Trixter Streetcat

thank you all for your responses. just a couple of questions though: yoda, what are MCO-type practices? and also, scotty, by "upward" practices, do you mean stuff like kundalini yoga? how can you tell that I "have practiced them before"? thanks again, and I'll get back to you with results...

hello, I was wondering if anyone had any advice on understanding the play of duality in everyday life. what I am interested in is being aware of the constant and all-pervading play of the opposites in order to eventually "predict" (though this word is far from what I actually mean) the way the pendulum is going to swing. for instance. it is my understanding that the colder something gets, the hotter it will eventually have to get. the tighter a muscle is, the more important it becomes to distend it. these examples may sound simplistic and they are, because our (or my) awareness of the play of opposites is so limited. the universe, in it's constant play between the opposites, is actually always looking to balance itself out. one way of talking about it that I have encountered is "investing in loss". "tao"-wise, if you invest in loss, you will eventually end up gaining. if you invest in gain, you'll end up losing everything (which is the old "you can't take your coins past the death border" scenario). (does this make sense to anyone?). being in harmony with the tao becomes not only realizing this play but merging with it, realizing it is beyond your reach and moreover, finding the "middle way", a way in which the opposites are so closely balanced that they actually disappear in a single unity. I know buddhists out there are going to jump out saying that duality is a state of illusion. that enlightenment comes from unity. i agree to agree to a certain point, and yet, i find it important for me to realize the play of yin and yang all around me, because I usually don't. basically, it's something about doing yang things to get yin effects and vice versa. but for this to work you actually have to be able to notice yin and yang, and yin and yang are so subtle and all pervading that you seldom ever notice the play going on. a couple for instance. a couple that works as a "unity" (so to speak), will need a balanced yin yang to work properly. If either the yin or yang element is out of balance, the couple will have this-or-this out of balance. for instance. for us (normal) mortals, it is easier to have weeks of celibacy and then a single session of mind-blowing sex. or a prolonged period of normal sex. but a prolonged period of mind-blowing sex will eventually be replaced by a long period of imposed celibacy from the tao. i'm not interested in chi depletion but in the way that it's impossible to be all yang, all the time (mind.blowing sex forever). and I'm not interested in mind-blowing sex techniques. i'm just trying to bring your attention to the fact that sex, like all things tao, needs balance. all in all, I'm looking for ways to recognize the yin and yang in everyday life, so as to create a balance between them. we (I) usually don't. no matter how "trapped" in the dualistic world i am, i am nearly always only seeing one side, completely ignoring and eventually becoming unexpectedly overcome by the other side of the coin, which is often something I could've expected. resting to become active, yelling so there can be silence... perhaps my question simply addresses awareness. how to be aware other than actually forcing your attention on things? how to flow correctly? and moreover, is it possible to "flow correcty", or is "flowing correctly" simply "going along"? I know this sounds pretty confusing, but I hope i got meaning out there. i really can't talk about the tao so i don't expect you will. tai chi is the closest actual training for this that I've come up with. but i actually feel it should ongoing and effortless (thought tai chi, in essence, should be effortless, shouldn't it?) now I'm just rambling :-)... hope this gets somewhere...

thank you....

hello, i'm the trickster streetcat, taoist, if you will, but mostly an eclectic mix of currents. Shrooms opened me up to the word and the world, i never really understood it before that (I still don't!). good thing because I don't like words, i find them very limiting, but I'm sure there'll be other ways to get my meaning across... "the tao that can be spoken is not the true tao"... no one's said it better. though at this moment I strive to live and learn the diverse aspects of wholesome way of life, delving into such rich matters as yoga, all sorts of meditation, kung fu, energy healing, channeling, harnessing and just plain and simple playing with it, I am in no way traditional or strict, and often accept the help of momma nature to guide me along; will always accept the stray fermented drink, spontaneous mushroom, magic molecule or helpful plant that comes along ( for "whatever comes, let it come, and whatever goes, let it go"). my interests and pastimes remain varied and diverse, ranging from juggling, hanging out with nature, reading and music-ing and anything that will allow me to delve into that magic and mysterious, all pervading element of the universe. however, at heart I am, inevitably, a writer by trade, poet by craft, living the dreams of Li Po in my head. that's mostly why I have a hard time with words. always thrilled to encounter good souls on the way, I'm anxious to live and learn what's in store for us. and may the force be with you all.