Birch

"scientifically homoeopathy has proven to be ineffective." I suspect many things have However, if it's ineffective at worst, harmless etc then there's no danger in running your own subjective experiment. When nothing seems to work then that's what it might just take

I think this post is really interesting. Which is not to say that the others are not (but which one may be lead to imagine because I singled this one and omitted to say the rest were). Great posts on this thread too I won't start on where I figure "rationality" and "spirituality" seem to begin and end IMO.

I don't talk to my cells as much as they talk to me at the moment. I listen to them. I've spent far too long dragging them all over the map. They decided they'd rather not do that any more. So they've got me doing ALL kinds of weird stuff For those bystanders that reckon I've lost it more than usual, well I haven't. I'm just reversing some currents Otherwise I thought both Susan's and TaoMeow's posts were spot on at explaining mechanisms

Hi tea and herb people! I'm looking for best way to stock my herbs and teas and such. What's best? I don't want the stronger ones "contaminating" the others. Are "vacuum" jars a good idea? What about freezing? How long does one keep tea and herbs anyway? Reason for asking. I just bought a very "pungent" herb and it stinks the place out. Thank you!

Um, time doesn't exist. The markers and contexts we look to to create a sense of time are our own creation. Which is why "progress" is a joke IMO.

"(only in the light of my Wuxing reading does it become clear why my accidental kundalini initiation was, first of all, possible -- this kind of awakening, with minimal provocation, can only happen to someone who has plenty of Wood, plenty of Fire, and not enough Water in her chart" I had figured that yesterday when you were getting all heated about it If I recall BK's book, he explained that his master determined that a water path would be best for him whereas he had taught fire up till then. Maybe you should get on to writing that book As to the somatic release stuff, well I think yes, that's it, but it need not be a violent affair. It can happen on cell-level if you get enough awareness into it. I've personally found that everything I back off from in meditation should actually be considered as an invitation to go there. Very gently. Sometimes there's nothing there at all, but the "wall" around it was causing issues. Man, if we didn't have such a "mind/body" split here it wouldn't even be necessary to explain all this stuff, you'd just do it naturally.

RV, I think "terrified" is valid as an apprehension. But it could be worth looking at what exactly you are terrified of. I think Ya Mu's stuff is very well balanced so I wouldn't fear, you're in good hands You're also in your own hands, if I may suggest that. We all are. I'm not suggesting this lightly. Ya Mu has awesome technical skills and understanding. How I know this is through my own experience, my reading him here and the few messages I've exchanged with him- I'll admit to filling in gaps a great deal (we all do) but he's on it. For the rest of this post, I couldn't write it. I can only talk about my own experience. There's more than enough of that in my forum . I don't think it means that everyone will have the same experience - just as in life

"is the body weak or did it start from the mind thinking negatively." IMO and small experience, not quite so clear cut. Yet I'd venture a strong, healthy body might tend to produce a more confident, positive, etc "mindset" that then returns the favour. Why is it referred to as a "mindset"? A good experiment to check out would be that one where the old folks in a home got an environment that recalled their younger days and got better for it. Can't remember where I found it (must be the Alzheimer's kicking in ) Or better, just go get all the "placebo" information you can get. Emotions aside, yes there's "external" stuff (as in "food") that doesn't aid IBS (or anything really). So you can't entirely blame yourself (well, except for the eating part I guess...)

"They tend to have more difficulty focusing from multitasking and attaining mental emptiness due to more A.D.D., though" Who does? Nah, I get it. Just like by default I wouldn't be able to grow a 6-pack or deadweight (is that even the term?) more than half my weight. Or something (insert Monroe eye-lid turn down here) Mr Vortex, do you subscribe to an "all of them" school when it comes to women or do you allow for nuance? I've been reading you for a while and I get that males are being stepped on and shat on and generally gotten rid of (if not physically then at least socially - which amounts in many cases to same) in our current setup. What do you think is the origin of this? Maybe I should ask /open another thread about this - but don't "male and female support each other?" or something. IMO Having "women's wisdom" necessarily involves men.

"But does it also include life mishaps and "bad luck?" Is this stuff also a typical part of the process as well?" - Yes. "Is it like karma releasing or something? " - I don't reckon karma is "released" inasmuch as it is played out with your fully aware participation for you to adapt yourself to such that it resolves OR until it breaks you. Not necessarily a "bad" thing from a buddhist "ego-killing" perspective but hey, not everyone wants to kill their egos, and egos don't want to be killed, period. And they will try to kill you before you kill them, especially if they are formed in specific ways (usually fostered by society and environment). - I ought to add here, that not all egos are equal, nor necessarily desireable (sounds awful, but if you take the example of the "low self esteem" ego that often puts you in harm's way - or is harmful to others, then it might sound better.) Anyway, I would suggest that they really don't need "killing" unless they've become very harmful. If I look at what immediately preceded the beginning of my K "narrative" (because it's just another story) it was the momentary impulse to jump off a large building. I won't get into why that was. There are some things you don't need to share with all However, IMO, this in itself is "life" and it's function (from the small portion of experience I've managed to gather). I think TaoMeow's take on the mechanism (if I can use such a term) is correct. Your extremes and mileage may vary, but it's worth looking into. My opinion, obviously, as usual. And I add,falling on one's a44 doesn't help.

"...Only Magnolia and Donnie Darko come to mind..." Ok, I'm busted Also very favourites of mine. Lest I hijack a thread, how about we have one about movies that do that (i.e. illustrate Taoist concepts)

Listen to it. Avoid things that stress it out (nod to avoiding high-heels for lower back issues ) Stretch it, take it for walks, feed it good food, water, take it vacations, show it sunlight, show it new things, appreciate it (or have someone else appreciate it ) I'd just add that IMO (current) it's not "yours" as in a possession it's "you" - which put a whole big t'other spin on everything that goes with...

Thanks Apech for posting all that stuff! Thanks TaoMeow for posting your account of your K rising. I would love to hear more about it but acquiesce that if timing is off then it's off. No argument Cat, I heartily agree that our media is mostly a slop-filled/half-truth waste of time, money, energy and effort. Unfortunately it's also the tune to which many people amble through their days and base their worldviews and by dint of that their actions on

What do people with IBS actually eat?

The big pink qi-gong book also has "antidotes" for common chi-cultivation issues.

I posted the link to the pdf in question near the top of the thread. I am not aware of any copyright issues with it, but please take it off if you need to.

OT. Did you see the movie? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303356/

There's a movie? I read the book about 20 years ago when I was trying to find ways to resolve my way out of the crazy place I was living in. I found most of the book good but there was some stuff towards the end that sounded a bit "join my cult discussion group" It was also around that time that I read Anthony Robbins. I personally find his ideas of "success" somewhat distasteful (a la Tom Cruise in Magnolia - which I will now HAVE to post in my music section - despite it not being music) but the mechanisms sounded interesting.

"A transcended being can live in the most extreme negative environment, a slum in Mumbai or in Mexico City, and remain radiant, loving and blissful. Feeling life's pain and the pain of others and transcending it." Um- I'm not so sure that some people are ready to explore the idea (at least, just the idea) that their outward circumstances may have little to do with their own satisfaction and/or circumstances. I am personally grateful that I live in neither Mumbai nor Mexico City. For lots of reasons - few of them are "transcendental". Of course I'm often wrong. Do you/have you lived there?

THIS!

I don't know where I came from. A long chain of being? Given I am here and not elsewhere? To entertain the idea that I am "fallen" is IMO to buy into someone else's explanation for my existence - which, if going well, I need not ask about. BUT, if to the contrary, it's not going well ("well" being entirely defined by my small idiotic self) then rather than asking what has happened and what I have done (and what has been done to me) to have things "not go well" - should I attempt to look beyond for yet another explanation. Beware, there are more than enough people and things willing to explain who you are to yourself.

There's no "OMG they're so cute" icon on this forum Beautiful TaoMeow

This is a great thread! TaoMeow, yes please, do go ahead and ask I Ching on my behalf. Let me know what you think about the answer. Eternal student, thanks for your concern and service to hotheads like yours truly I would love to have an acupuncturist that "gets" what I'm doing but I feel that I need to keep this stuff under wraps with mine. I don't think I would even be able to explain it to her. She's been extremely patient with me but I sometimes feel it's like showing up at your psychologist's after taking LSD. Besides, you simply can't talk about such things with everyone. It's bad enough trying to explain that I have a different opinion from others some days. Forget about trying to explain how the "you" that "you" think "you" are is not exactly what "you" thought it was but it's still "you". Especially to "oneself". I appreciated your answer to the "what it's for" question. I like to think it's proof of the love that life has for me as a small idiotic thing on the face of this planet. --nod to thanks for the existence of TTB's... Susan, thanks for your answers. I'll definitely be tuning in for the next Ustreams I have that Anodea Judith book - even before any of this started. Thanks Creation for your take on mixing "fire" and "water" techniques. I like to think there also comes a point where the process drives and derives from itself, becoming something of a "middle path". Vaj, your posts about different practices and worldviews was very interesting. As things move on, the more I keep seeing similarities in many practices and lots of symbolism too. Ralis, thanks for your presence in this thread. You're a smart guy and I appreciate the rationality. GIH. Hello I couldn't figure what else to write. Man this place rocks.

Excellent post all round TaoMeow! So, from what you're saying, it's looking like in my case it's not actually K? Or if it is then I am in some way headed for disaster? "If everything goes smoothly, fine, you are going to have an enjoyable life as something, um, else from what you know yourself to be, no big deal, this "something" is supposed to be better than what you are now. But what if your new, and currently unknown to you, awakened-kundalini-augmented you isn't compatible with your current lifestyle, society you're in, or your own expectations? Wouldn't you want to have a choice whether to give her total control or retain some for yourself?" "In a typical scenario (I'm talking a generic scenario, not this specific one of course) loss of control over cultivation process is THE substance cults are made out of. You lose control, the guru takes over telling you what to do, how to live, how much to give, who to worship, who to kill in an extreme case. Cults simply wouldn't exist if processes -- psychological, physical, emotional -- that run away from the initiate weren't a sad and thoroughly documented reality. So the first thing I would ask about any process I would undertake is exactly this: do you know how to stop it should you need to? And are you willing to share this information with your students?" I've chosen the "solo" route with this stuff because I don't want to get involved with anything cultish. Those things are best left alone. Of course if my choice is an error then I take full responsability for making it. The question is worth asking. As for your practices -- well, we're all pretty eclectic these days, and in most cases mix and match works just fine, many things are very happily compatible with many other things. However, KAP and BK's dissolving are opposite processes... If you have laundry to do, you can wash it or you can throw it in the fire and burn it -- either way it will work, you won't have dirty clothes anymore -- but you would complicate things no end if you do both simultaneously. -Well, I guess there's "my" brake pedal I feel like I need to start all over again now Besides, fewer things can go wrong with a washing machine if you pour water into it than with a fire in the middle of your living-room... and true kundalini awakening starts out as that at the very minimum... and if it doesn't it's not real... if it's nice and fuzzy like a well-behaved puppy it's not her. If you control her it ain't no kundalini. Nobody today has a living-room... um... a shushumna either clean as a whistle or equipped to accommodate a clean, controlled fire. It gets messy or it isn't real. So therefore, once again, my question: are there any fire extinguishers in the KAP house?.. Agree that I'd like both that and the "what's it for" question answered openly.

If I said "Taoism" - especially 5E, would you laugh? Ok, it's "Taoism" - especially 5E. My take is that "She" doesn't need to go back to sleep because "she" is "me" - albeit a version of me that knows where she is going, as opposed to "me" who really thought she knew but didn't. Not the half of it. However, to smooth things I out I have found myself concentrating 50% of my time on researching all this stuff and the other 50% to letting it happen (which is contrary to the first 50% but whatever - I'm a bit contrary in my practices, sometimes I get them backwards) I don't know if all this has slowed things down or stopped them, but in my case it has involved (so far): - KAP - acupuncture - yoga - BK's dissolving - constant awareness - compassion meditation when things get/got rough - eating meat when I had been veg for 18 mths (staying away from carbs and grain where possible - quinoa is my new friend) - MCO - tongue up as a rule and not an exception - homeopathy - salt baths - acceptance of a certain amount of weirdness - not attaching to scenery - avoiding overly insane social situations - no TV/crappy newspapers/violent movies - much research on CNS and ANS systems, holographic symbolism, trauma-recovery, healing, systems theory. You know, the usual stuff And a bunch of other things that you can read about in my forum if you can make it through the most self-indulgent parts I suppose it could be turned off. I suppose I could put the cat back in the bag but there'd be the memory of it left. Plus it might end up being just another trauma in and of itself. My take on it is that it's not entirely without your own willing participation. And at the same time, there comes a point when - if you're going to do it- you have to let go. Had I been studying under a "guru"to whom I accord the title then the likelihood of them being able to "turn it off" would probably have been greater.