Merkabah

[John K]

What you need is a cane.
That way you can go outside and shake it at the kids in your pajamas, lol.
“Get off my grass!”
“Cut your hair!”
“Whippersnappers!”
hahahaha

Earplugs my friend!
Or earbuds with a touch of white noise or rain is always nice too.

Hahaha !! I can't do Victor Meldrew though - too much infj guilt and conflict aversion. But I've got a plan for after I turn 70 next year:

 

[Skarekrow]

As there has been some talk about such states lately...
(@Ren @John K )


Flow
Psychology

Description
In positive psychology, flow, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Flow State: What It Is and How to Achieve It

​

Imagine the moment before running a race.
Deep breaths behind the starting line keep your pounding heart at bay, and every second seems to be an eternity; yet, as soon as the starting gun sounds and your feet hit the track, every thought slides from your mind.

You are focused and sure, challenging yourself to achieve something you know is right within your reach.
Before you know it, time has flown past, the race is over, and though your chest is heaving, you barely notice that you are tired.

According to positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, what you experience in that moment is known as flow state, defined as an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”

Csíkszentmihályi, who popularized the term in his 1990 book, the mental state of flow involves “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away.

Time flies.
Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.

Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

The ten factors that can accompany this state of flow are:

1. Having clear goals about what you want to achieve

2. Concentration and focus

3. Participating in an intrinsically rewarding activity

4. Losing feelings of self-consciousness

5. Timelessness; losing track of time passing

6. Being able to immediately judge your own progress; instant feedback on your performance

7. Knowing that your skills align with the goals of the task

8. Feeling control over the situation and the outcome

9. Lack of awareness of physical needs

10. Complete focus on the activity itself​

Now, not all of these factors need to be present in order to achieve flow state, but they are the emotions and responses most often associated with this mental state.

So what can you do to increase your chances of achieving flow?
In his book Finding Flow, Csíkszentmihályi explains that individuals can seek out activities that meet some of the factors of flow, like playing chess, playing a logic game or puzzle like Sudoku, participating in sports, engaging in a meaningful project at work or at school, drawing, or writing.

“Flow also happens when a person’s skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable, so it acts as a magnet for learning new skills and increasing challenges,” Csíkszentmihályi explains. “If challenges are too low, one gets back to flow by increasing them. If challenges are too great, one can return to the flow state by learning new skills.”

The importance of actively seeking out the flow state cannot be overstated.
Research done by Harvard professor Teresa Amabile shows that people who have experienced this state of mind report higher levels of productivity, creativity, and happiness for up to three days after experiencing flow state.

Pushing ourselves just outside our comfort zone, stretching to accomplish a set goal and working toward that goal with focus, determination, and little distraction expands our minds and teaches us to be creative and innovative-skills that increase the quality of both the work you do and the life you live.

For thousands of years mankind has looked up to the stars and formed intricate patterns, figures of hunters and heroes, out of the meaningless scatter of starshine; for we humans seek meaning wherever we can find it.

Living a life of meaning and of depth requires us to step outside of our comfort zones, to challenge our own ideas and create innovative ways to optimize our time on this earth.

The mental state of flow catapults our minds out of the mindless humdrum of everyday life and closer to a meaningful existence.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alayna-kennedy/flow-state-what-it-is-and_b_9607084.html

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?”
Noting that money cannot make us happy,
he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flow State: How to cultivate a state of bliss and seamless productivity

Most of us have had a heightened and radical experience where time slows down,
specific details are enhanced, and self vanishes - what some top athletes describe as being "in the zone.”

In these amplified moments of consciousness, we make connections we had missed before,
hatch breakthroughs to problems that have been stumping us, and push the limits of what's possible for human performance.

I've felt it hundreds of times after several hours in front of an AVID while editing my films - but I never knew there was a name for it.
It's when I put enough time in that the gifts start coming.

It's a transcendent feeling, as if I have to race to physically manifest the ideas and connections that are flowing through me.
I become a conduit as puzzle pieces fly into place.

Ever been there?
Sometimes it just happens to us suddenly with a click, like magic; at other times we think we know how we got there...
but what if we could dial it in whenever we wanted to cultivate that state of bliss and seamless productivity?

Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, the co-founders of Flow Genome Project,
have been at the forefront of discovering the triggers in order to unlock and harness these "flow states.”

With wide-ranging examples from different disciplines such as the Curies' "Eureka moment," Einstein's mathematical genius,
Mozart's legendary compositions as well as Michael Jordan's wizardry on the basketball court,
Kotler and Wheal have examined how major athletic competitions, scientific discoveries,
and significant progress in the arts are associated with the unconscious creativity that surges out of flow states.

According to Wheal,
"Flow Genome Project is an interdisciplinary organization dedicated to mapping the deep science of ultimate human performance.”
Kotler adds, "Flow states are defined as optimal states of consciousness.
These are states where you feel your best and you perform your best.”

We now know that flow works not like an on-off switch but in a four-part cycle.
Understanding these cycles can help you to more often access flow.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

​

I question some of the claims made by this article...but perhaps if one could be in a constant state of “flow” then maybe they would be true.
That would be quite a feat to stay in that “higher state of consciousness” - but then again, isn’t that the goal of those who seek knowledge for whatever the reason?
Anyhow...a slightly more spiritual version of flow.
Enjoy!

The Zone:
Use Breath, Posture and Passion to Get Into the Flow State

Send appreciation to the wonderful things in your life that have shown up and you get to love and nurture.
When I do this I notice solutions to situations naturally arise as well as new creative ideas and insights.
By Stacey Nemour, Contributor​

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is famous for his theory on flow and as one of the pioneers of the scientific study of happiness.
In his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (1990), he concluded that happiness is not a fixed state but can be developed as we learn to achieve flow in our lives.

According to Csikszentmihalyi, "The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."

When we focus our attention on a consciously chosen goal, our psychic energy literally "flows" in the direction of that goal, resulting in a reordering and harmonizing within consciousness.

This higher state of consciousness makes what would seem too difficult effortless and allows us to advance into new achievements in sports performance and all the arts.

The flow state is like a moving meditation.
Action and awareness merge when the athlete, artist or performer becomes totally absorbed in what they are doing.

They have all the skills necessary and are able to stretch their abilities to meet the challenge, while focusing attention on the task at hand.
Time seems to fly. It can also feel like there is no time.

An example of this can be seen in the martial arts or watching the Olympics.
The competitor seeks to lose all distractions of ego, fear and self-referring thoughts, immersing themselves completely in the activity.

This state allows the chi (energy) to flow through the individual and support the movement or task.

The flow state applies to dancers, athletes, writers, teaching, artistic creativity, and just living in a state of inspiration (in spirit)
There's no one way, whatever works for an individual and brings the desired results is correct for them.

Here are some suggestions that work like a charm for me and the athletes I coach:

1. Relax the eyes and use your breath.
While practicing your sport or art.

Then feel the body follow, this will clear and calm the mind and body.

2. Power vs. force.
Ask to use God's (or Jesus', Buddha's, the universe's, whatever feels right to you) energy and not your own.
Feel the power of the entire universe operating through you.

3. Posture.
It's extremely important to have good posture so that the energy can flow fully and freely.

In yoga it's referred to as your "back body." This will also create better balance, enhance sports performance and may help conserve energy.
When I am performing advanced martial art kicks, to help keep my balance and train at peak levels I keep my shoulders are back, chest lifted and feel my heart is open.

While the neck and low back are relaxed and using the abdominal muscles to support the back.
This helps prevent injuries and is the body language of confidence.

4. Meditation.
Program for success.

Get out of your own way and merge with your highest visions of yourself.
In Shaolin Kung Fu it is believed that the mind controls the body -- mind, body and spirit come together naturally as one reality.

Through meditation one may connect to their full creative power.
This gives one the ability to shift into an altered state at will.

Through consistent training one can program the mind to tune out distractions, whether internal (nervousness, fear of failure) or external (crowd noise, other competitors, weather conditions) without holding on to them or paying any attention to them.

5. Appreciation.
Get into the flow of whatever you are doing.

This can include cleaning, caring for your pets, plants or at work.
Send appreciation to the wonderful things in your life that have shown up and you get to love and nurture.

When I do this I notice solutions to situations naturally arise as well as new creative ideas and insights.

When in this state of grace or flow state, you are in your natural state of well-being.
One may notice how divine order and harmony carries into all areas of your life by:

* Working in complete harmony and cooperation with everyone you interact with.

*Drawing the highest and best from people.

*The right people, places and things show up.

* Financial abundance flows easily.

* Aches and pains are gone, the body and mind feel balanced.​

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


How To Achieve Your “Flow State”​

Flow State also known as being in “the zone”, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity where the outside world disappears.

In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does and loses all sense of space and time.

When was the last time you were in the “flow state”?

Think back, what was the environment and conditions you were in?
Who was the team around you and people supporting you?

If you are not currently in the flow state, how can you re-create those conditions again?
Being in the zone where you feel the most happiest and most alive also sounds more exciting and fulfilling than living a balanced life.

I find the flow state closely linked to the Japanese word Ikigai:

What is your reason for being?
Look within.

Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being” and often thought as “the reason to get up in the morning.”
Everyone, according to Japanese culture, has an ikigai.

Finding requires a deep and often lengthy search of self.
Such a search is important to the cultural belief to discover one’s ikigai brings satisfaction and to enjoy the meaning of life— the passion, purpose, a movement of working on something bigger than yourself.

The word ikigai is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things to make one’s life worthwhile.
Secondly, the word is used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel their lives are valuable and contributing to a higher purpose in life.

There is no one other than yourself to tell you how to achieve the state.
Only way is to look deep within to find your answer.

​

 

[Roses In The Vineyard]

Flow is nice but in the modern age and modern society especially in the states has it to where it is a real struggle to have it let alone maintain it for any length of time as if it were all designed this way. Good luck trying to have or keep it in the 9 to 5 grind and the rage inducing commutes that bring people to the boiling point.

 

[Deleted member 16771]

You have had some quite extraordinary experiences Skarekrow - I wanted to spend a little time digesting it a bit before replying. I think in some ways my own experiences are similar, but for you, your inner and outer worlds seem to have blurred together at times where mine have stayed more apart. I don't know if you recall, but I put a bit of a writeup on @Deleted member 16771's blog thread - I've linked to them here so anyone who's interested can follow up:





I have had dream experiences that are similar to yours in some ways, but I've never been out of body in the way you describe - able to be aware of things happening in the outer world. I've frequently had dreams where I could levitate and float along, but it always takes quite a lot of concentration to do it - it's odd because it feels quite a normal thing to do in the dream and for a while after having one, it doesn't seem right in waking life that I can't.

Yes, I realised that you weren't talking about altered consciousness experiences when you mentioned childhood meditation. I think for me, the distinction is blurred. From early childhood, I've always had spontaneous "listening" moments when I seem to be on the verge of something and feel compelled to just stop and "look" - these can be meditation-like moments but I can't really distinguish them from "awareness" moments that came easily, and I doubt I've ever been able to meditate in the sense most people mean without being drawn into awareness. That doesn't mean I'm a brilliant practitioner - far from it. A lot of the time I'm plagued by distractions and anxieties and find it difficult to stay focused unless by gift - one of the blessings of centering prayer is that it can be done in short as well as long sessions.

I think some of my most profound childhood and adolescent experience is with the profoundly negative - of the sort I described for Deleted member 16771. Reading through your Void material it has a lot in common, but from a living, not a near death perspective - so I only experienced part of the total isolation side of it and this lasted a number of years. I learned to compartmentalise my life into separate perspectives, as I said, and that gave me the ability to live with these profound experiences without being derailed by them. I suppose they could have gone underground into my unconscious that way, or driven me into split sincereties and lack of authenticity, but with the help of providence I avoided that trap. Another thing that saved me is that I was as nosy as hell and fascinated by it all as well as horrified lol. I was rescued eventually as you can see, and that experience was also very like your article described in some respects.

It's just as hard to describe negative mystical experience as positive to someone who hasn't been there themselves. There are some ideas out there to describe something like it, but I think a concept such as "existential dread" does not fit all that well - you have to see it from the perspective of a child or teenager so this sort of description is too cerebral really. Watching reality drain out of the world as I watched - that I think was the worst, it was worse than losing my home.

I'm just dumping these thoughts - it would be a major undertaking to put them into coherence - and I'm probably repeating things I put into the stuff I quoted above. Like yourself, I'm talking about experiences that took place over 15 years and more, and it was a lot messier than I can make it sound here. Perhaps what both hinders and saves me is that I find it very hard to let go of my ego except when I'm asleep - it has a very tight grip on the worlds I live in, and that stops them sliding out of control totally, but as I'm sure you would advise me yourself, this can also be a barrier.

I wouldn't change anything, even with the awful negative stuff from my younger days. There is a rightness to it all that feels like it's all been where I was meant to be, and since my early 20s I've been dazzled by the light rather than thrust into darkness.

How do you feel about the way you are - has it been worth the dark side? It certainly sounds that way

Hi, John, I hate to be that guy, but have you ever thought about trying to put this into prose in a serious way?

Would that be too difficult in terms of reliving things?

It's just that you seem to have such a depth of wisdom (and it feels very _real_, like you're not trying to bs anyone or claim to know what it means) and I wonder how it would all read if you put it in your finest words (which I know are very fine indeed).

I think it might be something transcendent and profound to read something like that.

 

[Deleted member 16771]

Hah, yes. I remember that movie, and felt the very same way. Then I always loved movies and stories in that vein. Children who felt out of place and then discovered that they were robots, or belonged to a different race.
I also had the same experiences in nature. Whenever we visited relatives (just about all of them lived on farms, or near forests), I would always gravitate towards trees and nature. I'd always find some isolated nook in a bunch of trees where I could just relax.
Of course this was always broken by other kids, destroying my little palace of isolation. Damn kids.

I did a DNA test at the beginning of this year, and before the results came in, I seriously considered the possibility of the alien/robot outcome...

'Mr Deleted member 16771, there was also 30% of your DNA with no known origin'

'Yeah, figures.'

In actuality, the results were almost exactly as I expected. Scottish-Polish (with about 5% Scandinavian, 0.9% Finnish and 1% Nigerian). No Annunaki genes for me.

 

[Tin Man]

I did a DNA test at the beginning of this year, and before the results came in, I seriously considered the possibility of the alien/robot outcome...

'Mr Deleted member 16771, there was also 30% of your DNA with no known origin'

'Yeah, figures.'

In actuality, the results were almost exactly as I expected. Scottish-Polish (with about 5% Scandinavian, 0.9% Finnish and 1% Nigerian). No Annunaki genes for me.

It could be that the DNA test was a rouse. The government knows you're some kind of inter-dimensional being, but wants to keep you in the dark.

Is that avatar pic Solidus Snake?

 

[John K]

As there has been some talk about such states lately...
(@Ren @John K )


Flow
Psychology

Description
In positive psychology, flow, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Flow State: What It Is and How to Achieve It

​

Imagine the moment before running a race.
Deep breaths behind the starting line keep your pounding heart at bay, and every second seems to be an eternity; yet, as soon as the starting gun sounds and your feet hit the track, every thought slides from your mind.

You are focused and sure, challenging yourself to achieve something you know is right within your reach.
Before you know it, time has flown past, the race is over, and though your chest is heaving, you barely notice that you are tired.

According to positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, what you experience in that moment is known as flow state, defined as an “optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best.”

Csíkszentmihályi, who popularized the term in his 1990 book, the mental state of flow involves “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away.

Time flies.
Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.

Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

The ten factors that can accompany this state of flow are:

1. Having clear goals about what you want to achieve

2. Concentration and focus

3. Participating in an intrinsically rewarding activity

4. Losing feelings of self-consciousness

5. Timelessness; losing track of time passing

6. Being able to immediately judge your own progress; instant feedback on your performance

7. Knowing that your skills align with the goals of the task

8. Feeling control over the situation and the outcome

9. Lack of awareness of physical needs

10. Complete focus on the activity itself​

Now, not all of these factors need to be present in order to achieve flow state, but they are the emotions and responses most often associated with this mental state.

So what can you do to increase your chances of achieving flow?
In his book Finding Flow, Csíkszentmihályi explains that individuals can seek out activities that meet some of the factors of flow, like playing chess, playing a logic game or puzzle like Sudoku, participating in sports, engaging in a meaningful project at work or at school, drawing, or writing.

“Flow also happens when a person’s skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable, so it acts as a magnet for learning new skills and increasing challenges,” Csíkszentmihályi explains. “If challenges are too low, one gets back to flow by increasing them. If challenges are too great, one can return to the flow state by learning new skills.”

The importance of actively seeking out the flow state cannot be overstated.
Research done by Harvard professor Teresa Amabile shows that people who have experienced this state of mind report higher levels of productivity, creativity, and happiness for up to three days after experiencing flow state.

Pushing ourselves just outside our comfort zone, stretching to accomplish a set goal and working toward that goal with focus, determination, and little distraction expands our minds and teaches us to be creative and innovative-skills that increase the quality of both the work you do and the life you live.

For thousands of years mankind has looked up to the stars and formed intricate patterns, figures of hunters and heroes, out of the meaningless scatter of starshine; for we humans seek meaning wherever we can find it.

Living a life of meaning and of depth requires us to step outside of our comfort zones, to challenge our own ideas and create innovative ways to optimize our time on this earth.

The mental state of flow catapults our minds out of the mindless humdrum of everyday life and closer to a meaningful existence.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alayna-kennedy/flow-state-what-it-is-and_b_9607084.html

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?”
Noting that money cannot make us happy,
he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flow State: How to cultivate a state of bliss and seamless productivity

Most of us have had a heightened and radical experience where time slows down,
specific details are enhanced, and self vanishes - what some top athletes describe as being "in the zone.”

In these amplified moments of consciousness, we make connections we had missed before,
hatch breakthroughs to problems that have been stumping us, and push the limits of what's possible for human performance.

I've felt it hundreds of times after several hours in front of an AVID while editing my films - but I never knew there was a name for it.
It's when I put enough time in that the gifts start coming.

It's a transcendent feeling, as if I have to race to physically manifest the ideas and connections that are flowing through me.
I become a conduit as puzzle pieces fly into place.

Ever been there?
Sometimes it just happens to us suddenly with a click, like magic; at other times we think we know how we got there...
but what if we could dial it in whenever we wanted to cultivate that state of bliss and seamless productivity?

Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal, the co-founders of Flow Genome Project,
have been at the forefront of discovering the triggers in order to unlock and harness these "flow states.”

With wide-ranging examples from different disciplines such as the Curies' "Eureka moment," Einstein's mathematical genius,
Mozart's legendary compositions as well as Michael Jordan's wizardry on the basketball court,
Kotler and Wheal have examined how major athletic competitions, scientific discoveries,
and significant progress in the arts are associated with the unconscious creativity that surges out of flow states.

According to Wheal,
"Flow Genome Project is an interdisciplinary organization dedicated to mapping the deep science of ultimate human performance.”
Kotler adds, "Flow states are defined as optimal states of consciousness.
These are states where you feel your best and you perform your best.”

We now know that flow works not like an on-off switch but in a four-part cycle.
Understanding these cycles can help you to more often access flow.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

​

I question some of the claims made by this article...but perhaps if one could be in a constant state of “flow” then maybe they would be true.
That would be quite a feat to stay in that “higher state of consciousness” - but then again, isn’t that the goal of those who seek knowledge for whatever the reason?
Anyhow...a slightly more spiritual version of flow.
Enjoy!

The Zone:
Use Breath, Posture and Passion to Get Into the Flow State

Send appreciation to the wonderful things in your life that have shown up and you get to love and nurture.
When I do this I notice solutions to situations naturally arise as well as new creative ideas and insights.
By Stacey Nemour, Contributor​

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is famous for his theory on flow and as one of the pioneers of the scientific study of happiness.
In his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (1990), he concluded that happiness is not a fixed state but can be developed as we learn to achieve flow in our lives.

According to Csikszentmihalyi, "The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."

When we focus our attention on a consciously chosen goal, our psychic energy literally "flows" in the direction of that goal, resulting in a reordering and harmonizing within consciousness.

This higher state of consciousness makes what would seem too difficult effortless and allows us to advance into new achievements in sports performance and all the arts.

The flow state is like a moving meditation.
Action and awareness merge when the athlete, artist or performer becomes totally absorbed in what they are doing.

They have all the skills necessary and are able to stretch their abilities to meet the challenge, while focusing attention on the task at hand.
Time seems to fly. It can also feel like there is no time.

An example of this can be seen in the martial arts or watching the Olympics.
The competitor seeks to lose all distractions of ego, fear and self-referring thoughts, immersing themselves completely in the activity.

This state allows the chi (energy) to flow through the individual and support the movement or task.

The flow state applies to dancers, athletes, writers, teaching, artistic creativity, and just living in a state of inspiration (in spirit)
There's no one way, whatever works for an individual and brings the desired results is correct for them.

Here are some suggestions that work like a charm for me and the athletes I coach:

1. Relax the eyes and use your breath.
While practicing your sport or art.

Then feel the body follow, this will clear and calm the mind and body.

2. Power vs. force.
Ask to use God's (or Jesus', Buddha's, the universe's, whatever feels right to you) energy and not your own.
Feel the power of the entire universe operating through you.

3. Posture.
It's extremely important to have good posture so that the energy can flow fully and freely.

In yoga it's referred to as your "back body." This will also create better balance, enhance sports performance and may help conserve energy.
When I am performing advanced martial art kicks, to help keep my balance and train at peak levels I keep my shoulders are back, chest lifted and feel my heart is open.

While the neck and low back are relaxed and using the abdominal muscles to support the back.
This helps prevent injuries and is the body language of confidence.

4. Meditation.
Program for success.

Get out of your own way and merge with your highest visions of yourself.
In Shaolin Kung Fu it is believed that the mind controls the body -- mind, body and spirit come together naturally as one reality.

Through meditation one may connect to their full creative power.
This gives one the ability to shift into an altered state at will.

Through consistent training one can program the mind to tune out distractions, whether internal (nervousness, fear of failure) or external (crowd noise, other competitors, weather conditions) without holding on to them or paying any attention to them.

5. Appreciation.
Get into the flow of whatever you are doing.

This can include cleaning, caring for your pets, plants or at work.
Send appreciation to the wonderful things in your life that have shown up and you get to love and nurture.

When I do this I notice solutions to situations naturally arise as well as new creative ideas and insights.

When in this state of grace or flow state, you are in your natural state of well-being.
One may notice how divine order and harmony carries into all areas of your life by:

* Working in complete harmony and cooperation with everyone you interact with.

*Drawing the highest and best from people.

*The right people, places and things show up.

* Financial abundance flows easily.

* Aches and pains are gone, the body and mind feel balanced.​

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


How To Achieve Your “Flow State”​

Flow State also known as being in “the zone”, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity where the outside world disappears.

In essence, flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does and loses all sense of space and time.

When was the last time you were in the “flow state”?

Think back, what was the environment and conditions you were in?
Who was the team around you and people supporting you?

If you are not currently in the flow state, how can you re-create those conditions again?
Being in the zone where you feel the most happiest and most alive also sounds more exciting and fulfilling than living a balanced life.

I find the flow state closely linked to the Japanese word Ikigai:

What is your reason for being?
Look within.

Ikigai (生き甲斐) is a Japanese concept meaning “a reason for being” and often thought as “the reason to get up in the morning.”
Everyone, according to Japanese culture, has an ikigai.

Finding requires a deep and often lengthy search of self.
Such a search is important to the cultural belief to discover one’s ikigai brings satisfaction and to enjoy the meaning of life— the passion, purpose, a movement of working on something bigger than yourself.

The word ikigai is usually used to indicate the source of value in one’s life or the things to make one’s life worthwhile.
Secondly, the word is used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel their lives are valuable and contributing to a higher purpose in life.

There is no one other than yourself to tell you how to achieve the state.
Only way is to look deep within to find your answer.

​

It's too easy to look at something like this Skarekrow and say YES - I have that experience when what I've had is just a shadow of what it means. But if we treat it as a spectrum of experience, I think a lot of people will feel this at least a little, some of the time. I think I go into this state most deeply when my Ni and Se are handshaking - perhaps for a few minutes when I take a photo, but (eg) for a lot longer when I restore an old beat up photo maybe 100 years old and more. I spent a lot of time restoring old family pictures, and I had to learn many of the necessary photoshop and scanning techniques. To do it well you have to enlarge a picture that's maybe only 2" x 2" to maybe a yard square on screen and go through each tiny part an inch at a time cleaning up all the scratches and mould spots and brown stains and creases. It's very very S, but its profoundly N as well because it fits into my family history, and it's reversing entropy, and it's overwhelmingly F because I'm restoring to life family who are long gone and maybe I met them as a child, but mostly not. The time dissolves .......

This school photo has my dad on it - bottom row third from the right.

Spoiler: Before

Spoiler: After

 

[John K]

Hi, John, I hate to be that guy, but have you ever thought about trying to put this into prose in a serious way?

Would that be too difficult in terms of reliving things?

It's just that you seem to have such a depth of wisdom (and it feels very _real_, like you're not trying to bs anyone or claim to know what it means) and I wonder how it would all read if you put it in your finest words (which I know are very fine indeed).

I think it might be something transcendent and profound to read something like that.

Thanks for this Deleted member 16771 - I've never found it easy to talk about these things in the past but I seem to be a lot more relaxed about it now. I don't have any problems reliving the experiences because they are what define me in a great part and both darkness and light are precious. @Skarekrow's thread points out in a number of places that they often go together - at least in our world they do, and it seems to me that the one is the price of the other. Whether I have the skill and the grace to express them in the outer world - that's another matter. Perhaps the only way to find out is to try - I suspect it would be full of false starts before settling on a way to go.

 

[Skarekrow]

Flow is nice but in the modern age and modern society especially in the states has it to where it is a real struggle to have it let alone maintain it for any length of time as if it were all designed this way. Good luck trying to have or keep it in the 9 to 5 grind and the rage inducing commutes that bring people to the boiling point.

I totally agree.
But it's a goal to set.
It’s a mindset to try and maintain as much as you can when possible.
Like I’ve said...many times in surgery I would fall into a flow state...even amongst what probably looked like chaos to an outside pair or eyes.
It is possible to maintain in the western world - but it is right up there with reaching enlightenment in some ways.
As for anything rage inducing - that’s all our perception and how we choose to react if we can become aware of our “selves” well enough.

It's too easy to look at something like this Skarekrow and say YES - I have that experience when what I've had is just a shadow of what it means. But if we treat it as a spectrum of experience, I think a lot of people will feel this at least a little, some of the time. I think I go into this state most deeply when my Ni and Se are handshaking - perhaps for a few minutes when I take a photo, but (eg) for a lot longer when I restore an old beat up photo maybe 100 years old and more. I spent a lot of time restoring old family pictures, and I had to learn many of the necessary photoshop and scanning techniques. To do it well you have to enlarge a picture that's maybe only 2" x 2" to maybe a yard square on screen and go through each tiny part an inch at a time cleaning up all the scratches and mould spots and brown stains and creases. It's very very S, but its profoundly N as well because it fits into my family history, and it's reversing entropy, and it's overwhelmingly F because I'm restoring to life family who are long gone and maybe I met them as a child, but mostly not. The time dissolves .......

This school photo has my dad on it - bottom row third from the right.

Spoiler: Before

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Spoiler: After

View attachment 45990

Really beautiful work there John!
I didn’t mean to make it a challenge for you to write or put to words.
Nor do you have to write much if you should recount experiences.
Feel free to disregard!

Thanks for this Deleted member 16771 - I've never found it easy to talk about these things in the past but I seem to be a lot more relaxed about it now. I don't have any problems reliving the experiences because they are what define me in a great part and both darkness and light are precious. @Skarekrow's thread points out in a number of places that they often go together - at least in our world they do, and it seems to me that the one is the price of the other. Whether I have the skill and the grace to express them in the outer world - that's another matter. Perhaps the only way to find out is to try - I suspect it would be full of false starts before settling on a way to go.

Thank you for the words you have expressed so far.
It’s much appreciated!
I am always very curious about peoples’ experiences with something other than the norm, as that has always been my own experience at least for a percentage of the time.
And yes...what you said about light and darkness is very true.
In many cases one could question the judgement made as to something being positive or negative in our life - even though it may be excruciatingly painful at the time - may come to define or change us in such a way that the line of positive/negative starts to blur.
Anyhow...thanks again John.
I still gotta respond properly to your other post!
Cheers!

 

[Skarekrow]

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[JennyDaniella]

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[Skarekrow]

Don’t have much time today...but I just wanted to throw this out at you.


For those of you who are trying or practicing mindfulness meditations - which I recommend for those who are ready and don’t have anxiety or PTSD issues that need to be dealt with.

Anyhow...
Every time you recognize that your mind has wandered, and you think to yourself “Damn”...recognize it instead as a moment of mindfulness itself.
It takes the mind time to learn to switch those gears...each time you catch yourself you are teaching the brain to be more mindful...just keep going.


Take care all!

 

[Skarekrow]

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[JennyDaniella]

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Oh beautiful quote from Robin Williams and so so true. Truly miss him. I might watch Good Will Hunting later now.

Anyways, so far in my 23 years of life, the rudest people were the ones I later find out to have the hardest life, so that’s why I treat everybody with absolute kindness.

We are all fighting our own battles. <3

 

[Deleted member 16771]

Oh beautiful quote from Robin Williams and so so true. Truly miss him. I might watch Good Will Hunting later now.

Anyways, so far in my 23 years of life, the rudest people were the ones I later find out to have the hardest life, so that’s why I treat everybody with absolute kindness.

We are all fighting our own battles. <3

I agree with this, Jenny.

There's that saying 'whatever doesn't kill me only makes me stronger'... which a lot of the time just isn't true. Hardship seems to tend to make people worse unless they can properly integrate the experiences. The nicest people have had the happiest lives I have found, and the meanest have had the unhappiest, it's one of life's cruel ironies.

However, there are those who truly integrate the hardships on their own spiritual journeys - they are the special ones.

 

[JennyDaniella]

I agree with this, Jenny.

There's that saying 'whatever doesn't kill me only makes me stronger'... which a lot of the time just isn't true. Hardship seems to tend to make people worse unless they can properly integrate the experiences. The nicest people have had the happiest lives I have found, and the meanest have had the unhappiest, it's one of life's cruel ironies.

However, there are those who truly integrate the hardships on their own spiritual journeys - they are the special ones.

Beautifully said Hos!! ^_^ and very true!

And yes! Indeed. I am quite fortune to have some people in my life that not only went through incredible struggles in their life, but utilized those hardships to form an inner wisdom and strength that is quite admirable.
I suppose it also depends on the individual because I also met some nasty people who also came from extremely privileged lives.

Nonetheless, the world always needs kindness in every corner.

 

[Skarekrow]

that’s why I treat everybody with absolute kindness.

We are all fighting our own battles. <3

Yes.

Far too many people cannot see that perspective or choose not to.
Of course we all have people who push our limits sometimes, but overall you and @Deleted member 16771 are very correct.

 

[Skarekrow]

Great talk...explains a lot!
Pretty amazing that his brain has switched to, and remained in, such a still state for so long.
Enjoy!

"Exploring the Self Scientifically,
Magic Mushrooms or Meditation,
The Same Route?”

Presentation at Science and NonDuality Conference in San Rafael, CA in October,
2012 by Gary Weber, Ph.D.

“Meditation works like Magic Mushrooms?”

Research studies demonstrating how both long term meditation and psilocybin
(magic mushrooms active ingredient) produce mystical and psychedelic/entheogenic experiences.

Magic mushrooms, with psilocybin as their active ingredient,
have been used at least since 10,000 BCE for purposes ranging from shamanic healing to spiritual awakening through mystical experiences.

Meditation has similarly been used for millenia for various purposes, including spiritual awakening in many traditions,
often accompanied with mystical experiences.

Only recently has the cognitive neuroscience been developed to determine how each of these powerful approaches operates in/on the brain.
Just released work on psilocybin in one of the most prestigious journals done at some of the world's top universities is the first known scientific investigation to reveal the operations of the centers and networks in the brain involved in generating the effects of psilocybin.

The latest fMRI technology and arterial spin labeling perfusion have been coupled to determine what the cerebral blood flow in individual brain centers is and how those centers are activated and coupled with other centers as the psilocybin levels are increased.

Comparing this work with the latest work coupling cognitive neuroscience and meditation, the astonishing finding is that the same centers involved in generating the transcendent and mystical effects in meditation are the same ones that are manipulated by psilocybin.

Not only that, but recent studies on the mystical experiences of persistently non-dual meditators as measured by the Hood Mystical Scale show that some of these meditators score at the highest possible score; a group of them has the highest average on this scale.

Surprisingly, the group that had the average mystical score closest to the persistent non-dual meditators was the psychedelics.
The amazing conclusion is that both non-dual meditation and magic mushrooms produce very similar or the same mystical experiences by the same cognitive neuroscientific route.
( @Ren Want to experience OM?)​

 

[Skarekrow]

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[Skarekrow]

Curious and more curious!
Some possible insight on intuition.
Enjoy!

To Predict the Future, the Brain Has Two Clocks
NEUROSCIENCE NEWS NOVEMBER 20, 2018

Summary: Researchers report there are two distinct ways in which we make temporal predictions, and these rely on different parts of the brain.
The findings offer a new perspective on how humans calculate when to make a move.
Source: UC Berkeley.​

That moment when you step on the gas pedal a split second before the light changes,
or when you tap your toes even before the first piano note of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” is struck.
That’s anticipatory timing.​

One type relies on memories from past experiences.
The other on rhythm.

Both are critical to our ability to navigate and enjoy the world.

New UC Berkeley research shows the neural networks supporting each of these timekeepers are split between two different parts of the brain, depending on the task at hand.

“Whether it’s sports, music, speech or even allocating attention, our study suggests that timing is not a unified process, but that there are two distinct ways in which we make temporal predictions and these depend on different parts of the brain,” said study lead author Assaf Breska, a postdoctoral researcher in neuroscience at UC Berkeley.

The findings, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, offer a new perspective on how humans calculate when to make a move.

“Together, these brain systems allow us to not just exist in the moment, but to also actively anticipate the future,” said study senior author Richard Ivry, a UC Berkeley neuroscientist.

Breska and Ivry studied the anticipatory timing strengths and deficits of people with Parkinson’s disease and people with cerebellar degeneration.

They connected rhythmic timing to the basal ganglia, and interval timing – an internal timer based largely on our memory of prior experiences – to the cerebellum.

Both are primal brain regions associated with movement and cognition.

Moreover, their results suggest that if one of these neural clocks is misfiring, the other could theoretically step in.

“Our study identifies not only the anticipatory contexts in which these neurological patients are impaired, but also the contexts in which they have no difficulty, suggesting we could modify their environments to make it easier for them to interact with the world in face of their symptoms,” Breska said.

Non-pharmaceutical fixes for neurological timing deficits could include brain-training computer games and smartphone apps, deep brain stimulation and environmental design modifications, he said.

HOW THEY CONDUCTED THE STUDY

To arrive at their conclusion, Breska and Ivry compared how well Parkinson’s and cerebellar degeneration patients used timing or “temporal” cues to focus their attention.

Both groups viewed sequences of red, white and green squares as they flashed by at varying speeds on a computer screen, and pushed a button the moment they saw the green square.

The white squares alerted them that the green square was coming up.

In one sequence, the red, white and green squares followed a steady rhythm, and the cerebellar degeneration patients responded well to these rhythmic cues.

In another, the colored squares followed a more complex pattern, with differing intervals between the red and green squares.
This sequence was easier for the Parkinson’s patients to follow, and succeed at.

“We show that patients with cerebellar degeneration are impaired in using non-rhythmic temporal cues while patients with basal ganglia degeneration associated with Parkinson’s disease are impaired in using rhythmic cues,” Ivry said.

Ultimately, the results confirm that the brain uses two different mechanisms for anticipatory timing, challenging theories that a single brain system handles all our timing needs, researchers said.

“Our results suggest at least two different ways in which the brain has evolved to anticipate the future,” said Breska.

“A rhythm-based system is sensitive to periodic events in the world such as is inherent in speech and music,” he added. “And an interval system provides a more general anticipatory ability, sensitive to temporal regularities even in the absence of a rhythmic signal.”


Source: Kara Manke – UC Berkeley
Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is credited to UC Berkeley.
Original Research: Abstract for “Double dissociation of single-interval and rhythmic temporal prediction in cerebellar degeneration and Parkinson’s disease” by Assaf Breska and Richard B. Ivry in PNAs. Published November 13 2018.
doi:10.1073/pnas.1810596115


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To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future
A controversial theory suggests that perception,
motor control, memory and other brain functions all depend on
comparisons between ongoing actual experiences and the brain’s modeled expectations.

Some neuroscientists favor a predictive coding explanation for how the brain works,
in which perception may be thought of as a “controlled hallucination.”
This theory emphasizes the brain’s expectations and predictions about reality rather than the direct sensory evidence that the brain receives.​

Too long...follow the link! ----> https://www.quantamagazine.org/to-make-sense-of-the-present-brains-may-predict-the-future-20180710/



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