thelerner

So.. another eclipse going through the U.S in just 6 years (April 8, 2024). Coolio. Wonder what the world will be like then? Who will lead us, will this thread still be going on?? and will I head down to Carbondale again, 7 or 8 hours of driving (one way) to experience the totality. Probably, I'm up for anything that involves the word totality.

Sorry Bax, you're right. Due to earlier perverse interest I looked into flat earth theories, rhetoric and psychology and these days my youtube 'suggestions' are littered with them. Unfortunately I have a bit more zeal on the subject then I should.

It's a lot more then nasa/japan/russia. Looking up countries that have launched satellites you need to add China (who've done some great probes and orbiters around the moon), UK, India, Israel, Iran and ofcourse the European Space Agency. There are a half dozen private companies launching and testing there own rockets, ie see SpaceX. What are exactly are you calling a conspiracy? We've had weather satellites for decades, f you ignore there data you won't see hurricanes coming. We've had Global Positioning satellites for years, without them, GPS wouldn't work. There are communication satellites that beam TV and internet. We're in the midst of a new space race, with multi million dollar prizes for private companies who can send a probe to the moon and have it send back hi res pictures for 500 yards. Another company is going to send into orbit a large origami sheet that will unfold into a very large and visible pyramid shape until it decays a few weeks later. There are so many things going on in space exploration. Fascinating ones you can follow. Interested in pictures from space, the ISS has a 24 hour video camera. Pictures of the moon, nearly a decade ago, China launched a probe to circle and create high resolution pictures and maps of the moon, you can see the actual landing sites and debris of the from the Apollo landings. You can download apps or go to NASA and see live feeds of the crew and what they're doing. You can follow satellite launches and use apps or computers follow the satellites as they orbit the earth. All you need are a good pair of binoculars and you can see them with your own eyes. Lots of apps for it. Lots to see and learn. The cutting edge moves forward. Frankly the shape of the Earth was known hundreds, if not millennia ago. At this point we're studying other solar systems, black holes, nearby planets, galaxies etc., while Flat Earthers are still looking for a 25,000 mile long wall that keeps the oceans from spilling over the edge.

There are about a dozen forums I'm a member of and don't visit. They're simply not my cup of tea. I'm not interested in them, there discussions. You know what I do. I don't go to them. That simple. If I've outgrown a forum or site, I don't visit it. The same thing has happened with some old friends, acquaintances even lovers. Our lives and interests diverged and we went our separate ways. Glad to have had them in my life. They gave something to me, and I hope they got something worthwhile back. But life flows on. Part of growing is accepting change and moving on. Aletheia, glad you found Drew here. Manic, erudite and eccentric- not every ones cup of tea but I'm sure he's a great resource for many. A valued but often reported member for years, currently on a one month suspension. I expect he'll be back and people will read his latest passion and perhaps his <free pdf!>. You want to go, Go. Don't come to the site. Erase it from your computer log. That is the mature decision. Just go. Spend more time in practice. Perhaps find or create a forum that will treat you better. Good luck, god bless, good bye.

If you knew nothing you'd probably believe the earth was flat. That's certainly the way it appears. If you lived on an island with high ground, you might observe boats coming from every angle appeared bow first. As if climbing over a hill in every direction. Maybe if you traveled far and wide, you'd notice everywhere the sun rises and sets. If you developed the mathematics, you'd find the Pythagorean theorem which would help translate distances with the use of angles. Mathematically you'd begin to realize the distances of the planet, the sun and moon. As generations went by, you'd explore the planet. Start mapping it out, increasingly accurately. Discovering engineering and physics you'd leave behind horses create cars and planes. Bold explorers would map out the world. Genius's would work out longitude and latitude systems to safely navigate the seas. Accurate maps would be essential. Geologists trying to understand the forces that created our world. Looking up into the heavens there'd be astronomers building ever better telescopes to map out the solar system. They'd face hard questions, like why do planets move retrograde, ie reverse there orbits every now and then. What is the ether. They'd look to math and chemistry for answers. Fly high altitude balloons to confirm or deny there hypothesize. Build ever better telescopes, eventually launching them into space in ever increasing detail throughout the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The implications within the computers we're now using are mind boggling. Take any element of it, say the keyboard- From the history of mining its component materials, to the history of its design, to the components that travel across the globe before assembly. The facts of our near light speed communication in the internet. It's a wonder.. miraculous a hundred ways over. There are new horizons to discover but uh, we discovered the shape of our planet, and the moon, the sun, other planets, the Milky Way a long time ago. These days science has cataloged and studied much quite a bit of the known universe and is looking for earthlike planets tens of trillions of miles away. It's not easy, but amazingly that's what we're doing. On the flip side with electron microscopes we're looking at material atom by atom. We've freezing things down to near absolute zero, we're getting closer to fusion and breakthroughs in many exciting vistas of science. Hopefully we'll be able to use such discoveries wisely. Cause with all the discoveries, its still just stuff. There's more important things. But stuff is good, keeps us warm and fed. Connected yet distracted.

For those near Chicago's north side, these are a lot of fun. Haven't caught them in awhile, but really enjoyed the ones I went to- http://www.lifesurfing.org/workshops-events/full-moon-meditation/ "Silent Sitting and Dance Meditation The full moon indoor meditation night is a 3-cycle meditation. 3 cycles of 45 minutes silent sitting meditation alternate with three cycles of dance meditation. The meditation will initially be guided. On full moon more energy is available, which, when silently contained and expressed celebrative in dancing - can reveal to us our natural state of inner peace and joy." Wonderful energy there. Plus the anticipation of trying to make it back to your car in a somewhat iffy neighborhood.

Perhaps same path different tact are the writings of Barry Long. He has a couple of dharma speeches on youtube and since I enjoy guided meditations, he also has one of quieting the mind and purging thoughts- I've saved it into an mp3 and fast forwarded it, forget how far.. His other talks are well worth listening to. Nicely direct without cultural jargon.

Moderator Request: On Behalf of the OP writer. Enough sarcasm and witticisms Please allow the subject to get back to the writers intent. If you can't resist, please consider adding (through edit) into old posts and allow the thread to flow, preferably absent the usual circular arguments and baiting.

Thoughts on Luna cy. It's not Men are from Mars, woman are from Venus. (how come men get the planet with all the monsters?) Females are from the Moon, they are Lunarians.. Dianas'. The menstrual cycles of most lady mammals is 28 days.. lunar. Our evolution and reproduction is intimately tied to our satellite partner. I certainly get more energy during the full moon. It's a shame 'civilization' doesn't pay more attention to the lunar cycle. Celebrate it a bit more. Judaism has a combo solar/lunar calendar with leap months to keep seasons from wobbling too much out of range. I should probably keep one, but never do. Opening our lives to a little more shamanic influence, nature, the equinoxes would probably be a step in the right direction. The moon doesn't think too much of itself. It waxes and wanes, Full and slight. It knows patience, seasons Change and return.

Too often we are more rationalizing then rational. Once we label something as good, we go on autopilot to describe other things in the category as bad. We disagree with a person on one subject, so we label them and from then on try to find other ways they fit into a stereotype we made for them. A very bad habit.

Our vision is like a camera with tight focus. We lock onto to what we look at and are unaware that most things in our vision are a blur. Yet because our focus isn't on them, we don't notice, usually. Similarly with people and things we care about, gain our focus. We're aware of there moods and changes. Can spot them or hear them in a crowd. This summer I've developed a bit of a snake focus, so I see them around more. With familiarity comes comfort and greater ease.

My main expertise is to think the word M()F&%^%#! and not type it.

I'd recommend a long soak in Epsom salt bath. Whether the interference is psychic or bacterial, long salt soaks tend to help. Candle light, soft music and sliced peaches optional.

I asked this rhetorically on another thread, so its only fair I put it up myself. (Hoping others will reply with they consider the fruits of there practice) So.. what are the fruits of my practice? Wim Hof method, cold tolerance, better breathing, better mind over body control. Vispassana, which for me is the saying I do before I meditate, ie I am not my body, I am that which inhabits it, I am not my thoughts, they are like clouds passing in the sky.. I am not my emotions..past, future, possessions, name.. I am breath and awareness. The fruit of this one is less fear of death. Years of 'I am not my body..' helped during a minor heart operation when I heard the surgeon say 'Well this isn't going well'. I was able to be stay relaxed, see what happens next. Though maybe the drugs helped too. And in dreams I've had dying practice, and its a good thing. Meditation: I'm a dabbler, which is probably never good. After exploring several techniques, the last couple of years, I mainly just sit. My breath cycle is long, I get a sense of peace, maybe some good things (nothing special) are going on in my body. I'll do some simple gi gung routines, again.. relaxation, extension, benefits of slow gentle movement and relaxed concentration. We hold so much tension during the day. That simple meditation is an antidote to the stress of everyday life. Who knows how much more screwed I'd be without it? In lines, I have my zhan zhuang meditation routines. In the shower I chant, in bed, particularly in the morning, I get to just the right breathing..nothing on top, just gentle belly slow and steady. The practice I've gotten into a little more is reverie. An even lighter state of meditation (if that). Opened eyed, mind empty, staring at water and the light reflected within. I like it. Fruits, I think my practice does me good. Mentally resetting my mind, nerves and perspective. Physically the relaxation eases internal stresses and releases good juices (hormones, enzymes, etc.,) Nothing special or out of the ordinary, but nice, pleasant. Its helped me be successful in life, in my own terms. At some point I'll move back into the esoteric energy arts, but for now its been a welcome vacation, expecting nothing, getting nothing. Keeping it simple.

No rings, but whether hell or bliss, attaching to a state creates a road block. .. or so they say. In any case, good for you. A body and mind capable of bliss, is ready for greater things.

I gotta stay reminded of this.

One of my practices is Rawn Clarks YHVH canticle The magic of IHVH ADNI -- at http://abardoncompanion.com/csm/contents.html . Its a very interesting kind of chant practice that edges into the magical realm. It's Hermetic, Bardon inspired, I notice the middle part is from the famous Rabbi/mystic Nachman of Breslov, the middle phrase was his mantra (strange but he used them in the late 1700's). There are 9 deep lessons to it, as well as healing modality version. Plus sounds good in the shower

If I may ask, and feel free not to respond if you consider it intrusive. What are the economics of such a life? Expense wise? and pros and cons you've found there (asking in a Thoreau, 'Walden' kind of way) Cause we have people here looking for that, short time and long.

Me 4, I got this: thedaobums.com uses an invalid security certificate. The certificate expired on August 12, 2017 at 6:31 PM. The current time is August 12, 2017 at 7:12 PM. Error code: SEC_ERROR_EXPIRED_CERTIFICATE Using Firefox on a Mac. I had to over ride Firefox security setting.

Actually it wasn't a spit in the face. I believe Karen used the word Please and was polite. Zenmode had been reported and the person asked for their name to be removed. It is against the rules of this forum. Zenmode refused, was asked again, Zenmode went into victim mode and got a 3 day suspension. The next one will be longer. As Ilovecoffee points out this is a private forum, as well as a community for fellowship and discussion and there are rules. You broke one, were asked to make a simple edit, more then once, you decided not to and were given a short suspension. You are not a victim other then in your own mind. To the main point Karen does excellent work in an often thankless job.

I've always felt keeping a quiet mind is very important, the basis for meditation, its platform per se. But because we tend to drift toward negativity, that we need a push of positivity also. Beyond the abyss imo we need to spend some time on life affirming things. Appreciate the sun, the grass, a cool glass of water, children at play, a gentle smile. It feels cliche almost childish but we need to remember our blessings and be thankful for what we have. One thing I do every now and then is listen to something uplifting. I enjoy guided meditations. Here's a nice one, by Kim Walsh, she's got a beautiful lilting voice. And at its heart, after the induction is the focus on Mindfulness. I'll make mp3's of things like this and listen to them in the morning. Course I'll listen to Chod audio's where you feed your own body to a demon, so.. Beyond emptiness, look for some happiness too. The purpose of the Void, is creation.

I'm open to hearing about them, but if you have a half dozen hour and a half youtube videos with pictures from the scream movie and Wizard of Oz, I will probably be automatically won't spend my time watching them. Similarly if its about invisible energy from a famous psychic who's been debunked on many occasions, I probably won't watch an hour video about it. On the hand, I like learning about peoples first hand experiences (long as they're not too long winded, and even then its okay if the drinks are good). Listening to there stories. I apologize for being overly negative here and should not have gotten personal. I think I have an open mind, but it does have the hinge of skepticism attached. Welles has a good point I should watch the video before commenting, but the first were well over an hour. They also had pictures that seemed clearly, over the edge, horror story memes on them, stabbed ghouls, hideous clowns, and the one didn't had the author with a UFO behind him. So instead of spending the time watching, I went straight to research. I quickly found those who'd seen the videos and had there own explanation for them. I found parallels in there explanation and many debunked phenomena. For example the Bermuda Triangle, lots of books and authors, and a few separate issues that are not easily explained, yet on a whole researchers found it was statistically the same as any well traveled sea path. Given enough traffic and chances, unlikely things happen. That's what is responsible for the Bermuda Triangle, not aliens or Atlantis, unlikely, unlucky things, because so many ships and planes travel through the area. I believe that is the same phenomena happening here. The little bit of research I did, shows it to be a similar phenomena. People disappear strangely in the forests. I believe that. Hypothermia, fear, cold, do strange things to the mind. It can have you take off your clothes in winter and walk in a very stupid direction and do stupid things. We know that. That won't explain all the mysteries, you never can. Undoubtedly I could do more research but I don't really care. However, tell you guys what, I'm heading for a couple of national parks soon, Yellowstone, Tetons.. I'll talk with some Rangers and people in the area. I'll ask about people who go missing in the Forest; any mysteries to it?

You separate the world into 'people like you' and the 'smart ones' like Me. I think it makes you uniquely gullible, vulnerable. There are key words that play to your elitism and attract you like honey; that play to your intellect, exclusivity and snobbery. A conman states how the masses will never understand and I think you'd be reeled in every time.

addon> for above. Hard to argue with the only way to get people to tell the truth is for it to be incognito. They won't say the truth unless its in Paulides presence. They lie about there interpretation of his work because.. its a conspiracy from the higher ups. They'll be punished unless they keep it going. Or the majority don't agree with his selective mystery. I think that's more likely it. Not that they're afraid but his view is not widely agreed with. Apologies if you think the Hunting Bigfoot from the History Channel is serious and learn much form it. They also have an excellent show on ghosts that people like me laugh at, and perhaps people like you(?) ponder seriously. Different strokes. But what have you learned from the videos? No opinion.. just how dangerous the woods are? Unknown things are snatching people, disorienting and killing them? That is what you've learned. Fear the wild?

No, wrong generalization on your part. If you're assuming that All forest rangers are working with him, its some and it'd be interesting to get there full opinion of his work, though the ones I've read have been skeptical. Its a bit like psychic researchers who also point to all the police departments who work with them, when in truth, most do not.