Nungali

Oh dear, I am having trouble driving this thing ... I cant seem to paste of a word doc (or anything in this reply box) I had as a back up and then when I went to reply I hit the unlike button on your post ... ooops. I will try again ... Yes the sound is different , hard to describe; it should have internal waves and pulses of sound, like it is pulsating within the main tone. The sound from one ring should last a long time and gradually fade so it is hard to detect when it actually becomes 'silent'. Other tips; it will be expensive, probably antique and should come with a reliable reputation (from an expert or trader ... most knock offs in the shops don't come with an informed salesman). I was lucky in that my friends, importers were totally into it, wen to Nepal constantly and hunted ... and knew their stuff. They had some amazing things like giant thigh bone trumpets (yak bone nowadays , cant get human bone in to the country and Nepalese don't want it to go out, they want to preserve the traditional ones that are left), large size multi metal inlayed and jewelled dorjes, phurba, kartikas , skull choppers, skull bowls etc. even a 'demon queller set' (5 ritual implements; chopper, dorje, sword, tongs and ...? can't remember ... all on long ornate and jewelled poles) for .... battling and subduing demons ... But I don't think Ish would need that in the new room It's the same with bowls. A good properly made one will probably have to be antique (real antique ... they make fake 'antiques' too) possibly beaten . A good bowl, when filled with the right amount of water should make a geometric or 3-D mandala 'standing fountain' of water as the surface vibrates and ... well ... levitate; particles and little droplets of water seem to vibrate and rise and fizz when the bowl is struck and vibrates. AS far as being able to tell if the metals were mixed at significant astrological planetary aspects ... ??? I just remembered I have also used a conch in the past for a similar purpose - mostly outdoors.

Tingshas are great for that but in my experience they are a medium for intention, i.e. I don't just ding them and that is it, intention is coupled to the sound and 'travels off' or radiates with it, Some say the tingsha doesn't stop ringing but becomes less audible and eventually vibrates only in the 'other world' That is why one should not stop it or muffle it, I used to sell them along with a whole range of Nepalese stuff ( I knew importers who were friends with a family in Nepal). Traditionally the good one's were made of ... (I don't know the word in the Buddhist tradition... in western magical tradition it is called Magicum Electrum) a blend of the 7 planetary metals; gold and silver are cast together during the appropriate Sun Moon conjunction then the other metals for each planet are added when in good position. Nowadays most of them are cast from old blown engine blocks and assorted recycled metal. The number of symbols on them is supposed to relate to the amount of metals; usually 5 or 7. (I use a phurba too). I guess the method depends on your tradition (as opposed to a new one that has to be learned (there is good advice above on that). My tradition is the Western Magical / Hermetic. I suppose the base ' purification' is centred on variations of the banishing pentagram ritual . .. incense (fire and air) . knocks or rings, circumambulations, aspurging with salt water (earth and water), God name vibrations, etc. Stage one is basically clearing out the space and 'pushing' the energy outside of your circle or aura (starting from the 'one point' - or Hara ... I have a Japanese tradition as well). After a while, when one develops and becomes a little more adept a different formular is used ... acceptance; all energies are invoked and drawn in and counterbalanced with each other and neutralised ... but that comes after the first stage. My favourite is a little personal eclectic one harvested from various sources including the pentagram banishing ,, a circle purification using elements from a Wiccan coven I was in and a mixing and consecration of those elements (before dispersal) from the first part of the Gnostic Mass. Or sometimes I just visualise a blue/white point of light in the Hara and expand it out to make an egg of the same substance at the edge of the 'auric field'.

One of the things I like about Steiner is his ability to present something in a simple form (not that he reads that way at times ! ) I am thinking of Bio-dynamic processes (anyone here have experience with that ? ), in essence he - and latter B.D. developers - have outlined a process that is simple and easy to follow yet incorporates great alchemical principles and, when practiced by the intelligent and observant reveal 'secrets' of alchemy not understood by other alchemical processes (well ... by me anyway). And all of this without the highly technical equipment, laboratory, etc. (no more than easily available on the average farm - a little difficult for urban locations). Oh yes ... and it appears to work and creates a 'stone' of great value (more than 'gold' ) The only difficulty I had working in certain fields of anthroposophy was with the anthroposophists who would do what 'Steiner said' but would not go beyond INTO where Steiner got his info ... and get more. But we cant really blame an organisation and followers for doing that I suppose ... it is maybe an essential part of organisations and followers ? [Aside; I hope it is okay to revive old threads here ... some of them I find REALLY interesting and stimulating ( the ones I particularly like, I am still working through and reading the references and related material). I wont do it too much ... only when the board here has been quiet for a while.

Interesting topic this ... for me, since I am v.into Tarot. The title grabbed me, as to me, tarot is one of my magical tools. Waaaay back 'then' when I was getting my four elemental weapons/tools together I had a clay disc for earth with a glyph (of polarity) either side. It used to sit on my little altar with the other tools but somehow it seemed to lack physical function ( for discs! ... oh dear!) ... it used to sit sometimes on my tarot deck (in its bag) ... then one day it hit me; of course! Since then my tarot deck has been my 'pentacle'. It can be used in many ways. (I believe 'fortune telling' to be a gross misappropriation of this tool - considering its potential). It contains soooo much within, I am not sure where to start. Many of the previous posts and quotes indicate great usages and insights but really, we are just scratching the surface compared to its potential. One little 'scratch' or use ... or I should say, one technique with a range of uses, I often employed was to lay the whole deck out in a large space; 3 elemental trumps in the centre to make 'Earth', out from this a ring of the zodiacal trumps, in order, in between the planetary trumps (either by 'natural', natal or current positions depending on what is being worked), Another ring outside the zodiac cards with Courts (minus Princesses and an outer ring of the minors ( 2 - 10 ) in their position by association via decan ( using G.D. attribution). [Princesses and Aces usually aren't laid out (unless you want to go 3-D ) and considered to have terrestrial association with the north and south poles and give elemental association to areas of the earth divided by longitude... on this level the courts can come in with a cross reference and rule terrestrial areas divided by latitude.] Usage: To gain an insight into the relationship between tarot and astrology; to have a tarot symbol view of an astrological chart or moment in time; as a group exercise when starting a venture (each person sits on the outside of the card circle at the position of their birth and decan related minor card and we can see who is in opposition, trine, etc. with each other and what cards relate to their sector).

Hello all. I only found this site this week and have read a little here and there. I have various interests in a range of subjects in the western mystery tradition and indigenous 'shamanism', both from a subjective participatory level and objective cultural anthropological level. I will be spending some time sifting through the subjects and posts looking for the little gems of wisdom and insight you have scattered about, hopefully I can offer some of mine in exchange?

Oh I see ... thanks for explaining everything to the 'new guy' - I meant the black star next to my name on the Lobby index. What does 'Banned technician' mean ?

Thanks Chang. I read the pins and rules again ... just to make sure. I like it 'easy going' too. Yes, there does seem a lot here in my area of interest and also some people that are a repository of knowledge (the sort I like; not 'new age speculation off the top of the head' - I have had enough of that for the moment thanks ). Also I noticed there is some martial arts interest ... which I have as well ( my experience is in Kobudo, Shorin-Ryu {Matsamuru Seito - i.e. the family tradition as opposed to the temple tradition} and Akido , with a smattering of other stuff). I got a black star and I haven't even been naughty ... yet