freeform

I see what you mean Ian - I grew up without a TV and am very happy about that... And I have Hampstead Heath very near me so I get a bit of nature every day... but humanity has always had story-telling and TV is pretty good for that... Cat - yes that ritual was great! I liked the progression from banishing the negative to introducing the positive - and it really worked! Those hard drive recorder boxes are great - I've recently got one and really like it.

I guess some people have negative connotations about 'trance' and 'hypnosis' - although some others see it as one of the most effective psychological healing modalities around... As far as I can tell there are very few people interested in controlling others here at TB... And if you're suggesting that that's what I'm interested in, then you couldn't be further from the truth... again it seems the word hypnosis conjures up some personal belief system for you... Also Max is into martial arts, I'm guessing some martial artists are rightly questioning if the demonstrations that are shown on the video are actually practically applicable if it came to a real life fight...

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Don't get me wrong - I'm in no way trying to undermine the value of any of this... Yes using meridians is another route to explain what happens... I know that when I relax completely, my meridians open up... they flow better, but they're also much more open to influence - doing qi gong in a relaxed state is far easier then if you were angry and stressed... no? I'm assuming I have more training and experience in hypnosis and trance than you do - If that's not the case then you must have witnessed hypnotists doing very similar things as qi gong masters - sapping strength, making them fall to the floor with no cantact, creating feelings of great euphoria etc etc... And yes I have seen people being affected without even seeing what's happening... You may have the idea that hypnosis always involves a watch on a chain and a dude with a goatee and wearing a funny medalion Hypnotists have no real explanation as to what actually happens - these things are just generally called 'trance phenomenon'... You give Kan as an example - that part of the video was shot on their first meeting - but there is an underlying supplication evident already - I assume Kan is there of his own will, he is not stressed, angry and agitated, and he's expecting something to be demonstrated... that's a significant degree of rapport! I would like to see if Max could do it with an unwilling, skeptical participant - ofcourse if it didn't work it would be cos their meridians are closed (which would probably be true!). Again this is not meant to undermine Max's abilities - he is obviously highly skilled, and I'd love to study with him. I'm just pointing out that saying 'it's not hypnosis' is misleading - I'm also not saying that it is only hypnosis because that's also misleading - if hypnosis and qi gong were maps - they both contain these seemingly magical phenomenon - ofcourse with different explanations... Hypnosis is inseparable from any internal work of any name...

That's pretty much what a hypnotist would say... hypnosis sounds like a separate 'thing' that someone can do - but all it is in reality is the skill to put someone into a trance (trance means different things to different people - it's basically a relaxation of the analytical mind and the actual speed of your brainwaves goes down to about 8hz or lower if it's a deep trance)... we go into trance every 90 minutes or so... we also go into trance when meditating, doing qi gong, reading a good book or watching a good film... it's a natural, daily event - nothing weird about it... Once in trance, there are certain unusual effects you can have - clearing emotional trauma, making people move around by pointing at them (or making them fall to the floor) - making people stick to objects or objects to 'stick' to people - people under trance tend to just let go their habitual persona and are happy to act in funny ways... you can also hurt people physically. There is a famous example where the hypnotist says 'I'm going to touch your hand with a red hot poker', and then touches them with an ice cube - most people experience burning and then develop a blister... conversly people can also go into trance and walk over hot coals with no blistering or pain... So it's silly to say there is no hypnosis - because it's all hypnosis - which doesn't necessarily mean it's 'fake' or a trick... One of the things about trance is that you have to develop a rapport with the person's unconscious - that's why his high level student falls to the floor when he tries to strike Max - because there is a huge amount of deep rapport - the student is 'open' to everything that max directs at him - and a very subtle movement of chi will have a huge effect on someone in trance and in that state of deep rapport... I'd be very pleased to be shown otherwise, but I suspect if someone with aggression and hostility towards max went to strangle him, he would not fall to the floor... Oh and this kind of rapport is not built necissarily through words (you're going deeper, deeper down etc) and is often more effective when done physically - for example I learnt how to put someone into trance with a handshake - Derren Brown in some of his clips puts his hand on the other's shoulder and just at the right moment shakes it gently.

Looked through the info and the cellfood seems pretty much identical to fulvic acid that I mentioned earlier... in fact I'm betting it is fulvic acid - they say "Cellfood is made from all-natural plant substances"... which is the case with fulvic, and it has exactly the same trace mineral list as you get with fulvic acid and the same properties of transporting nutrients into cells and toxins out... they somehow use deuterium creatively... not sure what this adds - perhaps the nacent oxygen they talk about (fulvic helps transport oxygen into and out of cells too). the price is not too bad, so worth a try... But in the meanwhile I'm going to try and track down a good fulvic supplier (it's notoriously hard to extract)...

they look very cool!! Thanks for posting this - I love discovering this kind of stuff. Let us know about the availability!

Yes - having a beginning and an end 'ritual' is very important... athletes do it to get in the zone too... I also agree that you should do something physical - by the sounds of it, the physical aspect would be more beneficial for you than the meditation (especially if you have the effects that you do)... freeform dancing can really open you up physically and mentally for the 'overall awareness' (let that energy that's moving inside dance you - if you get what I mean) and yes standing along with one pointedness would be good to try... focus on the physical and you should integrate the experiences much better without getting overly diffused or too rigid... enjoy your body!

Taomeow, I demand to be invited for dinner!

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A while ago, much to my friends' amusement I did 3 days of fasting and a colonic in Thailand... The normal routine is to do the fast for 7 to 10 days and have colonics twice a day. As part of my routine I had to drink several rounds of clay and psylum husk shakes - disgusting, even though they used watermelon juice... As well as the clay shakes they gave me some other shakes to clean out the liver and such... I like the clay and psylum idea and will be doing that soon (I'm gonna order the powder stuff from the page you found, Ian) - I like the idea of the psylum pushing the clay through - so that the clay isn't in the system for too long - and in fact I remember that the last shake of the day was just psylum - no clay - maybe so that it moves all of the remaining clay out...(?) I also did a fast at home with a lot of activated charcoal - similar leeching effect, but no dryness and no 'satisfaction' feeling. I wouldn't use clay daily or even weekly - do a cleanse of a few days once a month max. For minerals I remember trying this stuff in the states that blew my mind - it was a black, tasteless liquid - fulvic acid... I would have it on an empty stomach in the morning followed by (30 minutes later) one of those green powdered smoothies... initially after the fulvic I felt the satisfaction feeling you get with clay, but when the smoothie was drank, literally 15 minutes later I felt a really pronounced buzz and feeling of wellbeing - a smooth, but strong sort of energy that wore off very slowly throughout the day... I did this for 5 days - also tried the fulvic by itself for a day and the smoothie by itself for a day - neither of them alone produced this buzz - although the fulvic did give that satisfied feeling each time... The guy explained that the fulvic acid contains many trace minerals (it's the stuff found in healthy soil where bacteria break down plant matter) and the fulvic molecule is able to penetrate cell walls easily - bringing nutrition in and taking unneeded minerals and toxins out... so combined with the smoothie, all those minerals, vitamins and amino acids actually went into my system intead of being pooped out... that's the theory anyway - in practice, it just made me feel fantastic - in fact I can't believe I didn't remember about this before now!

There is no burning palm info in the book - the book is on kunlun spontanious qi gong. The first practice is a sitting method with an easy posture that you take - It doesn't have much of an effect without the transmission from the master - the seed that Chris refers to. This is obviously not a complicated technique-driven style which is what I like about it... Chris, if you could explain the contraindications for the kunlun practice - you say that mixing style might have a detrimental effect (and you mention Kundalini yoga) - how about more taoist approaches - qi gong to open joints, ligaments and meridians.... 5 animal forms etc... would these be detrimental? Because I see Max teaches these methods himself...

I tried to find some studies of the gender specific navigation strategies, but couldn't find anything specifically to do with that (possibly because this was discovered in te 1800's, and is so accepted, it's not tested anylonger) however I did find studies on google scholar that are similar and tested the specifics of this difference (specific neural network activation - hormonal differences at birth etc) have a look: http://www.sciencedirect.com/ http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v3/n4/...nn0400_404.html and here is an interesting article to do with differences in males and females: http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/sto...,937913,00.html (here's an extract of what it talks about: Are there essential differences between the male and female brain? My theory is that the female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy, and that the male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems. I call it the empathising-systemising (E-S) theory.) Cat - you have some good counter examples - and I agree completely that any generality can have huge holes punched through it. I'm using generalities just to keep things simple - it would get tedious to mention this each time. Also the way I used 'word' was a metaphor for mental/systemic thinking and 'feeling' was for emotion. We both do these but in general males rely more on systemic thinking and women rely more on feelings relating to the environment (and patterns found within)... Also I read that article Pietro posted about women seeking social status etc... I agree that's the case for 70 - 80% of women - I'm personally after those 20 - 30% that arent like this

Yes - agreed Yes we always need to let a bit of humanness in between stimulus and response - and even if it may not seem apparent, I bet Pietro does at least a little in person... internet communication is a heady affair. Oh and the middle ground - the middle ground in how I approach it, isn't in between two polar opposites - it contains both - it's like an umbrella that covers the whole thing. - so in terms of stimuls-response - it takes for us to put awareness on the stimulus and the response and the internall process that happens in between - this is the initial phase - then you start to open the space in between stimulus and response and allow something to spontaniously manifest there (and that manifestation arises from a balaced belly, heart and head) - that's when magic happens... (that magic is the 'Big Me' coming through)

Trance states are nothing mystical - we have them cyclically throughout the day. I've done a lot of trance training - it's not quite true that the deeper you go the more powerfull it is - the different levels of depth have their different qualities. Light trance is the most underestimated level - it's when your mind relaxes (alpha brainwave frequency - between 7 and 8 hz is good) - this level of trance quitens your mind and expands the periphery of your awareness. It's the qi gong state. It's not difficult to move in this state but it will feel 'weird' at first (proportions - sizes, distances, time all become kind of hazy). We go into alpha state all the time - when we are enchanted by reading a book - when watching tv - sometimes when driving we realise that we've not been paying attention to the journey but somehow got home like always etc. You know that feeling of just leting go of everything - that's also 'trance'. So it's not the ability of entering light trance that is difficult (just putting your attention on feeling your body does this) it's the ability to stay present within it and to direct your awareness with consciousness that is the skill to be learnt. Deeper levels of trance are completely different - this is where your body is asleep... yoga nidra is a good way to enter this kind of state...

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I actually agree with Pietro on this - ofcourse the word integrity is a very subjective one - so it needs to be clearly defined... (I'm not going to do this on everyone's behalf though) This is one thing I love about women - their integrity to their feelings... man's integrity is to their word - feelings are ever changing and in the present - a word is stationary and kind of 'eternal'. Ofcourse it needs to be said "not all women and not all men" - it's more about feminine qualities and masculine qualities (both are present in men and women - and in different ratios in each individual). Margaret Thatcher had integrity to her words... There are definite conclusive differences in the sexes - to say that the feminine is true to her feeling and the masculine is true to his word is not a value judgement - it's just an observation of an archetype. Maze designers can design a maze that is much easier for girls to complete than for boys to complete - and design ones that are easier for boys than girls. Boys and girls have different ways of navigating a maze - and it reflects on our different ways of navigating life. Boys tend to focus on one single, unchanging landmark, and they move around the maze constantly comparing their position to the landmark. Girls tend not to do that - they tend to notice patterns within the maze and use the patterns to work out (kinesthetically) the way to go... This has been tested many thousands of times and it's an accepted difference in men and women... think how that reflects back to our integrity to our word and integrity to our feelings in the moment - a word is that unchanging, stationary landmark - and feelings are right within the moment and follow patterns. Yes Pietro has picked up a sort of abrasive attitude to this and it feels kind of derogatory - but that's what happens when you deal with false yin all the time - your false yang starts to rise... I'm still of the oppinion that one must let go of their presumed control and start to become aware of all the tensions within oneself and others - not shy away from the dark and painful and just let it all hang out - just let go and let the intuitive part of us take back its rightful role as 'the driver' of You... and then magical things happen - you start to attract just the sort of experiences and partners that you need to grow - there is no forcefull effort there.

Hi Dwai What you're referring to as 'intuitive knowing' is what some people call 'body wisdom'... the key here is that it comes from the body... we operate using 3 primary senses - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic... As a western society we're predominantly visual and auditory and pretty much disregard the kinesthetic aspect as superstition. you say you find it hard to work out what is intellectual and what is intuitive - the intuitive part of us resides in the belly and the heart, the intellectual part resides in the head - it's almost impossible to experientially separate the 3 of them - you always have a bit of intellectual attention even in your most intuitive moments, and even when you're completely stuck in your head with intellectual thoughts, there is always an intuitive aspect quietly attending to the moment and communicating back (even if we dont hear) Because everything around us (media, parents, schools, social customs etc) tends to drive us up to our heads, we've learned to lead our life mainly from our head down - our heads are busy, noisy, full of desires and attempts to control. Our wisest part is our belly and we seldom pay attention to it because our heads are constantly trying to escape the fact that it was never in control and that you cant avoid pain and only get pleasure (which is the predominant task of our head these days) anyway I'm rambling off topic here - I'll get back to the point - your intuitive part is the part of you that feels - the kinesthetic sense. The intuitive centre is predominantly in the belly (the heart has an emotional sort of wisdom). Qi gong is all about the belly, intuition and simple unforced awareness which is what the belly provides. To improve your intuitive knowledge you can learn to meditate in a way that quietens your mind chatter (and just paying attention to your breathing can do this) - and of course qi gong can open up the huge reserves of untapped 'intuitiveness' hidden in your body... You dont want to completely ignore the mind, you just need it to be in balance with the rest of You.

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PUA = Pick Up Artist or maybe Aritistry? Pietro - I see what you mean about 'outer game'. What I was talking about in terms of inner game may be slightly different to what you see it as. I would say that a good 'inner game' would preclude you from saying "sorry" after kissing a girl. What I mean is that the inner game is still a game aimed at being seductive or whatever. You seem to be seeing inner game as general confidence and wellbeing inside. But you are right, some outer game is probably necessary - I would focus far more on awareness than on 'what to do'. What I mean is being aware of the pressupositions of your interactions (being aware of the social and interpersonal frames, structure and flow) - Noticing what people do, how they behave, react, move, what they avoid and go toward - as well as the awareness of the effect of you in all of this. Seeing the windows of 'opportunity' that women tend to throw out there and see if you notice - that includes the windows to get more intimate and the other windows which are designed to test your congruity (your inner game) etc... With awareness comes this 'doing without doing too much' - or what you might call passive game - where by you enjoy yourself and nudge very gently this way or that to create more intimacy and connection.

My oppinion: ultra refined fish oil is not so good. The ultra-refined stuff is usually animal feed grade oil purified further. You can get high density, top quality Norwegian fish oil (that is tested batch by batch for no metal contamination) and for me this had a much more pronounced and immediate effect. Also cod liver oil is better than 'fish oil' (unless you take huge amounts, because you'll overdose on vit A) - you get non synthetic vit a and vit d - which is great for so many things. Also make sure you dont go for the 'high strength cod liver oil' - which is usually the low quality oil which is ultra-refined and then has some synthetic vit a and d added. you'll notice in these cases that there is an exact 100% of the recomended daily allowance in one serving.

I think the thing to do, to make this whole thing ethical, is to focus on 'inner game' - clearing out all the needy attention seeking parts of us - becoming congruent - having our own values and criteria for the type of girls/boys that we want to go for. Learn to move and speak and interact from the centre - with spontenaity, rather than following routines or pre-practiced techniques. Learn to touch and be touched - learn to look into someone's eyes and have them look into yours (dance classes are good for this, if it's not natural for you)... The ethical aspect here is that we flow from the centre out - not from some small needy part of us out - from the centre out... the ethics then fall into place with no need for rules - if you feel a deep satisfaction with sleeping with loads of women and you dont care about their energy or personality then it's fine - if you feel the satisfaction... people have different natures, and it impossible to have an umbrella morality system that covers all of them - so we need to trust the inherent goodness of people - the key is in getting to the centre then learning to 'be' from there - it's hard! and it's very easy to delude yourself and still be trying to satisfy some small part of yourself thinking that you're acting in accord with your true nature...

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Shen wise the heart is the biggest concern in pua (as I see it) - an afc only knows the kind of love that is needy - dependant and seeking approval - this is the major problem for most people... individuals then have their own 'thing' to get over - depending if you're frozen by fear (kidneys and lungs) or can't have fun in the process (liver, imo). you eventually learn to lead from the heart that is unattached to the normal approval seeking neediness (this ofcourse requires a good centre in the earth). an 'evil' pua learns how to mask neediness - make the right gestures and noises that shout confidence - and all the while seeks approval - how good his game is, how many chicks he can get, how quick he can get a girl to sleep with him etc. You'll usually find them addicted to pu since it's the only way for them to feel approved of... A man who can lead from the heart knowing deep down that he is loved and accepted no matter what happens on the outside is someone who can find fullfillment in pua... it's a long journey that many dont expect to have to make. oh and btw - the 'evil' puas tend to go for certain type of girls, often the type that a man with an open, clear heart would ignore.

I prefer Michael Winn to Chia (www.healingtaousa.com) I would also take up Hundun's offer. It's great to have someone to practice with, especially someone with more experience. It's best not practice from books alone - especially sexual and iron shirt techniques.