thelerner

Liminal reminds me that so much of the good life is knowing what makes you smile and doing it. A simple truth we forget. A second thing is, that many of the best things in life start off hard, take initial effort. Aren't fun at first, requiring time and effort. But once over that hump are the good things, be it playing an instrument, learning a new skill or sport, or trying to make a new friend. So the good life also requires pursuing the hard.. at times. I like contrasts, hitting highs and lows. When I travel I like cheap places but also to visit (maybe not stay in) the best and most expensive place town. To hit the dive bars and honky tonks but also terraced roof bars; gawking at $100 cocktail drinks and ordering a beer or coffee. I like finding a great TV series (GoT, Stranger Things..) and watching it twice, preferably with a friend.

Next week, Monday January 1st, I'm thinking a new Guided meditation for people to listen to and write about and discuss. Less a learning experience like the previous one rather for simple enjoyment. Hypnosis for Happiness and Contentment by Kim Walsh. She has a beautiful lilting voice. The audio is about 23 minutes long. Once you get into you can start it around minute 6 as I recall. Here is a link to the youtube version- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veETG-PczWk A link to it as an mp3 below. Nice to put it onto your phone or mp3 player for morning listening. Hypno_for_happiness_and_contentment_1.mp3 A classic pleasant relaxing hypnotic reading. One with more bells and whistles then the previous. I encourage people to give this one a try or one of her other audios. Let me know what you think.

The two themes I'm hearing the most are circle of friends and 'being at peace with the world and content with what is' (from Cold). Much truth in both. Yet, so often looking from our ideas to how we spend out time there's a disconnect. We know friends/family are important yet too often put our relationships on autopilot, and sadly stop making new ones. Same with being content with what Is. We say it, but we don't enjoy the common things in life, forget to notice them, forget to enjoy them. Our thoughts dwell in the future or on the negative, or just bland nonawareness. Effort and awareness are needed to pull us out of these slumps that degrade our precious lives.

Depends.. some systems (& teachers) specifically say no. They either want to be exclusive or worry that moving energy one way for one practice and another for a second leads to problems. Hopefully one can check with there teacher. For example Max Christenson's Kunlun didn't want people playing with other energy meditations when learning his practice. He wanted to develop energy moving a certain way. Another example; some types of chi gung like the Micro Cosmic Orbit, others see it as forced and others are simply against it. Perhaps with enough years under one's belt an experienced practitioner can decide for themselves, but it's probably best to listen to one's teacher.

That might be like the saying about the accused being there own lawyer.. probably.

My Forecast app is saying it's a high of N/A and a low of 2. Tomorrow high of 5, low of uno. New Year's will be colder still, brr. Still.. as they say, no such thing as too cold, only under dressed.

We are biochemical electrical beings. The West's direction of understanding went with a very physical paradigm, breaking down and looking at the bodies various systems mechanically. The East took there paradigm from nature, looking at the bodies systems like a garden, with seasons and interactions between the organs and the environment. Both have good points and areas they excel in. Though they can seem ludicrous to the other point of view. The question- Can anyone nudge me to the most straightforward school or system of Nei-Kung? Is much argued. The top guys in most systems are amazing.. but there are also many mediocre teachers and students. I'll often recommend seeing what's close by, observe a few classes, paying as much attention to the students demeanor as to the teachers ability. A nearby teacher who's good is better then an expert 1,000 (or 100) miles away. Especially when you're beginning. Don't disregard seemingly common Yoga or Tai Chi classes, there are hidden gems around. We all start in kindergarten and to be a babe taking college courses doesn't make sense, for you or the teacher. So.. look around, try new things, flirt with some, marry one. See what you connect with, not the flashiest or that makes the most marketing or extravagant promises. One can spend a lifetime and gain mastery.. just sitting. maybe.

IQ's is great, but often I think we'd do better shooting for wisdom.

I've heard one day, he wants to become, a law. sorry.. don't mind me.. as the pope of Taoism once said 'sometimes fingers have a mind of there own'.

We did a bad a job of knowing our neighbors when we lived in a condo in the city. But really its as easy as making a pot of coffee and making a call or ringing a door bell. We need to go beyond knowing our neighbors and being friends with them. It vastly improves our lives, from simple friendship to borrowing to life saving. It's worth the time and repeated effort. Failing and being turned down numerous times, until random factors align and you share a coffee and find out a little about them. Then the next step you borrow from or use there expertise, again a bonding experience, because people want to help other, to feel part of community. If the coffee or tea doesn't go over, ring their bell, ask for 2 eggs, even if you don't need them. Nothing tastier then purloined scrambled eggs. <I borrowed eggs from my neighbor George once, needed them to bake something. Got home, prepared the dough, cracked the egg to find it was hard boiled!> Be a little nosy, find out about there lives, share you own. Its important, we're social animals and need to interaction. Back to OP. Things I got out of listening today. We create entities/internal zombies when we carry out inner rant/dialogs with people we're annoyed at; after the fact kind. It's one thing if they're short and lead to action, but when they ramble on circularly we are doing ourselves harm. Long's solution is to deep breaths, starve the thinking mind. Not to different then the old fashion advice to count 20 elephants.. or whatever. Also he mentioned at one point '..Love or Goodwill'.. if I have a sticking point with the word love, I should substitute Goodwill. Focus on more goodwill to others in thoughts and deeds. Make Goodwill a point of meditation and investigation. There was a third point.. what was it.. oh well.. gone. Perhaps it will come back tomorrow. 12/30 Not much to report, so I'll keep this in an older post. Insomnia struck last night, so got to bed 3:45 or 4ish. Listening to audio, as usual starting at 10:25 into it. Also as usual listening in bed, whereas I believe he'd prefer one to be sitting in meditation. Enjoyed, it certainly put me into a meditative state and by the end, put me completely under or back to sleep. Which is what I needed.

No sweat, maybe I'll do a couple of these and see if anyone wants to play along. Maybe it'll inspire someone in the future, or more probably its a self interest kind of thing that isn't everyone's cup of tea. also.. Thanks for the kind words.. hopefully I'm in the upper 50% in kindness, but probably not cracking the top 10% . Most often I walk a crooked path. Take this heart stuff. In truth I like my neighbors, but don't love them. Humanity is my species, but I don't really love it.. they're okay. My default mode is respect and open mindedness, but not love. Sure what the world needs now, is love, sweet love, but it'd be a major improvement if it got more mutual respect, open mindedness and bit more kindness. That'd be enough for me. With love comes responsibility, and I don't want that. I'll give a beggar change, a buck, some food, but if I loved them, like I do my family, I'd have to go further, be responsibility for them. I don't want 'love' to be a motto. For it to be real for me means effort and attachment. Part of me wants to have a more open heart, but a larger part fears the impossible work that would go along with that. I am no saint (or want to be). So generally I do little bits, small kindnesses, but loving my neighbors.. not really, though I'm having a bunch over on the 31st. Thinking in these terms, I probably have some guided meditations that touch on the open heart.. Laughing meditation, secret smile, heart at peace, chod.. probably have a couple Loving Kindness types. Perhaps next week.. or month.. maybe. I do think there's greater power in listening to an audio everyday for a week, rather then just once or twice. On the other hand, they are up against a lifetime of habits, so a few minutes of rah rah go go, isn't gonna shake much. Real change isn't as easy as reading a slogan or listening to a tape. Yet nuts crack, seasons change.. when the time is right, people change direction.

amazing talent. I see similar things at Burning Mans. My guess is since he's wearing black and there's a stiff black wire that 'floats' it. He moves above, below and to the his left, but as far as I can see not to the right, or necessarily the back. so a black (or transparent) wire would be hard to see and connects to the crystal at the angle that he doesn't check. He over emphasizes the other directions to throw us off. The small 'crystal' might not be glass and much lighter weight then we'd assume too. ..maybe.

I like chopsticks. Tending to put meat and veggies on the smaller rice bowl and 'shovel' or picking up pieces individually. Must admit when I'm closer to the bottom I'll give up and just fork it. Don't like spoons for soup. When with friends and family I'll usually pick up the bowl of soup and slurp but for formalities sake I'll pick it straight up, then it at 90 degrees to my mouth; setting it down the same way. Adds a little decorum to my uncouthness.

Listened this morning. Focused more on love. It shouldn't be passive.. not I love you.. but striving to love more.. actively. He gave an interesting definition of Love is leaving your old self behind.. (something like that).. Love is being new. Much of the later narrative is leaving old grudges and there programming behind. ie the person who hurt you did so according to there conditioning and programming.. doing the best they can under there own karmic burden, so move on, drop the negativity. Not a bad philosophy. Course dropping the negativity doens't mean forgetting or putting yourself at risk. Just stopping the brain dark narrative every time you see or think of the person. Let the past's emotional burdens die, keep the lessons, stop the self indulgent victimy thoughts that waste your energy and may be throwing stress hormones into your system. HIs work with the stomach reminds me of Stephen Levine's who also thought of the stomach as an area where emotions leave there marks. And if we were more sensitive to the area we'd know ourselves and state of mind more intimately and get better understanding of why we do the things we do. Its these emotions and the programs they trigger that lead to so many of our (rational and irrational) decisions. Like a (mis)quote from the Matrix- Our decision has already been made, now we're just looking for rationals to justify it.

Listening to it today, (starting at 10:25, making it a 25 min meditation) I focused on 3 parts. 1) relaxation and preparing the stomach region as as a emotional diagnosis center. 2) forgiving and releasing old grudges against friends and family with an example of using a father. 3) expanding love, in that love must active. Not I love you, but I must love you more.. Love should active. Listening to the birds, you should hear love.. What did others get?

Always room for some Rumi

Yes.. you have to many o's in the Taoisost. That solves that.. kidding.. Hopefully someone wiser then me will comment, but I do like your last observation- "p.s I'm getting to believe the only thing I really need to do is continue my chi kung, letting my channels open, and just focus on the tan tian and let the energy do what it will, as it truly knows best."

As I see it, there's a spectrum here. From under accomplishing (bad) to unreal expectations(bad). Thankfully there's a large sweet spot- challenging but realistic in the middle. Good to shoot high, but not get too far into fantasy, or at least have a parachute/back up plan. To me the best 'shooting' means you've gotten some real skills that will help you in the real world- if you don't make a lofty goal. Bad aim is, if you miss, you're left in the desert with no means of making a living. The world is full of amazing one in a million success stories, that are inspiring, but we don't notice the 900 thousand + who don't make it. So its best the 900 thousand + pick up marketable skills along the way.

..and I always thought it was a pot of gold. Just gotta keep going til you reach the end. and hope there's no bars with Guinness along the way, to distract you.

Merry Christmas and another article (Christmasy from David Wong) We've Survived Another Year! Make It Count. By David Wong | December 22, 2014 | 432,459 views http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-true-meaning-christmas-that-everyone-forgets/ Let's say we find out an asteroid is going to hit the Earth at some point over the next three months. It may kill all of us, it may kill some of us, it may splash harmlessly into the ocean, but there is no stopping it. All we can do is hunker down and see what happens. How would you react? How would humanity as a whole react? Well, I know how: We would prepare as best we could, and then we would surround ourselves with the people we love most and party our asses off. We would do this because we would realize it might be our last chance. I know this because we have Christmas. Allow me to explain. This is the time of year when my Christian friends remind me via Facebook image macros that Christ is the reason for the season, and my atheist friends remind everyone that "Christmas" is at best a renamed pagan orgy and at worst a crass hybrid of religious conditioning and economic stimulus. ("God became a man to save us from sin, so let's get into a fistfight over the last PlayStation 4 at Target!") Well, let me take the bold stance that if you're using Christmas as an excuse to be a dick to somebody, you're probably doing it wrong. The real origins of this holiday are amazing, sacred, and etched into your very DNA. There's enough magic here for everybody, dammit. It's hard to understand why Christmas came to be a big deal even for people who have never stepped foot inside a church without understanding the context. And the context -- which does predate Christianity by thousands of years -- is that December kicks off winter in the Northern Hemisphere. And for most of human history, winter meant a bunch of us were going to freaking die. So like this, but with corpses piled up under the tree instead of gifts. We're so detached from that idea today, when the cold means nothing more than mild annoyance and sometimes slippery roads, that it's hard to grasp how recent this was, and that this was the way of things for virtually all of human history. Every year, you headed into winter with just enough stored food and fuel to get by. The old and the sick knew they might not make it through, and an especially harsh winter could mean that no one would feel the sun's warmth ever again. Every year, you watched all of the plants turn brown and shrivel into husks, followed by an unrelenting darkness and cold that threatened to swallow you and everything you love. And looking back at that, we see an awesome little portrait of exactly how much humans kick ass. Every year, you see, winter arrived with a short day followed by the longest night of the year (aka the winter solstice), and since before recorded history, humans have been celebrating that day with a feast, or festival, or outright debauchery. On that longest night before the frozen mini-apocalypse, in all times and places, you would find light and song and dancing and food. Cattle would be slaughtered (to avoid having to feed all of them through the winter), families would travel to be together, and wine would flow. Precious supplies were dedicated to making decorations and gifts -- frivolous things, good for nothing other than making people happy. Sure, some of the kid toys ended up looking like fetish gear, but the spirit and intent were pure. These celebrations went by many names over the millennia, and everyone did it their own way. But deep down, I think the message was always the same: "We made it through another year, some of us won't see spring, so let's spend a few days reminding each other of what's good about humanity." Or I'll just let you read my favorite Christmas quote, from esteemed essayist Dan Harmon: No matter how black, white, male, female, Irish, German, tall, short, ugly or pretty you felt this year, you are part of a family that has been targeted by an unforgiving cosmos since its inception but has, regardless, survived ... humanity, warts and all, is an inherently heroic species that has spent about 99.99% of its short lifetime as an underdog. And If you see no billboards telling you that, it's not because it's not true. It's because there's little to no profit to be made telling you. I could go on and on about the suffering we've endured and the adaptations we've made, but to me, our species' crowning jewel is that on the shortest day of the year, when the sun spends most of its time swallowed, when everything is frozen, when nothing can grow, when the air is so cold our voices stop right in front of our faces ... we put a string of lights on a universe that is currently doing nothing to earn it. We not only salvage an otherwise desolate time of year, we make it the best time of year. "Wait," you might say, "so your inspirational 'true meaning of Christmas' is that we should remember how our filthy ancestors used to freeze to death on a regular basis?" No, Christmas isn't magical because of what it was or where it came from. It's magical because that's what it still is. See, around this time of year, my social media also fills with friends and acquaintances half-joking about having to tolerate the holidays around their extended family, people they only see once or twice a year with whom they have nothing in common and don't like talking to (especially if politics comes up). It all seems so arbitrary to them, a holiday which as a kid meant free toys and as an adult means travel, shopping, and trying to remember the name of your cousin's new wife while the two of you make awkward conversation around the eggnog fountain. But that's only because we're separated from that ancient, unspoken truth, which is that this festive gathering around the fire might be the last time you see those faces. And that part hasn't changed. Though, admittedly, some of the particulars are a bit different. This will be read by tens of thousands of people, and statistically, some of you are in fact traveling to see your grandparents, or parents, or siblings for the very last time. You don't know it's their last Christmas, of course -- if you somehow knew, you'd do it differently. You'd try to stretch out those moments. You wouldn't spend conversations nervously looking for an exit point. You'd spend a little more time digging up old memories and laughing about your shared past. You'd spend less time worrying about the gifts and the budget, and more about how we're spending the precious little time we have left. Once upon a time, nobody needed that reminder that life was short -- the holiday was the reminder. You hugged your family extra tight because, to quote the HBO series all the kids are watching these days, "Winter is coming." Joke all you want, but you have no idea how much Tinder mileage I've gotten out of that line. So in my mind, the Christians complaining about people losing sight of the real meaning of the holiday are right, in the sense that people do forget that it's supposed to be about generosity, redemption, forgiveness, and clinging to hope in a world turned dark, cold, and cruel. But it stood for those things before it was called Christmas. It stood for those things back when religion wasn't just something you did out of obligation to some tradition, or a set of ceremonies you performed in order to join a tribe or political party. No, back then, if the sun didn't shine on your crops, you had to watch your children slowly die. So you got on your knees and begged the sun to shine. You pleaded for the rain to fall, for the plague to pass your family by, for the winter to go easy on you this year. It was a time when it was so much harder to pretend that the Universe was under our control, when all you could do was look up at the sky and beg it for mercy. And then, receiving no immediate answer, we would gather around the fire and eat rich food and sing songs and give gifts. Because while we waited for the frozen gray skies to render a verdict, all we had was each other and the warmth of our generosity. But that was a long time ago. Our problems are less dire and immediate these days, and as a result, we forget that we're still the same fragile creatures we were then. And if you think that's all a big downer, this idea that Christmas (or the solstice, or Saturnalia) was all about the last hurrah before a slow death by freezing or starvation, you're looking at it the wrong way. I mean ... look around you. This is humanity in a nutshell: When faced with the cold specter of death, we put on festive sweaters and eat cookies and sing songs about a jolly supernatural being who brought joy to our lives before the spring came along and he melted, leaving only his hat behind. Soon, many of you will be sitting in a room with laughing kids who won't be kids much longer and proud grandparents who won't be around much longer, or friends who for one reason or another won't be in your life. It probably won't occur to you that all of it is as tenuous as a snowflake on a dog's nose. It won't occur to you that there will never be another Christmas exactly like this one, that time will move on and people will change and that some day your most treasured memories will be things that at the time you experienced with nothing more than detached, mild annoyance. So if you're gathering with your family and friends this time of year, I personally don't care what you call the holiday, as long as you celebrate it with this in mind: You don't get many of these. Make them count. -- DW

Great video, Bruce Lee, was amazing in many aspects. From the video I see the influence of.. fencing!?. (googling).. his older brother was a champion fencer. see http://academyoffencingmasters.com/blog/bruce-lee-the-worlds-most-famous-fencer/ From the same article you see he was champion in the Cha Cha? That lightness, yet perfect balance and symmetry.. a dancers forte.

Listened today. Started it at 10:25, cause its a bit wordy before then. I like the early bit on concentrating on the third eye, finding the grey spot there. It's unique for having you fill up stomach, hold and squeeze, moving the air around. Shades of some of the yogic stomach practices. The focus there reminds me of Anna Wise's focus on the tongue, ie a point that tends to diminish thought. Very little induction, 'feel the sensations in the hand' and suggests you get to the point where the sensation is a little needles and pins-y. I like his attention on the lips, that's unique, and we forget the lips sensitivity and sensuality. His relaxation induction is good having tension fall into the stomach, the natural garbage pit of the stomach, for physical and mental stress. He talks about unconscious tension, and getting rid of it. Like Stephen Levine work, using the stomach area as a field of awareness to discover tensions and stress..thoughts. Learning to see emotions in the stomach, and letting them drop, disrupting the cycle. If you can't take action.. let it drop. Resist the urge to think, if no action is called for. '..Don't think, hold the emotion, be the emotion, be the pain, but don't try to escape it by thinking.. Don't move, bear it.. rid yourself of this alien thing by confronting it. Don't run from it.. it is using you. Face up to it, or it will be back tomorrow to antagonize you again.. By refusing to think.. you starve it..'

In Aikido randori, free style from multiple attackers, a general strategy was to 'thread the needle', which meant alternatively moving towards and away from an individual attackers. If you only retreat, they all follow and strategize, by boldly entering the mix short term, you can use some opponents as shields and even weapons against each other. Course writing is easy, performing is hard. It's not like the movies, one had better have much experience and a bit of luck to pull it off on the streets.

To me, your mixing up different writers, from different times, writing about different myths. addon> by your, I mean not just that the old and new testament had different writers, but within the books there are voices mixing myths, legends and a mishmosh of history of various cultures over a millennia, imo.

Generally its best to wait until after Santa gives out presents .. to attack him.