Shadow_self

That might be a result of being a "scholar-practitioner" as opposed to a "practitioner-scholar" Academic work and energy work,not the best mix being totally honest with you. Enough to drain anyone. I've first hand experience there

Its more of a rule out than a suspicion. When looking at nerves, its usually probably better to rule out structure before delving into function, as it is much faster to do It would be a good idea IGG4 is showing up as a marker of concern with mRNA vaccines. Its not quite clear whats happening so best to see its in order and tick that box Yes do. One thing I have seen is vagus nerve damage as a result of a covid infection. It may not be something they have seen yet, but I have Regarding this particular component.I cannot emphasise enough just how much chaos a damaged vagus nerve can cause Do not dismiss this portion, despite "advice". Insist the tests are done and see what comes of it. Innervation of the vagus nerve below Try to relax. Ive been on the end of doctors not being able to fix me. Two years almost Most welcome

I cant speak for Nida, but as for Ian, he's more than familiar with energetics Shy of actually meeting him, You can tell that by the words I quoted him on over in the other thread. Hes initiated into quite a few lines More than one Vajrayana Kaula line or Kaulācāra Took John Chang's Initial training Been joined at the hip with Verdesi for a long time (you can be sure they've had many of the same teachers) Initiated into a Buddhist line in Myanmar that focuses on external alchemy He's quite honest about what does and doesn't develop energy

Ian is a total gem I often tell people he is highly underappreciated as a source of good information I am glad he is making an effort to be more public. His new stuff coming out about the external alchemy traditions is going to really surprise a few folk

@sagebrush thanks for all the detail. Your post is incredibly long so Its hard to reply to it all Please note I am not aiming blame at the shots, rather I'm just not excluding them as a variable either. You kind of cant really given the circumstances. However I am actually more interested in whether or not he contracted COVID before this? In any event I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you that perhaps your doctors might be looking in the wrong places. Its very possible that the gastric symptoms are an effect of something functional, something that's less easy to see I think its time you went to see a neurologist. A Brain MRI and a thorough testing of the cranial nerves would be really important here. My gut is telling me you need to get his vagus nerve assessed Now Just as an additional, get his bloods done and pay attention to inflammation markers (IGG4 seems to be of concern at the moment, but remains to be seen how much) but that's more of a side point right now. D dimer would also be a good idea These are all covid related issues that are good to see if there is any deviation, especially if he contracted it, But my first port of call would be a neurologist referral I hope this helps some bit, and that perhaps some answers will come about as a result

Yeah, I know. Timestamp titles are very misleading Nida is good to share what he does. Not so easy to listen to talk for extended periods though He struggles a bit to communicate Ian is a lot easier and much more interesting. (though its notable he was terribly quiet in that interview) In any event, its a good thing they are trying to open the doors on some of it. I appreciate anyone who's trying to so something like that

Hello there Weird as this may sound, I may potentially be able to offer you a little advice here (Im not a doctor, but your post is raising a flag) Where were the pains when he got them? Localised to abdominal area, if so please show quadrants Any issues with dysphagia or Gastroparesis? How about reflux? Was there anything unusual in the vomit? Bile or blood for example Any change to the stool? Any symptoms related to neuropathy? Any spams, twitching, numbness, tingling. Particularly in the face Has your son ever had either COVID or a COVID vaccine prior to this or following this. If so how often? How many? What type?

He was into some VERY arcane stuff. It would be hard to interpret this I entirely agree with you. That was why I kind of mentioned its best not to assume

Please pm me this if you would be so kind?

And you do not know why he did this The books belonging to SOTG have been around for about 12 or more years now. You are making many assumptions, and it is rather not a nice one to make. Irrelevant of whether he was a rather arcane figure or not, the man has a family and friends Sorry but unless you see a death notice, you really should not be making statements like that. I'm inclined to say you should change the title of the thread to "what happened to "SonofTheGods" at the very least Yeah unless you were one his students or friends or family, you aren't going to be privy to what you are talking about. I already flagged this to people who had some relationship with him, and it was not a nice message to deliver. Even more irritating is that it is all based off some unfounded assumption Your interpretations have actually upset a few people today. Sorry but you are getting ahead of yourself here I'm going to ask nicely again that you at the least change the title of the thread to what you actually know are the facts (as listed above, that something happened) There have been a few members here that have died, ie (mjjbecker, Marblehead). We know they are passed on. There is no such evidence to say SOTG (who actually is a member here too) has passed You really don't need to understand what it means to be honest. I'm sure if they wanted to tell the world he died, that's exactly what they would have said

Sorry but where did you see he was dead? Im not seeing that anywhere after checking

I dont find it important, but I dont practice it so thats why. Im sure its very important to those who do Sorry what might take place? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you meant? Though Im not big into the whole sacred grass thing. Ill leave you to do that research friend

I think we covered kundalini before in this thread In most cases it is just Yang Qi moving, in very rare cases Prana. It is basically never kundalini, because of the amount of work involved (see above)

Just two points here 1. Perhaps it was to prove it to the practitioner, not the teacher. after all the hole can be quite small starting out. Have you ever tried inspecting your own posterior fontanelle? Keep in mind these things were developed long before a camera Some rather interesting pictures here https://www.gloje.org/en/phowa_dharma_auspicious_signs 2. The 3 days. 3 days seems to be a common thing in various traditions. I would not read into it too much. Either there's a reason or its just a tradition Here's a counter question. How come you are concerned with this? Seems a rather trivial point to be concerned with no?

Cant speak for that lineage specifically , but my understanding is via the practice you alter the structure of the posterior fontanelle, and reopen a space near where it originally was, such that at the time of death, consciousness can be directed out of that aperture. I believe it is more of an emergency thing, a "break glass in case of" if you would Pretty sure theres a similar practice done in neidan too. Check out the Zhen Longhu Jiuxian Jing, there's discussions around it there. Being able to get the blade of grass in is a sign that you've successfully opened that space

Welcome Start by regulating your lifestyle and mind Don't worry about "building" anything Heals from what? This is an important distinction to make The chances of a kundalini awakening unexpectedly? You have a better chance of meeting, Buddha, Jesus and Lao Tzu walking down the street together at the same time wearing matching jumpsuits. Im being humorous. What most people think is just qi moving or in rare events something a little deeper. Its never kundalini to be honest, so don't worry

You're welcome I grew up admiring this poem It was on my uncles wall, and I have a very deep appreciation for, and connection to it . He's a great man Its been a while since I've seen it, so thank you for the bringing up a very nice memory

Well not really. I understand why you'd use that term, but to me an awakening is a very stable, advanced state. This was more like you're being given a taste of something. A very quick taste Like when someone gives you that tiny piece of cheese on a stick I have come to understand a bit more about all this. It wasn't like I practiced and whack this happened. There was a extremely unique set of circumstances that lead up to me having a few experiences. And that's why I don't say too much That was only the first of a few, and a bit on the milder side in terms of my own external perception. That one hit me internally very deep, but the ones that followed? There was no "knocking me out and placing me in the back seat". It was full on smack you in the face so hard it stings like lemon juice and salt in a wound I came into the arts, looking for something. It wasn't powers, or abilities or attainments. I just wanted to know the truth. That was all. Im very grateful for the glimpses of truth I've got It changed my life completely

Oh I would agree with you 100%. In my post I was referring to having access to certain tantric methods, irrelevant of tradition. These methods would be ones where physical manifestations would be a sign of not only them working, but at later stages, accomplishment. Im not overly privy to magical things, I have had a brush or two with them, but overall not my forte Weirdness though, that's for sure I dont think Vajrayana is useless at all. Quite the opposite Its why Im happy to see it spoken about here What I have some reservations about is the publicly available things here in the west. And not even all of them, just a lot of it. You made a great point about secrecy above. Ive seen it where people have paid and been promised the "secret methods" of certain schools, yet are only being given part of the story. Alternatively, the real deal is sitting under their nose, some of it free of charge, and it escapes them Unsurprisingly they are the ones chasing powers, abilities etc. Thank you That description above was when it started to really get bad , a period which lasted a few months. Once that happened, it stabilized, increasing amounts of weirdness and bizarreness ensued. Good practice, good methods, good advice and it started to reverse In any event the most I get now is a little discomfort every so often and some minor thing that lots of people have all the time, nothing major really

Most welcome Its funny, though that one sticks out in my head as a time when a radical shift began. Id kind of parked it due to a total lack of an understanding and explanation, despite it being rather profound (I did have to omit some details though). I usually remain on the side of caution and skepticism with these things, and try not to attach much in the way of meaning. @freeform, as always has given me a lot to think about though Straddling a line health wise, can lead to some rather interesting experiences regards life, death and the nature of consciousness. It is certainly not a case of attainment, but rather a fleeting experience or a glimpse, a kind of peek back of the veil that shrouds reality. The resultant experience can certainly alter a person permanently. You hear that all the time with NDE's though People that have an NDE seem to get it all at once. People who have something chronic keeping them with one foot in the world and one foot out of it, they seem to get it in a more incremental fashion I might be wrong here, but, from personal experience it seems once certain things happen, the experience becomes familiar to you, and then returning to such territory may not be as difficult as say someone who has never done so before I don't know why, but I think a big part of it is that a massive amount of fear falls away. Another reason could be that what you're experiencing is nothing "new" but rather just something buried deep. Im just speculating here though

You always find a way to put into words what others cannot You've been more than generous in this thread. Ill thrown one in for people for good measure (Regardless of what it signifies). Make what you will of it Ill have to skirt around certain details , but here's an interesting anecdote for people, something I've never wrote down before. I've never told anyone except my family actually. A while back, before I signed up here,, my health was failing in a very serious way. It got to the point where I was being tested for terminal illness, having had been through basically endless diagnostics and no answer. I need to emphasize this, it was no joke. I was straddling a very fine line, one I felt myself leaning towards the wrong side of all to often. There was a point where certain decisions needed to be made. Seriously tough decisions I was utterly afraid to make and refused to. After many hours, I remember it was like something washed over me, and my own thoughts, fears, worries, stress, sense of identity disappeared. It was like my entire being disappeared. Even the chronic, desperate pain id been in for months left in an instant. All that registered was everyone else around me. It was like I was gone, but I could feel everything they felt and there was this weird sense of connection. But "I" was not present. Decisions were then made and actions taken. Ones I would have thought to be very tough, within seconds. In reality in that moment they weren't hard at all, they weren't even a decision to be honest because there wasn't a thought process once that switch happened. Whether you'd asked me to do what I did, jump into a shark tank, shoot myself, drive off a cliff, jump in front of a train. It would have happened if it was right for the others, and not one other thought would have entered my head. Not that "I" was even there to receive a thought anyway I remember talking to my other half after that. I was stumped. I didnt have the language for it. I just said I was like a man possessed, like something else took the wheel. "I" wasn't there, and "I " didnt get a say in the matter. It was almost like if my body was a vehicle , "I" the person inhabiting it, was knocked unconscious and placed in the backseat for a while, someone took the car for a long drive, then came back and parked it where we started. Later, when I then woke up the "someone" was gone, but there was a nice video recording of the trip the car had been on that I could review (sorry trying to get this across is not easy) She maintained I'd found God in that moment, not having the vocabulary for it I kind of nodded but never really said much, especially as I was so dumbfounded. I knew something had happened, I just didnt know what it was. What followed in the coming months after that, along with training got increasingly weirder, and well, that's between me and a few others. Apologies for the messiness and disorganisation, It is rather hard to word that kind of thing. The above really doesn't do it justice But it is very interesting to see this post in light of that experience. Certainly has me reflecting on that day Thank you my friend

Not exactly The heat thing and sometimes that little hole in the head is a good indicator specifically for Vajrayana. Depending on the stage a person is at of course You can always try the practices and see if they have any "juice to them" if you have someone who could show you There's other things as well.Being totally honest, the TB ones, as I have seen them, are very forceful and intense.Not something to play around with, I imagine it'd be pretty easy to hurt yourself very badly if done incorrectly. Ian bakers take on it is generally one my experience matches up with, so I tend to agree with him . Hes trained extensively in Tibetan Buddhism (He was even instructed by the Dalai Lama) but also initiated into the Kaula tradition and trained with John Chang while he was still alive I think he's about as qualified as anyone to make a statement on the matter

Freeform listed a lot of stuff earlier, some of which would indicative of opening the channels and building a surplus of energy in the body Then there would be things like you commonly hear about in Vajrayana, being able to dry a sheet, generate fairly ridiculous amount of heat, opening where they stick a blade of grass. There's a lot you could potentially look for. You could also get a look at what they are practicing, give it a whirl yourself and see what happens If you have some familiarity with how these things feel, you'd quickly discern whats doing the job and what is not

Or are you the one misrepresenting others? For example, I made my position very clear on Vajrayana. There is a half a handful of folk I know who are having the energetic development taking place.They aren't visualizing their channels or a fire in their stomach, they are doing something else. The people that are doing that, are not getting these developments, they seem to be stagnant in that regard. Are they doing other things and getting other benefits? Sure they are, and more power to them Are they having the same internal transformation that is seen in the others though? In my limited experience, No they didnt seem to be.That was the distinction I was trying to make. Im saying it again for emphasis. That's just been my experience. Its not some objective truth. Everyone here seems to talk from their own experience, and I think that's how share information And that was why I was quite happy to hear @steve talk about his experiences. He is surely privy to information I am not, and I am grateful to hear him talk about it in that case I don't think anyone said Vajrayana is ****. In fact, its quite misrepresentative to sensationalize others comments as such.

Neigong is a catchall term unfortunately Sometimes it can be martial arts. Other times it can be purely working with Qi. Other times it can be a process to lead you through into Neidan Adam I would imagine works at the first and second level. Damo does all three Well yes. In fact I have specifically had things happen where I've been told not to worry about it for now. But the signs not being a focus of the practice, isn't to say they they should not happen at all. I place my focus on the cause not the effect Id have taken any of the things @freeformmentioned as signs, regardless of whether they were things like that putrid smell, bruises, or something more woo-ish like the light phenomenon as a sign the practice is doing something So it becomes a question of, if none of this is happening, then why? In that case id be looking at the methods (and the teacher)