Birch

Awesome cool! Thanks Trunk. Also what Mal and Sykkelpump said. I had that a couple of times too (reminded me of a fan belt on a car ) Man this place is lots of fun (useful also!) Joking apart, it would then seem that some things are "tried and true". But which ones? Try some? Edited for: - thanks to Trunk - the sudden dawning of the understanding of something my yoga teacher said. "It's just the practice". - small remorse for some amount of skepticism (but I'll hang on to it anyway;-))

That was hilarious

Or do a little searching on baptism and you might find it has more to do with Daoism than you might think at first. Apparently they used to be a little more hardcore with their baptisms and certainly didn't do it to anyone except consenting adults... Think of the Christmas FIR TREE in the living room;-) So yeah, while it may be fully symbolic of your desire to escape your Mom's control/influence, it has nothing to do with the kid. Probably better to find another way to escape Mom's control. Or attempts at control. Which is what it is anyway, you don't have to give in. I've found kindly standing up for myself the best. Leaving the area when necessary;-) It's been pretty hit and miss over the years however and I have sometimes reverted to snivelling mess. I hate it when that happens

Oh I dunno. Concerning myself with what I think other people think of whatever I'm doing seems not to be a plus right now. Check this out for a (dumb) example. Say, just yesterday I had 4 men (all kinds of ages) on the bus staring at my groceries - repeatedly. I'm not kidding. I had quite the DrewH moment until I figured it was around 5pm and they must have been hungry. Upset they were as they looked down into the bags and realised there was a lot more salad than they would really enjoy on a regular basis, but still, the gal had gone to the store and was taking the bus after n' all Low maintenance

Well if that's what it is then I'm still a long way off I did however have an idea that some of my dreams aren't actually "mine" but other people's. The increase in dreaming for me seems to coincide with being around lots of different people and/or being with people who are having a rough time emotionally. I unfortunately can't say for sure. It could still all be me

Thanks to both for the clarifications! So I guess what I've been up to most recently is what I'd call "spontaneous visualization." It just occurs that it would be an idea at one point to visualize myself as a shimmery golden thing, then some other time as a white Torquemada (don't ask ), then another time to see "love" (which I can't exactly describe, as it's a sort of a transparent distortion) being sent from me to others, then another time little spirals going around me to cut away anything that is attached. The chakra colour meditations are a well worn one with me so opening them up into associated symbolism and emotions/feelings through KAP is cool. Today I was "filled with flowers" on the bus home (I didn't smell them but there was a sort of a "sweet" vibe about it.) So I guess I'm starting to "get it" for the other visualizations (informed chi) but I can't quite catch myself in the act of spontaneous invention these days and indeed I'm finding it hard right now to visualize "practical" things. I thought I'd give the spine issue a go but can't yet decide "the best thing" to try. I guess seeing it as nicely in place (whatever that means) would be the way to go, but you don't want them (vertebrae) too closely stacked because then the things start to fuse (because our body is so smart it starts depositing bone as if it were dealing with a break...) Yes, it's all pretty weird.

Could someone give me an example of visualization? Do you mean pictures? The only thing I can figure as far as using "anatomical" knowledge is concerned is that that knowledge then conditions whatever you're doing (see the stacking vs floating models for vertebrae, or the "3 brains theory", or the chakras, or the meridians.) All of these are maps. An example would be the major organs. If you "know" them from a Western medical perspective then you know them 1 way and if you "know" them from a TCM perspective, you know them another way. Very probably one way might be "better" than another way - maybe the more connected version rather than the chopped up meat version but still. - How do you visualize something other than what you already "know"?

Well, see, I'd expect to see Scott;-) Kidding;-) Second dumb question (or maybe 3rd;-)) of the day. What if you already had it open and just weren't paying attention/didn't realise?

It's dumb question day (for me;-)) - Clean which system of what? - Why the sudden interest in detox? I guess I'll leave the other questions for you and then it might become clearer (or not, I'm not sure.) And I ought to forewarn, I'm in total "be your own advisor" mode right now so it may also be worth checking out with some professional people (of which there are some here, but they don't always advertise )

I have a dumb idea. And I'd like to invite some other people to elaborate on it only because it MIGHT (just might) help something, someone somewhere. The idea is to imagine what would happen if you had your 3rd eye open. Perhaps you would like someone else to tell you what happens, but I would like to know what you believe happens. It is kind of a dumb idea to post and nobody has to answer. I won't even be upset if you don't;-) However, I would like to know why people want something they ostensibly "know" nothing about. Disclaimer, I know nothing about 3rd eyes or my own eyes for that matter (ok, I've researched a bit;-) but it's f*cking complicated...)

I've heard/read the "real" MCO is when you have built up "enough" dantien through various means that will concentrate qi there, that it will then "naturally" spill over into MCO. Traditionally, from what I have understood = up back channel, over the top of the head - tongue to roof of mouth - and then down front channel. I have come to consider that pretty much ANY technique to reduce "head-play" and allow awareness to flow elsewhere in the body (or the cosmos, for that matter) is something worth doing. The only reason for me to do it is the aforementioned reduction of headplay. I don't think I'm much more than a wind player right now but I also allow that there may be no baseline for individual experience of this. Try it and see?

Maybe cats know the void better than people? And how do we know what fish believe about water? Did someone talk with the fish and ask them? As long as we are humans looking at this thing, or looking for it or relying on human-built instruments to find it we may likely run into our inherent limitations as humans as well as relying far too much on our own (limited?) senses. The good news is the void is also exactly what is there before us. We do the naming and the delimiting. How do I know this? Just look at something and then decide it's something else. Switch it back afterwards to "see" the difference. This includes our capacity to hear ourselves verbalize things about things. A trap I fall into very often is that hearing myself say it (or think it in words, writing is worse!) leads me to believe it's the case. It's sometimes harder for me to believe what someone else says (sometimes not ) so I may look for my own reasons again to believe them (i.e. "this is a scientist", "this is a guru", "this is a teacher," "this is my parent," and so on ad nauseum.) There is a painting by Magritte called "La Trahison des images". It depicts an old school pipe and underneath it says "This is not a pipe" - actually it doesn't even say that because the original is in French, "Ceci n'est pas une pipe". You may know it already. But if not, until you go google the title, you may take me upon my word that this painting exists. And even when you find it online, it's still not the painting, it's a picture of the painting (and far less "une pipe";-)) Namaste, Kate

"then you can't avoid feeding them just by not wanting to feed them." I believe this to be a pivotal part of my path;-) I actually DO choose what I want to feed and what I want to feed it with. Of course sometimes I get it wrong. But, it doesn't have to get complicated. Occam's razor is a good device.

Yeah, that would be the world ;-) But I don't care, there's enough to go round ;-) Besides, I'm more concerned with what I might be doing voluntarily than anything else. I'm not sure knowing "what's there" is helpful where I'm at right now. But it might be. It might be safe to assume that I don't want to feed any of them, so I don't. Nor do I want to feed off them. Heh, we missed that part;-) Free will got to come in there somewhere;-)

Well I can't say that I don't sometimes have this dysfunction ;-) Although it's been surprisingly clear this past few days. Hmm, I wonder;-) Where's the thread on the "mudpill"??? And what is a mudpill anyway? I'll go look it up I guess. I think I'd rather NOT have "night creatures" sucking my chi - and in fact I believe I've already encountered such things a couple of times. Whatever "it" was, it came along a tore a piece off my middle. I figured it could have it if it wanted it so badly and I really didn't think further into it. A bad dream is a bad dream. Besides, some "nasty looking" creatures in mythology actually help people heal (think of Kali and some of the soul-eating things for example.) What might be just as bad is when you give your own energy away without wanting to without random weirdness coming along. Or maybe when you give your own energy away because of some short term egotistical gain...a bad deal.

Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm pretty happy and excited even to have so many very awesome practitioners and masters on TTB's to actually TALK WITH. Hot shit. Suggest to me some other time and place where all such folks get together to hang out and discuss the finer points? It would be like if you're on some music forum and Mozart, Bach, Puccini, Gainsbourg, Cash, Satie, Eno, Giberto and Ginsberg all turned up all at once to explain their ideas and how they came about doing such things and I started laying into them because I can't play their compositions because I didn't practice them right or I'm congenitally tone deaf. The flip side of such a great occasion perhaps being that if they don't deal with the opportunity to discuss their stuff in the "right way" (whatever that is) it could cool folks off as far as practicing whatever they suggest is concerned. Which I guess is the point. Very very cool! Kate

Well see this is exactly where being both dead AND alive becomes very interesting. I didn't eat any chocolate (so far;-)) but I sure could taste it (of course Scott and the photos helped immensely - OT Drew, not your playground;-)) I don't know that I want more from my practices. They're pretty damn intense enough already. I'm not sure this is helping our friend who feels so much. I sent this to a couple of people already but I think it's so cool that I'll post it here http://taotechingdecoded.com/chapter7.aspx

Interesting. I need to look at it ;-) I guess it depends on the thought. Some thoughts are absolutely NOT to be felt (just because of what they are, harmful) whereas I do agree that some other thoughts would do well to be felt beyond where they currently are (this pertains more to ideology - maybe...) I can't say there's a one stop shop for it and I'm pretty sure there's a more subtle way of getting it - practice probably. But for someone that doesn't practice (yet) are you suggesting they should feel the thoughts?

Oh cool! This would be a direct application of the TTC and someone else can quote the verse. But the general gist is that if you would like to see something diminish then it should be allowed to increase (and I think the reverse is probably mentioned). I think one of the texts I read also suggested that it was oneself who did the choosing and the allowing of the increase or the decrease. That would seem to me to be pretty interesting. Anyway an upshot might be "don't fight it, feel it" and it will naturally dissipate or just don't create it in the first place. But for sure if you keep on creating/sustaining the idea that causes pain in the first place then I don't know what else to suggest. Maybe that in the idea you're sustaining there is something for you, something you'd like. I don't know. The more I learn about this stuff, the less I know;-)

I have a few dumb questions: - Why would one want to open one's third eye? - Why would one want to do it BEFORE having any capacity to deal with or act on what one ends up seeing with it? Ok, only 2 dumb questions;-)

I liked this idea (not mine). More or less paraphrasing. Feelings are to be felt, not thought. Thoughts are to be thought, not felt.

I should probably check the archives but I'm thinking, wouldn't a thread about "The Secret" be a good one to start? If you look at the predecessors of this text/movie/industry. I believe Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" was one of them at least that did mention the sublimation or circulation of sexual energy. Edit: I should also mention that the disaster caused by this man was also caused by our (and maybe I should just speak for myself) desire to seek happiness, health and prosperity in a society where such things are apparently freely available already. Seriously. WTF?

Because I'm a geek and I like to tweak;-) In all seriousness: - deepening my understanding of the interplay of our minds/bodies/souls, - finding safe still harbor in the midst of an otherwise whacked-out worldview - healing my own hurts in mind/body/soul - prevention of future suffering - finding the right way to act and be kind towards myself and others - discovering that the weird shit I've been experiencing most of my life and more recently is no big deal ;-) - finding the joy of play and imagination again I've thought about intensely training to be an actual master of something like qi-gong but I think it's probably a better thing that I be in a more conventional life-role while doing it. Potentially just as helpful for a lot more people than those who would seek out a "master." Besides I figure I'd need a lot of training before I can make actual energetic inroads that would be useful for anyone.

Qi is NOT air. What is it? No idea, *energy*? But it keeps getting informed by every which way (some of which one might decide for oneself, but that's another topic best left IMO to some of the very experienced chi-master TTBs to explain;-) I'd hazard still that we feel "chi-effects" much more than chi. Anyway. IMO (in my opinion) it would be helpful to throw away the idea that it is "air", because no-one can breathe anywhere apart from their lungs, right? No breathing through skin for example? 007's Goldfinger was against that! (if you don't know the movie, the villain painted a girl from head to toe with gold paint - which caused her death) But maybe we can breathe through/with diaphragm, right - remember being a kid?? Having a pot belly? However, *respiration* happens all over and in and out and back and forth in the body. Almost can't help itself sending atmospheric gases all over the place, in and out and rushing between cells and blood vessels, circulating...

I don't know what I believe. I think that I'd like to believe things that seem consistent with some ideas I have about myself. I think I'd rather not believe things that aren't. Of course it's very nice to get compliments - most charts are full of them. And I think that maybe the compliments help one swallow the less desirable suggestions about oneself. Irony is that I enjoy astrology a great deal and it has proved to be comforting to me. An escape from frontal cortex (?) It explains things and/or removes my responsibility from things entirely. Hell I was just PMing back and forth with Immortal Sister and came across some potential explanation that my marriage fears (see crazy posting in my private forum) could be related to my fertility, are related to my birth time. Tao/Shakti/Shiva has it down for me, no diggity. Edited to add that I did go to the astrolabe 't link and I'm positively flattered (doesn't take much ) If you want the downlow -go see my private forum (where I also talk about random horror...)