I have some weird insomnia sleep cycles through my life and at this point I'm used to it, but lately I am largely concerned because I am only sleepy at around 5-6am and still wakeup at 9-10am with nothing scheduled throughout that day. I'd like to sleep in more because I actually have the time but just can't. I've been getting 3-5 hours asleep in the past 5 days.
I always found my sleeping concerning. Last month, I had no problems getting to fall asleep earlier — around 11pm, but I'd wake up 4 or 5 and again, nothing scheduled to do. Still to early.
Why does my body only want little sleep? What can I do to sleep more? I admit I haven't done anything physically or mentally exhausting in the last 5 days, but it's because I don't have the energy to do so. I'd have headaches that will cause me to just stay in bed. It's just a cycle. I have a physical examination this week for a job and I'm scared my shitty sleep schedule might mess with it...

I'm currently a 4th year in med school and I have this co-clerk that I usually share a duty with. We've shared the same schedule, hospital and dep rotation since the start of clerkship and we're also close even before clerkship. So she freely shares things with me.
She's an overall good person. What just bothers me so much about her is that she's willing to fck anyone (and I mean anyone) for a good grade/merit/copy of an exam/be asigned a good schedule. Ever since the start of our rotation, she never fails to fck some resident in our rotating department for a leg up.
But now that we're at the end of our clerkship, we need to pass 1 last comprehensive exam to pass. And so far, she's not very confident in her theoretical knowledge (she failed the exam and is going to have to take the removals exam). But now, she's calling every faculty she knows and every residents with connections so that she can exchange s*x for a copy of a past or current exam/paid reviwe1 on 1 tuitoring for the removals.
What bothers me is that when I went out with some co-clerks, her name got brought up and almost everybody knows what she does in order to pass. But nobody seems to care much/thinks its a wise strategy to pull if you could stomach it. I also got the impression that this type of exchange happens alot in med school and during clerkship. So I was wondering if this type of exchange is normal because I've only ever known her to be doing this.

I have a 21 XLE Premium in Blueprint and was considering putting on black out emblems on my car until I saw what it looked like on a Hybrid Blueprint I happen to drive behind on the interstate. The blackout emblems blanked out the rear of the car and made it hard to determine what type of car it was? Does anyone have a Blueprint and tried to use another color other than black emblems for their RAV, if available?

It's sad but this sub has been poisoned beyond repair, which was probably the intent. There has been and is a concerted effort to ridicule this topic out of the cultural conversation and that effort has failed. Western culture has now caught up with our ancestors in recognizing the presence of something technologically superior to ourselves. But that failure doesn't mean there aren't groups (govt or private, doesn't matter) who have interest in putting the genie back in the bottle, impossible as that may be.
I still think this sub is useful. We should still be sharing our sightings and there is a sizeable community of sincerely interested parties here. We just can't trust the comments section, where bots gang comment to support misinfo talking points and suppress targeted ideas that don't support whatever propaganda is being pushed around the topic of UFOs.
Our species needs to evolve beyond our deceptive impulses and the illusion of hierarchy. There is no hierarchy. All of us share an equal right to participate in our actual reality, regardless of any malevolent interests intent on keeping us isolated from each other and from our Truth.
So ignore the comments. There is no path forward in the comments. Perhaps looking at our phones to find the truth about what's flying above us might not be the best path forward either.
Perhaps we should spend more time looking to the sky.

This is my first Diablo game and I am really enjoying it so far. I played a fair amount of POE, however am a beginner when it comes to Diablo. I am currently level 45 and have some decent aspects that I removed from legendary items. My build feels weak atm, but don’t want to waste these aspects on gear I will replace when I reach WT3. My question is around what level does gear become more permanent and I can really start honing in my build without wasting aspects?
Sorry if this is a obvious question.

So I have a 2002 Honda Civic (1.7L LX) I just recently started having issues with it. I went to go start it up and drive the other day, my car started making weird noises and shaking slowly started losing power almost. The noises from the engine sounded almost like UEL headers on a Subaru. A big cloud of whiteish grey smoke came out the exhaust. I could also smell burning gas. I opened the hood and my exhaust manifold has a 3 inch crack in it (it’s been there for over a year) I called a mechanic he came to my house to check out my car used that code reader found out I needed a new fuel injector? (Coil) and I needed 4 new spark plugs. He replaced it all those for me the other day, he just came by today took off the cracked manifold replaced it with a new one but now it’s leaking gas from the engine again I believe? (I haven’t been home to check the car out yet he’s just texting me) so I’ll update this post when I know exactly where it’s coming from. However does anyone know what the initial problem could’ve been? Does anyone know what that could’ve or does sound like? Is it worth fixing if so? Or should I scarp my car..

Hello! To whom ever is reading this post, it’s very nice to meet you. A little bit about me:
Currently living in California but interested in getting to know someone here, Arizona (since I will be moving back there in a few months), or anywhere in the US.
Career:
I recently got out of military on the active duty side after serving 10 years, during that time I was a Canine Handler, so I’m a very big dog lover (I also like cats too haha), but now currently in the Military Reserves.
Things I Like To Do:
I enjoy road-trips, the outdoors, hiking, cooking, music (all genres), drawing, working out, and movies (especially horror). Lastly I don’t mind being a home body and enjoying the day with someone either doing an activity together, curled up on the couch binge watching a show, or hell even cleaning the house together while we dance listening to music.
Goals:
Working on plans to go to school full time for a degree in architecture or criminal justice. Also getting into business with my buddy to be a dog trainer.
What I’m Looking For:
Someone who can hold a conversation and doesn’t talk for just one or two days then just ghosts you (not trying to be rude but being blunt because there is a lot of people both men and women that do this on Reddit, if you are too busy to where you can’t send a few texts daily, or at least have the courtesy to communicate what’s going and that we will chat later that day and actually keep your word. Then please look for someone else to talk to only when your bored. I am genuinely looking for someone who wants to talk daily and enjoy the day with). Anyways, someone wanting to get to know me as much as I would like to get to know them. Hopefully having some of the same interests as I do but I don’t mind getting to know about the other person’s interests or things they like to do, that’s the fun of getting to know someone and understanding them.
Someone who is serious about wanting a relationship and knows what is needed to have one (meaning not bringing the past or ex issues into the relationship, I’m ready to find my future not dwell on my past and I expect the same from you as well). Lastly someone who is open, caring, honest, and good with communication.
If I caught your attention I would like to see where thing go (I hope I caught your attention haha). Also please be over the age of 21 and please say more than “hey” or “what’s up” tell me about yourself, hope to hear from you!

Working on a homebrew subclass, inspired by an idea from thread on here. (If something like this already exists please share!)
The basic idea is a Monk subclass that uses combo attacks based on flurry of blows, and an Improved flurry of blows that grants 3 unarmed strikes instead of 2 at lv. 11...
Similar to the battlemaster fighter, they'd choose styles instead of manuvers. The style would grant unique abilities to their flurry of blows based on the number of hits they land in a round.
Here's an example:
Frozen Lotus Style 2 hit combo: On a failed constitution save the target's movement speed is reduced to zero and cannot take reactions until the end of your next turn.
3 hit combo: On a failed constitution save the target's movement speed is reduced to zero and cannot take reactions until the end of your next turn. The target takes an additional 1d8 cold damage.
4 hit combo: On a failed constitution save the target is paralyzed until the end of your next turn. The target takes an additional 1d12 cold damage.
5 hit combo: On a failed constitution save the target is paralyzed and gains vulnerability to bludgeoning damage until the end of your next turn. The target takes an additional 1d12 cold damage.
Is this cool? does it exist? What are some other ideas?

I am graduating HS and I am not as accomplished as my boyfriend. Is this something he will feel insecure about?
Hello! I (18f) am in HS and I am graduating towards the end of the week. I met my boyfriend (17m) one night at an event in my town. I walked up to him because I had recently moved and I hardly knew anyone. He happen to be wearing a shirt from an area I used to live and I complimented it just to start conversation. I thought he was very cute as he had long hair which I find very attractive, and our little exchange was lovely. He was very kind and well mannered.
About a year later, he had seen me walking around school and recognized me as the girl from that night. He texted me on Instagram asking me if I was going to an event at the school football field and I said yes. Little by little, we talked every single day since, went on numerous dates, went out of our ways to see each other, and met both of our family's. We have dated for 8 months now and I love every second of it.
However, I feel a small bit of insecurities academic wise. From where I relocated, the education system was not the best. My siblings came from a public school where all of us were born and had taken a plunge because of the education. My boyfriend, however, has grown up here, an area where the education is much more advanced. The classrooms were smaller, the equipment was advanced, and the semester system was made in a way students get 8 class credits at the end of the year in total instead of 6 like the old school I attended. The teachers do a good job at making sure students are taking from their class, and everyone takes their education seriously. I love it because I love to learn and educate myself. I think one of the best things you can do for yourself is be knowledgeable.
My boyfriend is very intelligent. He knows lots about certain subjects and excels at them. He has taken AP classes and has done fantastic in all of them. His GPA is exceptionally high and he has postcards from universities with small acceptance percentages that are interested in him attending their schools. He is in a grade level below me, which means his grades are climbing as we speak.
I like to say I am intelligent, but I am no where near his level academic wise. My GPA is as high as I knew how to increase it. I did not take any AP classes because I was unsure of them and did not know anyone in the classes. My friends are all in the top ten of my class, and my bf is the top ten of his class. I am surrounded by intelligent people, and I am dating one. This not anything to complain about because I love to interact with them and I am very proud of them.
I worry that my bf will see me as lower because of my academic achievements. These are my own insecurities, yes, and I do not bring this up to him because of this very reason. I also fear maybe he will tell me different if he does feel this way out of kindness. But I'm not sure if this is likely considering he is very honest. But is it wrong to not bring this up? Should I talk to him about it? It's been on my mind as I am nearing graduation. Would this be something he would see me as lower for? And would this be something he would feel insecure about when dating me?
I want to emphasize that I know my own worth. I am proud of what I have accomplished considering I relocated to a new area. I got my GPA up and joined clubs because of my GPA. I do not have a golden cord, but I have medals and sashes. I also want to emphasize how very proud I am of my boyfriend. I am amazed that I am able to date someone of such achievements. He is incredibly gifted and I do not resent his for him at all. I try to encourage him when he tells me his accomplishments and his high grades because they deserve attention.
Tl;Dr I am graduating high-school and I am unsure if my boyfriend, who is very accomplished, will be insecure that I am not as accomplished as him. Should I be worried? What should I do?
Sorry this was so long!

(this has nothing to do with aroaces btw it's just something I was told, didn't know where to share it so I thought I might as well share it with you guys since I found it very interesting)
I was talking with my brother in law when we were in the drive thru of McDonald's and he was talking about his family (toxic Christians) and then he mentioned his grandparents. Apparently when he came out as gay to his family his grandma told him that she suppressed her urges and desires with women for God and that he should do it too because God loves him. That means she's a lesbian, it's actually really sad that she's that devoted (no hate to her though, crazy that she's that devoted though seriously).
Then his grandpa told his that he couldn't ever have sex with a man or suck his dick, but if had desires to it would be fine to go jerk off with his friends instead T-T (marking this a nsfw just to be safe)
I really find Christians interesting, no hate to them at all though I respect their religion (along with the many other religions).
(Also when we got all of our food from the drive thru person (can't remember what they're called) I accidentally blurted out one of my vocal stims T-T. It was 'wonderful' but in a weird voice T-T)

Before you read my ad completely and waste your time, if you are a size queen then you can check out another post.
If you are still here maybe what I say will intrigue you! I am looking for unique types of women who are in a dry spell or not much sexual experience….perhaps you are a virgin looking for her first time? 🍒🍒Unique as is in shy, awkward, introverted, insecure, small breasts, uneven breasts, inverted nipples, hirsute or very hairy, very short, or thick or very thin etc. Basically I’m looking for a woman who might feel that no one would enjoy intimacy with them. Imperfectly Perfect ;)
Why? Because I think sex should be fun and exciting and no one should be in their head so much worrying that they cannot enjoy having sex with someone else. If it also makes you feel more comfortable we could have the lights low.
So if you are a supermodel who has a lot of sex, you are NOT what I am looking for. On the other hand if you have a good attitude and chill personality and also just want mutual sexual satisfaction and are as described above or maybe something similar then by all means hit me up. Plus you know those toys and fingers just aren’t cutting it anymore.
I’m easy on the eyes, tall, few extra pounds but doesn’t show, short brown hair, light brown eyes, no facial hair, all my teeth, excellent personal hygiene, no drugs or STIs and circumcised small-average equipment below the belt. Safe Play only!! I am in town visiting friends/family so I can travel but cannot host
I am NOT interested in males or females looking for compensation.
PLEASE only reply if you are interested in eventually meeting. One word replies like “Hey” or “Hi” and/or one line sentences will most likely be ignored.

There is a lot of context that's hard to give jb a post, but I'll do my best. I have been very closely involved with this person for the last 5 years of my life, in various ways (best friends, dating, back to friends, and back to dating), and things have abruptly ended after a text I sent sounded like I was angry. She said she couldn't feel the same, she didn't want to feel the same, etc. I was very calm and understanding, I tried to explain that I want to help her, and even if it's hard, I'll work with her to fix whatever comes out way. It was refused and we broke up after a week or so, and noa I'm not sure what to do. My partner had previously had many experiences with abusive love, so I feel this was her shutting down early to prevent herself from hurt like before, and she agreed that it's possible. I haven't loved anyone like this before, and all of our connections felt instantaneously natural, and we've gotten through worse than a misunderstood text. She also said that she had some feelings for a guy friend of hers that she tried to hide and wanted to hide, not just from me, but herself as well. I'm unsure as of what to do: Do I try and make things better again? Do I wait and see where she's at? Do I drop it and continue doing my own thing? Any advice would be wonderful right now.

Has anyone here used Google's Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech API? How does the pricing work? and also what's the difference between the non-dynamic and dynamic batch speech recognition categories? Thanks in advance!

Nothing before dawn of universe. Two deities created from space dust. First good is created. Good creates evil to have a friend. Both are genderless. One is associated with good and life the other with death chaos and evil. They are friends. Both create the universe together. Evil accidentally creates death one day. Almost kills good. Good becomes horrified. Good creates a universe outside of all of time and space by warping a black hole. Good banishes evil to the pocket outside time. Good Puts spell that allows only lost stuff to enter and leave the pocket. The black hole occasionally sucks in random stuff from earth. Like if you loose your keys they temporarily go to this dimension before you find them. It’s Nicknamed the lost sock dimension. All sorts of lost things end up here. One day a doll ends up getting sucked in. Back on earth a box of books goes missing from a thrift store. Both the books and doll end up in universe. Evil Finds ancient spell book inside of box. Evil decides to escape the pocket through the doll by putting their spirit inside the doll with a spell. Does a shitty job and can’t pronounce everything in the spell. The portal sends the doll back to earth through the black hole. Cue doll ending up in thrift store. Boy finds doll and buys it as birthday gift for sister. The more insane people are driven by the doll, the more evils powers grow. Boy starts noticing there’s something weird about the doll he gave his sister. Evil decides to take over sister noticing she is a victim of bullying from kids at her school. While in the doll evil convinces boys sister to under go possession ritual. He makes a deal that she will get power beyond her dreams to overpower those who wronged her. As she grows up Evil then uses her as a vessel to have a little fun and get back at good for banishing them. With evils powers the boys sister ends up killing her bully and mentally manipulating the bully’s cronies into insanity. Meanwhile Good checks pocket outside of time. Notices black hole has grown since evil hasn’t sent stuff back to earth. Realizes evil isn’t there. Starts to panic. Finds the spell book and remnants of evils magic that leaked out of the doll due to bad spell job. Follows magic through the cosmos all the way back to earth. Finds out evil has already possessed someone. Goes back for spell book to undo everything. Book has disappeared back to earth Good recruits boy who bought doll to find the book undo the spell since it’s his own sister. Evil finds out good has come for them. Escapes earth and gifs outside of the realm of space and time while still possessing sister. Boy finds spell book has returned to the location it came from. Good uses same spell evil used and possesses boy. Boy temporarily gains the powers good has and then follows the trail of leaking magic To where evil has hidden outside space and time. The boy talks to his sister. Helps her realize that she was brainwashed into having her powers to carry out the twisted desires of evil. Sister realizes that her own fear of being hurt by others made her lash out and become the same as those who hurt her. The boy mentions the spell to undo everything. She agrees. Spell is done. Both good and evil emerge from the bodies of those who they have possessed. The boy and his sister are frozen unmoving. Good talks to evil and evil confesses that because all it had ever known was chaos And death it count help but use its powers. But since it cared so deeply for good it became devastated when it hurt good and good responded with a lack of trust and banishment. Evil hated being banished and resorted to its desires of death and chaos to feel powerful and less hurt and to get back at good for not trusting them. Deep down evil is afraid of hurting good again and feels like theirs nothing to do if death is so engrained inside of itself. It’s basically evils nature to cause death and destruction. Good reminds evil of being able to create good things and be life giving. Reminds evil they created the universe together. Good admits that pushing evil away rather than helping them figure out what to do with this accidentally found power of death was wrong. Both acknowledged that now that it’s created it must be taken care of as a part of the universe. There is now some degree of it that is needed to keep things functioning. Good tasks evil to oversee death and chaos and keep it in line. Evil promises to never hurt anyone with it again. They return the brother and sister to earth. They turn back Time with one last spell from the book to undo all the stuff that has happened and alter then timeline of the universe to have it never happen again

Hello everyone
I'm a South Australian student who has chosen to dig into some history and speculation about the Holden Brand. I’m here to reach out to like-minded individuals in car communities to receive feedback on my exploration. I apologise for the wall of text below.
The Holden brand is internationally known, but for my project, I chose to delve deep into the history to discuss and bring Holden vehicles overseas to the light, as well as explore the dozens of Holden prototype cars that never saw the market and delve into some speculative history discussing whether Holden could have survived longer if not for GM standing over it, and how the brand would have been affected if its prototypes and concept cars saw international markets.
I've chosen to research Holden’s role on the international stage; my goal for this project was to learn how Holden vehicles have been exported, rebadged, and renamed worldwide. I have looked into the Commodore and Statesman being rebadged primarily as the Chevy Lumina across Asia, Holden's seeing exportation in The UK as Vauxhall cars or even the older Holdens such as the Commodore being rebranded as an Opel in Europe, and a Chevy Kommando in Africa. Not only that, but I have also researched cars like the Holden Volt and Eco-Commodore, The Plan for Chevy to bring the VE platform to the states, and the Holden Heroes prototypes and how they could have affected the market. Does anyone have any suggestions for Overseas Holdens to discuss and research? Does anyone have any pictures, documents, or sources I can write about? I would appreciate some feedback and suggestions in the comments.
Now to my speculative section. I have written about how Holden always suffered under GM's boot and how GM had essentially purposely held Holden back, stopping it from being badged as Holden in most international markets, which affected the business worldwide. I have also discussed how Holden may still be an active manufacturer if GM had not forced it to outsource production and cull the market.
Does anyone here have some feedback on either topic or would like to express their own opinion on the subject of Holden suffering under GM's boot, or perhaps they would like to share some sources of Holden prototypes and cars overseas? Any feedback helps, and I'd like to share my project with anyone who'd be interested in reading it in its entirety.

Does anyone have any feedback or reviews on Elliott Saxby and his Kundalini Bodywork training?
I am interested in his Kundalini Bodywork courses. Particularly online as I am in Australia.
I am loathe to spend money on teachings that are not up to scratch or are merely rehashes of what can be found on Google. Been there, done that.
Not saying Elliott isn't genuine. He certainly presents as being very professional, passionate, and knowledgeable.
His websites are...
https://elliottsaxby.com/
https://kundalinibodywork.online/
Thanks in advance.

Hello! To whom ever is reading this post, it’s very nice to meet you. A little bit about me:
Career:
I recently got out of military on the active duty side after serving 10 years, during that time I was a Canine Handler, so I’m a very big dog lover (I also like cats too haha), but now currently in the Military Reserves.
Things I Like To Do:
I enjoy road-trips, the outdoors, hiking, cooking, music (all genres), drawing, working out, and movies (especially horror). Lastly I don’t mind being a home body and enjoying the day with someone either doing an activity together, curled up on the couch binge watching a show, or hell even cleaning the house together while we dance listening to music.
Goals:
Working on plans to go to school full time for a degree in architecture or criminal justice. Also getting into business with my buddy to be a dog trainer.
What I’m Looking For:
Someone who can hold a conversation and doesn’t talk for just one or two days then just ghosts you (not trying to be rude but being blunt because there is a lot of people both men and women that do this on Reddit, if you are too busy to where you can’t send a few texts daily, or at least have the courtesy to communicate what’s going and that we will chat later that day and actually keep your word. Then please look for someone else to talk to only when your bored. I am genuinely looking for someone who wants to talk daily and enjoy the day with). Anyways, someone wanting to get to know me as much as I would like to get to know them. Hopefully having some of the same interests as I do but I don’t mind getting to know about the other person’s interests or things they like to do, that’s the fun of getting to know someone and understanding them.
Someone who is serious about wanting a relationship and knows what is needed to have one (meaning not bringing the past or ex issues into the relationship, I’m ready to find my future not dwell on my past and I expect the same from you as well). Lastly someone who is open, caring, honest, and good with communication.
If I caught your attention I would like to see where thing go (I hope I caught your attention haha). Also please be over the age of 21 and please say more than “hey” or “what’s up” tell me about yourself, hope to hear from you!

I swear, I don’t get why Nintendo forces you to have to sit through Sheldon or the twins in Inkopolis talk about EVERY FUCKING WEAPON after you level up!!!! The longest I’ve had to sit through them talk WHILE BEING FAST FORWARDED, is up to 10-15 minutes. Why won’t they give us the option to skip all of it? Or they could do what they did for Splatville News and let you roam around while their text plays in the corner of the screen. It’s so stupid that they kept this pointless feature, I’d rather be forced to sit through Splatsville News every time cus that doesn’t take NEARLY as long as this bullshit. WHY IS THIS A FEATURE, NINTENDO?!?!?!?!? And when you fast forward the dialogue they definitely made it slower than in Splatoon 2 as well.

The higher self – this is an ancient concept, and it is found throughout human spirituality, religion, philosophy, and culture. But, what is it, and more importantly, “why are you talking about it in enneagram?”
The higher self is not something that you have to imagine; you can easily observe it in yourself. The higher self is most easily described first in relation to the lower selves, as they are far more immediately accessible, and together they comprise the higher self. You know them well, and talk about them regularly.
You might say, “I was thinking…” referring to the thoughts you were having. But, aren’t you your thoughts? What is this “I” that was having a thought? It is the higher self, observing the lower self known as “the Head.”
Alternatively, perhaps you will say “I was hungry.” Who is it, exactly that experiences hunger? It is the higher self, who observes hunger, and all the senses and sensations, which are the “thoughts” of the lower self known as “the Gut.”
And, of course, you might say “I felt [an emotion],” which is the higher self experiencing the lower self known as “the Heart.”
Each of these lower selves is a processing center designed to serve the higher self, which is supposed to be making intelligent decisions by examining all of their various outputs and weighing them appropriately in an integrated, intentional examination.
Each of these three lower selves has three modes it can operate under:
The Heart center has three settings. It can be set to any of these modes of processing:
2 - What should be felt
3 - What others feel
4 - What you feel
The Head center has three settings. It can be set to any of these modes of processing:
5 - What you think
6 - What should be thought
7 - What others think
The gut center has three settings. It can be set to any of these modes of processing.
8 - What you want to do
9 - What others want to do
1 - What should be done
The higher self can turn any of these on at any time, but the higher self tends to fall asleep and allow things to run on autopilot. This is why the first step to achieving any kind of growth is increasing the proportion of the time that you are self-aware, particularly in moments of stress, instead of acting on auto-pilot. Only when the higher self is active can you do anything but what you’ll always automatically do.
What is it that you always automatically do? It’s not a simple list of things, although it can sometimes appear to be that way if your situation remains consistent over a long period. But, what is happening is that while the higher self sleeps, one of the lower selves takes up position as the de facto “higher self,” and it just dominates all of your processing and experience at the expense of the rest of the lower selves.
The lower selves have the potential to work in an integrated way, all together in harmony, under the direction of the higher self, but they don’t just automatically do so as a natural part of human development. In the ordinary course of human development, the higher self does not recognize its responsibility, and simply watches as the lower selves compete for attention and control, with one center taking over broadly, and each center being dominated by one of its three modes.(this is the reason for tritype being a thing).
The de facto “higher self” cannot adequately replace the true higher self. When the de facto “higher self” tries to consider the inputs from the other lower selves, it cannot help but bias itself against them and in favor of its own output, particularly with regard to the other two in its own center. It also lacks the authority to command the other centers to allocate appropriate distributions of resources to each of their three functions, so it gets skewed inputs from the others, in addition to already being biased in evaluating them.
The degree to which the higher self has abdicated to the de facto “higher self” is measured on the scale of the “levels of health.” The more power and control the de facto “higher self” has been given, the greater the compulsive bias toward that mode the person displays in their being. This is why the less healthy a person is, the more unreasonably “their type” they become, whereas the healthier a person becomes, the more balanced and reasonable they become. It is also why in unhealthy states, a person can behave erratically, as lower selves wrest control for short periods when their concerns have been ignored for too long. It so happens that each type tends to cause a crisis for the lower self which is its “direction of disintegration,” and its wings, such that these are what will most likely be which one takes over when the core type’s lower self is screwing up too much as de facto “higher self.” They don’t do a better job taken alone, but they can, with a little luck, balance out a lot of the extremes and often can maintain a chaotic, disjointed, sometimes self-sabotaging equilibrium.
In contrast, at the highest levels of integration, all of the lower selves are being engaged and considered appropriately and cohesively, so all of the types begin to resemble each other – it is the return to the essence that all humans share – all of the potentials and possibilities of each personality type united within a single individual. When a person has fully integrated, they no longer have any type at all. They are all of the types simultaneously, with the right one in conscious focus at every appropriate moment. Such levels of integration appear godlike to us ordinary people, and indeed, centuries pass between individuals who appear to have achieved them, and their influence is felt throughout the intervening years, and far beyond.
But, though it is unrealistic that we all aspire to be as gods among men, for us mere mortals, this at least provides the path of growth and development which will take us toward those paragons of humanity. It makes it possible to comprehend how it is that such great people as have existed share a species with the rest of us, and how we can become more like them.
What are we to do? Know thyself, not once, not sometimes, but always. Do not fall into auto-pilot, but be present in every moment, choosing always deliberately and with awareness what you are processing and doing. This comes first. From there, all possibilities become potentials, and any potential you choose may become reality. This is the purpose of the enneagram: not mere classification, not mere self-knowledge, but ascension to one’s full potential – the potential we all share, each with our own classified path to find our way to. Learning about the enneagram is about awakening the higher self, developing the soul.
Your higher self is asleep, parked in your “core type.” As it wakes up more and more frequently, you become increasingly free to experience all of the other types that are part of your essential humanity, and to engage them properly with their place in your life, and more importantly, you will be capable of higher levels of processing that are unavailable to the individual lower selves. The higher self is greater than the sum of its parts, as it can provide an integrated consideration of all aspects of all things. This cognitive superpower is the birthright of all people, theoretically free to be claimed by any who will seek it persistently.
But– there’s the catch-22. Until you already sought out your birthright, which grants true persistence, how will you do anything with true persistence, such as seek it out? The lower selves forget the higher purposes, so if the higher self is sleeping, who will be awake to awaken it to the task of awakening?