when you are overwhelmed, HELP

[lightningbug]

help! I'm overwhelmed!

I'm not even sure where to begin anymore! I have many different interests spiritually speaking, from Christ Consciousness, to astral projections, to even Tibetan Dream Yoga, which I understand is a lifestyle and a way of being. I have interests in NEW and in other energy works.

For the past two months really, or more maybe, Ive been reading, reading, reading. Everyday, looking and continously looking to read something new. One day that something new was NEW, but it never ended there and I kept reading. About more techniques, meditations, prayers, chants, beliefs, new discoveries in science and so on

Now I'm just overwhelmed. Last night I couldnt even finish reading the new material I found, my head started to spin :shock:

for the past year, I have been learning so much about the spiritual path and all of its different facets. I had no idea a year ago there were so many people interested in all of the things I'm interested in :wink: and every day I meet more people who are

but now I don't even know where to begin! and I havent had a lucid dream in like two months, I'm dying here!

how do you balance trying to attain a higher consciousness, balance karma, and astral projection, or do they lead to the same thing? I mean, I know a website that offers extensive guides and meditations concerning connecting to your higher consciousness. And I began to feel time wise, technique wise, that website, NEW and the tibetan dream yoga were conflicting. Or is it only conflicting in my mind??

I tried to do something today, and I wasn't sure if I was to empty my mind, focus on an object, focus on an entity, or try to induce a waking lucid dream! I was that confused of what I wanted to do!! In my confusion I just became sleepy and took a nap instead....

any gurus out there want to offer me some advice? :?

[Korpo]

First of all, cut the drama and relax. Nobody is "dying" of lack of lucid dreams. ;)

Now - breathe deeply, relax, settle down. What you are experiencing is a typical thing - you've discovered spiritual thirst, or hunger, a deep longing for the truth that is not easily satisfiable. You are responding to it in the ways you are used to (studying, learning, researching, weighing options) but they seem inadequate. Too many answers, too little direction. And learning about the myriads of ways seems not only to be not helpful, but the more you learn, the less it seems to make sense.


In pursuit of knowledge,
every day something is added.
In the practice of the Tao,
every day something is dropped.(from: http://www.edepot.com/tao4.html)

The spiritual supermarket seems to be full to the hilt with options, but depending on what your need is, nothing but the most simple methods may suffice. Techniques do not get better by getting complex. Complex techniques prevent you seeing the moment when the technique has lost its value. Simple techniques carry often the most enormous potential.


Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.(from: http://www.edepot.com/tao4.html)

Meditation is a time-proven technique for obtaining wisdom, yet it is not a technique of knowledge. The mind is very complex, but most meditation techniques are very simple. You usually don't need to know much about them, but you have to practice them. Pick one, practice it daily, and with great likeliness, over time, the turmoil will settle.


Do you have the patience to wait
till your mud settles and the water is clear?
Can you remain unmoving
till the right action arises by itself?

The Master doesn't seek fulfillment.
Not seeking, not expecting,
she is present, and can welcome all things.(from: http://www.edepot.com/tao4.html)

The Buddha formulated 16 steps in the Anapanasati Sutra that lead to enlightenment, but they all begin with watching the breath. If your mind has an anchor, a root, something that keeps it present, results will come. Developing mindfulness, learning the nature of the things we observe in meditation, sets us free. Anchor your mind on the breath and observe. When you lose the breathe, gently return your mind to the breath without judgement or feeling bad about it.

Being lost in a world of concepts and techniques takes you nowhere. Chose a simple technique, try it, stick to it for a while (weeks), and if the shoe fits, commit to it.


The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named
is not the eternal Name.

The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin
of all particular things.

Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.(from: http://www.edepot.com/tao4.html)

Try to build a huge cathedral of concepts, and all you see is concepts. But what you seek is beyond concepts. It is formless, no name describes it. If your mind dwells on concepts, all it sees is more manifest things. Spirit is not a manifest thing. If you seek spirit, you need something that takes you beyond your worldly desires, something which clears the view from manifest things.

Do not worry about details of techniques as much. There is no optimal technique, no shoe that fits everyone, no little detail that will ultra-boost your technique into perfection. People look for magic tricks, and neglect the really important thing: Be aware. In all things stay aware. But people stay not aware of themselves, instead they try magic tricks. This or that little detail made someone enlightened - really? People chose to believe that because the truth is too simple for them:

Observe yourself. Be aware. Be patient.

Do not do too many techniques, but do them well. Any technique that fosters self-observation or learning about self is helpful. Simpler is better.

Oliver

[Mishell]

There is nothing wrong with learning the way you are. At this point, I would take one technique at a time and try it for maybe a week, then move on to something else. (Not that you will master anything in a week, but you will get an idea if the method resonates with you.) You will find that you are inclined one direction or another. What will end up happening is you will take a little bit from here and there and put it together in a way that suits you the best. There is nothing wrong with combining disciplines.

Be patient with yourself and relax. This journey can be fun. It is not a race to the finish, there is no hurry.

Good luck to you,
Mishell

[lightningbug]

thanks for the help and good advice :D

[wstein]

First, if you meet a guru on the road, kill him....sorry, an "in" joke you will encounter some day.

This overwhelm is very common in the early phases of spiritual development. Think back about going to ordinary school. If in first grade you were handed a list all the subjects you would be studying in school, it would be similar.

I suggest that you try to narrow your investigation to 2 or 3 things at a time. Good places to start (pick 2 or 3 that appeal) are meditation, dream journaling, energy (hand-on) healing, NEW, toning. As you lose interest in one, try another until some 'stick'.

As you probably know but haven't come to awareness is that so much of this stuff is related. So, learning a few will make others much easier. Thus even though you might feel that you are missing out on the others, its probably not the case.

Something else that helps is to find another beginner to share the journey with. Having them to share the experience with will cut down on the jumping around. Personally speaking, I feel this is better than seeking a guru at the beginning (or other teacher, master, source, guide). Many people get good results with teachers etc. but only after they know enough to know what they wish to pursue in depth. Getting lead from the beginning feels less daunting. But often this results in not getting a chance to 'look around' and find where your interests lie; a quick start but less successful in the long run.

With continued effort, you will start to get a sense of this stuff and find a direction of your own.