Safety and situational awareness

[Andrian]

Thanks for sharing the video Ennio, very insightful. What I've took from it is that in extreme situations like those mentioned in the video or less extreme in appearance like the current covid-1984 BS you have a choice, always, either you submit your free will to the bully thus he can do whatever he wants with your life basically, thus you can easily become sooner or later an STS slave if you'll keep giving up your free will OR you choose to act by fighting according to your true nature, exercising your free will, using all the means at your disposal to defend yourself and your position and being ready to face even the worst possible outcomes, the death, in which case I'd see it as the ultimate choice of resistance against being an STS slave.

in the final run, every situation in your life gives you the opportunity to choose between two ways Up or Down. So there is always a choice, always.

 

[liam1310]

Very important info especially in these times.

I was out in the woods the other day working on a shelter im building. Constantly reminding myself of the dangers of falling branches etc. I was almost hit by a piece of wood about a foot and a half long maybe more, and an inch thick that came straight down like a missile and left a nice little hole in the soil, it landed a couple of inches in front of me. It happened when I was cutting a branch off a tree, The piece that fell didnt beling to the branch I was cutting, very lucky it didnt hit me. At first I was standing where it would of hit me, but something told me to step back a bit, that saved me from getting hit.

Maybe it was a sign to be more aware. I remember in a Cs session a branch fell at the chateau nearly hitting someone. Cs said they where not paying attention. Maybe it's the same for me??

 

[Debra]

Very important info especially in these times.

I was out in the woods the other day working on a shelter im building. Constantly reminding myself of the dangers of falling branches etc. I was almost hit by a piece of wood about a foot and a half long maybe more, and an inch thick that came straight down like a missile and left a nice little hole in the soil, it landed a couple of inches in front of me. It happened when I was cutting a branch off a tree, The piece that fell didnt beling to the branch I was cutting, very lucky it didnt hit me. At first I was standing where it would of hit me, but something told me to step back a bit, that saved me from getting hit.

Maybe it was a sign to be more aware. I remember in a Cs session a branch fell at the chateau nearly hitting someone. Cs said they where not paying attention. Maybe it's the same for me??

Whoa, that WAS a close call, @liam1310!
This is an important part, I think: [...] but something told me to step back a bit, that saved me from getting hit.
Your Psyche/Soul can be trusted it seems!
Do you want to try to fine tune this ability?
Perhaps you may gain a bit more focus, and allowance for your Psyche/deep self to communicate clearer if you can remember any and all sensations that accompanied this "warning".
Did you "feel" any bodily sensations?
As well, perhaps there is a bit of Symbolism involved, since it fell "straight down" from above?
Are you looking up into our amazing sky, whenever possible?

I tend to get a "tuning fork" high C note feeling all through my body, from the soles of my feet to the crown of my head, when a premonition or situation is unfolding, telling me to "pay strict attention NOW".

If it is Danger warning, I will also feel a spinning in my solar Plexus, just like a windmill spinning, or one of those PinWheel toys.
It has become a reliable tool for me, in these Strange days.

 

[Joe]

Maybe it was a sign to be more aware. I remember in a Cs session a branch fell at the chateau nearly hitting someone. Cs said they where not paying attention. Maybe it's the same for me??

For sure, in that environment, you gotta have all eyes and ears open when you're moving about chopping things up and such.

 

[liam1310]

Did you "feel" any bodily sensations?

Not really Debra, nothing stands out in that regard. It happened so fast, I will keep in mind what you said and be more aware of how I'm feeling while I'm out there. Thanks

As well, perhaps there is a bit of Symbolism involved, since it fell "straight down" from above?
Are you looking up into our amazing sky, whenever possible?

Sure do, whenever I can mostly at night. Not for long periods though, mostly when I'm on nights. Where I work has a nice garden I sit have a smoke looking up at the sky.

 

[liam1310]

For sure, in that environment, you gotta have all eyes and ears open when you're moving about chopping things up and such.

Indeed, only recently have I got into doing this sort of thing. Have to be more careful in the future.

 

[Ennio]

At first I was standing where it would of hit me, but something told me to step back a bit, that saved me from getting hit.

I do think that, in addition to the more conventional tools of awareness such as consciously looking around, listening for things, etc. - that there are sometimes little cues, hints or subtle changes in the environment that get registered just below our awareness, but that sometimes make their way into conscious awareness in the form of thoughts or warning signals that our bodies give us (such as those Debra mentioned.)

And then there are those signals to our minds or to our bodies that we just can't account for without considering how intuition, some form of 'psi' ability, or just a plain old miracle or divine grace seems fit to bestow upon us! Reminds me of the study that showed that individuals who were more open to the idea of psi abilities (believing that the ability existed) showed a provably higher instance of demonstrating it. Maybe this is where prayer and faith, on top of the more everyday applications of awareness come in, and can be of some assistance in honing in to decidedly non-physical and "inspired" types of awareness.

 

[Voyageur]

It happened when I was cutting a branch off a tree, The piece that fell didnt beling to the branch I was cutting, very lucky it didnt hit me. At first I was standing where it would of hit me, but something told me to step back a bit, that saved me from getting hit.

In terms of the non-violent physical things that can and do happen, as Enno said "cues, hints or subtle changes in the environment that get registered just below our awareness, but that sometimes make their way into conscious awareness in the form of thoughts or warning signals that our bodies give us (such as those Debra mentioned.)," there is indeed something beyond (and yet aligning to awareness) that can give one sudden pause or shift. The environment itself (seen so many examples) can seem to throw things at people when least expected, when general awareness would say the risks are low among the hazards, when ones actions would not consider something more extreme.

Have been doing some tree falling and heavy pruning (had put it off) due to signs; overt and otherwise, of fire potential to home and family. I'm not well practiced anymore in falling trees, however had had to learn the mechanics of fiber and the physics of it early on, and as the expression goes in the community when doing this work, death from above. A lot of people get severely injured or fatally done-in doing this work, similar to what you described with that piece falling down like a spear seemingly out of nowhere, and yet there is a thousand wrong ways to fall a tree and one right way (and a few lucky outcomes along the way). Death from above in the prior sense means warding off by continuous assessment of the canopy (oddities; pathologies of the tree, lean etc.), planning every move, every physical action with the body or tool, and always expecting the unexpected (all these things are on the mental plane) - which comes back to those subtle warnings that Enno brought up, and the thing here is also how many times does one do something (subconsciously reacting to some clue/instinct) to ward off an incoming direct hazard and not even realize it; such as your step away?

Have taken my fair share of lumps and beatings (anyone who has wrenched on vehicles and comes away with cut up knuckles knows the errors of their actions), and truth be told, each time, in retrospect, there was hurry, emotions, lack of 'situational awareness' and knowledge of the task, or use of the wrong tool and positioning guiding the physical outcome. Lessons, always.

 

[liam1310]

Death from above in the prior sense means warding off by continuous assessment of the canopy (oddities; pathologies of the tree, lean etc.), planning every move, every physical action with the body or tool, and always expecting the unexpected

Was out yesterday and had the above in mind before doing anything, step back and assess, plan and expect the unexpected.

and truth be told, each time, in retrospect, there was hurry, emotions, lack of 'situational awareness' and knowledge of the task, or use of the wrong tool and positioning guiding the physical outcome. Lessons, always.

Indeed always lessons to be learned. What you say rings true voyageur. Thanks for the comment.

 

[Chaze]

There is a very extraordinary individual that comes to mind when considering safety and situational awareness.

Meet Alison Botha.

(Warning! Although the details included in following story are graphic and quite disturbing, it contains incredible insights into the mind and heart of a modern Stoic.)

Late on the night of December 18, 1994, Alison was parking her car near her home when a man reached through the open window and put a knife to her throat. He ordered her to move to the passenger seat, then got into the car and drove them away. Shortly thereafter he picked up a second man, and they drove into the countryside.

The car came to a stop at a deserted spot. One of the men raped her and then, after a pause, savagely attacked her—stabbing her thirty-seven times in the abdomen and groin area, and slashing her throat seventeen times. The two men then drove off, leaving her for dead…

Except that she wasn’t.

In a stunned state, Botha dragged herself to the road where she would have a better chance of getting help. Doing so was difficult because her windpipe had been severed and her intestines were falling out of her abdomen. One car came along, but when the driver saw her naked, bloody body, it just kept going. Fortunately for Botha, the next car did stop. A man named Tiaan Eilard called for an ambulance and did his best to stanch the bleeding. When the ambulance finally arrived at the hospital—more than two hours later—the medical personnel there were astonished by the brutality of the attack. They were also amazed that she was even alive. Police were subsequently able to track down Botha’s attackers, who were tried, found guilty, and given lengthy prison sentences.

Botha’s recovery was long and painful, but it wasn’t long before she received an invitation to tell her story to an audience. She discovered by sharing this story, she could make a positive difference in the lives of others, many of whom had themselves experienced major or even traumatic setbacks. Now she is an inspirational speaker, and even has a movie about her experience:

In her talks, she describes the philosophy by which she lives: “We cannot always control what happens in our life… But we can always control what we do with what happens.” (Stoic philosopher Epictetus would definitely agree.) Botha chose not to respond to the attack with anger, knowing that anger has the power to devour those who experience it.

Botha actually went on to get married, and nine years after the attack, surprisingly got pregnant. (Doctors told her that her wounds to her abdomen had destroyed her reproductive system, making biological motherhood impossible.) And the guy who rescued her was actually there in the delivery room, because his earlier encounter with Botha had inspired him to go into medicine, and he was now a doctor!

I found Alison Botha’s story not only miraculous and inspiring, but also a stern reminder that being aware at ALL times, especially in this world that seems to be getting crazier and crazier by the day, is more important than ever!

 

[Gwenllian]

I am bumping this thread, as the times have become even crazier. I can't recall ever having watched the videos in this thread, but I will watch them as I am certain I can learn a lot.

Perhaps others who are feeling the heat of people and animals going off can, too?

A few months ago I asked @Artemis to do another reading and one of the things she said was that 2024 was going to be a very volatile year or something along those lines, and in light of this it's best if I pay attention as accidents can happen when I am not calm and collected. So, I have been focusing on this and doing all kinds of things to keep my wits about me, like taking lithium, Bach rescue remedy and just keeping my focus on all my projects instead of focusing on the people that are giving me a hard time.

Today I was in the supermarket where a blond young woman was trying to pick a fight with me, but I knew what she was doing, so I kept focused on my groceries. After I loaded my shopping on my bike there was a young immigrant who was eyeing my shopping bag. A few weeks ago a Moroccan/Algerian youth tried to pick a fight with me at the train station. So, everybody and you know this already: be vigilant at all times and pretend you have eyes in the back of your head. They will come in handy!

For those people who tend to freeze in emergency situations and situations where we have to act on behalf of ourselves or others: Jones posted the following post in the Polyvagal thread, which could be very helpful. Know that we can freeze in situations when we feel very threatened, but also know that we can counter these effects and unlearn this response of the parasympathetic nervous system.

I do both, I sometimes freeze and sometimes my fight or flight system kicks in.

I hope this helps and as that cop always said in the TV series Hillstreet Blues: Let's be careful out there!