freeform

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Luckily you can trust nature disobey laws If you wanted, you could learn to identify the right mushrooms (there are many different active ones) and find some after a good rain...

Yeah ofcourse it does! The more you have invested in it the more your mind will convince you it's effective... All new 'revolutionary' cancer drugs are relatively effective in the first few months they're brought out - then they gradually become ineffective.. Your body never lies! so you can deffinately get a feel for whether something is giving off energy or not - as long as you're in your body and not fantasizing.

I've done shrooms and lsd and whatnot in the past... I dont think they're for everybody - if someone asked me for my oppinion on whether to take them or not, I'd say no... nevertheless I credit my spiritual orientation to mushrooms - I've experienced some facinating things on shrooms and I know for sure that it's helped me in many ways... I think hallucinogens should only be used ceremonially - there is a reason natives would fast, go into trances, pray, dance, drum etc before using their drugs... you need a strong intention for why you're taking it and the ceremony and preparation only makes this more 'real' ('set and setting' are the key words here!) Regarding 'liking it too much' - generally the effect is not always euphoric and blissfull (but it may be). If done ceremonially, after doing them there is a sense of completion - of a journey travelled and completed - there is no craving to do more any time soon.

Oh I wasn't suggesting that Kinesiology is an accepted TCM practice - but none the less if done properly by someone who knows what they're doing it can be very helpful in both TCM-type dignosis and other biofeedback (imo)... I've seen it demonstrated quite a few times - strengthen the tripple heater (with accupressure or with tracing the meridian) and the spleen tests weak - sedate the tripple heater and spleen tests strong etc. The problem is that many things can affect the result - that's why it's important to have someone well trained doing this... Yeah orgone accumulators (and other devices) are generally layers of metal and organic (carbon based) substances (you can buy an orgone blanket which is made with several layers of metal and wool)... some devices accumulate orgone, some discharge, others generate... Orgone as a concept doesn't have the subtlety that Taoist arts do (yin/yang/jing/chi/shen/five phases etc.)

Great timing, Michael! I've been looking back into lucid dreaming recently... I think the achievement to go for is to be lucid in your dreams - because you can accomplish a lot of deep work on the energetic level... Remembering and interpreting dreams imo is not that usefull - my understanding is that 'normal' dreaming is a way of tying up loose emotional threads that you've started off in the day... I admit that knowing more about your dreams may help you learn how you deal with emotions and what effect they have on you - but there are other ways of doing that quicker... It's important (over time) to move from this type of emotional dreaming to more 'creative' or developmental dreaming (where rather than resolving emotional issues we get clues on how to move forwards on our spiritual path)... Then eventually lucid dreaming becomes a reality and you can affect yourself and your world directly through dream practice... Historically it has been really quite hard to become a lucid dreamer - it took many dacades of of dedicated practice or 'natural' ability. Ofcourse we're lucky today to have access to a lot more information and many more resources that can help us... First thing is we need to resolve our emotional issues of the day before we go to sleep... The healing sounds are very usefull in this regard, and I've found that mentally reviewing the day three times right before sleep helps a lot! I review it once without any judgement - very objectively... then I review it again and notice what I could've done better and where I strayed off my path and lastly I review it noticing what I did well, and where I stayed on my path... (I actually do the healing sounds right after this)... That alone has a great effect on my dreaming - the dreams shift in quality quite noticeably... Sometimes while I'm in bed almost asleep I give myself an intention to resolve some problem or come up with a creative idea or have some specific form of dream (and I always intend to wake up at a certain time (exact to the minute) usually just before my alarm goes off - this is incredibly effective! and a good way to learn how powerfull your subconcious really is.) A few years ago I was training myself to have lucid dreams and in only a couple of weeks I could do it predictably (although I started slacking and lost the skill )... There are a few important things to do to be successfull in this - firstly the 'resolving emotional issues of the day' drill must be practiced every night for a while... secondly you cant go to bed tired! If you fall asleep when drained you simply won't have a lucid dream - it's important to be full of energy and be relaxed with it... And you need to train to be able to have your body asleep whilst your mind is awake... This is achieved by listening to brainwave/binaural recordings (around 4hz is the optimum for this state) and I found the practice of Yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) to be very effective (especially if combined with the binaural technology)... This needs to be trained daily over several weeks so you consistently enter that state easily, then at night you can do it automatically. What you do once you're lucid in your dreams is up to you - I never really did much more than experience cool things that I wanted to experience - flying around at high speeds, visiting beautiful places, talking to animals and cool shamans, having 'romantic' relations with hot chicks etc.. lol I wasn't spiritually mature yet - I now know that I could accomplish a lot of spiritual work in the lucid state... I guess Winn's dreaming tapes might give a better clue as to what can be done... anyone got the tapes and willing to share the info?

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These gadgets are very expensive! You can make something similar for very little - check the orgonite thread... If you know what you're doing you can program the device you make to counteract specific disturbances or create a specific energy (you can do this by using different materials/minerals or with intention) orgonite can also be easily verified with Applied Kinesiology. I'm also sure it's possible to analyse how orgonite works using the TCM perspective...

I agree! Appart from the fact that the students could be 'faking' - there are some other considerations also - for example it's possible that the dude's chi does move into the other's body, but it's also possible that by studying with the master for years they move the way they do because they have been pre-conditioned to have a certain reaction on feeling the master's chi. The John Chang video - I was little more impressed with - becuse he zaps a number of people (none of them his disciples) even the boom mike girl didn't believe it and got zapped... (I still think burning the paper is a little suspect) I've seen things that are attributed to chi powers being done in hypnosis workshops - there is nothing special about it - everyone hypnotises everyone else - some people just refine it and can make people fall over with a simple command or wave of their hand (watch some Derren Brown clips for examples) - it's far more impressive when someone does it to someone they've not met before... Spyrelx - you keep mentioning your challenge - I'm sure you realise how naive it is to assume that no one can move a person without touching them just because no one accepts your challenge... I remember making a similar challenge - I'll give $500 to anyone that brings me a fresh glass of milk! no one's taken up the challenge - so that means no one has the ability to bring me a glass of milk!!

Cool! Nice to have you here, Raymond

What's cool about the powered device is you have somewhat of a control over the output - it's quite easy to tune it to quite a mellow energy... but even then, I still think it's important to stay conscious and notice what's going on energetically - even a mellow energy may over-stimulate some aspect of your energy... I tend to have it off when in the same room (unless I'm using it for something specific) - but I usually leave it on when not in the house - There's usually a hole in the clouds above my flat! Your chembuster will most likely feel different - it's more inteded for environmental balance... I doubt the energy will feel too refined - although the energy may lead to a jungle in your back yard! (the plants in the flat have been growing like crazy since I got the generator)... I also noticed a possible reason for some of the orgonite crowd's 'excentricities'... So Karen mentioned that there was some controversy about the dude that made my generator, so I decided to research... The main crowd believe that the energy felt at the crown chakra is 'good' and the energy going down to the root chakra get progressively 'worse'... Don Croft - the 'leader' of this gang swears that stimulating the lower chakras causes sexual stimulation and an urge to do evil (murder etc)... Both the people that I've bought orgonite from are on Don Croft's blacklist because they stray from his designs and often stimulate the lower chakras too. (ok - I admit - I may have over-dramatised a little - but hey my lower chakras are stimulated - what can you expect?! )

uhh - missed another birthday! Happy (belated) Birthday!!

I always miss people's birthdays! nevertheles - Happy Birthday Christoph!!

It's a good point, cat... not sure it relates to the topic of the thread, but it's still important to discuss, I think. For me meditation means 'skill in directing awareness'... a very broad title, I know... It's always a challenge for me to blur the lines between 'practice' and 'everyday life' and I personally think it's important to do that. So I meditate when I'm washing the dishes, I meditate when on the train and I meditate when reading the forum etc... Directing awareness can take many forms - one pointed concentration has its uses - it's (imo) a very yang practice... I do this when I meditate on the lower dan tien... if distracted I just come back to the dantien... The more yin version is when I do open eye meditation - the method is actually from Hawaiian Huna called Hakalau - I widen my field of view and use the periphery of my vision to watch the flow of life - the concentration is diffuse and I 'take in' everything (although yi/attention is still in the belly - this happens automatically when I use hakalau) . This is what I normally do when walking, waiting etc... I do the one-pointedness when doing something specific - washing dishes, writing, excersising etc. Then there is deep meditation - this is similar to dream practice/hypnosis/trance etc... The idea is to go into a very deep meditative state (whilst remaining aware) in such a way that my awareness is not limited by the body or conscious mind... I use this state for a number of different things - smiling, energy work and connecting and communicating with the organs, getting deeper into the core channel and the various dantien - or just 'watching the inner weather' (the more yin practice). I use the Yoga Nidra method for getting into this state... by the way cat - how's it going with the tripple warmer awareness? I finally got a feel for the balance between the spleen - tripple warmer duality... never noticed that the spleen energy is so connected with the tripple heater...

As I tend to do with these discussions, my ideas are often based on what I'm currently studying/practicing. Since I've been listening to David Deida - my ideas here are gonna be framed through that lense. zazen vs dancing, stark room vs full room etc. I know the 'vs' is not necessary - but just to caricaturise (is that a word? - it is now!) the discussion for ease of explanation. it's like the difference between death and flow, stillness and movement... zazen, stark room, empty vase all represent the unchanging, the still - tha yang... movement, dancing, visual excitement, noise, creativity - that's all yin. Deida said something amazing - little masculine boys are always obsessed with death! - killing ants, 'pretend shooting' each other, playing dead, cowboys and indians... little feminine girls like pretty things, colours, textures, babies, music and movement... this relates to the masculine desire for permanance, unchanging stability 'single pointedness' whereas the female essence relates to change, flow, movement etc... What you seem to be getting into here, Sean, is the 'yin within yang' and visa versa...

I'm personnally right at the beginning stages of alchemy... let's say the preparatory stages... delving into the depths of the body, getting my tendons/facia supple, clearing out blockages and inbalances, getting in contact with the organs and their respective energies and spinning the microcosmic orbit... I also do what some would term mental practices - clearing the ego and discovering the hidden 'dark parts' so that they can be transformed... I'm loosley following the Healing Tao protocol for alchemy, but taking it much slower than many do... This approach involves really getting into contact with the elements, it's a really fundamental part - I'm surprised your teacher didn't mention it. You can have a look at Michael Winn's site for a general outline of the HT protocol. (ignore the marketing hype - it can really give one the completely wrong impression).

hmmm I feel like I'm (at least partially) responsible for all this... I'm sure it's difficult to talk about something that you've been doing for years without emotional energy motivating your words... Just to clarify - I fully accept that Buddy's (and thus Frantzis') method is of great importance, it teaches so many things; and I still hold that learning to move in flow (a very yin practice that ime establishes great energetic/creative flow) is still a very usefull skill to have... and I'm sure that Frantzis' method takes the feminine essence of flow and pairs it with the masculine essence of stability and centeredness... but in my practice, I've chosen a different path for the time being, and I'm happy to develop flow by doing Sonnon type excersises and 'dancing about'... and others might have taken yet another route... I just feel like the humour has been lost in this thread... we really don't need to defend anything from anyone... anyhoo - I hope Stuart sees that the Bums aren't an overly serious, confrontational bunch, and that Buddy sees we're not a bunch of new age jokers...

One thing I noticed that is different between your alchemical practice and the ones I've come into contact with is to do with the organs and their respective shen/elements/phases. Did you do any elemental work with your organs (purifying, creation cycle, opening the 8 extra channels, fusing a single pearl etc.)? Another thing I noticed is that the way you describe your alchemical practice it seems the timing is very much part of it... that's something new to me... it almost sounds like a recipe for a delicious meal I'm looking forward to your contributions in the forum btw - do check out www.alchemicaltaoism.com It's a site created by one of our very own Tao Bums and details many refinements and ideas gleaned from the Taoist internal alchemy community (mostly the Healing Tao crew).

wow - that's facinating! It must've taken loads of dedication and trust to get to this point... who's your teacher? (or at least what's the system?) How do you feel different than you did 13 years ago? anyhoo - welcome!

Welcome Starjumper We like oppinionated! especially oppinions born from a couple of decades of practice! Do share the details of your practices (if appropriate) - I'm sure many would be interested. what's the address of your forum? (just so I can infiltrate it and convert all the members into Bums! )

Just to give a more energy-based example... most of us have read Plato's blog on opening the front channel - he said in the end that having a thoroughly opened front gives you some 'powers' over others... Well everyone has an open front channel (to some extent) and the front channel is easily manipulated... try this : think of it as unzipping - your opponent is in front of you - direct your full awareness to bellow his bottom lip, then progressively move your attention down to his perineum - imagine you're unzipping his jacket... you can do it quite fast as long as your full attention is on the task... after this push the opponent over and notice his balance... repeat the zipping, but instead, with a smile, zip him up to the bottom lip, now push him over - notice the difference. You can get more advanced too... for example - after you unzip remember something that really scares you to death - something horrible... quickly imagine this feeling moving into the other person then zip him back up... ofcourse you can do the same with the most amazing feelings of love, confidence, acceptance (try it with your kids!) If you open your front channel to the extent that Plato is aiming for, then all this happens with just a simple intention - you dont have to zip or unzip... your front channel just takes on the vibration of the other person's front channel and then leads it to whatever your intention is...

There's a little trick where you get two helpers to lift you up from either side - then get them to lift when all your attention is above you and repeat when your attention is bellow you. Many times your helpers will find it impossible to lift you when your attention is down, and very easy when up. Another one is where you put your attention in your head and get someone to push you over and then repeat with the attention on the belly.

I think you're onto something (as you've also illustrated with your standing practice) - choose one core practice and do it every day! Then build onto it if you can - but dont guilt-trip yourself if you dont.

I think you're quite right to be concerned whether the practices he teaches predispose you to a similar fate. I'd personally say diffinately not - especially 100 days... his next book 'sexual yoga' or whatever is a little questionable in that it teaches Iron Shirt practices (what he calls four square breathing - I think) and he uses a similar method to open the microcosmic... and if you've read Trunk's site you'll know the dangers associated. Still this might cause blockages and complications rather than the fundamental breakdown that Yudelove seems to have suffered. I would recomend his books over Chias any day. Though if going the HT route I'd say it's safer to go for Winn's method of opening the orbit and pulsing your body with chi. So in a nutshell - I think his practices are perfectly fine and are not likely to cause any problems if you keep up with developments in the HT (by visiting www.alchemicaltaoism.com). I would still highly recomend 100 days to any beginner. All three of his books are filled with occasional gems.