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Well, it's quite a good overview (nonetheless very detailed) about a lot of Western Traditions. Unfortunately I don't have it anymore - like most of my books (but that's another story ...). That's why I can't give you more information. According to the customer reviews on the given link it starts with some Celtic tradition and goes on with Hermeticism, Christian Traditions and Alchemy ... That's also what I remember. It also has a detailed bibliography - something those works usually don't have. Really practical to read on in a certain direction. Hope that helps!

Can you explain the thing with later and early heaven? Later heaven is the manifestation of energy on earth, right? The identification with the outside world (relationships, marriage, ...) is the problem / trab. It's like treating the symptoms instead of healing the cause on an energetic level (very common in our society, not only in western medicine)?

Eric Steven Yudelove's book The Tao and the Tree of Life: Alchemical and Sexual Mysteries of the East and West gives a good comparison of the different traditions. There is also an article by R. Fletcher and F. Stone Acupuncture Point Names in a Medieval Welsh Manuscript (appeared in the Pacific Journal of Oriental Medicine; Bryn Orr has put an official copy of it in his book Flying Without Wings). In this article Fletcher and Stone are showing the parallels between Pagan (Druidic) Oral Traditions and Taoist Alchemy: the story of King Vortigen and Merlin as a secret description of an alchemical process - so to speak. For the initiated the story is a description of an alchemical process / handbook - whereas the common man considers it just a myth. John and Caitlin Matthews work The Western Way (I have read a translation) seems to cover your interest best. Well, there are so many parallels and Christianity really is full of alchemy - just think of the Last Supper or the Quest for the Holy Grail! There is even evidence for a mixture of Taoism and Christianity in China long before the Church reached it ...

You're both right. The title is: The Ninth Gate (Thriller, F/E/USA 1999). Book hunter Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) gets the assignment to find a mysterious book which contains the key to Lucifer's realm. The film ends with a burning tower or ruin. Very cool film!

I think the closer nature is, the more likely are contacts with wild animals - independent of your practice. A park here in Stockholm or the nature in Scandinavia is something different compared with e.g. the woods or a park somewhere in Germany. It's much wilder here hence you can find much more wild animals! Wild animals or even pets seem to be much more sensitive to energy than we civilized humans. That would explain the experience with animals during practice (like again today). It doesn't seem too exceptional when dealing with energy practices. I think to remember a rune yogi who states something similar somewhere on his homepage. I think it is somewhere in the description of the Fuþark. My Tai Chi Chuan teacher once told me a story about a butterfly which appeared during practice and sat down on his wrist. It stayed there until the end of the form (probably a form of glueing or adherent chi). I know of tiny fish around when swimming in a lake or the beaver or even moose passing by ... The notion of demons reminds me of a film (tried to find it in a film database, but didn't succeed). It was about a precious alchemy book. Everyone who possessed it was killed. A detective or reporter, I don't remember, tried to solve the mystery. He is often monitored by animals (Lucifer) in the film. He finally solves the mystery with the help of Lucifer (this time in form of a beautiful woman he is having sex with) and is granted immortality. The film played with the typical negative stereotypes most people have of western alchemy (hell, Lucifer, evil people, ... ), but when knowing a little bit of alchemy it all made perfectly sense and thus is a quite interesting film.

I agree that animals like e.g. my squirrel can be extremely distracting. That's probably the main problem with animals during cultivation. I remember an advice of a teacher that one should not practice with pets in the the same room. One reason for that may be distraction the other reason may be due to different energy patterns. But practicing in nature implies also animals which are usually much better companions than most humans. Most humans who see someone practicing Chi Kung are quite annoying whether being just curious or just finding it very funny. That can even be more distracting than some animal(s) around you. Whether the closeness of animals is positive or negative? I really have no clue. My personal experience with circulating thoughts about someone or something have always been negative. As soon as I want to get involved in a situation (aim, wish) or relationships to strongly things seem to deteriorate, but as soon as I step back and could also also live without that wish being fulfilled things seem to develop much better (that doesn't always mean that one is happier if the wish really comes true). Still missing the right balance between action and non-action. I hope you share some insights of energy psychology when having read the book. Well, that's probably the reason why I'm drawn to taoist practices. Balancing the energy seems to be the key independent of the development your personal destiny.

I don't have the solution, but I remember book - I once read (unfortunately I don't have it anymore): Energy Tapping. It's about energy psychology (very similar to the taoist view of emotions). It also has a chapter about (bad) relationships or the issue of always falling in love with with the wrong person. In short: through your believes, attitudes, ... you form an energy pattern that seeks its counterpart (this isn't restricted to relationships - indeed very taoistic). By changing your attitudes, believes, your overall energy (the focus lies on tapping certain meridian points in a specific order which is specific for the problem) changes and attracts different attractors / types of persons. Another aspect is the view of natural science. There is really a lot of research going on. The focus lies here on the hormones (jing) and the brain (the first one). I have an really interesting article about that (I can't find at the moment; I'm going to post a summary when I've found it).

Well, I really don't know what a Scandinavian chikung system is, but you'll probably like my interpretation (in my blog).

Well, Shengzhen and Healing Tao don't seem to be mutually exclusive - quite the opposite. Otherwise there wouldn't be an instructor like Carsten Dohlke. I neither know Michael Winn's courses nor do I have some experience in Shengzhen (I only glimpsed through the book once; seems to be quite good, have to try it some time), but isn't there always the danger of copying. The principles are the same. There may be different methods to do something (e.g. opening the energy channels), but eventually there is no more place for variation. You can find similarities in most Qi Gung / Nei Gong forms (Dr. Linn's methods/Yudelove's descriptions/Mantak Chia's explanations and even Bryn Orr's book seem to describe Sexual Gong Fu / the Orbit only from different viewpoints - the essence is always the same), but you can never really know who copied. Especially newer forms seem always to be a newer interpretation of old material - it can't be so much different. Also Chia's stuff is quite often copied without any reference. Anyway, does it really matter? Is there a copyright for Qi Gong forms (I'm not talking about the printed book or tape, only the form as something "abstract")? Doesn't really matter what works? If a combination of two (or even more forms) works fine and doesn't interfere with each other. Perfect! Some forms fit you better, others someone else. There is no absolute Way - only YOUR WAY. There is only the BEST QI GONG FOR YOU!!! The trick is to find it out. As for biofeedback, you're right. It seems to be nothing else than that ...

Interesting! From where is the quote exactly? Well, reminds me a of Oswald Spengler's Decline of the West.

Here comes a very interesting (and even scientifically proven) version of the Inner Smile: just put a pen between your teeth and bite slightly on it to fix it. Your lips shouldn't touch the pen. This has the same effect as smiling on your facial muscles. Holding it a minute is supposed to trigger a hormone cocktail in your brain that can sweep away any kind of bad mood ... works certainly also for the people standing around you! Give it a try it on your next boring party!

There's much more German spoken here ...

A good way to balance the energy are the Seven Power-Exercises - especially before (after) your meditation. The seventh exercise is nothing else than the old Deer Exercise, but the others are a really a new and good working compilation. I have integrated them in my daily routine and they are great! You should keep the positions longer than 10 breaths.