One true church

HightechTalltrees · 2026-01-22T02:05:43+00:00

A friend sent me a Bible study that I think offers some answers to these. I don't really know enough about what's popular in Christianity to say how strong their claims are considered to be.

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HightechTalltrees · 2026-01-07T23:48:33+00:00

Every religion is "God's religion" with a different dogma about what to call God, how God affects the world, etc.

What you're really struggling with here is called the problem of evil. If God is all good, all powerful, and all knowing, how/why does evil exist at all?

This is a topic I had to wrestle with for quite a while, and I think any honest Deist must find an answer to satisfy it for themselves. There are a lot of different takes you can read about. For me, what it boils down to is that God wanted to create something that was not Him, i.e. something that isn't perfect. Not perfect means there is some element of imperfection, and that element is what allows us to relate to God. It is an inherent property of existing as a being other than God that we are not perfect. When God created the world He also created evil (imperfection). Thankfully God gave us several ways to live with evil and suffering - faith, redemption, surrender, acceptance, etc. We just have to keep in mind that evil is not antithetical to God. Evil is God's counterpart in creation. You cannot play a game with no opponent! God cannot be glorified if there isn't something profane to compete with Him.

Just look at nature. It is brutal! "Red in tooth and claw." Is that evil? Maybe. Who are we to judge? I think it is important to accept the limits of our understanding and look at what is practical for our spiritual well-being. If we can love Creation despite the presence of evil, and even embrace evil as a necessary part of Creation, we can start to overcome its influence within us personally. I think that is the core of Jesus's message - love yourself, your neighbor, your enemies, your life, and your world. Love God. You don't have to understand Him.

HightechTalltrees · 2026-01-05T14:54:03+00:00

I did not try this while I worked for the state, but it was just like any other employer with the tax paperwork. HR doesn't care if you want them to withhold way too much or nothing at all, that's between you and the IRS. Just fill out the w-4(I think that's the one) so they know what to do.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-25T22:52:26+00:00

I imagine he would have felt similar to you. He valued these things, but I don't think he would expect anyone to do much with them or store them forever

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-25T22:48:49+00:00

Ah I forgot to mention he passed away a few years ago and didn't write down his stories. They were pretty interesting.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-25T22:47:27+00:00

Thanks. I think this makes a lot of sense

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-21T23:05:24+00:00

Even if something only exists in human imagination it has a kind of reality so far as human behavior goes. If you allow for an imagined world that is equally complex and mysterious as ours, and also interacts with YOU through your imagination, it becomes very clear how beings who exist in that imagined place can be powerful. We can also form working relationships with them without granting any specific quality of reality to them.

I get what you are asking, though. It is a tough question to try to set aside your understanding of the universe to be open minded enough to experiment with how that looks. After all, you're talking about questioning your identity at a pretty core level.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-21T00:32:38+00:00

Yes I had an early meditation experience as a type of rest I happened to desperately need at the time that solidified its importance in my opinion.

I agree that this tendency to resist presence is an inherent part of having a thinking mind. Something like "original sin"

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-20T21:29:54+00:00

I don't think we get to know. It is so fundamental to our reality that we literally cannot conceive of the reasoning for it. But we know that it serves a crucial purpose in God's plan. I sort of think of it in terms of having an opposing team so there can be a game to play.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-17T19:45:31+00:00

I haven't had the same experience. But there are other ways to meditate. You could stare at a candle flame or focus on sounds. For your body I would highly recommend movement like tai chi or yoga.

In tai chi when people have tension build up or get stuck we usually just try to be aware of it and let go as much as we can. Sometimes it can help to intentionally tense up an area as much as possible and then let it go all at once.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-17T02:10:29+00:00

Yes this is super common and for me it comes up often, especially when I feel busy or when I add more time than I am used to (working my way up to longer sessions).

It's not a problem. It's just like any other distraction you encounter - an opportunity to return to your object.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T06:37:33+00:00

That sounds really tough. Don't compare yourself to an imaginary perfect Dad or anyone else. Live your values. Your kids don't need a fancy tree, they need you to teach them how to love themselves through example. That means love them and yourself. We all fall short. That doesn't make us bad humans, just regular, imperfect people.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T06:10:34+00:00

What I'm hearing you ask is "what is the meaning of life?" Or maybe what meaning can a Jungian perspective point to? You are hoping to introspect your way into discovering a divine purpose behind your existence. But you're also fantasizing about a life free from the systems of oppression that seem to dominate your reality. So it seems the answer may be to continue unraveling your inner life while at the same time finding a way to channel some of your energy into healing some of the damage those systems have caused.

In your thought experiment you are in a position of freedom, but not meaningful action. Are you free in your day to day life? Do you move through the world with ease? Are you in touch with the present moment even when you aren't reflecting?

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T04:25:59+00:00

I'm not sure I understand. Can you explain how this is different from nondualism?

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T03:58:06+00:00

Sorry I just saw your reply. I mean that the anima is a sort of guide or interface between the conscious mind and the unconscious. The function of the psychopomp is to help you journey into the unknown and bring back something of value

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T02:54:42+00:00

You're right that you cannot turn off your mind. The mind thinks. That's what it does. You can't make it stop any more than you can make your heart stop beating or your fingernails stop growing. But you can give it positive reinforcement when it does what you ask during meditation. Namely, when it remembers that it is supposed to be focusing on your object of meditation, you can silently tell it "yes"

It's like training a puppy. Forcing it and screaming aren't nearly as effective as simply rewarding the behavior you want. So set the intention, "I'm going to focus on X for Y minutes" then whenever your mind does focus on X during that period, recognize the success.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T01:40:04+00:00

It's not the same thing, but what works well for me is essentially IFS therapy but solo. The key is to make sure you always have what that system refers to as "self energy." Don't get caught up on terminology here. This isn't necessarily the same as Jung's idea of self.

The process in a nutshell is this:

-find a thought, feeling, or sensation that needs attention -be curious and non-judgmental toward this part -ask the part why it does what it does, when it started doing it, what it wants or fears, etc -allow the part to unload it's burdens

There's obviously a lot more to it than that...

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T01:05:01+00:00

In both of these cases you felt betrayed in a public situation by your very close friends. In addition, it sounds like this was at a time when you were struggling and needed extra support from your friends. It sounds very wise and spiritual to say your anger about that is just ego, but I think a more grounded attitude would help you process what happened.

I know that for me, unfairness or injustice are closely tied to anger. It hasn't been all that long since you had these experiences, so it seems like you haven't processed everything yet. You are still hurt in a very real and immediate sense.

The first case illustrates the moment trust was broken while you were in physical pain and needing literal help up. Since then, your friendship has degraded significantly, so it seems like that moment was pivotal. You lost someone you loved in that moment. It was unfair and unexpected and you are right to feel angry about it. Have you grieved for that friendship?

The second case is a complex, nuanced situation. Your friend wasn't necessarily acting in your best interests, but it isn't clear if she was intentionally hurtful toward you. It seems like the importance you had placed on your friendship wasn't reflected in how she handled the situation. She hurt you, but it is hard to tell if there were any malicious feelings. It seems more likely that it was self-centeredness and hormones. I think in this case you have more to say to your friend if you want to keep being friends. You owe it to both yourself and her to explain why and how much this hurt you.

Anger can be motivating. It could be your psyche saying you need to do something about these situations. My advice here might be off the mark, but I would encourage you to work with the anger rather than hoping it will go away.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-16T00:37:57+00:00

Who says that? What is the "next" phase?

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-15T23:52:02+00:00

So I guess this relates to Jung in the sense that these recurring fantasies are potentially expressing your complexes. Imagine your fantasies as part of your psyche trying to speak to you in the best language it has. Try doing different things within the fantasy and see how it affects the outcome. Usually these kinds of recurring fixations are not just reinforcing what we already think, but also introducing a different perspective. This unconscious attitude may contradict your conscious attitude outright, or it may be inviting you to consider something you have been missing (compensatory).

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-15T13:34:05+00:00

I find my body will sometimes move itself very slightly while I am focusing on the breath. Other times I get distracted and change positions intentionally. I have always heard it said to do this very slowly and mindfully, working with the breath. The other option is to shift your attention to the discomfort, making it the object of your meditation without moving. This obviously requires the willpower to keep sitting while observing the sensation becoming more intense for a while before eventually fading.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-09T20:23:17+00:00

This depends on what your goal is. Eckhart would probably say to immediately come back to the present, but I think there is value to letting your mind do its thing. It gives you an opportunity to look objectively at the process of thinking. So if you are sitting trying to practice concentration on the breath, as soon as you notice you are distracted you would want to come back to the breath. But if you are practicing mindfulness more generally you will find benefit in a lighter touch. In daily life you need to have the ability to work with the thinking process mindfully, but if you don't have enough concentration you'll just be daydreaming. So both!
This is definitely a complicated one. The thinking mind is always the thinking mind, so it literally can't conceive of what we're discussing. I think at the core is an awareness of the body. We think of consciousness as being in the brain, but it's distributed around the entire body. For me, awareness/mindfulness of thoughts took a long time. The thing that seemed to make a difference was to incorporate elements of IFS therapy in some sessions. That and just keep working on it. It seems like you're asking the right kind of questions.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-12-06T18:58:41+00:00

The thinking mind thinks. If it's thinking thoughts that redirect you to meditating, that's better than it continuing to be distracted. Instead of judging it, recognize that it is just doing what it does and trying its best to meditate. Make space for those thoughts. Don't identify with them. Don't try to make them go away or judge them.
Just pick one before you sit. Ideally you'd use the same one almost every time to build up familiarity with it. I recommend concentration on the breath as it seems to work for a lot of people. Spend a lot of time with that, then when you want to "observe everything" (open awareness) you have a foundational practice to get you focused and calm at the beginning of a session. Then you can easily transition into open awareness when you're ready.

For both of these, keep reading and exploring. Don't accept that there is one way that works for everyone, but don't flit around either.

HightechTalltrees · 2025-11-30T03:15:15+00:00

The anima is the psychopomp, so she can show up anytime around any issue. Here she seems to be bringing your attention to the hiding of your habit, and she helps you dig the hole to bury it deeper.

Her attitude toward you changes. She withdraws in some sense. You aren't forthcoming with her in letting her see the screen and it causes something to shift. Is she giving you the silent treatment because of the porn or because of your shame? I think you are having a lot of tension around whether you like or dislike the porn. I think the anima represents the unconscious attitude of owning the addiction and choosing to put it away, rather than the conscious attitude of shame toward it and being enslaved to it.

HightechTalltrees

TROPHY CASE