December 28, 2023

An Esoteric Journey: So Far, Medoké, VitalCon2024, and Beyond

It has been two years and 4 months since beginning this path of exploration as an Esoteric Student. 

Essentially it is a journey of learning how to gain back some ground within my mental and physical health, and wellbeing.

During this time I have travelled between spaces and groups of others who all, in a great variety of different ways, are seeking, learning, teaching, and sharing experiences which are richly dense with wisdoms; for the mostpart in the names of love, life, and peace across mediums, formats, platforms accessible to everyone....one way or another.

I am aware that I have only just reached a tip of the preverbial iceberg. But this iceberg is more akin to a snowcone of sweetness and a variety of flavours, with plenty more still to discover.

The whole point of writing a blog, is to not only utilise the method for my own relief, but to share with others my findings in hope of making a difference to at least some-one persons out there, wherever there may be. 

A huge part of my life over the last couple of years has been spent within communities of people who have all found their ways to the best of what virtual reality has to offer; at the bleeding edge and forefront of physical and mental wellbeing. 

For a person like me, who can have a hard time socially, virtual reality has offered me a way of being able to develop personally, and experiencially grow gradually; comfortably.

Which brings me to the point of writing this post...

To get to this point in my life has taken a lot of peoples time, energy, guidance, and care converging unto myself.

Throughout which I have spoken a great many things about how I want to live my life, and my wants of things I'm to do once I am in a settled position to do so. And while I have spoken of my grattitudes along the way...it is now the time to start putting the money where my mouth is. This horse has been led to the water...nothing more can be done for me and I must drink.

So here are my pledges of intention birthed of grattitude.

Removing Barriers

Everyone faces barriers in life which come in as many forms as there are people, and my goal is to try in small ways to alleviate some which I have faced myself, which I hope can be of service to others. 

Esoteric Student Library

Originally, I created an online Esoteric Student Library filled with books, and essays, available to download instantly, for free for everyone.

This was my first conception and notion of the inception to the act of barrier removal in order to help people on their journeying and become their own Esoteric Sudent. 

While limitations can be useful in personal development and growth, brick walls can end paths before they begin. The internet can be a brick wall for many people when trying to scour and locate things such as books. 

You may end up somewhere uncouth, downloading viruses for example. Or never find what your looking for, heck, how do you even know what to look for when first setting out?

Since creating it though, I have took the decision to not risk any chance of issues with copyrights and things of the sort by having to reinstate a partial barrier. 

Currently, if one should happen upon the link to the library it will land you onto a 404 page in its place. 

However, all people need is a Gmail account and to send an email to library@esotericstudent.com providing a Gmail address to be added onto the permitted users access list and hey presto, you're good to go.

This is live, and available to do right now.

In fact, I think it retains an element of the esoteric, mystery aspect to all of this in it having to be done this way but be quick because I am still toying with the idea of it becoming a membership perk. 

With over 40k different books, files, documents, essays and images in my collection being uploaded to it over time, it is for sure something to check out.

Something I am missing in my life is responsibility, accountability, and routine.

Being held to account is important for personal development. Being dependable, and forming structure to one's life, with a solid commitment has to be built upon solid foundations. 

With these things comes purpose and meaning to the why's and what's we do.

So the next announcements are things which are reasonably within the borders of what I can keep up with regularly.

Esoteric Student Events Calendar and Resources Directory Database

While on my adventures I have attended many events, and found resources across multiple medium formats, and platforms accessible to everyone.

So, from February 2024, I will be posting the events schedule daily to EsotericStudent.com in a dedicated section, and provide daily, an email to anyone who chooses to receive it. 

Containing all the necessary information, such as platforms, devices required, links, timezones, community's, genre/category, and so on, this will be a one-stop solution designed to remove as many barriers to access as possible towards helping not only those who wish to find and attend such events, but to help those who have events to be found.

Alongside this is an easy to use and search directory, containing information of those in the wider health and wellbeing community who have something to share, safely and of value.

This includes any group, event, and sessions leaders personal projects who you may meet at the events scheduled, as well as attendees.

Since the closing of a virtual reality social platform AltspaceVR it became glaring that there are people and pockets of communities out in the wilds now, from the AltspaceVR days who were affected by its demise due to ASVR having an events board which was easy to follow. 

Losing that was detrimental to many, including myself, and my hope is that bridges can be begun to be built crossing the gaps, but also revitalised by others sharing this information and putting it out there too. And I know some are also working on do the same.

The goal is to not only bring together the old school, but to bring many fresh faces to these events and to broaden the wider health and wellbeing community of which we are all a part of.

The objective of bringing people together, and promoting inclusivity, is the theme I wish to continue carrying forward into as many aspects of Esoteric Student as I can; which brings me to these next couple of announcements.

Medoké event banner for VitalCon 2024

Medoké 


At some point along the way, quite a while ago, 18 months roughly, discovering the aforementioned inspired me to want to have my own small event in virtual reality.

I wanted to interview people in front of a small live audience, record it and create a podcast. 

The premise being centered around the notion that everybody is unique, and no one life experience is the same as any other, everybody has at least one peice of wisdom that nobody else has. 

So in 6 word or less, I ask what is the wisest, most unique to you, and valuable life lesson that you would like to put out into the world?

And the conversation goes on from there.

An Evolution of this format is...Medoké!

What in the world is Medoké?! Is something you may be finding yourself wondering...

Something which has helped me so so much in these couple of years is meditation. Prior to venturing forth as an Esoteric Student I had never meditated, but that changed when I met the wonderful over at 'Together With Tripp', formerly known as EvolVR. 

Attending their events multiple times each day in virtual reality had an instant big impact in my life, even while at first I literally had no idea what it was exactly we were supposed to be doing. So for a while there I was doing a different style to the rest of those there...oops.

I can't thank them enough, the core community welcomed me with open arms, and has only ever shown me love and kindness. In my own way, I am working towards returning to them in kind, all that they have offered, and all that I have taken...but more on that shortly.

I have found other groups and communities out there in the wilds who run different styles, and themes, and informational nuggets of gold, just like Together With Tripp also does. 

At these events people have check-in rounds, and check-outs too, where those who are there share their experiences, and briefly touch on things which arose during the session. 

With a vast array of community members, both diverse and rich with knowledge, and experience, many things spoken catch my attention when it comes to peoples personal practices, but the sessions come to a close and I'm left to wonder, wanting to know more. I know I can't be the only one.

I even have heard it mentioned by some that they would like to try their hand at leading a meditation to a live audience, and present to others their favourite practices, myself included has said and thought this. I also wonder how many think it but haven't said it out loud?

But where can we find a live audience and the space setup to present our practices?

In virtual reality, a hugely popular activity people really enjoy is VR Kareoke.

At this point I think you know whats coming next...Medoke is the combination of meditation and kareoke...Medoke is meditation kareoke!

Inspiration is infectious, and I found myself saying this not long ago, "If we can find inspiration within our-'self'; the rest will follow, as we already have what we need..."

I strongly believe it to be true, I must do because I said it while inspired, as a description to how I interpret the feeling present and in that moment, with awareness and curiosity.

And so my hope and aspiration is to provide people with the platform to be inspired, and empowered to guide others for 10 minutes, during which, the space is yours, and your audience.

But I can't provide the space alone; alas...I am not alone.

Vitality ReAwakened, is a very special community I met during the time I spent in AltspaceVR.

Created by Anita, and Kaiju and Jose, have built a strong foundation which at the core, is aimed at removing barriers for people to find, revisit, and ReAwaken our Vitality.

It is something which they have consistently providing throughout the whole time I have known them. And they have projected a lot of really great, positive and inspirational events in virtual reality.

The barriers Vitality ReAwakened removes includes providing people with a space, and platform, to teachers, guides, leaders, doctors, professors, people who have something to share, and students.

And this includes myself, with Esoteric Student. For which I'm immensely grateful to Anita and the team of creators who collaboratively make any of this possible.

Thank you Vitality ReAwakened!

So...Medoké, what to expect?

At this 1 hour and 20 minute event, 2/3 people will have the floor to lead a 10 minute meditation each, with a short interview by the host, Esoteric Student, and an oportunity for the guide and audience to engage with each other, right after, prior to the next guides time.

We are in need of participants for the alpha phase, during which we will better determine timing and structure for future events. 

You are a perfect candidate if you would like to stretch your limits, experience something new and amazing, and be a part of setting the foundation for a unique event that will touch many lives over time!

If you would like to apply, or for more information please send an email to medoke@esotericstudent.com 

“Medoké"

The community project I'm involved with, VitalCon, is coming up really soon, January 3rd it all kicks off.

It is being an eye opening experience, seeing some of what happens behind the scenes of, what is scheduled as of now, a showcase of sixteen events! 

I myself have settled into the project, and my roles, of which some are born again unto me from previous experiences.

Esoteric Student though, is from the pov of a journalistic, experientialist, documentarian, aka blogger. Not just words though.

So, now it is time to end this transmission of bounty, by saying that I hope a happy holiday to all...

Please do check out VitalCon 2024's website if you're at all curious.

Until next time friends.




 

November 12, 2023

VitalCon 2024 Reveal Party!

I am so hyped to invite you all to an event that is a multi-collaboration, only made possible by the amazing Vitality ReAwakened community.

This makes it Esoteric Student's very first foray at being involved in live events!

The VitalCon 2024's Reveal Party, November 18, 2023, on Engage XR and VRChat to kick off this wholesome Vitality ReAwakened multi-day January 4-6th celebration-of-self event.

Step into a mesmerizing virtual realm where pulsating beats & electrifying rhythms converge in this dreamscape dance party where we reveal big news!

#VitalCon2024 "From Vision to Vitality – Your Journey Into Change"

VitalCon 2024 Reveal Party! I am so hyped to invite you all to Esoteric Student's first multi-collaboration event! Made possible by Vitality ReAwakened.
Engage XR:VR, PC, Mobile
VRChat: VR, PC


This Event is Sponsored by Educators In VR



October 29, 2023

The Global Soul Weeps, & PSI Spies by Jim Marrs (Reading Update)

Prior to advancing further in this post, the title I have chosen to use at the top of this is to aknowledge all the suffering which is being inflicted on the human race; both ongoing and new conflicts which are arising leave me speechless, but unsurprised...given it being prophesised for a very long time now.


Since my previous post a lot has been happening behind the scenes at Esoteric Student HQ, and while I don't want to be that "coming soon" guy permanently without delivering the goods; I will be that for this post and the next post to Esoteric Student will be the announcing of said projects, including collaborations i'm super excited about.

The time of year is upon us once again to readjust, hibernate a little bit, and begin to reflect on our journeys from the summer of 2023. For me, this includes a great deal of gratitude and holding space for the beautiful human beings who has assisted me in getting to this stage of my life; which is worlds away from how the year began. It is emotionally, and mentally overwhelming to try to break everything back down into individual merits in a single mammoth sized writing.

In return, and in my own ways, you will begin to witness and perhaps be part of the projects intended that spread gratitude and love which has been shown to me, back into the universe.


Halloween Starry Starry Night
For now, I wish you each a wonderful Halloween, and hopefully more treats than tricks.

I myself am attending a few events in virtual reality with my friends and members of the wider health and well-being community in VRChat, Engage XR, Rec Room, and the meta platform to name a few.

If you would like to become involved in the communities, you don't need to own a VR headset as most can be attended via mobile, pc, and Discord live channels.

You can send me an email @ Hello@esotericstudent.com if you would like to also begin your journey with some seriously amazing people across the globe.

But be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next post to keep up to date with events and opportunity to join in.


Reading Update: PSI Spies by Jim Marrs

PSI Spies by Jim Marrs
 "PSI SPIES will take you behind the scenes of the U.S. Army's formerly top-secret remote viewing unit to discover how the military has used this psychic ability as a tool and a weapon. Despite the fact that remote viewing was developed by various tax-supported U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, the Defence Intelligence Agency and even the U. S. Army, a majority of people still have never heard of this faculty. In the 1970's, with the support of Congress, The Army formed a small unitof remote viewers to spy for America. These soldiers/psychic spies gained penetrating knowledge about a wide variety of subjects. They were consulted to stop a Soviet plot to kill President Ronald Reagan. They mentally prowled the halls of the Kremlin. They probed Iraq's hidden weapons sites in preparation for the 1991 Gulf War. From insights into our future to the continuing mysteries of UFO's and crop circles, no subject has been immune to the military remote viewers the Psi Spies."

September 25, 2023

My Very Own Zen Garden

These past couple of months have been unbelievably productive and positive, aaalmost in the entirety of said time.

But in terms of Esoteric Student there isn't a great deal I can post about on here…yet.


The past couple of weeks I have chilled and wound down. I have taken the time I need to sort out some medical and health challenges. I also have taken the time to not write, read, meditate or study in general, but instead concentrate on fixing my house up and unpacking. 


And I have been painting and sorting my garden out, as you can see in the images. 


My whole house will be amazing eventually. I began with the garden due to my Jack Russell dog was having issues with the large gravel. She has a bad back leg. 


I was told by a friend to "follow the bees". Thus I did oblige by starting at the fuchsia which was a valuable aid to the honey bees and bumblebees this season. It wasn't a good one for the bees this year, unfortunately.


My very own zen garden!


We all need a break, and we all differ as to what that break is. 


Some people go on a vacation, some go for long walks, others might go for a night out on the town, etc…


Personally, I go radio silent for a while online and try to give my mind as much of a rest as I can by limiting information onboarding so I can process the past couple, to a few months.


Painting my zen garden is really therapeutic. It isn't just any fence, it's my fence, my first own fence, in my first garden. :) 


I want to get the painting done before the winter, which is also the start of the interior of my home.


Once I am caught back up with my real-life self, I can then once again dive back into the depths of my studies feeling refreshed.

Until next time friends.

August 11, 2023

The Road Ahead, (VR) Virtual Reality & Community, New Esoteric Student Logo, Stalking the Wild Pendulum by Itzhak Bentov, Bhagavad-Gita As it is (1972) by Swami Prabhupada

I am grateful because a pattern is forming within a hopeful new routine. I have been dismayed at how long it's taking me to adjust to my new surroundings since moving home, but not now I'm noticing some structure to my life.


I am working on a few different projects for the blog. 


Each project is really positive and beneficial to not just myself but for others too. 


Things such as a live event in virtual reality, and writings on my experiences with and in vr, a long form book, an article on mindful beekeeping, book studies, people profiles and interviews, and more; all take time but are underway. But I do also just tend to take longer than most to do things in general. Which is odd as I always feel like I am rushing.


I would also like to get a video started soon.


A new Esoteric Student logo which looks like the moon
Playing around with some new logo ideas. This one incorporates the moon
One priority, away from Esoteric Student, in my life is getting my new home into good order as it was far from that when I moved here…and it still is far from it. Especially as I am just a tad concerned about winter and the temperatures.

I realise that many of these update posts may not get read and I am good with that because aside from the Esoteric Student Facebook page which has followers left over from a previous users project, I am being a hopeful romantic about trying to keep things as organic as possible by word of mouth, organic search results etc.

I think it is not very likely to make a ripple from a micro-droplet given how technology and the internet is saturated with creators far more talented and interesting than I, who make use of the resources such as ad placements, and professionals.
I was recently asked a question at a regular writing meeting (in virtual reality) “who am i writing to?”
Meaning who do I feel is my audience?

It is a great question…I thought I had an answer for her but impermanence has done it's thing because it isn’t the same as when I started this path. I would say that it was to nobody, i just needed he action of pressing send, and putting it out into the ether like a message in a bottle.

I didn’t know anyone who may be reading what I write so chose to be anonymous instead just in case someone I know reads it and caused arguments or something of that ilk.

But in the past week I have arrived at the answer that I am writing to those I have met along the way up to this point now.

And I do know some of those people whose eyes may glance my scribbles from time to time. So I am changing my perspective and anwser to the question, I am starting to write friends.

I also revealed myself to a group of people who have supported me through these past couple of years, and whom I am going to be posting a lot about soon. They were once called EvolVR and now they are known as the “Together With Tripp Community..

Who is Together With Tripp?

It is a privilege to say that I am a part of a truly amazing community and example of the good which can come of utilising virtual reality. Quite simply put, Together With Tripp is VR done right. And the best thing is you dont even need a virtual reality headset to become a part of the bleeding edge movement of the digital revolution in mental, and phsyical health and wellbeing. The events can be accessed via mobile devices and pc also, all for free!

I'm testament to it, and witness the transformation in all kind of people from all walks and locations of, and in, life; time and time again.

From their website they are: "Together with TRIPP. We are the largest live VR meditation community in the world, with weekly live events across the metaverse, on platforms such as VRchat, Rec Room and Horizon Worlds. We build a safe environment for people to connect and collectively support each other’s emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Join us in VR or even from your desktop and experience group meditations and activities without leaving your home."

I hold a huge debt of gratitude to these kind and gentle beings, and people I have met along the yellow brick road thus far from other communities in virtual reality.

Virtual reality has done great things for my life and I also am writing and will be posting a lot about.

There are other communities too of course. I frequent a few regularly, There is the Vitality Reawakened Community, MUSE, a Creative Writing Community, a VR Mystery School, and others of which I am writing stories of but not yet as I am trying to write as linearly as I can about the past.

I am still trying to find my writing style, and still toying with the format and times between posts so please be patient with me.

My latest reads are:

Synopisis: In his exciting and original view of the universe, Itzhak Bentov has provided a new perspective on human consciousness and its limitless possibilities. Widely known and loved for his delightful humor and imagination, Bentov explains the familiar world of phenomena with perceptions that are as lucid as they are thrilling. He gives us a provocative picture of ourselves in an expanded, conscious, holistic universe.

&

Bhagavad-GIta As it is (1972) by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada


Synopsis: The Bhagavad-gita is universally renowned as the jewel of India's spiritual wisdom. Spoken by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead to His intimate disciple Arjuna, the Gita's seven hundred concise verses provide a definitive guide to the science of self realization. No other philosophical or religious work reveals, in such a lucid and profound way, the nature of consciousness, the self, the universe and the Supreme. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is uniquely qualified to present this English translation and commentary on Bhagavad-gita. He is the world's foremost Vedic scholar and teacher, and he is also the current representative of an unbroken chain of fully self-realized spiritual masters beginning with Lord Krishna Himself. Thus, unlike other editions of the Gita, this one is presented as it is--without the slightest taint of adulteration or personal motivation. This edition is certain to stimulate and enlighten with its ancient yet thoroughly timely message.

These will take me some time to get through and attempt to digest at least some of what these books contain.

I am now using the Gateway Tapes daily but still only the first volume. But I have noticed that when actively paying attention to my hearing and the sounds around me that I can seperate the sound and focus on them into one specific reverberation. Which has now assisted me upon my own intention of capturing sounds, and working on them to produce an undertone to sample in a meditation sound idea I have and aspiration to act upon producing.

I haven't decided which sounds yet, and of course this sublevel track can be added to any number of other recording I can make of the ocean, wind, rain etc, It should be barely audiable to begin my tests with until I discover which of the recording it is most suited to complimenting.


Until next time friends!

Thank you.