9th

You may be speaking about the phenomena of the subjective experience of these smells alone - what Im saying is my armpits and feet smelled like this. Other people asked me what kind of perfume I was wearing, etc. Its happened before and since, along with many, many, many other things. Just thought Id mention the similiar exp with skin peeling, which I found pretty interesting at the time.

Its heavily inspired by the early era of ambient, vintage style synthesizer music...

Thanks guys! I also made a video of another track of a different type.. its dance music, disco/rave type stuff.. had a lot of fun making the graphics.. took forever to render tho

I had a prolonged awakening (or quickening) experience once, it lasted for about a month. During this period many "miraculous" things happened - but one of the byproducts was the skin peeling off both my palms. Looked like little round holes, like tiny bubbles covering the whole surface of the palm. I found it quite odd at the time. Also my body odor smelled like flowers and incense and fruit, and after a few weeks it gave me some interesting insight into that phenomena. This happened in bumfuck, NC, btw. LOL

If the aliens were guiding evolution and so forth, Im sure there would be some sort of "prime directive" type situation as well. For those unfamiliar, its a term from Star Trek that refers to the principle of not interfering with a civilization and giving them interstellar technology until they have developed it themselves - and also there is stuff about revealing their identities and so on - basically they have to keep everything secret. Its also worth noting that in star trek, earth has become a utopia - there is no money, nobody works except on things they want to work on, there is no war, no violence, etc. and so forth. Looking at it from a natural perspective, it would be the situation where the parent is absolutely needed when the child is an infant, and there would be a great amount of direct effort there. However when the child becomes a teenager and on, they are expected to strike out on their own and become an adult. If mommy and daddy are always doing everything for you, you wont gain any experience, skill, knowledge, understanding and so on for yourself. Of course, aliens guiding evolution is a different situation but some of the principles would be the same. Looking at it from a theoretical perspective, there may be a need for intelligent life of a certain coherent type. If a species is able to come together in a certain unified way, it may have a certain value in regards to a universal community of life. If a species is NOT able to unify in such a way, its not just as if they would serve no purpose - this actually may have a detrimental effect and therefore would be heavily guarded against. Depending on the nature of these needs in regards to the universal community of life, there may be a certain time table involved which would require certain kinds of intervention at certain key points in a species development. These are a few theoretical ideas from a neutral perspective. From (what may be called) a gnostic influenced perspective, you could have an idea where certain species may produce certain materials in certain conditions, and therefore we would be guided into those conditions in order to produce these materials which would then be harvested by the aliens - and in general this would involve cultivation of mass suffering, ignorance and so forth - basically the generation and release of intense psychic energy as food or fuel source. Its worth noting that this principle is the basis of the prehistoric idea of ritual sacrifice (of animals, people, etc.). It seems modern people may think of ancient ritual sacrifice as some weird symbolic act, but no - these ancient people were performing an energetic act... ritual sacrifice is an energy working. Its not just symbolic. And of course there may be a contentious universal community of life where different principles are opposed to another, and therefore multiple kinds of intervention situations may be happening at the same time. This seems likely from our current human perspective - but it must be kept in mind that currently, humanity is very very VERY far from being in a "perfect" place to explore the universe, let alone being a utopia in itself and having a unified global community. So its worth keeping in mind the influence of the human mind on all these proceedings. There are also countless different species of aliens of a sort which we cannot ever possibly dream of, as we have absolutely no frame of reference for the physical characteristics of alternate dimensions where the laws of physics are completely different.

you forgot about first hand accounts, as in those people who have memories of past lives and so forth

There is a lot of data being uncovered recently that somewhat debunks the "out of africa" theory to the extent that scientists now believe that homo-sapiens did not emerge as a definitive species per se for a very long time, and there were many many numerous other closely related species which all combined and homogenized over millennia to achieve the composite representation which we call "modern man". In regards to this, they no longer see Africa as the sole source of humanity, but rather as the most significant source of modern humanity - but the whole origin story has been revealed to be much more complicated. In fact, some archaeologists discovered a treasure trove of ancient pre-human bones just recently which has full skeletons, etc.. Something like a whole community or something was buried in a cave - apparently its one of the biggest discoveries of all time in this field. In terms of alien interventions and non-human intelligent species directing things - you know, its always up for debate. I recently read an article where astronomers have basically conceded the universe is full of intelligent, sentient life - according to the most recent mathematical statistical models. Anyone with half a brain could have already told you that - but hey, they really love their theoretical math proofs, so you gotta let them have their fun. When it comes to evidence of pre-historic alien intervention on earth, thats also up for debate. I find it all quite fascinating, and of course I have some intuitions and other, lets call them "visions" that indicate certain nebulous things that I find hard to describe quickly or in detail. But I do love drawing attention to a couple sites in particular - sites which I feel are worth the most amount of research in this area. The first and most striking IMHO is Puma Punku or Tiwanaku. One of the oddest things is the construction, of course. The blocks and stones are clearly machined, with perfectly straight lines and perfectly round holes at perfect 90 degree angles, and so on. Its also hard to know for sure, but the patina on some of these stones seems like evidence of a good deal more than a couple thousand years of weathering. The other odd thing is what was discovered underneath the site, including a bowl with script that appeared almost sumerian. See below:

Sāṃdhyābhāṣā always requires context - in fact, it is a language of context, a language of relationship between subject and object - rather than a language of subject and/or object. To truly understand the medieval songs and scriptures written in this way requires access to a high degree of familiarity with the "pop culture" of the time. This is because the so-called twilight language draws heavily on worldly symbolism that is directly related to the language of the day in which it was written. The other thing to keep in mind is that each phrase and statement almost always has double, triple, or more valid meanings, depending on how deep you are able to penetrate into the multi-dimensionality of the various symbolic relationships given. This multi-dimensional nature is the essence of Sāṃdhyābhāṣā - it aims to show infinite context - infinite and boundless relationship between all things. The height of creation in this method is akin to automatic writing in that all of these multidimensional aspects just tend to flow out, rather than being a premeditated design for each and every term and phrase. So with this in mind, it may be rather difficult to get the most esoteric details out of these ancient writings. Even with extensive training in the tibetan tradition as it is today probably wont prepare you to reach deeply into the most complicated aspects - because usually terms are used in a way in which they were many hundreds of years ago, in a context that is lost today. Of course there are more or less timeless symbols, which certainly gives a glimpse, and even fairly "simple" songs or poems in this tradition. But there are many other codified practices and methods, ideas and insights which will remain entirely obscure for anyone except clairvoyants... simply due to the lack of having a speaking mind and internal dialog which resides in the indo-tibetan region circa 1000 AD. Ive made many modern attempts... heres a few: tentacles upon tentacles and the legend of the overfiend ejected life capsule observation deck records rising wheel of fiery lightning based jewels as spearhead point of cascading legions descends upon fields of nubile flesh thrusting directly into the heart of the matter again and again and again wielding foregone diagrams and expedient excellence of expert knowledge on root-cuttings scaled chains of earthquake tremor worms striking blackened pit in a haze of ozone fruitful multiplication of swarming hordes trampling winds upon waves of marking epochs bit by bit calculated in cast stone column devices turning circles by measured degrees reckoning in the light of its remote eye blinking steadily with the pulse of pounding blood rushing towards orgasmic fury showering sparks of multicolored escape velocity shattering articles into textbook conclusion mass confusion of tongues brings hyper-spatial bypass and fleeting chances for rescue accorded random statistical advantage manipulation at the last minute by a heart of gold engine and falling antique ethera of the protractys pythagoreans traced pentagrams inscribed in nested rings described outer space xenophile pearlescent inner orbit extraneous submergence internal coalescence expressed in cycles rotational forces expelled from centrifugal excellence enfolded zenith and horizon in spinning insurgence hyper-elastic transition explicable translation emergence inverted serpent trance coiled transistor enhanced capacitor rising heliocentric lunacy encodes particulate excelsior graphic novel of the dead the revolution will not be sanitized it will be commercialized transmogrified by a ZAP! from the ray gun administration in calculated incunabula extirpation crackpot germination from ambulatory masturbation, circulation of extant genetic materials and hazmat procedure crunchy captains chomping down Big Corn holes available for exploration and intercourse with mermaids on the dinner table breakfast nooks with common crooks untenable criminals forsook their chains drenched the walls with mass spermicide run out from underside of Hades drizzle chasing the trains from excised wounds ripped stripped and dew-drop dripped upside-down with grass ingrown setting fires and starlit mires ablaze unfazed in the haze of wrong ways right down the line and stopped on a dime, dropped spinning time spaceman spliffs trailing one thousand holes for double snake-head freak show Changing hands, not changing shovels; in the black for the black list with five coins dropped. If six braids wind up for double-helix triple knot, eight maids milk endless herd of cows. fox enters rabbit hole, sun and moon diving into ocean seven birds shaking tree, eleven snakes boiled for potion lights in sky read by procurer of prostitutes no use for automatic weapons when rising in bed for dog sesame grinder has laser guided shoe The Law of Force full spectrum sheen on the slick oil anointing the heads of runaway overflow gushing tiger blood in the halls of the Vatican caressed by the lust for screaming witches smashed together and burned alive thrashed and trashed or recycled in the name of our Sweet Lord stashed the cash under statue of Baphomet and stuffed like Christmas goose in mouth of John the Baptist’s severed head with pronounced Cymatic registration for Logos tuning forked tongues and tails haunted by echos of the Superuser marching down the command line interfaces of death with hot sticky breath chasing fogged sunglasses worn at night with red shoes for dancing black and blue Skyline racing invisible sunlight wrapped tight so the bedbugs wont bite the white wall tires like termites in the root access directory structure punctured by the fangs of our Sweet Lord who maketh all the young girls lie down and wait for sweet rape in the tall grass squeezed like grapes and a piece of ass fermenting still waters into cyclone tsunami wine bottle tidal wave killing punani with the jammy that listens to the way we slay bad brains damaged by raiding black flags nailed to the crossbones under crystal skulls trailed to lost homes of child sacrifice in the name of our Sweet Lord

just stop

I strongly advise against jumping into a water fast without preparation, or a bit of pre-conditioning. Also, be very careful of the extended duration methods. Id consider water fasting to be high risk, high reward - at least in regards to modern man. Its not the first thing I would suggest.

These practices are not a spectator sport. Id advise backing away from this world if you have no intention of engaging it.

This is only a superficial level of understanding, it doesnt pierce deeply enough into the reality of everyones subjugation to the manifest world, as it is. In simple terms, you cannot control the weather - you cannot "determine your own reality" by cancelling a rainstorm. You can choose to put on a rain coat - that is how you "determine your reality" in regards to the weather. The problem I have seen in many of these thoughts, and other similar "revelations" influenced by the traditional methods and scriptures, writings, etc. - is they always reflect back to the idea of the self as the "owner" or "doer" or some such absolute position. The legacy of the ancient wisdom is still very much in effect, very influential - and with that is all the psychological and social mechanisms which were appropriate for dealing with the world and other people, at that time. These days, you cannot apply the same influences without creating some big problems along the way. Its all part of the process of maturation, but to assume that ancient wisdom and the perspectives involved are always correct and appropriate is a real error. Ancient times were quite different - especially in regards to society and how people are regarded, but also in countless small ways as well. What seems all too lacking is some very real insight into the material of self-nature, in regards to the composition of the elements, the forces which move them, and so forth. Does this human body need food? Is your self causing you to need food? Of course there is always lip service!! Hell this forum is practically nothing but lip service, amongst all the other "entertaining" bits. But its quite easy to tell who is bullshitting when you know what to look for. Insight isnt a quote, a slogan, a motto, a koan, a poem. You cannot see a movie unless light is projecting through the film onto the screen, but the light is not the movie... and it never changes, it just blinks endlessly. You try to show someone the light, they will say "hey - wheres the movie?" or "hey where can I find a movie about light?".

anyone with at least a spark of intelligence

until you yourself have an experience of simultaneous arising (or sahaja), all the discussion is pointless at best... and an actual hindrance at worst - because you will be looking for something based on your interpretation of second hand information its true that dzogchen and mahamudra type methods are not for everyone, and there is a damn good reason for it - anyways, if you really understand what its all about at that level, the last thing you will want or need is another system to filter it through

Hermes, while wandering in a rocky and desolate place, gave himself over to meditation and prayer. Following the secret instructions of the Temple, he gradually freed his higher consciousness from the bondage of his bodily senses; and, thus released, his divine nature revealed to him the mysteries of the transcendental spheres. He beheld a figure, terrible and awe-inspiring. It was the Great Dragon, with wings stretching across the sky and light streaming in all directions from its body. The Great Dragon called Hermes by name, and asked him why he thus meditated upon the World Mystery. Terrified by the spectacle, Hermes prostrated himself before the Dragon, beseeching it to reveal its identity. The great creature answered that it was Poimandres, the Mind of the Universe, the Creative Intelligence, and the Absolute Emperor of all. Hermes then besought Poimandres to disclose the nature of the universe and the constitution of the gods. The Dragon acquiesced, bidding Trismegistus hold its image in his mind. Immediately the form of Poimandres changed. Where it had stood there was a glorious and pulsating Radiance. This Light was the spiritual nature of the Great Dragon itself. Hermes was "raised" into the midst of this Divine Effulgence and the universe of material things faded from his consciousness. Presently a great darkness descended and, expanding, swallowed up the Light. Everything was troubled. About Hermes swirled a mysterious watery substance which gave forth a smokelike vapor. The air was filled with inarticulate moanings and sighings which seemed to come from the Light swallowed up in the darkness. His mind told Hermes that the Light was the form of the spiritual universe and that the swirling darkness which had engulfed it represented material substance. Then out of the imprisoned Light a mysterious and Holy Word came forth and took its stand upon the smoking waters. This Word--the Voice of the Light--rose out of the darkness as a great pillar, and the fire and the air followed after it, but the earth and the water remained unmoved below. Thus the waters of Light were divided from the waters of darkness, and from the waters of Light were formed the worlds above and from the waters of darkness were formed the worlds below. The earth and the water next mingled, becoming inseparable, and the Spiritual Word which is called Reason moved upon their surface, causing endless turmoil. Then again was heard the voice of Poimandres, but His form was not revealed: "I Thy God am the Light and the Mind which were before substance was divided from spirit and darkness from Light. And the Word which appeared as a pillar of flame out of the darkness is the Son of God, born of the mystery of the Mind. The name of that Word is Reason. Reason is the offspring of Thought and Reason shall divide the Light from the darkness and establish Truth in the midst of the waters. Understand, O Hermes, and meditate deeply upon the mystery. That which in you sees and hears is not of the earth, but is the Word of God incarnate. So it is said that Divine Light dwells in the midst of mortal darkness, and ignorance cannot divide them. The union of the Word and the Mind produces that mystery which is called Life. As the darkness without you is divided against itself, so the darkness within you is likewise divided. The Light and the fire which rise are the divine man, ascending in the path of the Word, and that which fails to ascend is the mortal man, which may not partake of immortality. Learn deeply of the Mind and its mystery, for therein lies the secret of immortality." The Dragon again revealed its form to Hermes, and for a long time the two looked steadfastly one upon the other, eye to eye, so that Hermes trembled before the gaze of Poimandres. At the Word of the Dragon the heavens opened and the innumerable Light Powers were revealed, soaring through Cosmos on pinions of streaming fire. Hermes beheld the spirits of the stars, the celestials controlling the universe, and all those Powers which shine with the radiance of the One Fire--the glory of the Sovereign Mind. Hermes realized that the sight which he beheld was revealed to him only because Poimandres had spoken a Word. The Word was Reason, and by the Reason of the Word invisible things were made manifest. Divine Mind--the Dragon--continued its discourse: "Before the visible universe was formed its mold was cast. This mold was called the Archetype, and this Archetype was in the Supreme Mind long before the process of creation began. Beholding the Archetypes, the Supreme Mind became enamored with Its own thought; so, taking the Word as a mighty hammer, It gouged out caverns in primordial space and cast the form of the spheres in the Archetypal mold, at the same time sowing in the newly fashioned bodies the seeds of living things. The darkness below, receiving the hammer of the Word, was fashioned into an orderly universe. The elements separated into strata and each brought forth living creatures. The Supreme Being--the Mind--male and female, brought forth the Word; and the Word, suspended between Light and darkness, was delivered of another Mind called the Workman, the Master-Builder, or theMaker of Things. "In this manner it was accomplished, O Hermes: The Word moving like a breath through space called forth the Fire by the friction of its motion. Therefore, the Fire is called the Son of Striving. The Workman passed as a whirlwind through the universe, causing the substances to vibrate and glow with its friction, The Son of Striving thus formed Seven Governors, the Spirits of the Planets, whose orbits bounded the world; and the Seven Governors controlled the world by the mysterious power called Destiny given them by the Fiery Workman. When the Second Mind (The Workman) had organized Chaos, the Word of God rose straightway our of its prison of substance, leaving the elements without Reason, and joined Itself to the nature of the Fiery Workman. Then the Second Mind, together with the risen Word, established Itself in the midst of the universe and whirled the wheels of the Celestial Powers. This shall continue from an infinite beginning to an infinite end, for the beginning and the ending are in the same place and state. "Then the downward-turned and unreasoning elements brought forth creatures without Reason. Substance could not bestow Reason, for Reason had ascended out of it. The air produced flying things and the waters such as swim. The earth conceived strange four-footed and creeping beasts, dragons, composite demons, and grotesque monsters. Then the Father--the Supreme Mind--being Light and Life, fashioned a glorious Universal Man in Its own image, not an earthy man but a heavenly Man dwelling in the Light of God. The Supreme Mind loved the Man It had fashioned and delivered to Him the control of the creations and workmanships. "The Man, desiring to labor, took up His abode in the sphere of generation and observed the works of His brother--the Second Mind--which sat upon the Ring of the Fire. And having beheld the achievements of the Fiery Workman, He willed also to make things, and His Father gave permission. The Seven Governors, of whose powers He partook, rejoiced and each gave the Man a share of Its own nature. "The Man longed to pierce the circumference of the circles and understand the mystery of Him who sat upon the Eternal Fire. Having already all power, He stooped down and peeped through the seven Harmonies and, breaking through the strength of the circles, made Himself manifest to Nature stretched out below. The Man, looking into the depths, smiled, for He beheld a shadow upon the earth and a likeness mirrored in the waters, which shadow and likeness were a reflection of Himself. The Man fell in love with His own shadow and desired to descend into it. Coincident with the desire, the Intelligent Thing united Itself with the unreasoning image or shape. "Nature, beholding the descent, wrapped herself about the Man whom she loved, and the two were mingled. For this reason, earthy man is composite. Within him is the Sky Man, immortal and beautiful; without is Nature, mortal and destructible. Thus, suffering is the result of the Immortal Man's falling in love with His shadow and giving up Reality to dwell in the darkness of illusion; for, being immortal, man has the power of the Seven Governors--also the Life, the Light, and the Word-but being mortal, he is controlled by the Rings of the Governors--Fate or Destiny. "Of the Immortal Man it should be said that He is hermaphrodite, or male and female, and eternally watchful. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and is governed by a Father also both male and female, and ever watchful. Such is the mystery kept hidden to this day, for Nature, being mingled in marriage with the Sky Man, brought forth a wonder most wonderful--seven men, all bisexual, male and female, and upright of stature, each one exemplifying the natures of the Seven Governors. These O Hermes, are the seven races, species, and wheels. "After this manner were the seven men generated. Earth was the female element and water the male element, and from the fire and the æther they received their spirits, and Nature produced bodies after the species and shapes of men. And man received the Life and Light of the Great Dragon, and of the Life was made his Soul and of the Light his Mind. And so, all these composite creatures containing immortality, but partaking of mortality, continued in this state for the duration of a period. They reproduced themselves out of themselves, for each was male and female. But at the end of the period the knot of Destiny was untied by the will of God and the bond of all things was loosened. "Then all living creatures, including man, which had been hermaphroditical, were separated, the males being set apart by themselves and the females likewise, according to the dictates of Reason. "Then God spoke to the Holy Word within the soul of all things, saying: 'Increase in increasing and multiply in multitudes, all you, my creatures and workmanships. Let him that is endued with Mind know himself to be immortal and that the cause of death is the love of the body; and let him learn all things that are, for he who has recognized himself enters into the state of Good.' "And when God had said this, Providence, with the aid of the Seven Governors and Harmony, brought the sexes together, making the mixtures and establishing the generations, and all things were multiplied according to their kind. He who through the error of attachment loves his body, abides wandering in darkness, sensible and suffering the things of death, but he who realizes that the body is but the tomb of his soul, rises to immortality." Then Hermes desired to know why men should be deprived of immortality for the sin of ignorance alone. The Great Dragon answered:, To the ignorant the body is supreme and they are incapable of realizing the immortality that is within them. Knowing only the body which is subject to death, they believe in death because they worship that substance which is the cause and reality of death." Then Hermes asked how the righteous and wise pass to God, to which Poimandres replied: "That which the Word of God said, say I: 'Because the Father of all things consists of Life and Light, whereof man is made.' If, therefore, a man shall learn and understand the nature of Life and Light, then he shall pass into the eternity of Life and Light." Hermes next inquired about the road by which the wise attained to Life eternal, and Poimandres continued: "Let the man endued with a Mind mark, consider, and learn of himself, and with the power of his Mind divide himself from his not-self and become a servant of Reality." Hermes asked if all men did not have Minds, and the Great Dragon replied: "Take heed what you say, for I am the Mind--the Eternal Teacher. I am the Father of the Word--the Redeemer of all men--and in the nature of the wise the Word takes flesh. By means of the Word, the world is saved. I, Thought (Thoth)--the Father of the Word, the Mind--come only unto men that are holy and good, pure and merciful, and that live piously and religiously, and my presence is an inspiration and a help to them, for when I come they immediately know all things and adore the Universal Father. Before such wise and philosophic ones die, they learn to renounce their senses, knowing that these are the enemies of their immortal souls. "I will not permit the evil senses to control the bodies of those who love me, nor will I allow evil emotions and evil thoughts to enter them. I become as a porter or doorkeeper, and shut out evil, protecting the wise from their own lower nature. But to the wicked, the envious and the covetous, I come not, for such cannot understand the mysteries of Mind; therefore, I am unwelcome. I leave them to the avenging demon that they are making in their own souls, for evil each day increases itself and torments man more sharply, and each evil deed adds to the evil deeds that are gone before until finally evil destroys itself. The punishment of desire is the agony of unfulfillment." Hermes bowed his head in thankfulness to the Great Dragon who had taught him so much, and begged to hear more concerning the ultimate of the human soul. So Poimandres resumed: "At death the material body of man is returned to the elements from which it came, and the invisible divine man ascends to the source from whence he came, namely the Eighth Sphere. The evil passes to the dwelling place of the demon, and the senses, feelings, desires, and body passions return to their source, namely the Seven Governors, whose natures in the lower man destroy but in the invisible spiritual man give life. "After the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its spiritual estate. It ascends the seven Rings upon which sit the Seven Governors and returns to each their lower powers in this manner: Upon the first ring sits the Moon, and to it is returned the ability to increase and diminish. Upon the second ring sits Mercury, and to it are returned machinations, deceit, and craftiness. Upon the third ring sits Venus, and to it are returned the lusts and passions. Upon the fourth ring sits the Sun, and to this Lord are returned ambitions. Upon the fifth ring sits Mars, and to it are returned rashness and profane boldness. Upon the sixth ring sits Jupiter, and to it are returned the sense of accumulation and riches. And upon the seventh ring sits Saturn, at the Gate of Chaos, and to it are returned falsehood and evil plotting. "Then, being naked of all the accumulations of the seven Rings, the soul comes to the Eighth Sphere, namely, the ring of the fixed stars. Here, freed of all illusion, it dwells in the Light and sings praises to the Father in a voice which only the pure of spirit may understand. Behold, O Hermes, there is a great mystery in the Eighth Sphere, for the Milky Way is the seed-ground of souls, and from it they drop into the Rings, and to the Milky Way they return again from the wheels of Saturn. But some cannot climb the seven-runged ladder of the Rings. So they wander in darkness below and are swept into eternity with the illusion of sense and earthiness. "The path to immortality is hard, and only a few find it. The rest await the Great Day when the wheels of the universe shall be stopped and the immortal sparks shall escape from the sheaths of substance. Woe unto those who wait, for they must return again, unconscious and unknowing, to the seed-ground of stars, and await a new beginning. Those who are saved by the light of the mystery which I have revealed unto you, O Hermes, and which I now bid you to establish among men, shall return again to the Father who dwelleth in the White Light, and shall deliver themselves up to the Light and shall be absorbed into the Light, and in the Light they shall become Powers in God. This is the Way of Good and is revealed only to them that have wisdom. "Blessed art thou, O Son of Light, to whom of all men, I, Poimandres, the Light of the World, have revealed myself. I order you to go forth, to become as a guide to those who wander in darkness, that all men within whom dwells the spirit of My Mind (The Universal Mind) may be saved by My Mind in you, which shall call forth My Mind in them. Establish My Mysteries and they shall not fail from the earth, for I am the Mind of the Mysteries and until Mind fails (which is never) my Mysteries cannot fail." With these parting words, Poimandres, radiant with celestial light, vanished, mingling with the powers of the heavens. Raising his eyes unto the heavens, Hermes blessed the Father of All Things and consecrated his life to the service of the Great Light.

This is pretty relevant here. Some of you may be interested in contributing to this kickstarter: Serpent on the Cross: The Ancient Occult Path to Liberation is a pioneering account of a secret spiritual tradition that is the Western counterpart of tantra. As well as providing an accurate history of this tradition, the author - an academic expert on the occult - also describes his own experimentation with its alchemical and magical techniques of healing and inner transformation. Dealing primarily with the summoning of angels and demons, the techniques detailed in Serpent on the Cross have been passed on within an esoteric lineage stretching back in history to the early Christians, and beyond them to the primeval shamanic past. You might think of this tradition as a great tree, its branches stretching eastwards to tantra and westwards to practices we describe today as ‘occult arts’. Unlike its cousins in the East, however, the Western branch of the ancient tree of gnosis has withered as religious and rationalist zealots alike have vilified and persecuted its practitioners. Surviving largely as an underground spiritual current, it has only occasionally surfaced into Western intellectual culture, most recently via the work of Carl Gustav Jung.

Thunder is in the earth; return. Thus did the kings of yore shut the gates on the winter solstice; caravans did not travel, the ruler did not inspect the regions. Return means reversion and restoration. Above is earth, below is thunder; there is thunder in the earth. Thunder is something very active; when thunder stirs in the earth, the mechanism of enlivening operates, and myriad things are born. What the ancient kings saw in this was that as everything revives when the positive creative energy operates, so does the living potential return to humans when their positive energy becomes manifest. So they closed the gates on the winter solstice, not allowing caravans to go forth and trade, not allowing the ruler to go out and inspect the regions. This was all to get people to emulate the restoration of heaven and earth, nurturing this point of living potential, not letting it be damaged. What is the living potential? The potential is the natural innocent mind inherent in humans. This is the progenitor of life, the source of yin and yang. Once it falls into temporal conditioning, it becomes covered by temperament, and cannot be consistently manifest. When it occasionally does manifest, this is the time of the return of the celestial within the mundane. This time, however, is hard to gain and easy to lose; most people do not know it, and miss it even when it is right there. Because of this, the mundane gradually grows and the celestial gradually wanes. When the celestial is exhausted and mundanity is complete, there is only death. The shutting of the gates on the winter solstice is so that when the positive energy returns people will nurture it. Caravans not traveling means not allowing involvement with external artificialities to damage inner reality. The ruler not inspecting the regions means preventing keenness in criticizing others coupled with dullness in cultivating oneself. Once the gates are closed, one is careful and strict; inwardly thoughts do not arise, external things do not enter. Thus the positive energy cannot leak out. Thus it was that the ancient kings established their resolve for the sake of the world, and established order to enable the people to live. When superior people who practice the Tao refine themselves and master their minds, illumination arises in inner openness, and the living potential is activated; they should quickly gather it into the furnace of evolution, conscientiously forestall danger, carefully seal it and store it securely, fostering its growth from vagueness to clarity, until there is eventually a return of the celestial energy to pure completeness. This is the same idea as the ancient kings shutting the gates on the winter solstice. This time when the positive celestial energy first returns is the passageway of life and death; if you can avail yourself of it, you enter the road of life, but if you lose it you wind up on the road of death. "Shut the gates" here means closing the door of death; when the door of death is closed, the door of life opens. Heaven borrows human power, humans borrow celestial power; when heaven and humanity work together, the elixir of immortality crystallizes in a short time, without requiring years of effort. Unfortunately, most people do not seek the personal instruction of a genuine teacher, and miss the opportunity that is right before them. - Liu I-ming

Until we meet again...