Rocky Lionmouth

Somebody should drop a "How do you like them apples?" joke right about now, it's an open goal. See what i did there?

Mig seems to hold a similar view of kids as mine But theres the conundrum, you differentiate right from wrong in actions and this instinctive recognition cant spring from nowhere. A kid is innocent yes, but in such a way that they could kill and harm without even realizing the effect and implication of their actions. The smallest of children have no clue how to distinguish themselves from others, they fear people stop to exist when they cant be seen, they scream and yell over everything/nothing and cant portion and conserve their energy. They suck at everything. Whats speaks for them is that they work relentlessly to gain mastery over what they're stuck with: i.e. their body and refine their interaction with the world. They're helpless and completely depend on others while at the same time being selfish and ignorant. So we help them and we do for them and teach them with endless patience and their minds and awareness grow and encompass more, but they still cant understand what they lack or have since they dont see the difference unless its evident. The more they have the less they treasure it. Their interactions shape and trach them until they start to get a sense of how stuff kinda connects together. Many grownups cant accept interdependance and the fact that everything is connected, fleeting and in motion. Blame and insecurity comes from not seeing the reality and dealing with it as best fits and benefits. Maybe. I'm being hars and pushing a point far to make it evident so yeah, punch of salt perhaps is needed

Oh, nah, sorry Stosh for the confusion, i was half-responding to Ilyas post and half just putting a thought out there.

Great Sage, Equal of Heaven! Yah, thats his fire and bellows refined ultra-vision. Hes a loudmouthed hothead and a cocky braggart but he can sure dish it out. Shakyamuni himself had to intervene, slap him under a mountain for centuries and he was still just as much of a firecracker when he got out. There's a chinese cartoon from around the seventies or sixties that tells the story of how he got his staff, brung the ruckus to the Jade Emperor, stole all sorts of goodies, whooped major ass and generally made a fool out of everyone who even looked at him funny. Of course they fail to mention his eventual subduing by Buddha and focus on him basically overthrowing an oppressive government, organizing his fellow monkey subjects for militant resistance and protecting his precious Fruit and Blossoms Mountain. I like the part when he ventures out in the world and learns cultivation and magic best There's a manga about the Journey as well, the art is good but for some reason it has a bunch of gratuitous sexualized violence that really didnt resonate with me. Yeah sure, he's a strong yang representative in most dynamics and violence and agressive libido could very well be interpreted as yang, i dont see the point in adding a pornish aesthetic to a story that did great for centuries without it...

The nine stars she gave birth to were the seven of the dipper, north star and the southern pointing one too right? It also relates to the River Map Square somehow, not exactly sure how.

But death is still a part of the shifts and turns. Death may be final or not, but three things are sure in life as humans know it: Birth, sickness, death. Immortality (imhauo) is moving beyond death. Death is present even when you talk about not dying. I'm reading Ilyas post as a mild version of death is bad and therefore what leads to death is harmful, am i right? Or do you mean more like: dont hurry towards the next stage if you still have a distance to go? (Im not saying afterlife is a thing, idk and info is inconclusive for me as of yet )

Yes, but in moderation i think. Sometimes kindness is a gentle caress, sometimes its a hard slap (even though it seems like the latter is rarer). I'm still digging the idea of taking a hermeneutic approach, details and wholeness depend on each other as well, both play important roles for the balance, motion and shifts. Just a thought

While currently drooling over that beast of a console it's also very important to remember that some truly epic stuff was made in places like this: I'm liking whats being said and besides finding a good excuse to post images of awesome rigs i have little to add atm. Sorry for the upsettings

Expectations are easy to make and are like glass armors, when they shatter the damage is tenfold. Surrender to the reality of the people you meet and you will one day be surprised to find a partner, lover and ally in someone completely unexpected. It'll feel right in a completely new way. I can relate to your longing but i think Michaels post is relevant also.

+389 for that, power in numbers.

At first i didnt see this was a bump, i thought "Deci is up in the house again!" I used to like reading her stuff even though i often felt like an illiterate among biochemists talking shop. This thread makes a lot of sense somehow. I'm getting a feeling of the following: "To enter you must first wipe your feet. You're standing on the mat already, btw."

Yeah, sunlight causes them also for me. External sight as in your eyes are open? Or internal sight as in with your inner vision? I mean my eyesight, i try to not visualize mentally, but i've not recieved any training in these things except for the eyes, open and closed so i might be off track completely

The lead light as awaken calls i've seen for as long as i can remember. Personally i get a lot of fireworks-looking stuff at the beginning but the more i relax and empty the less messy it gets. I try to sit until it's basically all quiet and dark. The faintest small dot in hues of bright can appear, usually this feels pretty good. But empty is always the goal right now. Thats when i loose track of time and self, feel multiderctional and centered for real. Pretty nice.

That is exactly what the issue can be. Hardest part about having a teacher, even one who tries to live up to kung fu or realized standards (meaning a deep sense of responsibility and a far reaching vision) is to allow them to be themselves and trust that they have your back and development in safe keeping.

Nice thread! I like this, especially since it opens up for looking at daily life as energy in work and increasing our role as active, conscious agents. Pretty powerful stuff. I'm not in neidan so for me this kind of topic is refreshing! Procetcing and developing our energy, knowledge, body, time, effort. I see all that as qigong in a way. Taking the time to use stuff efficiently, especially time and effort. The viewpoint you open up for also extends over into basic feng shui ideas, as well as interaction, besides physical development and nutrition. Seeing how things affect and interplay with us and others, its a good way to build a strong foundation. I read somewhere that qigong was for rich people, because if you need to worry about good food, good sleep and and a reasonably harmonious life, what good will putting precious time in energy work do for you? When i say rich that doesnt mean fat stack of papers rich, but rich enough for food, sleep and shelter not to be an everyday maybe. Rich enough you know? So its a good investment of time-energy in an already sound investment environment. EDIT As far as visualization goes i've started considering it an introductory stage to understanding mechanisms. Visualization is a part of making the process understandable, you start to notice differences from time to time, small variations and such. Intent plays a big role as does the actual chemistry of nourishment for instance. Unifying them also means understanding to see how it fits together. Visualization helps, you make the act of eating, digesting etc concrete and real. Visualization is a catlyst for strenghtening the awareness and bond imho, it opens up for feeling things and observing variations. Creating a frame of reference as it were...

I'm a firm believer in showing appreciation and commitment, money and time is a way to do that, just as helping each other out and offering support. Balanced reltionship, respect and face. Face is important, and trying to find a balanced relationship and getting to know eachother, money does affect behaviour and having a little business between a studen and teacher gives the opportunity for both to see the other in a situation that is serious and hard to avoid.

Dont force this kind of stuff, dont attempt to move the energy by will alone and make sure you really relax while doing breathwork. If you are getting results, observe them and carry on. I'm no expert at all, but i've gathered that patience and relaxation are key. You can always relax more and rush along less Chias exercises have a reputation for seeming easy and quick, but i've seen quite a few reports from people who seem to have overexerted or forced certain steps and had bad experiences or injury. Things will develop as you persevere, the great principle seems to be that motion and change come about from stillness. Go easy and aim for the long run (pace and save enegy).

Sounds like another strike for The Vinegar Tasters I read somewhere (and cant find it again atm) that ever since recorded history there has been talk from highly regarded grouches of how stuff used to be better and that today morals are going down the drain along with decency, respect and the general standard of quality of the younger generations...

Counseling is not for sissies and do not start searching for a teacher while you are in this acute state. You need a psychiatric/neurology specialist to consult and possibly a therapist to help you map out what happened and find a few new tools and strategies to build in a positive direction, new coping mechanisms. Do not gamble with your mental health any more. You can overcome many sicknesses and injuries on your body with your mind as the primary tool but it's a hard path to do the reverse. Psychosis is tricky and a recurring theme is that both you and your nearest and dearest are hurt if you all dont stay open and work in unison. Please do not feel as a victim of others or your own behaviour here but realize you have caught an illness. Illness can be cured and dealt with, guilt and shame and paranoia will only hurt you. Be honest to your close ones about what you are scared of and do not trust your instinct when it tells you they want to hurt and control you. I agree with exercise advice and banish all your previous practices from your life immediately! Make sure you get a nutritious diet, quiet place with people you trust who can help you, loop them in on what strategies and plans you have with your doctor or therapist. If you have someone to help you financially swallow all pride and ask them, take a bit of stress off you. Find a hobby such as music or drawing or poetry, channel the fear and see how it is not dangerous, you will regain control and heal eventually, it seems scary now but you can do this.

This is inspiring, i've been trying to get back to a daily routine, been a rough couple of months and what usually happens is the daily extras get shaved off. The plan is getting back to the previous standard, it'll have to build slowly though. I have a set of 18 that go together and i like to do five, three fixed ones and two that rotate through the rest of the curriculum. Followed up with three qi-gong exercises and one martial nei gong exercise, maybe a half hour of sitting to just center. This for the mornings. Evenings would include some stretching, maybe more sitting and the martial exercise again. It should be done twice daily. Chores are great for micro-practice, i try to use my kung fu footwork as often as possible during the day while moving and practicing sung and posture while not moving so much. Breathing abdominally hasnt left me completely so the road back isnt too long... i hope. Also: a daily good two hours of just chilling out, preferrably in the couch watching something and having a snack, a glass of ice water and the occasional glass of red wine. Relaxing and enjoying, doing nothing etc is just as vital as working methinks So ill start off with the basic five these next few days to see how it holds up.

The spray never reaches the good stuff more than a little at a time, neti and injector fills the cavity and starts to pour over to the other side where the water exits through your other nostril, gives the solution some time to loosen stuff up in there. It's no miracle thing but it can help! I'll let you check it out now, sorry for the plug my friend

Ugh, allergies are the worst. I started having them at the tender age of 25, have no idea what happened. Neti is pretty awesome, just as long as you just let it happen and breathe with your mouth while pouring. I've read you can pull the water from your nose to the back of your mouth to rinse even more but i never dared to try as of yet You can use isotone salt solution, it has approximately the same ratio of salts to water as the body. Hypertone is doable also, meaning that there is more salt to water compared to the body, i'd recommend rinsing with isotone after though so you dont dry out the tissue. Use boiled water to mix the solution, let it cool to body temp or lower and use at least a deciliter per nostril, do it a few days in a row, see if it helps.

This sounds so much like migraine with the face-pulling, boring hole and skull splitting thing, also that it wanders fits. I'm not saying it's not related to your practice OP, just that it sounds like a list of symptoms that occur with migraine attacks. Do you experience changes in sleep, hydration, mood, food or overall stress before a bout?

I've tried a spray containing the flower Cyclamen europeum L. for a few days now, it causes a sort of allergic-ish reaction and clears a lot of stuff out, i dont know the marketing name outside of Sweden tho. It's pretty intense and might last up to 2 hours, Mrs Lionmouth tried it first and spent the next hour expelling a lot of old crap from there. I get a runny thing with some blood in it. Stings horribly and its not recommended if you're allergic to the flower. I've also had good results with neti-injector and strong saline solution coupled with cortizone nasal spray to tale the swelling down. Takes a couple of days for the spray to help (maximum time of use is 14 days with 14 days off) and i highly recommend the nasal injector over the spray.

+1 on doctor visit. I've never had more than a passing few seconds of smelling smoke, often around one of my long sinus infections. Google keeps referring me to articles on phantosmia / olfactory hallucinations, it can happen from a wide range of causes where nasal infection is on one end of the spectrum and serious neurological stuff on the other, i dont want to freak you out so i suggest you dont do a search unless its to get a doctors number.