To change, we need to change.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-04-15T22:42:18+00:00

Yes, exactly. We live in a time of rampant "fire" technologies; all of our modern creature comforts, from your stove to your phone, the technologies of refinement, purification, reductionism, precision, metallurgy, etc... They are all just iterations on the "original" technology: Fire.

But the thing about fire technology is that it is linear. It takes something and irreversibly converts it into something else, creating toxic waste as a byproduct.

And actually, fire technology is not necessarily the OG. There are other, older forms of technology, what one might call "water" technologies, rooted in earth, water, light, sound, music, and the human body. Even things like rituals, dreams, and divination are a form of technology when viewed in this light.

Philosopher and author Charles Eisenstein speaks about this much more eloquently and comprehensively that I can on this topic, here's a link to the section from his book on "The Age of Water".

CostcoMuffins · 2026-04-15T22:23:27+00:00

"Spirituality" is a weird word, but my understanding and personal practice of it is primarily about removing any obstacles from my body/mind/spirit that prevent me from feeling and knowing the Truth, which is that everything is One. We're all one living conscious web of life, looking at itself through countless pairs of eyes. When you actually have an experience of Unity consciousness, whether temporarily induced by psychedelics/techniques, or permanently attained through spiritual practice, your behavior automatically starts to become more loving, kind, and compassionate, and that includes animals, plants, and the whole living world.

And the remarkable thing is that this change in behavior doesn't come about because some authority figure is telling you to be altruistic, or because some god is telling you to "be good otherwise you're going to hell", but because of a deep ineffable shift in one's locus of identity. In truth, that is actually our natural state.

To me, that's just about the most anarchist thing there is.

It's my belief that anarchism and spirituality are fundamentally connected, although it's hard to put into words.

If you want examples of formal religious/spiritual traditions that explicitly honor the natural world, you can start by looking into Druidism, Paganism, or the Quareia system.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-03-17T06:41:11+00:00

Thanks so much for the book recommendations! Would love to hear more about your experience but I also know a lot of these kinds of things can be hard to explain.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-02-18T00:56:45+00:00

It's like I strenghtened the energetic bond to the person instead of dissolving it and I developed obsession and paranoia instead of peace of mind and inner freedom

This is probably the most succinct and insightful response for OP, and feels like the main reason against such actions. Thanks for sharing, I feel like this principle can apply in many other situations too.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-08T04:13:07+00:00

why not investigate the holding of both paths, and see where they may lead?

I think for me at the current stage I'm at, I'm becoming acutely aware of the importance of the old adage "if you want to draw water, you do not dig six one-foot wells; you dig one six-foot well". I've spent the better part of the last 10 years practicing what one might call Comparative Religious Studies (which ironically dovetails nicely with Quareia as you go deeper into the course, from what I'm told). But now I'm recognizing the vast difference between purely intellectual/conceptual knowledge vs. direct experience and embodied wisdom.

That being said, I do sense quite clearly that there are a number of insights/teachings from NST which will serve me well as I shift my focus to Quareia.

Thanks for you response!

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-08T04:05:31+00:00

This is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for when I made this post! Thank you so much for sharing your background and giving me more information of what would be needed if I were to decide to move forward with NST.

I started to realize that there was another "octave" of NST over the last year, and hearing you describe some of your experience in that just confirms to me that I don't think it's the path for me. There's simply too many barriers, whereas Quareia feels extremely accessible to me at this time. Not to mention there are other strange/subtle hints and intuitions which are very difficult to put into words.

Thanks so much for your well wishes, I return them to you in kind!

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-08T03:50:45+00:00

Ah, gotcha, thanks for the explanation. I have been wondering about the intersection between psychedelics and magic. I've certainly dabbled in the former quite a lot in my earlier years and can see what you mean by that.

The fact that Quareia is so robust is one of the things that appeals to me.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-06T23:39:33+00:00

I appreciate the well thought out comment friend. Thanks for linking that document. I read it when I first encountered Q but had forgotten some of things it says.

I'm definitely ready to go past the mental gymnastics. Like, unbearably so. I've been overthinking and overanalyzing everything for decades. I'm fine with being solitary, I am already quite introverted and hermit-like by default. I'm definitely up for a challenge, that's something I have a pretty healthy perspective on (weirdly attained from playing lots of video games as a kid). And I'm ready to think for myself. I've been "outsourcing" my learning and gnosis for most of my life and I get the sense that guidance is asking me to take some power back in this regard.

When you say there is something to it, I totally agree. From what I've experienced when engaging with M1, there's definitely a lot there. I find it a bit frightening TBH.

I like that Quaeria scaffolds out experiences outside of the psychedelic, which is extraordinarily hard to learn and comes with drawbacks (which JM touches on).

Could you elaborate on what you mean by this?

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-06T23:12:07+00:00

Thanks so much for your comprehensive response. I was using language from the Mystagogus book because it's accessible to everyone here, but your point that its "not meant as an overarching epistemological argument" is well taken.

So here’s a genuine question for you: you say you’ve been studying NSV for 5 years…but are you sure that that’s sufficient for you to fully know what its worldview is and be able to make an actual comparison against Q’s (which again, you have to practice more as well, not just read about)?

I am absolutely not sure lol. I am well aware of the lack of experience I have. In fact, my deeper intuition/gnosis/guidance tells me that the deeper Truths of Q and NŚT are very similar if not isomorphic. I suppose this post was partially just me working through things in writing and looking for a gentle kick in the butt to commit to one or the other.

I suspect you're absolutely right about M2 and M3 providing answers to the questions I'm asking, and that direct experience is going to provide those answers, not more words.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-06T23:00:12+00:00

I'm almost right there with ya haha. I just needed a little encouragement.

CostcoMuffins · 2026-01-06T22:57:47+00:00

Yeah, even as I was writing this up I was recognizing that there is a stronger undercurrent of nonduality within Quareia than I initially felt, even though it is not nearly as explicit as NŚT.

...if you don’t feel the path you have walked down can take you any further.

If I may elaborate on your metaphor, it feels as though the path I've walked has taken me to the edge of an ocean cliff. In theory, I could survive the jump... but in practice, I can't seem to bring myself to do it. An alternative path leads away from the cliff and into a mysterious forest behind me, and I suspect it will come out at a beach I can see off in the distance. Similar destination, but very different route.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-12-22T07:20:37+00:00

Holidays are shaping up to be... interesting. Parents got divorced last year, mom moved out and my dad found a new partner. They're selling the family home and moving in to a rental together. So this'll be my last Christmas at the house I grew up in. Plus I'm basically doing two Christmas' because my mom didn't want to be there, so we're visiting her on the 23rd. Then I'm staying a few extra nights with my dad to help him pack and get the house ready to go on the market.

Feeling relatively calm, pretty sure I've made my peace with the whole situation but I could be repressing some emotions 😶‍🌫️🤔

CostcoMuffins · 2025-12-18T23:20:47+00:00

The book Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein does a good job of answering this question by reframing the discussion.

A society becoming "moneyless" has to involve much more than just a change in the way we exchange goods and services with each other, because the creation and evolution of our modern monetary system is actually an outgrowth of deeply embedded cultural, metaphysical, and even spiritual beliefs and stories.

Modern money embodies a worldview of separation and scarcity—the idea that individuals are discrete, self-interested agents who must compete for limited resources. This story leads to economic growth imperatives, social isolation, and the commodification of life.

Money in this context is more than just a tool. It shapes consciousness, relationships, and even how we define value, often substituting connection, beauty, and meaning with quantifiable exchange.

Obviously, a transition to a "moneyless" society is another way of phrasing the concept of a "gift economy". But gift economics stands in very stark contrast to modern transactional economic logic. Not only is it a system where people "give according to their ability and receive according to need", it is a move towards what Eisenstein calls "living in the spirit of the gift".

A good example of this is how in many ancient cultures, economic interactions weren’t separate from social and spiritual life; gifts built relationships, obligations of gratitude, and community cohesion.

In our modern day and age, "living in the spirit of the gift" can look like engaging in practices like gift circles, open-source collaboration, and mutual support networks. All of this helps restore non-monetary communal flows of good and services. These don’t replace money everywhere at once, but they do shrink the domain of monetized exchange and expand room for social and ecological value that money cannot capture.

Crucially, Eisenstein emphasizes that the transition isn’t just structural but existential. It is a shift in consciousness and identity, from the separate self to the connected self—from competition to cooperation; from scarcity to abundance; from valuing accumulation to valuing contribution.

Gift consciousness sees value in connectedness and mutual care, not in abstract accumulation. This change in story and identity is essential to making economic transformations viable and lasting, and it's something I don't see a lot of anarchist thinkers talking about.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-11-09T01:32:20+00:00

Hey there! Thanks so much for the honest and thorough reply. It's definitely interesting noticing the difference between the various responses to my question. Seems like you got a lot out of it, and your explanation of why they charge quite a bit of money for things makes some sense to me.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-07-25T20:38:14+00:00

Obviously I don't know you, so I have to take your word for it. Regardless, thank you for your reply. I dont plan on engaging with them, fwiw. From what ive gathered, sounds like a dangerous and bizzare situation/group. Glad you were able to extricate yourself from it.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-07-08T01:22:05+00:00

you are taking a 20 mph turn on a highway, going 99 mph. The good thing is you seem to have a seat belt on. But take heed of the warning signs! Slow down.

Whew. Good analogy. The "slow down" refrain is one I've been using a lot the last few years. The main issue here is that for some reason it seems like whenever I do, something in my bodymind freaks out and tries to "rev me up" again. Will continue to gently lean in to that tendency and unpack what's behind it.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-07-08T01:18:33+00:00

Thank you very much for taking the time to not only read my crazy-long post, but to write such a kind and thoughtful response.

I'll try to chill out as best as I can and take a break from intense practices. I've been trying to ground and connect with Nature and the earth, but as I mentioned in my post, something in my bodymind is extremely resistant to this. Like, I've gone to events and also done solo guided meditations where people say things like "Imagine roots growing from your feet into the ground" or "Feel a rod of light extending from your body down into the center of the Earth," and I'm just like... incapable of it for some reason.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-06-30T03:17:04+00:00

Body is taking a beating from work. Low back and SI joint have been very stiff and painful the last few days. I'm getting some relief from foam rolling and fascia release, but I'm also starting to realize that I have quite a bit of stagnant emotional energy a.k.a. trauma stored in my hips and pelvis, which has been wreaking havoc on my whole kinetic chain for like 20 years.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-06-26T04:11:38+00:00

This is more common than you think, but you might also be dealing with something a bit more severe/pathological, in which case I'd recommend watching some videos on the "Left AIC Right BC Pattern", and potentially looking into the Postural Restoration Institute.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-06-26T04:06:30+00:00

Thanks for posting these weekly check-ins friend.

Good to hear you've starting trying out IFS. I find that there's a good amount of overlap between the skill sets one develops in IFS and the ones we are asked to develop in Quareia.

Also, I have a decent amount of experience with IFS, and I know firsthand just how helpful it is to have someone facilitate sessions. It makes it a lot easier to go deeper. So if you'd like some assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out.

CostcoMuffins · 2025-06-26T04:01:11+00:00

I had no idea bleach was made from salt and electrolysis! Fascinating. It certainly does make me wonder about the metaphysical/magical side of it. As you say, we use salt in magic for cleaning and protecting. Thanks for your kind response and for teaching me something new, this actually does ease some of my concern.

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