Melesina

There is now a facebook page for the Freedomain Radio Chicago Meetup Group. For the latest details about past and future Chicagoland Meetups, visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/656575817730880/

Thank you, xelent, for the bump! It's much appreciated, especially since the Meetup is tomorrow (Saturday, May 10th).

Kalmia, it's listed on the FDR Meet up Event Group -----> https://www.facebook.com/groups/101535219947675/ As mentioned in the original post, all RSVP's can be made at this Meetup link -------> http://www.meetup.com/Freedomain-Radio/Chicago-IL/1146782/ Additional note: If you don't have a Meetup account to RSVP, please contact me via PM, so we can keep an accurate count for reserving tables. (How wonderful is it that we're going to need more than one table?!) Thanks and can't wait to see you there!

Looks like we're going to have a great turnout for this Meetup! There are four others that will be in attendance that aren't included on the Meetup RSVP, so the count is 11. Daniel has a table reserved for us at Local Root (thanks again Daniel for inviting us to have the Meetup there).

I started playing today, so I'm very much a newb and still learning. Mel#1800.

The Chicago Meetup held on 4/26 was amazingly fantastic; a big thank you to Keith and Laura for hosting it! In keeping the great momentum going, we've planned another Meetup for Saturday, May 10th at 2:00 p.m. It's being held at a restaurant called Local Root and is located at 601 N. McClurg, Chicago. For more info about the venue and where it's located, visit their web site at www.localrootchicago.com. And thank you to Daniel for inviting us to have it there. We're really looking forward to meeting up again for some more great conversations and also hope to meet new faces, too! Additional note, you can RSVP and keep up with the latest news on this meetup at: http://www.meetup.com/Freedomain-Radio/Chicago-IL/1146782/

I'll be there and RSVP'd. Looking forward to meeting everyone!

manormachine has a Chicago meetup planned for April 26th, 2014; details on this post: http://board.freedomainradio.com/topic/39610-chicagoland-meet-up-42614/ To date, 6 people have RSVP'd that they'll be attending (myself included).

manormachine has a Chicago meetup planned for April 26th, 2014; details on this post: http://board.freedomainradio.com/topic/39610-chicagoland-meet-up-42614/ To date, 6 people have RSVP'd that they'll be attending (myself included).

manormachine has a Chicago meetup planned for April 26th, 2014; details on this post: http://board.freedomainradio.com/topic/39610-chicagoland-meet-up-42614/ To date, 6 people have RSVP'd that they'll be attending (myself included).

Hi Kalmia! What town do you live in? We're going to try and make it as centrally located to everyone as we can. Look forward to meeting you!

You're welcome. I enjoy creating them and look forward to making more. If you need any specific memes for topics at the forefront, I'll be glad to make them first.

Here are the memes I've completed so far. I'll add more here as I get them done. I used a couple of my own photographs for backgrounds. Hopefully, I can match up some more to Stef's great quotes!

We feel the same. They're out there though, just need to continue to reach out and actively find each other. Will definitely get in touch with you once we've got it in the works. I'll send it to you via PM.

Hello BlackHeron. It's nice to meet you. I'm not sure why it took me so long to find your intro, as I often look for other FDR members from the Chicago/Illinois area. I live just over an hour to the west of Chicago. My son and I are planning to put together a meetup this spring, once this winter weather passes. I'll send you details later, if you'd be interested in joining in.

Hi and welcome! I'm from the Chicagoland area; a little over an hour outside Chicago. It's nice to meet you, too.

The message, the art...well done. it was an emotional experience for me to watch it's creation. Though I can't explain why definitively, I was brought to tears while watching the video. The music maybe? The sadness of war? The deep thought I know you must have put in to conveying the message through your art form? Yes, yes, and yes. And most likely more on which I need to reflect. Thank you for sharing.

I would ask the question, is it necessary to make it a competition in order to encourage people to participate? I, for one, would be willing to participate simply to be able to share and receive input from others. The idea of creating a common place to share one's art (whatever form it might take), is an excellent one! It certainly has me considering what online venues there might be to accomodate an assembly of fellow FDR member's artistry all in one place. It seems when things get posted on the boards, the postings can get lost in time and even unwieldy (as in no way to organize the great things that people will potentially share). Wes, I'd enjoy discussing this with you further and, if you'd like, I'd be glad to do some research along the lines of my idea for any options which would deem a look at.

Stephen, Lians, Wesley, Cherapple, Xelent: Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. It's good to know I'm not the only one to experience this and that it's a natural part of the process. Lians, “rebuilding my inner world” is a good way of putting it, as that's exactly what's happening. I can tell I've made progress, because I've reached a point where I have compassion with each voice within me. They are all me and deserve to be heard and understood. I'm being gentle with myself; which in turn has made me feel very vulnerable to everything external and an instinct to protect is prevalent. This likely has a great deal to do with spending time staying safe at home and not venturing out; though this is the first time this reasoning has occurred to me. Maybe the 'living' are around me, but I'm not seeing them yet because I'm still trying to see and recognize myself. Yes, Wesley, recognizing the relationships in one's life that aren't real is a difficult part of this journey. My previous friendships died a silent death. My romantic relationship died a prolonged agonizing awakening of being very much in the wrong place. This would also be the case for my 30 year marriage that ended nearly six years ago. My inner critic can be a handful where this type of relationship is concerned, as it's her favorite chime to tell me that “there are over 7 billion people in the world, yet not one of them is a match for you”. These days when she says it, I give her a long reassuring hug and say, “He's out there, we simply haven't met yet. Be patient. There is much personal growth that needs to be made before you'll even recognize him.” My relationship with my parents is strained, primarily with me internally because I won't defoo. That was a decision I made early on and the reason being that they're too elderly to make having that conversation be effectual. Also, they've announced they're ready to downsize and fully retire. As an only child (and being the person who owns the home they're living in) it falls to me to make this happen. My relationship with my children is the one thing that gives me hope. My son is the one who introduced me to FDR and for two years now we've been having consistent ongoing discussions about FDR and our relationship with one another. My daughter is now also participating in the discussions and beginning to read the books and listen to podcasts. During this time, I found out I'm going to be a grandma for the first time. We are together fully embracing the past, present, and future. The future is brighter because we've all three taken the red pill. Which brings a question to mind...why do I feel isolation? I've been sitting here giving that considerable thought. My first response is that it's entirely internal isolation. Cherapple, while working through my IFS, a recurring feeling pops up of being excluded...of experiencing countless episodes throughout my childhood and adult life of being left out. The answer is currently eluding me, but my IFS and I will continue to work that one out internally and I feel I'm very close to figuring it out. A longing persists of wanting to be a part of something.….okay, that statement gave me chills. So many times, I've heard Stef ask people during podcasts if something he says gives them chills. Xelent, apparently analyzing something by saying it or writing it down truly does give clarity...light bulb moment... I am NOT alone. The living are indeed already around me. I AM a part of something; something so big I was only seeing the leaf on the tree and not the entire tree. My children and my grandchild...they ARE the living and the most important 'something'. Having embraced the journey together with all that FDR encompasses is...beautiful...Absolutely Beautiful! At this moment I feel a sense that a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I know and recognize I have many more internal strides to make; each day will continue to be a process of growth. This step of inquiry and reflection has been a big one and has brought with it a sense of renewal. It may be a blustery, winter day outside, but the sun is shining through my windows! Thank you all for helping me to reason through this vital step.

Good point, Stephen. I'll need to ponder that one. Does that mean I really am alone as I feel? If so, that would mean I'm not depressed, but merely displaced from those with whom we could enrich each other's lives meaningfully.

I'm writing to inquire if I'm in a healthy place or even on the right path. After reading UPB, RTR, and On Truth, I embarked on listening to podcasts. After 100+ (which I know isn't many), I decided to take action and embark on an exploration of my IFS. Upon doing so, I quickly became disinterested in many things around me. I no longer want to watch movies or documentaries, music can make me extremely emotional, and other than being around co-workers during a work day, there is no social life. I should mention that this timeframe saw the end of a 2 ½ year relationship with my boyfriend. I'm not seeing a therapist, as this isn't something I can financially afford right now, so I'm trying to do this on my own. However, my fear is that I've slipped into a state of depression. I first felt this might be the case, when I kept having this recurring thought that there isn't any point in trying to socialize, as it would be a waste of time since most people around me in my daily round are ghosts. Is it normal to isolate one's self while in this process?

Joel, I'm extremely touched by your kind thoughtfulness to do research to help me find answers to my inner sibling inquiry. The response you received back has been very insightful for me. I do feel I have an inner sibling and the response helped provide an explanation in a perspective that I find understandable and makes it much more clear; especially the part about the "sibling which turns out to be a young part taking on a role not intended for it". The piece about interviewing our subselves by Pete Gerlach may be just the advice I need to take my first step. I plan to spend some time this evening trying to focus on a memory of that part and how it felt. The extra effort you put in has been a help and is much appreciated! Thank you! Ster, I'm not very familiar with Jungian archetypal characters...yet. It sounds quite interesting. Is there a specific book I can get to find out more about this?

Thank you for the link, Wesley.

Sasha, is the article available to read online? It would be interesting to read the entire article, if you could provide a link.

Dave, No, she didn't. Nor against the doctor. She indicated that people didn't pursue anything like that back then.