Virtual Hangout [#62] Q+A with Andrew Holecek - Recorded on 8/5/2021

Replay on Zoom:

TranscriptVirtual Hangout [#62] Q+A with Andrew Holecek - Recorded on 8/5/2021

Some Questions Addressed:

  • Hey Andrew, greetings from France! Am I making things up or did you mention some time ago that you’re working on a book about contraction? If I did not make that up, can you please tell me a bit more? If I did indeed make that up, I think that it might be a great idea :slight_smile:

  • Hi Andrew, I wanted to ask you what your current view is of the use of Psychedelics on the Spiritual journey. They seem to have been of use to a number of Spiritual seekers. Others say they should be avoided. It seems that some of the experiences produced by them may be similar to dreams or Lucid Dreams. Is experience valuable just as experience itself regardless of how it is produced, or is there a difference? It seems that this issue is not very clear, with varying opinions present on the subject. What are your thoughts? Thanks again for providing this format.

  • Hi Andrew, Can you say something about your view on afflictive emotions and deep obscurations. When to bring them on to the path and when to abandon them or try to counter them with antidotes? Both the teachers Reggie Ray and Sat Shree that I have worked most closely with the past years are big on meeting this type of content. Something that does resonate with me. But sometimes it is just so very challenging. I am going through a period right now when what I think is a deep obscuration, maybe even a birth trauma is coloring my experience and it is really hard to not have it affect my practice. Been listening to a Buddhist nun reading texts of Padmasambhava and Longchenpa on youtube and in there I came across a verse that went along these lines/meaning, from memory. “Shouldn’t a yogi bring afflictive emotions onto the path? Yes, that should be done but it is very difficult so therefore it’s best to renounce and abandon them. Stay in a mountain retreat and avoid worldly people.” What are your thoughts? Personal experiences? Whatever you feel like sharing?

  • Strange question connected to the brain activity topic: I love thinking of dying, it wakes me up and it gives me energy, which I find energizing for the day, but sometimes if I think about dying before bed, it activates my brain and wakes me up to the point that sometimes is hard to fall asleep. Is that common? I’m probably just a state junkie, am I not? :rofl: how could I use that energy in a useful way to have light dreams?

  • Not wanting to get too woo woo but have you seen “Close Encounters of a 5th kind on Amazon Prime? That’s direct contact with people “out there,” and some interesting evidence and techniques involving consciousness and meditations. Thought it was really interesting.

  • My dreams have a “Voice Over” caption summary happening that seems to come from the SELF, bits of wisdom. I’m presently in an Individuation Intensive with a Jungian psychologist. Since I heard you say consciousness is a continuum from deep sleep to dream yoga to lucid dreaming to everyday awake to enlightenment I have been remembering several dreams every night. Thank you.

  • I had this dream where I was taught an invisibility spell called, “night stepping” where you picture rainbow light on the soles of your feet. Would be pretty cool if this exists somewhere haha, has anyone heard something similar? :sweat_smile::pray:t2:

  • Hi Andrew— You once quoted someone as saying or writing : “We think we see (things?) clearly but that is because we don’t see clearly…” Who said/wrote that?? And what is the correct quote?

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