thelerner

A gave it away years ago, but the book, The Web that has no Weaver had nice depth on viewing the world and life strategies in terms of the 5 seasons.

There was a question about Water Tigers and it made me think about astrology. Not that I'm a great believer in it, but I do like the signs I was born under. I'd probably choose them if given a choice. Born in late Oct 1964, under the Western astrology I'm a Libra on the cusp of Scorpio. I like it, a Libra seeking balance. As I've gotten older I realize balance can't be static, it must be dynamic otherwise the events of the world create minute (or large) variations, so true balance must mean shifting appropriately, preferably subtly at times. Course a scale isn't alive, but a scorpion is. That aliveness, brings spice to life, the instincts, the drive, exploration, struggles make life worth living. Under Eastern astrology I'm a Wooden Dragon. Dragons are pretty cool. Wooden being a bit more subdued then other types. There's the obvious self destruction problem of a creature that blows fire. That doesn't mean fearing fire as much as keeping it to short defined bursts. Wood regenerates and grows, self creates. All good. The wood dragon lives in the freedom of the open skies and living comfort of the woods. While I don't exactly believe in astrology, there are lessons to learn from it. It's been awhile, think I'll hit Burning Man this year, at least a regional. What about you guys, What's your sign, how does it influence you, does it align with your life?

I miss the laid back New Age book stores of my youth. They've all closed. My favorite was Transitions, near downtown Chicago. Had books, newage chochkies and a great bakery w/ mile high taffy apple pie. Great place to while away an hour or two drinking coffee, eating and reading something interesting. Not necessarily true but.. helpful and as I said interesting. They also had authors come in. I heard Mantak Chia's talk/pitch when he visited. Many of them hosted fortune tellers; astrology, tarot or palmistry. I like having a reading every year or so. Like astrology I'm not a true believer but I'd something of value out of a reading. Things to consider, things to agree with, or disagree with. It helped me focus on aspects of my future that would otherwise go semi-ignored. I assume my agreeing with my astrology signs, East & West is akin to self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps the point of it is becoming the best aspects of your Zodiac sign. There is power in reflecting and aligning with archetypes.. Warrior, King, Lover, Magician, Sage.. Sure beats Salesman, accountant, clerk etc., and may give us a chance to incorporate both.

From- https://www.wikihow.com/Read-Your-Chinese-Horoscope In 2022 and 2023 we (mostly) in Water. Know your element. Almost done! Now we're getting to your element. On the outside, it's quite simple. Just take the last number in the year of your birth![2] 0 or 1: Metal 2 or 3: Water 4 or 5: Wood 6 or 7: Fire 8 or 9: Earth What does this mean? Again, it's a cycle, this part emphasizing movement and change. Whatever element you are will naturally be emphasized, but how does it mix with the element of the current year? It is believed that the element of the year is the dominant one -- some years will work with your element, while others will work against, creating harmony and disharmony. There are believed to be two cycles: the creative cycle and the destructive cycle. For example, water destroys fire but produces wood and so forth. Each element affects others in different ways, ideally creating a perfect balance. It is believed that the elements line up with the 4 seasons. Wood is the strongest in spring, fire in summer, Earth during the season transitions, and so on. Each element is dominant for 2 years in a row. The cycle repeats every 10 years (there being 5 elements and all). <addon being born in Oct 1964 makes me a Wood Dragon. A dangerous combination, mostly to myself

To me, discipline is a better word than order. Discipline is freedom. Health, wealth, relationships, all take a measure of discipline. At least until the discipline/habit becomes ingrained. I've always liked the saying The wise man likes what is good for him. To a great extent we can 'program' ourselves and not be stuck in child-mode or cultural defaults.

I can see a programmer who's worried about over-use to have a timer built into the program. It could be pre-set by the user to give a warning or a couple levels of warning, including a suggestion on a better use of time, after a set amount of play. It's a real worry, excellent games are addictive by design.

To me being mystic means changing the basic paradigm in which we see the world; instead of 'I see the tree', it's 'i see i' . Thoughts are way way quieter; ego and comparisons likewise lessened. You are nothing special and a little bit of everything. In the world but no longer as much of it. in writing you use more semi-colons;

Yowza, I'm surprised he doesn't have some kid put a saddle on top and ride it.

I thought in some oriental traditions that imagination was considered another sense. Some people have an orientation sense, ie turn them around and they always know the direction they're in. Which reminds me, animals, particularly birds have a magnetic sense and I believe some people have it too. Literally traced to a small iron deposit in the front of the head. Blind people can learn echo location, not that it turns them into Daredevil. Looking up 'magnet sense' I found an interesting article on it and other senses- https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/evidence-human-geomagnetic-sense

Can't quite feel it yet, but I'm trying. <back to shoveling snow>

Just had my first Oculus VR injury. Not the Zombie games like In Death Unchained or Arizona Sunshine or the boxing game, Thrill of the Fight, rather the seemingly benign Eleven, ping pong. The computer lobbed it high and shallow, just past the net. I reached and reached, instinctively put my hand on the virtual table to stabilize and fell forward. A small scream as my hand went through the table and louder one when I hit the floor. Next time, I'll step through the table, taking advantage of being a material man in a material world. I assume my practice in virtual ping pong is making me a better player in real life. It's a little more dubious but I think my marksmanship is improved by all the gun and bow & arrow play. Though in the zombie games without a laser pointed gun, shooting at multiple advancing targets is difficult. Letting me realize how much goes into accurate marksmanship under distance and (imaginary) stress. Death Unchained often has me balanced precariously on rooftops and rails quite often, so maybe my comfort with heights is getting better.. maybe. i won't know til the zombie apocalypse starts.

I can understand that reaction. I certainly have dozens of easier, more pleasant meditations. Yet, the Tibetan's have some interesting practices and perspectives. I consider this an extreme 'metta' ie loving meditation. It's easy to love what's nice, harder to love.. the unpleasant. I recommend it as something interesting to try. I use this one and created an mp3 where it began at the start of the guided meditation.

There's a Vispassana pre-amble to meditation I used to do regularly. I am not my thoughts.. they are like clouds passing through. I am not my body.. I am that which inhabits it I am not my past.. those old memories and pattern I can choose not to follow I am not my future.. I am not my emotions, I am not possessions, I am not my family, I am breath and awareness.. reciting that daily helped reconcile me with death. a bit. I had an heart stent put in and heard the doctor say 'This isn't going well' and I was able to stay relaxed and see what comes next. Maybe the drugs helped. Likewise I've had some dreams where I'm dying and was able to surrender into it. So such things are valuable opportunities. Another interesting meditation is the Tibetan Chod meditation. Where you sacrifice yourself to a monster. Kind of the ultimate Metta meditation. I have a guided version of it and it's powerful in its own way. Though just a shadow of the full Chod ceremony I expect. Safety is an illusion, but an important one. It's nice to be in situations every now and then where your life is in your hands.

just now, Gold- Your “level of advancement” is known by your ability to stay centered and balanced. By how much joy and love you genuinely feel/share. from Dwai

Thing w/ Harry Patch's quote is, if the advice was taken literally the 'righteous' countries that defended w/ their politicians would be quickly wiped out, invaded and at the mercy of the less righteous country who used 100,000 soldiers instead. Or if 100% followed it, then 'Might would make Right' and the government with the stronger tougher meaner leaders could take over other countries if they so wished. hmnn, the original sentiment does have some wisdom in it.. maybe simply putting politicians on or close to the front lines would be good enough. To the OP, I agree with his sentiment. In the normal course of life, we can over personalize things and mix up good and bad.. cause we don't know everything or how things will turn out. Still, there are egregious acts that are bad and evil. Ones that people should guard and fight against.

Please be around, we need you. Course so does your art. I'm back from a month or so hiatus. Don't know if it was an intended plan, some laziness or maybe feeling without inspiration. It was good to take time off, and it's good to be back. There's a self reflection in writing on the board and a reflection reflection seeing how people react. In these strange, uh Covid days its good to have companionship. If you feel it's right, take time off, but don't stay away.

Just received my Cannabonsai kit from cannabonsai.org (good youtubes). Was just $48 (US). Pretty complete, including 2 seeds and importantly droppers for raising and lowering PH levels of water. I've killed off 3 seedling recently and while I think I learned from each tragic death, the last lesson is balance the damn PH . The kit also comes w/ Ph strips. The tiny growing area and stringent trimming means very little product. I half expect if smoking with a friend, they ask how much harvest from the 3 month effort, I'll say, 'Not horrible, but uh you're smoking it all now'. If I don't kill it, and get 3.5 to 10 grams dry, I'll be a happy man. edit.. and killed it. 5 seedlings down, 3 seeds to go.

To me, gaining 'power' and/or stretching the mind without a steady wisdom tradition including cautionary tales is like losing a couple spokes on a wheel. You can move forward but you're going to wobble, increasingly badly. A quiet mind is a wonderful thing but it can be vulnerable to paranoia, tribal conditioning and craziness. Worse, the bad stuff- mental and/or physical can be mistaken for progress. As practice deepens- be careful, be moral, be humble and keep a sense of humor.

"..Look at the sky as often as possible and your thoughts will become light and clear. Be quiet a lot, speak little – and silence will come in your heart, and your spirit will be calm and full of peace.” Saint Seraphim of Sarov Whole quote: “Drink water from the spring where horses drink. The horse will never drink bad water. Lay your bed where the cat sleeps. Eat the fruit that has been touched by a worm. Boldly pick the mushroom on which the insects sit. Plant the tree where the mole digs. Build your house where the snake sits to warm itself. Dig your fountain where the birds hide from the heat. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time with the birds – you will reap all of the days' golden grains. Eat more green – you will have strong legs and a resistant heart, like the beings of the forest. Swim often and you will feel on earth like the fish in the water. Look at the sky as often as possible and your thoughts will become light and clear. Be quiet a lot, speak little – and silence will come in your heart, and your spirit will be calm and full of peace.” Saint Seraphim of Sarov addon: Canonized in 1903 Seraphim, saint of Russia's nuclear weapons, wth. and he's done a good job, undoubtedly whispering to Lieutenant Colonel Stansilov Petrov in 1983, who decided not to forward the signal to launch.

A part of the Wim Hof method that isn't often talked about, yet is widely practiced is acclimatization. We all do it, ie by the end of winter what seemed cold, ie 40's and 50's suddenly seems warm after going through subzero weather. Wim Hof, particularly the first 10 week course does it a bit more consciously. When the weather turning colder, going for walks, meditation, getting outside w/ fewer layers and staying there increasingly longer in the cold. Gradual. Nothing special. It's really the norm in colder climates (and hotter). It compliments the cold showers, especially the training to warm yourself up afterwards without covering up immediately. We lose something when we're conditioned to a constant comfortable temperature. We become less adaptive, less tough.

Stuff I do.. Lately after eating, I'll continually rinse out my mouth, ie gargle w/ water, repeatedly (3 or 4 times) til no little bits of food come out. I assume it's these little bits that turn acidic and hurt mouth health. Perhaps long rinsing also knocks down some of the acidic nature in the mouth for a little bit. Anyhow since I've been doing this I've gotten good dental reports. I use Sensodyne toothpaste. Otherwise my teeth are sensitive to hot and cold. This is controversial but at night after brushing I'll spit out the toothpaste and foam, but not rinse out, ie leave a thin coating on my teeth. To my mind it strengthens them. I'll often do Wim Hof breathing, an unique form of body stress that might turn on some good hormones. Likewise take cold showers In winter they'll get real. Why? Again, a unique form of stress that 'exercising' circulation and releasing some good hormones. Tracking my sleep w/ Oura Ring. It records sleep time and depth. Heart rate, temperature, movement.. using the data to plot to show how well you sleep. A nice tool for an insomniac like me. Best motivator to change something is to keep records of it. Any unusual health things you do??

Better to burn on, then burn out. Thank you so much for your years of service. (i figure its about 35 in internet years) The hard decisions, the sleepless nights, the pillows strangled . You were and are, a rock and beacon of considerate humanity.

Invest like a farmer. Know the land, the seed, the seasons. Try to anticipate consumers wants and trends. Grow some crops for their yield, others for future value. Grow with an eye to the future for what people will want to buy. Karmic wise, live under your means. Be thrifty yet generous when you can. Invest steadily if possible. Some long shots, but most in something diversified and safer, like the major indexes. Try to create a safety fund, for hard times and unexpected expenses. Understand the market that gives can also bite you hard. Keeping it simple is good. 50%- big Index funds (SPY,DIA,QQQ etc) 25%- high dividend stocks, 25%- individual stock with great expectations.

I'm hoping to get members to write up the systems and books they respect. Name..what they like about them.. short personal experience.. kind of thing. Preferably keeping it short. Others can give short critiques, but I'd rather not get bogged down into long arguments. Accept that not everything works for everyone and let this thread be a resource for people looking for ideas to try.

On my walk yesterday I exaggerated my arm swings. It slowed me down a little but felt good, like skipping to raise the arms higher during a walk.