I think some households have really categorized what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a man. And some people are very concerned when women start appearing manly, or vice versa. It could be tied to that.
Just asking your opinion here. I am no longer a Christian, but I am still curious about this. Are there many Christians who are tolerant of LGBTQ+ people? One stereotype of Christians is that most of them are quite intolerant of LGBTQ+ people (more so than of people who simply "commit the sin of fornication"). I would like to think that for many Christians this is not the case. I don't want to judge beliefs too harshly, if you disagree with me and are highly judgmental of LGBTQ+ people, that is your prerogative. I am just asking how ubiquitous this attitude is among Christians.
Very reasonable answer. It sounds like it is a mixed bag; some Christians are more tolerant than others, but this applies to people of all religious backgrounds.
I don't suggest seeing astral people as real. Your mind is responsible for a lot of the astral part, especially your active imagination. Doing drugs on top of that is an absolute no no.
Why do you say doing drugs with "astral work" is a "no no"? Psilocybin can intensify spiritual experiences, and in my view in no way makes them invalid.
You're already struggling to discern your mind from everything else. Now you're adding a factor that makes you more likely to experience hallucinations, so now you're separating your mind, the mushroom and reality. It's an extra factor.
If the OP becomes a stalker, it is indeed a problem. My method of remaining somewhat grounded is realizing that all experiences are subjective. Regardless of how real spiritual entities are to me, I acknowledge that I have no way of knowing if they are "objectively real". For me, it is good enough to know that the subjective experience of communicating with a spirit is real to me. This also helps prevent me from falling into any type of dogma. I also recognize that people with different spiritual perspectives have their own subjective experiences, and I won't challenge the subjective validity of their experiences (even if I am skeptical about the "objective validity" of their experiences, just as I am skeptical about the "objective validity" of my own experiences.
Can people even really be certain about themselves? Perhaps all my memories are illusions, and the experience of being a self is an illusion. Maybe all we can really "know" is the contents of the experience we are having at the time.
Well yes, we can't really be sure "objective reality" really exists. Everything we experience is filtered through our subjective experience. But to survive in the "physical world" (assuming it exists), we sometimes at least need to pretend that we "know" certain things. I guess what I mean by "rational knowledge" is the type of shared "knowledge" we have about the external world based on information that is filtered through our subjective experiences. It is different from gnosis because it is not knowledge about what we could call "spiritual reality" and is focused on what can be observed through our physical senses and processed through our minds.
In response to username Fearless, if you are going to have the stones to get on this thread and discredit the testimonys of individuals who are and have suffered horrible physical problems from taking Feel Free tonic, then you need more help than the rest of us here sadly! It's true that I made the choice to abuse this scam of a product, that's 100% on me. However, the fact that this nightmare of a product is being sold under the banner of health products and has an enticing seemingly harmless label " Organic" so it must be healthy and safe is 100% on you! And you will be held accountable for your greedy scam to get rich at the expense of other human beings. This I promise you. I started taking this product because without the knowledge that it is highly addictive because it's NOT labeled! The label was only changed once your business began getting a lot of negative attention. The testimonies of every individual on here is 100% truthful! I do not know how you sleep at night!
I bought a bottle of Feel Free for the first time today (didn't see all the posts about addiction until after I bought it). I just finished drinking it and am not sure if I'm feeling anything yet. Definitely had a Kava taste. I have gone on short Kava benders in the past, and have had a rather bad Kratom addiction in the past (I was taking a lot of Kratom because I was jumping off Poppy Seed Tea); but now I have no problem controlling myself with Kratom. Other Kratom shots (or kava shots) just don't feel that strong to me and are kinda pricey. If this turns out to be very euphoric I am going to assume it has something like tianeptine in it, One post mentioned the possibility of it having something like phenibut, but that wouldn't make much sense because phenibut takes so long to kick in.
Thanks for the recommendations! A state agency has already arranged for me to get services through a university run facility free of charge (because of my income), and at first it is likely I will be meeting with a grad student under the supervision of a professional. I will have to see how much choice I have. I was actually considering BetterHelp, but it is a bit pricey and the state wouldn't pay for it, which would mean I would have to ask my parents to help pay for it, which is something I would really rather not do. I am getting my meds from a physician's assistant with a telemed practice, so this will be strictly talk therapy. Hopefully I have at least some choice in who I see. The intake process supposedly lasts like 5 hours, so they will probably be trying to figure out who is best to assign to me. And hopefully because the practice is associated with a major university they will be more tolerance of diversity.
yeah same i can’t judge others or god will put that judgment on to me i struggle sometimes because im young (19) so sometimes ill see a person not doing typical 19yo things and have a thought they are weird but always try to fight it and understand them i also have ocd so i can’t control my thoughts much
OCD, autism, and some other neurodivergence made it impossible for me to be a Christian. Instead I'm a 42 year old virgin pagan who's only friend recently died. Christianity could be comforting if I could force myself to believe it
Most ppl probably wouldn't know what it was. You are free to get whatever tattoo you want. Some ppl who aren't Christians believe in or work with angels.
I totally agree that psychoactive plant medicines are drugs. The word "drug" has such a broad definition that in many circumstances is almost meaningless. Every drug has its own potential benefits and harms; and some drug can effectively be used to treat addiction to other drugs (and may or may not be addictive in their own). I don't know why you were downvoted. Ozempic, Penicillin, crack, fentanyl, mushrooms, ibogaine, DMT, mushrooms, marijuana, and baby Aspirin are all drugs.
You think they do but they don’t. Drunk people and especially alcoholics also think they are smarter drunk yeah you aren’t you just think you are because you are under the influence
Well alcoholics are probably more attractive on a bit of alcohol than when in a cute withdrawal. A low dose of an opioid if you are not dependent (or even if you are, because withdrawal is unattractive) will come off as having a more positive outlook/energy. But the "junky" look isn't that attractive
Christian or not, the fact is total eclipses occure somewhere in the world fairly frequently. I am not a Christian, but I see things like climate change, ecological failure, and the possibility of nuclear war as better signs that the days of human civilization (maybe the human race itself, maybe not) are approaching some sort of end. Christians who see these trends as evidence of the coming of some form of the biblical apocalypse come across as much more reasonable to me than Christians who see a solar eclipse as evidence of the biblical apocalypse.
I hear you its not easy. My main problem is my ED from smoking ive been put in situations where i dont get it up in romantic situations and its embarrassing so I dont try anymore. I dont want to give up the tobacco tho. But ive had plenty of girlfriends in the past I never got married or started a family but I got what i wanted out of the girlfriend thing and I always got my hand and the internet.
You could probably get meds for ED (if it is a priority). If you ever decide you want to quit tobacco, Chantix is actually pretty effective (although the side effects can be pretty nasty, like a really bad mood for a couple weeks).
Hear ya about the price of prescription drugs. I'm pretty low income too, and am prescribed a lot of psych meds (for like, anxiety and depression). From what I'm seeing, generic Cialis (with a coupon from GoodRX) is a little over $20 a month if you plan to take it daily. I know what tobacco/nicotine addiction is like, so I sympathize.
I have had a Weis pharmacy tech steal my Clonazepam before. I am supposed to get 60 .5 mg pills a month, but there have been months when they only gave me 45 pills or so (the bottle said 60, but I counted them when I got out to my car and my script was short).
Because I am and you would shit your pants if you knew how many wives I have. I'm a NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMAN first and foremost, and you my Christian brother can kiss my red Native American ass
Don't know if you are a troll or if you are serious. Either way, your post gave me a giggle because it came across as kinda snarky but not overly mean.
Oh, I am quite unusual and we aren't even to Heaven yet. I'm so glad to give you a good giggle though, I certainly have a smile on my face, I don't know about anyone else but there's nothing I can do about that either. What can I say, I'm a doomed man, date night is ridiculous. Lol
Many ppl are convinced that (in terms of religion and spirituality) they know "The Truth". My "beliefs" are my personal "truth" but at least I have the decency to acknowledge that my perspectives are just that, perspectives.
I do try to communicate with deceased loved ones. Unfortunately, my best friend (really my only friend, I'm on the autism spectrum) passed away; and his spirit communication abilities were far better than mine. I think he still sometimes communicates with me through Tarot.
I think you do talk with something. Maybe wonder if its possible that when you bought, somehow something (spirit, demon) cought in it and like stick with it? Or Maybe someone touched cards else and pass something? I recommend deep cleansing deck. But also look: Crowley belived God is satan. Deck is based on his symbols/deck /beliefs Sooo there is very High chance that is why you feel this way.
I think saying Crowley believed that God is Satan or that Satan is God is at best an incomplete representation of what Crowley believed about the topic.
I strongly suspect certain psych meds block spiritual awareness. On the other hand, stopping a medication you have been on for a long time can have serious consequences. I can relate to feeling overwhelmed by problems to the point of paralysis and not knowing what to do.
I think that's my point. In that particular religion that is OK (well for the time they thought it was OK. I don't believe they are allowed to do it anymore, probably because its recognised for being wrong ? I don't know and only guessing.) but that religion is not alone in promoting what sane people (in my mind) would consider bad deeds. Things going on at the moment and the actions of the Spanish inquisition, Roman Church, Crusaders etc, even Anton Lavey had some dodgy ideas. I guess i am saying that how can any sane rational person not have a clear non subjective view of good and evil ?. If the deed hurts someone else its evil, if its not then its not evil is that not obvious ? (if i sound rude please excuse me i am on the Autistic Spectrum)
I'm on the autism spectrum too. With your example of causing harm to people, some would say the same applies to harming animals; but I personally don't feel guilty about eating meat (even though the animals being killed would probably believe a grave Injustice was being done to them).
That's something I struggle with, the Good and Evil don't exist. One of the reasons I struggle with Buddhism. A child molester can only be described as evil, as well as a rapist, sadistic killer etc. I don't understand how that's clear and not easily defined as "Evil" ?
I would say that in an ABSOLUTE sense, "good" and "evil" don't exist. However, for society to function, we have to at least pretend certain antisocial behaviors are "wrong".
I'm not a Christian, and in fact find a lot of Christian theology deeply problematic (such as the belief that everyone who doesn't hold a very specific and rigid set of beliefs will be tortured by an all loving God for eternity). However, the concept of the "existence" of "God" in some form doesn't seem all that far fetched. What I mean is that most people believe that something that could be called "reality" in some way "exists". I see no reason why whatever this thing we call "reality" is cannot be called "God". Not saying anyone MUST call "reality" God or think of "reality" in terms of "God", but it seems just as valid a way of looking at "reality" as any other way of looking at "reality".
I'm prescribed clonidine for tourette syndrome, and it also helps me with anxiety. Additionally, it can somewhat release the effects of opioid, benzo, or gabapentinoid withdrawal. It can also intensity the effects of opioids, benzos or gabapentinoid, and in a pinch it can ease insomnia. It's vasoconstrictive? I thought antihypertensives generally dilated the veins, and at least when administered orally clonidine seems to dilate my veins (haven't tried IVing it, and see no reason to do so). If taken at a much higher dose, or if taken intravenously, could clonidine cause flesh lesions like xylaxine?
Other than masturbation certain psychoactive substances (I like strong classical psychedelics and/or dissociatives for this purpose. As for the masturbation thing, I would say try to consider why you want to abstain from masturbation. I would recommend against guilt/shame being a motivating factor (seems counterproductive to feel shame for engaging in a normal human sexual behavior). But if you have been masturbating "excessively" (this is a subjective judgement, but, say you are over 40 and are masturbating once a day or more, this MAY be excessive). I would say set a goal of going one week without masturbating. This is certainly doable, and after you succeed in doing it once, you can decide if you want to continue at this decreased frequency. I would say do NOT feel guilty if you don't achieve your goal the first time. If you masturbate less than one week since your last session, just start your count over again. During the week you are trying to abstain, find other ways of distracting yourself when you have the urge to masturbate. So I am a magician, and do believe that excessive masturbation MAY be a drain on sexual energy. However, it is also a generally mostly harmless activity. Taking a "break" from masturbation may help you build self control and allow for the accumulation of and/or transmutation of sexual energy. So consider it a challenge, but don't feel guilty if you end up doing it sooner than you meant to.
Yes. Many deep mystical experiences both sober and on powerful entheogens have led me to conclude that Heaven is real, is our true Home, and all souls will eventually return Home. (And when they do, they’ll realize that in their Heart of Hearts, they were always Home.) God bless.
Do you think it may take multiple lifetimes for most souls to achieve this state? Like, maybe your soul has to evolve before you realize your "true identity/nature" or something?
Indeed. That's why it takes so much meditation, practice and discernment. That's also why people can sometimes fall into a role-playing fantasy where they're essentially talking to themselves. Mind to mind communication is difficult, but is still worth working on as it's more reliable than divination tools
I'm not sure there is a clear distinction between "role playing fantasy" and "real contact". If the gods and other spiritual entities are basically mental constructs created by people (I don't know whether this is the case, and I don't know if it can be proven either way), the mind of the practitioner may be involved in the creation/reception (possibly overlapping, similar, or equivalent to each other) of the response to the practitioner's query. Just saying I don't know the "true nature" of "reality" (which maybe could be called "God"?), "the self", "the mind", "consciousness", and "spiritual entities". I mean, I know what "I" perceive of as contact with a "spiritual entity" feels like, but fully understanding the "true nature" or anything is beyond my capacity.
I'm saying that IF gods are indeed separate from US and not just a mental construct- there's a big difference between a daydream that tells us what we want to hear and outside messages interpreted (probably imperfectly) by our own mind.
If they are separate entities, then you have a point. At least sometimes the way it happens for me is that I have an idea that seems to be coming from "somewhere else", and get a hard to describe feeling that it is from a certain spirit. When I am trying to use "psychic skills", separating "signal" ("real" psychic perceptions) from "noise" (ideas and perceptions originating in my own mind) can be a bit difficult at times.
Well I was thinking of storing it in a small container in the freezer and thawing it an hour or two before using it in the ritual (the use will involve smearing it on sigils along with some herbs and crystals and essential oils while making my petition).
Here is an update for anyone still following this thread (if anyone still is). It turns out that Botis basically told my friend (thus also implicitly me) to "fuck off" just over three weeks before my friend tragically died unexpectedly. Furthermore, shortly after the death of my friend, Botis informed me and my friend's girlfriend that he wanted to reengage with us and help us to heal from the loss of my friend. So in hindsight, the vibe I am now getting is that Botis simply didn't want to be around any of us at the time that my friend died (I guess I can't blame him; my friend was in a really dark and self destructive state of mind at the moment, and the whole affaire of him dying really shook me and his girlfriend to the core).
I think some households have really categorized what it means to be a woman and what it means to be a man. And some people are very concerned when women start appearing manly, or vice versa. It could be tied to that.
Just asking your opinion here. I am no longer a Christian, but I am still curious about this. Are there many Christians who are tolerant of LGBTQ+ people? One stereotype of Christians is that most of them are quite intolerant of LGBTQ+ people (more so than of people who simply "commit the sin of fornication"). I would like to think that for many Christians this is not the case. I don't want to judge beliefs too harshly, if you disagree with me and are highly judgmental of LGBTQ+ people, that is your prerogative. I am just asking how ubiquitous this attitude is among Christians.
Mathew 7:1-3
Very reasonable answer. It sounds like it is a mixed bag; some Christians are more tolerant than others, but this applies to people of all religious backgrounds.
I don't suggest seeing astral people as real. Your mind is responsible for a lot of the astral part, especially your active imagination. Doing drugs on top of that is an absolute no no.
Why do you say doing drugs with "astral work" is a "no no"? Psilocybin can intensify spiritual experiences, and in my view in no way makes them invalid.
You're already struggling to discern your mind from everything else. Now you're adding a factor that makes you more likely to experience hallucinations, so now you're separating your mind, the mushroom and reality. It's an extra factor.
If the OP becomes a stalker, it is indeed a problem. My method of remaining somewhat grounded is realizing that all experiences are subjective. Regardless of how real spiritual entities are to me, I acknowledge that I have no way of knowing if they are "objectively real". For me, it is good enough to know that the subjective experience of communicating with a spirit is real to me. This also helps prevent me from falling into any type of dogma. I also recognize that people with different spiritual perspectives have their own subjective experiences, and I won't challenge the subjective validity of their experiences (even if I am skeptical about the "objective validity" of their experiences, just as I am skeptical about the "objective validity" of my own experiences.
Knowledge is just faith in science.
Can people even really be certain about themselves? Perhaps all my memories are illusions, and the experience of being a self is an illusion. Maybe all we can really "know" is the contents of the experience we are having at the time.
I’m gonna have to big disagree here. “Rational knowledge” is just your subjective experience. There is no way to ever truly be sure of anything.
Well yes, we can't really be sure "objective reality" really exists. Everything we experience is filtered through our subjective experience. But to survive in the "physical world" (assuming it exists), we sometimes at least need to pretend that we "know" certain things. I guess what I mean by "rational knowledge" is the type of shared "knowledge" we have about the external world based on information that is filtered through our subjective experiences. It is different from gnosis because it is not knowledge about what we could call "spiritual reality" and is focused on what can be observed through our physical senses and processed through our minds.
In response to username Fearless, if you are going to have the stones to get on this thread and discredit the testimonys of individuals who are and have suffered horrible physical problems from taking Feel Free tonic, then you need more help than the rest of us here sadly! It's true that I made the choice to abuse this scam of a product, that's 100% on me. However, the fact that this nightmare of a product is being sold under the banner of health products and has an enticing seemingly harmless label " Organic" so it must be healthy and safe is 100% on you! And you will be held accountable for your greedy scam to get rich at the expense of other human beings. This I promise you. I started taking this product because without the knowledge that it is highly addictive because it's NOT labeled! The label was only changed once your business began getting a lot of negative attention. The testimonies of every individual on here is 100% truthful! I do not know how you sleep at night!
I bought a bottle of Feel Free for the first time today (didn't see all the posts about addiction until after I bought it). I just finished drinking it and am not sure if I'm feeling anything yet. Definitely had a Kava taste. I have gone on short Kava benders in the past, and have had a rather bad Kratom addiction in the past (I was taking a lot of Kratom because I was jumping off Poppy Seed Tea); but now I have no problem controlling myself with Kratom. Other Kratom shots (or kava shots) just don't feel that strong to me and are kinda pricey. If this turns out to be very euphoric I am going to assume it has something like tianeptine in it, One post mentioned the possibility of it having something like phenibut, but that wouldn't make much sense because phenibut takes so long to kick in.
Hey! Glad you’re looking to help yourself!
Thanks for the recommendations! A state agency has already arranged for me to get services through a university run facility free of charge (because of my income), and at first it is likely I will be meeting with a grad student under the supervision of a professional. I will have to see how much choice I have. I was actually considering BetterHelp, but it is a bit pricey and the state wouldn't pay for it, which would mean I would have to ask my parents to help pay for it, which is something I would really rather not do. I am getting my meds from a physician's assistant with a telemed practice, so this will be strictly talk therapy. Hopefully I have at least some choice in who I see. The intake process supposedly lasts like 5 hours, so they will probably be trying to figure out who is best to assign to me. And hopefully because the practice is associated with a major university they will be more tolerance of diversity.
I would say test the waters and entirely avoid the word "demon" if the waters are not safe.
Yeah, the word "demon" scares people, even people into alternative spiritualities. I do need to get professional help, if they can help me.
yeah same i can’t judge others or god will put that judgment on to me i struggle sometimes because im young (19) so sometimes ill see a person not doing typical 19yo things and have a thought they are weird but always try to fight it and understand them i also have ocd so i can’t control my thoughts much
OCD, autism, and some other neurodivergence made it impossible for me to be a Christian. Instead I'm a 42 year old virgin pagan who's only friend recently died. Christianity could be comforting if I could force myself to believe it
Most ppl probably wouldn't know what it was. You are free to get whatever tattoo you want. Some ppl who aren't Christians believe in or work with angels.
Ayahuasca is a drug. That doesn't mean anything other than it is a drug. People like to put their interpretations on it but it's an objective fact.
I totally agree that psychoactive plant medicines are drugs. The word "drug" has such a broad definition that in many circumstances is almost meaningless. Every drug has its own potential benefits and harms; and some drug can effectively be used to treat addiction to other drugs (and may or may not be addictive in their own). I don't know why you were downvoted. Ozempic, Penicillin, crack, fentanyl, mushrooms, ibogaine, DMT, mushrooms, marijuana, and baby Aspirin are all drugs.
You think they do but they don’t. Drunk people and especially alcoholics also think they are smarter drunk yeah you aren’t you just think you are because you are under the influence
Well alcoholics are probably more attractive on a bit of alcohol than when in a cute withdrawal. A low dose of an opioid if you are not dependent (or even if you are, because withdrawal is unattractive) will come off as having a more positive outlook/energy. But the "junky" look isn't that attractive
Christian or not, the fact is total eclipses occure somewhere in the world fairly frequently. I am not a Christian, but I see things like climate change, ecological failure, and the possibility of nuclear war as better signs that the days of human civilization (maybe the human race itself, maybe not) are approaching some sort of end. Christians who see these trends as evidence of the coming of some form of the biblical apocalypse come across as much more reasonable to me than Christians who see a solar eclipse as evidence of the biblical apocalypse.
I hear you its not easy. My main problem is my ED from smoking ive been put in situations where i dont get it up in romantic situations and its embarrassing so I dont try anymore. I dont want to give up the tobacco tho. But ive had plenty of girlfriends in the past I never got married or started a family but I got what i wanted out of the girlfriend thing and I always got my hand and the internet.
You could probably get meds for ED (if it is a priority). If you ever decide you want to quit tobacco, Chantix is actually pretty effective (although the side effects can be pretty nasty, like a really bad mood for a couple weeks).
Hear ya about the price of prescription drugs. I'm pretty low income too, and am prescribed a lot of psych meds (for like, anxiety and depression). From what I'm seeing, generic Cialis (with a coupon from GoodRX) is a little over $20 a month if you plan to take it daily. I know what tobacco/nicotine addiction is like, so I sympathize.
I have had a Weis pharmacy tech steal my Clonazepam before. I am supposed to get 60 .5 mg pills a month, but there have been months when they only gave me 45 pills or so (the bottle said 60, but I counted them when I got out to my car and my script was short).
Because I am and you would shit your pants if you knew how many wives I have. I'm a NATIVE AMERICAN SHAMAN first and foremost, and you my Christian brother can kiss my red Native American ass
Don't know if you are a troll or if you are serious. Either way, your post gave me a giggle because it came across as kinda snarky but not overly mean.
Oh, I am quite unusual and we aren't even to Heaven yet. I'm so glad to give you a good giggle though, I certainly have a smile on my face, I don't know about anyone else but there's nothing I can do about that either. What can I say, I'm a doomed man, date night is ridiculous. Lol
Many ppl are convinced that (in terms of religion and spirituality) they know "The Truth". My "beliefs" are my personal "truth" but at least I have the decency to acknowledge that my perspectives are just that, perspectives.
I do try to communicate with deceased loved ones. Unfortunately, my best friend (really my only friend, I'm on the autism spectrum) passed away; and his spirit communication abilities were far better than mine. I think he still sometimes communicates with me through Tarot.
I think you do talk with something. Maybe wonder if its possible that when you bought, somehow something (spirit, demon) cought in it and like stick with it? Or Maybe someone touched cards else and pass something? I recommend deep cleansing deck. But also look: Crowley belived God is satan. Deck is based on his symbols/deck /beliefs Sooo there is very High chance that is why you feel this way.
I think saying Crowley believed that God is Satan or that Satan is God is at best an incomplete representation of what Crowley believed about the topic.
Do one thing at a time, one day at a time.
Could you share a bit of how working with a spirit has helped with your procrastination?
I strongly suspect certain psych meds block spiritual awareness. On the other hand, stopping a medication you have been on for a long time can have serious consequences. I can relate to feeling overwhelmed by problems to the point of paralysis and not knowing what to do.
I think that's my point. In that particular religion that is OK (well for the time they thought it was OK. I don't believe they are allowed to do it anymore, probably because its recognised for being wrong ? I don't know and only guessing.) but that religion is not alone in promoting what sane people (in my mind) would consider bad deeds. Things going on at the moment and the actions of the Spanish inquisition, Roman Church, Crusaders etc, even Anton Lavey had some dodgy ideas. I guess i am saying that how can any sane rational person not have a clear non subjective view of good and evil ?. If the deed hurts someone else its evil, if its not then its not evil is that not obvious ? (if i sound rude please excuse me i am on the Autistic Spectrum)
I'm on the autism spectrum too. With your example of causing harm to people, some would say the same applies to harming animals; but I personally don't feel guilty about eating meat (even though the animals being killed would probably believe a grave Injustice was being done to them).
That's something I struggle with, the Good and Evil don't exist. One of the reasons I struggle with Buddhism. A child molester can only be described as evil, as well as a rapist, sadistic killer etc. I don't understand how that's clear and not easily defined as "Evil" ?
I would say that in an ABSOLUTE sense, "good" and "evil" don't exist. However, for society to function, we have to at least pretend certain antisocial behaviors are "wrong".
I'm not a Christian, and in fact find a lot of Christian theology deeply problematic (such as the belief that everyone who doesn't hold a very specific and rigid set of beliefs will be tortured by an all loving God for eternity). However, the concept of the "existence" of "God" in some form doesn't seem all that far fetched. What I mean is that most people believe that something that could be called "reality" in some way "exists". I see no reason why whatever this thing we call "reality" is cannot be called "God". Not saying anyone MUST call "reality" God or think of "reality" in terms of "God", but it seems just as valid a way of looking at "reality" as any other way of looking at "reality".
Alpha-2 adrenergic receptor
I'm prescribed clonidine for tourette syndrome, and it also helps me with anxiety. Additionally, it can somewhat release the effects of opioid, benzo, or gabapentinoid withdrawal. It can also intensity the effects of opioids, benzos or gabapentinoid, and in a pinch it can ease insomnia. It's vasoconstrictive? I thought antihypertensives generally dilated the veins, and at least when administered orally clonidine seems to dilate my veins (haven't tried IVing it, and see no reason to do so). If taken at a much higher dose, or if taken intravenously, could clonidine cause flesh lesions like xylaxine?
Other than masturbation certain psychoactive substances (I like strong classical psychedelics and/or dissociatives for this purpose. As for the masturbation thing, I would say try to consider why you want to abstain from masturbation. I would recommend against guilt/shame being a motivating factor (seems counterproductive to feel shame for engaging in a normal human sexual behavior). But if you have been masturbating "excessively" (this is a subjective judgement, but, say you are over 40 and are masturbating once a day or more, this MAY be excessive). I would say set a goal of going one week without masturbating. This is certainly doable, and after you succeed in doing it once, you can decide if you want to continue at this decreased frequency. I would say do NOT feel guilty if you don't achieve your goal the first time. If you masturbate less than one week since your last session, just start your count over again. During the week you are trying to abstain, find other ways of distracting yourself when you have the urge to masturbate. So I am a magician, and do believe that excessive masturbation MAY be a drain on sexual energy. However, it is also a generally mostly harmless activity. Taking a "break" from masturbation may help you build self control and allow for the accumulation of and/or transmutation of sexual energy. So consider it a challenge, but don't feel guilty if you end up doing it sooner than you meant to.
Yes. Many deep mystical experiences both sober and on powerful entheogens have led me to conclude that Heaven is real, is our true Home, and all souls will eventually return Home. (And when they do, they’ll realize that in their Heart of Hearts, they were always Home.) God bless.
Do you think it may take multiple lifetimes for most souls to achieve this state? Like, maybe your soul has to evolve before you realize your "true identity/nature" or something?
Indeed. That's why it takes so much meditation, practice and discernment. That's also why people can sometimes fall into a role-playing fantasy where they're essentially talking to themselves. Mind to mind communication is difficult, but is still worth working on as it's more reliable than divination tools
I'm not sure there is a clear distinction between "role playing fantasy" and "real contact". If the gods and other spiritual entities are basically mental constructs created by people (I don't know whether this is the case, and I don't know if it can be proven either way), the mind of the practitioner may be involved in the creation/reception (possibly overlapping, similar, or equivalent to each other) of the response to the practitioner's query. Just saying I don't know the "true nature" of "reality" (which maybe could be called "God"?), "the self", "the mind", "consciousness", and "spiritual entities". I mean, I know what "I" perceive of as contact with a "spiritual entity" feels like, but fully understanding the "true nature" or anything is beyond my capacity.
I'm saying that IF gods are indeed separate from US and not just a mental construct- there's a big difference between a daydream that tells us what we want to hear and outside messages interpreted (probably imperfectly) by our own mind.
If they are separate entities, then you have a point. At least sometimes the way it happens for me is that I have an idea that seems to be coming from "somewhere else", and get a hard to describe feeling that it is from a certain spirit. When I am trying to use "psychic skills", separating "signal" ("real" psychic perceptions) from "noise" (ideas and perceptions originating in my own mind) can be a bit difficult at times.
Do you want ants? Because that’s how you get ants…
Well I was thinking of storing it in a small container in the freezer and thawing it an hour or two before using it in the ritual (the use will involve smearing it on sigils along with some herbs and crystals and essential oils while making my petition).
Here is an update for anyone still following this thread (if anyone still is). It turns out that Botis basically told my friend (thus also implicitly me) to "fuck off" just over three weeks before my friend tragically died unexpectedly. Furthermore, shortly after the death of my friend, Botis informed me and my friend's girlfriend that he wanted to reengage with us and help us to heal from the loss of my friend. So in hindsight, the vibe I am now getting is that Botis simply didn't want to be around any of us at the time that my friend died (I guess I can't blame him; my friend was in a really dark and self destructive state of mind at the moment, and the whole affaire of him dying really shook me and his girlfriend to the core).