blue eyed snake

Yes, my teacher warned me for it too and that second link describes beautifully how that works and links the way it is seen from a TCM perspective to the western way of looking at it. Really worthwhile the read, thanks for posting that. As I see it, the continually kicking up adrenalin ( and cortisol and several other stress balancing systems) will, in the long run, get you in an " uptight" high stress position as a base-line. Incidentally, that is what we see in the founder of this 'system'.

and that is the most 'solid' part of a human being, our thoughts, emotions et cetera are a lot less dense

I seem to recall that many versions of the Christian doctrine were based on the assumption that "heathen" and "barbarians" don't have a soul, and that they get a chance to acquire one if they accept Jesus as their savior. Some went farther -- I'm not someone who has all the references on hand for all occasions (to my chagrin), but I read a medieval treatise titled "Is Woman Human?" with my own eyes, and it proved with multiple biblical quotes that she isn't, and therefore, while "all humans" have a soul, this only implies all male humans. thank you for this snippet of knowledge, it does not surprise me in the least.

general warning The bums writing on this forum are a varied bunch, ranging from some very wise and thoughtful people to weirdo's. Most bums sit somewhere in the middle of this range. it's not always easy to discern between the two extremes. As on any digital platform, do not trust any stranger on the internet, no matter how sweet they sound.

no idea about trends in christianity, no interest either ah, base desires they reside in the thoughts, and play out between the legs no brain, no lust again, use your eyes, the female figure in the middle should be Mary, mom of jesus, seeing the colors she's wearing, she's the only one who is able to bear the brunt of the power that's descending, next to her looks like a young woman, probably mary magdalene, standing up too and bearing up well. the rest of the tableau is made up of men who are hardly able to stand up to this light stream. There are a bit more than twelve so will be the apostles plus some extra. oh, and this piece of art originally was much higher, the top part was cut off to make it fit some space...in the top-part a dove was visible. again, I am not a christian but a dedicated heathen, but i do have eyes to see what is staring me in the face.

welcome here, we hadn't met yet. reading your posts i think all the hardship you've been through will both have given you wisdom beyond your years and a lot of mud on the bottom. Whatever way you choose, whatever teacher may feel the best for you. Be careful not to rake up too much at once, these processes take time. when a lot of mud comes up too fast it can be overwhelming, as long as you do not have a structured training program, just sit down and try to still the mind and make long walks preferably somewhere outside in nature. regarding finding a teacher, it'll come when the time is ripe, don't worry. also, you'll find as much different advices as there are bums around here take care, you're worth it

use your eyes https://louvrebible.org.uk/oeuvre/213/annexes

more christian art, beam on the forehead, no flame no flame for me either, a beam, always on the crown. Color changing from the purest white to a deep golden. I tend to see that flame as symbolic. You're sorta lightened up like a candle. I guess when you hear that story of flames and see the christian art it will automatically pop up when you are touched by that light. uhm, yes, but maybe that's because you are touched on the forehead, like it's the seat of seeing and knowing or ' the third eye' as it is commonly called. I've never made that connection, for me the light from above was always about compassion, although I have some knowledge not obtained through the more usual ways too, also since childhood. also maybe being so impressed by the light itself that the information carried does not register. during that session in the dojo I was not surprised by the strengthening of the beam, what did surprise me was becoming aware of a silver rope curling upwards from my body and 2 mighty white wings above me. as neither the christian dove nor the concept of the silver cord were known to me at the time I've wondered about them a long time. what are those wings? and do they have a counterpart in other cultures? My association does not go further then the caduceus, you knowledge is much larger than mine, please help me out. with a bit of info.

yes, that's put nicely

glad to see you after your absence

well, you can believe whatever you want and if being a Christian is right for you then more power to you. But that does mean you look at the world ( and all its layers) through that lens. I was happily raised without any religion and was about 7 or 8 years old when i first encountered the concept of "god" so, although I grew up in a Christian society, I am relatively free of ingrained childhood notions regarding Christianity, looking backwards, that's a gift i am grateful for. going back to that memorable session in the dojo, afterwards sifu asked us what we experienced, he sometimes did that. Interesting answers, those with a christian background all told they had experienced light, "like little flames" on the crown of the head. They all were emotionally moved as they instantly ( and involuntarily, that is what the lens does, it sorts your experiences into boxes with an assigned meaning) associated the light from above with the holy spirit from their religion. I think those little flames are mentioned in the bible and i know they're used in that beautiful old Christian art. That is what I call looking through a lens, that's not bad, we all look through lenses of sorts but being aware of them helps to see more clearly. The non christians had a more varied answers, like a sunbeam touched me on the crown, white light falling down on the crown, a light beam getting into my head at the crown, like that. They were all impressed and a bit subdued by the experience but none of them mentioned little flames on the head. interesting bit of art where the white light is depicted as a sunbeam, in christian art Another reason for the white light from above seemingly being tied to Christianity is the simple fact that it's Christians who try to make themselves open for this energy. Where several people are open for some kind of energy it's easier to tap into that. So Pentecost will probably be a good day to see whether you can make yourself open to that white light. Not because it is christian, but because many people are open to it on that day. Just as it is a whole lot easier to get your chi running in a dojo filled with senior students then alone in some other place. For myself, raised with zero religion I have been aware of the white light since I can remember, decades later I was taught to tap into the energy coming up from the earth and was amazed, how could I have missed that. Now the latter energy is not Chinese/ asiatic or daoist. It just is and those that who are able and/or have guidance to learn, can tap into it. Later hot energy coursed through my spine and went out of the top of my head, now may only the people of the indian subcontinent claim that energy as being/ belonging to their people, their religions? course not. Although rare, its universal. In the same vein the white energy cannot be claimed by christians. I have no idea what those energies are, i mean, i do have ideas, humans seem to have a need to categorize and have ideas about everything. But I keep those ideas in the box " ideas" i will not let them get into the box " truth" ------ here's a nice post about the white light, the whole thread may interest you I think.

ehm, I am not a christian, never have been and never will be in this life. I do respect those that follow that path though, although sometimes my ego finds it troubling. Also not very good with words but bear with me. firstly, the holy spirit is already mentioned in several places in the old testament, so you can hardly call that aspect of christianity as solely belonging to, or started by Jesus. secondly, what Christians call the holy spirit is in fact universal, some Shamans that I know call it "the white light from above" It is, in my understanding and experience, a very high energy that can descend on us when we are open for it, you cannot shape it, or bend it to your will, it is there and you can let it do its thing. when it touches you it will open up the heart region and teach your heart compassion. In my head resides a memorable session in the dojo were us humble Chigong practitioners were led by our teacher to experience the white light from above, the Christians under us were moved to tears as they promptly recognized it as what they were taught to call the holy spirit. It's a fascinating topic, but Christians cannot and should not claim it as solely Christian. 🙏

another one with the vessel in this position

there she is, she needs a wash, her vessel of compassion is dusty

Quan yin has a place in my living room, i never pray to her though. In fact I never pray at all. Can very well imagine that christian people think she must be the mirror image of their mother Mary. when I remember well she was on her way to being ready with karma and not returning to earth when she heard the suffering, the crying of the people ( not the prayers) and turned back to ease their pain. That message sort of speaks to me, and although I am aware of the way she seemed to change her gender when she went from india to china, personally I like the androgynous appearance, that suits me. so she sits in my livingroom and reminds me daily of the importance of compassion. when you look at the little statuette, you see the vase she's carrying points outwards and to me it seems that symbolizes the way compassion gushes from the heartregion. --having problems getting pic uploaded-

nice, thank you

Yes, have read some of these stories as well. Agreeing there are vast differences between individual experiences One of the reasons you do not hear stories like mine might be the negative reaction they get. ooh, that's just Yang chi ah well, you just fiddled around with chi a bit and now you think you're awakened, hahaha relatively easy it is to centralize the energy and move up the central channel to the top of the head in a pretty physical and dramatic way and a little beyond Now imagine you have a life changing event happening to you, even when it is "just a little yang chi" it can be life changing. You share it and get this sort of negative reaction. I do not think that is a good way to communicate about these sort of events. People who get this sort of reception won't share again so easily. In my case, it's over a decade ago, rarely talk about it, coming from a lineage were the adagio is, do not talk, do not think about it, just do the training. The ideas or judgment of others do not concern me anymore. I know what I've been through. Have decided I will talk before I pass away. I have no doubt whatsoever that it was a true kundalini experience, to this day I have visible physical changes to mark that event. and those significant siddhis, that a lot of people deem so important, oh yes, they were there. But that is not the core of the experience. More like side-effects. Guessing there is a whole range to grow into in this department, i am but a small one, that's alright, i did not want it anyway. Might grow further in a next life and again encounter people who tell me that kundalini awakenings can only happen after years of diligent training, thats oke, do your thing, i do mine. I love being here on earth, to smell the grass, to talk with the trees and the little people, to submerge the body in the ocean. I do not get people who want to be immortal and leave the planet forever. The experience of the senses is a gift to be appreciated. another thing is, most people you read about they wanted that experience, they worked for years with that as a goal, seems a bit counterproductive to cling so hard when you travel the road of letting go.

Well, i was aware of it, he's a landsman of mine and every now and then some bad news about him pops up, dangerous fellow. As a youngster I was taught the trick of fast breathing to enable me to swim long stretches under water, not without very strict instructions and dire warnings and listen closely to the signals of your body. What Hof is doing can be very dangerous, i have a lot of respect for the lady now that at last she comes out with the story so clearcut. That takes more guts then Hof will ever muster.

....

DARVO ("deny, attack, and reverse victim & offender") is a reaction that perpetrators of wrongdoing, such as sexual offenders, may display in response to being held accountable for their behavior. Some researchers indicate that it is a common manipulation strategy of psychological abusers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARVO

I have an inborn mitochondrial disease... that seems to close the case.

thank you for posting that, I am saddened too. can someone make a thread on his passing, he will be missed greatly in all the circles of his life

there's also a difference between beliefs and lived experience, will leave it at that.

i guess it has a paywall so this here might be better, dutch but the digital god will translate https://web.archive.org/web/20240930101309/https://www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/v/2024/de-buitenwereld-kent-wim-hof-als-de-excentrieke-iceman-zijn-gezin-ging-gebukt-onder-huiselijk-geweld~v1175483/

yes, although that change on the physical level may not be easily measurable, it opens ones system up for more. another thing that i lately found is that people are irked by the way their compliments slide off my back like water on a duck.