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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 02 2014 : 5:15:55 PM
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This will be included in the AYP for Recovery website I'm launching soon (hopefully before the end of the year), but I just wanted to post it here. Hope it's enjoyable and maybe even inspirational! Still got a long way to go...
It seemed so alluring. The forbidden aspect of it. An illegal plant to alter my mind. A new way to perceive reality. The kids who were smoking it carried themselves with a kind of coolness, like they were getting away with mischief—relishing in the pleasure of their clandestine operations.
Marijuana. What a flower. When I first smoked cannabis at age 16, I almost passed out. Everything in my visual field of perception started flashing in freeze frames. I rolled onto my bed and starting making funny noises, but with the help of my brother, I relaxed and surrendered to the change. The flashing stopped, and I was...STONED. Stoned to the bone. I felt like a child again. My body felt lighter—as if floating—and my thoughts were clearer. Yet there was a distance between my thoughts and my sense of self. As the silent observer, I was witnessing thoughts and feelings as if watching a movie. It was awesome.
Naturally, I got passionate about marijuana. I smoked it with friends, and it became the cherished pastime of my high school days. I tried some psychedelics too. LSD, mushrooms, peyote. Those really changed my perception of reality! The world was glowing with a liquid luminescence. I saw geometric shapes and mysterious faces that seemed to come from another realm. I read books about mystical experiences on psychedelics, and boom, I had found my magic bullet. Well, maybe there were a couple more magic bullets in the mix (pot included).
But something went wrong. I started to treat the substances less as sacraments and more as candy to be consumed leisurely. I took thrill in the mischievous aspect. I used the cleverness to boost my persona and popularity. I went downhill quickly. One of the negative symptoms that started to arise was paranoia. Not paranoia about the cops or some hidden enemy, but paranoia about my own self. I started to feel paralyzed and unable to communicate. The childlike lightness was gone, and instead, I was feeling totally fried. Burnt, crispy, toasted.
I backed off the pot and psychedelics and started drinking alcohol more adamantly. Benzodiazepines too. The Xanax and Valium really mellowed out the anxiety! Pills and booze...the new chemical diet for my regimen of mind-altering substances. But, before long, I racked up a couple DUIs, fractured personal relationships, got kicked out of a prep school, dropped out of college, and foresaw impending doom.
I backed off the booze and pills. I started to exercise vigorously (tennis, running, swimming). I enrolled in the university again. Amazingly, I found a woman to move in with. She was very creative and liked my poetry. I liked her modern dancing and sensuality. She also kept me in check—reeling me in when I tended to drift back into the madness. Classic co-dependence. A grown man using his romantic partner as a disciplinarian.
Things were going okay. I got good grades, graduated college with a degree in religious studies, and landed a decent job with the state government. I hadn't done psychedelics in several years, but one of my next door neighbors kept praising his experience with DMT (dimethyltryptamine), the so-called "spirit molecule". So, with the approval of my fine, female companion, I decided to try it.
The DMT trip blew away all other previous drug experiences by a long shot. When I inhaled, the room started melting in fractal patterns, I closed my eyes, and zoom!—off to another dimension my consciousness went. I found myself in a vast space made of pure light. No shadows. Only the prismatic expansiveness of inner, radiant light. The light was not shining on the landscape. The light itself WAS the landscape.
Everything was made of light, including two heavenly beings who graced me with their presence. They had human qualities and a color that was reminiscent of the ethnic tones of India. One was male. He was meditating in a sitting posture with eyes closed. His presence glimmered with an unshakable bliss. His smile exuded tranquility, wisdom, incredible strength and benevolence. He seemed to know I was there, but didn't flinch or move. Before I knew it, the other female being started swimming at me and engaged me directly with her eyes. Astounding, mesmerizing, beautiful, full of love and compassion. No amount of adjectives could describe the intensity with which she was melting my heart with her gaze alone.
At some point, I realized I had to return to my Earth body. When I came back and opened my eyes, I felt like I had been gone for years. My sense of time and space was warped. My friends in the room said my eyes had only been closed for about five minutes. I was pretty stunned, and I could barely describe the scenery to them. The trip was so dreamlike, yet real.
That was the first and last time I ever did DMT. Realizing how powerful it was, I knew that pursuing more of it would be a glamorous and sophisticated trap that could consume me if I let it. I moved forward from DMT but kept drinking. One night, while my girlfriend was out of state, I decided to take benzodiazepines in celebration of her supervisory absence. Lo and behold, I ended up blacking out and falling off a balcony, which gave me a bad concussion, as well as a loss of my sense of taste and smell (fortunately, those senses have gradually returned). The balcony debacle was the last time I ever took pills.
But, I kept drinking. We got married and moved to San Francisco. She wanted to pursue her dance career, and I was willing to get any kind of job in support of her dream. We moved out there, and the stock market crashed. All hiring slowed down significantly. I struggled to pay rent by working temporary assignments and borrowing money from family. I was frustrated and lacking a deeper purpose or calling. I managed to make friends at the neighborhood bar, and one night, I got really drunk. I had been fighting with my wife about our unstable situation, and I did something really hurtful to her and myself. I cheated on her.
For a month or so, I tried to swallow my wrongdoing, but the guilt was overwhelming. I told her. She was shocked. I had to move out and stayed with my cousin in the city. After a while, she agreed to work it out, contingent upon me not drinking. We went into marriage counseling. There was some progress, but I wanted to start drinking again and promised I would manage it this time. My bargaining led to my downfall. Shortly after my promise, I stayed out all night and disregarded any need for change, accountability, or sensitivity to the delicate matter. She began the divorce process.
I found a private counselor, and I told him I thought I needed to get sober completely. He encouraged me to go to Alcoholics Anonymous. I started going to meetings and continued to see him. He was not an average psychoanalyst by any measure. We did vision quests in the Native American shamanic style. Other times we would stare at each other silently without trying to conjure up any particular topic—just experimenting with our energy in stillness. Once he held me up in the air with his legs to recreate a childhood memory of pretending to fly. He opened up my mind to an inner world I had previously tried to access with drugs, but this time, I was sober. At the same time, I started to hang out in a small, tucked away shop very close to my apartment. The owner was a mystic who practiced esoteric forms of prayer and devotion to higher beings (similar to what is found in Kabbalah). He taught me some of the prayers as well as a technique to activate my third eye. I would bring my mandolin to his shop to accompany his guitar playing and singing. He sung about ethereal characters and visionary panoramas. We even played a gig at a high-end tea cafe in the city.
Between the radical counselor, shop-owning mystic, and AA meetings, I was getting a heavy dose of spirituality and sobriety. It came at a perfect time, because coping with the divorce by drinking probably would have yielded detrimental results. During that period, I was walking dogs to earn money, and my bosses were two women who ran an excellent dog care business. From the beginning, they trained me to be a dog whisperer, and we could take a pack of up to 24 animals (each of us keeping an eye on 8 apiece) and set them loose on the beach--with no leashes! What at adventure! That job taught me how to stay calm and super focused. The trick was to be both loving and dominant with the dogs. They liked me, but they respected my command too. The two women were survivors of some horrendous child abuse (being raped by their own fathers), and they were heavily involved in a support group where they found freedom from the past. It was a niche community of folks with a similar history that wanted to thrive and progress beyond the stage of victimhood.
As the divorce was finalized, and I realized there was no chance of getting my wife back, I decided to move back to Florida. My core family was there, and so many doors had been shut in San Francisco. Though I had found a new passion for spiritual practices and the inner world, I could not land a substantial job or leverage my heart to keep trying on the Pacific Coast. I returned to the Gulf of Mexico with plenty of prime learning experiences and close calls (making it to final rounds of interviews at big companies like Pixar Animation Studios, the headquarters of Facebook, and Pandora Internet Radio). I had acquired what I needed in California—a sober, spiritual quest—and perhaps I had left something of value behind for the people who guided me along the way. (On that note, my last meeting with my ex-wife was very pleasant. There was forgiveness, joyful tears and laughter, and a kind of divine love that still exists between us today.)
When I got back to Florida, I drove a rental car up to northern Georgia to stay with my grandparents. On the first half of the trip, I turned the car into a makeshift sweat lodge. It was a hot summer, and closing the air vents achieved the desired boost in temperature. I was sweating profusely for a couple hours until I hit the Florida-Georgia line, then I stopped for a break and cleaned myself off. The sweating was very detoxifying, not just on a physical level, but emotionally too. I was sweating out pockets of fear and anxiety, and I could actually identify the blockages in my body as they were purified in the form of perspiration. In Georgia I opened the air vents and commenced with chill-out time. Whereas the Florida segment had been filled with heat and emotional purging, the Georgia chapter was turning out to be serene and meditative. I was soaking in the lush, green scenery and letting my mind wander.
I finally reached the mountainous area, and my mind had grown very peaceful. There was a sharp acuity in my sensory perception, and I found myself focusing on single strands of hair on my arm. I could feel the strands of hair feeling the air. Indeed, I was feeling the feeling of the feelers. So simple, yet so sublime. A pleasurable sensation at the base of my spine started to stir, kind of like a warm tickling in the nerves. It prompted me to sit up straighter. I did, and suddenly, BOOM!—I was blasted with energy! Like a thief in the night, this surge of ecstasy shot up my spine and illuminated my whole body. From to the tips of my toes, to the tips of my fingers, I was glowing with an intense aliveness that radiated with a perfect mixture of warmth and coolness. I put some attention on my crown chakra, and I could see a huge lotus flower in full bloom. It was the material made of pure light, but this was no DMT flashback. I was totally awake and aware, and driving—moreover!
This peak experience compelled me to do some research, and I found lessons about kundalini on the Advanced Yoga Practices (AYP) website. Yogani's writing resonated with me right off the bat. I devoured the material and incorporated practices like Deep Meditation and Spinal Breathing Pranayama into my daily routine. I started to feel the stabilizing effects and knew these methods would be a way to refine my pursuit of higher consciousness. In the beginning, I went overboard with practices and have since learned to utilize self-pacing in all aspects of life. Less is more, as they say. But, that peak experience in the car had me craving for more, so it was a natural tendency to push the accelerator as hard as possible. Such is the nature of desire and balance.
Back in Florida, I didn't even have a job, but I soon stumbled into an excellent, non-profit medical organization where I continue to work today. Several years have passed since that kundalini blast in the car, and I continue to evolve and allow my character to be shaped by life's events, internally and externally. After spending a few years immersed in the AA fellowship, I couldn’t help but notice that something was missing. The psychology of the 12 Steps tends to regard those who have been addicted as inherently defective, like there's something fundamentally wrong with us. Supposedly, we have a disease. It's kind of like the Christian dogma which labels humans as sinners. I have found this to be false. Instead, I have discovered that every individual possesses a flame burning deep within them. This flame is the seed desire of bhakti, or devotion to a chosen ideal. The flame refines and purifies our nervous system so that we can become optimal expressions of divinity in the present life. The challenge and adventure of existence is learning to cooperate with that flow, and to find our unique vocation to serve the broader collective.
I'm still very much a novice on this spiritual path, but I've found some amazing tools that need to be shared (mainly from AYP, but other resources will be included on this website). These techniques have enriched my life on a very practical level, and that's what the journey is all about. My relationships at work, at home, and beyond, are starting to flourish because of the integration of these old-school methods. These principles and practices are ancient, but they can influence our modern condition in ways that are remarkably fresh and spontaneous.
If I've discovered anything, it's that the path is not so much about clinging to peak experiences as it is improving our moment-to-moment quality of life and inner well-being. When we tend to the fire of our bhakti, then everything else falls into place, and the outside circumstances reflect the inner radiance that shines forth from within. In the end, it's an inside job.
Thank you for reading, and may you find your way...forever merging with the Source of who we are. |
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machart
USA
342 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2014 : 7:39:23 PM
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Bodhi...you are a really good writer...keep up the good work!
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2014 : 8:57:57 PM
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Thanks, machart! It's a labor of love!   |
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lalow33
USA
966 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2014 : 9:41:42 PM
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Aahh...so beautifully written. Thanks for sharing. |
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amuhai
USA
18 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2014 : 10:42:44 PM
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| Awesome, Bodhi, just awesome. May you continue to be blessed. |
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Dogboy
USA
2294 Posts |
Posted - Nov 02 2014 : 11:50:47 PM
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Thank you, Bodhi, for your candor and vulnerability. My wife had a rough ride last year and finally took the courageous steps (detox, counseling, and AA) to face alcoholism and get clean, and just in time to save our family from destruction. All our blinders have been ripped from our faces; she looks and feels great and our marriage is stronger than ever. The pressure of policing her addiction has been lifted from my shoulders; AYP helped me with witnessing, accepting, loving, and forgiving.
I look forward to visiting your web site! |
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Ecdyonurus
Switzerland
479 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2014 : 12:43:04 AM
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orangesky
Germany
39 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2014 : 02:03:01 AM
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| Thank you, Bodhi Tree, for this story and good luck with your website! Your project will be helpful to many people... |
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pkj
USA
158 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2014 : 3:24:47 PM
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Bodhi,
Inspiring story. Wonderful insight lot to learn. thanks for sharing so candidly. You are well on your way. All those things happened for a reason for a better beginning.
Blessings
PKJ |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 03 2014 : 4:19:32 PM
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Thank you: lalow33, amuhai, Ecdyonurus, orangesky, pkj. 
@Dogboy
Glad your wife has turned the corner and found something new. I can't help but believe that "alcoholism" is simply misdirected bhakti. When the layers of desire are peeled off, is there not a singular core that has been feeding the rest of the tangential ones? Only in our mind do we create categorizations and labels to divide what is essentially unified, albeit holographic.
Thank you for your affirmations! Unity. Strength. Wisdom. |
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Zanyan
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 03:59:38 AM
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rce
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 08:21:58 AM
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| That was a really good read, Bodhi. Thanks. |
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Ananda
3115 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 2:28:44 PM
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| Beautiful Thanks bro pray for ur brother here also salam |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 4:44:58 PM
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Thank you Zanyan, rce, and Ananda! Yes, prayers for all concerned: inbound and outbound.  |
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Anima
484 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 5:23:58 PM
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Great job, Bodhi Tree! I like the sweat lodge car ride. Sometimes we just have to sweat it out, you know?
The writing is excellent. I very much like the wrap up toward the end.
Om Shanti |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 8:55:02 PM
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Dear Bodhi Tree,
Thank you for sharing your amazing journey with us! Well said, and beautifully written. I hope that your website will be of great benefit to those seeking a truly effective, inspiring and practical way to address their addiction which, as you have pointed out, is misdirected bhakti.
While AA has helped many people, it has turned others off with its sense of "all or nothing, one drink and you are totally screwed, you are completely helpless/flawed and you will be an addict the rest of your life." My husband attended briefly and he said the meetings were depressing and made him want to drink more. In fact, he would drink on the way home! They told him, "Come back when you are tired of drinking," to which he replied, "If I were tired of drinking, I wouldn't need to come here, I would just stop!" (This has been substantiated by some research indicating that most addicts eventually quit on their own when they are good and ready to quit.) I agree with your observations about AA, and that what is missing is a spiritual practice like AYP to fulfill the unmet needs of bhakti.
RE: psychedelics, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "the path is not so much about clinging to peak experiences as it is improving our moment-to-moment quality of life and inner well-being." My own experience with entheogens in my youth, always used sacramentally, carefully and with spiritual focus, was overwhelmingly positive and resulted in giving my spiritual life a huge jump-start, particularly the experiential reality of God! As Ram Dass has said, something to the effect, "Drugs can help you visit the mountaintop, but only a spiritual practice will allow you to live there." Thus I devoted myself with great enthusiasm to a serious lifelong daily yoga practice, to immerse myself in that Being/Consciousness/Bliss. At 51 my spiritual practice continues to bear much fruit.
A big caveat, however: Although the psychedelic experiences absolutely empowered and deepened my spiritual life, they also convinced me that worldly things, including money, career and social status were unimportant, and that the purpose of life is enlightenment [which of course, is true]. So, while drugs had been largely replaced by my spiritual practice (kriya yoga), I spent an excessive amount of time every day in meditation, at least an hour in the morning, half an hour at lunch and another hour or two at night. I made no real effort to pursue a serious career, and viewed my boring clerical job as a necessary evil in order to pay the rent so that I could spend time in meditation. I believed the New Age idea that if you are spiritual and try to be a good person and follow your dharma, then the universe will make money fall into your lap so you won't have to waste any energy on "materialistic" pursuits. I only got over this misconception fairly recently thanks to spending many, many years in the School of Hard Knocks. 
Anyway, the point being, while there is no question that my youthful experimentation with entheogens advanced my spiritual life [for which I am eternally grateful!], it may have worked TOO WELL, by contributing to an "unworldliness" which has resulted in undesireable material consequences now that I am old and approaching retirement. I do sometimes wonder whether this is the reason that the classical Indian tradition recommends going off to seriously seek enlightenment AFTER you've worked, established your home, raised your kids, paid off your bills, etc.
In my youth I was actively seeking the High, whereas nowadays my task is to maintain a degree of "normalcy" and groundedness so as to "do what needs to be done," while walking and driving around with Love pouring through this body made of colored light whose boundaries are rather fluid... I literally wouldn't trade it for the world, but my life could have been much easier from the practical standpoint, had my path been more balanced and less excessive. That is one of the things I appreciate about AYP (as well as HOY), their emphasis on self-pacing and spiritual practices as an integrated part of a balanced lifestyle.
In any case, thanks again for all your good work, Bodhi, and I believe that people will benefit from your website!
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 04 2014 : 9:44:06 PM
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Thank you, Anima. 
@Radharani
Wow. Some amazing insights and experiences of your own there, Radharani. Thank you for vibing along with my story.
It's funny, right after that car experience (sober), I was on such a "pink cloud" that I didn't think I would have to worry about the material troubles, but they surely returned. But I realize it was only my mind that was making them troubles. Really, I am discovering, the material challenges are exactly the purpose of life, and if enlightenment was simply a pure abstraction into the Void, why even bother with the body in the first place? Why not just remain in the formless Infinity beyond space and time?
At current time, my strategy, or path of devotion, is to bring as much of the infinite potentiality into the limited material world. Beingness, I guess. For me, this paradox gets fulfilled and accentuated especially when playing guitar and jamming with friends. Though it's just an instrument, so much can be done with sound, and the possibilities are endless. The same could be said for any craft or vocation. The pursuit of mastery is worthwhile, even though unattainable.
I wish your husband the best in his path of recovery, abstinence, or moderation. The main thing I realize with booze is that, even if I could moderate it, it wouldn't be worth it. A lot of people in AA miss that point, BIG-TIME. If you could hand them a magic pill that would allow them to drink moderately without any negative consequences, they would swallow it instantly. I, however, have decided to take the red pill, and to see how far down the rabbit hole goes [The Matrix]. For me, AYP is the red pill.  As you know...the rabbit hole goes way down (and up, sideways, and every-other-ways too), and yoga (when combined with daily integration into normalcy) will take us way farther than any psychedelics or other substances! 
Thanks for jiving with me.
Love. Unity. Lightness of Air. |
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nirmal
Germany
438 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2014 : 1:11:54 PM
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Hey Bodhi tree,
It's me,nirmal! I want you to know that your story was a first what I call "long post" I have ever read! I usually get impatient with so many Long posts, that I skip thru most of them. This was a great story, and like others have said I think you are a great writer! So keep it up,my friend!
I easily identified with most you wrote about, too!
Love & light,
nirmal |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 05 2014 : 4:29:35 PM
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Glad I was able to keep your attention, nirmal! Thank you for reading, and I appreciate your resonance.
Love and light to you too. |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2014 : 01:05:13 AM
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Dear Bodhi,
I disagree with your statement, "the material challenges are exactly the purpose of life." Of course, if you choose to MAKE it the purpose of your life, that is up to you. Personally I regard material challenges as simply incidental to the nature of being in a body, a biological consequence, in much the same way that reproduction is a biological consequence of sex, but not the "purpose" as such. IMO the purpose of life is Love and Creativity (as you express through your music). But that's just philosophical nit-picking.
To each their own. I am a proponent of moderation, which is one of the areas where I disagree with AA. There are therapists in Europe who do teach alcoholics to drink responsibly, a concept that is practically heresy here in the U.S.! As for my husband, he does not want to STOP drinking, he just wants to learn to drink in moderation, which I think is a reasonable goal and an improvement over what he was doing before. He's actually made some progress. Being a "wino" myself with a preference for expensive reds, particularly as part of a meal, I can't really relate to his situation because I am completely unable to tolerate any other kind of cheaper booze, including even less expensive wines. I mean, I might WANT a drink but if the only thing available is beer, vodka, etc., or cheap wine, it's just not worth it, and since we are broke, "oh well." Interestingly, as I've exposed him to expensive wines, he seems to be losing his taste for the cheap, nasty stuff. And from the standpoint of my own happiness, I decided not to worry about it anymore, especially since his last labs (when he saw a doctor about the hernia acquired at his construction job) showed his liver function to be completely normal, thankfully and much to my surprise.
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2014 : 03:10:41 AM
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LOL. I certainly had an appreciation for the finer varieties. My family is huge on red wine, and I got spoiled early on. And the quality of the buzz is directly correlated with the quality of craftsmanship in the wine itself. Same with beer. Nothing like the Belgian Ales brewed in monasteries. That euphoria is certainly superior to what you get from slamming a 6 pack of Natural Ice (rot-gut). I've done plenty of both.
That being said, when you get into the more refined states of serenity and ecstasy, no red wine (regardless of the caliber) can hold a candle to the clarity, lucidity, and weightlessness of That. Substances always carry a weight and leave a footprint in the nervous system (with varying degrees of trauma). When I've been in the zone (like my car experience), I've been blessed to enjoy the superiority of non-substance-induced ecstatic states.
It comes in waves. Awakening and expansion follows the pattern of the spiral, which is the most fundamental shape of Being. Cyclical, yet linear. The Sri Yantra and other sacred geometry contain that embedded code.
For me, kicking the booze was like that. Spiraling down to the point of zero, or complete letting go. In between there were plenty of efforts for moderation, but the full realization came when seeing how senseless it was as object of moderation. But again, that is relative. I'm sure some yogis have become so masterful that they see moderating food intake as foolish. They can subsist on air and sunlight alone, so they see food as an inferior pleasure no longer necessary. It's all preference, and stages of development. To each his own, as you say.
Wisdom. |
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Radharani
USA
843 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2014 : 6:57:39 PM
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Oh, absolutely! The quality of the "buzz" as well as the "personality" of the beverage is related to the craftsmanship and the spirit in which it was brewed. And obviously, alcohol intoxication, no matter how expensive, refined and well-crafted the beverage, cannot hold a candle to the pure Bliss of God intoxication. At the same time, they are not mutually exclusive, at least in my experience, as the God intoxication is a constant from which nothing can really detract, and many things can complement. When we use wine sacramentally, "the Blood of Christ," can have a profound spiritual effect. We often receive Communion before our tantric sessions. My other use of wine, when I can afford it, is for meals. As the French believe, wine makes a good meal complete. There is something magical about the accentuation of flavors as well as the digestion.
Nowadays I don't differentiate between "spiritually superior and inferior pleasures." EVERYTHING is an offering to the Lord, Who is the only Enjoyer and also That which is enjoyed. In my youth I was very strict about diet and substances, but today I just pretty much live naturally. When I feel so inclined, I go through phases where I fast or limit my intake of various things, according to what my body tells me (and also what happens to be available at the time). All things in moderation, thankful, and everything an offering to Him, feels right. My underlying spiritual state is not affected by the substances that I ingest, although I do seem to dimly recall a time when it was.
So I agree with you that it is a matter of preference, personality and inclination, and also where we are on our particular path. I'm not recommending my approach to anyone. Everybody is different.
But, getting back to the point of this thread, again, I think that the service you are offering will be very helpful to people who are in an addictive or unhealthy relationship with substances and they really just need an appropriate focus for their bhakti! AYP will be ideal for this purpose, and with your personal experience and knowledge you are in a very good position to guide them.
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Nov 06 2014 : 9:21:57 PM
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| Well said. It's all a unified spectrum. |
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kumar ul islam
United Kingdom
791 Posts |
Posted - Nov 15 2014 : 2:34:56 PM
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| Peace and love to you . |
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mr_anderson
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2014 : 6:51:10 PM
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Hi Bodhi,
Thanks a lot for sharing your personal story and experiences. I always find it interesting and courageous when people are prepared to do that. You're a great writer, and I'm sure you can do a lot to help people who've struggled with addictions.
I certainly have had my own experiences with addictions (like you starting with marijuana) and found my way to balance via inner silence and the spiritual path.
Best wishes,
Josh |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Dec 16 2014 : 08:44:50 AM
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Thank you, kumar and Josh.
@Josh
I'm enjoying seeing pictures of you in Costa Rica. That's certainly courageous to have migrated to a distant, exotic place! Hope I can visit you sometime. Pura vida. |
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My Recovery Story
