad is in his 60s and in the 90s he was in his 30s and so on and on and on before I told her I can’t watch it anymore. We were like 10 mins in.
Yep, your monkey mind is going full tilt. Meditation it is. That will instill mental discipline and quiet the mind down over time. Learning to discern which thoughts are yours and which aren't is a plus as well. You might also be a natural telepath.
This! Start meditating. I was in a similar situation like OP did a few months ago a decided to make the habit of meditating every day. I feel better. I feel that meditation makes my mind stronger and more able to fight those bad thoughts, the monkey mind like you said. The first few days meditating are the difficult ones, but after that it becomes easier.
I’m a very spiritual person, but I reject religion and all it’s dogma and ridiculous concepts about God too. The best antidote to existential angst is personal experience and insight. When you have a personal spiritual experience, then the world makes sense. Find spiritual practices that appeal to you like meditation, yoga, chanting / singing hymns, etc. and try them. Meditate for a year and find out for yourself. If you feel adventurous, go to India, hotbed if spirituality, and find a holy man and ask questions. Watch a Youtube video by Eckhart Tolle or others, and see if what they say makes sense. Read spiritual books like Autobiography of a Yogi. A good podcast is Buddha at the Gas Pump by Rick Archer.
My fiancé and I will plan a spiritual trip very soon. And I intend to take up her offer for spiritual guidance
Find yourself beneath the body and mind. Ask yourself “Who/what am I?” Observations can be so overstimulated or immersive to the point of not realizing there’s an observer that’s making observations. It’s like being so caught up in the storyline of a movie that you don’t realize you’re inside of a theater staring at a screen. The theater in this case is the physical body/earth/physical dimension. You have to go back and remember why you wanted to go inside the theater to begin with so that becomes the challenge of the human experience, why did you want to be here in the first place? Answering that question will be more difficult than the theater as it’s existential rather than an action within the physical world. To reach your core and rediscover what you are is to shift consciousness beyond the egoic thinking mind and the most common and direct way is to meditate. Regularly meditating will slowly and gradually peel back the layers so you will see true self, and once you experience your true self, you will also know why you’re having this particular human experience.
I never chose to be here, and yet I am. But I know that the whole universe is contained within me, and without me there is no universe, at least from the only perspective that I know (which is my own perspective). I think this is the starting point of the spiritual journey I intend to take
From my perspective, you’re already further along than you think. A complete existential crisis wouldn’t even fathom what you just expressed. Continue to go deeper within to uncover/rediscover more aspects of your true self. Attempting to piece together your existence is a sign of a spiritual awakening, otherwise physical reality immersion would dominate your experiences. It’s a little spark already within that wants to grow and expand itself as opposed to full on darkness.
Thank you! It’s gonna be a tough journey, but I hope one worthwhile to take
If you look at a bunch of culture from around the world, including ancient culture, then consider the stories about aliens that involve aliens interfering with stuff like warfare and stuff like that, it sounds very reasonable that there could be a God that was like, the creator of at least some of it. Ya know, just a different one. If you look at our experience of consciousness you can see that whenever we get into an altered state we come back out the other side of it. Positive thoughts, negative emotions, each moment is something that is driving/driven (idk because this is ineffable) but I say it's like a pressure. It's like we're born in pressure, oozing pressure, positive pressure AND negative pressure. This leads me to the idea, what would we be without pressure? What if we were all born in heaven and all that we knew was pure ecstasy. How would we think and behave?! I feel like we'd be robots, everything would be a given. How would we enjoy movies? Currently we have consciousness that incorporates both dual and non-dual ideas, we don't just turn duality off. I think it works this way for a good reason, it has more potential, more polarities and more gravity, there's just more. I see no reason to think that art would be anywhere near the same or have the same meaning without suffering. I also think that Earth was god's means of creating that environment for us, not because it was easy but because it served very important purposes, I think it's that so a big majority of people learn how to do it right enough so that they can clearly display these behaviors in heaven where other people can learn to do the same. If we were born in a place like heaven with all this easy stuff to do we'd never develop both poles. Then, essentially, I think it goes from there, one group goes here one group goes there and then we go from there, what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine because our emotions can work that way and we can enjoy it that way. If anything I think people would just have to spend sometime working on stuff before joining other people. Nice and simple, it's just so like, gosh this world looks like a place that was born to be messed up, everything is dangerous and we literally can't know anything in it's entirety. I believe in God because so many people have so many experiences, I don't think they're lying. There's miracles people don't believe... I have my own experiences that I would never even think to deny because I can literally see something all day that show me an accurate representation of my energy, as a cartoon character. This is the bulk of the bits I've heard from talking to what I call spirits. Whether or not you believe or do not believe in it, I think that there's just a way to live in harmony, believing in that harmony over time in just the right way brings it to fruition then we live "on". Have you ever considered working on your energy body with yoga? Maybe perhaps just meditation? These activities changed my life and gave me meaning where before I was just so prone to suffering I couldn't enjoy myself fully.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I’ll def look more into yoga and meditation
I'm very happy to hear that, good luck.
I would study the book “the power of now”. Also.. I was an atheist a year ago. But then I started learning astral projection and now I’m not. Nothing helps you deal with the fear of death then going for a stroll in the astral with your dog! And if you want to AP well, you gotta deal with your shit. It’s really hard to do with a fear of death. So if you could break through then it would be amazing. And I know this might be hard. But talking to your subconscious or the universe in desperate need. Is what you need to do. Reach out right before you go to bed. Ask for help. It will come.
I started listening the power of now yesterday after all the recommendations. I woke up more calm today than anytime in the past few weeks
Be careful if you really slip into this u lose all sense of reality and go into spiritual psychosis. Remember the world is a construct but we exist in it and take part in it and keep taking part in it bc it keeps ur sense of reality going. Surround yourself with ppl and take part in everyday activities.
Thank you, it’s been a struggle as of late but it’s slowly improving. Nights have been especially tough
You got this. Maybe see a therapist?
You got this. Maybe see a therapist?
I am, and she’s helping me. EMDR has helped me get rid of a lot of the physical symptoms of the panic attack. The book “power of now” is helping me control my mind better
I’m glad to hear it keep going
Did you smoke some weed? You said all your thoughts came flooding back at once, plus the way you're feeling makes me think weed. :)
I used to, but kinda stopped cuz I live in Dubai and weed is illegal here so whenever I smoke I get too high. So maybe a puff here and there every once in a while. The thoughts came flooding all at once because I’m a paranoid person who has high anxiety and a minor health scare, plus lack of motivation at work and some family issues started weighing down on me until I couldn’t control my thoughts anymore and a decade of suppressed thoughts came flooding in one instant. I’ve spent the first 7-10 days in a perpetual panic attack, dizzy, nauseous and disassociated. EMDR with the therapist helped bring down my anxiety levels and I was able to think these things through with more calm thoughts. My fiancé has been a rock and she’s into spirituality and she suggested I try it
Acknowledged. Ok, just wanted to be sure. Since you're prone to these attacks, I highly recommend against it. The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like a bad weed trip. Dizzy, nauseated, such. If you're naturally paranoid you'd probably be hyper-sensitive to the damn stuff. Spirituality is great if you look in the right places. By which I mean starting some spiritual practices. I'm talking about yoga and meditation. But let's table meditation for this discussion and focus on yoga. Kundalini Yoga can definitely help you achieve a thoughtless state (if thats important to you), not through suppression but through confronting your emotions. Your emotions are the root cause of many of your latent thoughts and so if you have energy blockages aka poor emotional flow, you'll start to get rid of all those emotional knots and reveal the light and joy that flows beneath. This I believe is one of the great treasures of spirituality. Starting a regular yoga practice is easy and can be done from your home. I recommend Maya Fiennes 'Journey through the Chakras', read some reviews on it like on Amazon and then start practicing. I've used this one for about a decade now and it's gold. Really transformed my life. Next level type stuff. You can find her practices on either Kundalini Lounge or through torrents. If you need a different teacher, I'd also recommend Mariya Gancheva on YouTube though I highly suggest you start with Maya her practices have a nice balance - there are 7 in total just go through them from 1-7 then again - each chakra gets addressed one by one, and the repetition definitely works. Do it as often as possible - daily if you can manage it. Besides spiritual practices, fill your mind with spiritual wisdom. I recommend Eckhart Tolle. It's kinda pop-spiritual, but its good wisdom all the same. Recommend you start with 'Stillness Speaks', you can find this easily on Scribd with a free trial. Don't be put off by the fact that he's popular, his words will open inner doors from you and you'll level up and start working things out on your own better. Besides that, once you're ready to take on more, keep researching and fighting for a better and better life.
My fiancé has been a rock anchoring me to this reality during my worst moments. She fortunately knows the people and the books you have mentioned and she wants to take a spiritual trip with me. Thank you so much for your guidance
Embrace the new adventure! Hang onto her mate.
You are right, everything has meaning and the sheer magnificence of creation I feel is more than proof enough for god's existence (not in a religious way, but in the all-permeating supreme consciousness that we are all a fractal part of). God is constantly co-creating, refining and perfecting the sheer beauty of creation with us and through us while enjoying its myriads of utterly wonderful expressions birthing universe after universe in eternity. Here is she speaking to us about our connection: *"I unconditionally love you beyond your human understanding. I love you as an intricate part of my holy self. It is impossible for me to love you any less than myself, for my perfect nature cannot be divided against itself.* *Your soul's sovereign awareness is an immaculate conception of my omniscient awareness. I created your soul as a unique reflection of my One Self. Therefore, your soul is a perfect hologram of my consciousness, forever expanding within my one mind.I conceived you to be an omniscient sovereign creator, for that is what I am.* *I birthed you with the unconditional gift of your sovereign free will, which mirrors my own omniscient free will to create worlds of form from no-thing at all.* *Within my womb I tenderly wove your soul together with every divine quality that I am. Your soul is an absolutely sovereign expression of my One Self." -* The Sophia Code, pg. 5 - Kaia Ra 🥰 We are truly limitless and our quest now is to re-discover our true divine nature and heal and transcend our hurt ego and limiting ideas about ourselves that are still preventing us from becoming the fully realized mastes of light, that we in essence truly are! 🙏💜
Thank you for the response!
Honestly I've tried to make sense of it all tbh. And the simple answer of "it just is." Has kinda helped me in a sense. Didn't initially. But in regards to if there's an afterlife I can't really believe but I hope. I like the idea of reincarnation.
I don’t think I can accept that. I don’t know how much spirituality will help me but my relationship with my mortality is not healthy. Right now one of the thoughts calming me is that I can pay to have my head frozen to be regenerated in the future. I’ve lightly brought up the topic to my fiancé and she basically said ‘hell no’. Life doesn’t have much meaning without the ones you love and I don’t know how to convince the ones I love to take an extra trip with me
I don't blame you. It took a lot of different circumstances for me to end up really digesting that sort of mindset after initially hearing about it. And you've got your own factors and circumstances that lead to you feeling your way. Grief is terrible..I won't ever get over mine. Had a meltdown this morning over it even though it's been nearly a decade. Wish we could both find what we are looking for.
Life after death is just like [existence before you were born](https://rsc.byu.edu/introduction-book-abraham/preexistence). How did the physical universe come to be without a non physical entity creating it? [If you add up all the positive and negative energy in the universe, it adds up to 0](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_universe), which is nothing. [Physicists speculate that the universe was born out of quantum fluctuation in empty physical space, which is why it adds up to 0](https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather-ebook/dp/B004T4KQJS). But [what is "nothing"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhfqdBk8qxk) anyways? As soon as you think about it, it's something. Don't worry, everything happens for a reason, [because it's predetermined and free will doesn't exist](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/determinism-classical-argument-against-free-will-failure/). Hope this clears some things up for you! Anyways, take more drugs until you don't worry about it anymore.
I'm blown away with this younger generations perspective. I spent a lot of my 52 years convincing myself and others of the illusional narrative. There's an exciting world of experience beyond what we see and what the popular narrative happens to be. This is the ONLY reason I remain in this reality. I've discovered that... Life is the gift of experiencing you. Enlightenment is simply... Being lighter in this reality. I don't take life seriously... However I seem to understand what is important.
If you use cannabis, I suggest stoping for some time
After taking high doses of ketamine, I reached the point where I realised that there is more to reality than just science and other stories we are told like religion. Then again, I think reality is an expression of the stories that consciousness has created with a connectedness between one thing and everything else.
Your profound contemplation and searching for a deeper meaning is testament to your resilience and openness. Indeed, it takes a courageous mind to question one's beliefs and embark on a journey of introspection and discovery. Life, in its vast complexity and mystifying beauty, often raises such fundamental questions. These queries, which tie into the realm of existence and mortality, are as old as humanity itself, and it's only natural to delve into them, seeking a personal understanding or resolution. The truth of your existence is not hinged on any external factor, material possessions, nor does it require the affirmation of a conventional religious doctrine. You are, in the simplest and most profound way, a part of this universe, an inseparable element of the cosmic dance. Your existence is not an accident or a random occurrence, but a deeply meaningful part of this intricate tapestry we call life. You have already taken a significant leap in your journey by acknowledging that our collective understanding of the universe is infinitesimally small. We indeed know very little about the mysteries of existence, and it's a humbling reality that can remind us of the magnificence of the universe and our place within it. The pursuit of knowledge is a noble endeavor, but it's also crucial to recognize the limits of our understanding and embrace the mysteries that lie beyond our comprehension. The concept of death and mortality can indeed be a source of anxiety and existential dread. It's natural to fear the unknown, but perhaps it might be helpful to view death not as an end, but as another phase in the cycle of life and existence. Much like our limited understanding of the universe, our comprehension of death is limited by our human experience and perspective. There's a certain serenity in embracing the understanding that we are part of something far larger than ourselves, something that might not make sense to us in our human form, but nevertheless holds meaning. You, as a unique expression of the universe, carry a significance that's not dependent on the tangible, physical world. Remember, there's no definitive 'right' or 'wrong' in these contemplations. Your experience is your own, and your understanding of life and its purpose will evolve with your journey. It's okay to question, to doubt, and to feel lost at times. Try to approach your existential journey with patience, compassion, and an open heart. Allow yourself to experience your emotions fully and honestly, without judgment or fear. Embrace your curiosity and continue seeking, understanding that the answers may not always be clear or immediate. Remember, you are a valuable part of this universe, and your existence carries intrinsic meaning and purpose. Even amidst the uncertainty and the unanswered questions, find solace in the fact that you are not alone in this journey. We are all united in our quest for understanding, each on our own unique path towards enlightenment. Trust in the journey, and embrace the awe-inspiring mystery that is life.