jago25_98

How's about, keep fiat money but turn all banks into democratic affairs by: - public listing(capatalist approach), including the Bank of England. Especially the ones that are allowed to make more money. - everyone owns it/has a say, run it like the Cooperative Bank (UK) (communist/socialist approach) and so on... or Make every person a bank (decentralised p2p banking) or Local councils become local banks (semi decentralised banking) The key thing is that banking and the money is power. People know something is up, so we don't vote mostly. But there's some sort of unclarity around the area, leaving a few both in the know and with the resources able to run things. Things have got pretty clear with quantitative easing, but it seems it needs to be even simpler, Sun reader level to hit perhaps before change happens. Perhaps a single article in the tabloids stating `The Bank of England is the power because they print money devaluing yours, democracy doesn't exist` might do it. It's very simple really. `They print more of your money and yours is worth less` but it just doesn't seem to get through until we're Weinmar republic to understand it. I'd imagine when that happens, big fight from the old boys. p.s. there's signs of gold market manipulation too (source anyone?)

I have really tight hamstrings. Amongst other things (stretching, acupressure) I find acupuncture works really best. The problem is I can't go to a professional every week. Especially when working in remote areas. I don't need to learn the whole subject, that would take years. All I'm looking for is a primer on how to insert a needle safely, so I can do it every week. How should I best approach this?

A few things I wonder... - why does a single tear fall from my left eye when meditating (never the right) - anyone else notice a sync with other people's minds. Always interesting to see, do you go out of your way to be close to positive people because of this - loneliness. Not easy. Hearing from people who have got through it would be great. I mean, in order to know ourselves it might be easier to not be close to other people and things influencing ourselves. But to do this we have to face Loneliness. One thing helps me `He who can see beauty in the world is never alone`... or something like that Peace

Well, when learning about oneself the influence of others perhaps makes this a harder thing to do? Might this be why hermits do what they do? How do they do it? Thank you for you point that company doesn't have to be human. Could be a plant or animal thing. Or indeed, just finding good people to be around (monestary?)

As an experiment, over the past 3 months I managed to avoid cumming for 2 of those months straight in a row. This includes wet dreams and wanking. Meditation helped me along the way. I noticed some great effects and I really liked the results. So did women. Along came one and persuaded me to give it all up a week ago. I really liked how it was before without the sex. In fact, if I had to choose I'd choose no sex because that is a surer path. But I also love the company of women. So the goal now is -be with women, but don't cum.... unless for making children. Does anyone else have experience with this and how to handle people in this situation. -j

Thank you. The book title "Peace between the sheets" really sums it up. Some details. - I first started retaining in a relationship. I had sex but preferred to stop without cumming. I really enjoyed this. Looking back I wonder if it wasn't fair to my woman. - After splitting with my girlfriend I started retaining. The first hurdle was wanking, especially after being fired up by situations and women. I got over that. I then had to handle it in my dreams, including my ex coming to tempt me. I started engaging the lock in my sleep and I then got past that. I then felt some peace. I found that meditation and MCO starting up lots easier. I also likened a connection to the wind on the boat, which helped the MCO. This lasted about 3 weeks. - I then had a holiday to Peru to recharge my batteries. Surfing for a while, then trekking in the mountains. In the mountains I noticed a new happiness and strength. With new breathing skills I found a great strength from somewhere. - This didn't go unnoticed as I was the strongest person there (due only to the retention!) and I felt a sense of attraction from the only female on the trek. We walked together, not wanting or perhaps needing to talk due to the language barrier. This was nice, building attraction without words. - We kissed, then, one night I knew I was welcome so I went to her tent. I was intending to have sex without ejaculation but I let her lead for a bit and blew it. The sex felt right though. Loving matching the lust. I wasn't overly bothered about my ejaculation... though I knew I lost a lot of energy. I was happy for her to have it. The next few days felt fine but there's a lot of chi around to replenish quickly in that environment. - We then had sex back in city in a hotel. This didn't feel at all the same. Didn't feel as loving. On reflection, shouldn't have done it if it didn't feel right: I didn't want to cum so I had to explain why. She said `Imagine how I feel`. I explained my beliefs and practices. I explained that to me cumming hard like that is a little death to me. She said she really wanted me to do it. I said I would but that it means a lot to me and that I'd do it for her. So I did. This was fine... as average people sex goes. But this kind of situation cannot be sustained. That night we were pushed away from each other, the flowery battlefield. If I am to maintain a relationship long term I have to find peace here. My first instinct is to practice alone and get yin from the earth like I did before. But I also know that I love bonding with women for more reasons than the energy. At the moment it feels like women are out to suck my energy, then once used, to become disinterested in me. I have to find peace from this. And I know the answer is out there in Tao. My challenge now is to handle my partner correctly. This is more important to me than sex because it is who I am. Even the situation of unsustainability will not allow me to be with someone in the traditional sense so I have to get them on side or I'll have to go it alone until I find someone who will support me... because they know it's possible too perhaps. Then again, perhaps I have to be alone for a while(and turn down suitors), master it myself enough to be a leader with it, and then I can be prepared. -j

With the Microcosmic Orbit I can feel shivers up my spine. This tends to come in waves, slightly related to how relax I am/inner smile etc. Thing is, it stops at my head at 3rd eye. I don't feel anything on the front of my body. I was expecting it to continue flowing down the front in order to make a circuit. Yes, I do complete the circuit with my tounge. How do I know I got the front part of the circuit right if I can't feel it? Any background info/problems? 1) I have still inflexibility in my legs from the hamstrings to the back of the knee. 2) Some discomfort on my left side 1 finger below my lower floating rib. I guess this might be a haemerroid where the large colon joins the intestines. I'll have to see a doc when I get back. It would be nice to know how to direct the energy flowing up my spine to that problem area to see if I can help heal it. Thanks for any help.

On the other side of the coin. Let me tell you. I work half the year and have half the year off. I can travel whereever I want. Loads of money. I don't /really/ need to work as I can go to a poor country and live off investments. Yet... as soon as I hit land I'm straight on the pull looking for someone to either trap or hurt me again! Alternatively... I can sleep with women I don't like and hurt them instead. Ho hum. I have the option to choose. If I listen to this thread I hear what sounds like a lot of people justifying to themselves the benefits of thier life to cultivatation. Is this the truth or egos talking here - defending society from everyone running to the hills. Hermits do what they do for a reason. We can protect ourselves by saying there's some sort of damage response here - perhaps a wife left them and they don't want to go through that again. No doubt, since I am arguing for this case you will be thinking the same of me. When I look at society it's not the way I'd like to run a family. I would like to have children at my side. The difference between hermitage and `life` is that the hermit has better control of thier state, whereas the family member is reliant on other people to not screw them up. What would you feel when the wife leaves? She may test you on it to see what you're made of. For the last 2 years I was experiencing the start of family life. It felt great, for a while I felt complete for the first time in ages. Then what happens? You guessed it. That kind of damage can never be completely in my control. So if you want to avoid that, you have to remove the equation of other people's influence. Easiest way to do that? - run to the hills. Of course, I want a compromise. Escape the lifestyle everyone else says they're trapped in. Passive income travelling the world with family anyone? The Pacowitz family did it. Only... that's self grasping once again. To feel pleasure by attachment is to feel pain. To feel peace is to feel peace. edit: Regards loneliness and people in general. Facebook - the situation in Microcosm. Every time I see someone say something on facebook and I catch myself reacting, like `Ooh, nice car` or `ooh, photo with loads of girls around` or `ooh, what an exotic holiday` or `ooh aren't they having fun` (usually having fun) I'm tempted to remove that person from my newsfeed. I slowly find there's no one left. Apply that same theory to hermitage. I wonder, how do the hermits do it? One saying came to mind `Find beauty in the world and you'll never be alone`. hmm... I already feel pretty removed of society since I can count on one hand the number of people I know like you guys rather than getting smashed, pregnant and divorced

I'm working on a boat in the middle of the ocean. As I type this every now and then the microcosmic orbit will start up. This is after maybe... 3 months retention with a small transgression in a dream (held the lock when I relised in the dream what was happening, lost maybe 1/2 jing). There's nobody here to chat to about practice. In fact, people in general are very unhealthy. The food is free but low quality (oil and meat) so I bring what I can, namely marine oils and plankton, seeds and whey. Next time I'll try bacteria based food. I start my day my stretching my very stiff hamstrings. I then meditate for just 15mins in the morning on the deck of the boat. I have to wear a nylon jacket and headband to keep warm. Chi comes off the wind nicely and I usually get the Microcosmic going instantly. It then cuts out a bit until I relax my mind or think dirty thoughts. I then might do 5mins horse stance (never done KungFu, this is just for core)... and then 15mins on a stationary bike indoors. I don't have any teacher available to me. Not even on the phone. Last year I felt very loving toward someone. After sex with withstaining once I saw dots moving in time with her breath. When I relised what I was seeing it disappeared. I first got into chi when I was at the science museam. Not thinking anything of it I measured the voltage palm to palm before and after basic practice... got 2v higher, which astounded me. That pretty much opened my eyes to it all. Now I think, the body's a battery, so what? Going to try sungazing for short periods next. But really want to build in a healthy lifestyle long term. I can live anywhere with this work on the one hand, but on the other the food isn't easy and a killer for relationships (dual cultivation surely needs true love). Move to Switzerland? Move to a beach and surf? Or get a lower paid but normal job in a nice location perhaps.... hmm... one thing for sure. I love Tao. edit: Also, have been known to do the lung healing sound as there's concreted asbestos in the walls on the boat...

Thanks for the tips. Easy lotus (cross legged) is fine, but full lotus feels very painful -not enough flexibility in the legs -the knee ligaments crack I've been trying to stretch my legs hard to improve this, but I'm improvising those stretches. The cold might not help. Seem to get slightly more progress on the deck of the boat in fresh air and in cotton clothes rather than nylon. I've certainly found the neck a block point. Sometimes I move it around a bit and that gets it going. Will try the hand movements - having to wear gloves though. Still slow from that nocternal emission. Will have to work on flexibility to do the full lotus - it's like trying to bend iron to get the legs into that position. I'm trying half lotus now (left leg on top of the right), on top of a pillow.

Thanks for the welcome :-) Some questions: - Can there be such a thing as too much Microcosmic orbit? It seems to happen a lot? - Is there a way to tighten the lower anal etc gate with exercises rather than simply the deer close and open exercise? - is there such a thing as a Taoist retreat (i.e. not just Buddhist, not just Yoga, not just KungFu/Martial Arts, not just QiGong) I'd like to try sungazing but it seems like there's been no sun here in the north sea viewable for ages! Had a wet dream last night! I applied the gate a little but when I woke it was a total mess! O well, you live and you learn. edit: Just tried meditating ~8hrs after that wet dream. To my suprise I did get some orbit. Not as much as before but it was working. Therefore I think how much Chi is lost is not related to how much liquid comes out but how much energy comes out.

What a great retreat! I'd definitely like to check it out. I often find retreats tend to be Buddhist. Not that I'd be against attending a Buddhist retreat but there's more that interests me - namely attention to the physical side - chi from a perspective of correct the body in order to develop the spirit. Of course the Buddhist side is great because of getting those emotions out the way to allow things to progress naturally. But I also enjoy an interest in Yoga, Martial Arts/TaiChi and medical QiGong. I wonder if there's something out there that covers it all similar to how I view it in my head? ...for want of a better word, a Taoist retreat? If not I guess it could be a case of taking each perspective separately and focusing on each thing for a period at a time.

Ask yourself... could you let go of desire? would you let go of desire? When? Listen... last year I spent my time cumming hard into a girl to the point of hallucination. When she dumped me I looked back and thought to myself `What have I got to show for it?` She commented `I seem to get better with age`... and she's right, with someone like me literally blowing my brains out 24/7. Thank goodness I figured it out. Get into meditation - subliminate that sexual energy into something useful; health, brains. Channel it, circulate it. Make it your friend. I've gone from having great sex all the time to absolutely no outlet. Ok, so I'm 28... perhaps the drive is less. However, it was an absolute killer at first. My willy still has me looking at fast cars and other rubbish. But with diet, meditation, exercise, you can do it. Want to find your true sex drive? Cut out caffine, sugar and garlic for a start and go from there. Totaly kudos for finding this stuff out before hitting 30 - what a gift and opportunity. Fantastic!

Thanks for the info HardyG :-) Here's my input. I had the problem of my top wisdom teeth coming down, but the bottom ones not coming up to meet them. The left one was a bit wonkey. My dentist pointed out that this could cause a problem in the future and I might want to have them out as prevention. He did say that the top ones are very easy to take out whereas the lower ones are hard work. I liked that he said liked and didn't give me the hard sell! I did my research and found that it would be hassle to straighten out the wonkey tooth but when the top ones start biting into the lower gum this can encourage the bottom wisdom teeth up. I decided to leave it and see if those lower wisdoms will come up. A month or 2 later the left one started biting into the gum. I put up with this for a while hoping the lowers would come through but ended up taking it out. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't have a new set to bite on but there we go. I just hope the lowers stay where they are now. A month after extraction I starting chewing my cheek a bit. Seems to have sorted itself out now though. It was extremely easy to take out. Took about 30 seconds! Cost me A couple of hundred dollars though!! I left the other side as it is. So... 1) The top is a completely different subject to the bottom wisdom teeth 2) The top ones are easy 3) They are correctable - if it's coming through wonkey you can try to straighten it. As with all medical stuff I say do your research on this stuff to make the informed decision. Not all sources of info are correct. Use the gut.

"If men feel the system is unfair they need to work to change it. " ^ Possibly more efficient to defend & promote the Islamic way of life, as one example "much of the heartache women experience is due to them choosing partners who turned out to be bad guys" ^ Absolutely. I wish marriage would give me protection against that. I can see the merit now, as a guy. Otherwise it's just all the way into dog-eats-dog instead of peaceful community. Looking at attraction, evolution... the conclusions are stark. I am a good person. Am I good person only because of religious upbringing or is it truely who I am? When I had the opportunity to add another woman to a casual relationship I did so.. and felt guilty the next day. If I had continued I would have been genetically a more successful male... and had the confidence to do many things more. By logic the truth is clear. Do as thou wilt and preach the opposite. But the heart does not follow this and to do so leads to great dis-resonance to go that path. Thus, this knowledge is a great burden. I dread to even think about it. I look for solice outside the duality of good and bad. My parents are still together after 30 hard years. This gives me a strength rarely seen in todays world of broken families. A gift so strong I once felt I could make a relationship work with anyone, if I choose and they participate. Any failure is my failure to change them. I am in a position to choose the life I want. Family or not. I'd like to hear some inspiration from the lonely recluse. They may be lonely but they aren't damaged. "I only want to be enlightened so i can live my life how i want" ^ Absolutely

The less you have ejaculated before, the quicker things get moving again. For me it takes 3 days before I feel ready. If I was trying and looking for it there's some jing before that point. I'm 28. It sounds like you're... 25-27... from that interval. A big thing for me was being with a partner and finding that I didn't want to ejaculate hard every time anymore... because I actually enjoyed the benefit in not cumming and feeling invigorated instead of drained. ( I wonder if that was ever misinterpreted, and how I'm going to frame that with my next parter.) That was a great lesson in life. Another thing is cumming just as much as you want to. I used to totally blow my brains out but you can cum just a little if you like. I find after 2 weeks I'm a bit rabid and I'm thinking about sex the whole time. Depends on food, female contact etc. Personnally I keep having wet dreams at ~5 weeks and then it starts again. That's been the lesson of being single for a while. You say you see little point in retention without refining. Why not retention with refining? That's what I do with myself when I'm at sea with a load of guys for months on end.

I'd really like to do a serious retreat somewhere. Somewhere high up. Fasting, Martial arts, Hiking, Good diet The lot. For a month or more. To help develop an ongoing lifestyle. Where can I do that? Alternatively, is there somewhere I can do this and go surfing everyday, perhaps somewhere in Bali? I have a book called `The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity`. This has all the info I really need. And I've intergrated what I can already. But I'd like to go somewhere to do it and make it a habit with company. Perhaps I don't even need a full retreat. Just someone's company and a mountainous environment. When I was 17 I went on a trek in Nepal and got a lot out of that. I could do the same... but I'd be wanting good diet this time etc.

Thanks. All a bit Amercian... slightly pedestrian locations? Thanks for the IC link Trunk. Working at sea that's exactly the sort of thing that would be of benefit to me.