What is Integral?

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[Jana]

in-timidacy

I called it "contact" during my awakening...I have forgotten about it since.
My syrian rue tincture helps...and sunshine.

Good news, I was reading Hot Plants by Chris Kilham and found a Beirut source of help for my friend.
This herbalist-pharmacist would be able to help you. Just tell him you need herbs to calm your nerves, anti- spasmodic (reduce spasm/tension), and which is antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, emollient and protective of the cell membranes and digestive tract.
Dr. Pierre Malychef at Jal Eldib area of Beirut. He is 75 years old so may not be practicing anymore, his son's name is Alexi Malychef. His pharmacy is near Aboujaoude Hospital and he is the most popular pharmacist in Beirut...especially because he makes a lot of preparations with Zallouh (Ferulis harmonis) which increases sexual pleasure, performance and is a general tonic.

http://medicinehunter.com —Chris Kilham’s books are great as not only do you get information about herbs he takes you on a travel journey as well.

[Michael]

Intimacy:  diving into the fusion that already exists.
         
Intimacy:  no separation.

Intimacy:  knowing thoroughly.

Intimacy:  mutual expansion into and with, that which is intimated.

More entries anyone?  

That about sums it up Marianthi! 

I would just topically add:

Intimacy with fear
as a way to
overcome fear

[jimtzu]

intimacy: getting to know me through we, getting to know you through thou

[Francis]

Intimacy is when you pull something so close to you that it fills your whole field of vision. Actually that's just scrutiny. Intimacy also implies a certain comfort level that accompanies the experience. Scrutiny implies a level of objectivity that intimacy abandons.

So at first a person doesn't know what to expect, they pull the "object" close and have a look; scrutinize. That is, objectively. Then they decide that this experience is safe and they let go and just hang out with this object filling their whole experience, they familiarize. This is when intimacy is active, but we're still just getting started. If they really let go, they may start to harmonize.  Perhaps they will never come out of it, that's the next step; integration, which has several degrees of partial attachment and only the last one of these is irrevocable irreversible, re-identification, when they are merged permanently as the new object. This process is the stairway to heaven that often feels more like Beelzebub's bilco.

[Jana]

Sounds like you could write a book on the subject, along with the movie script and then with your looks you should star in it. The dirtier the better.
Intimacy is death!
You fall into someone/thing. Then you pull away and try to re-establish your separation. And then you  continue to die and separate until the relationship is over. I used to be a romantic, but now I am an objective pragmatist.

[Francis]

Intimacy is flirting with the death of the shrunken ego. It feels like a threat of death to the ego, and it is a real threat. Reindentification is rebirth as an expanded ego. People crave it because, once experienced, they don't know how to go back to living with a shrunken ego, it feels second rate. Or worse, they react to a negative experience with intimacy, then they try to shrink up the ego permanently and secure its integrity from accidental or deliberate expansion. This is a real sociological problem in my view.

[Jana]

  some of us can't afford intimacy, so we masturbate and go to romantic movies and read romantic novels, or generally get revolted about the idea of sex, through which most intimacy is "forced" to occur. Intimacy is not possible in a dying civilization...best to do down as a lone rational pragmatist.

[henry]

here are my disjointed (henry disjointed ?) thoughts about Liz's recent visit to Findhorn...Liz i'm guessing its about a 3 hour trip for you to get there. Fun to think you can pop over for a concert or lecture or renewal....also auspicious that you were there during Earth Day week. Findhorn has been huge in inspiring ecological awareness and planetary reverence ...also there has been a painfully dysfunctional relationship between the foundation and their Findhorn village neighbors for decades since 1962. Recently there are reports of a thaw and improving relations. Liz, you are an exemplar of what is required in the reconciliation: a scottish accent equally comfortable in the village RAF friendly pub, and fairie friendly Universal hall .

[Liz]

henry
I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but I will find a place to leave some thoughts/observations. They will be fairly superficial, I was only there almost exactly 24 hours.

Right now its after midnight and I have work in the morning. I'm glad I made the trip though, met some lovely people and the sun shone

Liz

[henry]

no worries about hi-jacking this thread, there has been no activity here for 180 days, and our heartmind moderators are asleep at the switch. i followed your Forres weather and it looked like saturday 60 degrees+ was pleasant

[Liz]

Oh well, if hi-jacking isn't a worry, I had written a bit for my journal elsewhere. Happy to share it. It doesn't have any big pronouncements or deep insights, I wasn't there long enough. Just impressions really...it just felt like a nice place to be.....

Last weekend I made a journey. I've often heard about Findhorn over a period of years, but had never visited. After reading Grace and Grit it's been on my list of things to do one day. However I was wary. My last experience of community living was my little Guru following episode in the 70s that I really don't talk about much. I think that made me wary for life.

Also a couple of years ago I spent a weekend at the Samye Ling Centre, a Tibetan Buddhist retreat centre and felt an off putting feeling of being "recruited", to the extent I left a day early, knowing there was nothing there for me.

I'm a bit wary of making pronouncements on Findhorn, my over riding impression is that the time I spent there wasn't long enough to reach any conclusions, but of course people know of this place and are asking how I felt about the time there.

First the drive up was beautiful. It's only 200 miles but takes about 4 hours because of the roads. The scenery is stunning, lush green valley beyong Stirling, rolling farmland as you go towards Perth, and then the delights of Highland Perthshire, probably one of my favourite places. I love it, it makes me feel expanded and earthbound at the same time. Then on into the Highlands, the Cairngorms forming a backdrop to this wild unspoiled land. Awesome. Finally off the main road, there is still about 40 miles of smaller road, leading through a couple of small towns before reaching Findhorn. It's remote and set right on the sea.

This is a place where visitors are expected, I had a sense people were sensitive to the lost look of newcomers. People would approach and offer assistance and directions, One lady who had just arrived herself a day earlier walked with me to show me the way to where I was going.

My host was Lynn, who does bed and breakfast. I've posted some pics and hers is 012. It was lovely......now I'm not sure what I expected, but certainly I think I anticipated something a bit rough around the edges. Not the case, I would be proud to have a home this nice. Also very informal, with myself and other guests being invited to use the kitchen for tea making etc as we wished.

I was there for an Allan Combs event, the opportunity for some Integral company as well as the chance to visit Findhorn seemed too good to miss. Friday evening he gave a talk to accompany a slide show of art throughout the ages. The commentary was illustrating how different stages of consciousness were reflected in the work of each period. Fascinating stuff which required no great expertise to be enjoyed.

Saturday was a day workshop on Integral Living at Findhorn. I was a bit surprised that all the other participants lived there, given the event had been advertised, but no matter. It was a great opportunity to spend time with people talking about what mattered to them. Allan led the session very informally, in  a very conversational way but we covered a lot during the day.

I had the opportunity to have lunch with co workers in the community centre, part of the working heart of the community. People all take turns helping with practical things like clearing and washing dishes. What was lovely (and it surprises me to say this) was the way people gathered before the meal. There was nothing religious about it, just an opportunity to be present, to think about where the food had come from and be grateful for the effort that went into preparing it. Surprised, because I'd have thought my reaction would have been one of wanting to withdraw. It wasn't.

Actually the workshop sessions started the same way, with everyone taking time just to be present and focus on the purpose of being there. I have the impression this is something that is part of most activities and it occurs to me could be easily incorporated in almost any lifestyle. I found myself wondering how much more is achieved by rushing from task to task, doing this while my mind is still on that......not much I would guess.

I'd like to go back and spend some more time there. It was open and welcoming, but not in any over the top uncomfortable way. People acknowledged it's not a community without difficulties or problems and seemed to be realistic in how those could be addressed. It feels purposeful and positive. It would be presumptuous of me to say more, maybe I will after the next visit, which will be longer.

[Francis]

The idea that the processes which configure consciousness are chaotic is broad, and does not mean that they exhibit noticeable chaotic properties at every moment.

http://www.sourceintegralis.org/Strangely.html

Combs is among those that worship chaos and complexity. Chaos being complexity on steroids. But these mental states are not indicative of the nature of reality but merely the result of hyper-objectivity run amok. That is, when we divide and subdivide the world into too many categories, our minds fugue and we glimpse these things as real. The worship of chaos and the tendency to attribute the chaos to a property of nature is a side effect of an overly rational analysis of the natural world. The fugued mind is merely producing an incoherent simulation, like static on tv. It’s not a property of the signal but just an elevated noise to signal ratio that is a consequence of over-thinking. You cannot fit the whole picture in your head. When you try, the simulator goes haywire. Such is the origin of chaos and complexity. The worship of this type of neurosis is troubling and misguided in my view.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision which the nature of the subject admits and not to seek exactness where only an approximation is possible.” ~ Aristotle

[henry]

i've listened to 2 allan combs interviews (today with carter phipps), and never heard him use the word chaos once. i'll bet Liz didn't hear him use it either in 2 days. he does use the word complexity matter-of factly. his reverential tones were reserved for a vision of horizontal evolution, a large scale communal experience in the spirit of a gathered quaker meeting or findhorn attunement . i do hear some over-rational noise but not from affable Allan

[Liz]

It's not my job to defend him, nor I imagine does he need such as thing, Francis. I didn't see him worshipping anything, he seemed quite down to earth, as it happens. But I saw him in a role as a facilitator. He was intelligent, thoughtful and thought provoking. he made room for everyone in discussion and didn't really concentrate particularly on what he thought about anything. He was open about his influences and his reservations.

I don't really understand your post. Is this a quote from Combs, or your interpretation of where he stands, or somethimng somebody else said about him?

I got superficial impressions of the man, like I got superficial impressions of Findhorn, couldn't really judge either in 24 hours. Neither tried to sell me anything or buy my soul. I left happy.

Liz

[henry]

i kinda lost track of findhorn in the early 90's. a good early history is paul hawken's "magic of findhorn". paul has a great story as does david spangler. shoulder to the wheel