fiveelementtao

Whao ATTITUDE ALERT! Crank it back a few notches Hoss. I'm sorry if a differing perspective threatens you... First, I do not appreciate your tone. I am speaking honestly with no disrespect to anyone. I do not call anyone's experience "nonsense." AS YOU DO. My understandings come from my direct experience training with tantric Yogi masters. It is deeply traditional. If you have trained with other actual masters with a different perspective that is also traditional. There is always debate among traditions. If you have a different perspective. That is fine. Share that understanding. I will respect it. You tone and attitude and calling anyone's perspective nonsense is however very untraditional and honors no one. If you have masters you have trained with disrespecting others' experience brings your teachers dishonor... Secondly ACADEMICS read books. Acedemicians have their place in the discussion to be sure. However, Most texts that these academics are reading have within them hidden messages and codes that cannot be understood completely without the teaching of a master who has been taught in the oral tradition. So, as interesting as academic sources are, they have never been accepted by actual tradition holders as being authentic sources for esoteric learning. (except of course in academic circles) In the interests of free discussion and sharing of knowledge, I urge you not make this personal.

Yes and No. It is truly HIS experience. However as he himself says. His knowledge of Kundalini does not come from any specific tradition. So he may be only talking about HIS understanding of an energy he calls Kundalini. The problem here is that Kundalini has become a catch all phrase for any energy experience. So, just because someone has an experience with energy does not mean it is kundalini. He talks about raising kundalini several times. This is not traditional yogic understanding of Kundalini. It may be energy he is raising, but according to yogic understanding it is not kundalini. Why? Kundalini is directly connected to levels of maturity. each of the chakras are spiritual levels of development, not energetic. any energy effects from raising kundalini is purely coincidental. When a person learns major life lessons deep in their spirit that fundamentally changes their life, this raises the Earthly (feminine) spiritual energy residing in the base of the spine (kundalini). Most people (and many yogis even) do not understand that Yogic practices are designed to enhance personal, psychological awareness. When this occurs, the awareness within everyone's kundalini rises and meets a "granthi" or knot at the level of each chakra. In order to release the knot and open the Chakra, one's awareness (Level of psychological maturity) must be permanently changed. this opens the particular chakra and kundalini flows into that chakra. It is a permanent phenomenon reflecting the new maturity level of the individual. If an energy is raising, then falling, then raising again, it may be a very real energy force. So, I am not trying to minimize it. However, according to traditional yogic understanding, it is not kundalini. When kundalini moves, it is permanent and the individual may not have any physical sensations whatsoever. If someone is truly interested in Kundalini, I recommend seeking out a practitioner of Yogic mysticism. No. Most of the time it is done improperly in an incomplete scenario and accomplishes very little or nothing at all. Best to only be practiced under the guidance of a qualified master. I have no idea because I know nothing about it...

NO! You are wasting your time. Semen retention is potentially dangerous for people who do meditate. For people who do not meditate semen retention is simply self abuse. You must understand that everytime you have intercourse, you are stimulating your semen to leave your body. If you do not allow it to leave, it will sit in your body and rot and make you sick! Let it go.

The Physical Manifestation of the seed Mantra "HUUL."

Sarah Palin officially announces her bid for president which causes the Tea Party fringe to attack mainstream republicans which causes the conservatives to destroy themselves freeing Pres Obama and the democrats to get things done in congress which results in huge recovery of the US economy triggering worldwide economic recovery lifting everyone's spirits, releasing a new age of spiritual, physical, ecological and social evolution. Thanks Sarah Palin for saving the world!

You will find multiple answers to each of your questions depending on who you ask... I have found there are three major types of Taoists who will have very different opinions on each of your questions: 1) Philosophical Taoists. These are people who focus on texts like the Tao Te Ching and are mainly interested in the philosophy of living based on the texts. They tend not to be very religious. They may or may not practice energy work and meditation. This is a very inclusive group with few rules and no initiation needed. 2) Religious Taoists. This is the most traditional type of Taoist. Like any religion some sects are more exclusive than others. they usually do require initiation and depending on your level of involvement there may be some rules. Religious Taoists are polytheist and in this sense it has alot of similarities with other traditional polytheism. There is usually extensive training in mysticism, ritual and mediation also.. 3)Energetic Taoist (My term) Alot of these types (including myself) on this forum. These are folks who are attracted to the energetic practices usually associated with Taoism like, martial arts, Qigong, Tai Chi and meditation. So, my suggestion is to ask around. If you are serious about Tao(ism) Find a teacher if you can. Books are very helpful but there is only so much a book can teach you... In terms of the Tao itself, I would agree with some others that the Tao simply means "the Way" In that sense we are all Taoists, the real questions is how effectively we flow in the Tao all around us... good luck, Mike

I just published a new book sharing my experiences investigating my ethnic ancestral shamanic spiritual traditions. Someone close to me jokingly referred to it as Norse Taoism. there are alot of similarities with Taoist and Teutonic Cosmology. I did find that there are connections between early Teutonic Shamanism, Siberian Shamanism and Early Taoist Shamanism... I did not delve deeply into those connections in this first book, but those familiar with these disciplines will see the connections... Anyway... Some on this forum have asked me to announce when the book would be ready for purchase. So here it is. As you can see in my signature, the Title is "The Thunder Wizard Path." You can search for it on Lulu.com, follow the link in my signature, or you can see a free preview on the website www.ThunderWizard.com It is available in both paperback and download format... I hope it is entertaining. Thanks for your interest:) Blessings, Mike

That's because it is formatted for paperback version. Lulu automotically creates a downloadable version from the paperback PDF I send them. I wasn't able to reformat the pdf version.. So, yes... there is one blank page between each chapter heading and the start of a chapter because I thought it looked cool. And sometimes, depending on how the chapter ended, in order to keep the theme uniform looking, another blank page is inserted in between so that each chapter starts uniformly on a front page. It is a very common book format.

If that is the worst thing you can say about her... Then, I would clap every time she sings and kiss her and hug her... Besides, You don't know what annoying things you do that she is not telling you about...

Thanks VCraig. It's been awhile since that workshop in Portland... Two questions that are unlikely to get a favorable response are ones that start with: "OK I'll Bite" or end with "No offense intended." IME These kinds of questions rarely produce fruitful conversations. This is a very personal path that I have embarked upon and I am happy to share it with anyone truly interested. I have and will continue to make the basics of this path freely available to anyone via the website, podcasts, videos, books, etc... Because I believe it can be very healing to alot of people. What you see on there now is just the beginning. I have barely scratched the surface. So, If someone truly wants to talk to me, it is very easy to do right now because this is a new path that is still taking shape and I am very excited about it and I do want to talk about it... But,seriously, think it through...It's not rocket science. If you are interested in a response from me, just be nice to me and I will be nice back.

I had no idea my thread was going to become so entertaining...

My friend, if you are truly curious, you will do a more thorough read of the website. I address all of those concerns there. If you had read the website thoroughly you would not have even brought up the subject of genetics or cultural appropriation as I make myself very clear about that. Just to let others who may not know me or my history with this forum: Please forgive me, I am somewhat sensitive based on my past experience on this forum. You should know: I will not spoonfeed anyone answers. I will not respond to any perceived baiting, cynical, lazy or critical questions. If however, someone is truly curious and I feel they are being respectful, they will find I am a very accomodating person. If you have a criticism, since this is a free forum, feel free to state your criticism as a statement, but please don't mask a criticism in the form of a question...

You didn't look hard enough. The answer to your question is on the thunderwizard website, but you may have to do some digging to find it and it is very easily found in the book.

Let me know how the hard copy looks in person.

If you read the book or view the website, you will know the answer to that...

For me, the whole issue I have with enlightenment is when it is interpreted as a way of being "saved" regardless of the spiritual specifics of the belief system. If there is an element contained within the belief system that says or implies that humans are somehow incomplete or flawed and is in need of being saved or enlightened, then it does smack of fundamentalism. If enlightenment is seen as being an eternal process, then count me in. But, if enlightenment is seen as some static state of being where one is relieved of all pain, desire, illusion, sin etc... then regardless of the original intention of the proponent, someone at some point is going to turn the idea of enlightenment into salvation and promote the idea that their way is best and yours is inferior. IME, the idea of salvation through seeking some kind of ultimate enlightenment only engenders spiritual laziness, escapism and ultimately fundamentalism. With respect, although I appreciate his sentiment, I disagree with my friend Sweeney. Tao is not Zen. Zen is buddhism with Tao slapped on top of it. In the early history of buddhism in China, buddhists adopted taoist concepts. The early Ch'an monks used to spend alot of time sitting "Zazen" but ended up getting kundalini sickness because of it. So, the buddhists sought out the Taoists to teach their students how to meditate and be able to keep their energy balanced, Shao lin (Ch'an/Zen) buddhists like to claim that Da Mo discovered the five elements in a cave etc... but, the truth is they borrowed the idea from taoists after Da Mo and attributed it to him claiming it for themselves and taking credit for it. Damo (Bodhidarma) was from India. his Indian understanding of the elements would be very different than current Shao Lin understanding which is essentially taoist. So, buddhists DO have a history of acting in fundamentalist ways... As far as I can see, I have never seen taoists seek to convert or appropriate the beliefs of others. I think this is because Taoism has it's roots in shamanism, not universalist religion. I also have to respectfully disagree that Druids are not christians. Early celtic christians may have carried pre christian celtic ideas into their christianity, but it was still christianity. My intention is not to berate buddhism, but to point out that the fundamentalist aspects of some buddhists (not buddhism) has the same tendency as other proselytizing faiths, where they will adopt the existing beliefs and because they do believe that their way is superior, they will somehow find a way to make the beliefs they have incorporated as somehow being theirs. my .02 Mike

I've been working in this field (exorcisms, cleansings, spiritual warfare etc..) for over 30 years and I can boil down everything I've learned about banishing and cleansing spiritual negativity in a couple of statements: 1st: Everything comes from within YOU. Positive, negative, whatever. If someone is being attacked by negative entities, those entities are either projections or reflections of their own unresolved negative emotional and mental issues or they have been attracted to negativity already within the individual. ( this includes spiritual entities, astral entities, ET's and even living humans - everything and everyone is a refection of one's internal environment) 2nd: The only LASTING cure for removing negativity is to take FULL responsibility for ones life, both internal and external. Ritual is very helpful. But ritual is most effective when the ritual is understood to be symbolic of the person taking responsibility for the conditions of their life. When the ritual includes seeking help from higher beings in not only protecting the individual, but also aiding the individual in taking responsibility for their negative, self -sabotage, IME, the ritual works because it starts a chain reaction WITHIN the individual to change their own emotional projections. IF, however, the individual uses the ritual in an attempt to run away from themselves and their uncomfortable feelings, then any relief is only temporary at best. At this point, many people come to realize that they are not capable of simply changing their negative projections by themsleves without the help of a counselor or teacher. This is why (IME) many who refuse to find teachers rarely make progress in terms of being able to change their internal and external environment. bottom line - if someone suffers from negative attacks, find a good teacher and a good counselor/therapist. In my experience the combination of psychological and spiritual approaches is the most succesful. my .02 Mike

Thanks Scotty

Non, I have no idea how that pertains to my response that you are quoting... I consider rajas, tamas and sattva as all being normal. If what you are saying is that you believe that celibacy is what is normal for you,...Ok... What I am saying is this is a taoist forum. Taoist celibacy is not about self-denial or escapism. It is not Tao to suppress feelings or emotions or desires. Celibacy is difficult even in ideal circumstances. The tendency that I have seen on this forum for young men to seek celibacy out of fear of intimacy or fear of "losing power" has nothing to do with taoist celibacy. A true taoist celibate is comfortable either way. If one feels the NEED to be celibate for whatever reason, that is an indication of other issues that need to be addressed. I have found that much of the talk of celibacy on this forum has the distinct odor of addiction and therefore will only cause further imbalance. In any case, Non, you and I have gone down this road before. I do not think anything I say will change your mind. Good luck to you, my friend... whatever your choice...

I'm sorry if I inadvertently minimized your situation. I do not know all the particulars and it is certainly understandable and necessary to be single and celibate sometimes. And it is admirable that you have been as brave as you seem to be in facing your issues. For me, I have had (and still have) some personal issues that I have had to face (and still face). Speaking for myself, I am sometimes unable to resolve some of these issues by myself. I have been able to make significant progress with my personal and emotional issues with the help of an objective counselor or mentor. The trick is finding someone trustworthy. I have been lucky that I have been persistent and found counselors and mentors I trust. I also have found that alot of counselors are not so good. For me, I had to keep looking until I found ones that I felt safe with.

I'm confused. Why are the only choices either porn or celibacy? what about a healthy sex life with a real person? From what you have said, porn and celibacy seem to be a way of isolating and denying some underlying intimacy issues. If so, it is probably unlikely that further isolation will cure the real issue. And you probably won't be able to solve it alone. It sounds to me like getting advice from a counselor would be helpful... from what I have read, it sounds like the real issue is isolation and fear of intimacy, not sex...

Some of my students and those who have purchased my DVDs may know of the Earth Breath meditation that I have taught. In this video I teach the original practice that I received in meditation. I have not publicly taught the entire meditation with breath, chant and visualization until now. When I received this meditation in shamanic vision some years ago, I saw the similarity to the traditional Taoist Earth healing sound. But, I did not yet know the origin of the entire sound and breath, so I only taught part of the technique within Taoist teachings. I wanted to be sure of it's origins and effects before I taught the entire practice. This is now my core practice. It has taken my previous practices to a whole new level. It is my belief that this is a mantra and practice for our times. This practice can be used for personal healing and enlightenment and it can also be used as means of restoring and balancing the Earth as well as the collective consciousness of the planet. I was told that this practice can be used to "defrag" the world's hard drive and heal imbalances such as global warming, etc, when combined with our intent... I was told by my guides to share this meditation freely with any and all for the health and restoration of our Mother earth. Please feel free to share this technique with others for the health of our planet. Blessings, Mike...

there is nothing "impure" about being a young man and having a strong sex drive. If you are not living in a monastery or in a cave, you will have very normal, very healthy attraction to women. As one who traveled the same path you are now, (self-imposed celibacy for 6 and 1/2 years!) If I had it to over again, I would have simply enjoyed finding a woman to share my spirituality (and sexuality with). IME and IMO, berating yourself for "impure" thoughts drains far more of your energy than enjoying the love of a good woman. Being a married man, I enjoy a healthy sex life and my energy is far stronger than ever. If you have a truly good energy practice and a good teacher, (not working solo from any "taoist" book off the shelf) there is no need to force yourself into celibacy. Celibacy is like anything else in Tao. If it comes naturally, embrace it. If it is forced, it causes imbalance. Find the balance in the natural way of living for you. If you are burning with lust, the natural way to live is find a partner to grow spiritually with... Find a good teacher and live a normal life and you will be fine.... my .02 Mike

It's not an "either or" situation. All the things you mentioned are certainly possible causes, BUT... nothing happens in our lives without our conscious or unconscious permission. It may be by addressing the remedies you mentioned that you are also defining and strengthening your boundaries and may be preventing further occurrences of energy theft. But it is also a spiritual axiom that everything in our internal and external universe is caused and/or attracted by us on either (and mostly) an unconscious level. It's not a big deal. IME, the best way to handle any situation that needs attention is to do the common sense external remedy, (like the ones you mentioned) and then ask yourself "Why have I attracted/manifested this in my external world."