Uroboros

What book is this clip from? It looks worth reading.

Hello, All I will be moving soon, away from my teacher who I will only be able to see once a month. I am looking to eventually settle in the regions of Vermont, Maine or Colorado. I will be moving to Orlando/ Cocoa beach region in the next month, spending some time there while I scout out the listed regions for the proper place to create a nourishing home/ retreat. I want to find a good teacher in the region that I do settle in, one who teaches Taijiquan and other Internal Martial Arts along with QiGong would be ideal. Any recommendations as to teachers? Also, if you happen to know if any of these regions are better for cultivators, please do let me know. Thank you!

Ah, I have heard good things about him. I think he used to be active on here awhile ago. Thanks for the recomendation, thelerner! How did the seminar go?

What oil lamps!? The ones with spirits in them?

This is an excellent post. The point about there not being any exertion is vital. It must be comfortable. Over time the breath will deepen. Hehe, I was taught a 3/3 breath cycle. Inhale, exhale, inhale, hold, exhale, inhale, exhale, hold. It is powerful. I got a bit of food poisoning/ stomach flu the other day and was vomiting all night. The next day I did 3/3 Pranayama and my body started to heal and I was able to eat and go for a walk a few hours later. That is powerful. At the time, the most I could hold was 5 seconds. Anymore was too much. Listen to your body.

Oh, definitely. Consistency is vital. Having regular classes does not mean that I can practice only then, just that I am marinating in the juices of the teachings more often, whilst at the same time I train alone. These are definitely practices that you have to do on your own, for your self. Otherwise, you wont get much benefit. Weekend warriors! Useless on tuesdays.

Hah, im glad you do, too! Furthering my education is high on my priorities list. Although, may end up in a situation that was not what I thought/ planned for....heh.

I do realize that. I have a few reasons for going to Cocoa Beach and utilizing it as a home-base to then go find the right area for planting some roots. A few of those reasons are the culture, the relaxation of the beach life and my partner has roots/history there. Also, prices are good and its a quieter region. My partner and I want to road trip anyway, this way we have a nice place to come back to. Finding the right place that has good soil/ environment, culture, quiet, education, etc could take a few years. Planning for that, a home base is necessary.

Thank you for the heads up! I would enjoy going to some Tibetan teachings. I will check those out.

I will check that website out. Seems like a good resource. Thanks!

Sounds like it was good experience. I will check them out! Thanks!

Having regular classes with a skilled teacher is very important to me. If the regions I am looking to move to do not have one, then I may not go there. Going to florida within the next month, then from there find the place to settle down.

Thanks, Bearded Dragon. Do you have personal experience with this school? I have some of BKF's books and dvds, no personal instruction.

Thank you, all of you! Your different perspectives have helped broaden my grasp of the King Wen Sequence. It does seem to be more about the process of growth/creation and less about mathmatics, as Daeluin and Joeblast have emphasized. Daeluin, thank you for writing out so much, giving detailed explanations to explain. The Taoist I Ching is going on my get list. Im beggining to think that the focus is on the energies of the gua's, such as water, fire, mountain, marsh, etc...and what they represent combined together and less about the transformation of each line. If so, that would explain why in my attempting to grasp the changes of the lines, from hex 2 to 3, it wouldnt be widely known why it changes that way. If looking at it from the perspective of images of growth, thunder/ wood under water makes allot more sense as hex 3/ life just beggining. Im still going to persue the line of inquiry as to why the lines do change as they do, though....if there is a principle to it other then these, I want to know. I am glad this turned into such a lively discussion! Again, Thank you all for making it a discussion. Peace

You may not be Mr Blast, you ARE Soaring Crane and I definitely value your opinion. I didnt mean that question to be solely limited to Joeblast, even though I did write it that way. Hmm....Thats a solid idea as to why it is the way it is. As you say, it would be difficult, if not impossible to truly know why it was put together that way from a cultural perspective unless you were there. Thats the thing that bugs me, SC. The King Wen sequence works with such precision and vast depth that the principle of its organization and sequencing has to have some intelligence behind it. Maybe the principle is in the 8 Gua's. Joeblast- Why do you think it is a 5 Element sequence? I can see how the 5e would be used to create the whole wide world of experience that the I Ching can.... Thank you all for your contributions!

72!

I have looked at that book before. It sounds excellent! Thanks for sharing! I will check it out when I get a better grasp of the principles. It sounds like it would be interesting and add to a deeper understanding.

The King Wen sequence is the one I am most interested in at the moment. Thank you for the link, the graphics do help. That website also says that the principle/ pattern behind the King Wen sequence is not known/ easily known. Looking at the pattern that site shows for the King Wen sequence, it appears to have a purpose...its also chaotic. What do you think the purpose of the King Wen sequence is, Joeblast?

Huh. I never noticed that they were mostly reversed in pairs like that. Thanks for pointing it out! Thats what I want to know. The reasoning/ logic/ purpose behind the formation. Thats how my mind works, have to grasp the principles of a thing. 1 and 2 I get better then most. 1 is pure Yang and 2 is pure Yin, laying the foundation of existence, Heaven and Earth. After that point is where it gets iffy.

This is something I have been pondering lately...I too am interested in other opinions and insights. The only thing I have to offer is a perspective to add to the mix. That Heaven and Earth also represent the Masculine and Feminine principles/ forces in their purest. By understanding Heaven and Earth, we can better understand how to embody these forces within us.

I would recommend another avenue to cultivate that will add huge benefits to your fitness, health and longevity. Breath cultivation. Start with being conscious of your breathing through the day, then you can play with it. See where it goes, where its stuck, is it hard or soft, deep or shallow, smooth or rough, etc. You can then do some Pranayama work with the 4 Gates. 4 Gates being- Inhalation, Pause, Exhalation, Pause. The pauses would be retention in Pranayama terms. Breathing has huge benefits way beyond just air. Eventually you can get into the subtle breathes.... Utilizing a your breath with postures and movements, such as the 8 Brocades, is great. Feeling more that the movements are channeling the breath instead of focusing on just the movements. That may seem obvious, for me it was a big change in the way I went about doing them that produces better results. Great Luck!

102!

I would suggest learning to massage your channel pathways daily. Specifically, in the legs and arms. They will eventually become more apparent as actual channels instead of just lines a text says. Working with cavities will help this along, as well. You will also become more comfortable and familiar with your body and will notice when changes appear in the channels. ie- pain, hard, soft, rough, bumps, hot, cold, etc. Great luck!

Existence or Life. Some "thing" exists. There are many "things" that exist. Also, on the other end, Non-existence or Death. Each of these in their most basic form is undeniable. Even going into the states of emptiness, it is still a form of existence or non-existence. Even non-existence exists, though. I think I have gone too far into this.....Good place to stop. Hah

I do not know enough to say anything about most of your questions. What I can say is that at that high a level, sleep probably isnt needed. That is all I can contribute atm. I hope the more Pranayama knowledgable members come forth and share their wisdom! Good questions, btw. When you practice the hold/ retention, do you utilize the full and empty?