thelerner

Not a whole lot of difference. The 17" is $100 less has a new Duo 2 core that should be faster, better graphics card, and 1 Gig of memory. So I think I'll make the switch. Any appleheads out there with hints? What shareware should I download? Should I stick with the native browser? What about making it bilingual and talk PC? Michael

Typing this on my new Apple. Its working very well. I even loaded in Boot camp so its a lean mean dual booting machine! Any programs or shareware recommended? Michael

Sykkelpump, its just a book. No need to feel sorry the yodude. He's our number one fearless researcher of things exotic, erotic and energetic. Even dead end books bring up concepts that lead to gold. The more we learn the more we see the connections. Thats where Trunk's invaluable site shines. He's our best chronicler, tying threads together, showing the links. Distilling concepts with his own writing and pointing to the original material. Michael

Thanks Scott, I am typing on my new 17" Mac. Very nice screen. What word processor do you use? Any suite that you like best. Thanks I cut and paste often. I should have asked in the store how to do that. Hmm. How do I do it?

The books works just fine. For example page 134: Put erection on page, close and twirl book counter clockwise 5 times. Page 136: " " and twirl book clockwise 4 times Page 138:" " and shake book up and down 12 times It goes on in this vein til page 220. The book does exactly what it says it will do. Though you may not be able to urinate for a few days afterwards. Michael Slander thelerner

Does this sound right? A taoist has few or no hard and fast rules. No preconceptions. Every case and situation is bound and judged through logic and intuition without litmous tests or prejudice. There is no They are bad, We are good. There is only we. We need to see these dark reflections as what they are reminders to ourselves to get back on the path. And if its within our power or influence to change what is wrong. We don't have a snowballs chance of changing say..policies in Saudi Arabia. But, I can affect the world by changing attitudes of rascism and bigotry within myself. Michael

Wayfarer first class link site, filled w/ gems. Michael

The almost full moon is rising as the sun is setting. Should be a beatiful display of colors. Check it out tonight or tomorrow. Michael

Yesterday was great, huge and colorful. Check out the moonrise today if you can. Should be even brigher since it will be darker out. Michael

On a less then serious level, forget port, dark chocolate goes great with Cabernet Savignon, Or a spicy red Zinfandel. On a more serious level, drink clean water 8 to 10 glasses a day. Buy some of the little dove chocolate candies and only have one or two a day. There are lots of gentle detox teas around try them. Don't do anything to drastic. Eat fruits and veggies drink lots of clean water and your body will take care of itself. Michael

MCO stuff, Minke DeVos has a great 15 minute guided meditation on the MCO. Awakens the major energy points. Has you visualize one pearl racing around the orbit. Then 2, then more, finally it becomes like a river flowing effortlessly, and you sit back in the dantien and watch it streaming by, maybe giving it a litltle push or pull with your breath. Later she opens it up from Micro to macro, including the legs and arms. Its one of 4 meditations on her Tao Basics CD. Glenn Morris has a similar practice in his book, Pathnotes, and his Meditation Mastery audio course. Its called the secret smile. After relaxing the body, you remember a time you felt very confident. Forget the event, but remember the feeling, form it into a ball at your tan tien, link it to the breath and breath it 3x up and down the MCO orbit. Then do it with Love 3x. Then combine Love and confidence, breath up and down. Then Humour 3x up and down. Combine all 3, circle them. Then remember a great sexual moment. Keep the feeling and send that into the orbit 3x. Its a good exercise and doesn't take very long. He says it lays the foundation for being a complete human being. Doing the chi gung set from Michael Winns second Fundamental video helped me too. Great energetics, and the fact you move and stretch the spine a bit helps link the mental and physical and spiritual. One of my own inventions is when I lay in bed I'll do an energy orbit up my little fingers down to my little toes. Then the next finger etc., until I send energy up my big thumb and down to my big toe. Don't know why I do it, or whats its good for, but its fast and easy Michael

I'd link the menu to emotions. Love for heart healthy things,like chocolate some veggies. Stength for higher protein items. Energy for anything with caffeine or gives you a boost. I'm getting into fondues, and they can pretty veg friendly. If you want Americans you'd have to think fast foodish. Not fries, but good tempura. Michael

Can't argue with that. Michael

In the Chicago China town there is a small store front shrine. Lots of life size Buddhas and I think Indian statues there. Each is packed with details and symbolism. Each has zafus for people to kneel on. Michael

Thanks for the information, I'll have to go to that site soon and make time to read your sonnets. Quite a lost art form. You know, real beauty requires contrast. So bless the wilder, grosser and nasty elements around us. Homogenity is boring and we learn from the high and the low; G-d only knows where on the scale we are. That said I'm usually the one who is fast with fisticuffs or spittle. But I'm learning. Slowly I'm learning. Michael

Its 9:37 Chicago time. If see this I'll be on live chat Michael

Didn't sleep much last night. I have several books on sleep disorders. I rememberone book I didn't buy. An old book, one of the original self help books, written by Clement Stone( I think) before self help became its own library section. It said, 'Insominia should be seen as a blessing not a curse.' The insomniac who works through nite productively is accomplished, the one who tosses and turns in bed is not using the benefit to his advantage. Thus its 12:47. I have just finished writing a short kids story. Its in Personnal Discussion place. If you care to read it and let me know what you think. Its got a few typos, but for a first draft is surprisingly smooth, I think. Michael

Welcome aboard, glad to have you What is the Golden Lantern site like? I've cruised a couple other site, but Sean has created a really wonderful community here. Michael

Not sure where chemtrails belong in the Gnosticism debate, but I'll bet the Christians would be against them and the Gnostics would be live and let live . I agree with Dust Walker. They're a dark Urban Myth, a good example of how paranoia snowballs, and peoples need for a boogie man. I wallowed through the various sites. Mostly very scared people. Occassionally there would be a pilot or chemist or EPA person who would say, relax..this is fantasy. Nothing will convince the true believer otherwise. The revolution already came, we won. Michael

todd are you reading this? Michael post answer below

Both parties might be right. You should breathe naturally. But we (westerners?) were never taught how to breathe. We are top breathers. We are nearly in a state of hyperventillation, but it is so normal we don't notice. Natural breathing is Much slower then what we usually do. Michael

I'm getting away from long breath cycles. I used to be more into very long in and outs. Probably a prideful hold out from old Ki-Aikido breathing exercises. Now I try to let it go and be more aware of the states between breaths or nothing at all. I'm getting more into sound. How they echoe through my body, which sound hits where. In the shower I'll chant the Shma prayer (ala Ecstatic Kabbala book) and do some other vowel type chants. Just like chigung can be just arm waving without linking the movement to greater energy fields. Chanting something with a sacred property links sound, inner and outer, to emotional/inner power and meaning. Michael

Surprisingly good. I think Seagal showed off some banjo playing in one of his movies. I think it was called "Beating Oil workers To Death", or something like that. I played those links to a really great martial artist. Mitsugi Saotome. A really awesome man and Aikidoist. I'd take his seminars whenever he was in town. He is self proclaimed or proclaimed by O'Sensei as 'enlightened'. A difficult concept for Westerners to chew on. He had such a wonderful 'air' about him. Very friendly, superb stylist, effortless, soft, inventive, fantastic within form and without. There is a 3 part series about him on the tube, here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xUsIebygrE Michael

Bill Sosa, hmmn, sounds familiar, but I can't place him. Too bad. Chicago is wonderful Mecca of different Aikido styles. I haven't been very involved in the Aikido world since my child # 3 came along. Yours Michael

I had wanted to start it yesterday. But had few fruits or veggies in the pantry. Kids had 1 hour of school. Then several kids came over. So raw diet can wait. Ofcourse, if not now when? LATER, MAYBE NEXT WEEK. if not me, then who? YOU OTHER GUYS. Ciao Michael