thelerner

For Middle age me, learn from others but walk your own path. addon> specific stuff. Adding a little bobbing movement (ala StillnessMovement Meditation) while sitting adds greatly to my meditation. That there's a world of internal focus's possible within the body during meditation. lately I'm counting my breaths 1-10 repeat, then starting breath focused on third eye(deeper then the screen), going down through tip of nose, throat, heart (w/ mental Ahhh), dantien, breath out focused in dantien- repeat. After a while letting that go and just sitting, hands rest of dantien. I've learned the Wim Hof method, a very physical practice of breathing and cold conditioning. Anti-inflammatory and body conditioning for the cold and general resilience. Rawn Clarks YHVH canticle. It's my shower chant and over the years I've enoyed it. Makes my showers a bit more sacred, nice after Wim Hof makes them a little torturous uncomfortable at times. There's great energy possible in group meditation, chanting and singing. People are more important then places. I like gadgets. What we focus on and record, we improve.

Great writing, but not by Mother Teresa's. It was written by Kent M. Keith when he was 19 and published in 1968. The title the Paradoxical Commandments- http://www.kentmkeith.com/mother_teresa.html In many ways it follows the famous Desiderata, which early copies said it was 'found in an old Church in 1652', whereas it was much more modern. Written by Max Ehrmann in 1927. It is one of my favorites. Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

It's good to have options.. know how to throw a punch and get out of the way of one. As a hobby martial arts can be fascinating; great lessons in strength, endurance, skill..honor, awareness.. a whole myriad. Yet, security is an illusion. It's a world with knives, guns, sucker punches etc., and despite comic book endings, we are all quite vulnerable. I encourage people to take up a martial art but beware of the illusions of grandeur and false pride that can come with them. As easily as an MMA takes down a 'spiritual' fighter, so does a punk with $50 gun take down an MMA fighter, perhaps easier. Still, we need to be aware, not afraid. Have options, live skillfully and let the universe decide.

I have the same assumption, more salt, more bathroom trips, especially at night. I make the connection through soups that are often very salty (course I guess there liquidy too, still). There's a lucid dreaming technique where you drink 2 or 3 cups of water before bed. You use the urge to urinate as a reminder to know that you're dreaming. Plus it wakes you in the middle the night allowing you to refocus on getting lucid.

I kinda think God is the big YES! Can't be explained or intellectualized, only experienced. Usually in deepest silence.

New month coming tomorrow. Anyone else want to join in on Promises & Consequences?

I've heard that the American love of coffee is due our lack of getting the 'bitter' taste. It's the bitter that stimulates bile and and digestive juices. Important and oft forgotten, like fiber or probiotics used to be.

Like the Wim Hof method and Pine Pollen, but find that taking the Pollen regularly causes loss of my pollen due to its affects.

and yet I do. every now and then i mourn the things i can't see; concepts ignored or not exposed to. knowing in some alternate universe there is a me who's got there shit together cause they've seen, learned and applied lessons I haven't.

I've been throwing a little Fish sauce (from Trader Joe's) into many recipes (particularly stews), not to get it's flavor but to add to the umami. I notice TJ's also sells a Umami Paste in a tube. Which contains anchovies amongst other flavorings. Haven't tried it yet.

I miss having a teacher too. Though its been a long time. Undoubtedly many little errors creep into my sitting, breathing and posture that a teacher would correct. Also my teacher would travel to Japan to learn from masters and fellow high senseis getting new ideas and exercises that been tested through and judged worthy. Plus there's the inspiration one gets from a great teacher. Things change, sometimes improve and going solo we don't know what we're missing.

Aimed at Spotless but also any the experienced people- Have you successfully taught students to open up there third eye? If so can you talk a little bit about the experience, yours and their's? I'm wondering such subject as.. length of time.. sudden epiphany or like 8 years. Likewise specific gradual practices or more a paradigm shift.. In your opinions is getting it.. due partially to grace/temperament.. a few will, most won't, kind of thing.

There's the phenomena of sleep paralysis where people feel like they're awake but can't move and it causes great frustration. It could be something like that. When I was 7 or 8 I was climbing up a thick tree trunk. I got up 8 or 9 feet before I fell. For many years I'd wake up with my leg jerking, just like it did when the bark broke away. Leaving me shocked and kinda vibrating..

No, I'm saying its imperfect in an area where mistakes cost lives. imo, Ultimately each branch and cure should face scrutiny on its own, not as a jumble. imo, vaccines are imperfect, but they've saved countless lives. Ended the crippling killing scourges of polio, small pox, TB and lesser things like measles, mumps.. etc., Our grandparents and great parents on up, lived with these, we've forgotten how terrible they are because, we won. We eliminated them. I'm all for any research that can make them safer. I get the feeling it'd be better to space them further apart and not give newborns so much so soon. Individuals get vaccinated to protect the public, if a vaccine can't do that or isn't for that purpose to stop a communicable disease, then it shouldn't be mandated. Recommended though.

Yes. I know doctors and they are about curing people. Perhaps you could talk to a medical doctor about this. Ofcourse you can find horror stories on the internet, but talk to a doctor what he does, why he practices. Medical advances the last century have been amazing. Yet it is a huge industry, money is involved there is the inevitable corruption, yet all in all, I think Western Medicine is a very good thing. I think it's been accepted and practiced more in the East, because it works so well, more then the opposite. I think its naive not to see problems in Eastern medicine. Again there is much good, in many ways its ahead of Western with its emphasis on preventative care. Yet because there is so much 'art' to it, the difference between a great doctor and average is huge. Profit motive and thus corruption still exist, and there are some practices imo that are more superstitious then scientifically proven. Again that's due to being a wide spectrum.

Maybe the long version is- take your desires and opinions less seriously. No need for the dramas and ping ponging between happy and sad depending on outcomes in an uncertain world. Occasionally I'll work with the paradigm 'Take your dreams seriously and consider your life as dream'. Which I take to me look for meaning and direction from your dreams, honor them by taking action according to your interpretation. Lifewise it means looking at life happenings symbolically, as if you're just a character floating through the story, enjoy the show and look for the archetypes and hidden meanings. You can only such saying so far, but it's nice to change up ones point of view every now and then.

Speaking of the Chinese- https://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/2015/09/18/protecting-against-disease-chinas-vaccination-schedule/Under Chinese law, all babies, Chinese or otherwise, born in a Chinese hospital must be injected with the hepatitis B vaccine (HBV) and tuberculosis-TB (BCG) vaccine immediately after birth. In 1992, China began the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) that involves a mandatory 11-vaccine schedule given to children from 0 to 6 years. The vaccination schedule is compulsory for Chinese citizens but optional for expats. That isn't because they're 'following the money' it's because they don't want to see the return of TB, Polio, and host of other easily preventable diseases that cripple and kill children and adults and can lead to outbreaks of epidemics. The leaders there looked at the science and made the rules based on it. Here's a paranoid country Russia, they vaccinate- https://www.nap.edu/read/11382/chapter/19 Not because they're beholden to U.S medical interests, no because they don't want to see epidemics and needless deaths and disease in there country. I could look at progressive countries, European, northern European but that'd be waste of time. I'm sure they have medical experts and serious researchers who care about the population's health and insist on vaccinations. We're beginning to see outbreaks of preventable diseases due to ignorance and fear. addon> actually I see that in Sweden it is voluntary but..https://www.thelocal.se/20160608/why-most-swedes-get-their-children-vaccinated An almost universal willingness among Swedish parents to vaccinate their children is keeping childhood diseases in the country under control, a new report shows. The study, carried out over the course of 2015 by Sweden’s Public Health Agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten) and Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket), shows that over 97 percent of toddlers in the country are vaccinated against the 10 diseases included in the national childhood vaccination programme. Most of these diseases are under control as a result, the agencies claim. Examples of diseases that are being kept in check are tetanus and rubella, of which there were no cases reported among Swedish children under the age of five in 2015. The bacterial infection haemophilus influenzae meanwhile had only one case reported among children from the same age group during the last year. The levels of whooping cough in Sweden have also fallen compared to 2014, though it remains at a higher level than between 2009 and 2013. A total of 45 children were treated in Swedish hospitals for whooping cough last year, with one fatality. Invasive pneumococcal disease meanwhile saw the lowest level of reported incidence among children under the age of two since a vaccine was first introduced in 2009. The general Swedish immunization program includes protection against ten diseases, including diphtheria, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. Children in specific risk groups are also offered vaccination against tuberculosis, hepatitis B and influenza. In its study, The Medical Products Agency said that it followed up on all adverse reactions to vaccinations reported in Sweden in 2015, and that their review showed that all vaccines were safe, with the most commonly reported side effects being fever and local swelling at the injection site.

There's other questions.. Will they be home schooled their entire life? Do you ever want them to attend summer camp?

listen to the science

Animals are conscious, but maybe not so self conscious. Humans are very self conscious. In Western theology God is conscious; in Taoism is the Tao conscious or is more a set of rules? Is Nature conscious? Or a set of systems governed by rules?

Well, its the water that moves, but the gravitational effect is 'grabbing' the land too. Plus big as it is, the Earth is moving through frictionless space. Dollars to donuts, if it didn't circle us keeping the wobble in all directions, if it somehow was only one sided, it'd probably pull us out of orbit.. slowly. It's big, 20%ish 27% of our size and pretty close. If there was a good enough road, I could drive there.

These days I don't have any nutritional 'systems', I probably don't have the self discipline for them. Rather I do recipes. Finding ones I like and making them my own. All the better if they're healthy and well rounded, plus its nice to have a big pot of something in the fridge. So I'll spend a month or two on chili, bone broth, paleo chocolate desserts or cassoulet.. The internet probably has almost as many recipes as it does porn, so if you're interested in anything, take a look at some recipes and go for it, experiment.. make'em your own. I blog about my cooking hopes and dreams here:

The moon is certainly shifting huge amounts of the ocean, ie tidal affects and causes the Earth to wobble a bit in its orbit. The moon circles us every 27.3 (synodic) days, so its always tugging and pulling somewhere. The study of Earth's wobble is fascinating and a little frightening- https://phys.org/news/2016-04-nasa-mysteries-earth.html Speaking of earthquakes, at first I doubted it but evidence is clear that Fracking can cause them. So far relatively mild localized ones, but it's not like there's decades of data on it. I'd add we've been digging deep exploring inside and around the earth for years, I'm sure there's much to discover but classic hollow earth theory has been put to rest by modern geologists. See Vice- https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywgexk/a-journey-to-the-center-of-modern-hollow-earth-theory

Hoping people can write about connections they've found. The likely and unlikely ones. Here's mine. I've been learning golf and recently started guitar and pool/billiard lessons. Pool really helped my golf game. During golf you go long periods without hitting the ball (for me looking for my ball), whereas in pool you're hitting pretty often giving you more actual practice time, with immediate feedback. Both are aim based and while the techniques are different the planning and concentration are very similar. In both the power of the strike, the focus is greatly helped by extension, relaxation, a feeling of freedom. In golf to get the speed it's good to feel like you're throwing the club itself far away. It's a simpler motion with the cue, but its a similar light yet snug grip and the teacher also said, feel like you're throwing it away. This relates to guitar too. I can't make good music, so I want to it away. No, that's not it. It's the strumming. You hear any tension in the hand. It's slows you down and the chords sound stilted. Only with the same 'throw it away' feeling do the chords play right, and that relaxation makes hitting the strings on the up strum easier. This is the same lesson I learned throughout Aikido, but without specific reminders it's easy to forget along the early learning curve. So guitar, golf, pool, Aikido.. all the same.

That reminds connects me to this..