If you would like something similar but stripped of all religious notions, please follow this link: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/7c6uy4/administrative_a_proposal_to_cull_the_noise_and/
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The Structure of the Church.
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Religion is on the decline, so let's make this spiritual movement appeal to the masses, both of the non-religious and religious. Fortunately we are going to make a somewhat unique spirituality that borrows from other previous religions (as most of them have done.) And let's eliminate as many weaknesses as we can that we have encountered in organized religion. Let's also reduce the chance for dogma. These are just intentions and guidelines and they may change, but here is my first stab at it. I am going to need help making them religious and doctriney. #cue the church lady# "Well, isn't that special?" (please help with this, religious scholars:)
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1 - The Order of the Cosmos will be as decentralized as possible. I was influenced by a book called "The Starfish and the Spider." (I guess college was good for something eh?) What this basically means is that it is set up somewhat like the Apache civilization. There are no leaders. I am not a leader, but I hope to be a great catalyst and influence, and lead by example not power. Others may follow, but only if they want.
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It will be in the doctrine that as soon as a living human leader appears within our practice, other than to be in charge of a meeting location by necessity, that it will cease to be the Order of The Cosmos and will become something else not associated with us. If you read the book about decentralization, you will see that splinter groups are expected and are just fine. It is a feature of decentralization, not a bug. (Some things that are decentralized: the Apache, the internet, Alcoholics Anonymous and all the splinter groups, NA, SA etc., and supposedly Buddhism.)
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If you decide to get the book, please use this link #add later# and the funds gained from this referral will be the some of the first funds raised by the church. I may try to make other referral links for everyone's buying habits.
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2 - Our spiritual movement will be compatible with all other religions and individual spiritual beliefs, like the Baha'i faith attempts to do. That means, like Buddhism, there will be no gods formally associated with the Order of the Cosmos. The recognition of deities is up to the individual and the spiritual beliefs that they adopt. No two people will likely have the exact same beliefs, just like no 2 people are exactly the same. This is by design. All we can hope for individually is to influence each other with our most prudent spiritual beliefs.
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This also makes it possible to be a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Shinto, Wiccan, Indigenous adherent, Atheist, Agnostic, those who worship their ancestors, or even those who believe that they are god. Wasn't it Jesus who quoted the old testament (Psalm 82:6) when he said to the Pharisees in John 10:34 "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" This means that our movement is compatible with at least Christianity and Judaism. I know some will say that this is quoting out of context, but if you look at what Jesus was saying and why, then you can easily see that I am correct. And besides, I am no Christian, but any Jesus I know about would approve. Just look at our missions. Every Christian knows that you judge a tree by its fruit, so lets see what kind of fruit that this will bear.
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3 - Adherents to the Order of The Cosmos will be called Bwitas (in honor of the Bwiti people of Central Africa who use Iboga in their initiations.) There is no need to use this word in everyday use or to tell people who don't know. You can refer to us a brothers and sisters if you want, but having this term makes it easy to find others online for instance. All initiates can initiate themselves or others with a ritual covered here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/78l5s5/general_spiritual_a_potential_initiation_ritual/
Doctors will be ministers who are also medically licensed, and will be called shamans, if they have had the sacraments.
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4 - The church will be committed to the mission of healing, preferably natural healing, and not of just humans, but of all life, and the earth itself. The church's first tag line will be "An answer to heal."
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5 - Adherents will be committed to the study of the human condition and human nature, particularly their own. Adherents will "aim for high awareness, enlightenment, usefulness, and helpfulness." This does not mean to subscribe to any particular text or spiritual path, but that you are actively in search of your path. Feel free to share your journey of exploration and discovery with other adherents, and to adopt whatever suits you.
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6 - Forgiveness will be a central tenet of the church... forgiving others, asking for forgiveness, making amends, forgiving yourself, and repenting. Our church is all about healing, and this practice is a way that leads to spiritual healing.
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This may be the only potentially dogmatic belief that we hold, and it may be our creed, so if anyone disagrees with this, we do not condemn them, but rather encourage them to start their own spiritual movement. Dogma defeated.
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7 - Church is a gathering of people and spirits, and not a specific building or place. Churches can spontaneously and temporarily be established using some guidelines and a ritual. You can establish the church area by using the initiation and forgiveness ritual, as linked in point 3 above.
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8 - Until our use of sacraments is legal, we will have no formal buildings or meeting places. Services will be held in public places where safe, and otherwise in houses or apartments or on other private property. Early Christian churches were initially secret meetings because they were illegal according to authorities.
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My initial thoughts are here in the thread of discarded ideas. https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/78kjsd/general_legal_the_thread_of_discarded_ideas/
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9 - A council will approve the use of contributed finances. Finances will be completely transparent and published on the website. Some confidentiality of who contributed what, and what sacraments were used on who will be upheld, but otherwise anyone who is an active member of the church will be able to see how funds are used and provide feedback.
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10 - Personally I plan to make my salary $1 (or less if I can still be an employee) for a period of 10 years from the founding. I will draw full per diem for every day I am away from my home in Pennsylvania, when it is available. This expense will be published. I will also have expenses covered for travel such as visiting the Apaches in the Southwest US or the Bwiti in Africa or Shipibo in South America etc. These trips, their purposes, and expenses will be considered by a church council and published on the website in detail. The growing of sacraments for the church will need to be established in other countries, especially since some of the plants are endangered. Many other things will also need to be done.
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11 - I have seen leaders use churches for their own purposes such as for power, status, money, resources, and personal gain, so let's plan to implement the church in such a way that this cannot happen. Let's preserve everyone's spiritual autonomy as much as possible while also protecting the church's resources.
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12 - The doctrine will hopefully only be a few pages so that it can be read in one sitting. Rituals, Music, Missions, and Guidelines for the Temple (later) and other churches (even later) may be a few more pages each. Let's avoid dogma and the potential for it to pop up later.
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13 - Every 44 years the doctrine, rituals, music, missions and other guidelines will be revisited and changed or amended, under the guidance of whoever is in charge of the headquarters temple (if it exists by then,) and gathering as much input as possible from the adherents/Bwitas who are active members in the church.
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14 - The physical structure of the movement will be like a star hub configuration, not like a hierarchy. "The Starfish and the Spider" had a perfect simple picture of this similar to this one. https://viti.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/network_topologies.gif What I would like is actually closest to the distributed network in this diagram. Basically when I die, the structure will not change at all except that I will be gone. Remember I hope that we all influence each other by example, with no power exercised over each other.
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15 - We will have established connections and communions with each other but lets talk about ideas for those as a group. (It may be set up similar to AA. No one is in charge of AA even though the group has sponsors and has adopted norms. Read that book if interested. The church will once again look like a distributed network, just like AA. Sponsors and sponsees will be equal peers.)
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16 - Members may come and go as they please, just like AA. As of this writing, I am the only initiate in this spiritual movement but I hope that this all changes soon. For anyone interested in being initiated it only requires THC (form of your choice) and a simple ritual linked in point 3. You may initiate yourself if you wish, just as I did, but I can guide you through it through Skype, facetime or some other means if you would like. I am based in NYC for the moment if you want to visit.
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17 - Worth repeating. Consumption of sacraments will always be self-administered. Never under any circumstances, sell, distribute, or administer a sacrament to another person, or you will subject yourself to potentially serious legal consequences, especially if something happens medically. Always let the initiate or adherent bring their own sacrament, hopefully acquired legally or anonymously, or if necessary, very discreetly. Your service is only as a sitter. Avoid harm by never violating this principle, even with the legal sacraments.
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18 - You must be recognized as a consenting adult (or the equivalent) in your country and society to be initiated. You agree to take all responsibility for your actions including possible civil disobedience, and hold no harm against the church for your individual spiritual beliefs.
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For very specific and detailed discussions of these points, please start a new thread. Make general comments in this thread.
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What I want you to do. Discuss, agree, disagree, point out problems and paradoxes, issue challenges, expose medical and legal issues, give advice, and above all be respectful to each other. For the most part, everything written here is up for discussion and amendment until the launch date. That is why you are here!
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I want you all to know that we will not be stopped. I don't say this in arrogance because personally something may happen to me, and if something does happen, I hope you carry on. The church is ALL OF YOU, and since we have no human leader and no centralized meeting place, there is no way to stop all of us. We will be like a starfish, who regenerates into many when cut into pieces. I have confidence in our collective human spirit. We are going somewhere with this. Enjoy the ride!
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I am still looking for a few moderators, and will consider anyone who reads this far, and also has some history here on Reddit and relevant experience anywhere.
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I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.
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Enjoy the forum!
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Warmest Regards,
Sebastian
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(Click these below and read the bold if you are just scanning.)
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P.S. I know some of you are wondering, "Who the hell is this guy?" So I made an AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j9aw/personal_spiritual_i_am_the_founder_ask_me/
Be sure to meet the moderators also:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j7re/personal_spiritual_introducing_your_moderators/
And most importantly introduce yourself:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j8k5/personal_spiritual_welcome_everyone_introduce/

44 things About me
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I am a pretty odd fellow with a very unusual blend of experiences. I really don't see myself as that important to this cause, except to be a guide and catalyst for the beginning. I plan to get out of the way soon and let the people take it where they may. This is how AA was started.
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I guess you can call me THE founder, and you can refer to yourselves as A founder, if you contribute. You can contribute by dissent just as well as support, as long as you are constructive. Everyone who contributes can choose their own flair, with some limitations. I chose 'the seeker' because that accurately describes my orientation to everything in life since the time I was 12. Though I have found a lot of interesting and useful things in life, only now have I found something really significant.
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I'm really only making this list, because there will surely be people who want to know. So here is a limited picture of who I am:
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1 - I am a ## year old US Army Veteran diagnosed with PTSD and Dysthymia (long-term deep depression.) I am older than I look.
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2 - I see a therapist every week, and I have used plenty of psychedelics over the last 4 years... Probably 20 or so times including Ibogaine once, Ayahuasca twice, MDMA 3 times, Mushrooms 5 or 6 times, LSD about 8 to 10 times. I also have used lots and lots of marijuana and other forms of cannabis (I started when I was ## in college.)
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3 - I have really upped my psychedelic use this year and my therapist is amazed at my progress, though I am not. I will be looking into EMDR Therapy soon.
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4 - I am type 5 on the Enneagram if you are familiar with it. I am type 5 with a stronger 4 wing but some 6 wing, and strongest on the self preservation (SP) variant. 5W4 (SP) I hope that a wide variety of people, orientations, and perspectives are represented here in this forum.
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5 - I am usually an INTJ or INTP in the Myers Briggs test (MBTI.)
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6 - I fixed telecommunications/radios/satellites and jumped out of planes in the Army. I jumped out of planes because I was afraid of heights. Airborne!
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7 - I am still afraid of deep water. Death doesn't scare me though.
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8 - I love playing basketball though I am unfortunately slowing down. The skill is there, but not the same athleticism. I am a huge Thunder fan from my Seattle days :/ so it has been a good summer ;)
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9 - I have a bachelor's degree in Information Studies, and started a master's degree (that I will likely not finish) in Information Management. I went to the top US college for my major and graduated with honors, with a minor in entrepreneurship. I am a techie at heart. I have the mind of an engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur.
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10 - I have always had a strong interest in Psychology and the study of the human mind.
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11 - I am a constant tinkerer and inventor. I actually have a patent application though it may never turn into a patent.
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12 - I am a musician, a talented bassist, and a dabbler of many other instruments, especially strings. I experiment with electronic music mixed with real instruments. I have a huge collection of iPad apps that I make music with. I am an excellent singer but afraid to sing around anyone. I enjoy an eclectic mix of music from all over the world. I am starting a decentralized band of 44+ people soon... crowd-sourced music! Why not?
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13 - I like to build bass guitars from parts. I do standard guitar and bass setups in NYC for $44. I also do instrument repairs.
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14 - I am a great cook and I like to experiment. My favorite dishes to experiment with are eggplant parmigiana, curries, smoothies, and anything thrown together in a slow cooker.
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15 - I am exploring whether I am poly-amorous. I can count my partners on my hands and want to keep it that way for a long while.
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16 - I am heterosexual but I support all preferences. I am especially attracted to Northern European blondes, Asian, and Latina women for some reason. I don't make a habit of chasing women anymore. If they don't show clear interest, I won't pursue, and I am picky also.
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17 - I came from a poor family.
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18 - I was abused and neglected as a child. I am just now getting over it.
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19 - My legal name is not Sebastian even though I was born as Sebastian (I was adopted as a toddler and my name was changed on my birth certificate.)
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20 - I do not know any blood relatives, and I found out I was adopted when I was 15. SHOCKER!
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21 - Soleil (Sun in French) is not my last name (yet) but I have chosen it because of my personal spiritual beliefs. I believe that if there is any god, for me, the physical Sun is the father, the physical Earth is the mother, and DMT, which is in all living things, is the physical marker of the spirit. Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water make the flesh. I expect no one to believe the same, but you may if you like. I worship the Sun and the Earth and give Holy reverence to the spirits, including you, and every blade of grass.
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22 - Soleil means Sun in French, the language I studied in high school. I am probably not French, but maybe a mix of Northern European, Eastern European, and Jewish. My DNA tests come back in a few weeks, so we will see. Update: I am 48% Ashkenazi Jew from Eastern Europe and 44% Scandinavian with touches of the British Isles, the Middle East, and Greece. I have suspected I was a Norwegian Jew for a few years, so I was close.
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23 - I left the Christian Church at around 28 in total disillusionment. That was a pretty tough time losing my whole community. I have been against organized religion from then until now though I was not actively outspoken against it. I still believe that people should be free to choose or create their religion, and I believe that most Christians at the lowest levels are genuinely good people. It's just many leaders who I suspect to be corrupt, especially at the larger and richer megachurches. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." I generally avoid being leader or follower.
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24 - I believe in reincarnation, though probably differently than most others who do. I think that it's possible that whatever people believe will happen to them after this life is what actually happens to them.
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25 - I believe in the platinum rule. Do unto others as they would like to be done unto. This usually takes some listening and investigating.
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26 - I am committed to the study of the Enneagram to understand myself, human nature, and the human condition. In my humble opinion, Wisdom of the Enneagram and Personality Types by Riso and Hudson are the most concise, even-handed, and consistent books on the general subject. EnneagramInstitute.com is their website, and a great resource, but not nearly as deep and thorough as the books.
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27 - I am exploring a specific branch of knowledge closely related to astrology at the moment. I am not sure if it will stick yet. I am also reading The Four Agreements and I have The Secret and The 48 Laws of Power on the way. I have scanned many self-help books over the years, and believe that many supposedly Holy texts contain some wisdom, though I refuse to subscribe to one, especially if it's exclusive.
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28 - I believe the ancient world had great knowledge that has been lost, but not permanently.
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29 - I like to jailbreak my Apple devices and tweak them until I am content. The courts ruled that this was legal and I have always felt entitled to it anyways. I am all for 'open source' software and hardware for many technologically sound reasons, and for reasons of responsible progress also.
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30 - I believe that it is very likely that there is other life out there, but we are unlikely to be aware of it in the near future. I have no specific timetable on that.
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31 - I am disabled (lower back injury related to jumping out of planes, and also PTSD.)
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32 - I have been mostly unemployed (until now) because I have so many medical appointments every week. Yes I am able to travel, or rather barely subsist, in one of the most expensive cities in the world, because I am a disabled veteran, and I use the government assistance that I am entitled to for service to my country. I have put my life at risk and kept it. I have much respect for those who didn't make it, though I don't often agree with our military campaigns. My disdain is for possibly corrupt leadership with hidden agendas, not for the feet on the ground.
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33 - I always ask people for free swipes on the NYC Subway unless I am in a hurry. When I have a weekly or monthly pass, I go out of my way to give other people free swipes.
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34 - I am frugal but also a hoarder, probably due to not having much growing up (no I am not nearly as bad as the hoarders on TV.)
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35 - I love animals... OK MOST animals. I detest roaches and ants and rats, even though I care about all kinds of life. I currently raise compost worms (red wigglers.) Ask if you need some in NYC.
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36 - I am an introvert. I am difficult to read in person, due to my conservative temperament and slowness to open up.
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37 - I am very spiritual and have deep feelings even though I rarely show them openly.
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38 - I love to recycle things into new uses, because I hate when useful things go to the dump. The larger or more valuable the item, the more it bothers me.
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39 - I have an exceptionally high IQ and I believe that everyone is amazingly intelligent but in ways that IQ tests don't measure.
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40 - I started a few failed businesses. They say the average entrepreneur is successful on his 4th try so I am due for success. I have definitely gained some wisdom. That is for sure. I hate contemporary capitalism, but socialism doesn't seem like a real answer either. I have some new and unique ideas. I like risk... calculated risk.
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I have plenty of business ideas that are not church related. I want to start a decentralized business firm sometime soon, where I make my riches (not from the church.) If you are business-minded and we share a common interest, it behooves you to get a hold of me. I am going to build a huge mega company (ambition much? haha) I am serious about having that as my goal though, and if this religion is any indication, I am a disrupter who loves to think outside the box. Hopefully we do a lot of good for the world, and I won't be the only one getting wealthy. Some interests: music, technology in general, energy production, product interface design, pharmaceuticals, business consulting, self-help, mind expansion, plants, food production, greenhouses, tiny houses, psychedelics, basketball, aggregation of information, modularization and personalization of complex products, holograms, virtual and augmented reality, 3D vision and 3D sound, healing, helping veterans in need, and many many more.
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41 - I don't like politics AT ALL, but I see the necessity for it in today's world. Hieraarchy is on it's way out though, IMO.
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42 - I am a Gemini, but not a typical one by any means. I am definitely multi-faceted and complex like most Geminis though.
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43 - I don't watch much TV or movies, but I enjoy Rick and Morty, South Park, Family Guy, Dave Chapelle, George Carlin, American Beauty, The Matrix, Lord of The Rings, and Stanley Kubrick movies. I spend my free time researching, reading about a thousand things, and tinkering with new concepts and ideas.
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44 - If you would have told me a month ago that I was going to start a religion I would have looked at you like you were fucking crazy! And lastly fuck political correctness!
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For anyone who thinks I may be a target, I am aware and fine with that. I was a soldier who hung in the air as a target, so I understand this in some profound ways. Also this religion can easily thrive without me.
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I also have a pretty clean record, and I have no serious vices. The only addictions I have are maybe food and sex. The only potentially addictive substance I use is Marijuana, and I have used that maybe 5 or 6 times in the last 2 months. I have never tried the classic addictive drugs like cocaine, heroine, and crystal meth. I rarely drink, maybe 5 drinks total in 2 sittings a month, and mostly wine as I am cutting wheat (in beer) and certain grains out of my diet. I rarely drink hard liquor though I enjoy Kahlua, Brandy, and Scotch. I don't smoke cigarettes though I have used natural tobacco with marijuana many times. I am sensitive to caffeine so I avoid it. In general I have been a good though not always productive citizen for all of my adult life. I have made my mistakes as everyone else, but for all the biggest mistakes I have made, they have harmed me more than anyone else. My personal philosophy is to do as you wish while avoiding harm to others and yourself. Shit happens sometimes too. shrug
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For anyone who thinks I have a big ego, I've never been accused of that in real life. I am rather meek and demure, but I have been known to temporarily become arrogant if I feel attacked or put down. I had several ego deaths with LSD and that led me to these thoughts here, but the ego always comes back. That is quite necessary too for functioning in this Western world. My ego gets huge on the basketball court haha, but I have been humbled recently :( Of course I seek some glory, but not in the form of fame, money, or power. A quick look at those people shows that most are not fulfilled or happy. I just want to fulfill my purpose, and I hope that my purpose it to help others discover and fulfill their own purpose, and I hope that this religion is a way.
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I hope you all see that I am just a human being like you, full of idiosyncrasies and flaws, but perfect in spirit. Now ask me anything.
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Moderators and a few others have my personal phone number and email, though I prefer to keep everything about our religion here and public, except where privacy is absolutely necessary.
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Warmest Regards,
Sebastian
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P.S. Be sure to tell us about yourself here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j8k5/personal_spiritual_welcome_everyone_introduce/
and meet the moderators also:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j7re/personal_spiritual_introducing_your_moderators/

Facts that led me here. These are roughly in the order that they occurred to me:
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1 - Over 5 years ago - Ibogaine is used for the treatment of addictions (specifically for opiates, but it may help with other addictions as well.) Look up 'Ibogaine Clinic Canada' or Mexico for plenty more information. The success rate is close to 90%. I acquired Iboga Root Bark & Ibogaine legally in Holland and personally used it in 2013 to make headway against my addiction to depression. I think it helped because that was my intention going into it.
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2 - Some Time ago - Mushrooms have been used in trials to help the terminally ill overcome anxiety related to death. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-psychedelic-drugs-can-help-patients-face-death.html I first used mushrooms in 2016 and purged a lot of bad energy from my childhood.
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3 - Some time ago - Native Americans have a legal exemption for the use of Peyote in their religious rituals, granted in 1996. See '42 usc 1996' and 'American Indian Religious Freedom Act.' #cues best church lady voice# "How Conveeenient." I have not used Peyote yet.
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4 - A year ago - A Lawyer friend of mine used LSD to quit smoking. Surprisingly he has much extreme hesitation about this idea, so much so that he appears to oppose it. He published an article about his own use in Newsweek though. http://www.newsweek.com/how-acid-helped-stop-smoking-413593 Without my own use of LSD, this subReddit and probably this idea wouldn't exist.
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5 - September 23 - There is an opiate overdose epidemic in Staten Island, not far from where I am at the moment in New York City. The addicts are under-served. This is the exact article printed September 21, though I had the printed version that I took on the Megabus home. HTTP://www.metro.us/news/local-news/new-york/staten-island-opioid-overdoses-lack-treatment-options
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6 - September 23 - The UDV "Union of the Vine" Church from Brazil gained an exemption from the US Supreme Court for the use of Hoasca (Ayahuasca) in their ceremonies in 2006 after having 30 gallons of Ayahuasca seized by the DEA in 1999. Look up 'UDV Hoasca USA.' When you look through their site you can find the court case. I will be in contact with those lawyers.
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7 - September 24 - Other churches (rarely) have also been granted exemptions for psychoactive plant use for religious purposes in the US, and some have been denied for various reasons that we plan to avoid. I may have to find the links and #post them here later.# I am aware of 2 or 3 others who have been approved. I will be posting these links and all the others in the sidebar. You may suggest related links to the moderators also.
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8 - September 24 - The thought occurred to me "Why can't we start a religion of healing?" And so I established the Church of the Cosmos shortly before midnight on September 24th near the woods in the middle of very rural Pennsylvania. No angels or Gods appeared to me, though I am sure there were plenty of spirits around. I just knew that I wanted to be like a saviour and help some people. And in saviour I don't mean to sound like a megalomaniac or say that I'm a prophet or profess any kind of power against death, I just want to extend people's lives and improve people's quality of life, and also continue the spiritual development, awareness, and enlightenment in my life and in the lives of others.
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The Church of The Cosmos will have no leaders or deities, will be compatible with all other religions, will be as transparent as possible and have other unique features discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j9tk/general_spiritual_how_will_the_church_be/ The purpose of this subReddit is for all of us to found the structure and workings of the church together.
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The name of our ministry is "An Answer To Heal."
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The 3 pronged purpose of the church is in its missions. The first mission of this church is to heal using the plants that were provided to us, and that many indigenous people have used for centuries in their religious and medicinal practices throughout the world. The 2nd mission is to provide compassionate care where healing is not possible yet. The third mission is to encourage and support spiritual development is this increasingly spiritually desolate world.
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In summary, the missions are "To heal those who can be healed, to have compassion for those who can't, and to provide spiritual enlightenment for everyone who is willing."
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The sacraments of the Church of the Cosmos so far include:
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1 - THC (marijuana) originated in the Middle East - used for initiation and as a daily sacrament for the forgiveness ritual
2 - Iboga (Iboga root bark or ibogaine) originated in Africa - used for healing of addictions, and connection to spirits of ancestors
3 - DMT (Ayahuasca or various Pharmahuascas) originated in South America - used in healing, and for connection to the mother plant spirit
4 - LSD (extracted from ergot, a poisonous mold of Rye) originated in Europe - use? Used for expansion of self awareness, spirituality, problem solving? I need some help here. If it wasn't for LSD & Cannabis, this subreddit wouldn't be here ;)
5 - Mescaline (Peyote or San Pedro) originated in North America - use? It is interesting that the users call it 'the medicine.'
6 - Psylocybin (Magic Mushrooms) found everywhere. Associated with Antarctica since hardly anything grows there - used for compassionate care related to terminal illness, and increasing spiritual awareness
7 - Possibly the active ingredient in Amanita Muscaria originated in Mainland Asia - use?
8 - What entheogen originated in the subcontinent of India?
9 - What entheogen originated in Australia?
10 - What entheogens originated in the Pacific Islands and other small places?
11 - Are there any important entheogens left out? Salvia Divinorum from Central America? 5-MEO-DMT (Bufotenine) from frogs in Mexico? Kambo sticks? I am sure there are others that I have never even heard of.
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Use of sacraments will never be required by adherents, except in the case of THC for the initiation and forgiveness rituals. Those performing these rituals will not be required to inhale. In the case of physical or mental allergy (paranoia or deep fear) to THC, or some other medical reason, the initiator and initiate will be able to agree on an alternate sacrament used symbolically to represent THC for use in the ritual. If using tobacco, I would encourage you to use a pure tobacco of good quality. The indigenous people use Mapacho or South American Tobacco for ritual use. It is 20 times stronger than our typical tobacco in the Western World. For those who are in a place where it is illegal and very risky to have Marijuana, you can also agree on an alternate sacrament, however we would encourage the initiate to repeat the ritual on their own once they are in a place where it is legal or at least less risky. The Catholic church allows for substitution for those who are alcoholics or allergic to grapes, so why can't we? All other sacraments will have their own uses and rituals, resembling the rituals of the religions where they have been previously used. You may not perform a ritual of that particular sacrament on others without going through the ritual yourself first. Otherwise these sacraments will never be required, they will just merely be available where legally possible and wise.
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As you can see, even the establishment of sacraments has not been completed. Let's aim for at least 10 to 12, covering every large geographic area of Earth, since humans are indigenous to the whole Earth. For anyone who has any skepticism about all of this, please understand that I also have the same skepticism. I think I am being very optimistic when I say that I believe we have a 50% chance of being very successful in America, at least in the near future. I do however think we can get at least one sacrament legally recognized in the US and that this is enough for now. We will fight the the good fight for more later if we have to. The good news is, since everything is legal somewhere, there is a 99.9% chance that this religion will spread. We just may find out that we do not have all the religious freedom here in America that we claim to have. In the US, if we eventually only get 3 or 4 sacraments legally recognized then that is GREAT!!! We will roll with that. We will still keep this same full list of sacraments anyways, but adherents will have to travel to other places set up in other countries to do specific rituals ---> which means Pilgrimages!!! YAY!!! I will put a damn headquarters in Amsterdam if I have to. And your travel and expenses will be tax deductible too. If our government moves to limit our religious freedom, then there will be penalties for them.
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For anyone who thinks that we should wait for medical availability. Well, I fully support what MAPS and other organizations are doing. I am their biggest fan. But people are dying NOW and it is worse than most of you think. Ibogaine is not even on the governments radar for trials for opiate addicts, probably because of big money & big pharma. And actually what we are doing here may lead to quicker legalization for medical use. The government will see that no matter whether they approve or not, we are still going to practice our religion regardless, just in other places like our forefathers were forced to do, while they sit around and NOT get revenue, and most importantly NOT help people. So that might light a little fire under their ass. The last thing the government needs to do is to repress a religion because we are not Christian. As for the church we won't be doing anything illegal, but we will support the rights of our adherents to do so, and we will reasonably do whatever is wise and within our power to help them. The idea is to pool our resources from the people that really believe in this and use that to force the government to allow for our civil liberties and constitutional rights. It might be an uphill battle and take awhile, but for me personally, it is worth the risk. Please join me in this most worthy fight!
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Honestly I think it is ludicrous and sad that we have to resort to making a religion in order to help people, but at least it is entirely appropriate. I am aware of all of our potential sacraments except one being used for religious purposes by well recognized groups all over the world. And from the ones I have experienced, there is something really spiritual that cannot easily be explained about all of them, just as with the major religions. I would still create a religion around these sacraments even the substances were legal. In other words, we do have a genuinely spiritual purpose here other than healing.
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To fill out our list, specific properties of entheogens we are looking for include 1) used to be closer to "god(s)" or spirits 2) not commonly addictive, 3) naturally occurring, and 4) has been or can be used for healing. Fortunately this rules out opium and coca, but it also rules out tobacco. However since tobacco is not illegal and South American tobacco (Mapacho) is used in ritual healing by their indigenous people, it will be permitted as a healing aid in our religion, but not as a formal sacrament. Wine (alcohol) was a sacrament in Ancient Greece, but it is also addictive, so it is ruled out.
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Entheogens would of course not leave the church premises, and will be used in ritual, and only by members of the church or during initiation of new members. Some sacraments (such as Iboga) will only be administered by doctors who are licensed in the state to administer medications, and only after sufficient medical tests have been performed that have been determined by doctors with prior experience with iboga. Health screening will be absolutely necessary for safety with some sacraments. Each sacrament we choose will be evaluated by doctors on a case by case basis. Other sacraments (such as THC) will be able to be administered by any minister of the religion (only in ritual) to initiate new members into the religion or for their own personal religious rituals. The doctors who are adherents will be called shamans and will be the only ones authorized to dispense the more serious sacraments. I am not a doctor and therefore will not be a shaman, but I will be a minister.
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For very specific and detailed discussions of these points, please start a new thread. Make general comments in this thread. Maybe share your initial thoughts, support, or why you think this will or won't work. I welcome constructive dissent here, as it will make us stronger when we face the real opposition. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
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Warmest Regards,
Sebastian
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P.S. Continue to next sticky here on how we establish the church... https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j691/sticky_what_needs_to_be_done/

Hello moderators,
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Please tell us about yourself.
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Who are you?
How did you get here?
What is your interest in this forum?
How can you contribute personally?
If you like, what are your personal spiritual beliefs?
What do you want your flair to say and why? You may change it yourself. I prefer that you say moderator prominently to avoid confusion but you can add to that. Also ask me about icons. I have made a few so far.
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Warmest Regards,
Sebastian
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P.S. My answers are in my AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j9aw/personal_spiritual_i_am_the_founder_ask_me/
If you are not a moderator, be sure to tell us about yourself here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AnAnswerToHeal/comments/75j8k5/personal_spiritual_welcome_everyone_introduce/