Eric23

Check out Trunk's page on the Personal Practice section. He's been working with this and has some good websites linked and perhaps a couple of useful books cited.

So someone does read my personal practice section! Glad you checked it out Mal. RAW is a trip.

Me too Same as the last time I took the quiz.

Nice to hear from you Cam. Good to hear that Korea is being good to you.

I'm a novice at meditation myself. Started with the following the breath routine and of course, like just about everybody couldn't get past 4-5 cycles without a thought popping up. Having the goal of getting 10 breaths without a thought set me up for failure. I read a nice little routine by Daniel Odier that is perhaps a bit easier for beginners to work with. It worked for me. Sit comfortably with your back straight, place a small stone or object about 3 ft in front of you and gently stare at it. Don't worry about your breathing just stare at the stone. When the monkey mind starts up, you've more than likely have stopped staring and are looking all over the room. Re-focus and continue staring at the stone. Repeat as necessary. There are lots of systems out there, maybe you just need to find one that works for you. Good luck

Thanks for the great link I have taken Kundalini yoga classes at our local ashram and enjoyed them. For those drawn to the yoga path, kundalini yoga is worth studying.

Check out Truck's site, Alchemical Taoism and read everything in the Healing Love section.

If I understand Buddhism correctly... don't become attached to the notion that you have to be happy.

I'm an only child. Never really talked with my folks as to why they quit after me. They really enjoy being grandparents and were very helpful and supportive as my kids grew up. I did not want my child to be an only child however, it was very lonely growing up. We wound up having 2. Now I'm the grandfather and am enjoying the experience.

If you live in a major metro area in the US there are bound to be several "community" yoga classes. They usually cost $5 and some of them are on a donation basis only. I would recommend getting some teaching from a live teacher. You can then practice on your own at home, but you will do so with a correct foundation. The AYP site is a great place to learn the contemplative aspects of yoga. For the physical side of asanas you should really seek a live teacher.

The yarrow sticks take a bit longer to work through, while coins go pretty quickly. Also there is a decision by the user to divide the stack of sticks at the beginning of the process . Therefore you have an opportunity for the sub-conscious mind to get involved. Also because of the nature of the stick method, the mathematical chances of getting a moving line are far less than coins so it's said to be more accurate. After reading the last few threads on the I Ching here, my inclination is to simply read the work for it's own sake and not worry about the divination. For that purpose, the Wu Wei translation should be good. Of all the members here at the Bums, Pat and Taomeow seem to be most devoted to the oracle.

I have a copy of Wu Wei's I-Ching. Gives detailed instructions on yarrow sticks (he's totally against coins). Everything is in straight ahead easy to understand English. I'm a total I-Ching novice and have not really embraced the oracle yet, so I have no idea of whether or not Wu Wei has done a sound job of translating. However I came away with the impression that he has a tremendous respect and devotion for the work, and the instructions on using the I-Ching are worth the cost of the book.

Meditate. Find some time to sit in quiet and stillness.

It seems to me that when I visualize, I'm "doing" something. When I'm observing, I'm doing less. My understanding is that the whole point of sitting is to do no thing and just be. I'm guilty (?) of slipping from observation to visualization; "that felt good/interesting let's see if we can do it again." Great thread.

Go to the AYP site and work your way through the entire program.

You're quite welcome!!

Thank you for sharing this.

Father Paul has to be on the list.

Kind of sort of related: Kundalini yoga technique-Breath of fire. Learned this a couple of weeks ago. Gets your lower abdomen in sync with breathing. A lot like the coin trick only much faster.

So simple and so profound. The Way of Energy would be my recommendation.

Male Deer excerise as taught by Santi and Tao Semko of Umma Tantra. Should also consider checking with a doc; hormonal levels etc.

Looks like you've got a nice routine already in place. Nothing wrong with sun salutations at all, I'm a yoga guy myself. If you want to be more "taoist" then taichi or qigong could be substituted for the salutations, although in the end they are all good. Go with the option where you can find a teacher in your hometown. The Taobums is littered with posts of young guys getting carried away with sexual energy and getting themselves in trouble, learn from their mistakes. Trunk's mega blog/site is filled with common sense in the energy cultivation department, check it out. I would add some reading time to your day and work your way through the Taoist classics. Welcome aboard. edit; spelling

I can think of two things that are happening. First off, the new Kunlun board siphoned off a few of the old time regulars. Secondly, we have a number of new folks who are just finding their way around here. Nice to hear from Freeform, and Cat that was priceless!

Interesting video. I think that they were stretching regarding some of the artwork. I always question when people make these kind of presentations where they rely so much on secret or suppressed symbology without some sort of historic reference. However their point does have validity. In fact I had a conversation today with a friend of mine who has gathered mushrooms here in Arizona and apparently we have Amanita in the high country and he knows where to look. Definitely has my curiousity piqued.