Aetherous

It seems to me that...yes we are in the dark ages when you "see" a person's spirit (if you can), and it appears very dim. And you witness people's actions out in public, and they're withdrawn, scared and cold hearted. Or they're overly outgoing and loud, avoiding the things within themselves. And people chase after nothing their whole lives, never truly realizing how much they're missing out on, and how erratic they've become. When people subconsciously love their sadness/anger/stress/worry, etc...and aren't willing to give those powerful feelings up, because it's who they are. All of this is pretty dark. And that's not even mentioning the evil things people do to eachother. Was it ever any different? Perhaps only when we were little kids. It seems to me that theories about the past and the future aren't very realistic. I don't care if some brilliant sage said it...it sounds delusional to me. It's true darkness to not even realize that it's dark...and the more we realize how dark it is, the more light we shine.

Every meditation can be dangerous. The same as walking can be dangerous, if there's ice around. Or breathing can be dangerous, if there's toxic gas in the air. If things smell funny, and are getting slippery, stop what you're doing.

Yep it's the same concept as "hole in one".

I'm not sure if he'll see it in this section, so I'll speak for him. "Ralis" had it done, and reported that his breathing improved. I'd be interested to see what he has to say now. I like what sheng zhen said...correct other things and the atlas automatically is corrected.

Yes, it is actually a super rough "massage" with the tool. Makes me very cautious to recommend it. So I'm somewhat glad to see that people are actually questioning the hype. The main idea behind the atlas profilax stuff is that the procedure increases your "life force", so any damage will eventually be healed. That's the theory...if it works, that's up to the individual to see for themselves. It's an interesting way to go about it, but I prefer methods that don't cause damage. Something much better is Bowen, or Bowenwork therapy. The treatment is just 40 dollars (at least where I went), and all it involves is very light touches and movements to muscles in different areas on the body. Lasts about half an hour. I recommend it highly.

Yes, I don't believe in the "reversing the curse" type of articles... It was $250, if I remember correctly. The actual treatment only lasted about 20 seconds...most of the time we were discussing it. For me, it's hard to say if it lived up to the hype. The effect was subtle, and the actual treatment caused some damage. It's a rough massage with a tool on the suboccipitals. Some people will experience immediate relief of symptoms, and some won't. I didn't. I haven't seen the full effect yet...still "unwinding" at ~8 months. I have no idea if I'd be at the same place cultivation wise if I hadn't done it. I have a lot to "clean up", so I'm not the best example. But it did help me a little bit. Oh...and can we align the atlas ourselves? Yes...I believe when we reach a certain level of development that such procedures don't really matter at all. Maybe physically it'd still be "out of place", but functionally it'd be fine. Putting something in place is a means to an end..the whole point is to have it work better.

Sounds like a cool book...however I think this point is bogus. People are shaped in many different ways, and Americans are very sedentary (which makes them much more prone to leg injuries). Some people's feet pronate or supinate for many different reasons, and spending more time in pronation or supination won't fix it. The fact that some people are able to run barefoot doesn't mean that we can, as well...doing so can be very harmful. There are running shoe stores which videotape your feet while you're running on a treadmill, and show you on a screen what is happening with different shoe models. If anyone is interested, go there with the free shoes, and then try on a few of the pairs they recommend. The difference in what's good for you should be obvious. It was for me.

Excellent article, because this is very true. Sometimes dealing with every day life is the hardest spiritual practice.

Not another book! I'm already ordering 3 others this next week! Anyway, thanks for bringing this up...seems like it's worth checking out!

Good topic.

Thanks Marblehead, I just listened to Faces. Good song.

I agree with this! It's all about being "self actualized". That's exactly it. A real man has little unnecessary baggage.

Welcome! (This is long...just my opinion on these things, which may be of interest to you.) There are all sorts of things that some Taoists have said to not eat. To the point where if you paid attention to all of it, you probably would die of starvation. There is actually a thing called "bigu", where practitioners eat nothing for long periods of time, and survive off of their own "energy". However, just because one Taoist says something, that doesn't mean the rest agree with them. Or that it was always a part of Taoism (religions evolve, it's interesting to look up the origins of Taoism and keep that in mind). It'd be similar to one of the Christian popes declaring that broccoli is deadly and also sinful to eat or something. It was never a rule beforehand. So that's just what they think, and shouldn't be taken too seriously. There might be other parts of Christianity which are much more worthwhile...same with Taoism. To the point: potatoes and tomatoes are great for us, in moderation. Some people just have odd beliefs. This is found all over the world. About Taoist ideas of the soul...there are many strange concepts, such as our bodies being composed of many spirits. A main idea is that there are 5 spirits, which reside in our organs, and make up our soul. For instance, if we get angry, you could say that's one of the spirits "acting up". This may seem like a belief, but I think of it now just as a way of looking at things. You don't have to view your organs/emotions as ghosts, or something strange. It's easiest to understand for us Westerners if we consider that emotions can be expressed or sometimes stored in the body. We don't think of emotions that arise as some sort of spiritual presence...they are just what they are, so it's best to think of them in the way that's natural for us. Anger is anger...not a "spirit". And it's easy to understand that when the emotions are all balanced, calm and collected, that we are closest to our "true self". The person we were when we were a little kid. Anyone who meditates can recognize this. There it is, Taoist medicine and spirituality summed up. Of course it is very complex when you get into it. About "energies flowing through us"...these are just expressions of awareness. When you are aware of your foot, you could say that's a type of energy. Foot energy. It could be said that a goal of Taoism is to liberate the obstructions in the awareness of your body (let go of emotions), so that you can be fully at peace (be your true self). A lot of discussion about "qi" (energy) is worthless. Some people think they gather qi by breathing hard into their bellies, or by imagining light coming into their bodies. There may be some effect, which can trick people into thinking something is happening, but it's not real energy work. The best method for gathering qi (or "jing" or "shen") is to "be your true self". That's not to say qigong is worthless. Some is good. It is possible to get very pronounced sensations of awareness in the body. Anyway, it's best not to come to any conclusions. These are just my thoughts right now. If you start saying, "this makes sense, this is what I believe", then you aren't practicing Taoism. Practicing Taoism is about being true to yourself on a very deep level. Living purely in the moment. We're already doing it...so nothing is needed (but of course, practices are needed to help realize this). Anyway, hope this helps in understanding some of the strange concepts. A good book to read is the Hua Hu Ching.

I also question whether energy work brings real enlightenment.

To have the power to choose your life makes you a man, regardless of age.

I'm not up to that level by any means...but I have had this happen a couple of times, just by being around someone, without trying to do it. It's best to not say something like, "oh yeah that's because of my qigong." Just let it be what it is. Personally, I don't think it's wise to try to heal anyone with energy, without first being able to see what you're doing.

EVERYONE, Here is the insult policy for this forum: Here is a repost of our insult policy, please read it and abide by it: No personal insults. It is totally fine to vocally disagree with a person's opinion, technique, politics, approach, lifestyle choice, etc. But no insulting (or links to attacks) of individuals, nationalities, genders, political preferences, lifestyle choices, etc. While I don't personally have a problem with all kinds of language and abuse, many here do. Be respectful, and disagree in a non insulting way. Don't ruin this good forum, where people don't want to come here because of all the slander. An example of an insult: calling someone a "Dickweed." Or saying "say hi to your mom from me." Besides, if that's how you're speaking you obviously need more time meditating. It's a good reminder to keep at your own practice if you find yourself acting this way.

I said this same thing a few months ago. I wish you luck on your path, and I know you know what you're doing. _/\_

Excellent.

QhQFKEJWs6g Calming song. Ahh.

It's debatable whether Kunlun is a false way...could be true! Could make (yet another) great discussion. But it should be absolutely clear to everyone that participating in this kind of discussion (in this topic thus far) is more of a "false way" than anything. Findley, I kind of agreed with your initial post. But I highly disagree with the way you act here. You are insulting everyone, and that's against the forum rules. If I remember correctly, you even threatened to piss on everyone. Despite enjoying your personality, I would ban you in a second if I had the ability.

Yeah, it's looking good, Stig! Thanks for doing this.

Chicultivation, Advice....stick with it. It's okay if you consciously shake the tension out. Doesn't have to be all or nothing; pure spontaneous movement, or no movement. It's good to focus on the tensions that appear, but it's not good to hurt yourself by forcefully holding the arm posture. When it begins feeling tense, move around so it feels comfy again...that's what I do. It's a basic qigong exercise in itself. If you smile a genuine smile all of the time, the upward draw happens naturally, so celibacy isn't as big of a deal. This is just my experience.

Okay, thanks for sharing what you know.

If you don't practice these things, then why comment? This stuff is beyond the "logic [of] anybody who knows a little about how the chi flows." Try to apply what you think you know, and the results are disappointing. Forget it all, and then you're practicing. And you will learn that you knew about the equivalent of a water molecule on the tip of an iceberg. Conclusions are for those who don't practice.