Aetherous

Sometimes coincidences are so uncanny that it seems like they're not coincidences...but they still may be. Q basically just throws a bunch of random info out there, and if a connection is able to be made, it somehow proves that Q predicted it or is in on things. But there's still a bunch of other nonsense that didn't stick. This is just a tactic of cold reading. There may be something to it, but I'm supremely skeptical on this one.

Does the golden flower book mention anything about the light being clear?

More like a middle finger icon.

But I did. Enjoy! Edit: if a genuine person wanted to ask me more about this, they could do so in a private message. I told Nungali I had no interest in responding, especially in this thread which isn't on the subject, and I'm not the type to be manipulated into doing something I said I wouldn't. It's enough to say on the subject of Crowley, and any questions directed at me here regarding him: simply look at his Wikipedia page! That should be enough for anyone with any sort of legitimate training in the occult to see him for what he was. He was a complete fraud who has subsequently nearly ruined Western occultism entirely. Everything he touched is tainted, not just because he was a degenerate, but because he messed up the information. Too many people have been misled, and the misled simply get sore when others have a differing opinion than them. Deal with it...that's life!

Of course not. My post was... Please drop this, which has little to do with this thread, and which I have zero interest in debating.

Based on that, my opinion is that the most straightforward path is training under a reputable Tibetan lama...focusing on practice rather than on debates about anything or any other stuff, doing it by the book and not shirking any requirements. Do everything above and beyond.

There are different types of enlightenment, and also different realizations. Which one are you into?

I'm really just going to do that.

"Be wise as serpents." There's nothing wrong with having discernment...as opposed to judgment, which carries a penalty to the accused with it. Discernment in this case is actually meant to help others avoid incorrect and corrupt information, and no stone was cast. How discernment is a good thing: "By their fruits you will know them".

One could list the ways!

I've read a couple, and am not a master. From what I've heard, with grimores (or similar texts) there are deliberately laid traps. Later occultists took the books literally and developed fraudulent and corrupt schools based on false information. For instance, Aleister Crowley. I like the contributions of Joseph Peterson, and Stephen Skinner; also, Aaron Leitch's "Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires" for a broad overview. Not saying those authors point out the traps, I just think they have done some good work with historical analysis and translations. I'm also personally far from knowledgeable in this subject.

A major preliminary step in pretty much any such tradition is having a calm and clear mind...calm abiding meditation does the trick - basically bringing focus back to an object that holds our attention, instead of having the monkey mind run wild. Another secret is that physical exercise is always important. Qigong, breathwork, whatever other health method, is not good enough. Our bodies need to work. Aside from that...I think the only mystery that should be said here is the admonition to "seek until you find". This is meant to be helpful rather than any sort of barrier. Your thirst can only be quenched through legitimate means, and definitely not through any profanation of mysteries. It's sometimes necessary to go on the quest...things being handed to us, information freely given everywhere, is only a new concept in our current civilization, which some think is creating weaklings. That doesn't work for things occult. Integrity is the first step on the path. So those are three tips: how to get a calm and clear mind, how to get a healthy body (two preliminaries or necessities), and how to quench that thirst.

Unfortunately, to me it seems like these signs of verification can lead almost anyone to assume they've experienced them....when they haven't. They're too poetically written, vague, and aren't clear enough for the anyone but the most discerning and self-critical practitioner to judge their own progress. Consider Lu Dongbin's qualifications in the first line: "One cannot receive these signs if one ... does not relinquish arrogance". For instance, the arrogance of thinking one understands the book. In my view (which may be wrong), even most people reading the book don't know what the light is. Without knowing what the light is, it's never turned around, and signs of verification never happen.

Maybe the translation isn't correct here, but it's interesting to me that (I've read) Tian was actually the supreme god in ancient China. "During the Shang Dynasty (17–11th centuries BCE), the Chinese referred to their supreme god as Shàngdì (上帝, "Lord on High") or Dì (帝,"Lord"). During the following Zhou Dynasty, Tiān became synonymous with this figure." - wikipedia

(Check out the whole first season and don't watch this clip if you haven't seen this show before...very highly recommended for many reasons.) If we personally have a sense of justice, then it's up to us to establish that justice as best we can. It definitely seems that way. But evil not only harms us and others in the short term (sometimes in ways that aren't so apparent), it also does so in the long term (which is usually much more apparent). Those who live well do so because they've followed the good path.

All the posts on this forum are free. Much has been discussed before...I still find myself searching through old posts here. This forum can be a place where we hear about lots of things, and then go explore them on our own...not necessarily everything is spelled out here. There are some traditions that require oaths of privacy. Or sometimes there are other reasons not to say things. There are legitimate ways to attain knowledge. I'd say based on my limited experience that it's rare to find people who can influence others profoundly (such as the fraudster Osho was doing in that picture). If they can do that, another question is if they're willing to teach that...to you. For them to give up their secrets takes away their power over others...without that, how can they buy the Rolls Royces? They don't want anyone to know that they're just basic human beings underneath all the facade. That's one aspect of their "power"...the illusion of it. My perspective is if you search in the right way, for the right reasons, you will end up on the right path...then a certain power comes, or other powers come. If you could get them in a day, which you can't, you might not be so impressed. Our imagination comes up with all sorts of possibilities when we hear of magical power...reality, however, is always natural.

Oh weird, I thought that one would work...because who is more of an immediate family member than oneself! Lawyers must know a way around this. Or you might get lucky and work it out with the tenants...half of the time they're reasonable.

Found it for ya: The bolded part tells how you might be exempt from this, due to moving back in. You'd have to do all the legal paperwork first, and it probably takes a few months.

You might want to look into that a lot more, get a lawyer to look into it. I don't know Portland, but I'm pretty sure this is a misunderstanding of the law...that if you give them proper notice you don't have to do that. The fine print saves the one who reads it.

I don't know about which direction it goes (maybe in with inhale and out with exhale while breathing through the nose)...but in terms of swara yoga, it is very true that there's a mysterious change in which nostril is predominant throughout the day.

Minimum wage isn't Constitutional.

That sounds like it's getting close to Socialism.

I definitely didn't say anything like that. I'm not sure that those are the only reasons. Lowering taxes, especially on small businesses, is great for it!

I hope some smart people are able to explore that in this thread. Some possibilities, which I don't fully understand, were in the first link that Earl Grey shared on page 1. At least personally, I would never accept a UBI that is simply redistribution from the rich to the poor. The weak don't become strong by making the strong weak.

Does it matter, so long as affordability doesn't change? Are we complaining today that meals no longer cost 50 cents? You don't think we've seen the wealth gap increase, and witnessed a disappearing middle class, due to this already taking place?