Birch

Welcome!

Welcome! I would like to call myself A.N. Other and get all those cheques. Welcome!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Done!

"People sometimes get offended when I ask this question, as it assumes that they bear some responsibility for creating that which they previously feel victimized about." I'd be one of those people. Although it definitely depends IMO/IME to what we're referring to. Child-abuse, for example. I'd draw a clear line concerning 'responsability' for being a victim of that. Rape. I'd draw a line there too. I think people with good intentions should be wary of riding roughshod over others because they want to use a specific belief system at all costs. Edit: I wanted to add this link to the discussion. http://www.ukskeptics.com/article.php?dir=articles&article=Blaming_the_victim.php The pdf I posted about 5 elements healing in another thread is another interesting one IMO since there's some mention of ideology, as well as stories of what works. Edit: added Wikipedia entry about http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoʻoponopono#section_5 There are variants of Ho'oponopono. The traditional collective practice is very different from the modified 'New Age' version. Already mentioned elsewhere on the TTB's about Joe Vitale. Buyer beware

The old teacher Doc Morris suggested mustering the same feeling you might have for a family pet. I couldn't work out what this was a commentary on until I realized he was on to something. Could it be distinctly westerner?

Abyssmal water.

It's a yin water (gui) snake. Last year was yang water dragon.

Focus Drew;-) Persinger's experiments were redone by another lab (I know I should go dig it up for the ref) and the results were different. It did seem to me in reading the report about the other experiment that it proved that Persinger's experiments were entirely covered by the placebo effect. Which is another way (today) of discounting validity of 'actual' effect - which BTW ought to be better looked into. I realise it's a foundation of experimental method. - opinion etc-

Are you referring to my post above 3Bob? I didn't have TTC in mind at all. Would you mind explaining what you mean? Sorry.

That's cool if Rupert Sheldrake turns up. I read a book about his field theories and experiments once. I also got reading about Persinger - he would be another guy to talk to, I reckon. There have been some counter-experiments around his work too.

I did make a distinction between 'natural' and 'normal'. I reckon that's part of it. Not all of it:-)

"These thoughts are yours." Hmm. I reckon it might be worth getting more into that. I'd personally equate 'mine' with something original, 'of myself', otherwise I'm just reiterating someone else's thoughts. I reckon that happens quite often. I do think it's quite difficult to admit that one's thoughts are not actually one's own. Me - I have a very 'reflective'/pick up throw at the wall, see what sticks thing going on. Apart from that, I'm pretty incredibly naive. It's horrible to admit. --2cts--

There's a bit of a 'technological' impulse at the moment with a goal (or so it seems to me) of enabling everyone to see things the same way (I had a link for an article on it which I will post if I find it again). IMO religion does the same/similar thing. I've seen some 'religion is technology/ technology is religion' arguments here and there (and not least on here thanks to our friend Fullpyth.) I'd argue, in many cases, I don't need to see things the same way as anyone, I just need to know how to deal with that fact. --opinion etc--

Yes please! From what I've gathered - which is not much at all, it's very very important. Try to navigate without it. Sometimes I wonder 'navigate where without it'?

"Pisces moon" I haven't been able to sort these things out very well with the 'Western' astrological approach. It's gotten a bit easier using the 4 pillars/Bazi 'astrology'. Relationships related to wuxing and so on. From that POV, yes, I'd be default getting along with 'people like me' and other relationships would have other dynamics according to the wuxing. Edit: And I heartily agree with the name thing. I'm going to adjust mine on the TTB's for wuxing-related issues:-)

I was going to say 'super-natural' can get confounded with 'super-normal'. I don't have dolphin-like swimming powers, for example. What are 'natural' human powers? Leaving aside the 'normal' for now. On the ego thing, given often the same people who denigrate ego, also insist it doesn't exist, er, I just end up confuddled, so I'll leave that part conveniently aside for now - for if it doesn't exist, no point bringing it into an argument, huh?

I was pondering this kind of thing the other day. I wonder if it's just another version of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia ? In meditation, I've become very aware of the trains of thought (some of them freight!) in my mind. They don't have a 'sound' per se but I can imagine why for some people they might. It would be neurological, seen from that angle. I'd defnitely suggest going to see a neurologist. I think the "attention' suggestion is a good one. It probably can reduce/remove things all by itself. I don't know enough about the other angles (the energetic stuff is a different way of going about it IMO but I don't know if it would 'fit' with what would need to happen for things to resolve.) I agree with Liminal Luke, taking care of yourself is important. Jing-chi-shen goes both ways (I reckon) Edit: I came across this the other day re the jing-chi-shen thing. The directions do seem to be important and TCM has apparently jumped on the original direction http://www.classicalchinesemedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/fruehauf_alldisease.pdf Edit 2: I also have to say that at some earlier point during the process and still sometimes, I was occasionally hearing actual sounds (see the 'thud' in the other thread). It might be a question of 'this too shall pass' but good idea to get things checked out on the 'organic' level.

There might be aspects of the techniques that you could learn and apply to yourself as you wish. Some of the associative stuff sounds like it might be useful for reconditiong yourself but it might be worth using it to find out what's there to start with before adding more furniture. Would it help you understand yourself and others better? Would it improve thinking skills (as in, could you use it to learn to think in directions other than the ones propulsed by the linear language we use?) It might do. A lot of practices do involve spatial thinking and visualization.

Yes, it's been in some respects quite 'dangerous' enough already. Thanks Drew Besides, I have no idea where I am in cultivation terms. I mentioned 'ordinary' elsewhere. Sounds about where it is.

I know that everything in my house makes a hell of more of a noise when I meditate in it. We could talk refrigeration compressors at length.

The old guy Freud had some things to suggest about pleasure. My personal take is that it's very difficult to unknot. --2cts--

Welcome!

I'm better at it than you are!