thelerner

Woman's Yin, has always worked pretty well on me.

If you want to travel back in time to an excellent thread in the middle of the Dao Bums initial Kunlun run, here's a good one-

It is curious. From Max's description it was originally an animal skin (I used a small lamb rug from Ikea) but can also be a rubber mat. The purpose is to stop 'leakage'. Interesting since other styles are into meditating on the ground, thus the opposite. Ofcourse full lotus can be said to be a 'locking device' too. Different philosophies for different arts.

A wise man once told me, 'Sacred is what you make sacred' Perhaps its not the most toys, but the person with the most sacred things who 'wins' in the end. Similarly, seeing others as sacred is probably a plus. After all, they tend to be our mirrors.

I collect guided meditations and find a variety called Yoga Nidras to be very effective in relaxing the body. They're an ancient type of yogic meditation, probably the easiest since you just lay down and listen. A commonality of the many styles is they spend time slowly moving through the body, finger by finger, joint by joint relaxing them. Getting the listener into a hypnotic state of mind awake, body relaxed. Here's a where you can find many free ones. You can also find them on youtubes and podcasts. The thread below has a couple of excellent guided meditations that can lead to very deep relaxation. Sadly many great ones on the site are gone, but there's a fun sing song Gift Nidra that I hadn't heard before and is easily downloadable. http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/mp3/gift-nidra-nourish-every-dimension-being note these differ widely, so try a couple in order to find the ones that connect best. Saunas, wet, dry & liquid are good for relaxing the body and heck, a shot of liquor or two can also be soothing at the right time. The pointy thorny yoga mat called a Spoonk is strangely relaxing. Meditating after a long sweaty workout can be very relaxing.

I've really been digging a couple sprays of eucalyptus oil into the shower before I get in. It makes for a nice wake up in the morning. When it runs low, maybe I'll refill the small spray bottle with eucalyptus and lavender oil.

Spirituality to me, is a many faceted thing. It takes me away from the tic toc world, or else lets me see an inner brilliance to it. my spirituality is quiet and silent a small smile and simple sigh. It can be sad, but that too is part of the orchestra of life.

You do get that you are an I-see-nothinger also, right? That when there's evidence against your position, you ignore it. Measuring intelligence is admittedly a hard subject. Different eras have different focus's. And as mentioned early its easy to compare the best of one era to the average of another, particularly your own and find it wanting. I don't think biology explains why IQ is up since the Victorian age but as Alfheim's article above says, better nutrition has played a large role, and you see that in the world today. People who aren't getting adequate nutrition, and in the 18th century that was common, the average person was spending 50%+ of there income (as I recall) on food. Course the slow down and perhaps slight reversal in the last couple decades could also be nutritionally related too, ie we're overloading our kids (& selves) w/ too much sugar and junk food. Education is a tricky thing to measure too. Thankfully literacy rates have sky rocketed, and so have the number of kids going on to higher education. That is wonderful as is the ability of people to learn things cheaply on the internet plus decent libraries abound. The downside is curriculum's have been watered down. Fundamentals have suffered, partly because there so many shiny new areas that call for attention from modern tech to social issues. Problematic, but I see it as part of a pendulum swinging. It'll swing back eventually.

Because of the quote it has '.' That previous generations except for the latest, have been getting smarter." To me this quote from the article you mentioned means that the previous generations, except for the latest, have been getting smarter. I believe that since this (the article you link to) doesn't fit into your current paradigm that will ignore it. Thus your beliefs will always be unshakeable because you ignore evidence to the contrary. I recently heard people who make up statistics to back up there prejudices are 90% more likely to drink orange juice without pulp. same old, same old. Others don't fit your eccentricity so they're wrong, and you're superior.

You realize the above somewhat contradicts the original OP, ie that we've been getting dumber since Victorian times, ie I quote 'The IQ scores of young men have plunged below previous generations for the first time in nearly a century, a new study claims.' That previous generations except for the latest, sorry post millenials or whatever letter you call yourself, have been getting smarter. The truth is the humanity hasn't changed or evolved much in the past 20,000 years. If push comes to shove we can do the same things as any other generation. Probably we are in a comfort trap. Yet I'd argue that it doesn't matter what people Urugua are doing right now. What matters is what we are doing. rideforever, are you learning to solve logarithms in your head? I doubt it. You could (I could) but it'd be a waste of time, other then for the mental workout and challenge. You could learn to fully use modern cutting edge tools, like 3D printers, but I don't think your interests lie in that direction. Hopefully you'll take pride in learning some old crafts and be snoblike when it comes to learning the newer stuff. If your big epiphany is everyone but me is lacking emotionally and spiritually, the problem may be mostly yours and not societies.

Intelligence has to mean looking beyond only evidence that backs up your view and making assumptions of the very best of one group versus the median of another. What I'm getting at is if you measure IQ by reaction time (which is dubious, as athletes & video game players would be the smartest amongst us) but also if you delve into criticisms of the original paper, you see that measuring devices have changed, ie your timers in the Victorian era were not very accurate on the whole, not like modern devices. Similarly the average person can't do logarithms in there head now or then. Though you can find people who train to do it in both eras. It might be interesting to look at college exams from the Victorian era and today. What they were expected to know, the length and breadth. addon> with that in mind, a quick perusal found this- https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/26/schools.education which supports Rideforevers view. Here's an excerpt of a test given to the brightest 11 year olds in 1898- 'The questions covered English history, grammar, maths, geography and Latin, and were aimed at the brightest 11-year-olds of the time. .. These are some of the exam questions tackled by 11-year-olds applying for places at King Edward's School in Birmingham in 1898 Arithmetic 1. Multiply 642035 by 24506 2. Subtract 3.25741 from 3.3; multiply 28.436 by 8.245; divide 0.86655 by 26.5 3. Simplify 183/4 minus 22/3 divided by 11/5 minus 31/2 multiplied by 4/7 English grammar 1. Parse fully "And call the cattle home." 2. Explain the meaning of o' Dee, dank with foam, western tide, round and round the sand, the rolling mist. 3. Write out separately the simple sentences in the last two lines of the above passage and analyse them. Geography 1. On the outline map provided, mark the position of Carlisle, Canterbury, Plymouth, Hull, Gloucester, Swansea, Southampton, Worcester, Leeds, Leicester and Norwich; Morecambe Bay, The Wash, Solent, Menai Straits and Lyme Bay; St Bees Head, The Naze, Lizard Point; the rivers Trent and Severn; Whernside, the North Downs, and Plinlimmon, and state on a separate paper what the towns named above are noted for. 2. Where are silver, platinum, tin, wool, wheat, palm oil, furs and cacao got from? 5. Where are Omdurman, Wai-Hei-Wai, Crete, Santiago, and West Key, and what are they noted for? English history 1. What kings of England began to reign in the years 871, 1135, 1216, 1377, 1422, 1509, 1625, 1685, 1727, 1830? 2. Give some account of Egbert, William II, Richard III, Robert Blake, Lord Nelson. 3. State what you know of Henry II's quarrel with Becket, the taking of Calais by Edward III, the attempt to make Lady Jane Grey queen, the trial of the Seven bishops, the Gordon riots." me. Course that's not saying how many kids passed and got things wrong. These are waay harder then modern tests given to kids, but then this was not a test given to average kids either. This was for the Kings school. So comparing it to an SAT for 11 year olds wouldn't be accurate, I'd have to find an entry test to an elite school for 11 years old.

Course isn't it a certain pathology to think there used to be soulful people and now there aren't? I'm sure most of the adults in the 60's & 70's were sure the teens of there day (your generation?) were lobotomized. I think what you're describing was also said by Aristotle Socrates ranting against the kids who knew nothing, were getting into new fangled reading and had no idea how to be good citizens. To me you're feeling the same way all cantankerous oldsters have since we emerged from the caves. At 54, I have 3 in college (oy) but even in high school there work was often beyond me at least in math, programming, language. Too often we look down on people because there learning expertise is different then our own. Visiting colleges the last couple years, these kids are smart and hard working. They're entering the world with open eyes and a bit of fear. If you're feeling depressed about the future I'd recommend going to a good college and walking around. I think you'll find it optimistic. And more kids are going to college then ever, which brings on its own problems. They aren't learning hunting and gathering because they won't need it. They will need tech skills and in this faster paced world, learning how to learn quickly and fearlessly. The worst of them will undoubtedly look down upon you/us as obsolete dinosaurs. I don't know if the future will be brighter or darker. Modern kids seem to be way more environmentally conscious then my generation and that bodes well.

Saying, from now on I will be saintly is way different then being saintly. If being a saint was easy, everyone would do it. I'm sure its a long bumpy road of discipline until it becomes conditioned. Though let me add, good luck to you. It's a worthy endeavour.

I was going to put this in my PPD, but maybe put it here and see if others want to share. That way we can draw some inspiration and ideas from each other. Dec. Bucket list- things I'd like to do in Dec. 1) Long walks in Nature, at the Botanic Garden, the Skokie Lagoon, along the Willow overflow zone. 2) At least one staycation. Spend a night at a hotel in an interesting suburb or downtown. 3) See an ice or snow carving event. Think Lake Geneva (see #2) or Navy Pier. 4) Lengthen night time meditation period. 5) Call friends and family more often. Kids in college at least weekly. 6) Work out at least every other day & keep log. 7) Keep up on astronomy, use app to know the what stars are out. 8) Brew some Applfelwein, two single gallons, keep it simple. 9) Read or listen to some good autobiographies. 10) Watch (or listen to) something educational . 11) Have a one month project that will gain me some skill- (give some thought) 12) Cook a couple soups this month.

I wonder if you could also say, all things have a season. And from there you get into classic element theory, how things affect each other, how they generate, cooperate and destroy- in cycles.

Looks like Wim Hof is offering 50% off on his original course tomorrow, 'Black Friday' for info- https://www.wimhofmethod.com/elearning/10-week-video-course Type in BLACKFRIDAY50 and get 50% off. I found it worthwhile, but not easy. Many benefits, much discomfort, some risk.. but thats the way I like it.

I finished watching the one season of Sabrina on Netflix. I liked it, good not great. Interesting for its take on Satanism. The OP statue is in it. It looks at witches unabashedly as devoted to Satan and signing there souls over to him for powers. Yet they're not all bad. A modicum of honor and service are certainly evident.

may we be happy and thankful for our portion may we have good friends and be a good friend, may we support and cherish our families and strive to give more then we receive

this is so easy to disregard but is undoubtedly one of the 'secrets' of the more experienced. Taking the time to close properly. For standing and for sitting.

never knew he had so much in common with Mark Twain.

Agree with the OP. Life is like a poker game. You're given hand of cards, good or bad, random cards come along. There's luck, there's skill, there's bluffing.. Perhaps the secret is realizing it can be a friendly game and having pals around who'll let you look at there cards.

My latest bastardization of Pangu (masters forgive me) is coffee grinding. I've got a small Haribo coffee bean grinder (burr style ofcourse) and I'll spin the top and bottom, grinding 26 times on my left, then right (switching top & bottom hand), then middle. Repeated if needed, trying to feel the vortexes until the coffees ground. knees bent and enjoying the rich earthy smell

that's great. Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm unfamiliar with Fragrance qigong, but I'll have to look it up in a youtube. I like zhan Zhuang. Lately there's a guided meditation I'll listen to that has chakra work (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDvSV0y0SHs&list=PLqktjn8c06SxO1f_1xZgJoTsi4rBF_jH1&index=1) note I've made a shortened mp3 version of the above that cuts straight to the chakra part. I don't find either to be too physically demanding, though I generally keep my ZZ to 15 minutes. Different forms have different goals. Undoubtedly there's some overlap though.

Here's another song on time and loss

There are a couple of such chargers out there, but beware. Most of the affordable ones <$100 are slow, like two days to charge slow and may be troublesome. A cheaper solution might be buying a bunch of cheap rechargeable batteries, charging and bringing enough with you so that you can recharge them at home days or weeks later. caveat emptor http://vi.raptor.ebaydesc.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemDescV4&item=362117843080&category=48618&pm=1&ds=0&t=1522451700000&ver=0 https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Battery-Charger-Charges-Supply/dp/B001ALF2CY On the third hand, there are portable radios that run by crank. Often having lights in them too. I had one, it wasn't very loud, but it worked. That might not be a bad way to go. This kinda thing, https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Portable-Flashlight-Household-Survival/dp/B0774RRYZP/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1542511941&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=crank+radio&psc=1 or this one for $19 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFCFKG5/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B01MFCFKG5&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=f0dedbe2-13c8-4136-a746-4398ed93cf0f&pd_rd_wg=OIa18&pf_rd_r=A338NNJNY5Z4JZ98292V&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=TzIgo&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=96fd2114-eae2-11e8-a0b8-b3ecfb8dcc27 note both get better reviews and are rated higher then solar battery chargers.