freeform

if you were another animal - what would you be? what's your favourite animal and why? if you could choose some animal skills - what would they be? which animals are the most spiritual? my answer to all those questions is OCTOPUS! just check this video out and dare to tell me that they're not the coolest creatures around!

it's true - but everything we read/hear is filtered through "I" - so unless the "I" is clear of obstructions and illusions what we read/hear/see is coloured by our own egos/identities...

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Thanks for that, forestofsouls - it's certainly very interesting... so 'form' is what is actually outside of us (minus the illusion)... or is this the 'raw sensory data'? The description of 'sensation' I don't quite understand - personally, I find 'pleasent/unpleasent/neutral' to be part of no.3 - 'perception'... imo sensations have no intrinsic, dualistic value to them - the value comes from the mind and is part of the illusion... the feelings that are set off by sensory imput are illusion no? no.3 I'm familiar with - it's like the network of interconnceting dualities that give shape to the whole illusiory world we create for ourselves (call it identity or ego or 'false self' or whatever)... This is the accumulation of all the conditioning we have experienced from birth... I see no. 4 as part of 3 really - all our impulses, habits, wants and needs are based on our partucular illusiory 'map' of the world (and of ourselves). no.5 - Consciousness - separate consciousness for each of the senses!? sounds very much like the Taoist 5 element/organ theory! Please understand that what I was suggesting to Ian was not 'sitting and thinking about experiences' - that's the content and it's a useless endeavour. Analysing the content will only drive you further into illusion. The technique is about watching how thoughts are created - noticing the tiny building blocks that put together our towering illusions... there is no analysing, no 'thinking' involved only being aware... I know that embodiment has widespread use and tradition upholding it - that's because it has been the best way to cultivate for thousands of years... Working on the mind has little tradition behind it because the mind-based culture has only sprung up in the last couple of hundred years, and is gathering monu-mental force... We now live in the information age - and consumerism works by attempting to set up illusions for us - we need to have smooth skin, we need 6 blades on our razor, we have to have a flat screen tv etc... This kind of culture has come up only after the second world war and If we live in such a society we need new tools to deal with our new way of being in this new world... and that inveriably includes working on the mind as well as our bodies as well as our relationships...

So I was dreaming about transmissions and lineages... I felt that the transmission through lineage was not to do with human relationships, hierarchy, etc - it's more about the energetic beacons that have been placed through time to allow you to follow the light and reach their levels. The human relationships come when you are to connect to lineage energy - heartfelt sincerity is all that's needed. In my dream I asked a huge Kahuna how one could tap into lineage energy without having a single master. That's how I found out that if you ask with a sincere interest to elevate your conciousness, then no master or lineage could refuse you. A transmission is like a way to triangulate your own energy, so that you're aligned to your higher purpose and going in the right direction - it's not so much of just a pure energy being passed to you. The Kahuna told me that the hardest part was to find a lineage to tap into. I asked how it is done - he said that you ask, then you wait in awareness - and the right thing will come up. So this morning I was searching for an email a friend had sent me (I remeber the title to be something like 'funny metaphors') so I search for 'metaphor' but discover I misspelt it and searched for metafor instead... The email that pops up is one for a company called Metaforms - it makes really cool looking sacred geometry sculptures. So I impulsively checked the site out (last time I saw it was years ago). As I was looking through, my spider senses started tingling ... And I think the pendant is a geometric lineage. Weird to explain - some people can do caligraphy or draw sigils and tap some inherent power that is behind the symbol. You can feel the transmission of energy through these symbols, as if it's coming from some beacons of past uses of the symbol or archetypal energy. The geometric shapes hold a kind of pure, natural truth - more refined and precise than a sigil or other symbol. I also feel that geometry is somehow part of western spirituality, whereas sound and wave-based mathematics is the oriental version of geometry... So I took a look at the ePendant - which I thought (and still do) looks pretty unatractive - not something I would consider wearing. But reading through the info and testimonials and stuff, it really struck a cord... now I'm considering checking it out (it's not cheap for me!) So what do you guys think? here's the link: www.metaforms.net

great stuff! parallels very much the Jerry Stocking stuff I posted... Buddha Mind = Consciousness(in Jerry-speak)!?

Well the people that tend to disagree with Chia's approach to sexual energy cultivation are generally the more experienced ones - I myself have no concrete oppinion, as sexual energy cultivation is not my thing at this time. Michael Winn certainly disagrees with Chia on many points (one being that the emotions/organs/elements have to be dealt with and all the major channels thoroughly cleared before sexual cultivation begins)... there are also problems with moving aroused sexual energy which can result in many complications. And energy stagnation is a major problem unless you're very carefull and meticulous. Have a look at the alchemical toaism page for more info... Oh and also it seems quite a few of the veteran sexual energy cultivators have become (how can I put this) very 'unstable'... lol - well I dont wish to make you believe me... I dont really want to lead people on a wild goose chase - I'll just say 'external alchemy did it'... or more like a combination of nutrients (maca, and minerals), the 'external alchemy agent' and activating the pineal and other glands in the brain did it... I don't practice this any longer, I've gone back to simpler things in my practices. Well Chia stresses that ejaculation should be avoided at all costs - so I presumed that you followed his advice.

lol - sorry we've been neglecting the lobby area... welcome! To be honest many of the bums have a slight disdain for Chia's sexual energy techniques - most see it as dangerous and incomplete... I think it's great to have someone with such a wealth of experience in this... I myself have not experienced a crown orgasm, and have not been doing sexual practices anyway (except minimising ejaculation). I have, however tasted the nectar you're talking about - although this isn't because of bringing the jing up from my testicles, or any orgasm practice (I rather keep the reason a mystery for now lol)... the taste is kind of sweet-aromatic, almost coconuty... I think it would be a great idea to start a thread in the main forum with a full story about your practices and what you've gleaned from the many years of cultivating sexual energy... (have you really not ejaculated since 18?) oh also check out alchemicaltaoism.com it's a collection of very usefull knowledge from the Healing Tao community...

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I love cod liver oil - what makes it better than the other fish oils is that it contains natural vitamin A and D... which both help in rebuilding bone and ligament tissues... especially D, which is hard to come by, unless you live in a sunny area and sunbathe regularly.

A baby's smile or giggle is one of the most theraputic things in the world... When I do the inner smile I first see a baby smiling at me and all this golden energy rushes into my eyes.

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It's not so much the master trying to maintain his control - it's like each one of us is the martial arts school, each one of us has 'decorated' ourselves with our practices, our work, our preffered music, our humour, our clothes, our language - and if someone comes in to this perfect (but fake) world and offers you something that might break this perfect illusion appart - well, it's very scary and not only would your offering be refused but people can get angry... On the other hand if you 'read the school's books' - in other words pay attention to the person's perfect illusion, you will find out exactly how to sell him something that may indeed benefit him.

Say you had a book to sell that you thought would benefit any martial artist... and one day you notice that a local martial arts school is allowing outsiders to come in, have a look, and maybe sign up for calsses... So you go in and you check out the building - it's very beautiful and ornate - painted in beautiful colours with exquisite sculptures all over the place, there is an energy about it, like it's been there a long time. As well as a huge courtyard to practice in there are many rooms with books and charts and medicines and herbs. Immediately you know that this is the perfect place to have your book on their shelves... So you go and talk to the students, then the masters - they're all very proud of their place, their school and their way of life - they're all very knowledgeable and devoted to their art - When talking to the Grand Master of the school you suddenly bring out a book - you explain that this is your book that you have spent years in perfecting it and that it will change the practice of the martial arts school for the better... For no apparent reason the Grand Master widens his eyes, gets up and looks thoroughly offended - with his booming voice he says: "we have been here for centuries, we have a whole library of books and hundreds of years of oral traditions - now we invite you to our school, to have a look, and maybe if you're lucky become a student and you're trying to sell us something that's better than all this?" Even though you know that the book would benefit them in some way, you decide that the school is too proud to receive any new knowledge. Disheartened you go back home... on the way you meet the local wiseman and tell him the full story... he listens thoroughly and then contemplates the story in deep thought. Eventually he asks you - "Did you read all their books before trying to sell yours?" The Tao can be represented in limitless ways - what makes your way of representing it any better than someone elses? the price? your dedication? your unique view point? the complexity? the simplicity? yes all of these things and more... All you can do is give yourself deeply, even if no one else accepts you - without questioning or judging anything... ofcourse you need to pay attention to the people you're offering yourself to ... they'll tell you exactly how to sell to them if only you listen...

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What I particularly like about Taoist spiritual practices is that the whole of the universe is represented inside our own bodies - there is no reason to go anywhere other than here and now. It's the yang action of conciousness to seperate and clasify - the 5 organs/elements are about change and movement - it's closer to 'seasons' or 'phases' than 'elements' - they're not so static... so it's the yang action that separates the part from the whole... and it's the yin action that allows that part to 'live out' through movement/sound/art etc... So there is a constant alchemy... We've all seen someone get angry beyond reason - there is no logic, no talking - just loud noises, puffed up mussles and a red face... what happens is that there is an uncontrolled evocation of the liver spirit - and we have the yang aspect of finding something outside of us as the cause of this anger and the yin aspect of us that allows this power to act through us. The above is not healthy because it happens accidentaly - like if someone tripped over our illusion that we have to drive to work fast and cuts us off at a turning... The energy builds inside us - we contract our muscles, take a facial experession etc... So imagine making this energy appear 'on purpose' - and instead of concentrating on the 'cause' outside of us we concentrate on the actual energy - the sensations, the memories it evokes, the characteristics of its movement in our bodies... basically as you say, rex - getting in rapport with the energy - because the energy has many aspects of itself - as well as anger we have kindness - the feeling of being social, that energy boost we get when we get started with a new project etc... Once we're in rapport with the actual energy, we know it's 'character' when it wells up inside us we can use it as empowerment - if it is triggered by something 'outside' we learn another one of our illusions/behavioural patterns etc. And ofcourse if you interact with people who are full of this energy you will naturally find a clearer line of communication with them. Most people have a dominant element in them, once you're in rapport with your own internal family, it's easy to spot what people's dominant element is, or at least what element is in control right now - everything from their walk and movement, to their voice tone and rhythm to their personality can demonstrate their current 'inner weather'. So anyway - doing any shamanic animal/element qigong is like a theatrical version of what happens in 'real life' - when you connect to the universal manifestation of that element - it's the same as connecting to the elemental manifestation in a fellow human or an animal, or a plant or a certain style of music or certain voice etc etc. The reason shamans of old replicated animals is because they lived in a different time, with their attention on different things - they might find it difficult telling the elemental inspiration in a piece of music in the same way as I might find it difficult to see an elemental quality in the movement of an animal. But to bring out the quality of that element we need to do the yang thing and separate it from the whole - so we lable it as an anima, a colour, an organ, a deity - it doesn't really matter, we just need to represent it in some way that makes it feel separate and then we invite it in the yin fashion to express itself through our bodies.

Great thread, rex I'm interested in this myself. I've studied various 'spiritual' practices for a while and they all feature a basic framework that's very similar. The way I understand shamanic animal work is very different from Wayfarer - when you do the animal frolics you are meant to embody the animal you're imitating - otherwise it's just pantomime. It's not a case of bringing an outside spirit into your body (this may indeed be dangerous) - it's allowing an aspect of yourself to take over to such an extent that it connects with a universal archetype... In terms of practicality it works like this - you're doing a lung meditation - breathing, sensing the specific quality of the lung spirit - you can carry on getting into more and more of an intimate connection to the lung spirit by breathing to it, smiling to it, being very aware of it and eventually allowing the energy to completely fill your entire body... at that point you get up, still filled with the lung energy, connect to the universe (the six directions) and connect to the universal archetype of this element/spirit/organ - at this point for me, I suddenly connect with a lot of imagery, specific emotions and feelings and sensations. Then you start moving - sometimes it will be spontaneous, sometimes you need to start some animal movement you've already learnt and eventually the spirit will take over. This can not be dangerous if you start on the inside with your own organ spirit - sometimes in magick and tantra practitioners invoke gods, spirits, deities to act through them... this is similar, but rather than bringing something from the outside in, we bring a part of us that's on the inside out and allow it to connect to the universe. The benefits of this practice are huge - this is how (imo) qigong, tai chi, martial arts were developed in the first place - but also it empowers your organ spirits to a huge extent - it's like doing Fusion (withouth the fusing, lol) about 3 months ago I would do this drill 5 days a week - every day pick an organ and do 1 hour seated meditation (with breathing) connecting to it and then 1 hour movement - allowing the element to move me... after a month of this my life changed quite a bit - I have a better line of communication with my body - I'm far more creative, intuitive and I can actually feel my emotions without editing them... this effect started to lessen (I havent been practicing it for 2 months now) - It may be a good idea to do it for a while longer and develop a shorter drill for getting there (I can't spend 2 hours working on just one organ a day). There is also a way of actually bringing the spirit out in such a way that rather than it filling your body, instead it's represented outside your body and you can actually communicate with it directly (both verbaly and with images and sensations) - but this is a different topic - I remember Sean mentioning that he did something similar for a while.

nice to see you here, Mat! I was hoping you'd make an appearance

I think when it's 'harvested' it basically comes as oozing gunk that hardens... Most of the ones I've seen have been processed somehow, maybe you got the unprocessed stuff? Have a look at the link I put up for cat - there is a picture of the stuff on a plate and there are a few big coal-like chunks on there. It's probably a good idea to powder it before consumption - would digest better for sure.

Yup - just had a look and the guy I bought it from didn't have any more on sale - but the one I bought was here you could try contacting the guy... Next time I might place a bulk order with the place darebak got his from... (although I'd have to capsule them myself)

You've got two choices - either do it on the cheap - buy maybe a pyramid for the centre (from one of the links Karen and I provided on the orgonite thread) and several towerbuster for the perimiter of the plot - I reckon that should be fine... The other choice is to get an EVG from the Hootens and a couple of EZAP's - although the effect of this would be on a much larger area than just your patch... I remember reading about stalagmites forming in ice trays once you get orgone in the house - I tried this out - and low and behold I got one (when I got my more powerfull one I got many more, reguarly)... Apparently some dude had an EVG near a bird feeder and discovered, one cold winter morning, a huge, thick stalagmite sticking straight up out of the water tray... this may indicate something good - or maybe not (if those potato guys dont get you, the stalagmites certainly will!!)

Well - when I was researching, I read it's a great tonic for both men and women (including its effect on the libido). To be honest I wouldn't be taking it if the only effect was inapropriate hardons - I've really noticed an improvement in my mood and energy in a kind of grounded way - like Ian, I seem to be waking up early with a smile on my face (and a tent on my bed ) - I've also felt a detox effect with it, especially in the bowels... I think it also gets oxygen into cells more efficiently, because the oxygen supplements I have, have been having a more immediate, pronounced effect... This is a great discovery - thanks Thaddeus!

el tortugo - you've always got the coolest images in your avatars - have you got a website? (I just discovered your blog - looks great!) I like the Tao Bums name - especially since 'bum' in britain means 'ass' - so when GT says something like "I'll show you cosmic bum action" it makes me giggle like a schoolgirl I think we're bums because we dont quite fit in to the taoist mainstream - most of our discussions veer between all kinds of topics - from politics to gardening to nutrition to 'bum action' (aneros anyone?) GT - you could look at this like pre-science... every scientist has to relax and discuss what's on hir mind, get inspiration for further experiments etc - I think of this place as Archimedes' bath, once we relax in the warm waters of Tao Bums, we can find our greatest inspirations without even looking for them...