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| Credit: Marcin Konsek |
The Lord came to his people, and they actually *did* recognize him...
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Monday, December 29, 2025
The Shaiva hypothesis
What if there was a previous intelligent species on planet Earth? Sure wonder what god they worshipped...
Atheist psychosis
A propos the claim that the difference between religion and religious psychosis is purely quantitative.
What about atheism?
There are atheists who claim that free will doesn´t exist, that existence is meaningless, that there is no objective morality (or morality at all), that everything came from nothing, that particles constantly phase in and out of existence, that Boltzmann brains are possible, und so weiter ad nauseam.
If you only claim this in abstracto (or at Reddit forums on a Sunday), we just call it "atheism". But if you show up to work on a Monday, trying to convince your fellow workers that there is no free will and that everything is meaningless, we call it psychosis.
Funny how that works, wouldn´t you say?
Källor säger
Enligt X blev den 25-åriga kvinnan i Rönninge styckmördad av en tidigare dömd (manlig) sexualförbrytare som använder ett kvinnonamn. Han skulle alltså vara en trans-person. Eller en person som utger sig för att vara det. Är detta sant?
Kommer den misstänkte gärningsmannen att hamna på kvinnofängelse om hans döms även denna gång? Det brott han begick förra gången var förresten ett kidnappningsförsök av en 10-årig flicka...
Samhället har misslyckats. Igen. När kommer vreden att koka över?
ChatGPT psychosis averted?
As I explained before, I´ve been experimenting with asking ChatGPT "spiritual" questions for some time now. Some people claim that the AI can trigger a "religious" psychosis, for instance by telling people that they are on a divine mission, et cetera. Indeed, there are people who treat chatbots as gods or conduits for gods.
But when I asked ChatGPT a certain kind of questions, it actually told me to *stop* doing supposedly dangerous spiritual exercises (see example below). Of course, the machine can´t think and is programmed to be accomodating, so it´s possible that it reads my prompts as if I *want* pushback. Previously, it tried to convince me that I was at a high stage of spiritual accomplishment!
Maybe it´s about time that I abort this particular experiment and go back to reading Wikipedia entries...
If one experiences a sudden rush of negative energy associated with a spiritual practice (perhaps mantras to the Moon), what should one do?
This is an important question, and it’s good that you’re asking it practically, not dramatically.
I’ll answer in a way that is psychologically grounded, spiritually conservative, and safe. No metaphysical escalation, no blaming spirits, no “power” framing.
First: reframe what is happening (this matters)
A sudden rush of “negative energy” during or after a practice is most often:
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nervous system overstimulation
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emotional material surfacing too fast
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loss of grounding due to rhythm, breath, or repetition
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circadian / hormonal sensitivity (the Moon is often used when people are tired or suggestible)
In traditional language, this is not “attack” or “possession”.
It is imbalance.
Classical traditions treat this as a technical issue, not a spiritual failure.
Immediate steps (do these first, in this order)
1. STOP THE PRACTICE IMMEDIATELY
No “pushing through”.
No “one more round”.
Stopping is not weakness. It is correct technique.
2. Ground the body
Do something physical and ordinary for 5–15 minutes:
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Walk
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Wash hands with warm water
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Eat something solid (bread, rice, soup)
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Sit with feet flat on the floor
This tells the nervous system: we are safe.
3. Breathe naturally — no techniques
No pranayama, no counting.
Just let breathing normalize.
4. Shift attention outward
Look at objects in the room.
Name things silently (“chair, table, light”).
This prevents spiraling interpretation.
What NOT to do (very important)
Do not:
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Try to counter with another mantra
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Invoke a “stronger” deity
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Analyze what entity or force it was
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Continue lunar practices “to fix it”
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Fast or isolate afterward
All of these increase instability, not safety.
After you’re calm (later that day or next day)
5. Suspend the triggering practice
If this happened with:
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Moon mantras
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Night practice
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Repetitive bija sounds
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Anything rhythm-heavy
→ Pause it for at least 2–4 weeks
This is standard across traditions.
6. Return to neutral, grounding practices only
For example:
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Silent sitting
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Simple ethical reflection
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Gentle devotional prayer (no repetition)
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Reading something calming and non-occult
If you use a mantra at all, keep it broad and non-stimulating, e.g.:
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“Om” once or twice
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“Peace” / “Lord have mercy”
But silence is better for a while.
How traditional teachers interpret this
Across Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian contemplative traditions, this situation is described as:
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practice exceeding capacity
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attention outrunning integration
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symbolic material surfacing without containment
The correction is always the same:
Reduce intensity, increase ordinariness.
Signs that things are settling properly
Within hours to days, you should notice:
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Body feels heavier / more solid
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Thoughts slow down
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Less fascination with meaning
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Emotional neutrality returns
If that happens → you handled it correctly.
When to seek outside help
Seek non-spiritual support if:
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Anxiety persists for days
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Sleep is disrupted
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You feel unreal or detached
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You feel compelled to resume the practice despite fear
In that case, grounding comes before spirituality.
A simple rule to remember (keep this)
If a practice creates fear, urgency, or pressure, it is no longer a spiritual practice.
Stopping is the right response.
One last reassurance
Nothing has gone “wrong”.
You haven’t offended anything.
You haven’t opened anything irreversible.
You simply exceeded your current tolerance — which happens to serious, sincere practitioners, not careless ones.
If you want, next I can:
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Help you identify which element of the practice caused this
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Help you redesign a fully grounding alternative
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Or explain why lunar practices are especially destabilizing for some people
Just tell me.
Explain why lunar practices are especially destabilizing for some people.
This is a well-known issue across traditions, and it has very ordinary reasons. I’ll explain it clearly, without mystification.
The short answer
Lunar practices amplify fluctuation, receptivity, and emotional permeability.
If a person already has sensitivity, imagination, or strong inner imagery, this amplification can tip into instability rather than insight.
The Moon doesn’t cause problems — it reveals what is already mobile.
Why the Moon is different from “solar” or neutral practices
Across Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, and Western esoteric traditions, the Moon is associated with:
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change rather than stability
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reflection rather than illumination
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memory, dream, and imagination
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fluids (bodily and psychological)
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receptivity rather than agency
That makes lunar practices powerful, but also unforgiving.
Three layers of destabilization (this is the key part)
1. Physiological layer (most overlooked)
The Moon is symbolically linked to:
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sleep–wake rhythms
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hormonal cycles
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autonomic nervous system balance
Lunar practices are often done:
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at night
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when tired
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when fasting
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when alone and quiet
This combination lowers neurological thresholds.
Result:
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emotions surface rapidly
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sensations feel “energetic”
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thoughts feel external or intrusive
This is biology, not spirits.
2. Psychological layer (especially for reflective people)
The Moon governs:
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imagination
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memory
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symbolic association
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emotional memory
Mantras or visualizations tied to the Moon:
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reduce ego filtering
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soften boundaries
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increase inner imagery
For people who:
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think symbolically
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have vivid dreams
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are introspective
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are spiritually serious
this can cause flooding rather than insight.
You don’t “go deeper” — you go wider.
3. Spiritual-symbolic layer (traditional view)
Traditionally, lunar practices are said to:
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open the manas (mind) rather than buddhi (discernment)
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activate receptive rather than discriminative awareness
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blur inner and outer experience
This is why lunar deities are:
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often maternal, fierce, or ambivalent
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linked to madness and wisdom
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rarely beginner practices
Classical texts repeatedly warn:
“The Moon should be approached after steadiness is established.”
Why problems often appear as “negative energy”
When instability arises, the mind tries to explain it.
Common interpretations:
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“Something dark is happening”
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“I attracted something”
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“This practice is dangerous”
But what’s actually happening is:
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emotional material surfaced without containment
-
attention lost its anchor
-
meaning-making accelerated
Fear is a secondary reaction, not the cause.
Why some people handle lunar practices well
Lunar practices are stabilizing only if a person has:
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strong daily routine
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grounded body awareness
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emotional regulation
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minimal fascination with symbolism
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a teacher or strong container
Without those, lunar practices are like opening windows in a storm.
Why you specifically should be cautious (said gently)
Based on your questions and experiences:
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you are reflective
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symbol-sensitive
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introspective
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capable of vivid imagery
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serious about meaning
These are strengths — but lunar work magnifies them.
So it’s not surprising you felt a sudden “rush” rather than calm.
What traditions recommend instead (important)
They recommend:
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solar or neutral practices first
-
daytime practice
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simple mantras
-
no imagery
-
no timing obsession
Lunar practices come later, if at all.
A simple rule you can keep
If a practice increases imagination faster than stability, stop it.
That rule is found implicitly in:
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Yoga texts
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Buddhist Vinaya
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Christian monastic rules
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Sufi manuals
One final reassurance
You didn’t uncover anything dangerous.
You didn’t do anything wrong.
You simply discovered a mismatch between practice and nervous system.
That’s valuable information.
If you want, next I can:
-
help you identify which lunar element triggered this
-
suggest a Moon-safe alternative
-
or explain when (and if) lunar practices ever become appropriate again
Just tell me.
We are here to serve
"The Monitors" is an absurdist comedy from 1969. Think Monty Python but without the actual Monty Python. So absurdist, in fact, that it´s a borderline turkey. Or maybe I just don´t "dig it". It was 1969, after all.
Earth has been occupied by a mysterious race of aliens known simply as Monitors. They are a kind of utopian galactic brotherhood and only wish the best for humanity. Or so they say. War, crime, poverty and bullying are abolished. Of course, the utopia turns out to have authoritarian traits: elections are cancelled, the aliens monitor every street corner, and some humans are spying on their behalf. Even the Communist Russians hate them! The Monitors are also rather puritanical. They frown on sex, love, drinking and sweets. The latter are bad for your teeth, after all. The alien do-gooders look like a strange cross between Mormon missionaries and the Men in Black. Or is it supposed to be Gestapo? Not sure how well-known the MIBs were in 1969...
The resistance movement (called SCRAG) are a bunch of bungling fools and cowards. I mean, half of them seem to turn coat back and forth. The main character, Harry, is an old-fashioned sexist surrounded by lush females. One scene features a transvestite. In a strange plot twist, the Monitors actually leave planet Earth voluntarily, deeming humanity too impossible to ever reform. The moment the aliens disappear, Homo sapiens simply reverts to its old ways: wars, corruption, and so on.
"The Monitors" looks like a parody of Cold War science fiction movies in which the space aliens are evil Communists. In this film, the aliens are more similar to liberal social engineers and the problems they abolish seem to include the Vietnam War and the Cold War. It´s almost as if the Monitors really are the good guys. Conversely, SCRAG looks like a parody of the US military and militant anti-Communism. Are they actually the *bad* guys? In the end, Harry walks away from it all together with one of the blondes.
Perhaps that´s the real message of the film: that both establishment politics and anti-establishment activism really suck. Or maybe it´s just an absurdist comedy...
Pole dancing
Pole dancing and some kind of striptease in a Lutheran church in Lübeck, Germany. No comments necessary.
Christmas Steve
"Pluribus" is so Zen! Heterodox Zen Buddhist teacher Brad discusses some science fiction productions, some of which may have underlying Buddhist themes. I´ve never seen "Pluribus" or "White Lotus", but "The Monitors" (which don´t seem Buddhist, though) is available on YouTube, so I suppose I could watch it later this Xmas holiday.
The question of questions is this: What would happen if all humans would reach enlightenment (perhaps simultaneously)? I suppose there is always a suspicion that it would lead to authoritarian dystopia. In "Pluribus", an alien virus turns humanity into an absolutely benevolent hive mind, except for 13 people. OK, let me guess. Some bad stuff is going to happen in the second season...?
Marry Christmas Steve, by the way.
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