voice

Hi Karen, Global warming is real, and the only controversy comes from the right wingers who base their critiques on miniscule problems. If you don't believe in global warming, please read the latest report on the temperature records for the last 2000 years at: http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309102251/html This is from the National Academy of Science for their presentation to Congress. If you have any questions, please let me know. I expect that Anne Ehrlich is a member of the Club of Rome because "The Population Bomb", the neo-Malthusian book that she and her husband wrote, inspired the Club of Rome analyses. I won't get into the conspiracy theory stuff because it can neither be proven nor refuted. But, I am happy to debate the science if you want, if you want to explore the link above. Chris

Karen said: "Putting the pieces together from independent sources, it becomes clear that the environmental movement is an agenda to further one world government and loss of personal freedom. " I say: huh?! Environmental protection is funded less and less every year, the US is not part of the Kyoto Accord and so nothing will come of it, and environmentalists are typically presented as wackos. Indeed, NAFTA has supposedly weakened environmental protection in North America, because the environmental laws in US or Canada could be challenged in the court because they make companies less competitive than they would be in Mexico. And, yes, social responsibility always entails a loss of personal freedom. The lack of social responsibility, and the excess of personal greed (e.g. CEOs, athletes, the cosmetic surgeon down the street) is what is causing the social and environmental problems. How is it that the environmental movement is part of some movement to create one world government? Chris

My sense is that since the solstice is part of an annual cycle, not part of a daily cycle, the solstice vibe is there all day, not any more at any one time than another. The body should already feel the solstice approaching because as we approach solstice, the days get longer by a lesser and lesser amount every day. For examples for where I live: when we leave winter solstice, the days are getting longer at a rate of less than a minute per day; around Spring Equinox the days are getting longer at the maximal rate of around 3 minutes per day; at Summer Solstice, the days get longer at a slower and slower rate until, for a few days, there is really no difference in day length. The close you are to the poles, the more rapid the changes in day length. The solstice is, literally, a stopping of the Sun or, as described above, a slowing of day length. You can look up timings of sunrise and sunset (and use them to interpolate solar noon) at: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html Chris

And, seeing how big other things are...lets me feel bigger. Chris (with synaesthesia)

Well, you know where hunters set pitfalls...along paths. The "Way" is not a "Path". Better to avoid paths, which is why we are TaoBums and not Taoists. Chris

I am also a 5 numerologically for my name and birthday. I'll have to think about this... Chris

Interesting how playful sexual innuendo is permeating many threads on this board. Spring has sprung! nice....

Hagar, Thanks for reminding me of that heat - I remember it now from when my son was a baby. I think you are right - it is the heat of unconditioned heart energy. It is wonderful to feel such strong fatherly love. Your comments also remind me of a client of my wife's (she is a massage and feldenkrais therapist), who said how incredibly reiki-hot my wife's hands were during a session. My wife's perception was that she was not hot, but that her client was releasing holding patterns that resulted in heat. So, maybe the yuan state of your baby is releasing holding patterns in you, that result in heat release. The act of creating and caring for a baby is so powerful beyond our usual consciousness. I remember my orgasm when our son was conceived -- suddenly blasting through my head were the words "BRING ME A BOY!!!", which was a real surprise since I THOUGHT that I wanted a girl. I hope you can keep sharing about your experiences about fatherhood, as you are so perceptive. Chris

We are about half water. After air, water is the most abundant thing we take into our bodies. So, how good is that water? I've been drinking Reverse-Osmosis water for the last 8 years, and realize now that it is not good enough, stripped as it is of minerals. After doing some research, it seems like there are three good choices: 1) local spring water -- a nice idea to drink bioregionally, but the quality control can be dicey. 2) activated carbon filter -- Aquasana seems to have the cheapest model 3) carbon filter + ionization + structuring -- the Wellness Water filter does this, but for about 6X the annual cost of an Aquasana filter. So, what water do you drink? Tap, spring, Brita filter, generic carbon filter, RO? Anyone had any experience with the Wellness Water filter? The best water I've every drunk has been from high mountain springs -- it makes me feel vibrant, and I'd love to have that every sip of every day. Chris

My wife bought some Stevia last year, and we both found it to taste bad. Memory is that it had a synthetic flavor. But, if you like it, that is great. Chris

The crystal works for me -- I sweat, but don't smell. I just have to be sure to use it at least every few days, or my sweat will smell. I used Lavlin around 15 years ago, but it irritated my skin, and the paste was messy. I wonder if it is something about what you are eating that makes you so...aromatic. Chris

Is BJJ a form of sexual gong -- Blow Job Jitsu?

I haven't experienced aliens on earth, and so I don't believe in aliens on earth. But since my three spiritual teachers, all from different traditions, have seen them and do experience them, I don't disbelieve in aliens on earth. Chris

We've had a reversis osmosis (ro) water system in the house for 7 years. Every so often we think about the water, though toxin free, having no minerals. I've been cruising the web looking at liquid mineral supplements, and there seem to be too many choices. Many of them are vitamin supplements with B vitamins etc, and it isn't clear if any are designed specifically to replace the earth minerals like Ca, Mg, Na, and all of the rare ones. Do any of you have experience with this and have a product you like to use? thanks, Chris

Thanks for the replies. Karen: we do have some of the crystal energy and use it every so often. The Concentrace I had run across, but it just seems to be from Great Salt Lake salts, and is thus not a balanced set of minerals. Neimad: I spent sometime researching the Wellness Water system, and it sounds good. Do you use it? If so, how does the water feel? thanks, Chris

Nice vids! Feeling way expanded inside from that. And, though its a bright sunny day here, I feel a clear connection with the stars around me.

Woohoo! Colbert has got balls! No way I could stand up in front of those people like that.

Alive to myselves, skillful with all.

My experience is that the anger is an unintegrated part, that leaps up once I've stopped doing a focussed formal meditation. I include "emptiness" meditation as focused and formal, because none of us really know emptiness, so what we typically do is force some sense of emptiness upon ourselves! My solution is to not try for emptiness, not try to drop things, but to smile and say "hi" to all things. I notice feelings and emotions in my body and smile to them and say hello. The smile itself, though, can become a distorted energy, so I cycle through five smiles. The first thing I notice, I smile to with heart energy when "I" say hi, the next thing with earth energy, the next with metal, then water, then wood, then fire etc. as I go through the creation cycle. Let's say there is some heavy feeling in my head, I smile fire to it as I also feel fire in my heart and I say a wam and loving "hi". Then, whatever I notice next, I smile to it with Earth energy, and at the same time allow the earth collection point in the LTT area pulse with earth energy and say a fair and music-making "hi". etc. If I feel I don't like the process, or am rushing the process, I notice where that feeling is in me, and smile and say hi to it. If I notice that everything I am noticing is in my head, then I add another cycle: first head, then torso, then legs/feet, then head etc. After awhile, all of the energies are glowing, all parts of me are feeling acknowledged, and the process follows me as I leave the meditation and go to work etc. Now, I have to go smile and say hi to the many parts of me that react to highway traffic!

Yes, please make sure you or Max makes a digital copy to share with the rest of us. Should be an interesting and fun listen. I bet they have no idea what they are in for! Chris

I watched the Narnia dvd last night, and it was fairly good. It brought back interesting memories of reading the books back when I was 10. One memory I'd forgotten was Aslan's breath of life, which is a strong and good visceral memory. Another memory is a more interesting one. When reading the books at age 10, I so wanted to find Narnia. I remember exploring into the back of closets in our home, excited and nervous as I touched cautiously behind the clothing. I even remember "burrowing" into a the dark crawl space in the basement, under the stairs, where we stored suitcases and boxes of Christmas ornaments. Such disappointment I felt when the wall, however dark and invisible, was firm and unyielding. Of course, I've now found that portal into a mysterious world, full of strange creatures, magic, transendence, and paradoxes of time...it is the TaoBums! Well, it was what TaoBums do: meditation / alchemy / inner work. Did you search for mysterious worlds, such as Narnia, when you were young? Chris

Aahhh, babies are so sweet. My son is six-years old now, and when I see babies I can still remember the loving sweetness that I felt while holding him as this tiny sac of life and love. Congratulations and enjoy!!! Chris

It looks like the offspring of Gollum and Ron Jeremy!

I had similar thoughts about the effect of the chair on the perineum, and so emailed your (Spyrelx) experience to Winn. He replied the following (and said it would be okay if I re-posted it here). Chris, You control how tight you inflate the ball. So I've never had this problem of perineal or scrotal compression, certainly not more than sitting on a foam chair. The bicycle seat analogy doesn't apply in the least - the chair is much broader and softer, and cannot wedge itself into your sitzbone the way a bicycle seat does. Since you are moving around a lot more than on a foam chair, there is some degree of perineal massage. You can get somewhat sore from sitting too long, but that happens in foam chairs also. Net: this is far better, in my experience. If you have swiss gymnastic ball, you can sit on it and test it for yourself to get a similar experience. michael