Michael Sternbach

I'd say, it's illustrating that any dualistic concept of God or spirituality leaves one in doubt, eventually. I beg to differ. You could actually say that a spontaneous and natural approach is expressing true belief. (See this as linked to my first paragraph.) If one's meditation/prayer would be limited to this, it may seem to be lacking in the long run (no pun intended). Especially if you are an Archbishop. However, there is nothing wrong with doing these things informally per se. Especially on the more advanced levels, you can do them at a moment's notice. Surely, Jesus would be a good example for this? See my last paragraph. Some truth in this. I strongly agree with you here. Well, this is often the case, and not limited to Christian institutions. Didn't you know? Yes, the Archbishop's attitude is not very assertive for faith in the classic style. But in the new paradigm, knowledge and personal experience are substituted for pure belief. Christian organizations which don't take into account people's increasing spirituality will lose all their significance over time, imo... as their unprecedented loss of followers in modern times demonstrates!

Mike, Your honesty is to be complimented. Your statements make it obvious: Somebody who is so fixated on the Yang aspects of life so much will sooner or later have to deal with the Yin side. That's not me who is telling you this; it's right what your penis is telling you.

Dan, For use of qigong in diabetes treatment, also see Tianju Liu: Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy which has a chapter on diabetes followed by one on obesity. Highly recommended reading.

Hi DreamBliss, The whole book is about Seth's "magical approach." It could even be said that all of his books are. It's not something that could be comprehensively summoned in a short text. As little as the Daoist view could be (actually, the two share much in common.) So I can't offer you such a summary. Same for Seth's "frameworks." But if you are interested in talking about these topics with an old friend of the Seth books, let me hear from you.

You should have googled for two and a half degrees of a sign (that's what the elevated little circle is meant to convey). They're called dwadasamas. See http://www.internationalastrologers.com/dwadasama.htm I do know the basic idea. I just don't like calling these degrees "karmic."

Easily. See my next paragraph. Nope. Quoting from Wikipedia's article "Age of Aquarius": So Crowley's dating for the beginning of the new Age fits in well with a number of others. Surely theosophic authors like Alice A. Bailey and Dane Rudhyar played an important role for the 60s New Age concept in its more sophisticated version. But probably, Crowley did have a significant influence, too. His thelemic philosophy seems quite in accordance with many of the tenets belonging that cultural movement. Talking about why the RWS tarot deck is often said to be comparatively easier to read, yes, you have answered that question yourself. The cartoon-like imagery serves as a reminder/inspiration of the meaning, especially for the beginner. In another way, the Thoth suit cards are quite suggestive, too. Whereas older decks like Marseille or Wirth provide mere "patterns" whose meaning must mostly be simply memorized, at least in the initial stages.

I haven't been following this thread recently. But on seeing it again, what popped into my mind is that Yin and Yang are relative terms. An analogy from science: An element's electrochemical potential can be negative in relation to another's but positive in relation to a third one.

In astrology, sometimes the Moon is seen as representing the ego, reflecting the light of the Sun or the Self/Soul. At other times, the Sun is the conscious personality, whereas the Moon stands for the subconscious. I have heard an alchemist say that the ego and the solar self are actually one and the same - if only the former would realize it and allow itself to be illuminated. Interestingly, Zen says basically this very thing. Yet a transformational process is essential. Saturn stakes out the boundaries of the ego or conscious personality. He is represented alchemically by the lead which needs to be transmuted into gold. Yes, we need some more precise definitions and concepts.

Mike, Here's a therapeutic advice: If you don't get an erection in a situation where you would normally have expected one, then it's important to find out what your body/mind is trying to tell you. Try to understand the message and act on it, rather than looking for a "switch" for getting an immediate hard-on.

It is very remarkable that the inventor of the binary numeral system our computers are using, the German mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, had a keen interest in the I Ching.

Not necessarily; for one thing, it's also an epoch lasting 2000 years like an astrological age. It started in 1904, according to A.C. For the Aquarius age, starting dates vary widely from one author to another, so no real contradiction here either. That's what I mean by 'New Age', primarily. (Even though there are actually a number of things converging in or near our time, astrologically.) I'm not talking about the commercial hype version (but yes - IT'S HAPPENING!!! )

And watch What the Bleep Do We Know?! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioONhpIJ-NY A very beautiful movie which has many great scientists speaking in favour of a spiritual world view. How about watching it together with your friend, Dustybeijing?

I once heard an interview with a reverend who is also a physicist. Asked how he reconciles the two different ways to look at the world, he answered that when he enters the church, he leaves his scientific knowledge like a piece of baggage at the door. Well, to each his own... Personally, I find it important to bridge over the two (representing the two cerebral hemispheres, also), at least in principle. Daoism, Hermeticism and other metaphysical teachings provide ways to do this.

Thanks. Expect my reply by PM. "Rectified" from the older versions (Marseille etc.). For example, by switching Trumps VIII and XI. Yes, except that he called it the 'New Aeon.' This concept probably helped inspire the New Age movement and is actually pretty whacky in its own right. "Love is the law..." - I actually quite like this one! If he had one! But despite all the "space cadets" out there, the New Age movement had, and continues to have, its positive effects. There was a thread started somewhere on these forums not long ago... Cats in tarot?! Who has ever heard of something like this before... Agreed. Interesting... Looks like Waite was a more colorful personality than I would have given him credit for. Talking about Masonic influences on tarot, the Oswald Wirth deck is another noteworthy example. The way I see it, Crowley, Waite, Wirth, Case, Papus... They all knew what they were talking about (even though they don't always completely agree with each other).

Yes, it certainly took courage and scientific integrity for Hawking to confess that he thinks he was wrong about black holes. Penrose would have preferred that he didn't because he needs Hawking's original theory for supporting CCC, so he doesn't agree with his change of mind. As to everything belonging to Spirit, I agree with you. That's why I see my scientific interests as interwoven with my spiritual quest. But many a modern physicist doesn't make this connection.

Conformal Cyclic Cosmology (CCC) is not the same as either of the two theories you mention. Penrose argues that after about 10100 years, all the matter in the expanding universe will have turned into light. In such a universe, space and time become meaningless, i.e. they cease to exist or become infinite. This state is at once the foundation for another Big Bang - henceforth the game starts all over. Did you get it? While this leaves me with open questions regarding the role of Spirit and the higher-dimensional universes that I believe ours is embedded in, I do find certain aspects of this theory very thought-provoking. As I mentioned on that congress, this concept brings to mind Hinduistic cosmology according to which, after an unspeakable number of years, the universe regresses into a state of primeval chaos (pralaya) whereupon it is born anew. Another parallel can be seen in the Hebrew Kabbalah, where that state beyond existence is called en soph aur (infinite light). In Daoist terms, you could identify the state of zero-time and zero-space with the Wu chi.

As far as I know he only changed his mind regarding the question whether black holes evaporate one day or not. Talking about BHs, there is the theory that the whole universe is one and that everything that ever happens in it is recorded in its two-dimensional surface. Hello akasha chronicle? This is an example how scientific thinking is approaching mystical thinking. But they are not very aware of it, generally speaking. Two years ago, I attended a congress on which Roger Penrose presented his CCC theory according to which the universe all turns into light after an incredible number of years and is then reborn. I went to the audience's microphone and said that I see an analogy to Hinduism and to the Kabbalah. A colleague of Roger's replied that they wouldn't mind my drawing parallels to "religion" but that such considerations were outside their scope. Later, another attendant came to me who was there hoping for a scientific answer regarding a spiritual experience he had once made. I told him: "Spirit is not part of this picture." (And directed him to an alternative physicist.)

There are actually more divisions. In classical astrology, you have the steps (half-signs), the (seemingly) irregular terms, and the twelve subdivisions of a sign measuring 2½° each. Vedic astrology has even more such subdivisions. The whole chart is "karmic" insofar it reflects your past incarnations (positive and negative aspects thereof). I don't really agree that any placements are unfortunate per se. For example, Einstein and Tesla both had their Mercury in conjunction with Saturn, and in a cosmic state that would make you assume that they were imbeciles rather than two of the greatest scientific minds in history. But yes, astrology is complex, and so many factors enter the picture. I would say that some placements are more challenging than others. But it's most important to understand that what you make out of your chart is up to you. And sometimes, the greater the challenge, the more formidable the potential reward.

Tell them that every world view so far had to be revised one day. So is it scientific to think that we are close to the ultimate answers? If they think so nevertheless, remind them that science can't tell what roughly 90% of the matter in the Universe consists of.

You may be interested in these two books: http://www.amazon.com/Treatment-Diabetes-Mellitus-Chinese-Medicine/dp/1891845535/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410396919&sr=8-2&keywords=diabetes+chinese+medicine http://www.amazon.com/Diabetes-Obesity-Clinical-Practice-Medicine/dp/7117106697/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1410396919&sr=8-3&keywords=diabetes+chinese+medicine Also, Jerry Alan Johnson may have some interesting suggestions in line with the topic.

Well said. I'd like to add that internal martial arts, qigong, alchemy provide means to extend the sine wave, to whatever degree. Or so I believe. Something your post reminded me of is how, in my wildest years, a bartender once observed: "Michael, you stay quite the same, no matter whether you are sober or had a few drinks."

Rules which are perceived as unnecessary restrictions tempt to overstep them. You know, the Yin/Yang thing.

Brazilian Capoeira This martial art is unique in its defiance of what most other martial arts take for granted (i.e., never stand on your hands while facing an opponent ). Not my first choice as far as realistic self-defence, but I think there is some useful stuff in there in this regard. Also, I think it's noteworthy that Capoeira kicks (literally done with the whole body) have been measured to outdo any others in a study that I watched.

Rules often achieve the opposite of what they are meant for.

What matters here are things like the type of drug, amounts, frequency of intake, circumstances (in what kind of place and with what kind of people are you?) and your condition. I.e., a moderate amount of alcohol every now and then are probably not detrimental. While big amounts of this or another substance may temporarily open up a door, this comes at a fairly high price, especially if done frequently. Receptivity levels to psychotropic substances drop quite quickly, so frequent intake actually destroys the exhilarating experience, and the thing becomes a mere bad habit. What's bad for your chi and health (especially the nerve system including the brain cells) is also detrimental to true cultivation. There is also the issue that many psychedelic substances, if used unwisely, weaken your aura toward negative influences. So I suggest that you limit the application of any kind of psychotropic substances to special "celebrations", make sure that these are taking place in a positive setting, and take your time to ground yourself afterwards. Your focus should certainly be on more valuable ways to access the inner dimensions. Taking drugs excessively looks like a convenient shortcut to some, but eventually it's a blind alley.