The skill is called Transformative Thinking.

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In this newsletter, I'll share what it is, how I unlocked it, how it saved me from quitting, and the impact it had on rebranding Virtual Awakening to Metanoic Vision.

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First things first, if you have received this email, it's because you subscribed to the Virtual Awakening newsletter recently or a long time ago, or you were part of the hundreds of people who tried my VR NDE experiment “Death Is Only The Beginning” at one conference or festival, or you were part of the “Death Incubator” cohort back in 2019.

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Four years ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, most of the plans I had for expanding Virtual Awakening melted down as I faced various setbacks from my work partners, and the global situation forced me to relocate back to my hometown in Mexico City.

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I got very disillusioned and sad. I was experiencing grief for a project that transformed not only my relationship to death but also helped others in doing so.

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I went into survival mode, so much so that I couldn't be there for those who asked me to share this content during their own existential crises catalyzed by the fear of death during the pandemic.

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For that, I sincerely apologize. During this process, I was losing faith in what I was offering to the world.

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I was questioning everything to the point that it changed my relationship to this project and destabilized the momentum I had built over the years.

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At some point, I thought of quitting, but I couldn’t neglect the passion and drive I still felt for creating transformative experiences using immersive learning and transformative education.

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I acknowledged that Virtual Awakening was going through its own dying process and allowed it to unfold. With this process, I decided to embark on a journey of self-transformation and integration for its next iteration to reflect that.

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Honestly, it wasn’t easy to let go of a project like this, especially after witnessing how much impact it had on some people and how instrumental it became in expanding their relationship to death while also helping increase their death literacy.

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Regardless of the resistance to letting go, I shifted my lens inwards and started to identify what needed attention, deeper understanding, and also what needed to die within me.

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After contemplating, I set my first mission to identify and work with some of my shadows and blind spots, which kept me trapped in limiting belief systems and old patterns.

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My core topics orbited around:

• Coping with and assisting in my mother’s process to overcome her alcohol addiction.
• Experiencing self-doubt and judgement due to setting unrealistic expectations.
• Understanding why I had fear of commitment to myself and others.
• Having occasional existential crisis due to lack of clarity in my direction
• Loosing core stability based on my financial situation.

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This process took patience, commitment, and perseverance to attend to all of them. Honestly, it isn’t easy to feel comfortable in the uncomfortable parts of ourselves. It’s natural to avoid, suppress, reject, or project these qualities. But in order to grow and transform, I knew I needed to attend to these areas and start accepting and loving them as parts of myself.

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By doing so, they now have become a fuel that empowers my decision-making and meaning-making processes.

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Some of the challenges I faced during this process were:

• Placing my attention and focus in the right place, as I was derailed and distracted at times by client jobs, media consumption, and attending to the needs of my ex-partner.
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• At times, feeling lost, frustrated, and confused about my life direction, resulting in nihilistic thinking, poor motivation, and lack of discipline.
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• Feeling low self-esteem and struggling with letting go of some attachments I had with my old identity.
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• Becoming overwhelmed and anxious by not seeing progress at the speed I would have liked.
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• Judging myself by who I could’ve become rather than who I previously was.

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Despite feeling overwhelmed from seeing these parts of myself, acknowledging them and placing my attention on how they affect me started to make some room for change to happen.

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This is how I overcome each of these challenges:

• Creating a structured time management system that balanced time blocks for personal life, work life, and media consumption.
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• Engaged in contemplative exercises that helped me identify my long-term life and career aspirations (my 'north star'). I used the reverse goal-setting technique to break these aspirations down. This method focuses on working backwards from the identity you will attain once you achieve your long-term goals and start adopting traits of that personality.
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• Engaged in therapy sessions which helped me understand, reframe, and release limiting beliefs and attachments of my old identity. Also, one experience with psilocybin mushrooms allowed me to remember parts of myself that were forgotten.
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• Setting realistic expectations and clearly defining what realistic progress looks like in different areas of life, while implementing regular check-ins to assess my progress, celebrate achievements, and adjust plans as needed.
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• Adopting regular practices like yoga, hiking, meditation, strength training, and martial arts (Muay-Thai, Tai-Chi, Battōjutsu, and Qi Gong) as my toolkit for stress management and emotional regulation.
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• Maintaining a reflective journal to document my journey, process my emotions, and contemplate my achievements, both big and small, to visually remind me of how far I’ve come instead of focusing on an idealized version of what could have been.

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This process took longer than I desired. I learned that one can’t rush the unfolding of this type of work. It requires patience, vulnerability, compassion, commitment, and belief in one's capacity to transform.

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What surprised me during this process was that with every challenge, I started to notice a new kind of thinking emerging in my mind.

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A cognitive process that allowed me to overcome each challenge.

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A mindset that slowly upgraded my problem-solving, meaning-making and decision-making frameworks.

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A skill that strengthened my creativity and polished my adaptive strategies.

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A metacognitive skill that saved me from quitting: TRANSFORMATIVE THINKING.

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Lets unpack what I mean with Transformative Thinking

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Transformative thinking is a cognitive process that involves a deep and profound change in one's perspective and understanding.

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It requires significant re-evaluation and alteration of one's beliefs, values, and attitudes, to not just adapt to change, but to thrive in it.

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Often triggered by critical reflection or challenging experiences, this type of thinking aims for a holistic change in how one views oneself and the world.

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It involves a mindset that sees oneself as a change facilitator which embraces discomfort for growth and reframes failures as learning opportunities.

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As you see this skill Is extremely relevant to everyday life, as It directly addresses the common challenges of adapting to change, making decisions, and resolving personal and professional conflicts.

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Transformative Thinking became the cornerstone of my journey, allowing me to not only navigate through personal struggles but also reimagine the future of my work.

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It provided a new lens through which I saw endless possibilities for growth and transformation.

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This journey led me to realize that it was time for a new chapter, a fresh start that truly embodies the transformative power I've come to understand so deeply.

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Introducing Metanoic Vision: A New Era Begins

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After four years of intense self-reflection and growth, I am thrilled to announce the rebranding of Virtual Awakening to Metanoic Vision.

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This new identity encapsulates the essence of transformative thinking and the profound change that it represents.

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Why Metanoic Vision?

During the process of giving birth to a new brand identity, I analyzed my core intentions and key results in my journey with Virtual Awakening.

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I realized that I was playing with 3 main elements, Immersive Learning (VR), Transformative Education, and Storytelling to achieve one result, a meaningful experience that could transform your perception to death and therefore appreciate more of this precious opportunity to be alive.

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In the process of synthesizing the ethos of what I was aiming, I came across the concept of Metanoia and that's where all the fragments started to come together.

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So, what exactly is Metanoia?

In simple words, metanoia signifies a shift in perspective that reshapes identity, values, goals, and social ties.

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This concept has been key in rhetoric, ancient rituals, mystery schools, and even in todays transformative culture.

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Metanoia's journey through time reveals its transformative nature.

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According Adam Ellwanger the author of “Metanoia: Rhetoric, Authenticity, and the Transformation of the Self”,  we encounter three distinct types:

• Rhetorical
• Spiritual
• Modern

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Lets unpack them:

In its earliest days in Greece, metanoia played a pivotal role in the art of persuasion

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From the verb "Metanoein" (meta- after/change) & (noein- to perceive mentally), meaning "afterthought" or "change in perception"

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Used to 'take back' a statement to reshape their ethos in the eyes of their audience.

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With the rise of Christianity in the first century, the meaning of Metanoia expanded dramatically

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It came to symbolize:

• Self-rebirth
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• Conversion
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• Repentance
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• Transformation of the heart, mind and soul

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A significant shift from its rhetorical use to denote a spiritual experience

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Modern Metanoia, while retaining its deep rhetorical and spiritual heritage, has also adopted a more secular meaning.

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It now puts more emphasis on authentic self-affirmation and the refinement of individual ethos & identity through any kind of transformative experience.

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Metanoia transcends behavior change

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It changes minds, hearts & souls through transformative experiences that refine our ethos and unlock greater authenticity.

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Metanoia has been a lived experience, present through time in both our personal and collective evolution.

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Unlike the static goal of "awakening," which implies a final destination, metanoia is about the ongoing journey of transformation and growth.

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This guiding principle inspires me to bridge the gap between Immersive Learning, Transformative Education and Storytelling.

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Ultimately my aim is to empower people by providing inspiring content, innovative tools, and transformative services, all aimed at cultivating a Metanoic Vision.

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What this means for you?

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• New Content and Resources: I’m launching new content including newsletters, videos, social media and courses diving deep into topic like:
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  • Transformative Thinking
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  • Transformative Education
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  • Transformational Leadership and Culture

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• Interactive Content:  For example, you can test your transformative thinking skills today by trying the Metanoic Mindset Quiz. This quiz is designed to help you get an instant analysis of your transformative thinking skills across seven key categories.
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• Immersive Courses: Currently I am putting together two immersive courses:
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  • Metanoic Shift: An initiation into Transformative Thinking
    
    ‍A free course that will explore the fundamentals of transformative thinking, teach you how to identify and overcome limiting beliefs that have hindered your growth, and give you tools to shift your mindset towards a path of incremental personal growth.
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• Metanoic Morphosis Programe
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  • A profound learning journey designed to combine the principles of transformative thinking with metanoic experiences, guiding you on a quest for self-mastery. Through this program, you will venture into three core modules:
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    ‍Shadow Realms: Quest for Self-Mastery
    Mortal Wisdom: The Art of Living Through Dying
    Lucid Life Mapping: Crafting Clarity and Direction

Get Involved:

• Take the Metanoic Mindset Quiz: Start your metanoic journey by taking this insightful quiz that will set you on the path of transformative thinking.
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• Join the Waitlist for Upcoming Courses: Be the first to know about our immersive courses designed to deepen your understanding and practice of transformative thinking.
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• Connect with me on Social Media: Follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for more updates and exclusive content.
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This rebranding is more than just a name change; it's a commitment to a new vision that prioritizes continuous growth and transformation. I invite you to join me on this journey and discover the power of metanoia in your own life.
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Stay tuned for upcoming videos and courses that will further explore these themes and provide practical steps to incorporate transformative thinking into your daily life.
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Thanks for taking your time to read
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Jose

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