Taomeow

Only in the "scholars' " or "researchers' " or "experts' " minds. "Chinese folk religion," a phenomenon of shamanic matriarchy, was far luckier in its historical plight than most other ancient shamanic doctrine-practice modalities, in that, instead of being entirely eradicated and disappearing, it smoothly and gradually morphed into a more left-brainy, more intellectualized, more patriarchy-compatible version of itself some of us know and love (or not) as taoism. A good example (one of many) of how this process unfolded over centuries and millennia would be, e.g., the transformation of the great and fearsome tiger-fanged shamanic goddess Xi Wangmu, one of the primary forces of creation and destruction, into her refined, much tamer, thoroughly "photoshopped" later taoist version. (A good article linked.) And yet to separate them, to draw a demarcation line between the actual original and its curated version and pooh-pooh the original as "folk" (implying "inferior" or "inconsequential") is the gravest mistake. This kind of pooh-poohing/curating/photoshopping is the primary source of all confusion surrounding what taoism is or isn't. This grave mistake has, however, become de rigueur of countless "taoist studies" by "scholars" who, in making it themselves and encouraging others to follow suit, are merely paying tribute to their own patriarchal legacy. https://www.suppressedhistories.net/goddess/xiwangmu.html?fbclid=IwAR2dZWPEWXNyu5EebWJ9rjgTSJ8IbtBKpcnnGYr2a1PPoePqKX-lvtlF-6g

-- Your resume states you were fired from your previous job for.. hmm... changing the water in the office water dispenser? -- That's correct, sir. I changed it into wine.

Possums don't prey on cats anyway. Coyotes, on the other hand, do, may their sins be punished and their wild habitats expanded.

Florida Man's cat.

Right. She has the meowiest cat ever, he constantly participates in our phone conversations, meowing his opinions in the background, very loudly and pretty much nonstop. (Jealous of the phone, doesn't like to be left out.) On the subject of left-right politics (which unfortunately the conversation turned to), I'd much rather she handed the phone to the cat altogether, I felt it would be easier to connect to him.

I'm in the same (or similar) boat with a friend right now. The worst part is that she's one of the few with whom I've shared a "controversial" perspective on certain recent enough events, and I don't typically find many people with whom I see eye to eye on any "most talked about" subjects... so every such encounter is a precious outlet for my very own pent-up reality. But then I run into whole reinforced concrete blocks of absolutely artificially created beliefs in her mind on a different "talked about' issue -- and there's no making a dent, not with facts, not with logic, not with common sense, not with real-life experiences... nada. It's those impenetrable things, calcified into the very arteries feeding the areas of the brain that hold particular superimposed sets of deranged beliefs, that make it very frustrating to deal with people who would be just normal fine people without that crap... but "that crap" takes up so much of their cognitive space that finding fertile (and safe) ground for non-self-cenzored interactions becomes increasingly problematic. We both love cats though... we can talk about cats...

I don't know if I would take it as far as to give advice... but I do think that anything one "believes in," especially if it's a passionate, entrenched credo, and more so if it's the kind that creates one's actual behavior, life choices, allegiances and animosities, etc., should be suspect. "Know thyself" must start with dissecting those most tightly held beliefs and examining them with honesty and courage. Especially their origin. If I believe this and that, and it causes me to think, speak, and act in a particular manner -- why don't I try to find out where it's coming from. Who, when, how, why?? -- became the source of this belief of mine, this behavior, this self-identification with an ideology, a narrative, an interpretation? Sometimes one has to dig deep... but the source is always there. Examine it... is it really something that "goes without saying" or was it someone's saying or doing that I internalized and now consider my own, part of who I am, the entirety of who I am?.. To discover programmed extraneous stuff within oneself can be mighty shocking -- and mighty healing. The good news is, a live human being is capable -- at least in theory -- of deprogramming herself. Robots aren't so lucky.

I sometimes sing this one in the car, don't know why it became one of my driving songs... I had several over the years, pretty random, e.g. Leonard Cohen's Closing Time, Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier and The Eagles' New Kid In Town and what not. (Some people sing in the shower, but I prefer baths to showers and they inspire meditation more than singing so I sing in the car.) Thanks for the shares, I'll come back a bit later to listen.

A long time ago I came up with an analogy that I think helped me understand. This dude is walking down the street and something bothers his left foot, some discomfort, even pain, causing him to limp. "Try running away from it," mom suggests compassionately. Dude tries to run, it hurts worse. "Man up, it's nothing, stop paying attention to trifles like a pussy," dad chimes in. Dude clenches his teeth and tries not to limp, but he can't. "Focus on the positive, you do have legs after all, be grateful for it, and don't forget to express gratitude at every step," sister offers. Dude mumbles, "it's great to have legs, thank you universe for your love and kindness," the left foot cramps up from the effort of trying to step around the pain. "Pain is the cleanser," Flanders from The Simpsons makes a surprise appearance while tugging at his own mustache. Dude keeps limping, trying to feel cleansed and pure. "Privileged boy, there's oppression and microaggressions and climate change and you're still focusing only on your own feelings," a pink-haired passer-by snaps at him. Dude tries to blame climate change for the pain in his left foot but it still hurts.... If I was there I'd suggest taking the shoe off, and that would reveal a little sharp stone that slipped into the shoe at some point, unnoticed. I would recommend turning the shoe upside down and shaking it out. Then putting the shoe back on. Dude, doesn't it feel better? Isn't knowing the exact cause of the problem the prerequisite for solving it? You know what your problem is? You don't know thyself, and that means you don't know exactly what happened to you to make you into what you are now. And because you don't own your own developmental history, your origins, who and what and how has shaped you on a deeper inner level, you aren't conscious. That's why you can't choose or change a thing about yourself to any depth while others can -- which is to say, you are fully programmable. Anyone can fill your head with any which crap. Welcome to the machine.

Just today came across this push-hands video of my Grandmaster in his youth -- check out the application of a very low stance beginning at 2:30:

It contains half the periodic table, and its origin is only hypothetical. The name mumijo or moomiyo is of the same root as the word "mummy" though, and traditionally it was thought of as a product of ages-long decomposition and transformation of organic matter of animal (and possibly even human) origin plus plant material plus minerals from the mountain crevices where it's found. I've used it on many occasions, tried many brands, and find moomiyo superior to shilajit (stronger) -- the difference being the place of origin. The best, far as I can tell, comes from Altai. It has many medicinal properties but where it truly shines is at mending broken bones. On three separate occasions over the years I suggested using it to people with fractures (wrist, sternum, and a vertebra), and in every case the fact that the bone had once been broken was later undetectable on X-rays -- in addition to healing twice faster than average. Not aware of any spiritual effects. Side effects in long term use might be of the excitatory nature (irritability, disrupted sleep), it's not recommended to take close to bedtime, and is contraindicated in people suffering from mental illness. As a general tonic, it is usually taken in courses -- a month on, a month or two off, repeat as needed. For oral administration, must be dissolved in a small amount of fatty liquid (typically warm milk) rather than ingested straight up. Topical ointments with moomiyo are best made with ghee or butter and rubbed into problem areas in arthritis etc..

I've heard stories about extremely high level masters practicing horse stance under the table. Unless they were midgets, or else owned a 6 feet tall table, that's a pretty darn wide stance.

The Jade Emperor. He is in charge of the affairs of this world, but since it's not the only world, he's subordinate to a bigger authority, Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones, who are pure manifestations of the tao -- Past, Present, and Future. The Jade Emperor, very long lived but unlike his boss not eternal, is a hereditary position. The current Jade Emperor is the 18th in line, and the name of his successor who will take the reins after him is carved into one of the handles of his throne (the other one bearing his own name.) There's many other deities collectively known as the tianzun, from major ones like the Jade Emperor's own (rebellious) daughter down to deities entrusted with affairs of particular mountains, rivers, cities, villages, and even kitchens. Many of them are human in form, others are not. Many can shapeshift between human, dragon, some other animal, or a force of nature. Some prefer to maintain their primary shape, as human or monkey king or dragon or fire.

How is Shudi Huang aka Rehmannia a food?.. Also, it is not known in Chinese medicine to increase jing. Ren Shen, better known in English as ginseng, sort of is... though it's not that easy to make a meal of either, considering a typical dose used in cooking (a few grams). Very old ginseng (from hard to find and very expensive 20+ years old roots up to impossible to obtain and costing more than their weight in gold 60+ years old roots, all the way to the legendary 120+ years old ginseng that can all but raise the dead) is reputed to replenish jing. The traditional list of jing-replenishing foods is very short, 90% non-vegetarian, and 80% pretty exotic. As for qi increasing foods, they are organ-specific, i.e. they can increase qi of a particular organ-system-function, not "generic" qi. Some of these can also accomplish the task simply by being avoided. Some work only in certain combinations with other ingredients and require specific preparation methods. The study of a dietary approach to manipulating one's qi with foods is extensive. You could gain some useful knowledge from books on the subject by some reputable authors (e.g. Henry C. Lu).

Look thou upon my field of ****s and see that it is barren. -- Source of quote forgotten.

Some gurus suggest meditating for peace etc. I wouldn't recommend it. Meditation (unlike relaxation routines often appropriating the name) can reveal the core of who you are -- and that core may turn out to be about something entirely different.

You should have reviewed your statement before offering other statements as "same" which are not "same" at all. No one asserts "the 'fact' that tao exists 'proves' this and that." No one asserts that "the 'fact' that qi exists 'proves' this and that." No one asserts that "the 'fact' that yin and yang exist 'proves' this and that." No one asserts these are "facts" that "prove" a particular statement uttered is true. But you did. You asserted that "The fact that we live countless lives BOTH in male or female forms is a proof that gender means little." The thing is, it is not a "fact" that "proves" a particular statement. It's a statement of belief that you use as proof of another statement of belief. It doesn't work like that though. The fact that you were born from a mother is a fact. The fact that taoism acknowledges the Great Mother as the origin of all things is a fact. The fact that I asserted taoism got it right by accurately reflecting the natural fact of birth from a mother is a fact. None of these facts, by themselves, either contradict or prove any beliefs -- unless you believe the person who gave birth to you was your uncle.

This month's article in the Scientific American titled "Cats Are Perfect. An Evolutionary Biologist Explains Why." https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/cats-are-perfect-an-evolutionary-biologist-explains-why/?fbclid=IwAR25DIlR7Uf19VFoU6FMlXWhhR9r7O35cND4o8TggLzuabGDL5QwhUE8Y9M Its last paragraph: "You can’t just casually try to be a cat. You have to commit. Cats have committed to being cats. Everything else is just sort of dabbling, and it doesn’t work."

I'd be curious to see your definitions of the terms "fact" and "proof."

Hokusai didn't know...

I was only referring to the most misspelled states of the US -- Austrualia is not one of them, at least not yet -- I guess that would have to wait till the one world government governs de juro, not just de facto. Here we misspell the hell out of a lot of toponyms, in fact there's some I've never seen spelled correctly -- for geopolitical reasons, no less. As for viola, I have no objections. Viola! In Russian there's a three letter word in which it's possible to make four spelling mistakes -- not only possible but not that uncommon among auditory spellers. Can't think of a similar one in English -- is there such a word?