belief-based energy vs. LoC-based energy
Self-esteem is a product of belief which can be manipulated by the ego. In fact, the ego is beliefs. Conversely, innate energy is concordant with level of consciousness.
Spirituality
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam Explained
Request: Paramhansa Yogananda, author of the Autobiography of a Yogi, explained the mystery behind Omar's famous poem as a deep allegory of the soul's romance with God.
statement: wait until enlightenment before teaching it
By request. [Brian's commentary: In Reality, one can only teach what one is, so the statement is inevitably true. As such, there are plenty of presumptively "enlightened" teachers teaching presumptive "enlightenment." ]
statement: truth needs no defense
"Truth needs no defense and therefore is not defensive; truth has nothing to prove and is not vulnerable to being questioned for an answer." -- I:RS
Ray Maor (prana teacher)
"In 2013 I decided to accept the offer to go on a TV show in Israel and stay for 8 days without food or water... It was a very fun experiment in which I proved that breatharianism is not only possible but that many health benefits could be associated with it" -- raymaor.com
"In a real marriage, you don't really marry each other. You marry God together."
Rupert Spira teaching about relationships. Video short included.
beliefs have a strong hold on you until this LoC
Beliefs are strongly held to be who you are and what makes you "you" until the level of intellect. Because beliefs are transparent to the holder, there is paradigm blindness which requires the help of an able teacher to transcend.
Intimacy with God, by Thomas Keating
Introduction to the method of Centering Prayer, this guide explains its origins, theological basis, and psychology by drawing on the writings of important Catholic figures, such as St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, and significant texts, such as The Cloud of Unknowing -- thriftbooks.com
Kundalini Yoga for the West, by Swami Sivananda Radha
Providing practical exercises, questions and meditations, Kundalini Yoga for the West guides the reader through the chakras, exploring each level of consciousness in detail -- goodreads
Bernadette Roberts (Christian mystic)
"Our passage through consciousness is the gradual return to the divine; we leave the divine unknowingly and in darkness, but we return knowingly and in light."
looking at the body, one sees the past
Focus on physical form doesn't tell you what is but what was: one perceives phenomena, not Reality. In that perception there is a payoff of belief, positive or negative, to surrender.
Humility Of Heart, by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo
request: Catholic classic on humility
Richard Rohr
PBS has called him "one of the most popular spirituality authors and speakers in the world."
never talking about or mentally dwelling in the past
Priority request: I found this in a Barry Long book as a way to dissolve what he calls the false personality. The false self feeds off and milks past experiences, positive or negative, to sustain itself and parasitically saps our energy in the process.
Sat-Chit-Ananda (spiritual state)
Priority request. "In the stillness, all occurs of its own accord, autonomously and spontaneously. Sound has no effect on the silence that persists even within the sound. The state is traditionally and historically referred to as sat-chit-ananda (silent bliss)." -- TLC, Hawkins