yabyum24

This is the kind of thing I do but in a very different context. It's perhaps the most profound question anyone can ask. Like whatever you do, whatever senses come to the fore, or thoughts cascade through the mind, there is always the silent, still witness to it all. The clear, natural mind. You don't have to do a thing to find it - it's always there.

Headphones on. Eyes closed. Music on at a powerful volume. Divaloka:

Tight wha...??? Oh, you mean the arrows? Er didn't really notice... er... Well, perhaps not so tight considering the short distance but she may be a tad distracted by the dude checking out her bodski. She looks slightly irritated by it all at one point. Her form looks decent enough though (archery form). Slightly artistic high draw, but looks quite flash. Also no target on the board, which makes it harder to get a tight group. Depends what she's doing. It's more like she's been talked into a demo so the dude can get footage from every angle - in the interests of archery of course. So, yeah, anyway, as we were saying... elves in Iceland...

Hi SJ, The idea of this thread is to discuss personal experience rather than 'do's-&-don't's' of meditation. Perhaps you could start an info thread about 'how to meditate correctly according to Buddha' or some such title. Then everyone could read it and know exactly what they should be doing. On the other hand, if you have any direct experience of what you have written, please feel free to share.

Russian Elf Princess on a Samick SKB Horse Bow. The geek with the camera is so enchanted, he doesn't know when to stop filming. Good job she had no arrows left. (Okay pathetic justification for posting this vid on this thread I admit)

Wales... Land of the Mabinogion. Must be a few elves still hanging out there - the ones who didn't sail to the west or end up in Iceland. I'm crap at darts too. Archery's a whole different game.

This reminds me of yesterday evening at my archery club. There has been some "re-shuffling" and I found myself sharing a target with two pretty ladies (both new to the club, but competent archers). Another lady I've always liked had been moved next to me, on the other side - so I was effectively sandwiched between these elf-princess warriors. Just that bit tougher to get into the zone and focus on the target. Just about managed to get a decent score, though I was distracted on a few shots and they didn't go too well. It must be the Lunar Goddess messing with me again. All good for training the mind though.

Do you think they could introduce me to Arwen Undómiel?

This isn't linked to any system or belief but all my adult life I've noticed a rise in energy during the waxing phase of the moon. It corresponds with the appearance of and interaction with sexual potential. It peaks at full moon and thereafter decreases. If I keep celibate during the waxing phase and beyond, the energy is sustained even during the dark phase. If I don't, then I have to wait until the waxing moon for the next "infusion". My health and stamina are also much better during a celibate waxing phase. I can feel in it every way. But I go deeper into meditation during the new moon rather than at full - too much energy somehow. The closest I've ever got to an explanation, is in reading native European (pagan & folk) material. Robert Grave's White Goddess was an inspiration. The three phases are definitely there, represented by the maiden, the woman at her peak and the old lady. Big question: Has anyone got any further information about any of this? Any ideas from any source are welcome. Note: I placed this in occult, as it is, for me, non-religious and primal.

And if it's the moon goddess, you have no chance.

Seeing the person I most love being wheeled into surgery, neither of us knowing whether she'd survive it. Her courage through her tears. The way she held my hand before the doors swung closed. And seeing her asleep afterwards - frail but alive.

Indeed. Hard to break old habits (and her beautiful chair).

I'm learning a lot of new vocab on this thread. I could condense it into the following advice: "friendzone" any LARP PUA's you meet.

Could well be. It is strong enough to affect the ocean's tides and our bodies contain a lot of water. May be a werewolf thing though

Could be. I've never thought of that angle, though I have wondered whether the Lunar energy manifests a 'male' to a female? A sort of yin/yang thing.

PUA? Can't figure this one out. Help anyone?

Larp? Live Action Role play? Just trying to keep up with some of the abbreviations in the thread. You could ask if she'll Larp the Gor Novels!

The formula is very good. No suppression, judgement or identification. Just observing and letting it pass. I find there's all kinds of stuff going on in body & mind. You can soon begin to uncover it.

There's a sort of 'recommend a friend' thing with a large group of young single girls, who are out for some fun. When I was in halls at college, there was this small, podgy ginger dude who had a phenomenal string of girls running around after him. One or two made it into his room for the night (usually different ones each night). I was struggling to understand how this antithesis of the alpha male was pulling at such a rate. Then the penny dropped. He was easy-going, flirtatious and not the kind who wanted to commit at all. He had a way of approaching the girls which did the trick. It was the cheeky twinkle in his eyes I think. The second factor was that the girls were all friends (or at least acquaintances) and there was some kind of herd-curiosity thing going on. One had tried him out, so the others had to have a go too. It was almost like a big game amongst them. They knew he wasn't serious and that it was just sex, so they felt safe playing around with him. I lost count of the girls he bedded and was even more amazed when he committed to a "proper" girlfriend towards the end of the course. He stuck with her as well.

A question / observation for any one who knows their stuff in Vedanta (or related systems) please. Buddhists usually refute a 'Hindu' claim of an immortal Atman - you see it all the time in sutras etc. but lately, I've been feeling very uneasy about this premise. From what I have studied in monist Spanda Shaivism, there is never a mention of anything immortal or eternal. Paramashiva is beyond all designations which could apply to space or time (even eternal etc) and the spanda shakti is a dynamic and consonantly changing force (nothing permanent there). So, in this light, the whole immortal Atman premise looks a bit like a straw man. Okay, perhaps there are various Hindu sects that DO make such claims and perhaps that was the case during Buddha's time - but not all of them do it seems. Am I right here, or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

A new avatar pic maybe? (ambitious eh?)

Big thanks and a Happy New Year to all Tao Bums.

I guess you could either expand upon a category you listed in the OP or perhaps mention practitioners (dead or alive), their biographies, teachings etc.

Thanks for finally having the wherewithal to express your own views on the matter SJ. It makes for better reading than copy/paste. I can't discuss the matter with you, as your posts are inconsistent.

I'd just like to thank all those who have contributed to this thread. As it appears to have got as far as it's going to get, I'll bow out now. If anyone genuinely feels that there are some unresolved issues, then feel free to pm me.