soaring crane

here it is: Idiot's Guide Like some of the reviews say, it's more of a guide for understanding how Feng Shui works and less of a workbook about how to apply the principles. And that, imo, is the best you can do in a book anyway. Feng Shui isn't about shifting furniture around or hanging mirrors over the toilet. But, regardless of the main content, the section on the Four Pillars is really tops, at least insofar as making the incredibly complex system somewhat approachable for most people. Not available in German. I think Manfred Kubny is probably a good source of authentic information in Germany, but, pricey pricey... And what about Italian? Ciao, Baby

Hi there - I don't think there was a bubble and we understand that it's not a precise evaluation. It's fun, and interesting, and it does jibe somewhat with my own astrological charts, so there. I had written pretty much the same things you said, but then dumped it all (something about weak metal...). Also - Book? ... Boooook? Get busy, woman! Please Btw, the charts in the Bazi section of the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Feng Shui" (Joseph Yu, et al) are pretty good, if anyone want to look into them. Better than the other two books I've got in the subject.

I agree with this on the one hand, but also view it differently. If you know how to "actively" relax, essentially the opposite of actively tensing, then, yes, do it. However, if all you do is passively wait for Qi to travel downward, then you may end up with more of a blockage "upstairs" than you started out with. Could be risky for some people. At the very least, combine it with the breath, please. In my experience, it's the upward travelling Qi that finds its route all on its own. The more passively I allow it to travel, the smoother it rises, whether up the front or back side. Physically, it creates a bit of a paradox as my body straightens up and I "grow" taller when I give up control. And then, to continue the circuit, I kind of take over the control again and guide the Qi downward. There's an extremely fine line between these "phases", it's hard for me to find the right words. Yin - passive, rising, inhale Yang - active, sinking, exhale Let them dance their dance. I've practiced it so long like that (12 years?) that now it simply reveals itself and I can observe it occurring. It's a state of development I wish for everyone.

Isn't there already enough water in there to nourish your wood? More watery activity might lead to depression, be careful. It might be the metal that's hacking away at the Wood, and the overabundance of Earth that's feeding the metal... I'm not good at analyzing these, though, as I always see too many possibilities. As you said, this really is Taomeow's specialty. I wonder what she thinks about the questionaire.

huh Wood -1 Water -2 Fire -1 Metal -20 Earth -6 All negatives, although I consider the first three close enough to null to be zero-sum. I'm not surprised about the heavy negative Metal, and I think I rushed through the Earth questions and the real number may also be closer to zero. I expected the Water element to be high in the positives, based on my four pillars. I'm going to get out my charts and look into it again, it'll be my hobby for the next couple days, lol.

I have a working theory that the Internet disperses Shen which eventually leads to depression. So, I'm all for taking extended breaks. And also all for not getting too heavily involved in the first place... Good Luck in your travels, 5E

So many of your posts reflect my thoughts, I wonder about that sometimes. Has anybody else considered forgetting without forgiving? I guess it takes practice (or you just have to be naturally a little stupider than most). Whenever I find myself in the position of having to forgive or aplogize (or accept someone else's apology), I have to fake it and then I feel a twinge of self-loathing. But, I can't always answer, "no" everytime someone asks me to accept their apology, or demands one from me. So, societal expediency sometimes dictates the outer crust, but that in turn conceals the deeper truth (mwaaa haaa haaa haaa). This is connected to one of my biggest difficulties with internet forums, in fact.

Hey there - something a little different that you can try: Instead of meditating on the classic orbit right away, try to contain it very strictly to your spinal cord. That means developing a very precise feel for where the verterbrae are on the inside. Look up lots of images of the human spinal cord, visualize and meditate on an internal "X-Ray" image of your own spine, especially the front side, meaning deep inside your body. It's much thicker, beefier than most people realize. Restrict the meditation to going up the vertebrae, starting at the tip of the sacrum (I guess you could include the tailbone, not sure, but it's easier to start and end with Weilü), go upward to and around the "Atlas", and then down the front of the spine. Vertabrae for vertebrae. Don't think about gates or gathering points, don't add anything to the meditation except breath - make it harmonious and soft, deep. Try to connect the upward travel with the inhale, the downward with the exhale, but do not force this, and make sure the space between the breaths remains natural and soft. The transition from inhale to exhale and vice versa should be gradual, like the shift between the seasons, or day and night. Do this regularly for a while, until you honestly find that front side of the spine. When you medititae downwards, it'll feel very solid, there won't be any question about what you're experiencing, it's like swallowing honey. The best position would be relaxed, erect standing, but you can try it sitting as well. Be sure to try sitting on a straight-backed chair, or a sofa. Be sure you understand how to keep the neck vertebrae long and open, likewise the lumbar region. Let the spine breathe. Let it open up and move in harmony with your breath and your intention. Keep it soft, pliable, don't say "no" to any small spontaneous motions that may appear. Don't suppress anything, but don't go wild, either. Keep it soft, on the border between physical and energetic. Remain very conscious of the entire process. Once this "clicks", you can try the classic Orbit and I think you'll like it better. Can't hurt to try, anyway

I see and feel a lot of unnecessary angst and I choose option number four as my response

Well, that's great, I'm glad you wrote back I think practicing Buddhists attach more meaning to it than "living life to its fullest", but then I'm not one, either, so maybe i'm competely off-base. That's very gentle and appropriate, and polite and diplomatic. But, similarity isn't an analogy and I'm still not seeing any real definitive connection between the two. Ah well, doesn't really matter in the end what I see or not, does it? Goodnight again

well, if you agree that Daoist Wuwei and Budddhist non-attachment are the same thing, just tell me how that works. Or maybe you're just not quite sure what you were agreeing with but it sounded good anyway? lol, that's ok, bro, nothing wrong with that at all, in fact, it's kind of sweet

Are you really sure about that, FoE and MB? No argument from me if you feel comfortable with the comparison but, can one of you explain the similarity? How are they analogous? Doesn't Buddhist non-attachment have more to do with avoiding entrapment and the suffering it causes? Isn't it one of the techniques (or maybe "traits" is a better word?) one develops in order to to apply the brakes to the wheel of suffering, Samsara? How does Wuwei fit into that? Wuwei has simply to to do with following the Dao, not mingling with the natural procession of events as they unfold, not being a busy-body, or a Bisy Backson, lol.

I went from about -4.25 to -2.75 with Qigong alchemy, and I'm intending to get better by summer... I'll post more later. btw, if you're -5.xx, don't get caught behind the wheel of a car with -3.xx glasses! Bad advice, imo. The jump is way too extreme. Go without glasses every possible minute you can squeeze in, but when you need them, you need them.

hey there, just a quickie reply - go to the YMAA website and poke around a bit... Ciao for now

Hey Blasto - I'm not sure what it has to do with leg breathing but, as I indicated earlier, I wasn't commenting on philosophy. It was kind of a drive-by post, the only kind I really have time for at the moment, unless I stay up way past my bedtime. I'll be drifting away from TBB again soon. Gliding the thermals of life, lol. I get all goggle-eyed when I concentrate too much on philosophy. I'm a do-not-doer, not so much a thinker. So, when I read of a philosophy, I automatically feel into it, see if it fits in with my meditation approaches, kind of smell it and taste it, and, if it works for me, I integrate it. And then I tend to forget the source (which is why I'm grateful for ppl like Taomeow and Stigweard who remind me where I came from, where I started). It's hard for me to write specifically about the "why" of what I do, or to quote sources. I can tell you all about the "how", though. And the results. Anyway... two things from Hindu/Buddhism/East Asian et al religions to which I have absolutely no connection are karma and reincarnation. If I remove those two things from my practice, will you understand what I'm doing and why? I want to be healthy, content, and live very very long. That's all I want. And that's Taoism in a nutshell, isn't it? The thing is, as already pointed out, the Chinese approach is all-encompassing. And that's the Taoist legacy in Chinese cultuer. Taoist is Chinese. It's unique. You can't really find an "-ist" in China, not that I know of. Confucius for the family, Buddha for the soul, Dao for the belly... The "Dao" part is the reason that a system like that can function. Something like that, anyway. They just keep the approaches that work best in any particular situation. And they get on with their day. It's not dualistic, it's multi-istic (give me a better term for it, lol). I like that. But I mostly like the Dao for the belly part. And it's not that easy to master. "When he's hungy, he eats, when he's tired, he sleeps". Try it for a while. I like Wuwei, is there a Buddhist analogy to it? I sense Wuwei as the antithesis of Karma. I don't see how the two concepts can really co-exist. Am I on to something there? Am I contradicting myself? Well... I'm Ninpo's wife! And my wife is Ninpo! Just ask her. Outside of the Internet, I'm as circular as hoola-hoop. I like feeling at one with the natural world and everything I find in it. I'm in love with trees and wildflowers. I like seeing parallels to the natural world in my own body. My Qigong is Fengshui for my body and my Fengshui is Qigong for my apartment. Wow Now if I could just learn to cook. A celebrity Chinese Qigong master signed my book with "Da Dao is the great Nature" - if you ask the Chinese what Dao means, I don't think they'll say it's the "Way", they'll say it's "Nature". I get out there as much as I can, smelling the fresh grass, or the frozen snow, or whatever happens to be in season. I want to stay here on Earth as long as I can because it's just wonderful to be here. Does that fit in with the Buddhist approach? I'm not suffering or looking for suffering. I'm not sowing good deeds in order to reap reward in the afterlife. And yet, somehow, without really trying, and for the most part not even understanding how it works, I help out. I'm not concerned with what comes next, not at all. Is there room for me in Buddhist philosophy? Or, more concisely, Buddhist religion? Maybe there is, maybe there isn't. I guess I don't really know. And I have no problem recinding statements. wu wei er pu wu wei How are those legs doing, btw? Xi Xi and Goodnight from GMT+1 I enjoyed the heck out of it, and I'm happy when you expand on your thoughts a bit more here. Thank You, Nin

I think this is absolutely true, too. When I wrote my little comment, I was thinking of misunderstandings, cross-communications, basic confusion. But I also think that this website functions remarkably well, especially considering the mixed-bag of non-conformist people who gravitate toward it. So, in the two minutes I have available before heading out to the swimming pool with my daughter, I want to expand my comment again by saying, in areas where we may have a simlar goal, our methods for getting there will be different, and where our methods are similar, we apply them toward different ends. Off to the pool, and the steam room...

He said "virtually", and has absolutely no time available at the moment to expand on it. He wasn't trying to start a snowball fight, he was referring to goals and methodologies - practice. Dantians vs Charkras, that's all... gotta fly... The little snowball I threw has resulted in a pretty fantastic dialog, though! Kudos to the Bums! Xi Xi and, uh, Peace

Actually, I'd say it's because they have virtually nothing in common.

Here's something funny - where I live, in northern Bavaria, every little town or village is declared either Catholic or Protestant. It's an official designation. Larger towns will have churches of both religions, plus a mosque or two. But still, the lines are very clear when you enter a smaller village. The Catholic ones will have a large, ornate crucifix at the entrances. (personally, I think it's kind of creepy to have an effigy of a dead man hanging on a cross as the welcome sign to your village, but whatever...). Anyway, yes, the Catholic parishes are quite strict but, you know what? I hold two Qigong courses in gymnasiums at Catholic churches, in Catholic communities. They have no problem at all with what I do. No problem with foregin ideas or spirituality. They're very open minded and friendly. There's a Buddhist group that meets once a week in one of them to meditate. No hassles, everything's just fine. As opposed to the Protestants. I live in a Protestant town and my daughter's Kindergarten was run through the Church (btw, we pay a Church tax here in Germany, just in case any Americans still harbor illusions of "secular" Europe). At that time, a few of the mothers of other kids in the group asked me if I would organize a Qigong group, the idea being that we would meet in the gym at the Kindergarten while the kiddies were there, and time it so we'd finish as as they got out. But, the Protestant pastor was agahst at the idea. He said no way could he allow a dangerous pagan, Asian belief system to take root in his parish, the parishoners would protest and make all kinds of trouble. I was shocked. He didn't want to listen to a word I had to say, had no idea what I do. He just heard the word "Qigong" and completely shut me off. So, that opened my eyes a bit to Catholics. And hey, the Pope is a Bavarian. We call him Papa Razzi. (PS, just to make clear what I mean by "gymnasium, here's a pic from one of the halls where we meet, it's pretty nice:

Hey there - I can't tell from your response, but, I agree with you, and wasn't arguing at all The "feeling guilty" comment was meant in a general way, it wasn't directed at you specifically, Tzu You put it very well, imo.

from the forks vs chopsticks thread: Feeling guilty yet?

I thought of something else, in your case, I'd suggest concentrating most on the three big yang meridians, espeically the stomach as it's the one that has the most yin quality to it. A lot of ankle, knee and pelvis-loosening spirals would be good, too. They're always good, lol. Some Tangential Ramblings... Something that alway throws me for a loop here at TBB is all the mention of Lotus, half or full. Mainly full. The intention behind sitting in full lotus, with the "foot chakras" aimed upward at heaven, is so obviously to cut the Earth out from the meditation, concentrating as much on the "more important" yang things like the "crown chakra" (using quotes for the chakras because they're not really part of my vocabulary) that it suprises me that not more people pick up on it. I'm not calling it bad, not at all, but if you've (I don't mean you, I mean anybody) don't already have a very high level of development to begin with, it can be quite unbalancing. Or it can exaggerate preexisting imbalances. There's a lot of evidence around to support my idea Yongquan doesn't belong at the top, that's why she's at the bottom. Sitting is not a natural activity for the human animal. There, I said it, lol. Neither is "enlightenment". Our survival for 100s of 1000s of years depended on our ability to take off running, super fast within a split second. Squatting, Standing, Walking and Running - that's what we're built to do. So, in your standing meditation, try to remember that. Think like an Aborigine, keep a sharp lookout for the Lion, or for the Antelope. Your legs will apreciate it and they'll stay charged-up, ready for action. Another tangent... I took part in a really intense standing session once. We held the arms outstretched upward, with the fingertips, all ten of them, aimed straight up, palms forward. The idea was to really bring all the meridians into their most natural position, so the yin meridians of the arms were aligned the way the yin Qi flows. Was pretty intense after a while. I think the teacher was just messing with us, though, lol.

lol, no, no copy/pasting but if you've already reached the level you describe then I want to know what you expect. What do you actually see as the problem? Is it maybe just that you really are impatient? Impatience will keep you from connecting with your lower half, even if that lower half is actually quite ready to connect with you. Get the monkey under control first, then relax, and let the Qi flow where it needs to. You can only push Qi so far, and then it stops, it turns stubborn. To get past that point, you have to learn to work with it and not try to be its master, if that makes sense to you. The exercise I was going to describe is extremely gentle. It just involves pulling the Yongquan cavities inward while inhaling, and pushing them out on the exhale. I find it works best lying flat on the back. You can also try sitting, but try it in a chair or on a sofa high enough that your feet just touch the ground. Hmmm, maybe sitting on one those nice high american beds? The extremely truncated version: You start out very gently, barely any movement at all, but you let the physical activity grow gradually. You intentionally tense the feet a bit and pull Yongquan up higher with each breath. You should very consciously regulate the graduation of movement with each breath. An internal movement of Yongquan is of course best but ppl who can't do that can curl the toes and arch the foot a bit, a little further with each breath. The exhale can really just be a releasing of tension. Or you can push outward, again a little more each time. A good internal image would be that Youngquan is eventually travelling right up through the legs into Dantian. Once you reach that point, reverse it, let the physical movement gradually subside until you reach the border between physical and energetic, virtually no physical activity at all. And then cross the border to where there's no more intentional physical movement, yet you continue to, how do I put this correctly... nurture the energetic movement. Nothing really changes except that the only movement left is Qi movement. Remain very relaxed and alert through the entire meditation. Concluding routine is important but it's probably redundant to go into that here, lol. Once you get this down, it's a pretty easy step-up to the lower half of the grand circulation, use the lower Dantian as the turn-around point. Another variation would be to breath alternately up one leg and down the other. And of course it can be built up larger to include the entire body, the whole Grand Circulation... It's actually a way of entering the whole-body breath state which is the context in which I learned it. Maybe something like that is what's missing from your routine? You seem to need some softness in your practice. But then, I'm a softy to begin with, lol.

I don't see what happy, content, relaxed employees have to do with mind control or enslavement. Were they being exploited or abused? Would it be better if they were all a bunch of pissy, unhappy, half-assed slackers who hate their job (which describes about 95% of the workforce today)? I guess the idea of "doing what the boss says without complaint" has become anathema to the American Spirit over the past few decades where everyone thinks he's a co-chief enjoying equal status with the bosses.

This is related to what I wanted to say. First, learn the meridians by heart. Get a good chart if you don't have one and really memorize them and integrate the images into your own legs, visualize them intensely and, yeah, massage the heck out of them. There are quite a few key acupoints along the leg meridians that you should get to know really well and the most important is of course Yongquan. Part 2 of what I wanted to say is learn Yongquan/Dantian breathing. Or just think of it as foot breathing, it'll work well, maybe better. Should I write out a simple instruciton on how to do it?