Escaping Traps & Cycles

The infamous “Pig and Horse” cycle trap in the 3rd Bardo.

What to do in a Tight Cycle, Bardo Trap or a stuck space:

It is possible to take multiple “escape routes” from a trapped or stuck space or state, without breaking the flow of the meditation. Let’s explore how some of these methods could be combined into practical, multi-layered techniques:

1. Reconnection Anchor + State-Deflation Mantra

  • Combined Technique: The participant chooses an object such as a SuperBeacon, a gemstone, an amulet or ring, or even a spoken word as their anchor, a personal mantra such as: “All states are impermanent.” If they feel extra-stuck, they can focus on the anchor, holding the object as they repeat the mantra. If that doesn’t fully release them, they immediately follow it by repeating the protective mantra, “Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate bodhi svaha”.
  • Action: Have them feel the anchor, then repeat the mantra. The anchor provides a grounding focal point, while the mantra helps loosen the attachment to the state.
  • Why it works: This dual approach reinforces the idea that the current state is temporary, while offering a tangible focus point to help them “step out” of the trap without actually leaving the state, and that’s why it works!

2. Shifting Gaze Technique + Cross-Space Visualization

  • Combined Technique: When stuck in a loop or isolated space, the practitioner first mentally “looks away” by shifting focus to a different sensory experience (e.g., a peaceful scene). If that doesn’t fully help, they take it further by visualizing walking through a bridge or tunnel that connects them to a more open, flowing space.
  • Action: Start with a mental image of a calming scene (e.g., a forest or a quiet lawn under the trees), and if the loop persists, imagine stepping through a tunnel or bridge that leads them to a more expansive space, nothing specific, just bigger.
  • Why it works: This technique first disrupts the trapped mental pattern by changing the sensory focus, and then deepens the shift by moving them physically (mentally) into a new, more liberating space.

3. Humor Invocation + Choreographed Movement

  • Combined Technique: When the practitioner feels stuck or uncomfortable, they start by invoking humor to reduce the seriousness of the state (“Hey, is this the best the universe can do?”). If they still feel stuck after this, they perform their secret choreographed movement, such as a subtle thumb-to-finger tap, to send a message to self, to quickly and adeptly shift their focus and energy to something else.
  • Action: Mentally laugh at the situation, then gently perform the secret choreographed movement, fully focusing on the sensation of the movement.
  • Why it works: Humor lightens the emotional or mental load of the trapped state, while the movement offers a tactile, grounding action that physically shifts them without fully leaving the space.

4. Reconnection Anchor + Cross-Space Visualization

  • Combined Technique: If the practitioner feels isolated or stuck, they use their anchor object or some mantra-like word or phrase to ground themselves. Then they mentally walk across a bridge or through a tunnel that connects them to another space, simple as that.
  • Action: Focus on the anchor to steady the mind, and then visualize walking through a tunnel or bridge into a freer, more expansive mental space.
  • Why it works: The anchor provides immediate grounding, while the visualization opens up a pathway out of the trapped state. It offers both stability and movement within the meditative space, without having to step outside it.

5. Shifting Gaze + State-Deflation Mantra

  • Combined Technique: The practitioner mentally shifts focus to a different scene when they feel stuck. If that doesn’t release them, they follow it up with a state-deflation mantra like “This is just a passing cloud.”
  • Action: First, visualize something calming and sensory-rich. If still stuck, mentally repeat the mantra with each breath, detaching from the importance of the current state.
  • Why it works: Shifting focus helps break the cycle of repetitive thought, while the mantra further deflates the significance of the state, allowing them to see it as temporary and unimportant.

6. Reconnection Anchor + Humor Invocation

  • Combined Technique: When they feel trapped, they first focus on their anchor (physical object or word). If that doesn’t work, they mentally laugh at the situation with a playful question like, “Why is it always my trip?” (Whose else would it be?)
  • Action: Ground in the anchor, and then lighten the situation by intentionally and quite deliberately invoking humor — find something funny about the situation.
  • Why it works: The combination of grounding and lightness helps to dissolve the seriousness of the trapped state. The humor breaks any attachment, making it easier to transition back into flow without leaving the space.

Testing the Combined Techniques:

To test these combined methods, you can follow a similar setup to what we discussed earlier, but this time, encourage participants to try using the techniques in layers.

  1. Preparation: Introduce the combinations before the session, explaining how each method builds on the other.
  2. Testing: During meditation, participants should try the first part of the technique when they feel stuck. If that doesn’t fully work, they move to the second part.
  3. Feedback: Afterward, ask which combinations worked best. Were there situations where layering two techniques helped more than using just one? Was there a preference for one over the other?

By testing these combinations, you’ll likely find certain pairings that work better for specific kinds of “traps” or states, and participants may even develop personal preferences for which combinations help them the most.

What do you think of this approach? Would you like to attend a workshop where you can  test out one or more of these combinations?

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Remedies for Fear

1. Recognizing Fear as a Temporary Illusion

  • Action Step: As soon as the fear arises, remind yourself, “Fear is a creation of the mind to protect me from the unknown, but this unknown is not dangerous—it’s expansive.”
  • Instant Application: This is a mental reframing. The moment fear arises, they acknowledge it and immediately flip it: “This fear is just a doorway.” The goal is to realize fear is only there because of the mind’s perception, not an inherent danger in the god state itself. Practitioners can dissolve the fear by recognizing that it is temporary and mind-generated.

2. The Breath of Dissolution

  • Action Step: Teach participants to take a single, deliberate deep breath, focusing on breathing in light or expansiveness and exhaling fear. The breath should be slow and intentional, a direct action to move the energy.
  • Instant Application: When fear arises, they consciously take that one deep breath, visualizing that the fear dissolves on the exhale, leaving only the sense of openness. This single breath allows them to bypass the fear quickly, almost as if using the breath to “blow away” the barrier.

3. Immediate Grounding with the Heart

  • Action Step: The moment fear arises, have participants shift all their awareness from their head to their heart center. Teach them to bring full attention to their heartbeat or the feeling of energy in their chest, using it as a grounding technique.
  • Instant Application: Instead of analyzing the fear, they move awareness directly to the heart space. This action bypasses the mind’s chatter, centering them in a space of emotional clarity. The heart center acts as a direct connection to calmness and dissolves fear by shifting away from intellectual tension. Use the Mantra: “I am here now, only more so.”.

4. The Smile Technique

  • Action Step: Train participants to intentionally smile as soon as they feel the presence of fear. The smile invokes a sense of ease and openness, immediately transforming the energy.
  • Instant Application: When fear is rising, respond with a smile, as if welcoming the fear like an old friend. This simple physical and emotional shift instantly changes the energy from fear to lightness. The fear is no longer seen as a barrier but as a friend on the journey.

5. Merging with the Fear

  • Action Step: Instruct participants not to resist fear but to merge with it. The fear is a part of their own mind, so by embracing it, they dissolve its power. They can say to themselves, “This fear is me, and I am it.”
  • Instant Application: When fear arises, instead of pushing against it, they allow it to fully wash over them, becoming one with it. This stops the resistance and breaks the barrier instantly, as they no longer perceive it as an obstacle. It’s a paradoxical move—embracing what you fear neutralizes its energy.

6. Light Invocation

  • Action Step: Instruct participants to visualize or feel themselves surrounded by bright, pure light as soon as fear emerges. This light represents clarity, openness, and truth, and the fear cannot exist within it.
  • Instant Application: The moment fear arises, they mentally flood the space around them with light, seeing the fear dissolve like shadows. This invocation shifts their focus from the sensation of fear to the sensation of clarity, immediately dispelling the fear.

7. Use of a Trigger Word or Mantra

  • Action Step: Have each participant create a personal trigger word or short mantra that they associate with calmness, expansion, or safety (e.g., “safe,” “expanse,” or “open”). When the fear arises, they immediately repeat this word or mantra aloud.
  • Instant Application: When fear starts to surface, they use the word like a toggle switch. The brain responds to these learned cues, so by using a personal trigger word, they shift from fear to calm in one mental step and the process can be intentionally reversed.

8. The Instant Dissolution by Laughter

  • Action Step: Laughter is one of the fastest ways to dissolve fear. Teach participants to laugh or at least smile when they feel fear arise, using humor to diffuse its power.
  • Instant Application: At the moment they sense fear, they mentally or even physically chuckle at it. This small act of humor breaks the fear’s hold instantly, transforming it into something less menacing. Laughter lightens the energetic tension and moves them right through the barrier.

9. Visualization of Walking Through a Doorway

  • Action Step: Participants can use the visualization of a door appearing before them. As soon as they feel fear, they imagine stepping through a doorway that symbolizes the threshold from the ordinary state into the god state.
  • Instant Application: When they encounter fear, they immediately imagine themselves stepping through the door. On the other side is openness and expansiveness. The door represents the barrier, and by mentally stepping through it, they instantly bypass the fear.

10. Connection to a Higher Self

  • Action Step: Participants can practice invoking their higher self or deeper awareness. Teach them to mentally say, “My higher self is always beyond fear.”
  • Instant Application: As fear arises, they shift their awareness to this higher perspective, seeing themselves from the view of their higher self, which is unshakable and beyond fear. This perspective lifts them above the fear barrier instantly.

Integration into Your Workshops

You can test these methods in your sessions by introducing a “fear-breaking” moment, where participants intentionally bring themselves to the edge of that barrier and use these techniques. Have them test different methods to find what works instantly for them, then gather feedback afterward, and don’t forget that there’s an Orb to handle fear.

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Stairway to Heaven, Jacob’s Ladder — stay close to the candles.

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Experience the god state with perfect clarity—effortlessly moving between the infinite and your everyday life.

Can You Function Normally in the God State?

  • Yes, of course it’s possible to function normally while in the god state — lots of folks have done it over the centuries — but it requires practice.
  • The god state is not a separate realm to escape to—it can be integrated into the ordinary state.
  • By gradually learning to hold both states of awareness at once, practitioners can operate in the world with the insight, clarity, and wisdom of the god state.
  • The key is to avoid trying to “stay” in the god state but rather to move between the two fluidly, using the heightened awareness to enhance everyday life.
  • The more familiar one becomes with this transition, the easier it becomes to function normally while carrying the consciousness of the god state.

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The ability to transition smoothly between the god state and the ordinary state, as well as functioning normally while in the god state, is critical to any experiment with the God State. Let’s explore whether it’s possible to maintain “normal” functioning while in the god state:

1. Navigating Power and Responsibility in the God State

  • In the god state, the practitioner often feels a heightened sense of personal power and expanded awareness, which can be overwhelming if not managed carefully. Balancing this power with responsibility is essential. The key is being able to transition smoothly between the god state and the ordinary state. Practitioners need to integrate the insights and abilities from the god state without letting it overwhelm their day-to-day decision-making. Tools like mindfulness, compassion, and humility help maintain this balance, ensuring the god state enhances their practical life rather than disrupts it.

2. Experiencing and Integrating Vastness

  • The vastness of the god state can make the ordinary world feel limited by comparison. The challenge is to stay grounded while experiencing this expansiveness. Practitioners can use grounding exercises, such as deep breathing or focusing on their body, to help maintain the vastness of the god state while still functioning in the ordinary state. The real mastery is learning to flow between these states without getting stuck in either. Bringing that expanded awareness back into everyday life creates a seamless transition between both realms, enriching both.

3. Purpose Beyond the God State

  • Once the god state is achieved, what comes next? The real purpose is not to dwell in the god state indefinitely but to bridge it back into the ordinary state. Practitioners can embody the expanded awareness of the god state to influence their daily decisions, relationships, and creative work. Learning to function in the ordinary state while carrying the wisdom of the god state is a key skill. This integration is how the god state becomes a lived experience, rather than just an occasional escape.

4. Recognizing and Avoiding Spiritual Ego

  • Spiritual ego is one of the main pitfalls of prolonged access to the god state. The illusion of superiority can arise if one sees the god state as separate or “above” the ordinary state. However, true mastery is found when practitioners realize that the god state and the ordinary state are interconnected. By regularly transitioning between both states, they avoid the trap of ego, staying grounded in humility. Practices like daily grounding and focusing on empathy help practitioners avoid elevating themselves above others, ensuring the god state enhances their compassion rather than inflating their sense of self.

5. Tools for Constant Re-Entry & Balance

  • The god state doesn’t have to be fleeting. Simple practices—like using a personal mantra, engaging in breathwork, or taking a moment of stillness—can help practitioners re-enter the god state at will. These tools act as bridges between the god state and the ordinary state, allowing a seamless flow between the two. This means that the god state is always accessible, even during everyday tasks, no matter how complex. By mastering re-entry, practitioners can maintain the awareness and clarity of the god state even in mundane moments, creating a fluid connection between both realities.

6. Encountering Other Entities in the God State

  • Some practitioners may encounter energies or beings in the god state, which can feel disorienting, especially when you’re with thirty or more entities on Zoom. There really is no way to prove that they are really unique individuals with a will of their own, so you accept them as “others”. It’s important to stay grounded in the ordinary state to make sense of these encounters. Interpreting these beings as aspects of the self or universal energies can help. By bringing the experience of these encounters back into the ordinary state, practitioners can extract valuable insights without getting lost in the experience. The key is to treat these encounters as part of a larger process and to transition back to normal life, using the encounter to deepen their understanding and, yes, it might be that everyone you know is a bot including yourself.

7. Dissolution of the Personal Self in the God State

  • The dissolution of the personal self in the god state can feel destabilizing. It’s important to reassure practitioners that while the self may dissolve in this expanded state, they can always return to the ordinary state and re-form their sense of identity. The ability to let go of the personal self, knowing it will return when needed, allows them to experience deeper aspects of the god state without fear. The real challenge is learning to dissolve and reconstitute the self effortlessly, so that functioning in the ordinary state becomes smoother and more fluid, even after experiencing the god state.

8. Long-Term Transformation and Impact

  • Long-term access to the god state has a profound effect on how practitioners engage with the world. As they transition more easily between the god state and the ordinary state, they can integrate higher awareness into their daily life. This results in deeper connections, more intuitive decision-making, and a sense of purpose that goes beyond the mundane. By learning to function in the ordinary state while holding the expanded awareness of the god state, they influence those around them and embody long-term transformation.

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You’ve just been given a few of the hidden secrets of the universe. Use them well. Now it’s time to buckle up on the tour bus and we’ll drive through beautiful downtown Bardotown. Hang on to your wallets and purses!

See You At The Top!!!

gorby