Loxosceles

Yes, I saw it as well.
I remember when I was drinking and partying with friends. Then in some months I changed this.
Obviously they saw me change, but in their opinion I changed for the worse.
Friends really disappear like 'melting snow'.
It is difficult and lonely, that's the battle, the holy war.

Peter

Yeah unfortunately that is the case : /

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"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. "

--Jeshua, from John 15:18-20

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"No-one sees [the Christ], no-one understands him, he wanders rejected, unwanted from place to place, incomprehensible to the masses of people, seen as a wrong doer, who doesn’t fit into the narrow confines of people’s imaginations and attitudes."

--Belzebuub, from his 2007 Christmas message

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"Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my consciousness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has preserved me from feeling isolated."
--Albert Einstein (unconfirmed)

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At least we have each other for now :)

I agree Jim :) The friendships I've made through doing the work are some of the best and most amazing I've ever had.

Maybe there are a few reasons people might act like that?

I think one of the reasons people might act in the same way or more strongly than before is because of fear to a smaller or larger degree. It seems like it's easy to be afraid of change, and so if friends see you starting to change and maybe starting to move in a direction that's different to them, then they hold on and don't want to let go, and try and encourage you to keep doing what they're doing.

If you're changing then in a way I think that puts the way they live in doubt (heance the fear). Someone might see you changing and wonder if they're living in the wrong way, or if there is something better they're missing out on, but because they don't know they keep pushing to hold you at the same place as them. Maybe it's linked to a fear of the unknown?

Also, there could be an element of the processes of nature in there too that stops things or pulls things back to their original point.

But it could also just be misunderstanding. If someone is content with the way they're living and you start to change away from that (especially if it's an internal change which might be harder to see if someone doesn't know what to look for), then they might just want you to keep hanging out with them, especially if they like you. :) If you say no, they might think you believe you're better than they are and try and force things more?

I've had similar experiences to what you're talking about, but I'm having trouble putting the ideas into words, so I hope what I said makes sense.

Thanks,
David

Sometimes the hardest thing to do isn't change but try to explain why or what is going on internally to someone that has no idea.

Does anyone else also see or have the necessity to keep some things secret? Not necessarily 'secret" but keep our gnositc information we individually recieve carefully guarded?

I do, I think, we just have to keep some things guarded.

There is such a gap between esoteric perspective on life and the common one.
They seem to contradict each other in the very core.
I think, it's impossible to have the common understanding when people have a different levels of being and different directions in life.

Yes Apakhana, I find it can be so hard...

Like even kids, seem to understand each other much better than grown-ups, but take the one who runs away from the home and drops school at early age and the one who studies in the well known gymnasium and is the spoiled child by numerous relatives wishing him to materialize all their expectations.
Apparently, there is even more gap between spiritual and material ways of living than between the lives of those kids.

Recently, in the evening, instead of any spiritually related activities, I just went out (something I have not done for a long, long time) with my old friend with whom we separated because of my devotion to Gnosticism and his relaxed and easy going lifestyle.
When I've met him recently, I knew that he won't understand some things and talking about them can even harm him (knowledge without experience can really confuse, etc), I knew that there are some things which are personal to me, I have some duties and responsibilities, etc., so I just put it all aside.
He was not making any comments or jokes about opposite sex, which he knows I can't relate to and don't like, etc., and I was very grateful for that.

Before, when I used to meet him, I was always preaching indirectly about what I am doing and judging him for being different, but the last time I've just taken that mask of spirituality away from my face...it was quite amazing!

We went to the nice quiet place and just talked, drunk some tea, joked around. It was so honest and fulfilling, just to be like that. Yes, I still quoted Belzebuub at the certain moment, but it seemed that it was relevant and was the right thing to say in that situation.
I hope so.

At some point of our talk, I started to get fascinated, so I just tried to put more efforts and be conscious.

We learned so much from what we had passed through the last few years, and when we went out, we had a lot to share with each other. We talked about work, school, travelling, psychology in everyday life, extreme situations, how to be always happy, shared with our interesting experiences, discussed the movies we watched recently, etc.
It was just awesome.

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"Live in this world but don't belong to it"

When you work on changing you can only change yourself. You can’t make other people change themselves or act differently. You can see what you become, but don’t expect others to. When you feel hurt or upset by others not appreciating the efforts or improvements you make, look what makes you feel that way. Usually people can make you feel it by hurting your egos. Once you remove the egos you become immune to any provocations, injustice or any actions against you (the psychological ones). Have you heard of the pride being hurt?
People live together by feeding each other’s egos. It makes them happy – I give you something, you give me something. When you start eliminating your egos you gradually stop acting that way. Don’t expect people admire you. You don’t behave as others would like you to, you don’t say what they want to hear. It’s obvious they perceive the change as into worse. It’s unlikely they will be interested in what made you a different person (unless they hope to find a way to take you back to the old ways). Don’t expect them to understand you or even listen to you. They lead the “normal” life and you turn back from them.
It may take years before people close to you start notice you changed to a better person. By that time their opinion will be immaterial to you.
In the meantime use other people as mirrors. Look what you dislike most in them – because that’s what’s inside you. Find in others what you have to eliminate in yourself.