Taomeow

Not so much that as the absence of clear demarcation lines between facts, interpretations, hypotheses, personal fantasies and transpersonal biases. But then, it's a "doctrine." They're all like that. The mainstream ones are way worse in this respect. My point exactly. "I as a woman" can't do that unless I want to assume the role of an honorary male. Which I don't. Which is why I would do that "unfortunately" opening only if I did. Which is why I never do. But usually notice when someone else does. That, if that's the case, doesn't bother me, since a man can't really mansplain to another man -- and Rudolph, bless his heart, is a man. However, unfortunately, I've seen a lot of amused dismissive vitriol aimed at Helena Blavatsky not because she is totally unworthy of any consideration whatsoever (anyone with this kind of encyclopedic knowledge and sheer scope of intellectual ambition backed up by considerable cognitive powers is not to be dismissed until at least a fair attempt to get through at least one of those volumes has been undertaken) -- but because a spiritual, intellectual, philosophical leader who happens to be a woman is a laughable idea to them by default. Which is why I really feel bad about not liking her. No, not really. I'm not under any obligation to like anyone I don't merely in order to spite the patriarchal misogynists. I like who I like. I yum what I yum. And you grossly exaggerated the injuries you purportedly sustained. Don't be such a pussy. (And don't tell me "it's interesting that you, as a cat, would tell someone not to be a pussy.")

No regrets are in order -- I am not Rudolph Steiner, I didn't post my own version -- just a version, for educational purposes/historical perspective. (You really don't want to know my version.) What do you think is wrong with the left side? The only theosophic works I read with some focus back in the day concerned themselves with anthroposophic medicine. And I donated four volumes of The Secret Doctrine to a thrift shop, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to make heads or tails of it. You may or may not find it noteworthy that personally, I would only start a refutational response with "unfortunately" if I wanted to lord over to someone that I consider them a lesser being. Some women even assert that it's a mansplaining technique. I don't know if they have a point, but I feel their objections aren't entirely pointless. Yes, Mitra/Mithra (Maitreya to Buddhists, incidentally) even celebrates his birthday on the same day as Jesus. Maybe there's other pages there that compare other religious systems on the left to the one on the right, I just chanced upon this one and thought, hmm... So, no hmmm, just ho-hum?...

I think this idea may have been introduced by some benevolent guys as a deterrent for some not-so-enlightened males whom they fully expected to abuse instead of use the greatest power of creation, something that pretty much gives existence to the manifest world (yup -- not limited to the existence of humans, the universe itself is thought of as the outcome of "yang embracing yin" and releasing love and receiving love. Love, an altruistic deal in case anyone wondered what it's about, will of course "use up" -- unless equipotently reciprocal love comes to meet and replenish). By the same token this idea can be (and was and is) used as a welcome confirmation for others, those who seek to abandon all manifestations, interpreting them as suffering and illusion and the unmanifest as bliss and the real. But the usefulness of a lie toward preventing some deranged behaviors is limited. And "orgasm for men has no benefit" is a patent lie. In fact, we have tons of lies along the lines of "pleasure has no benefit" in circulation -- for various deplorable reasons -- but the truth of the matter is, it's pleasure, not pain, not suffering, that is truly developmental -- to the body and soul and, as modern science has discovered, to the brain. Pleasure-deprived brain is a damaged brain... it's physiology, not ideology.

No, me neither. Just wanted to point out to any reading males who feel being harmed by your assertion as they read that it depends on a lot of other factors that are far more under their control than being a male. And if you read both Kama Sutra and what I am talking about (sadly, only parts that were preserved in later litearature from the sources of the once-voluminous taoist sexology-jingology-medicine-immortality sciences -- e.g. from the twenty-six volumes of the Yin-doctrines of Rong Cheng, Sunu Notes, etc.), I'm sure you would't fall for that "derivative works" nonsense. The original taoist sexual doctrines are fully proprietary at least to the extent anything original taoist is -- possibly to a greater extent. And no, taoism is not originally an Indo-European borrowing. That came much later.

The Arts of the Bedchamber disagree. It can be either damaging or beneficial for both sexes depending on how, when, with what mindset, with what kind of heart spirit, with what body condition, with what technique. Here's a very partial list of what kinds of orgasm are indeed harmful, from taoist classics on the subject: an involuntary intercourse; rough movement just for one's own pleasure; intercourse after mental or physical exhaustion; overindulgence; intercourse after sweating or loss of sperm; with irregular breath; with penile flaccidity. Taoist literature on the subject concerns beneficial, healing, strengthening and replenishing effects of correct approaches to sex and orgasm as well as the devastating detriments (for both sexes) of the incorrect ones. But we are a consumerist culture. People set fucking goals. The goal of porn/promiscuity is orgasm, the goal of celibacy/retention is no orgasm, both are consumerist approaches. And that will consume jing, no doubt.

The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel the warmth. -- African proverb

From a detour to Siberia, back to Sumer -- but retracing our steps via a detour to Egypt first. Here's an interesting perspective (from Rudolph Steiner study lesson, "The Threshold of The Spiritual World"):

The one by Wilhelm/Baynes is attached in the same volume in my I Ching copy -- ISBN 0-691-09750-X.

Yup! That's exactly it. Whew! "通/tong you were talking about is a prerequisite for 開合/kai-he I was talking about. That "gate" picture in 開 is like the entrance to a saloon in old cowboy movies, swinging open when the hero enters, swinging closed behind his back as he takes his unmovable stance against the scoundrel. Then they go outside for the shooting showdown, the 開 swings open, swings closed, they stand facing each other, not moving, then all of a sudden there's lightning fast movement and the survivor rides off into the sunset.

If "experts" were to put their respective views together, the resulting picture of jing would perhaps look something like this... For me, the best way to relate to one's jing is to find out as much as possible about who you really are. Jing is fundamental memory of who you are and how you became that. Losing that memory is not compensated by accepting someone's narrative. Any statements along the lines of, "you are _____________" are understood only by your neocortex. One thing is certain -- you are not your neocortex. E.g., when they say things like "you are not your body," it's the neocortex that formulates that idea, and by doing that, it is merely telling its own story. Yes, it is, indeed, not your body. It is the youngest, least experienced, consequently least wise, and sadly most arrogant and verbose part of your brain, is all. It talks outta its neoass. Your body and your mind together know who you are, neither one does separately. I don't believe pitching one against the other is conductive to health and happiness. Your jing is four billion years old, and its story is the story of life on earth -- for starters. It's not the story of what this or that guru preached from this or that sacred book serving this or that psyop purpose. It's the story of the environment that is the spirit co-arising and co-created with the body that embodies it perfectly. Trying to make it your story once again, to the extent possible, is the best way to relate to one's jing IMO.

Sorry, had second thoughts -- wasn't sure I was giving sound advice. Maybe some other time though.

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You mean the year of the fire tiger. I mean either your "proprietary" or your "dominant" phase. They sometimes happen to coincide with that of the year, but bazi is "eight characters," of which "fire tiger" (year) is two. I'm betting on the remaining six. Of course Fire folks may also use Wood metaphors to express their aspirations pertaining to Self -- but only the most filial ones among them, since Wood is their Mother phase.

木 mù phase. Can tell without looking at your chart.

Easy -- nothing is easy for a cat, whatever it is, I'd much rather take a nap. Hard -- nothing is hard for a cat, whatever it is, I'll just sit and stare at it and someone will eventually do it. Maybe even me. Brutal -- all that superfluous stuff humans have to do.

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That's one of the functions of his staff. It is magical/shamanic and has the following functions: It can make ice cream out of anything suitable for the purpose -- it's a freezing staff. Forcefully hitting it on the ground, however, is what causes snow, ice and frost to descend upon the land. It repels evil spirits, and can be used to freeze anyone Grandfather Frost doesn't like. It can manifest objects -- e.g. presents -- also accomplished by hitting it on the ground, but a bit gentler. Three times if I remember correctly. And finally, a modern touch -- it has GPS mounted inside, connected to an app kids can install to track his progress from the North Pole when he sets out on his way.

Siberia is not all no peaches and no cream.

That's 1941, a WWII antifascist postcard, issued at the time Nazi Germany was being rather victorious. I hope no one is nostalgic.

Ah, good. Leave those cats alone. They'll have their paws full as it is in the Year of the Rusty Steel Rat. Going back to the sensible Russian New Year celebrations.

Well, guess what -- I've found a modestly priced one and ordered and can't wait to get this: See my post from September 12th for illustrations of use. I don't think I'm going to sleep on it, but I plan to experiment with naps, stretches, etc., and definitely want to sit on it when, e.g., watching a movie. (The squatting position is easy for me, but not easy enough to comfortably last an hour or more -- this turkana may change it. I'll report on the findings.) Something draws me to this thingie, ever since I first discovered it exists. I've found out that it's one of those objects that are thought of as forming a unity with the owner via continuous use, and many African tribes buried the turkana with the owner (some still do) because they are thought to have become inseparable and the bond remains even in afterlife.

Not in America. Most people here would also place an additional stress on the first syllable, which would make "retrodactyl" a trochee. I don't like those first-syllable stresses indiscriminately placed on all words longer than three syllables here... but it is what it is.

And the real origin of the pillow:

In poetry, a dactyl is a three-syllable metrical pattern in which a stressed syllable is followed by two unstressed syllables. The word “poetry” itself, e.g., is an example of a dactyl, with the stress falling on the “Po,” followed by the unstressed syllables “e” and “try”: PO-e-try. Dactyls were used to compose Greek epic poetry -- e.g. Iliad and Odyssey. "Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending..." And, yes, it is "like a finger" in a sense, but I don't think many people would know in what sense. In most senses that make any sense to anyone interested in poetry, however, The Odyssey is not a collection of fingerprints.

She hates pentagrams? I used to hate them too. I used to have to wear one as a kid. Imagine wearing someone's spell pinned to your clothes. But now I adore them. It's one of the components of reading the wuxing phases of qi dynamics, i.e. of basic taoist education in the energies of the world. Interesting though that it represents specifically the Dominance cycle.