silent thunder

I recall making one of my many blasphemous statements in the presence of a religious friend, about one of the many contradictions in the king james bible. religious friend: "you can't say that! that's blasphemy against god! you offend god and are in danger of damning your eternal soul!" me: "dude... chill. I can say it... i just did. and it makes sense... why would god not want me to use the logic she supposedly supplied me with?" religious friend " " me: " blasphemy is pastor territory, when they have no answer, or can't tolerate the cognitive dissonance pointed out in one of their many fallacies, they cry 'blasphemy' and hope to shut you up... I mean, seriously, if the creator of the entire universe, is capable of being offended by this simple idiot... she's quite insecure for a supreme being."

Ya got me there.

He did admit to not being certain which one was the dreamer and which the dream. Who wakes from the waking dream?

Nice one Lima! the most straight forward path? realize it's here now. be it... wake up... right now.

Master Wang Li Ping teaches the fire breathing method, it is foundational. The region between the eyes is not Niwan, in the center of the cranium, it is the central orifice, (the square inch in the square foot). This is a gateway, or portal of shen in and out of the body. Master Wang recommends the Secret of the Golden Flower at his retreats, specifically the version translated by Richard Wilhelm.

The Sage is in the world, but not of it. This phrase changed my experience of life when it saturated awareness. Being present in the world, without trying to carry it. Participating fully without taking it personally. The Sage veritably dances through the world, dancing the dance, connected, healing, working, playing, fully present, yet not entirely invested, in the end, it's still only a dance. No matter what occurs our essential nature is spotless, unstainable, never cracked, broken or marred by the dance of life. When dancing, I move through the music across the floor, there is no predestined time or place to arrive. Unless I manufacture one. I dance through the music (environment) and movement (decisions/actions) arises in natural expression of connected presence. When releasing a need to end up in a particular spot on the floor (condition in life), I am able to release more fully into presence. When present without taking it personally (thinking things should be different), I am utterly, perfectly, exactly where I am... should and shouldn't fall away as irrelevant. The center is everywhere. Bliss is a natural state. Participating fully without taking the world personally has become 'the art' that I cultivate and it's coming around as the cycles play out... but only when I release openly and fully, without projecting or holding back, nothing kept sacred, all open to flow and change. Release the outmoded forms of thought and identification with emotions that bind me to unhealthy reactions based on should and shouldn't, but not to the point where it breeds harsh unconnected closed heartedness, or overly emotional fancy and fantasy. It doesn't do to release in a harsh analytical manner, any more than it does to release in an utterly disconnected fantasy, with no attention to detail, or presence in the eternal now. True Release to me is about releasing into full presence, into authentic essential nature. It is not about 'not giving a shit what others think or do', or 'being above it all', or 'simply hardening the heart and not caring'... nor is it about not giving a shit what I do and its effect on the planet and others... letting the world do its thing without a care or connection. Quite the opposite. It is releasing fully into what is, as it is... now. As I have release that which is not part of my essential nature, notions of self that were handed to me by my well meaning parents and by a not so well meaning society/school system/government, my heart opened and when the heart began unfolding, awareness and presence unfolded and the intricately interconnected nature of life beams all about me, no matter the circumstances. When I take action, I release fully into it. When I love, I release wholly into this emanation. When no action is required, I release fully into not doing a thing, with no regret, or guilt. Release into presence... in the end, what else is there? Bit by bit, I move in and through social situations as I move through my forms, with awareness, presence, open to shift... flow, without predetermined expectations. When conditions shift, respond naturally, spontaneously and fully accept what arises, whether you will act to bring shift, act to move on, or not act and simply abide, in presence and acceptance, the center is everywhere and the Sage dances through it. It's blissful to participate in the game of life, without taking it personally, or having to demean or devalue it to protect my essential nature. There is now the unshakable knowingness that at our core, our essential nature is truly spotless, unbreakable, unstainable, never lost and ever present.

Walking barefoot is one of the great, simple joys of my life. Barefoot now for twenty plus years. Only ever wear shoes at work (which is 4-7 months a year), or in a restaurant/store. "Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair." ~Khalil Gabran

who among us is capable, or willing to trade convenience for quality? even when convenience is not all that convenient...

Hyperventilating... is panic breathing, anxiety breathing, and is all but useless to me. It is characterized by rapid shallow breathing where the breath enters only the upper portions of the lungs... resulting in dizzy, light-headedness due to the brain (and orgains) all receiving insufficient fuel. Hypoventilating... is often confused with hyperventilating, but is an entirely different animal. This rapid, deep (to the bottom of the lungs with a big full santa claus belly on the inhale). It was introduced to me as warrior breathing and is used in some types of Tumm-O and Pranayama. Hypoventilation is a tool I use regularly which super-oxygenates the blood stream and conveys a host of benefits, including intense pain relief, supercharged euphoric perception, deep organ healing and heightened sensitivities to subtle energy.

Here are a few from our usual campsite up on Black Mountain... in Boulder Basin.

I didn't pay them much attention in New York or Minnesota, but the pigeons here in Cali are gorgeous! Their neck feathers, iridescent green and/or lavender are utterly captivating! When playing Qi Gong in my living room, I'm often entertained while I look out the balcony sliding door onto the rooftop of the building east of us... the pigeons hang out there and walk their patterns you describe on that rooftop, their necks giving off little flashes of green n purple as they do their dance of life.

The master has failed, more times than the student has attempted.

Next time you're there, head east out of the market into the park, it's just over the hill east side of the duck pond. It's brilliant.

That's the one! How awesome is that giant tree fort? We love to take our breakfast up there and eat in the shade, or hang out and watch the softball games if they're playing.

It's rather insane the relationship with food here. So many people eating as quickly as possible, whatever is handy and cheap, as if eating were something to get out of the way! And often eating alone, rather than waiting and sharing at leisure with family or friends. Row upon row of processed food line both sides of every shelf 3 meters high... for tens of thousands of square feet in each grocery store. And those are the standard grocery stores, not the mega, warehouse freaks of nature... I've been inside a Costco once... still haven't set foot in a Walmart. Some things are untenable in my life. In each grocery store, there is a thin line of real food, produce, eggs and the like that runs along the outer rim of the space. My son knows to stick to the ring to find real food options. Regularly while we're shopping and walking by the end caps, he'll peer down an aisle and state "yup, bright colors and boxes... no real food in that aisle either." We are very fortunate in taht we get most all our food from our local Farmer's Market each Saturday. It hosts some 200 venders. It's like a festival every weekend. Live music at each end of the market, about two dozen restaurant stalls, bakeries, juicers, coffee stalls, organic anything you can imagine, pickled everything. All venders are vetted must be within a 50 mile radius to participate so we know it's not shipped in. We go to the grocery store for cleaning supplies and odds n ends any more.

Ha. Synchronicity. I was heading into a long fast two days ago and my body clearly said... 'nope' around hour 30. And instead offered to eat every other day for a time. I have accepted.

Boulder Basin in California is my local spirit home and home to one of my favorite climbing trees of all time. This mountain spot was the primary catalyst for my gal and I moving to California from NYC back in 2000. My wife worked for Fox Sports Latin America at the time and had come to Los Angeles for a business trip just after Christmas. I came along with her and we made plans to go camping with our oldest and dearest friend who lived in San Diego at the time. As we drove East on the 10 out of Los Angeles, then headed south into the San Jacinto range on the 243 toward Idyllwild. My heart opened up, my spirit soared and by the time we reached Boulder Basin up around 8.000 feet, I told my gal. "we should move here. why are we still in new york?" Within three months she had a job here and I had arrived with all our belongings. This tree is one of the all time great climbers. Her bark shines silver in the light... even in decay she has remained resilient and strong for the last 18 years. She veritably beams with silver light in her perch atop the cliff overlooking the valley west. Each night at sunset the entire sky explodes in magenta love from her vantage point. this is the view West... every single night...

That is an old and dear friend... the Staff of Creighton the Red. (now more Creighton the White lol). For a time, when I was crippled, I literally leaned on her to walk. She was my cane as I hobbled about for a few years. I'm recalling how I meet some wonderful people due to her. Stick people and wood folks light up when they see her and come over and we strike up a conversation.

Great thread! Thanks for sharing the inspiration!

While all paths stem from and return to source... Can one walk another's path? andedit to add: what's that old quote... "something something something... as you would a small fish?"

Taomeow's trails criss cross thoroughly throughout the midst of this digital realm with impeccable precision, wit and adroit wisdom born of a deep well and a challenging life. That she shared so openly here for so long is a gift I cannot repay, but will endeavor to nontheless... Taomeow shared generously for years her insights and observations, born of her direct experience and her diligent pursuit of the energetic arts. A rare individual. I feel innately comfortable around people who unapologetically share their authentic nature and don't adjust, filter, or hide it to assuage the potential fragility, or expectations and projections of others. I find I need the authentic light people carry in their awareness to reflect aspects of my own self that are not readily observable from inside my own fish bowl. Authentic people, even when I don't agree with them, provide this type of mirror in their candor and frank, honest authenticity. It is a rare gift to be presented with... to have a person willing to shake you up a bit and not be interested or willing to present a filtered version of interaction they think will keep me from being uncomfortable.

The sense I got from reading the book and talking with Richard and spending time with Master Wang, is that he was something of a natural, or a prodigy in this regard. His three teachers were pleasantly surprised by his response to early training, and by his will, intent and ability from the inception.