thelerner

As a kid savings accounts meant having a passbook, and you'd earn 5 1/4 percent on your money plus get a toaster or stuffed animal. Course those days had pretty high inflation too, stagflation but you can't have everything. Interest rates have been abnormally low for almost a decade (they were dropped to stimulate the economy, probably shoulda been sent up years ago, but politics..). They're creeping up now, probably be close to normal in a few years. As usual as interest goes up, bond prices go down (cause why hold a 3% bond when you can get a new one paying 5%). Borrowing will become more expensive but safe savings will provide more money. I expect we'll see more inflation but that's the way the cycles rolls. Very Taoish really, good times raises wages and goods. They get too high, inflation.. and the seeds of recession come into play. Things cool and the cycle repeats. Monetary policy tries to keep the highs and lows in check. Under capitalism, this wobble between expansion and recession is the price we pay for pretty productive system.

Sounds like you're working heart, mind and body. Seems like a balanced practice to me. For tension, shaking might help. Standing with feet shoulder width apart, hands to the sides, then from the elbows and wrist shake your hands. Let the shaking fill your body, get your knees into. You can keep it subtle or big and apelike letting your knees bounce your body up and down, lifting yourself off your heels. (going hou hou hou hah like a big ape) Keep it up for a few minutes or longer. Then let it slow and remain standing, feeling the inner vibration and let it settle. Stay there for a bit. It should feel good. A good shake is great for chronic tension. You can find it in a couple of chi gung traditions as well as martial. Get some menthol or eucalyptus oil or wax.. Give it a sniff every now and then.. good for the sinuses as are many herbal teas. Or you really want to get yoga on them, have someone show you how to use a neti pot. I find that after use my sinuses clear out.

Makes sense, though metta always seemed to me as much in the head as in the heart. Still, when working with energy, its good to end and settle at the lower dantien/hara.

<I don't do tai chi, but I do like simple. In my opinion 13 > 72, at least until you've gotten alot of experience. I like chi gung forms that are simpler then 13! Like Michael Winn's Fundamentals and Pan Gu.. Course, we're all different and finding a good teacher who lives close regardless of style is always a blessing. Many great teachers will give a student a short piece of a long form, and that's it for many a moon.

I collected bokken (wooden swords) for awhile, gave most of them to my old dojo. My favorite wood is hickory, what they've been making axe handles out of for millennia. For more weight, a couple places make bokken using laminates, thin slices of wood with resin inbetween making for a heavier tougher blades that still feel like wood. Yet even cheaper bokken can be nice, if you strip them and oil them up.

To me, Taoism is about about skillful means. In conflict there is fighting, getting out of the way, building stronger defenses, taking away weapons, waiting & investigating deeper.. myriad. A master recognizes the infinite possibilities and moves in the direction of what is proper. He understands the possibilities beyond fight, flight or ignore. sometimes making a cup of tea, stops the war.

I put down this one without listening to the whole thing. Not bad, but a lotta kid noise in the background. So much that it kinda cancels itself out, thus not so bad . Maybe its the voyeur in me but I find meditating by a public pool to be very nice. There are so much conversation and noise that it blends away.. The above reminds me of that, and the bells are nice. This week I recommend finding some other yoga nidra's. Again looking through podcasts and youtubes, finding ones that connect. That's what this is really about, we're all different and its nice to find a perfect one, until it's not anymore and search goes on. Til then I'll add a nice longer one. The Beach and Stars I mentioned earlier. This one is long and blends traditional yoga nidra and pleasant guided meditation imagery. As I recall it cuts down the usual body sensing. Instead of right hand thumb, right hand finger one etc., it does both 'sides' at once. I was just listening to another nidra that began with the tip of the nose and worked out. Nice to hear variety. In any case here is one of my favorites, excellent first thing in the morning on a lazy Saturday or Sunday.- Yoga_Nidra_Beach_and_Stars_42_min_1.mp3

I've never done bagua, but in my experience double weighted keeps one from moving as quickly. Fine for forms, but movement requires.. dynamic imbalance.

I'm a Wooden Dragon ('64). As the old saying goes- wooden dragons shouldn't play with matches.

I liked The Shape of Water. You don't see enough romantic Creatures of the Black Lagoon flicks.. not since Hellboy II anyway. Interesting reflection on tolerance. Yet those very reflections made me question the choices for 'bad guys'. You need protagonists in a flick, and for color you need background. Probably best not philosophize too much on it. A bit heavy handed with some of its themes and a little long, but solid story telling with great performances. A nice reflection though a little overly pessimistic of the period. Though it nicely answers the question- can a woman and man/fish/monster live together happily? yes but not with cats.

Let me throw this in. Somethings don't have to be true or logical to be useful. The concept of past/present/now being the same can be an powerful mental tool. Abiding there gives a deep sense of patience and peace. It knocks causality on its head and opens the mind a bit. So.. very useful. Best to time things with an hour glass. When we want more time we can always flip it over.

Welcome to the site. If you want to go beyond logic. Think of a question that's bothering you, then open the DDJ to a random page and read. See what insights (if any) the passage has for your problem.

Some of the best guided meditations are from the Indian tradition called Yoga Nidra. There are dozens if not hundreds of them available and they are wonderful for putting you into a deep state of openness and relaxation. They tend to be less visual then most western scripts, so work well with people who don't visualize as well. Here is a link to a short simple 16 minute one- http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/mp3/bridget-reader-yn-1 Here's a nice one for sleep- http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/mp3/yoga-nidra-good-night-sleep Here's a long one with nice tibetan bells http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/mp3/colour-ling-mann I encourage people to go to http://www.yoganidranetwork.org and try out a few, find one they like, download it and work with it. Often there are bits we miss the first few listenings that have experiential teachings. For those with Amazon Alexa units, you can Open up the skill Yoga Nidra, then anytime you want to hear a nice one you simply say Play Yoga Nidra and it plays. I notice the Yoga Nidra network changes there selection. One of favorite longer ones Beach and Stars is no longer available. So if you like one, download and why not throw them the organization a pound or two for it. Google or search youtube for Yoga nidra and you can find many other sources for them.

Moving away from Qi, Darkness training- days spent in the total darkness seems to activate different centers in the mind. Melatonin production and inner eye awareness is greatly enhanced, many report psychic centers opening. It's fascinating to read accounts of those who go through the Healing Tao Total Darkness Retreat. info on it-https://www.universal-tao.com/dark_room/ One guys experience- https://www.universal-tao.com/dark_room/thedark.html

Images like those above bring to mind my favorite adventure, travel, philosophy book- The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Drink-Whiskey-Stumbling.../dp/0060834501

Its infamous to hear people lament they spent 2 bitcoins on a pizza, and hear someone else chime in, yeah, except I bought 2 pizzas for 4! Bitcoin spent all of 2010 under a buck, first 3 months of 2011 under $2.. then it exploded.

I'd also say take it easy. Perhaps, dinner, movie.. Don't be too forward or move too fast. After all, you can't teach an old ttc manuscript new tricks.

I find the Bum part as important or maybe more important the Dao. In that we are an eclectic board, filled with many traditions and practices. Bums can be pretty cool. Open and traveling.

I don't know, if local currencies fluctuated like bitcoin does, it'd be disastrous. Hyperinflationary and a host of other problems. To me the most interesting global currency is the one we have in our pockets now.. the credit card- Visa, Mastercard. Amazing stuff, useful throughout the world; buys, sells and converts easily and effortless. It's not there for speculation rather its an amazingly convenient tool for trade.

What would you change about your life to make it better? What job would suit you best? Where would you live? What would you change about your body, your attitude and circumstances? Preferably nothing magical, but in the realm of possibility what would make you happier? For me, I envision living on one of the lesser Hawaiian Islands. A bartender or barista. Meeting people, serving them. Some creativity in drinks, menu and decor. A beautiful place, with nice walks, some near waterfalls. Group meditations, sitting and moving, available daily, run by those with passion. Bonfires on the beach. A place that welcomes singing and dancing. On the island of St Lucia once a week there is an island wide celebration. Don't know what they celebrate.. maybe just life itself. I should go back there and check. Last time there I stayed in an all inclusive. Nice but stifling, decadent, artificial. I'd design hammocks and terrariums. Terrariums that capture moods. Ahab on a boat trying to find the great white Beta fish. A terrariums with miniature rivers and water falls. Hot deserts, hills with vineyards, working miniature farms.. Hammocks, dual sideways hammocks, dark room hammocks some with sound and projection, minimalist ones too. How little can you go, in terms of support and rope (4 strands? 5?)

Thanks for bringing this up. What am I waiting for.. responsibilities, to wife.. kids.. I've compromised my integrity enough so that one more dream delayed is par for the course.. Responsibility is as much a cornerstone of life as dreams. The plain unglamourous redundant work.. that builds something.. trust.. daily bread. Little things that shouldn't be belittled. Still, I'll get something like it some day. In the meantime, I'll hit Burning Man(s) and could probably put some work into pieces of the dream.. working on hammocks and terrariums..

Paradoxically it'd be a better investment if it held its price or went up (or down) in a slow predictable manner. That's what a currency, alt or not is supposed to do. The way the price behaves means its not fulfilling its design. Rather its a speculative, erratic and well.. balloony. Yet there's times dumb money beats smart. This is one. If a person is willing to gamble with money they don't mind losing 50% of then.. maybe? but if you can't afford to lose half quickly, don't. In truth the regular old stock market has some good wind behind it. Slow and steady wins races.

Any Traditional Daoist winter practices we should know about? What do Daoist do during duh winter? describe in detail?

This is common sense, even instinctive, when walking in the winter there's a strong connection between warmth and heart rate. A higher heart beat, not racing, you don't want to sweat, just higher, creates much more warmth then a calmer one.

The first mask-like image struck me as part African, part Cirque de Soleil. They had some amazing artistic skills. I wish the pictures had something so we could reference the sizes of the objects. That eye popping mask is also interesting, shades of Hermes, god of optometry.