I've heard this from a few different people recently. One of them said anyone has the potential to become psychically intuitive to a degree, but that most of the more interesting stuff, like telekinesis and astral projection, doesn't work that way. Those, she said, "are accessible only for those individuals who are meant to use them." I've actually told her about this forum (if you see this, hi!) as from what I've seen, most of you would say otherwise, and I thought maybe she and we could learn some stuff from each other, although I haven't heard back from her yet. Needless to say, I hope you guys are the ones who are right! What does restore some hope though is she told me that my being so drawn to learn this is a likely indication that I am in fact one of the lucky ones.
Anyway, it can obviously be very discouraging to hear this, in two ways actually. Most obviously, it presents the idea that even if the powers I want are real, I wouldn't necessarily be able to access them myself. But also, you know how I always say I'd love for someone to show me that they're real? Well, even if I can't have them, I still really want to know if they're real. And yet, what everyone always tells me to do is practice myself. But if it's true that only certain people have the potential to do so, then I'd never get proof that way. I know, I know, I could just practice anyway and see for myself not only that it's real, but that I can in fact do it. And I try. But the uncertainty is frustrating, and from what I've heard, it can even be a self-fulfilling prophecy. As far as I know, you could be the ones who are mistaken. I hope not, but I don't have any way to know that for sure yet. I do realize though that even if someone does show me, I'll still be uncertain whether or not I can do it, so it would still likely be frustrating. But at least then I can talk to my family about it and actually receive real support. And at least then I'd know that much more of the truth.
It's also frustrating because I really wouldn't want to live in a universe that's "run" that way. As many of you know, I'm real big on individual autonomy and self-determination, and not being subject to authority. I have a firm belief that if somehow no one was limited in any way, we'd have a perfect world without any evil, while at the same time keeping free will safer than ever. I mean, there's really no way anything can be evil if everyone it affects wants its effect. And without any limits, I could do whatever I want to you and you'd have the freedom to remain unaffected by it, so there wouldn't be a problem. The idea that people are supposed to be limited in what they can do, and be kept out of control of their existence, is rather sickening. That said, again, if that's the truth then I definitely do want to know. Then I could at least learn to live with it. I'm not sure if anyone here thinks it is the truth though.
Does anyone know what typically makes people think this? One person I spoke to (not the one I mentioned before) even said that his experience has shown not everyone can obtain advanced powers if they try. It makes me wonder if maybe you've simply never run into anyone who tried hard enough but wasn't lucky enough to have the potential for success. Though with all your practical knowledge that does thankfully seem pretty unlikely, as you'd probably have ways of knowing other than from observations of other people. But yeah, whether you subscribe to it yourself or not, if anyone knows where this idea comes from then please let me know.
Thanks.
I think that there is some truth in what these people say.
I've gotten the impression that skills improve in leaps (multiplicative factor?) and that there's a barrier at 0 skill. In order to learn something new, one must already have learned it. I suspect that there's something like quantum tunneling at work in acquiring completely new skills .. one needs to shift their consciousness to a new state where they have already acquired the skill. Additionally, all skills seem to boil down to the ability to shape one's own consciousness (very broad definition of psychokinesis?).
There is one aspect that is often not taken into account - psychokinesis easily spans space-time. Once you've altered yourself, you'd also find out things from your past that would build up to where you are then (just like it works in the dreams). Whether it's due to selecting one timeline / parallel universe in favor of another or changing the very same timeline / universe, I don't know. In any case, it's possible to alter oneself like this, and become "meant" to have these powers.
If one considers themselves as just a cloud of consciousness, then it ought to be possible to pick any persona, history and future that they could envision. Otherwise, the consciousness is the same as that which governs any other person or being. The only difference is what you consider yourself in this consciousness.
Just the impression that I've gotten thus far. I could very well be wrong, so I would urge you to discover these things by yourself as well ;).
The unreal hath no being; there is no non-being of the Real; ~Krishna
A stable-minded person will neither hug nor hate the world, he will take things as they come.
It seems to me flarn2006, that you are thinking much, weighing pros/cons, & depending on the permission of others. I explore & train these powers because it's fun, & that's the only reason I've ever needed. I decided when I was 3 years old that I liked magick...that I would pursue a career of superpowers, & that's what I've done. No one chose me; I chose for myself, just as one chooses vanilla or chocolate ice cream. I really don't care what anyone else thinks about it. It's real because I say it is; I can do it because I say I can. How do I know I'm not suffering delusions? I don't worry about it, till after I've succeeded.
Pick what you like & leap into it singlemindedly without second guessing yourself. If it's not real; then make it real by relentless force of will:)
I'm saying that reality is ultimately subjective; colored by the conditions & concepts you're holding onto. Real or not real, are interpretations formed in the mind, mostly unconsciously. If you are skillfully mindful, you can witness the process unfold. The better you get at this, the more plastic reality becomes for you. Moment by moment, you are unconsciously choosing what is solid & what isn't. Your ego's sense of what is safe & unsafe, is choosing for you. I'm saying that you you can slow down; witness these boundaries forming, & unwind them. You can give yourself a new/adjusted operating system essentially, & rewrite the rules for yourself.
I would say that perhaps my own early life conditions helped me form an ego which has been favorable to accepting & expecting powers. When my ego gets in the way; you could say that I try my best to give myself an upgrade or patch:)
flarn2006 wrote:
@Sussch: I'm not sure I understand; do you mind rewording it? What would be the practical effect of what you're saying?...
Basically what owltwelve said.
In other words, I've gotten the impression that we build the past and the future in the present.Let's say person A was not "meant" to have powers. By choosing to be different in the present, the person A can become "meant" to have powers as his past would have also changed accordingly.
Also note that there is no wishing or becoming, there's only being. That is, in order to "become meant" to have powers, you'd need to be "meant" to have powers. Both wishing and becoming rely on time (not now, sometime later), whereas the effect itself is not limited by time.Much like kids play games where they imagine themselves being someone / something else or having some new skills. Just that by imagining it vividly enough, it would become reality.
Though, that implies that the person imagining it changes, and this is something that people tend to be afraid to do. Because in a sense they would "stop being themselves". However, a cloud of consciousness doesn't have a self in that sense and "staying themselves" is just clinging to an imaginary construct of the mind.
I'll insert the disclaimer again:Just the impression that I've gotten thus far. I could very well be wrong, so I would urge you to discover these things by yourself as well ;).
The unreal hath no being; there is no non-being of the Real; ~Krishna
A stable-minded person will neither hug nor hate the world, he will take things as they come.
Stop being myself how? I want myself , the me I know now, to have powers. If what I learn from my experience using the powers causes me to grow and change naturally, then that's fine. But I want to live my life with the help of powers. I want to be the same person I am now, only with powers. (Then my experiences could change me as a person just like my experiences would anyway.) I mean, one reason I want powers is so I can change the world for the better in ways no one else has, and I want to make sure those powers will be in the hands of someone who wants to do that. What's the most that it could take to put those powers within the reach of the "me" that has the values, interests, etc. that I do now?
The answers we've given are based on your initial question pertaining to who has access to mind powers. This lead to discussing the nature of the mind & reality.
If you want powers; concentration is the key. You don't need to worry so much:)
The person you currently are will be different 5 minutes from now; human beings are not static. The solid person you believe yourself to be is a delusion. You just don't notice because your attention is always busy with discursive thoughts:)
I agree with owltwelve on this.
Focus all your attention on experimenting with the powers and remember to have fun ;)
The unreal hath no being; there is no non-being of the Real; ~Krishna
A stable-minded person will neither hug nor hate the world, he will take things as they come.
flarn2006, The reason I say not to worry about it, is that the mind powers are already within you. It's not so much that you become the "correct" person & erase the person that you are used to being, as much as you begin to uncover & reveal the truly consistent person at the core of you. The real you is unborn, non-conceptual awareness. Everything else is constructed & layered on top.
The seeming consistency of liking certain foods, or holding certain political views is dependent on the conditions & perspective of a limited lifespan & constrained awareness. All that really happens is that you open more to the unbound awareness that is already within you. More awareness means more information & seeing reality in ways you hadn't noticed before. From my perspective, what you're talking about is like going from black & white to color, but wanting to hold on to a world view based on black & white data. Ultimately, you are just accessing more of who you already are; using more of your intelligence. I can't give you assurances as to how this will or won't change you. I can share my own experiences; I still have my memories, in that sense I'm the same me. However, in my case there is no longer a tactile sense boundary between me & others or the environment; this has most definitely changed me in lots of ways. Then again, this is still only partial realization, so I can't say what full realization would be like.
All that being said, as far as I've experienced, there isn't an objective entity or moral stop sign that will keep you from developing mind powers; they're just skills after all. It's just that mastery of them opens you more to own awareness. If there are any stop signs; it's the conflict of your own ego with realization of that awareness:)
flarn2006 wrote:
...
By "the person I am now", I just mean those things about me that I hold on to, that are responsible for the aforementioned differences between me and any given other person. Obviously I can't keep holding on to all of it and still get what I want, because then I'd have it already. I'm more asking which of those differences determine whether or not I'm "meant" to have powers as Sussch described it. Mainly I want to make sure that my personal morals about powers and how they should be used aren't something that can prevent me from gaining access to them. @Sussch: It wouldn't ever be a requirement for a person to change those personal morals of theirs before they can "become 'meant' to" as you were talking about, would it?
No, I don't think it would. It's more of the self-doubting and self-restricting mindsets that would get in the way very quickly.
If anything in the personality becomes a show-stopper, then you can always go and tweak it, consciously of course.
I would suggest to closely monitor your own psychology and the way you react to situations (especially recurring situations). This would make it easier to detect potential internal conflicts and progress faster.
Back in the secondary school I had a classmate whom I found very inspiring. He occasionally likes to change himself so that even his own relatives wouldn't recognize him. From an introvert nerd to an extrovert body builder with personality traits from the Duke Nukem protagonist. I found it amazing what a conscious decision with enough willpower and concentration can do.
Throughout my life so far, I have tried to keep my personality consistent. While it has worked out to some degree, still a lot of things have changed due to some incompatibility between different traits.I like to consider the "attitude towards everything" the most valuable parameter that drives a lot of other parameters. For me this attitude still needs tweaking.
The unreal hath no being; there is no non-being of the Real; ~Krishna
A stable-minded person will neither hug nor hate the world, he will take things as they come.