voice

Cool! But, I really felt deflated after the bones were erased. I wish they'd been left in a la Alex Grey.

This video by Joanna Newsom takes me to a magical place. The harp playing is very hypnotic and pulls me back to an earlier time, the imagery slides in and out of normal reality. I love it. It flows. "The difference between the sprout and the bean it is a golden ring it is a twisted string" Youtube - Joanna Newsom - The Sprout and the Bean

thaddeus wrote: From one perspective, people who 'stay connected with people' are operating on the level of ego, maya, illusion, thought. It's all transient monkey mind lunacy, so what are they really doing? Illusions meet illusions to treat illusion creating more illusion. For me, it is not illusion -- it is all real: dimensions into dimensions of reality. All to become conscious of, all to come into personal balance with. For me, this is a community and, like a family, it does not function well when people are pitted against each other. I've known Ian virtually and personally for over 5 years, and Thelerner virtually for more than that. We have a history, we support each other in this long and wonderful process of way-making. Who on this site has more xiantian? I do not care. What I care about is cultivating this community, this level of reality. Chris

Li Jiong say: For example, I see the photos of thelerner, Ian, Sean and Plato here, I feel the Xiantian energy level of Sean and Plato are much higher than the level of thelerner and Ian, from their posts, I get the same feeling. Perhaps you can feel this too if you put their photos together. I do not want to attack anyone, just give an example. Chris says: boo! bad form! Don't diss any of the 'bums! Please pick on pop culture icons that we all know.

I've got "Ys" on order as no store in my small town has it. She really draws in a mythic/magic energy from the low astral. It is wonderful to have this sort of shaman making music, with most lyrics representing just this later heaven life. It's kind of funny that a review I read derided her lyrics as the least sensible lyrics since the group "Yes", when I'd just been thinking that her lyrics were the most magical/mythical that I'd heard since Yes's album "Tales from Topographic Oceans" (based on the some Hindu scriptures). "What happened to this song we once knew so well Signed promise for moments caught within the spell I must have waited all my life for this Moment moment" Chris

Michael Winn teaches a simple version of Shamanic communication as a way of extending our consciousness from habituated "self" identification, to include all other aspects of our Self (i.e. everything!). Find an object that attracts you (tree, dog, car, spoon) and sit with it. Observe its form, resonate internally with its internal structure and attend to any feelings that arise. If you are able to get deep into the object, you may be able to sense a consciousness of it. After you feel comfortable with that object and a consciousness of it that you can sense, then shift consciousness: now take the position of the object looking at you. From the object' perspective, observe your form and resonate with your structure and attend to any feelings that arise. When you feel comfortable, then you can ask the object a question about yourself. It can be very surprising when the object speaks back - sort of like Eddie Murphy in Dr. Doolittle. I don't think that the objects really speak; I think we transmute its chi into language. This is all much easier and freer than "proper" Shamanic voyaging, which does have the danger that Wayfarer brought up so well, that it happens outside of your body. In the approach above, you are always inside your body, just resonating with the object and its consciousness. There is so much to learn from others! From a Wilberian perspective, we humans are very deep - our body, mind and spirit includes traces from all levels of physical and biological evolution. To truly be embodied, we must be able to communicate with our bones and bacteria, and to be ecosytemically embodied we must be able to communicate with our plants and the worms. But, this work can be profoundly disorienting! I don't do it often because of that. Rex's post from a few days ago started me on this, feeling my car (and realizing that is the object that most people communicate with most easily since we feel its whole body to drive well in bad conditions). Last night I started communicating with the book I was reading (Philosophical translation of the Dao de Jing) - really wierd! It became hard to read, and the words seemed kind of shallow. I didn't do more than just resonate with the book, so maybe it would have been easier if I had communicated with it. Then I noticed my son's bionicles across the room, and remembered being young and how my toys really seemed alive. Anyways, the world is rich with potential. Thanks for starting this post and sparking me to tap in. Chris

just read a review of this nice related book: This Commong Ground: seasons on an organic farm

Masterforge- Whose translation of the TTC is that? I don't remember any of the translations I have, having the last 5 lines so clearly express the Kan and Li geometry. Chris

While reading El Tortugo's synopsis of the book it made me wonder if "string theory" is another attempt to explain the communication at a distance. In string theory they propose something like 8 or 13 dimensions, not just the 3 Cartesians dimensions we typically accept (with time a 4th dimension). That there are more dimensions feels more right to me than everything being a hologram. When I meditate deeply, I feel like I am worming down through strange dimensions, not entering a hologram-making workshop. Chris

Michael, Great intro! You seem to be doing really well at your way-making -- so much more complex and rewarding than just subsuming ourself to someone else's way. Good luck working out the job thing. So difficult to figure out what we can do, what we want to do, what pays "well enough", allows us to support children etc. Whatever the job, it allows connections with which we can deepen our "spiritual" practice. Chris

Oh I would love a translation of that second image! It had 29 moon phases in it!

I used to notice that and care about it, but now I don't. It's like I went through a phase when I de-meshed from society and so noticed the difference between them and me. Now, I operate in parallel to society. I can be in it, but not get caught by it (okay, not very often... except when my team loses... ). I've got my wife, my son, the moon and sun, Earth, all of nature...and an infinity of astral connections! Who needs more?

Hi Spectrum, Here is the same version, but with a nice starry blue background. I got it from Chia's site a few years ago. Chris

Hi Ian, I just sent you an email cc'ed to a friend of mine from Belgium who is into biodynamic gardening and has studied alot with Chia and Winn. If you don't get it, let me know and I will try again. He is a way-cool guy, knows Barry Spendlove well, and you guys should hit it off. He only checks his email every couple of days, so it may take a while to get in touch with him. "Tiny Beast"? sounds interesting.... Chris

Mags I get: Utne Reader, Outside, Ascent (yoga for an inspired life)

oh...eff it! I was wanting to wait until 2010 for the China trip, and go back to Glastonbury in 2008 for Star Alchemy. But, it would be so great to hang with you guys.... I'm going to have to think about this one. Chris

Happy Birthday "old man" (isn't that what "lao tzu" means?) Chris

Hi Krissy, Mantak Chia is a Christian and a Taoist, so for him the two are compatible. If you are interested in taking some Healing Tao classes in Buffalo, there is a senior practicioner from Toronto who comes down to Buffalo once a month and teaches a few hours. I could get you hooked up with her if you'd like, just PM me. Chris

It is amazing the various spins that different authors take on each chapter. Here are two versions of Chapter 16 from my two favorite translators: top is Addiss and Lombardo, bottom is Kwok, Palmer and Ramsay. Chris ________________________ Chih hsu chi Attain complete emptiness Hold fast to stillness The ten thousand things stir about; I only watch for their going back. Things grow and grow, but each goes back to its root. Going back means returning to what is. Returning to what is Means going back to the ordinary. Understandng the ordinary: Enlightenment. Not understanding the ordinary: Blindness creates evil. Understanding the ordinary: Mind opens. Mind opening leads to compassion, Compassion to nobility, Nobility to heavenliness, Heavenliness to TAO. TAO endures. Your body dies. There is no danger. ____________________________________ The sage rules from the purest motives Relying wholly on quiet and inner peace. He watches the seasons rise and fall And if he knows how things grows, he knows They are fed by their roots And they return to their roots; To grow and flower and flow. Every thing must have its roots, and the tendrils work quietly and undergroun. This quiet feeding is the Way of Nature. If you understand ch'ang -- this principle of nurturing, you can understand everything. Not understanding it will lead you to disaster. If a sage knows this, he can rule And he will do so with patience and justice. Any man can become wise in this And he can walk the Way of Heaven And if you walk that way You will be royal in the mastery Life can end in pain -- but if you live like this, under the Tao You wil fill your days with breath.

Fitting for the end of another summer, time passing along, another summer gone. youtube

The flowing calligraphic S for supporter is nice! It has a cool tai chi flow, it looks sort of like a butterfly, and it clearly stands for supporter (unlike the blue thingy which could have stood for having been in prison, or specializing in lattice work on top of fences). voice

So, the PUA ontology is that some are "high class" and others are "chumps"? That's some really spiritual shit there! (pun intended) Chris

1. Roll the tongue, poke the tip of it out beyond the lips, breath in through it and out through the nose. 2. For inner cooling -- remember the feeling of eating very cold ice cream. 3. For outer cooling -- remember the feeling of stepping in very cold water (e.g. ocean, stream, bath).

Hi Karen, Here is a comparison between thermometer and satellite records, with two different interpretations of the satellite records. You can see that the satellites do show warming. Fu discovered that the satellites had been slowing down due to friction and that a correction for that slowing down resulted in the satellites showing warming. In any case, thermometers from remote areas like the Arctic and 3000 feet below the ocean surface all show warming. Chris Disclaimer: I have done research and teaching on global warming.