If you are in anyway unhappy, read... | INFJ Forum

If you are in anyway unhappy, read...

Black Swan

Black Swan

Community Member
Sep 28, 2008
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INFJ
Not sure if anyone will care, but I have to share these because I feel it's contributed so much to my life and the people I know. Today, for whatever reason, I've seen a lot of people struggling emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. If you're reading this and you are struggling, I hope these inspire you and guide you the way they have me.

(And of course they're from Tolle's A New Earth Inspiration cards-buy them, immediately)!!


  • Most people are so distracted by their thoughts, so identified with the voices in their heads, they can no longer feel the aliveness within them. To be unable to feel the life that animates the physical body, the very life that you are, is the greatest deprivation that can happen to you.

  • The quicker you are in attaching verbal or mental labels to things, people, or situations, the more shallow and lifeless your reality becomes, and the more deadened you become to reality, the miracle of life that continuously unfolds within and around you.

  • Thinking isolates a situation or event and calls it good or bad, as if it had a separate existence. Through excessive reliance on thinking, reality becomes fragmented. This fragmentation is an illusion, but seems very real while you are trapped in it.

  • Spiritual realization is to see clearly that what I perceive, experience, think, or feel is ultimately not who I am, that I cannot find myself in all those things that continuously pass away.

  • At the heart of the new consciousness lies the transcendence of thought, the newfound ability of rising above thought, of realizing a dimension within yourself that is infinitely more vast than thought. You then no longer derive your identity, your sense of who you are, from the incessant stream of thinking that in the old consciousness you take to be yourself.

There are several others, but these seemed most appropriate for the circumstances I've witnessed today.
 
Hmmmm....some of that sounds suspiciously like denying ones Ni...... :D
 
alcyone said:
Hmmmm....some of that sounds suspiciously like denying ones Ni...... :D
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Yes it does. I understand echert tolle's work is a great way to transform ones life, and live truly happy and in a meaningful way. But it describes who I am not, and who I try not to me.

And truly, that disturbs me.
 
That and I'm getting a little voice telling me that they sound a bit like fancy ways of saying 'Ignorance is Bliss'
 
I'm getting that as well, Alcyone.

Not trying to knock, but it came off as "hollow" advice.

Sometimes it's not just about you and your perception. Sometimes you're going through shit that's beyond your doing or control. Real shit, not just, "Oh, I'm upset my girlfriend dumped me!" or "If only I can get that promotion at work!" For hollow problems like that, this sort of hollow advice would be helpful.
But in the real world where there are real problems, simply telling someone who can't make enough money to feed her children and thus, are starving, or is recovering from a rape or drug addiction, or is dealing with war and murder something like this:
Thinking isolates a situation or event and calls it good or bad, as if it had a separate existence. Through excessive reliance on thinking, reality becomes fragmented. This fragmentation is an illusion, but seems very real while you are trapped in it.
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It's BS! Airy, happy, rainbow shit that doesn't really mean anything unless you're not going through anything serious. I've read a lot of self-help books and it was the ones like THIS that proved to be the most ineffective.

Not knocking...I just think this sort of advice belongs on a hallmark card. It's sweet, but that's about it.
 
I dunno, I really liked those. :) excuse my dissent. THinking for me gets in the way of really connecting with what's "real.". Whenever I'm too anxious or nervous it's always because of my thoughts. I love that state of mind in between thoughts, where there is just reality, just existence, without any need to categorize it into any box or label.
 
That's kind of a natural mode for me anymore. I mean, I'm still in touch with my thinking side-- but I choose not to rely on it so heavily anymore. It makes me feel emotionally detached.

There's a time where you have to have your feet on the ground and think logically. Likewise, there's a time where you need to be spiritually aware and take life as it is. Happiness comes from the balance of the two.
 
You know...I just re-read my post and realized I 'may' have sounded like I was knocking it too.

Not my intention!

However, for those it works for and for those who identify and relate to if....GO FOR IT! Whatever works for you, if it makes an improvement in your life; it is the RIGHT decision for you.
 
You guys are funny. It's fine if you don't agree or it doesn't resonate with you. But I will point out again that these are Inspiration Cards. These are snip-it's of large amounts of information from the book (only one book at that). And also, when you read through the books, it's like taking certain steps. You can't skip around. For "C" to work "A" and "B" have to work first. It's kind of hard to explain. But regardless, I still wanted to share.

And actually is not at all like ignorance is bliss....it's more like stepping outside of what you think you know and what you feel you know. Again, it's kind of hard to explain.
 
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It sinks in with me, but I'm in the middle of an Ni vs. Se crisis.
 
TK* said:
I'm getting that as well, Alcyone.

Not trying to knock, but it came off as "hollow" advice.

Sometimes it's not just about you and your perception. Sometimes you're going through shit that's beyond your doing or control. Real shit, not just, "Oh, I'm upset my girlfriend dumped me!" or "If only I can get that promotion at work!" For hollow problems like that, this sort of hollow advice would be helpful.
But in the real world where there are real problems, simply telling someone who can't make enough money to feed her children and thus, are starving, or is recovering from a rape or drug addiction, or is dealing with war and murder something like this

It's BS! Airy, happy, rainbow shit that doesn't really mean anything unless you're not going through anything serious. I've read a lot of self-help books and it was the ones like THIS that proved to be the most ineffective.
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I actually completely disagree with your analysis, I've been through 3 things you've mentioned, and a lot more, these still definitely apply. Even the way you specifically describe the situations above, the use of "you" isn't even correct for the context of these teachings.

But it's my fault for only posting snip-its, it's just the tip of the iceberg.
 
I'm happy that it worked for you, Black Swan. And perhaps there is more to it than I got out of the snippet you posted--it's all a matter of how you choose to interpret/translate it, right? For me, it translated as a hallmark card. Doesn't make that bad, or good. Just because *I* didn't get anything out of it doesn't mean it's a bad piece.

Draw your inspiration/help with what works for you.

EDIT:
The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm more "hard nosed." I get pissed when people throw out phrases like, "Just believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything!" or "Try your best and you will succeed!" "If you think negatively, negative things will only happen to you!" You can believe in yourself until you turn blue in the face, but is that going to pay your bills on time? Cure your cancer? Convince your boyfriend to stop beating the shit out of you? No...but it's a sweet idea. You should believe in yourself (not knocking that) but just doing that alone isn't going to solve all your problems for you, lol. That kind of advice is just so obvious to me and so "hollow" sounding. Perhaps I'm the only one who sees it that way, but ANYWAY that's my 2 cents about the whole thing. :D

I like self-help materials of the scientific persuasion. Show me the facts and numbers, show me methods, skills, etc. Not a pat on the head, I don't need that, lol.

Books I like that have helped me:
People of the lie--Peck
Are you the one for me?--De Angelis
Betrayal Trauma: The logic of forgetting childhood abuse--Freyd
Girlosophy--Paul
Fear of intimacy--Firestone and Catlett
(and countless other psych books ranging from child psych PTSD through depression, and research psych books)
 
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alcyone said:
Is that the same as a mid-life crisis for Sensors?
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It's a mid life crisis for INFJs. I'm too young to be having issues with Se.

Black Swan said:
Most people are so distracted by their thoughts, so identified with the voices in their heads, they can no longer feel the aliveness within them. To be unable to feel the life that animates the physical body, the very life that you are, is the greatest deprivation that can happen to you.
Click to expand...

This is definitely Se wisdom.
 
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TK* said:
I'm happy that it worked for you, Black Swan. And perhaps there is more to it than I got out of the snippet you posted--it's all a matter of how you choose to interpret/translate it, right? For me, it translated as a hallmark card. Doesn't make that bad, or good. Just because *I* didn't get anything out of it doesn't mean it's a bad piece.

Draw your inspiration/help with what works for you.
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Thanks!! :hug: And I didn't take your post badly, I just know I've been through some hard stuff, so I wanted to assure you that these teachings can apply to the "real life" problems you mentioned (with a lot of work). But from your POV, I can see where it comes off as sugar-coated crap. :)
 
Black Swan said:
Thanks!! :hug: And I didn't take your post badly, I just know I've been through some hard stuff, so I wanted to assure you that these teachings can apply to the "real life" problems you mentioned (with a lot of work). But from your POV, I can see where it comes off as sugar-coated crap. :)
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I'm glad! I've also been through some tough stuff, so I understand, and I realize you're trying to help. I edited my post with books that helped me. *HUGS* :m032:
 
Oh synchronicites... you show up so much...

I just got proof for myself that this really is the way to happiness. It really really is. I just hope over time I can learn to impliment this in a much more regular way. And I hope this isnt just an upper on a the current roller coaster I am on.
 
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