Aetherous

I've heard that large bodies of water take your energy, and have also experienced the effects of it. So maybe a good idea if you want to connect with the ocean would be to go swimming after your meditation, to release the excess energy. During meditation you want to build up the energy. Being near trees is good. This is my simple understanding.

Forearm break....Yow!!!

I think "anti-American rhetoric" is often just criticism...which can be taken constructively if you so choose! The ones who are actually destroying the ideal of America happen to be the majority of the American politicians and leaders, as well as the sheeple that mindlessly vote them in.

Then, it's worth it!

Yeah it's totally possible. Many people here are living proof of it. I don't think you have to leave the world to do it, or give up much of anything, besides some time. However, living a "normal life" can be challenging as someone on the spiritual path. But life isn't meant to be comfy for anyone, so: Just do it.

Thanks for sparing us.

Well, I am not judging you personally (in fact you seem like a good person), but that's an insane reason in my opinion. Very common, though...so I understand.

This is the problem with talking about being a "spiritual warrior"...the killing aspect is inseparable from the symbol of "warrior", and because of that, it develops into a mindset which has little to do with spirituality. It actually holds you back. There is absolutely no reason for someone to be thinking about what they would do in the heat of battle. We aren't at war. You don't live in a dangerous enough area. To be thinking about when you'd kill someone is a pointless exercise, and degenerates your mind and spirit. It also appears very stupid to me, because as well as you think you know yourself, you never know what you'll do when it comes down to it. Reality changes things. Philosophy can easily go out the window, as I've seen happen in so many people I've known. Those who disagree with this point haven't actually "been in the shit", as far as I'm concerned. So, if you want to be a good person, why put yourself in the shit? It makes no sense to me. Just protect those around you, because there are enough problems at home! However, I know you will do what you think is right, and most likely join. Then you will learn how things really are.

This type of "warrior" has nothing to do with a Divine Love that embraces, loves and protects all things.

Really nice calligraphy! What does it say?

I remember you from a couple other philosophy forums. Welcome!

I don't see a point in refusing the connect the dots. He saw you disappear, and you weren't aware of it. There are possibilities (some of which you listed) for why this could be, and acknowledging them without truly knowing what happened is what I consider to be honest. I don't understand "damaging to awareness", or how acknowledging possibilities means that the awareness is twisted or pushed out.

Well for a more nonbiased source...read the 3rd part of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, which deals with samyama. I like the translation by Alistair Shearer. There it lists things to focus on or do (which many systems include), which will develop siddhis.

Okay, I voted the technology/other unknown methods one. Why? Well this is a strange sounding reason, but I've had these strange marks on my forearms, which are unexplainable as far as I know. They are two lines a few inches apart, circling the forearm, originating beneath the skin, on both arms. On the proximal 1/3 of the forearm. They tend to fade and reappear at times. So who knows if it was aliens or anything, but it's unknown!

There's no option for answering "no".

Oh yeah, -O-, Seeing something physically happening, unless you're hallucinating, would be an objective event. The exercises you were doing may have not turned you invisible, so that you could be aware of it, but may have had the effect of making you appear invisible. This I consider to be a legitimate siddhi of a lower level, although not the same as what's in Kan's pictures.

Standards...haha! Your choice of how you want to spend your time! I'm just in a pretty wrathful mood tonight, so, ducking out now before I really speak my mind...

Rolling my eyes.

I must be really stupid, then! See, I thought it didn't make sense to be practicing something which simply makes you feel like you're on drugs, when you are looking for something more. But I guess it does make sense! Man I'm dumb!

Another thing: I had up something about Spirit Day as my facebook status, and my sister talked to me about it. Basically asking, "Why do you support them?" It actually disgusted me. I guess the way I look at things these days is that there is no "them". There is only us, and we should look at what we're doing to each other, as kids are killing themselves over being ridiculed and outcast. Where's the compassion? I guess only in my heart, at times, and not yet manifested in this world.

Yes, from what I've seen (living in somewhat of this type of community) it's very hard for the gay people that I know. For instance (even in college, where people are supposed to be thinking on their own two feet) there's a girl in my class who everyone is nice to, but they all talk behind her back about it. Kind of give her strange looks, analyzing what makes her tick all of the time. It must be annoying! I guess everyone has to deal with people's arrogance/ignorance, but I don't know...seems harder for those who are gay. She has to listen to us all call each other fags (jokingly) and not get upset about it. That'd be like someone ridiculing who you are right in front of your face, and not saying anything, or just laughing about it with them. As her classmates, are we really being friendly? I don't know...it's completely inconsiderate, and something I just recently realized (after the large number of suicides that were in the news, which inspired "Spirit Day"). Time to watch how we act.

I was just saying that about the few that I know, not about gay people in general.

Sloppy, After all of this, I really don't know what you're talking about. Just devote your time to practicing something real, and you'll discover your powers. Spending time whining about how you spent 4 years practicing insubstantial things on and off isn't going to get you there!