Has anyone tried the course on ancientmasters.org?

[durian tree]

I am extremely curious about this website in general. I originally found it when researching Damo Mitchell, as they have an article scathingly criticizing him and Adam Mizner. The whole thing reads a bit cult-like, but I've looked around and seen some of the founders' comments on this forum; they seem to believe what they're saying and have some clear understanding of esoteric practices.

 

I'm generally skeptical of any claims of "true" spiritual knowledge, especially if said person is also claiming they're the only "real" master. I could buy the idea that there's some shared layer of reality that nobody is able to reach that these practices can get you to, but the site's owners provide no proof, evidence, or credentials to suggest they should be trusted. I want to believe, but I also don't want to spend a bunch of money on their very expensive course without any evidence to suggest it works.

All that is to say, has anyone tried it? What was it like?

Edited Thursday at 11:33 PM by durian tree
incomplete original post

[Gerard]

I have a rule:

 

Anything with the SPIRITUAL tag attached to it is:

 

1. Suss

2. BS

3. Ungrounded

4. Scam

5. Stay away from it

 

Use your common sense. 

[steve]

13 hours ago, durian tree said:

I originally found it when researching Damo Mitchell, as they have an article scathingly criticizing him and Adam Mizner.

 

13 hours ago, durian tree said:

The whole thing reads a bit cult-like,

 

13 hours ago, durian tree said:

I'm generally skeptical of any claims of "true" spiritual knowledge, especially if said person is also claiming they're the only "real" master.

 

13 hours ago, durian tree said:

but the site's owners provide no proof, evidence, or credentials to suggest they should be trusted

 

I suggest you trust your instincts more than anonymous strangers online, be they here or elsewhere.

 

13 hours ago, durian tree said:

I want to believe

 

This makes you the perfect target for those who would take advantage.

Caveat emptor!

[stirling]

What is your goal for your practice? What do you want out of it?

 

I have looked through most of website out of curiosity. In general I would say that teachings intended to get at the heart of what reality is, and TRUE transformation are relatively simple (but requiring some regular and dedicated work) and available everywhere, free. 

 

Teachers are also generally free, though some will take dana when offered to them. Most are looking for your dedication and intention to truly understand, not your money. 

[Annnon]

I read the "Masters" part of the website to know who are you going to learn from and honestly those things they relate seem to be BS, speacially the second guy. But who am I to invalidate someone else's experiences?

 

As Gerard said above, use your common sense.

 

Edit: And remember, everyone can make fake testimonials to sell their products online, I studied marketing and you won't believe how deep this goes, it's like, everywhere. Hard to trust these testimonials nowadays.

Edited 16 hours ago by Annnon

[-ꦥꦏ꧀ ꦱꦠꦿꦶꦪꦺꦴ-]

17 hours ago, durian tree said:

All that is to say, has anyone tried it? What was it like?

I haven’t tried it myself but one of my friends did a foundation course that they used to offer. He said the meditation was very powerful. 
 

In the future I would like to learn from them properly, when I’m further along in my current practices and more developed. 

[BigSkyDiamond]

In reading through the site, it clearly states that the focus is on magic.  The goal and motivation is to become a "magus."  The site itself states:

 

"Generally, a Magus is someone who possesses enough power to influence external events/objects or people via the use of spiritual force. "  

 

So the focus is magic, power, and use of force.  Is that what you want and why?

 

It is helpful with any practice at any time, to get clear within yourself and be able to answer with self-honesty:  what is it that appeals to me about this practice?  what do i hope to get out of it?  what is it that i find attractive about it?  what is my motivation in learning this, in practicing this?  When I have ______________ then I will feel ___________.  When I have this ______________, then this is what i will do _______________.

 

The more you are able to examine within and clarify within and be honest about within, regarding your own motivation and intention, then the more clarity you will have about what is a good fit for you in terms of choosing or discarding a practice.  

 

Personally for me, there are way too many red flags particularly on this page (link below).  See how it resonates for you.  Ask yourself "Is this who i want to be?"  "Is this the kind of person i see myself as?"  "Do i see myself embracing this view, saying these things"   "Is this how i view myself in relation to others"  "Are these the kind of people I want to hang out with?"  "Are these the ideas i want to ingest and allow into my life and shape who i become?"

 

https://ancientmasters.org/library/spiritual-development-in-magic

 

Read every page on the website (for any practice you are considering) keeping the above questions in mind, and paying close attention internally as you read and research, to observing and noticing what your own internal thoughts, feelings, desires, responses, and reactions are.  That process in and of itself will stand you in good stead with regards to developing your own internal compass.

 

Best wishes to you on your path, growth, practice, and development.

 

Edited 15 hours ago by BigSkyDiamond

[stirling]

BTW Neirong (from the site) posts here. Why not read their posts and get a feel for what kind of teacher, and what kind of wisdom and knowledge they might have?

[durian tree]

Thanks everyone for the information and insight.

 

2 hours ago, BigSkyDiamond said:

Personally for me, there are way too many red flags particularly on this page (link below).  See how it resonates for you.  Ask yourself "Is this who i want to be?"  "Is this the kind of person i see myself as?"  "Do i see myself embracing this view, saying these things"   "Is this how i view myself in relation to others"  "Are these the kind of people I want to hang out with?"  "Are these the ideas i want to ingest and allow into my life and shape who i become?"

 

I suppose where I'm at is that they make some fairly extraordinary claims about the nature of spiritual progression and consciousness that, if true, would more or less invalidate almost all other practices. The driving factor here is how intense and specific the things they say are, and how absolute their confidence in them seems to be. If they're correct, it seems like a waste of time to pursue anything else. I feel like it's highly unlikely this is the case. Much of it is therefore motivated by FOMO for me, but I am also definitely looking for a practice that deliberately cultivates my body and mind. Maybe the answer is to just take a good neigong course with a reputable teacher and call it a day, then come back to this later if I so desire.

 

With all that being said, I would love to speak to @Neirong to learn more.

[Annnon]

9 hours ago, durian tree said:

Thanks everyone for the information and insight.

 

I suppose where I'm at is that they make some fairly extraordinary claims about the nature of spiritual progression and consciousness that, if true, would more or less invalidate almost all other practices. The driving factor here is how intense and specific the things they say are, and how absolute their confidence in them seems to be. If they're correct, it seems like a waste of time to pursue anything else. I feel like it's highly unlikely this is the case. Much of it is therefore motivated by FOMO for me, but I am also definitely looking for a practice that deliberately cultivates my body and mind. Maybe the answer is to just take a good neigong course with a reputable teacher and call it a day, then come back to this later if I so desire.

 

With all that being said, I would love to speak to @Neirong to learn more.

I'm also curious to know what he has to say about it, maybe he posts here.