Tryingtodobetter

I dont think I'm avoiding or moving closer to the occasional lustful thought that detracts from my concentration and ojas. I've practiced celibacy for extended periods over the years accompanied by meditation and deep breathing/mindfulness, I say that because I'm now at a point where I dont struggle with sexual release/thoughts- just occasional blips. I'm reminded of my progress, as I perceive it, by how far my mode of thinking/behaving deviates from the majority of people I interact with in daily/public life in that respect. I would like to be able to sublimate that process/thought altogether so that I may have more energy/awareness at my disposal to apply to my calling(s)

Thank you, for your post and the new information on your blog. Most of it I knew though, from reading your posts from years prior

A kriya form that focuses more on the crown than the (eye), preferably In terms of qigong I was thinking something along the line of spring forest qigong- a moving form, I thought I implied that, I apologize for not making that clear. I'm not well versed in qigong, as I've only had experience with sfq so I thought this would be the place to ask I want a system of ego/mental purification to accompany my energy cultivation/control. I would like to be in a position to heal many and be of service in general

Just saw your response. I answered it already I guess. Thank you for the prompt responses

I would just try to settle on a qigong form and call it a day, though from what I've read and observed over the years a number of its advanced practitioners appear to be still fairly entrenched in facets of ego, for lack of a better term, and that residual isn't something I want from a system I plan to put a sincere effort into

I know, that's why I was asking about this particular combination on a forum post and not blindly pursuing it without seeking any sort of counsel

I dont have much money and the money I do have I'd rather not spend towards what I perceive to be a relatively simple question to someone seasoned in energy cultivation I dont really know anything of his legitimacy. I dont recall hearing/reading his name anywhere. I think it's fair for me to be hesitant given the aforementioned

I have a question regarding candle-gazing meditation, specifically that of Tratak. I have practiced this meditation in the past, at times with diligence and at others inconsistently, overall the discipline yielded very tangible results. The times of inconsistency and general faltering in the required self-conduct are what caused me to distance myself from the practice, yet in all the time that I have left it alone I've felt a strange compulsion to begin again anew. While I do not recommend this form of meditation, it has been deemed to be easy, direct and powerful by many internet users and I personally agree with the sentiment. This meditation is seen by a number of people as a sort of straight-shot to self-actualization, a path with "less fluff" if you will. My question is, is the end of this particular path indeed self-realization, "enlightenment", or something maybe more nebulous and ineffable? There isn't much writing on the internet to be found in regards to this particular form of meditation, and the information available tends to be copy-and-pasted from site-to-site ad infinitum, with little in the ways of variance beyond the occasional vague, brief and largely positive testimonials of experience. However, this particular passage kept coming up and really caught my eye: "The human body is made of five elements: ether, earth, air, water and fire. The Fire Tratak removes from it two constituent elements. Viz. earth and water. By virtue of the Fire Tratak the practitioner brings about a blending of the remaining elements and enters the universe of the three elements. All gods are made of only three elements. One has to leave behind the to elements named above. It is only then can one reach supreme godhead. The principal use of the Fire Tratak is that one gets endowed with power to enter such realms which are generally obscure and forbidden. The human being who is made of five elements will not be able to reach the universe made of only three elements. He may be the greatest yogi belonging to the highest order. Dropping two elements is central to the job of acquiring power to enter all realms of the universe. Until the process of elimination is consummated, one has to remain confined to the mundane framework. One can achieve this only through the Fire Tratak." If someone has had any prior experience with tratak or is able to translate the above into more accessible terms it would be greatly appreciated, because as of now what I've interpreted from the above passage has instilled fear in me much more than curiosity. Anyways. I also recently happened into Zoroastrianism where fire is largely revered as a symbol of god and purity. While there are other things/ideals I find to be of interest in that particular religion, the whole fire worship thing is very synchronistic. For me personally, it just raises a question of what space is it that tratak will eventually grant me access to? Also, what exactly is the force or entity that I'm aligning myself with by continuing to entertain and engage with the practice of tratak? After all, if one truly does dedicate themselves to this discipline for the long run they would essentially spend a number of days, months, possibly even years, staring into the depths of a flame.

Over the last few years the phenomena commonly described as synchronicity has become more and more prevalent in my life It went from seeing certain numerical sequences and their accompanying events and sensations, to recognizing how words spoken by myself and others manifested in near literal ways At times it feels as though I am alone and in a sense creating my life my world, and in another sense it feels as though I'm simply eavesdropping on it Its pattern recognition to a point where its beyond jarring and more like a fluid narrative cascading forward and backwards, if direction is something that can be truly ascribed to time Seemingly senseless or obtuse things I have perceived others and myself saying, and maybe even thinking, have foreshadowed many things. Even patterns in the behaviors of others and the goingons in their lives have hinted at the trajectory of my own I don't think I'm alone in having experienced this. Sometimes it makes me fearful of the future, or what may actually be the past "Everything is connected" and any other oversimplified new-age vagueries that may apply

No.

I didnt watch the video, though I'm aware of that lofty often misattributed quote and remember using it as something of a crutch, if only for a fleeting time. I personally would've appreciated a larger bold font disclaimer on the path of energy cultivation etc. I've been deprived of the illusory comfort provided by a number of things, things I didnt really think I had too much invested in. More of note I've developed, or rather intuit mostly, many rather casual things in a depth that I've still yet to grow into. I'm appreciative of all that's been gifted to me over the years, the aforementioned and beyond, though I still have yet to find a Real application for them. Many of the ways that I consider myself to have improved in terms of my self and my relation to my surroundings could've been done on relatively mundane terms. Sometimes I feel as though I've burdened myself with much unnecessary sorrow and built a spaceship to go up the street a few blocks, time will tell of course. Sometimes one doesn't really take into consideration what it means to begin to free oneself from illusion, hopefully from this world, while residing in a geography built upon many illusions and driven primarily by ego/biological imperatives I appreciate your response

Perhaps it's the life less examined that is to be tread/envied. So far in my experience I have found little application for what I've accomplished in private and my insights have only made interfacing with western society at large all the more challenging

Time and transportation

And also to add onto that quote, don't expect anything of anyone in terms of reciprocation or openness

I will look into that text, because none of the other options you presented are available to me at this time. I haven't ever been that interested in the spiritual reality of other entities beyond my experience/encounter with greys. Is it really that easy to lose one's soul on what is certainly a rather isolated "self"-contained path? Or are you communicating in a manner less literal than I'm interpreting it to be?

I practiced spring forest for a few months and it yielded what I expected, though I wonder if there is a more compressed concise version? I know the breathing of the universe and the one where you visual a white orb and circulate it through the upper body using both hands at a fixed length , felt particularly powerful and I read a comment stating that the latter could be utilized as a standalone exercise. Also, I remember there being an internal or mental form of qigong which I ultimately became more curious of because I began to find the various poses excessive much the way I did with a lineage of yoga I had entertained. My main takeaway is to focus on a more plant based diet, trying to abstain from legumes for reasons unknown to me though recommended by authorities on brahmacharya. While I'm a bit anxious about malnutrition with such sparse physical intake, I've found that the discipline of brahmacharya(strict celibacy) imbues me with a huge of vitality that makes me think its meeting nutritional needs I'm unaware of. I will look into the shaolin diet. Are there any breathing meditations that you would reccomend? I've read some of your posts over the years and know about the toaist alchemy tome though I never pursued it because of the "incompleteness" perceived by the layman(me). Again thank you for your contributions to this forum, of note I found your post about the mental/quantum connotations of images insightful and relatable, as well as the one where you went into depth about a certain breathing practice that yielded good results which I hope you can reiterate here as I don't remember much about the post, though there was something about doing it while sitting on a bed or something I think I remember the one adherent of spring forest becoming a qigong master over a relatively short period, which I know I can't replicate because I'm not able to sit in lotus position. Do you find yourself on a similar path? I'm pretty sure he cultivated and still resides stateside

I found the bold and italicized especially interesting, as a few sites with information about Tratak also encourage performing it on a mirror as well as a flame. When you were combining the practices, did you simply switch off between the two deviating your attention/focus, or did you pursue the flame then the mirror or vice versa? I ask the question about which entity because of the talk of dimensions usually occult to the average person. Also, when I originally began this meditation there were a few websites with information on tratak that have since vanished from popular search engines. One of the things I remember from the aforementioned was the talk of the practitioner eventually being assigned/engaging with a deva, I'm sure it was another term, that was either light or dark depending on their character. I have also read hindu lore of yogis with high attainments being accompanied by or interacting with certain spirits, which is something I've found similar instances of across the popular eastern energy cultivation practices. All of that aside, if by dimensions that author was referring to the subtle layers of reality that are for the most part imperceptible to the average person then that makes sense and is far less intimidating than some nebulous ineffable realm of the gods I have a slight fear of the terms ego and real/true-self, because from what I've gathered many who shed the former become "incapacitated" in a sense that leaves them unable to truly integrate into and work "constructively" with the social whims of the material world at large. I haven't experienced that to the same degree as I've perceived other seekers to have, though I have had a period of extreme instability where my sense of self simply vanished and I had to create a caricature of one of my previous selves just to be able to "carry on" with things in a "normal" fashion. I've witnessed a number of practitioners have to revamp their approach to their interpersonal relations, to life itself, etc and many of them became hermits. I don't have the luxury of being able to adopt a hermetic lifestyle or spend most of my time unanchored abroad in various retreats or mingling with and being put up by like minded individuals and communities Basically, I wonder if my real-self will have any easier of a time navigating this world and finding/maintaining a general sense of purpose than the false-self I currently reside in

Thank you for the contributions you have made to this forum Concerning the toxicity of fruit to spiritual advancement, what diet do you find to be conducive to spiritual progress for one residing in the western sphere? I ask this because as of late I have felt ill after consuming what is for me a normal amount of fruit, my diet being primarily vegetarian. It seems that the more meditative my general mode of thinking and operating in the world has become, the less I desire food. I am by no means a qigong master or even a novice, though I have practiced meditation devoutly. That said the information you have shared strikes a chord with me and I'm considering whether I should take up a qigong practice. While I know that diet is only a small part of the discipline, I would appreciate your insight on the matter

I see and hear what you are saying. Though surely there is some rite I can perform that will disconnect me from this person's sphere of influence entirely. You seem to be a sentimental person, as am I for the most part. However, I want to no longer have this person be a part of my reality.

As of late I have been experiencing a lot of synchronicities, whether they be repeating numbers, overhearing certain phrases in others conversations that I perceive to apply to me or drawing parallels between far too much that I read and see with myself. I have heard that this all may be part of what I have been manifesting for myself or attracting. Years ago I began to practice a candle gazing meditation known as tratak, and while I was relatively dedicated to the practice, I think I proceeded too hastily and at a pace too fast for me. I only adhered to the practice for a few months, and didn't follow many of the safeguards expressed by the sites I visited describing it. There have been very brief periods over the last few years where I picked it up again, again with little precaution. The last time I did it, my reality seemed to be okay, though soon drastic changes began to happen. I began thinking that too much of my social media feed applied to me, I had difficulty ignoring the conversations of others and I noticed that the negative nightmarish(to put it lightly) changes in my reality were resultant of considering fictional musings of others far too much and my depressed mood at the time. I am sure that semi-regular marijuana use exacerbated all of this to a nightmarish extent. I worked 30 days straight at my job while using marijuana off-and-on, and I felt like I was in hell at the time and my surroundings suddenly reflected that. I also felt like I was in heaven for a time and my surroundings reflected that. I have since quit using marijuana and am currently taking medication, I arranged an appointment during my episode. Im also quitting cigarettes today for at least a month If anyone reading this has any advice as to how I can smooth out this experience and return to some semblance of normality I would be extremely grateful. So far I've been using positive affirmations and meditating on positivity occasionally. There have still been nightmarish "hiccups" in my reality that I would like to permanently go away. I would really appreciate some help and I figured this was a place where my voice might get to reach the right person.

I view particular circumstances in my life to be unfavorable and some unknowable. I contemplated suicide in earnest. I saw a method yesterday that illustrated how to change timelines and it seemed a better option that suicide, though is it really? Is the question I'm wondering about the variables like the people known, places visited, employment, etc are effected by sudden shifts in timelines/subconscious structures

Is it a matter of belief? What happens

If there was a possibility of an unfortunate event could one do anything meditatively/spiritually to offset it?

Has anyone here dealt with insomnia, and if so what helped you to deal with it?

My left eye has been twitching an unusual amount the last few days and I'm wondering if it is due to an energetic imbalance. At certain times when I look at people they turn and look around immediately or just notice me in general, at this point I think it's safe to say far more than usual I've been trying to correct my mind and body after an emergency situation a couple months ago This