silent thunder

The relation to and experience of my awareness to my life process is unfolding into allegory and metaphor. All literalism falls away like petals from a spent flower. effortless. natural. My Raw Beingness unfolds as it is and in this... some of Chuang Tzu's writings catapult off the page with resonant meaning while others just lie flat and unresponsive. I liken this to tuning forks in music and sympathetic vibration of similarly tuned instruments.

Usually do not drink within 30 minutes prior and an hour after eating. Also no longer chug massive amounts of water in one go to 'water up'.

Relax CCD. Lima is our resident Monkey. He's Playful, not shitposting. Lima... shitposting is when folks intentionally post to upset others. You are not shitposting, but some folks just don't appreciate playfulness very much.

Would eagerly try butter tea. Never heard of kumis, but I'd give that a shot as well.

Here's a couple new images of Nameless' Chrysalis on day 8. she's developed a ring of black under her upper gold spikes and a second ring of only a few gold spikes has emerged along the bottom yesterday. Sources say she should emerge in as few as 2 days, I sense she'll be another 5. She seemed on the small side when she began the shift. I've been working on the battery of our old GoPro, trying to build it up. It sat dormant for a while. Going to start running video on day 10, hoping to catch the 3 minute window in which she will emerge and fly off. Need to rig a new tripod for my camera too, the old one went gammy. Can pretty clearly see the wing veins and structures in the lower sections of both pics. Assuming she'll go clear before she emerges, but don't know. Shift and shift... inner and outer. Me. Her. Society. Earth. Sun. Galactic Flow. Void. Dao. It's relentless and inertia is gathering... palpably resonant for me... I'm sensing some new harmonics on old resonances... the stirrings of my old viking nature, the raw delight for exploring and enjoying the shift and leaning into it... rather than abject neutrality in apathy. we'll see... hibernation may be coming to an end for me as well soon. Gratitude for simple raw presence in beingness continues to emanate its harmonic influence under all else... There is such potency in active surrender.

do it...

I used to like my coffee exceptionally strong and very dark, with whole milk and sugar. And my tea was steeped for a good 10 minutes to get it nice and strong. When I convinced my wife to stop buying and using milk, I tried to use almond milk, or soy and that... was... terrible. So I began to drink them straight. Found I had to alter my brewing methods. Switched to light roast coffee and no longer let it set in the press... it gets pressed straight away. And for tea, after the initial rinse of the leaves (helps reduce bitterness) I basicall strain the water through the tea quickly, no long steep times any more and have come to discover I far prefer black coffee and unadulterated teas (most of them). There's a whole landscape of lovely subtle flavors (particularly in coffees) that used to be covered over by the strength and bitterness of my brewing methods. edit to add: there was a vast improvement in flavors when I began distilling all our water as well. The taste is so dependent on the properties of one's water.

All is well. I'd have to reread the thread to know what is up, but have no interest either. Peace.

I've shared a few verses here, but not the whole thing, not with anyone yet. It's more for cultivation and personal study, I doubt it would be considered accurate, or beneficial to anyone else.

Cultivation to me, is the wilfull intention to induce paradigm shift in one's awareness. We don't necessarily know where it's going to lead, but I know that for me, it's imperative to shift. So nice to hear from you Lima. Peace and Love my Friend.

Nameless' Chrysalis has changed shape rather significantly and is developing a ring of beautiful gold spikes along a newly emerging upper ridge. When I look to the lighter portion toward the bottom right, I can begin to see the wing lacing. It's almost as if the inner layer of the Chrysalis' inner wall is the mold giving the wings their shape as they take form out of the liquid.

Seeker has always served that purpose for me.

decided to share less...

New one (for me) by Black Hill & HeklAa.

finger points to moon. if one watches the finger, they may miss the moon.

Hey there. I'm an old gem, crystal and stone hound. Often gazing down while I walk, to see who's about... So many treasures, often so close at hand, waiting to be noticed. I've been using Yeh Ming Zhu (dragon's pearl) in meditation for years now, as a resonant magnifier and reflector for intention predominantly. Not sure of its geological family. It's extremely rare in the West. I've only found one reliable source. I'm also partial to Selenite (mineral not true crystal), Malachite, Obsidian, Tourmaline and my current obsession, Labradorite. All stones resonate their essence and I work with many, rotating what's around my workspace as intuition dictates. Though Jade is one I have little experience with and only one small piece... a small Pi given by a nurse friend. Jade seems to evade me honestly. I'm curious about Spirit Jade for sure.

Hey @Shagrath The retreat was 10 days. There was a list of questions sent, prior to being accepted regarding one's current and past practices, if any specific healing was being sought, and birth date, time and place, if known. There was no talk of levels. We all shared in the same process, though I expect it was deeply different for each of us.

At my retreat, with Master Wang, full lotus was not stressed at all. The benefits of it were explained but it was not stated as required for advancement, only that it can help intensify and speed things up in efficiency. I sat in half lotus, which I can do indefinitely. Full lotus is a strain on my knees that I do not push. Our sessions averaged 3 hours. Sleep sessions ranged from one to four hours on the dot. Tree work was briefly explained and then we were left to explore it, or not, on our own. What stood out was there was nothing fundamentalist in any of the offered teachings. It was decidedly open, relaxed and supportive. Not rigid or militaristic in any way. Though I guess Master Wang used to be much more demanding in his early teaching years based on some of his own and Richard's descriptions. Two individuals sat in chairs. One was disabled and hobbled along slowly with two forearm canes. Another had long term hip issues that prevented him from sitting on the floor for five years. This guy experienced a resounding pop in his injured hip on the second or third day and then was able to join us on the floor for the remaining days. The disabled man using crutches, was able to sit on pillows on the floor by the end of the retreat. As for Master Wang's books. I would not recommend them to a beginner. They are perhaps too technical and too dense to be approachable. They would have been for me in my early years. They're still daunting for one as conditioned as I still am. The Roots of Chinese Qi Gong by Yang Jwing-Ming. Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine. The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing by Daniel Reed all come to mind as very helpful books in my early exploration.

What constitutes processed food is a really great question. I don't consider myself to have a definitive answer. disclaimer: I don't consider myself an authority on nutrition; I'm an artist by trade. And as I've explored this, I find nutritionists don't often agree on what's good for folks, as what's healthy seems to change with the seasons (i hear eggs are considered healthy again). I've learned over time, what my body responds well to and what it rejects. As to processing and what that means. I identify pretty closely with the definitions offered in this article by Dr Kalie. I share her notions of four basic levels of processing. Unprocessed: Simple, natural foods in their natural unadulterated state. Take a cucumber out of your garden, or the Market, wash it off and eat it. Clean natural food. Same goes for animal and fish proteins that haven't been treated with anti-biotics and hormone infusions. Wild caught fish, non-hormone treated meat. I no longer eat red meat, but we regularly eat untreated chicken, wild caught fish, turkey and pork. Unprocessed foods burn clean and provide energy and protection, bolster the wei qi field. Natural foods are like preventative medicine to me. Herbs are wonderful sources of natural food medicine. We keep an herb garden in our kitchen and on our balcony. It's quite impressive how much one can cultivate in a small space. Fruits, nuts, veggies, natural meats all are unprocessed to me. Lightly Processed: to me these are foods treated for transport and protected through packaging. Foods such as pre-packaged salads where they inject nitrogen into the package to prevent spoiling in transit, I consider lightly processed and readily eat. The nature of the food is not changed and remains natural. Prepackaged washed spinach vs canned creamed spinach, is an example to me of the difference between light and ultra. Processed: foods with some added ingredients for preserving, taste, appeal, foods that are pre-cooked and canned, I consider processed. The food has been altered through a process, usually added ingredients for preserving, cooking, canning are all processing and don't necessarily have to be negative to your body. We're all different. But the ingredient list is a good indicator for me as to how processed something is, the more ingredients added increases how altered the food is to me. Sodium and Sugar, Oils and Preservatives being the most common. Added flavoring, canning processes. Deli meats, sausages, etc. These are in my sometimes category as my body is sensitive to sodium and sugar particularly (high blood pressure and insulin resistance). Not daily, but once in a while. Like eating out. I consider any restaurant food to be processed as there's no way to definitively know the source and preparation... so it's in my sometimes category. Ultra Processed: Ultra-processed foods are no longer food to me. They will fill the hole when you're hungry, but they are so adulterated and infused with unnatural ingredients that they are more akin to slow acting poison, than food. The body has to work hard just to get them through the system and they bring a host of side effects over time. Blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar levels, weight gain (one method the body uses with toxins to minimize the effect on the system is to store them in fat), so ultra processed foods will cause weight gain and a host of ill effects. They are chemical shit storms to me and I avoid them entirely. Usually come in boxes with bright colors. They are heavily altered foods with a slew of added ingredients like artificial flavors, colors, additives for appeal and consistency, heavy preservatives and a host of chemical additives. Meats with hormone infusions. Dairy from cows infused with hormones and antibiotics. They often sell themselves as Fat Free and Sugar Free (sugar substitutes are a total chemical nightmare). For the record, i find fat to be an amazing food for fuel and does not make me fat. Sugar makes people fat, fat burns clean (but I'm kind of alone in this it seems). Dairy is one we avoid as well. We cut it out of our house years ago, after much resistance by my wife when our son was young... Milk does not do a body good and there is ample evidence available on this if one digs. And I dug, I had to provide much research to convince my gal to stop feeding it to our son daily. Turns out she was the one who benefited most when we cut it out (she has Crohn's and dairy is a nightmare of inflammation in her system). Milk when looked at neutrally, of itself, is a reproductive enzyme from another mammal's endocrine system. It's an enzyme that is meant to turn a 60lb calf into an 1800 lb cow in a couple years. Even adult cows can't drink cow's milk once their system has matured... so why do humans? Humans don't even drink human milk once we've matured. So we avoid it. Particularly if you're female and have your own reproductive system... the hormones from another mammal in your system just seems a bad idea at the core to me. I have relaxed in recent years compared to when this process first started. I was for a long time a mindless eater. Anything went. When the ramifications of that became clear in my health, I transitioned and became a food fundamentalist for a couple years. But quite literally I realized that my old diet was slow acting poison and through adjustments I was able to then use food as medicine to treat and reverse my adverse health conditions and then continue use it to provide a framework of preventative health support. Once healthy and vital again, I relaxed a bit and now enjoy even on occasion a nice sharp aged goat cheese, we eat out at restaurants somewhat regularly. Interesting to note that when first tranisitioning out of processed foods as a regular part of my diet... sugar and cheese were the hardest to kick. Sugar has similar receptor triggers to cocaine and cheese is quite similar to heroin in how it lights up receptors in the pleasure centers of the brain. Anyone who's ever cut sugar out cold turkey can attest to this reality on day two or three of detox. Again, all this is just my opinion based on my experience and that of the nutritionists I agree with. Your mileage may vary, always listen to your own system. There is so much innate wisdom in the body. In recent years, my body has begun craving emptiness as it once craved ice cream... asking me to fast regularly.

Dr Anastasia Vasilyeva defying the Strongman System Such character and integrity as is exemplified by Dr Vasilyeva cannot be beaten, or threatened out of a person. It is ingrained in the fibers of their very form, a direct extension of their essence, their act of living. It arises from the very center of their awareness and is unrelinquishable, spotless, untaintable. The fear addicted authoritarians will have only one road of recourse due to their fear. Discredit, silence and then kill her. They lose in all these scenarios. But she pays the price for their fear. Integrity such as hers is so inspiring and the need for it is so infuriating. Such integrity. Such fearlessness. She's leagues beyond them, but unfortunately, likely not beyond their reach. I sincerely applaud her and hope those near her can run interference for her protection. She's been speaking out for some time and should she disappear now, it would be so obvious, she may have a window of opportunity to influence the flow of events. Such courage and character. She gives me hope and inspires me.