Xienkula1

Of course it can help trans-resveratrol in he shou wu is the same antioxidant found in red wine, of course let's not be reductionists since there are so many components to he shou wu....that being said peroxidation bleaching as a result of high-oxidative stress has been identified as the leading cause of loss of hair pigmentation..so it makes sense he shou wu having strong anti-oxidant and nutritive capacities could reduce and even reverse the issue. Know your body and the dose, some have experienced liver complications from consuming he shou wu....another one you can try Bhringraj or eclipta alba ja mayuet in myanmar....a wonderful way to enhance both hair growth and regrowth and prevent greying...ligustrum berry is traditionally combined with eclipta in TCM as a prevention for greying..factor in that B-vitamins play a powerful role in reducing oxidative stress, and particularly fat soluable b1 benfotiamine,b2 b3, b5 b6, in short B complex would be a good idea, they are also essential cofactors for enzymatic reactions throughout bodily cells and tissues...and last but not least, biotin. Also know your source, unfortunately many of the herbs grown in china are grown in highly contaminated polluted soil....make sure to get it organically grown in non-polluted regions.

Very interesting Suninmyeyes, thanks for filling us in more on Malidoma Some's Of Water and Spirit, and the circle, that is a really cool concept I have never heard expressed this way "dying into being human" and that this is not our home, this is always how I have felt. Thanks Drew for the info on senegalese witchcraft, shape shifting, and Jim's experience, very very interesting stuff!!!!

Please tell us more Pythagorean Lotus

We don't necessarily choose our thoughts at least not consciously, some of them we are imprinted with, when I find a thought that I find limiting of my perception I say ''I forgive myself for believing and being imprinted with the thought for so long that .....'' I say this aloud almost like a mantra for as long as I can with as much awareness as possible, I feel how that thought feels in my body, what kind of tension it creates then, I will feel emotion underneath that thought use sound to penetrate it and vibrate it as much as possible, feel as much as I can....then after the emotional charge is vibrated, usually I will reach an ignition where I get really terrified or pissed off that this is the way things are, my body will go spontaneous, sounds will come out, somewhat like an exorcism, once fully done, having vibrated as much as possible then the No! No! (high and low) is sounded repeatedly from my center until I feel a clearing....this helps me see new possibilities that didnt exist before this thought was like a prison keeping my chi in a cage....then I feel more able to make changes and move forwards, if the thought was not fully released it comes back full circle and surfaces as situations designed according to it's laws "to prove itself right,"

Hey BKA mentioned no such what thing? Im not sure what you were referring to? I agree with your statement you can't really comment on another path unless you've been in it.

And inspired by this reference to Credo and African Meditation here's a quote from Zulu Shaman, Dreams, Prophecies and Mysteries pg.13 ''My grandfather also taught me to control my powers of seeing and how to sharpen them and to make them more accurate and efficient. He taught me the art of breathing properly. He taught me the secret art of joining my mind to the great gods in the unseen world. He taught me how to sit still - very very still - and eliminate all the thoughts from my mind and call upon the hidden powers of my soul. In short my grandfather taught me the Zulu version of what is called in English, ''Meditation.'' How to breathe softly and gently like a whisper until you feel something like a hot coiled snake ascending up your spine and bursting through the top of your head - a fearsome thing that is known as umibilini. This umibilini, my grandfather told me, is the source, the primal source of the sangoma's powers. A sangoma must be able to summon this umbilini at will through the beating of the drum and through meditation, very very deep meditation. My grandfather taught me that there are many ways by which one can reach the ultimate truth that is at the full extent of one's mental powers. He told me I could either do it painfully by depriving myself of food and drink and by causing my body to suffer as much as possible, or I could do it through the medium of joy, of happiness and ecstasy. I chose to experiment with these two ways. Sometimes I fasted and tortured my body until I felt like a prisoner undergoing savage interrogation. Sometimes I used the joyous way, as it is called, in which I sat down and thought only beautiful thoughts and ate pure food sparingly and drank only pure cool water and that also very sparingly.''

''Returning to Indianapolis from Africa recently set in motion a flood of ideas about howmeditation relates to the indigenous African traditions. My thoughts turned to two African shamans. The first was Credo Mutwa whose book Zulu shaman mentions his meditation practice taught to him by his shaman teachers. His instructions were to sit, follow the breath and be aware of a special energy that resided in the body. He called this energy umbilini. Theumbilini he mentions is more than reminiscent of kundalini as itis explained in the writings of Gopi Krishna of India and other yogis. These two words, umbilini and kundalini, may have some ancient linguistic connection. The second shaman is Malidoma Some. This shaman’s experiences during his initiation, something he details in his book Of water and the spirit, are reminiscent of many stories told about meditating yogis. Malidoma, intellectually trained by the time of his initiation, directed to set in front of a tree and meditate on it, fabricated responses to his elders regarding what he saw. Freeing his mind from of intellectual baggage, he finally got into the practice. It was then, confronted with a vision of the tree as goddess, that his elders confirmed that his findings was accurate." So perhaps there are modern Voodouisants who incorporate meditation and certainly Kemetic meditation is practiced but this is arguably due to post-modern synthesis and therefore constitutes a non-traditional approach. However, as noted above there is some kind of traditional African Meditation which has explored states perhaps similar to nirbija and henosis....though only three beings realised in those statse through their various means having that dialogue could possibly confirm it...However you raise an interesting question and I thank you. http://www.examiner.com/article/meditation-and-indigenous-africa

Do you have any experiece of ATRs Maan, and if so what? In Vodou it seems to be about oneness between the Lwa and its steed, and through this oneness between steed and rider, information can travel from Lwa to humans...probably participants a kind of group unity, as in all group ceremonies, maybe in other ATRs they do practice contemplative meditation and achieve such states.

Thanks for the link to Rites of Rhythm: the music of Cuba, I will try to get my hands on it. I have been wanting to watch Divine Horseman again for quite some time but could not download it, thanks for that! I have read much about Maya Daren but need to get the official book. The documentary was quite inspiring, there's another one I have watched the trailer for buying the spirit but need to google harder so I can find the full movie. I found another link for the Montreal group which seems to be in Repentigny, the outskirts of Montreal. Hmmmm....I hope we can have an interface. Homelessness and joblessness yes here in Montreal, but this is not the same as being homeless elsewhere, and is nowhere near the level of suffering in Haiti. It was a taste of hell that most of the world is going through and it is utterly heartbreaking. It can be so easy to take things for granted in life in western civilization....not anymore. I will do a search on the forum for ATR and see what happens, thanks again BKA!

Did Master Hu Yaozhen used to live in Toronto in year 2000?

Funny all this is coming up, I kept a dedicated altar practice (not Vodoun) religiously without missing practice everyday, an hour of non-stop chanting and full lotus for a year and a half. It was very strong, and I was so un-grounded, my eyes so shiny, bright and full of energy it was difficult to function, plus I got lots of weird stares. It was tough to handle. This was during my homeless point. During my roaming I had to sacrifice my picture which I had been working with for years, and in my last move, I never really set up my altar again(a full one), somewhat pissed off that the Spirits weren't helping me more. yes yes I know this is the wrong attitude, but it made me go back to some simpler more elementary practices which actually started to fortify the grounding basics in my life, steady work, steady home etc...so I focused my spiritual efforts into grounded practical work and this shifted things. However, you mention the altar, and I have been missing tending my altar offering the water, cleansing it and changing it regularly. Yet now that I have a home, I have been reluctant to do it, partly because I am worried about neighbors hearing me chant and smelling the incense thinking I am a total freak, although they probably already do lol well yes another thing to work towards. Though I miss connecting with my Spirits, it's time to reincarnate it

I work with I Ching, so Im going to do a reading and see what comes up, has never failed so far, and has always proven quite on the mark. I prefer it to tarot, I just seem to have more affinity. I have worked with Papa Legba and he has been quite kind and helpful, so I will ask him again. I have worked with Simbi Makaya and he's also been helpful before....Maybe it's time to do some ceremony. I ve also worked with Bradford Keeney and had a correspondance with him. I wanted to meet him but he asked me to get my ass down to New Orleans, which wasn't possible at the time due to having no passport and being homeless in a situation similar condition to the one Vitimus described. I did connect with Joe Hiscott and Camille Reinhardt here in Montreal who have a wonderful Shake going, and there experienced some wonderful group shaking and healing....

Yes, I got that part, I am still looking at the local level, labelledeesse is my best bet, I checked this article out http://www.mcgilldaily.com/2011/11/among-the-vodouisants/ which concerns her group. I tried to contact, but the number is defunct on the website...so I tried the email. We'll see what happens and I<ll try the other options for locality see what works out.

Hmmm Ive checked this guy out before http://www.spiritualtools.org/Divination-Consultation/Guardian-Orisha-Life-Path-Reading-p21.html what's your read on this Baguakicksass? Or any one else that wants to chime in...

Yes definitely stay the hell away from drugs as a short cut, it's not worth the risks, and they can drastically alter your perception, without a very well trained-guide this is even more dangerous. At your age, I actually found it VERY easy to astral project without the use of anything other than will power. Then I got more interested in being in my body and it was serious work to get back in here into this body, I later realized my ease with leaving my form was actually an escape defense mechanism, to avoid feeling the emotional trauma in my body, but it was being here in my body that was actually much more challenging and where the real transformation was at. I would suggest you read the Magus of Strovolos, because it's written in an a light easy to follow way and actually covers some deep topics about astral travel. Daskalos AKA this dude: , knew quite a bit about it.

Interesting interview with Vitimis recounting his work becoming a Voudou hounsi in Haiti, and his interweaving of Chaos Magick and Ceremonial Magick. Thanks Old Green for the two cents I will try contacting him and see what happens. Thanks also Baguakicksass for confirming Labelledeesse she's in the west island and has a contact number that was not listed earlier. I can also try this avenue and see about a reading, though I was also really interested in Ifa reading, but this would be very interesting and helpful at this time. Also thanks to Suninmyeyes for the info on the Voodoo doctor session and the details on Malidoma Some, I am familiar with some of his work but not "Of Water, of Spirit" I will check it out. I will also check out some santeria stores and capueira studios There's also this dude who has some very interesting but somewhat humorous videos on youtube I have tried out some of his chants and they do seem to work. Thanks also to Harmonious Emptiness suggestion to try African stores, and yes I will definitely bear rejection in mine. I almost had a connection with a lady who ran a healthfood store, who was into tradition of the spirits from St-Lucia and her husband practiced Ifa. She said she would ask him about doing a reading, but then the store closed. I ran into her again after and I asked her if we could stay in touch, but she just said trust the spirit and we will see each other when we do.

Thanks Suninmyeyes! Ok so Interesting Vodoo doctor you met, would be curious to know more. I am based in Montreal, and though theres a big Haitian community and even Cameroonian community, there is a load of stigma about this stuff, so most are unwilling to open up. Theres Labelledeesse a Haitian mambo here in montreal who has a website, but I want an opportunity to meet in person before committing to any kind of reading or initiation. but as I said very elusive. I agree with the animal sacrifice, but not every practitioner does that, as I understood, but that would be veering from tradition..

Yes, well that was my impression as well....go figure...my previous remark was somewhat tongue in cheek. Anyway head or back of the head, eyes, make a lot more sense given the solar nature of the region. http://www.touregypt.net/images/touregypt/horus7.jpg ''Horus as a boy also appears dominating crocodiles, serpents and other noxious animals on cippi. Sometimes on cippi, the head of the child was often surmounted by a Bes-head, or perhaps a Bes mask.' Read more: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/horus.htm#ixzz2QMeBN3AY

Horus is the tailbone because blindeye says so!

Well in this case it would appear to be subjectively to this one at least, to find the black dragon and the falcon awakening, harmonizing, this would appear to be a great blessing a great opportunity. YES!

It sounds as if the black dragon represents the unconscious, the reptile brain, fear of attack, fear of being tricked, fear of the unknown, and the occult shop the power of your subconscious to unleash its dragon of creativity filled with spiritual power of lightening, electron flow. Unconscious fear of this power taking on a life of its own and opening you up the Pandora's box of the unconscious worries, attackers, haters, sabotaging influences beneath the surface within you. Horus being the upper brain or super-conscious that rules the unconscious was able to put the snake back in its bamboo and protect you from any harm. So the dragon is really a gift, a sign that your unconscious wants to work with you, and that your super-conscious will protect you as you do, it's up to you to trim the dragon with super-conscious white and gold. Cool dream!!!!!!!!

Hmmm one way to break a sequence or a pattern if I get your meaning here, or a spell or a curse, is to say the No as high as you can scream while being in your center, then No! at your lowest vocal register, keep doing that for a while until you feel a clearing. Imagine yourself holding a sword high up and swear the oath to dedicate all your gifts humbly surrendered at the feet of love, and in the name of the injured child in you that was harmed or manipulated by any of these sequences, send it back to the source with calibrated interest. This has worked for me.

Go to Sri Lankan or Tamil grocery stores where they are called mrgungakai.....just chop them into finger sized pieces and cook in until tender in a dahl soup, with spices and tamarind, this is known as sambar, you can find some pretty good recipes online. Delicious, but very heating, that's why the tamarind is important! Nope not just in dust form, if you live in a city where there is a Sri Lanka town, you can sometimes even get the fresh leaves, much better than the dust which of course looses nutrient value over storage time. But you are right that there is an issue with the west getting whiff of the latest superfood and then consuming. On the one hand this increases demand and so increases supply and supports farmers growing such crops, on the other, it could be eating into the supply of those who need it the most.

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