The Gateway, Teal Swan, and the message vs the teacher

[Mandy]

I was going to go to work and start listening to it, but went outside to get the mail and got caught having a very long conversation about separate selves with my neighbor. I heard for about 25 minutes all about one separate self being demonized, then got a brief question about how my kids are in which I had time to say that my son was playing a new sport, and I was excited that a new coach signed up so my son can be on the team, and how I liked her, then I got another 10 minutes of demonization of this particular woman. Then she moved on to my other two neighbors individually and how horrible they are, and a few other people mixed in. I managed to say one sentence about how it brings me peace to understand that people are seen through a lens, and project onto others what they see, and that we don't always see the same truths about things. Then I discovered that Source had sent me a bar of dark chocolate in a unsolicited skincare company sample I received in the mail and it occurred that that's the remedy for Dementors. 

 

Phew.

 

Really though, could we get over this separate self thing? 

[Jonas Long]

10 minutes ago, Mandy said:

I was going to go to work and start listening to it, but went outside to get the mail and got caught having a very long conversation about separate selves with my neighbor. I heard for about 25 minutes all about one separate self being demonized, then got a brief question about how my kids are in which I had time to say that my son was playing a new sport, and I was excited that a new coach signed up so my son can be on the team, and how I liked her, then I got another 10 minutes of demonization of this particular woman. Then she moved on to my other two neighbors individually and how horrible they are, and a few other people mixed in. I managed to say one sentence about how it brings me peace to understand that people are seen through a lens, and project onto others what they see, and that we don't always see the same truths about things. Then I discovered that Source had sent me a bar of dark chocolate in a unsolicited skincare company sample I received in the mail and it occurred that that's the remedy for Dementors. 

 

Phew.

 

Really though, could we get over this separate self thing? 

Are your neighbors "thoughts" or "separate selves" or "dead" too though? 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Jonas Long

[Mandy]

@Jonas Long Are we talking before dark chocolate, or after dark chocolate? 🤔

[Jonas Long]

3 minutes ago, Mandy said:

@Jonas Long Are we talking before dark chocolate, or after dark chocolate? 🤔

Idk, that's just more ideas right? 

 

It seems like this issue isn't important for you right now.  Feel free not to worry about. 

[Mandy]

10 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

Are your neighbors "thoughts" or "separate selves" or "dead" too though? 

Interactions with others are meant to be fun, synergistic, challenging in a great way, like iron sharpening iron, an exchange of ideas and inspiration. Thoughts about people that don't resonate get in the way and make them at best a big awkward regretful use of time. People are awesome at their core. They are arguably the most stunning creation, (not there really is one), which is why sadly the only companionship some can tolerate is that of animals. Pets are the only teachers some people can handle where they are. Because they aren't people, so thoughts about people don't get to start their momentum. Some can't even handle not projecting onto pets. There's very little window of opening there, and a whole lot of suffering. If there is suffering and no desire to really sit with it, listen and be honest and the desire to no longer suffering, it'll keep spinning. We all feel it. We don't all suffer for it, but we all feel it. 

[Jonas Long]

4 minutes ago, Mandy said:

Interactions with others are meant to be fun, synergistic, challenging in a great way, like iron sharpening iron, an exchange of ideas and inspiration. Thoughts about people that don't resonate get in the way and make them at best a big awkward regretful use of time. People are awesome at their core. They are arguably the most stunning creation, (not there really is one), which is why sadly the only companionship some can tolerate is that of animals. Pets are the only teachers some people can handle where they are. Because they aren't people, so thoughts about people don't get to start their momentum. Some can't even handle not projecting onto pets. There's very little window of opening there, and a whole lot of suffering. If there is suffering and no desire to really sit with it, listen and be honest and the desire to no longer suffering, it'll keep spinning. We all feel it. We don't all suffer for it, but we all feel it. 

Great.  So don't worry about it.  I'm interested to hear from others at this point. 

[Mandy]

Just now, Jonas Long said:

 I'm interested to hear from others at this point. 

😂  Others. Nice one. 👍

[Jonas Long]

Just now, Mandy said:

😂  Others. Nice one. 👍

Yeah, other "thoughts" I don't care what you think other people are or are not right now anymore, I get "your" pov on it.  

[Blessed2]

42 minutes ago, Mandy said:

Then I discovered that Source had sent me a bar of dark chocolate in a unsolicited skincare company sample I received in the mail and it occurred that that's the remedy for Dementors. 

 

I reckon you haven't heard that Rowling is cancelled though. 😉

[Mandy]

8 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

 

I reckon you haven't heard that Rowling is cancelled though. 😉

😂

[Jonas Long]

If you're just going to laugh at me whenever i mention or allude to "other people" but you're also going to go ahead yourself and reference other people like one naturally would, I don't have much time for you.  You're just selectively weaponizong "nonduality" against me because you don't like what I'm saying.  Or it sure fucking seems that way. 

[WhiteOwl]

4 hours ago, Jonas Long said:

If anyone wants to listen to the thing, we can talk about it.  

Lets say i listened to it. Point out what exactly you think is so off? You would have to do that no matter what for any discussion. It sounds like you want to have your assumption agreed upon more than talking about any actual viewpoints. 

I also think the same as most here, she doesn't seem dangerous. Did you consider your assumption might be wrong about her? 

[Jonas Long]

2 minutes ago, WhiteOwl said:

Lets say i listened to it. Point out what exactly you think is so off? You would have to do that no matter what for any discussion. It sounds like you want to have your assumption agreed upon more than talking about any actual viewpoints. 

I also think the same as most here, she doesn't seem dangerous. Did you consider your assumption might be wrong about her? 

I can't indulge this hypothetical.  If you listened to it it would be obvious what my concerns are. 

[Adeptus Psychonautica]

I just listened to the first episode, and its intrigued me enough to listen to the next one.

 

As expected the main angle seems to be the suicide stuff, I get why that seems shocking to people, and I would agree that there is an air of recklessness about her delivery. The main sticking point seems to be that she (Teal) has a tendency to collapse everything down to a choice of "make a choice if you want to live or die".

 

For me personally, I completely agree with what she is saying here (not necessarily the way she says it). Being alive is absolutely a choice, and NOT making that choice can be far more destructive than making it - terminal eating disorders are a good example here. Where I live in Switzerland we have legal assisted suicide, so its not as taboo a subject as it is in some parts of the world, and I have zero problem with this aspect of Teal Swans shtick.

 

The part where it gets chewy in this episode was the allegations that Teal would weaponize her "supposed ability to see auras" to tell people who didn't feel suicidal, in particular people she was falling out with in her inner circle, that they actually ARE suicidal and they just don't know it yet, and that they are so internally toxic that they are going to get cancer. That claim was just anecdotal in this episode so we will have to see if any evidence emerges to back it up. Needless to say this would be pretty gross if true, but we'll have to wait and see.

 

I will give her credit for being incredibly transparent in her interview with the podcast host, she certainly doesn't try and dance around or act evasive. To balance things out I will point out something which irked me which was her cringeworthy exaggerated claims about how she is the only spiritual guru who has ever existed who needs security at their events, and just how much she is a pioneer at what she does - this is certainly where comparisons with Leo come to mind. 

[Mandy]

3 hours ago, Jonas Long said:

If you're just going to laugh at me whenever i mention or allude to "other people" but you're also going to go ahead yourself and reference other people like one naturally would, I don't have much time for you.  You're just selectively weaponizong "nonduality" against me because you don't like what I'm saying.  Or it sure fucking seems that way. 

The othering of people is not about a conceptual rule or law, it's felt. "It sure fucking seems that way," is an honest expression of felt seperation. What can I possibly say to my neighbor? It's about 99.999%  that if I pointed it out, rather than seeing the strong thought pattern she has going on of demonizing others, she'll demonize me. Thus the kill the messenger phenomenon.  

 

Because you're here on this forum, and you know stuff and are open to stuff it's worth pointing out a thought pattern going in, most of your posts are focused on the deficiencies and innappropriatness of others. And when pointed out or considered it becomes "I'm deficient or innappropriate" which is NOT AT ALL what's said. Break free. 

[Orb]

36 minutes ago, DMT Elf said:

I’ve certainly heard of Diogenes!

Alexander the Great is known to have said, “if I was not king of Macedonia, I would have liked to be Diogenes”. 
Pretty wild!

Yep! Pretty much the original "Fuck Society" guy 😄

[Jonas Long]

8 minutes ago, Mandy said:

The othering of people is not a conceptual rule or law, it's felt. "It sure fucking seems that way," is an honest expression of felt seperation. What can I possibly say to my neighbor? It's about 99.999%  that if I pointed it out, rather than seeing the strong thought pattern she has going on of demonizing others, she'll demonize me. Thus the kill the messenger phenomenon.  

 

Because you're here on this forum, and you know stuff and are open to stuff I find it worth pointing out a thought pattern going in, most of your posts are focused on the deficiencies and innappropriatness of others. And when pointed out or considered it becomes "I'm deficient or innappropriate" which is NOT AT ALL what's said. Break free. 

It's just that you've been trying to distract and detract and make presuppositions about what I'm asking for this whole thread.  And my point/question wasn't at all complicated.  Adeptus understood it perfectly.  So what if I play the role of skeptic here often, is that not welcome?  I feel like every single response you posted here could be skipped, and if you were interested in the conversation you could listen to the podcast, and if not, you don't have to participate in it.  It's like you want to have a conversation about how you don't want to have this conversation, instead of just not having it.  I happen to find it interesting. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Jonas Long

[Mandy]

@Jonas Long You started this thread because you couldn't listen to or discuss a 60 second comment because of what your judgements were about the person behind it. In this thread you request that in order to participate everyone listen to a 6 hour podcast about one person. 

 

[Jonas Long]

5 minutes ago, Mandy said:

@Jonas Long You started this thread because you couldn't listen to or discuss a 60 second comment because of what your judgements were about the person behind it. In this thread you request that in order to participate everyone listen to a 6 hour podcast about one person. 

 

Or you don't have to. 

 

The main thing I'm asking is,

If the source is questionable/corrupt, does it damage their message, even if it's a "good" message? It's not 6 hours either, each one is 30-40 something mins, like 3, 4 hours, which you don't have to, obviously, I just think it's interesting and worthwhile. 

 

Your other thread post reminded me that Teal Swan exists, and I remembered the podcast and thought it would be interesting(to me at least) to talk about it here. 

Edited September 15, 2023 by Jonas Long

[Jonas Long]

7 minutes ago, Mandy said:

@Jonas Long You started this thread because you couldn't listen to or discuss a 60 second comment because of what your judgements were about the person behind it. In this thread you request that in order to participate everyone listen to a 6 hour podcast about one person. 

 

It's not about one person, it's probably not what you keep assuming it is at all, and your comments here are basically a distraction from the conversation I'm proposing.