Taomeow

No, I would say there is no separation, it's a spectrum with no absolutes. I.e. one can be more awake than asleep, or more asleep than awake. Things like the "placebo effect" or 'falling in love" or "being scared shitless" or "getting drunk senseless" prove that the mind and the body are not separate quite obviously, but even on less obvious levels there's no separation. The mind and the body co-create each other. I decided in my mind that I want my body to be stronger, so I took up martial arts, my body grew stronger -- my mind did it -- but without my body it couldn't. It's not "all in the mind" and it's not "all in the body." It's a co-creation. The spirit that is embodied is not sitting in some receptacle for the spirit, it's everywhere in the body. And the spirit that is disembodied is really embodied in some different kind of body -- perhaps the kind Native Americans called "not walking in skins." But "walking" none the less and touching the "walking in skins" bodies -- as soil under their feet, air they breathe, rain falling on them or as those "shape but no substance" and "substance but no shape" and "no shape, no substance" subtle bodies that taoist alchemy works with. All those "empty" phenomena are part of the deal -- but they are not "more real." Just "different." Depends on who you know. Indo-European traditions (whether religious, philosophical, or scientific) don't present to their autopilot followers a cornucopia of opportunities to drop their extensive and expensive cognitive arsenal and acquire the cognitive tools of a taoist mind instead. It's a bit like... well, until you are cognizant of the existence of the bicycle, you not only don't know how to ride it -- you don't know that there's something in existence that you don't know how to ride. Once you get introduced to a bicycle, the first thing you discover about it is that you fall off right on the spot if you try to do any of the things with it that you already know how to do with all other things in your life. But if you persevere, you can learn to ride it. A little bit, and then well, and then like the wind.

I dunno -- might not be specific enough. I prefer to set a more orthodox stage. Also it depends on the kind of relationship one has with the I Ching. One can approach her (or, to others, "it" or "him" -- to me she is a female presence) as a customer/client, a casual acquaintance, an inquisitor, a friend, a disciple... seek out the help of a guidance counsellor of sorts, an advisor, a therapist, a parent figure -- probably different for different people. Perhaps, if one is a taoist immortal or god, discuss things as an equal. Mine is definitely a student/teacher, master/disciple relationship with her. So I sort of shape my interactions with her in that vein. Would I ask my taoist teacher or my taiji teacher "what now?" Probably not unless the context was clear enough.

If I understood you correctly, you mean something like simply asking the I Ching, "Talk to me?" I've done that.

I'd say in taoism it's a moot point. Zhuangzi wrote his butterfly dream parable to illustrate that. The back-and-forth between the ideal "dream world" of Xiantian and the manifest world of Houtian is constant, and that's what's real. Consciousness is also a moot point, because nothing can really be unconscious. A sleeping man's state is not unconscious even if he doesn't dream. His organs are taking turns taking little naps, is all. The heart is still conscious, the liver is still conscious, the kidneys are still conscious, the brain stem still regulates the breathing. And none of it is unconscious or unaware. None of it is a machine. The stomach is still aware of that bag of chips you ate with the late night movie and is working on that. The kidneys and the bladder are still aware that there's a cup of tea or a can of beer that have been presented to them to deal with alongside all that salt in the chips. Even more aware if it was a six-pack rather than just one can. No amount of ideas in the head or in the scriptures about the bladder being "empty like all phenomena" is going to stop it from waking you up in the middle of the night with the contradicting message that it is quite full, and in need of conscious emptying.

No, you misunderstood. The event was already in progress at the time. It's just that no one knew it yet. The I Ching knew. How I interpreted it at the time, I don't remember, but it was not the correct interpretation no matter what it was. The correct thing to do would be to get worried. Which I did. The vigilance went through the roof, because if you are in communication with the I Ching and with your own subtle anatomy and physiology, you don't just get the hexagrams or the lines or the judgments -- you get something like sensory or even extrasensory input. My lower dantien interpreted the reading as a warning, while my mind was doing its best to take over and ignore the warning and come up with its own interpretation. And, of course, it can't do that very convincingly when it's about things it doesn't know -- except if its main training is in how to lie to itself or others or both. Accepting that neither your mind, nor your unconscious, nor your skill trump the mystery of the I Ching is a prerequisite to becoming good at it. Anyone can superimpose anything, we are constantly making stories, creating scenarios, psychologizing, intellectualizing reality. But reality is what the I Ching deals in -- and not just our perceptions of it. Also sprach Taomeow.

Nice name. What really happened: the inquiring party had something like a stubborn cold at the time of inquiry. Within a couple of weeks though it became clear that it was in fact something a whole lot more serious. Life-threatening to the max. The band ceased to exist, and the next four years were dedicated exclusively to handling that I Ching line. It was my first example (but not the last) of the I Ching knowing things I don't know yet and couldn't fathom no matter how insightful and accurate my interpretation -- as well as of the empirical discovery that she will answer precisely the question of the moment if it's a serious one, not the question I happened to ask which might be inconsequential. She will just ignore what I'm trying to divine and go straight to what I ought to be inquiring about, and answer that question whether I had the insight to ask it or not. So, sometimes, when the reading "makes no sense," I have to ask, "What is it that right now I really ought to be divining instead?" This book is infinitely more mind-blowing than anyone who might assume that its accuracy is solely a function of their own powers of interpretation can imagine. At least that's been my conclusion after 20 years of close communication and plenty of opportunities to evaluate the outcomes retrospectively.

All right. Real life example from my experience. Q: I divine the most likely outcome of such-and-such local band changing its name to this-and-that. A: Although there is sickness, one does not die. What's your interpretation?

In Chen I got zero instructions about that, but when I used to practice TKD, the teacher insisted that I learn to perceive every part of the body and whatever I'm wearing as a war machine and know how to use anything. The foot in particular was explained as a whole arsenal, of which several different kinds of heel strike were part, and he specifically pointed out that any one of them can be a whole lot more efficient if I'm wearing stiletto shoes. I am also a fan of practice, on occasion, on uneven surfaces with inappropriate footwear, though there's definitely some caveats. I am reminded of the story told by the great Hong Junsheng about Master Watermelon Rind who threw him on the ground by just lying there in his path in a dark alley, doing nothing, being slippery as hell. I had a bit of that experience a number of years ago too, though not with a watermelon rind but with a large pile of seaweed on the beach. I was running barefoot, jumping over those piles of kelp that were everywhere after a storm, and practicing Fair Lady Works the Shuttles on the go. If you know Chen, you know that beautiful spinning jump forward that's part of it. And at one point I miscalculated the distance and instead of jumping over a pile of kelp landed smack on it with considerable momentum. Not recommended. It's easily more slippery than ice, especially when you don't expect it. I spent the next two hours soaking my foot in the ocean, and when the cold water did enough for my ankle to enable walking again, limped back mighty humbled by the great Master Giant Slippery-as-hell Kelp.

Depends on the practice and on the surface. I would suggest experimenting and comparing the feel of it. I've tried it every which way and have preferences depending on that. Chen style taiji -- there's things you can do better wearing shoes, either traditional for the art or close enough, with infinitely flexible soles, not too tacky, not too slippery. I've a pair with ox tendon soles, my favorite. You can "paint flowers in the mud" with those, a test of skill and its signature. On grass, I can go either way. On wooden floor, I get too much traction if I go barefoot. On sand, barefoot is best. On concrete, shoes. Push-hands, fixed step -- doesn't matter. Flexible step -- shoes. Qigong, barefoot -- unless the surface is cold, in which case, socks. We don't lose any yang qi to going barefoot unless our feet get cold and stay cold for a while. But in this case we lose it regardless of whether we go barefoot or wear shoes. And there's no limitation on the percentage you can lose. Some people might lose it all to frostbite. If your feet are warm when you go barefoot, I wouldn't worry about losing yang qi.

'You will live to see man-made horrors beyond your comprehension." -- Nicola Tesla

That's not nice of them, but then, inferiority complexes play out as superiority stances all over the world. The Svans are a pretty cool people from what I know, and have been for a very long time, they're ancient. The Greek geographer and historian Strabo wrote that “the Svans are a powerful people and, I think, the most courageous and brave in the whole world. They are at peace with all neighboring nations.” Pliny, Ptolemy, Appius, Eustathius of Thesalonia all wrote about hospitable, enlightened and strong Svans. But modern history is the history of denigration of everybody by everybody... In any event, I didn't mean we would be Svans, I just have this idea that any village created as a retreat for the modern people who haven't lived a tribal life ever before is better off modeling its ways, or at the very least its architectural arrangements, on those of the people who maintained the traditional ways, to the extent possible. I wouldn't want any high tech domes Buckminster Fuller or whatever else "futuristic" style slapped in the face of those mountains. To say nothing of the horrible feng shui of most of them, there's also practical considerations -- e.g. it would be impossible to heat up any of those in winter without going high tech and on grid, or even to discourage spiders from having a ball on an unreachable ceiling. To say nothing of many more features of the "theoretical" dwellings based on ideas rather than immersion experience that I would consider all-around idiotic, no matter how aesthetically appealing.

Ah, if only. 1. It is modeled on a tribal village somewhere where people still live like that. E.g. this one in Svaneti, Georgia (the country): 2. Who's there. That's the tough part. In some places, people who organize such communities interview all potential residents before allowing them to join. So a set of expectations/requirements/desirable traits/unacceptable traits would have to be worked out by the founding mothers and fathers, and that would have to be brainstormed very thoroughly and agreed upon in advance. I'm guessing most projects would fail at this stage. (I know because I was part of such project at one point.) Which is better than failing later due to hidden problems and interpersonal tensions that start popping up after the commitments have been made. 3. Off grid would be ideal. 4. No way. Whoever wants to be a vegetarian for whatever reason can be a vegetarian. Whoever wants this to be a requirement, expectation or preference ought to join a monastery of the corresponding denomination, not a village. 5. I would spend my free time foraging, fishing, hunting and making medicinal and tonic herbal remedies.

No, it was reinterpreted like that by the proponents of grain consumption from different traditions that influenced some taoist sects. In the original taoist tradition, it has nothing to do with fasting, and constitutes a distinct branch of taoist physiology sciences that attribute to the adoption of grain-eating the invasion of the human race with the "three worms," "three monsters" or "three corpses." These are demonic entities that inhabit the body of the grains eaters. Ancient texts dealing with them offer their depictions, names, and descriptions of their character and activities. In the Japanese version there's more than three of them, something like eight if I remember correctly, the rest is similar. These entities feed off the grains one consumes and influence the human being in both physical and spiritual realms. In the spiritual realm they harm the person's judgment, strip off true compassion and generosity and substitute self-serving, deceptive and phony behaviors, and provoke numerous addictions, including to alcohol and sex. They also act as agent provocateurs, seducing and prompting the person they inhabit toward assorted misdeeds, and then snitch on them to the Jade Emperor at the end of every month, reporting on all the misdeeds committed.

The book by Nora Gedgaudas I mentioned includes 43 pages of references to scientific studies ("Primal Body, Primal Mind," pp.333--376)

Not heretical. Sacrilegious. That was the biggest point of disagreement between me and my paleo guru Nora Gedgaudas. I had utmost respect for her experience -- not only did she spend a few years living with Innuits north of the Arctic Circle but she also lived for a year with a pack of wolves -- but I figured, just because wolves don't drink coffee doesn't mean cats shouldn't.

Yes, the planning is much harder, in my experience. Didn't get bored at all, moreover, taste perceptions sharpened to the point that when I put a piece of chocolate in my mouth after 6 months of abstaining from all sweets (with the single exception of a teaspoon of sugar in my morning coffee, but that's sacred), it burned my tongue as though I poured acid on it, had to spit it out. (The chocolate that is, not the tongue.) And weight loss was not welcome -- my weight was perfect when I started, give or take a few pounds, and I eventually ran out of things to wear because I couldn't plan well enough to keep consuming enough calories and weight loss was unstoppable. So, quit that regimen with plans to go at it again once I figure out the logistics of not skipping meals due to lack of preparedness. Gaining back the weight I lost was easy though -- a month of eating what everybody else eats did it.

Not currently. Did it in the past, a Nora Gedgaudas style "Primal" paleo version, for nine months. Was going to do it again and experiment with a stricter version (zerocarb) and a more relaxed version (any carbs but grains), but pandemic realities threw a monkey wrench into that plan. Still I eat gluten free 99% of the time, and even the gluten-free grains are not eaten every day.

Hi CT Thank you, this is good to know, but no, not this. It was specifically about an RNA and/or DNA vaccine. I later watched how Bill Gates explains it on his blog, and it dawned on me that the mechanism of these is identical to how they genetically modify the RNA and DNA of crops and livestock to make them produce what they call the vaccine in their own bodies, or to enable them to absorb toxic pesticides without dying -- e.g. the "Roundup Ready" crops were created via this mechanism. The illustration I'm looking for was accompanied by the proudly scientific explanation that that's what they are doing for that vaccine -- modifying the genetic code of the human cells to make them produce the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, by sticking it in a 'harmless' monkey virus that will insert itself into the human cells and become a permanent part of the human genome. So we are to look forward to genetically modified humans, or to be specific human/simian virus/bat virus heterochimeras. And a promise (repeated by Bill on several occasions) that 7 billion of us will be thus blessed (I wonder what the plan is for the remaining 600 million) as a prerequisite to returning to normal. I wonder about those roundup-ready monocrops though -- if they could speak, I would love to interview them to find out if they are enjoying their "return to normal" that never existed. I mean, they themselves never existed in nature, there was never a "normal" they returned to when they came to be, they were a new thing with no prior history of living like that. How exactly do they live? Well, they can't reproduce, for one thing, they can only be replicated by the owner when they are needed by the owner. They can't feed themselves -- no GM monocrop can, they rely on being fertilized by the owner. And their only purpose in life is to get consumed. But plants can't speak, so I can't really tell how happy or unhappy this modification has made them. And even if it made them unhappy, they have no one to complain to, so who cares.

@moment I've seen a bit more detailed schematic illustration somewhere that was instrumental for my understanding something absolutely crucial... two or three weeks after I saw it I had this eureka moment... but I don't remember where I saw it. Do you happen to know what picture I'm talking about -- i.e. seen a more detailed one and maybe remember where? Smaller format, more illustrating pictures... and a very important explanation accompanying it, sort of on the go and in passing... very very important. Would be very grateful if you (or anyone else) could help me find that. They were talking about the Oxford vaccine. But not the current news, some preliminary infomercial from a few weeks ago (two, three?..)

Beet root juice daily, 1 cup, in divided doses (1/4 cup x 4 times daily). Don't use it fresh -- let it stand for at least an hour in the fridge before consuming, in an open container. A European herbal remedy, used on a family member with absolute success a few years ago. No guarantee it works on "everyone" but that's my experience. There's many herbs that can be used for this, but the beet juice remedy historically had the widest geographical distribution and has the advantage of being easily incorporated as a routine due to ready availability. All one needs is a good juicer, you make a glass once a day and then repeat the next day. Not using it fresh right upon squeezing is important -- there's substances in it which degrade rapidly (within an hour) that are not beneficial. Otherwise it's good for you all around, and is also used to improve the overall blood picture, especially the red blood. Choose the darkest, reddest beets for this purpose. The course is prolonged -- a minimum of 3 months, in some cases up to 6. Side effects are unknown, except if you drink it right away without letting it stand in an open container first, you will develop a strong aversion pretty soon and won't be able to enjoy it or might even come to hate it. (That's anecdotal, from my herbal encyclopedia.) Otherwise it tastes OK and is not hard to use at all.

Vera Lynn

Well, yes, no method is truly random, as was determined by the scholars of the I Ching as far back as the Shang dynasty. The reason is that yin and yang are not acting in the real world in the same manner -- they are acting in the opposite manners, and one of the differences inherent in their behavior, which no method can overcome, is that "fast change" is an attribute (or "virtue") of yang while "slow change," "perseverance," "the ability to last long" (heng) is a "virtue" of yin. As a result, situations in the real world tend to stay fundamentally unchanged for stretches of long time to a much greater extent than they tend to rapidly change. Look around you -- it's all around you. The mountains persevere, the clouds on top come and go. But there's only two lines to describe each behavior when we look at them as a pair -- a yin line for the mountain, a yang line for the clouds. A purely random process though would yield exactly the same probability of the mountain floating away on the wind as for the cloud staying put for a million years. So, an equal, "egalitarian" distribution of probabilities of a yin line or a yang line does not, without additional analysis of their conditions and environment, yield an accurate understanding. This can't be overcome by fancy equipment either, so the divination must always engage the brain of the diviner interpreting the cast -- this process can never be mechanized, automatized or artificially imitated. The mind must know a cloud from a mountain and what to expect of each. The mind must know a situation that is likely to change from a situation that is not likely to change. You don't expect to step on the tiger's tail involving the actual live tiger first thing in the morning. But if the line says "stepping on the tiger's tail," you can expect a heightened level of a dangerous change compared to the prior conditions -- yet the chance of not stepping on that tail is still higher than the chance of stepping on it. An I Ching divination that is to be accurate demands a lot of the diviner. The method is somewhat (not entirely) less important. I've determined that a quick electronic reading is only appropriate when you are after a quick pointer regarding a situation that is not very life-shattering. I might ask about buying or not buying an item I placed in my Amazon cart, e.g.. Whereas if I want to know the best time or destination for a vacation, I'll use the coins -- they will help me focus my mind toward a better understanding of the outcome. And if I want to know whether to move to another state or country or galaxy, I'll use the yarrow stalks. They will slow me down enough for my mind to penetrate the mind of tao... hopefully.

Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer, 1514.

@ ऋषि Congratulations.