Birch

Ah yes. What other people think;-) The way i get around that one is not talk about it. Except on this forum because i feel i need to:-) And don't bother with what anyone else is doing, unless they're doing it to me, on purpose:-)

Well I'm not sure what I'd make one about. I'm very interested in getting to the bottom of traditions and picking them to bits but I don't want to offend folks with that:-) I'm worried about various "out there" things but i don't want to be considered in that light only. I'm interested in "tooling up for the takedown" so attempting to hone various skills based on "old stuff" and intuition. Do you think I'm on the right forum?

That's interesting Witch. Just as a neat reminder, I'd like to put forward that any concentrated form of "spiritual" er, transmission (or meditation for that matter) could set off an acceleration of "stuff". Otherwise known as "detox", what i've called "the shit hitting the fan" -that i've read termed as "precipitation of karma" and that seemed about right to me even if i don't believe in karma. Mr Slopps, valid points but if you talk to people who have been "through" "spiritual awakenings" you might find a number who were neither looking for it nor were particularly happy when it happened. Myself included. These days it's all a bit "oh well let's see what this is about". I didn't quit my job, nor go off roaming the mountains and the shit hit the fan in full urban glory.

And then? Do you want me to? Something else?

Now, why do you say that:-)?

About?

Well you can't do it the same way here as in India. Totally unacceptable. For fun: check out www.startpage.com

" (Just today I realized we recently dug up old stuffed animal toy, being a monkey with its head fallen off; but can inanimate objects act as vessel for other beings? Perhaps it was just asking for assistance, then, but not knowing how.) " Now that's really interesting! I don't know the answers to the can another entity inhabit something inanimate. I suppose it depends on what one considers as inanimate. I'm not saying "get up and walk around" animate but i have been looking into this idea that basically the entire universe is made of the same "stuff" that gets expressed as "things". Different things, mind you. Have to be, otherwise would be same old nothing, and nothing to play with. It's just an idea btw and despite it being reiterated all over the place, there's still a lot to understand (for me, anyway).

Are they? The only thing that came to mind on this one was -oxidative (sp?) stress and lung cavity issues from over-focussing on one type of breathing. Shot in the dark. Oh, then all that retention stuff.

Good points Seth! The only thing I'd feel concerned about in a 'constructed' symbolic practice would be if the symbols were 'tampered with' either through intention or mistake but I doubt that a person who has deeply studied the origins of the stuff would fall into that category. Reason for this is symbols have their own 'chi', - that which is given to them by the symbol's 'initiator' if you like and then what the practitioner does with them, then what the student does with them. But that's a bit off-topic regarding 5ET's impending departure. 5ET, how about a break rather than leaving? I know sometimes this place annoys me. But I guess I see it as a way of cultivating all the same. L

Interesting stories SIME :-) I don't find sharing philosophical stances to be anal and IMO/IME whatever works for you as position from which to move through life (and vice-versa :-)) is probably beneficial in some way (if it weren't, you'd be (I kind of hope!) doing it some other way :-)). I happen to figure that if one is going to be non-dual about things, might as well go the whole hog :-) Have you been able to construct a 'myself' that has decided it doesn't live for "itself" but "everything else"? Did I get it wrong? What I'm way more concerned about is the initial position and how that gets constructed in the first place. How a person can come to construct such a thing 'about' oneself that causes such pain in the first place. Now some traditions will say the issue is 'separation', the feeling of being separate from the whole but I'm not sure about that. Admittedly 'a cure' is cutting the entire construct off at the root but i'm not sure about that either.

My (almost humble;-)) opinion is that your life is ALSO for you. It's not an either or. You're part of it. It's very possible someone had you convinced otherwise (although, from experience, this tends to be oneself- I'm still not quite sure how or why that happens) I'd read that black tourmaline story too:-) Not useful if you have a store:-)

Interesting Mr Cow. Could you please expand upon 'dabbling' and how this would bring insufficient power to any given practitioner? Are you saying that only by following a specific lineage can such power be gained? Otherwise, is the practitioner just 'cat-food'? Are you saying that a human person, all by themselves wouldn't be able to muster the mustard? I'll hold on my personal opinion on that one (but I bet you can a) guess what it is and guess why it is :-))

Wasn't he with Max before? Or I'm mixing him up with someone else? Edit: nope, I'm not mixing him up :-)

Don't watch them. The un-conscious apparently can't tell the difference between 'real' 'out there' awful stuff and what's 'just' awful stuff on a screen. I just ended up being unable to watch anything especially nasty and meditate on a regular basis because the former clogs up the space. Besides, there's already enough 'stuff' in there that will come up in meditation IME. I mean there's 'nasty' as in 'this is actually happening somewhere in the world and I find it distasteful' and 'made up for kicks nasty' which seems to have a very specific 'thing' about it. There's a big horror movie trend towards fast shape-shifting stuff I think. You know, sweet grandma shifts in a split-second into a vampire:-) Sometimes I get caught out with movie trailers and cover my eyes too late. Then I get annoyed. But if you keep enough emptiness you can figure out where 'stuff' comes from. I have no idea what it 'attracts'. I don't adhere to that school :-)

Creation. Check some Kundalini sites re: heart stuff. "sleep paralysis" is a pretty common experience, as are "hypnogogic" visions. If i stay aware, i can sometimes get dream images and waking reality to overlap. It's also possible that meditation does this. I'm sure one could "accidentally" set it off. I also prefer to see most "stuff" as self-emanating, although I'm aware that there's more to it than that:-)

I just sort of forget about such things. Let it all wash through. I've found fear-reduction to be more useful than identifying any of these things. IME if you harden your boundaries against (or for, for that matter) then what's generated is more "potent" both ways. I also like sitting in a cloud:-) Anyway, worrying about all that just keeps my attention off what i'm supposed to be doing. I do like sage :-)

As far as i can recall, the "technique" is to not pay any attention to the monkey. If it's scary then those light-based meditations help. If you cut off a "manifestation's" "supply" it'll go away (or elsewhere). There are a few different schools that treat the "what is" of the manifestation differently. And they also treat "reality" differently. Depending on that, they have different ways of dealing with this sort of thing. I don't know if you have to adopt a school's view on reality in order for their stuff to work. Anyway, this is one of the reasons I don't watch scary movies anymore:-) Or dabble in Obe or third eye things. I'm guessing if those are forthcoming and necessary then they'll come. Also good reminder that meditation has some, er, interesting stuff going on. What type of meditation were you doing? See Hundun's opinion on "crown" stuff in the Jenny Lamb thread.

Sinfest could be court-jester and point out everyone's shortcomings... Everyone has a role in the Taoist forum IMO. The buddhists would concur, if they bothered to make any sense of DO, that is :-) ---opinion alert--- Aaron, I haven't noticed you modding anything. Why step down? I guess if it takes up too much time and you have to focus on meat-space things, sure. But I wouldn't invest oneself with too much perfect authority either. I reckon you're trying too hard before you have to. Edit: a misplaced apostrophe

Mojo back Scott ? Nice to, er, 'see'

Hmm. Do you believe that? You might be, but, as someone on here once mentioned, what if all the answers to all questions have already been answered? If they have been, then it's just a question of finding them (again) IMO/IME. If they haven't been, well, that's much more interesting and worth pursuing. Just don't let anyone answer them for you :-)

Oh now, this has just gotten all weird in the space of about 10 minutes (approximately). Anyways, gooey philosophy is IMO/IME like the underside of an overripe mushroom. Makes you sick if you eat it. Besides, isn't 'philosophy' some kind of way of living? If it's just a way of thinking and doesn't translate into anything (like action) what's the point? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx9LdAcnNF8

You may find this interesting http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/08/11/080811fa_fact_grann?printable=true&currentPage=all

"Long ago, when life expectancy was short and no one had time for anything" I'd check into that one :-)

Who are these people and what's your answer? IME/IMO the answers 'used to be' = 'had to be' painted on and souped up and something totally different (hehe) from anything the person seeking answers knew. IMO/IME we 'know' 'too much' which is why unreserved reality is a pre-requirement for any path whatsoever. In complicated times, I suggest keeping it simple:-)