Birch

Ok, I gave the book away already I'll go get another one :-)

"thus becoming the vessel for the supreme ultimate god's hammer on earth." Can I jump in and suggest "thus realizing one is the vessel for the supreme ultimate god's hammer on earth."? An oak does not (as far as I can imagine so far) become such without a ittle acorn who knew it all along. IMO all this talk of "becoming" neglects the "what from" question. While I'm sure that particles can drop in and out of being (messiah) I also believe there is a path (a "dao" if you like) for each of the 10,000 things :-) Of course, if you have transcended the state of being any of the 10,000 things, then your path is yours alone, so no point trying to explain it to any of the rest of the other 10,000 things. They won't get it and can't follow you, so you are alone. Not just figuratively, but ultimately. Like I'm not going to explain coffee to my cat (who nevertheless understands something about mornings and wakefulness)

Do you mean that Buddha so successfully brainwashed 4 other people that they each considered themselves to be him and him them, or were they just so far down the "no self" route that they were able to act like a single consciousness? Or were they just good enough to fool the disciples into figuring they were reincarnations - ok I give up. How did they do it? I reckon there's some shapeshifting going on somwhere. Especially after reading that article Blasto posted.

"saturday nite me and taiji tim" Sounds like as good a start to a good story as any "once upon a time" Ah yes, the re-discovery of people who were previously discarded for a44holery. I haven't worked out how that happens (yet). I have a "bridge-burning" tendency (so far), but it seems that many people just won't go away, or they keep coming back, despite my "discarding" (although it's rare I'll actually tell anyone "hey, you're an a44hole" which is probably why thy don't "get it" *sigh*) Almost getting killed seems like it fast-tracks you to many things :-)

Man, you sound like someone I've met here on TTB's Anyway, as always, nice chakra analysis :-) "why it is that we are in the physical realm of existence? What is the point, what are the lessons? Has anyone else struggled with this as well?" I struggle with this when things are going badly, not at all when things are going well. The idea that this is a "lesson" is IMO a little disconcerting. I don't like that word, not at all. That we "learn" there's no doubt. "Why" is IMO an attempt to attribute causality. I think it works at some level, not at all of them. And in fact if you start really contemplating it, those "levels" get to be very very strange. Someone once remarked, "You're here, now get over it" but I actually can't get over it

Very interesting Stig! "The Yiing 易經 (Book of Changes) is not a Daoist text. It pre-dates distinct, indigenous cultural traditions like Confucianism and Daoism." Very interesting indeed!

I +1'd it too Otis :-) Very nice. Yes (and I said this in another thread) I do believe that one is born into a situation where "knowing" is immediately removed from one's horizon, or if it's not removed, then it's at least confounded. Later, one learns to confound oneself - and while many reasons have been brought to bear on the "why" including pure survival, which I'm sure is the case for the very young and people in situations where their life depends on it. Once one reaches adulthood, what in the world would lead one to persist in confounding oneself? Turns out (IME) lots of things...

Well I think Seth is probably sexier than RB. Given his Kundalini n' all. No, I'm kidding, it's just the photo Alwayson, maybe if you said "why" you want to raise kundalini? I know that stepping into this stuff from my own culture and background brought many things into question. I realise the "why do you want to do XYZ" question tends to generate scorn on here - as if someone would just "know why" they want to do something and so no-one should everask. I reckon because we are brought up to "not know" or at least have others around us who "know better" and make that plain as often as they can, I tend to think that the objection to this state of affairs, otherwise expressed as "I know" is one worth listening to (even if you actually don't know :-)). And with that in mind IMO it's kind of pointless to call people out because they ostensibly "know" something you don't because then you're just playing straight into the thing you really want out of. Unless you actually don't want out Plus it looks like you can get banned for shooting yourself in the foot.

The last one is a good question Mal. I think I was looking for something to make my life better than it was. Now many good things, many things to let wither...and many things illuminated (like I actually don't suck as much as I thought :-)) And many things still to learn. It's ok, I can sleep when I'm dead. I think that, seeing my dissatisfaction with "my life", "something" took me on a ride that I still can't explain, although I went into it willingly because I went looking. Always with the curiosity After that, things get hard to explain, but at the same time it's like I always knew. I know that doesn't make sense, probably. And it's likely I didn't "always know" but just feel that way now. Nothing weird IMO in that, people do it all the time But I think we've done the whole "words can't express" thing enough to frustrate enough people who are serious about understanding. It's not that actually "words can't express" its that if I started in on trying to, I'd run into my crappy command of language as well as some considerations that I'd rather censor for fear of being labelled a whackjob.

Thanks again Yes, whenever you read anything, you bring exactly...well I don't know what % of "yourself" to the text (a point that TTBs keep making on TTBs but it still doesn't seem as obvious as it is :-)) Why don't you recommend the exercises? The later ones about spontaneously letting things are very good :-) Fun thing about (some) gongs is they sort of "teach themselves" in other words, you find out what they do (and much more :-)) by doing them :-) But I did very much enjoy the voice she gave to it (and did I mention I have often needed reassurance that I was not a basket-case about such things well I have to say that I'm not feeling quite as "basket-y-casey" post-reading this one ) When I referred to critical takedown, I meant it's not enough to have an academic specialist validate (too easy :-)) what I'd like is to get input from people who practice and are advanced enough in their practice to be able to see "behind" the technique. I don't think this takes away from the art or the beauty or the what's really going on but it might help some people approach it with less of the "woo-woo" - However, rest assured, there's enough "woo-woo" in there still :-) Fun "nugget" (pun not intended ) about Kalahari bushmen muscle-control

The Lover Within. I got it on Amazon. Don't be put off by the hokey title and purple/pink cover. It's very "technically" sound IMO.

Anyone here run their orbits to and with music? If so, which orbits? And do they change with/depending on the music? I was just wondering

Thanks Alwayson. Looks coherent enough to me. But to be honest, I don't think the actual "raising" of K is the issue. What seems more to the point IMO/IME is what do you do after that? Where do you raise it to? Through what? In a sequence of some kind??? What happens if it gets "too much"? What happens in your life with all this? Because things will happen in your life. It's not a hobby you can pick up and put down. Yes we know people want "it" and it's been touted as the best thing ever and a badge of honor and all that, but I do think it's worth being a little more reflective before jumping into K raising. There are other ways of doing things. Which is why IMO/IME there are a lot of additional practices related to raising K, ranging from eating right to grounding techniques, to building qi when the dear "lady" has left your system fried...to just being able to function in our present world and to find one's place in it...I'm not kidding. And for that IMO/IME it's helpful to find people who know what's going on, in the sense that they've been there...because if I actually knew what's going on then I wouldn't bother hanging out on TTB's trying to find what works

Again, excellent book recommendation Snowmonki! Thank you very much! I'm about halfway through it. Most of the stuff seems familiar to me from KAP or other qi-gong and just personal experience and practice and of course TTB's. Also things in there that make sense of some weird old sayings. Given I was in a "tell me I'm not a nutcase" position, buying books with lots of validation (including, yes, "science" :-)) was a really neat move. However, gotta watch out for the (my) tendency to want validation in the first place so I'd be curious if other folks have read it and could do a proper critical takedown of what the author is on about. The exercises are fun I've done some of them before on purpose and some spontaneously. Ferrari indeed

I ought to add, where's the assumption that the dropping away of hithertoknown self is pleasant? I guess if you include "terrifying" in there, then people might not be so into it?

Most things are easier done than said:-) What i mean is if you imagine having to verbalise every single movement, thought, process, reaction, counter-reaction then IMO one would end up bonkers:-) Just take "driving a car" for example and you'll be close to what I'm trying to explain. Of course, one might object that whatever we're referring to is nothing at all like driving a car. And you're right, it's just the object that's a bit different. Well, this is how I figure it myself anyway. Who gave you anxiety "disorder"?? If there's one very big thing that pisses me off it's the classification of certain behaviours and perspectives into "disorders". IMO and IME, feeling "anxious" is actually warranted in lots of situations. Of course it's unpleasant and I totally get why one would rather not. So for sure, all of the meditation techniques that help with that are very awesome There's nothing wrong with sex unless the sex is wrong :-) IMO I laugh at myself with this one quite often. The more it goes, the more i see sex as a sort of a "let's hold hands" thing. IMO What's really the point is the relationship between the people (however long or short).

Didn't Michael have a bunch of plastic surgery to end up looking like he did? IMO doesn't say very good things in terms of symbolism. Of course that stuff changes but I'm still way intrigued by what I see in that picture in terms of body-concept. Which is why I wanted a "date" for it. Because seems to me that my culture has been through the whole "body as machine" thing and might be in some areas on the cusp of putting that into serious question. The neurobiologists are IMO going to take the system by storm pretty soon :-)

Awesome! Monkey, mechanic, inner-light, snake, umbilical cord to the earth, third eye and a whole bunch of other stuff too much to mention :-) When did this "date" from ?

You know the day destroys the night Night divides the day Tried to run Tried to hide Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side, yeah We chased our pleasures here Dug our treasures there But can you still recall The time we cried Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Yeah! C'mon, yeah Everybody loves my baby Everybody loves my baby She get She get She get She get high I found an island in your arms Country in your eyes Arms that chain us Eyes that lie Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through, oww! Oh, yeah! Made the scene Week to week Day to day Hour to hour The gate is straight Deep and wide Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through Break on through Break on through Break on through Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ---- Death is nothing at all I have only slipped away into the next room I am I and you are you Whatever we were to each other That we are still Call me by my old familiar name Speak to me in the easy way you always used Put no difference into your tone Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow Laugh as we always laughed At the little jokes we always enjoyed together Play, smile, think of me, pray for me Let my name be ever the household word that it always was Let it be spoken without effort Without the ghost of a shadow in it Life means all that it ever meant It is the same as it ever was There is absolute unbroken continuity What is death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind Because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you for an interval Somewhere very near Just around the corner All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost One brief moment and all will be as it was before How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

And the internet says : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_they_make_Glinda_the_Good_Witch's_bubble_in_the_movie_The_Wizard_of_Oz Don't worry about it

Oh no. Now I am compelled to go google it

Sure it is. But if you would get right with your own story IMO/IME you might find things less clumsy overall. What I mean (and what I'm trying to do better insofar as people and their socially acceptable face will let me are concerned) is see them in more dimensions than I did before. And to do that I've found it helps to see myself in more dimensions. And it also helps to talk to them and listen to them (and all that crap). If I take my "mother" for example, she was a particularly awful one, but she was also quite good at other things - not that any of them helped me when necessary, but you get my drift? What I mean is the gap gets filled quite heartily once you consider it.

I don't know what ether is. Sorry However, I've been having some really strange ideas recently that the motor force "behind" (if one can talk about such things) the universe is "love" - not the kind you read about or watch on TV or even the kind that people think they're "in" but something altogether stronger than all that, that can kill if necessary and remake if necessary. Ok, I know, I know...it's crazy faster than you can get to the corner store

Yeah, except I wouldn't forget that all those plexuses (nexuses) are connected to other stuff. And so not approach them in isolation. My wild guess is that your solar plexus training has had a spillover on both your lungs and your kidneys (I'm talking 5E TCM systems and not just organs so don't freak out ) and so hence the fatigue. In fact, generally speaking I probably wouldn't "train" any one chakra over another...but if it comes up, well that's yet another thing.

egg/apple, whatever Yes, the outer edges of it are a bit round (I've found) but that doesn't stop there being centers or meridians either. And let's be honest, if you're training chakra system then you'll get chakra system. That the latter 2 also coincide with physical expression (as in emanation) is probably a smart thing, IMO