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I would amend this statement with a definition of what "magic" is to a classical taoist. True taoism is a science. Every science has its theoretical framework and its empirical/experimental work. Taoist sciences are no exception. Magical taoism is the work of a hands-on experimentalist, but it rests on a solid foundation of fundamental theory. The difference between two types of classical practitioners is not unlike that between a theoretical physicist and an experimental physicist. The theoretical physicist may require no equipment at all beyond a pen and a piece of paper -- sometimes not even that, even in our Western sciences the greatest discoveries have been made when some water spilled out of a bathtub while Archimedes was taking a bath, or when an apple fell from a tree for Newton to take a bite, or when Mendeleev had a dream, or when Watson and Crick dropped acid. The experimental physicist's equipment is infinitely more complex -- tools which anyone uninitiated would be unable to distinguish from magic include telescopes, lasers, radiation monitors, satellites orbiting the Earth and other planets, humongous particle accelerators and what not. The difference between theoretical taoism and magical taoism is similar. A theorist may know, understand, and discover laws that govern space, time and destiny without stepping out the door. A magician steps out and then some. For the whole field to be efficient, the two must communicate, however. A long time ago, taoists discovered that "peer reviewed" communication may not be as efficient as having both peers under one cranium -- being the theorist and the empiricist, the scientist and the lab mouse wrapped into one. Einstein didn't have any particle accelerators at his disposal, but without him, or someone like him, none would have appeared. Similarly, taoist scientific theory -- qi, yin-yang, wuxing, ganying, bagua, Hetu, Luoshu, I Ching -- made all magical experimentation possible. It's just that taoists are far more likely to "see for themselves" than to "take someone's word for it" whether they engage in theory or practice, and therefore far more likely to engage in both simultaneously. Taoists are the opposite of narrow specialists. They are deep and wide generalists. Depth is not sacrificed to breadth, and vice versa. So I would say that taoism is a scientific theoretical-experimental inquiry into the nature of space, time and destiny -- a unified theory with countless empirical, pragmatic applications. "Magical" is in the eye of the beholder. A taoist knowledgeable in the fundamental theory has no reason to think of anything she does as "supernatural." Taoist magic is not a flight of fancy. It's the experimental part of the scientific process resting on nature's fundamental laws.

... That sounds fantastic suninmyeyes! But I'm afraid I can't help much. But I hope others can help. Perhaps my sleeping/dreaming life is something I should work on. I often wake troubled, I know I have personal relationship things that need to be resolved, but I am sure they will in time. Yes, maybe I should do more "dream" work. We'll see. My life is a waking dream. ...

... I too thought those black knight images quite arresting, if genuine. I don't know whether I should mention this. When I was small, I had a "dream" about being visited by silver figures like the solway firth spaceman. In my "dream" I grew afraid and shouted at them to leave. They did so. I don't often speak of that. on edit: I just noticed the real time chat function on this site. Nice. ...

Hehe, even folks on the dream plane are a little tired of hearing about JC and MP . Dream teachers are awesome! You can get some pretty neat info from them. You can also always call this teacher back to ask more questions, likely after you have tried and worked with what he did show you.

Hi manitou, I am sorry to know that your husband had passed on. For how many years were you together? From own experience - yes. Why? About two years after my Dad had passed on, he came into my dream with these words - 'see passport'. We kept his passport in a drawer after he left us for save keeping and had not given it a second thought. When I opened Dad's passport, I found $3000 - 2 x $1000 + 2 x $500. I broke into cold sweat and tears flowed. I like to believe so for a good reason. Why? I was very close to Dad and I was very hard hit when he passed on. Thereafter whenever he came into my dreams, he kept his distance - it hurt me greatly. I asked my seniors the reason(s) for the distance and they explained thus - 'your Dad and you now belong to different worlds'. I accepted the explanation but with sadness. However in one of my subsequent dreams when Dad appeared, I cried badly because of the distance. It touched Dad and he reached me with an embrace. When I was in Dad's arms thus, I could sense cigar - Dad smoked cigar. Good reason? Dad had not forgotten me but he had to move on. With this realization, I parted with Dad in peace. But his memory stays with me up till today - more than 20 years on. I too think of Dad all the time - with fond memories. Why 'he'? You regard your husband differently now? You have children? Their Dad - your husband? I believe in memories. They are real to me and I live peacefully with memories. - LimA

Some people however don't "die" and that new awareness of how they've spent their time on earth deeply changes them. All I can say from my experience is that death is one of the greatest ilusions of life, but need to remind me of that often. Fortunately I was able to detached from all of those I've really cared about and left, it took its time, one time anger was part of the process,another time impotence was part of the process too, as I had a very vivid dream that the person was really not doing well "on the other side"... still the work to be done was learning to let go as I had done everything possible when I could and now I couldn't do anything. Just my experience, don't have a clue if it helps you in anyway manitou.

CT, Loved your post on the red and white drops, provided a lot insight that I was unable to obtain from my readings thus far, thank you! Of course your knowledge is from the strength of a lineage and thus is real knowledge, not my wanderings in the forest. I love how this thread ended so far on the co-mingling/confluence of Taoism and Buddhism (specifically its most potent yogic appearance in Tibetan Tummo/Six Yogas). That is my main area of interest the intersection of traditions. Can you point me in the direction though of any specific translations or texts you referenced in the above quote. I have the following: Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines, Introduction to Tantra, Awakening of the Sacred Body, The Six Yogas of Naropa, The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, and the Bliss of Inner Fire. Thank you for this unique information and insight.

Thanks for the candid reply. That makes you a child of the sixties then? I was born in 1961. Just an FYI, I was in contact with Edward in 1976-77. He was looking for an apprentice and I wanted the job at the time. He selected another person and then passed about 10-12 years later. We had some nice conversations and exchanged many ideas at the time. The important take-away was that I understood better how to stay grounded and not leave myself halfway between here and there, since I was practicing many things without any teacher. Contacting him back then was very easy. I got directory assistance for his area and he was the only Edward Peach listed in the phone book. He answered the phone himself. What a different world we live in now? My question back to you, since you are familiar with his work: "Do you agree with the concept of symbols reaching farther and faster than words?" In my opinion, the whole idea was not to be practicing these things in reality, except to learn them well enough to do them when you wake up in a dream, or during deep meditation, which is not the same thing, but both have special connections from what I have experienced using both. Of course, I feel the same way about all things that are energy. The physical is what it is, and can be manipulated, but it is not the natural state of things. I call it "The Borders of This Dimension'. The other side, where these practices matter and have merit, is reached by many pathways, but all come from a condition that is closer to being asleep. Alpha and deeper if you will. And visual, symbolic, and much more awesome... Since then I understand so much more of the structure of the brain, nervous system, and our connections. But there are many things I would like to experiment with in a lab given the opportunity. In the interim, I will keep sewing like fabric to like fabric, and continue to map out the commonalities of mankind. Thanks for the feedback and comments, Stay fluid

* Today I thought I would open up a much shorter, more traditional story. When I'm making a choice of which to put in this thread the principle decider for me is that the story should have, for some reason, stuck memorably in my mind for many years. The extract below most certainly fits that description. It's taken from "City of Lingering Splendour", a book by John Blofeld, who was my favourite author for quite a number of years during my Buddhist period. It is an account of the author’s early years spent living in Peking during the 1930s. Blofeld had arrived as a passenger on a tramp cargo ship after completing his degree at Cambridge, and was making his living by teaching English. All his school holiday time he used to travel around and explore China. The people he met in that pre-war, pre-Communism period were truly extraordinary. There were still many carry-overs from the days of the last emperor. The short, anecdotal story below describes one of his encounters during this period and is taken straight from the book, just the way Blofeld experienced it : {But first I’ll throw in a bit of biographical background information cobbled together from his obituary and the flyleaves of some of his books … for anyone who may, like myself, be interested in these things.} * * Biographical Details : Mr John Blofeld, who died in Bangkok on June 17, 1987 at the age of 74, was an Englishman who, after his education at Haileybury and Cambridge, spent almost twenty years in China. Speaking many different Chinese dialects and achieving a scholarly level of their written languages, he published authoritative books on Zen and Mahayana Buddhism; mystical and yogic Taoism; the Chinese deity' Kuan Yin; and a well-respected translation of the ancient Chinese classic, I Ching (Book of Change). His interest in the Far East began early, and was a far cry from the surface fascination with things oriental which has, in all ages, been fashionable in some circles. For Blofeld, many of the happiest years of his life were those spent in pre-war Peking at a time when that city still preserved much of its ancient way of life. He became intimate with all sorts of colourful people,…silk-clad scholars, Buddhist monks, Taoist sages, actors, courtesans, professors, students -- all of whom he describes against a background of fading splendour, with moving descriptions of a city which, in some ways, must have been among the loveliest in the history of the world. His knowledge of the language and mode of life enabled him to achieve a deep understanding of the Chinese people whom he loved and admired, and he subsequently devoted his life to the study of Buddhism and other Eastern traditions. During his early years in China Blofeld was extremely young and open-minded and his books above all absorb us because they provide vibrant pictures of a graceful wav of life which has perished from the earth. It is as though one familiar with Florence in the days of the Medicis or with Athens just before the conquest by Sparta had lived into the present age and given us eye-witness accounts of the pleasures he enjoyed. His earliest books are, above all, a record of many-coloured pleasures. * * John Blofeld wrote: The party that night was to be given by Professor Lee Wen-Liang, who, as Head of the Foreign Languages Department in the university where I was teaching, was my boss. An Oxford man belonging to a generation largely brought up in the traditional Chinese way of life, he was someone whose friendship I particularly valued because he knew so well how to interpret Chinese behaviour in terms which a 'Westerner like myself could understand. As the autumn evenings were still warm, Professor Lee had selected a small restaurant in the Pei Hai or North Sea Park, loveliest of all the former imperial pleasure-gardens within the city walls: and second only to Tzu Hsi's Summer Palace some miles out along the road to the Western Hills. If the night were fine and there were no wind, we should be able to sit out and enjoy our dinner close to the margin of the lake. Soon after dusk, and early enough to have plenty of time, to spare, I made my way through the south gate of the park and strolled across the graceful marble-topped bridge leading to the chorten-crowned island which rises steeply from the lake to a height of several hundred feet. Above me I could see the white chorten, a great bottle-shaped Tibetan-style pagoda, glimmering faintly against the starlit autumn sky; its pale radiance was only just perceptible, yet it drew my gaze like one of those half-seen figures haunting the darkness in lonely places which compel our furtive glances though we would prefer to turn our heads and hurry past. At the foot of the hill stood a tall pailou or triple archway of lacquered wood roofed with coloured tiles, but now its rainbow colours had been swallowed by the darkness; it loomed blackly against a flight of white stone steps from which an intricate network of steep pathways led by devious routes upwards to the chorten's base. Disdaining the steps, I chanced to follow a route that took me among pinnacles and fantastic caverns artfully fashioned from rocks carried there centuries ago from distant provinces to imitate the grotesque rock-formations famed by poets from China's southern regions. On reaching the top of the hill, I walked slowly round the chorten's base, trying to make out familiar objects now blurred and shadowy beneath the soft starlight. Adjoining the chorten to the south and facing out over the vast black contours of the Forbidden City stood a small temple with outer walls composed of thousands of porcelain tiles, each bearing a figure of the Buddha in bas relief; but these details were disappointingly lost in the darkness, for the moon which was to illumine our banquet had not yet risen; so I walked round to a small tea-house on the north side where, on hot afternoons, the Empress Tzu Hsi and her ladies had been wont to sit gazing over the water while eunuchs plied their jewelled peacock fans. The lake, stretching from the shore of the island almost to the northern boundary of the park, now gleamed oily black except at the margin where golden pools of light reflected the lamps along the .water's edge. At the farther end I could see a bright blur, of illumination coming from the Five Dragon Pavilion. These marvellously graceful buildings jutted into the lake at a point where, in the old days, the lacquered barges used to nose up to a flight of steps to disgorge their precious load of chattering ladies attended by obsequious eunuchs dressed only a little less gorgeously than themselves. While I was picturing the scene, an unknown voice said quietly : “In her day there was no electricity. The attendants carried lanterns of scarlet gauze.” I swung round startled. I had been so sure I was alone; the soft, almost feminine voice, emerging unexpectedly from the darkness and seeming like a continuation of my thoughts, was disturbing. “I beg your pardon ?” A shadowy figure, his face barely visible above a dark robe which blended indistinguishably with the night, was standing so close to me that I might have touched his hand. Perceiving he had startled me, he apologised and added: “I saw you gazing across at the pavilions by the landing-stage. They are beautiful, are they not ? But that yellowish light is out of place and garish - like so many things these days.” “Do you mean to say you were here then ?” He laughed, or rather tittered, musically, his voice so feminine that, could I have believed it possible in Peking to encounter a woman walking alone in a solitary place at night, I should certainly have taken him for one. (The Manchu-style gowns of men and women were, even when seen in daylight, not greatly dissimilar.) 'Yes, indeed I was here then. You are a foreigner, but you speak Chinese well. Doubtless you have heard of the T'ai Chien?' “The imperial eunuchs ? Of course. But they vanished long ago.” 'Long as a young man sees things; short enough to one well into the autumn of his life. I was already middle-aged when the Revolution dispersed us. Now I am sixty.' ''Were you with them long ? In the Imperial Household, I mean ?” “Not long. I was castrated in the seventh year of Kuang Hsu [1882], so I had only twenty-nine years in the Forbidden City. How quickly the time passed !” “Castrated by your own choice ?” “Why not ? It seemed a little thing to give up one pleasure for so many. My parents were poor, yet by suffering that small change I could be sure of an easy life in surroundings of beauty and magnificence; I could aspire to intimate companionship with lovely women unmarred by their fear or distrust of me. I could even hope for power and wealth of my own. With good fortune and diligence l might grow more rich and powerful than some of the greatest officials in the empire. How could I foresee the Revolution ? That was indeed a misfortune. I have sacrificed my virility and my hope of begetting children for a dream which, passing fleetingly, stopped short and can never return.” “And so now you come here sometimes in the darkness to recapture an echo of your dream ? But how do you live ?” “I manage well. I am a guide - not one of those so-called guides who live by inventing history for foreigners and by making commissions on things they purchase. I have not yet fallen to that. Discriminating Chinese gentlemen arriving from the provinces prefer to obtain their guides through the Palace Eunuchs' Mutual Prosperity Association. Often they have heard my name from their friends and are kind enough to ask specially for my services. I charge highly, for I am able to tell them many things they could scarcely learn from other sources. You must have heard of the Grand Eunuch Li Lien-Ying ? Of course! Well, I was one of his men and among those placed in charge of the Lord of Ten Thousand Years during all the time he lived in confinement after that occasion when he tried to circumvent the Old Buddha [the Dowager Empress].” After chatting with him longer, I asked if he and his fellow eunuchs were happy in their old age. “Happy ! How could that be ? We have no wives, no sons to bear us grandsons and sacrifice at our tombs. We manage to live. We are not often hungry. We dare not ask for happiness'' It was time for me to leave the island and hurry round to the other end of the lake where Professor Lee and his friends were expecting me. I parted from my sad companion, having found nothing encouraging to say to someone so irrevocably linked to a vanished epoch. Gradually the melancholy thoughts accompanying me on my walk along the ill-lighted east shore of the lake were dispersed by the rising moon, which gave added light to the cheerful scene awaiting me in front of the restaurant. Some lanterns and a round table had been set out near the water's edge, where the other nine members of the Party were already seated over saucers of melon-seeds and bowls of tea. * * .

http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/30-common-dream-symbols.html The difference in communication, and how what we use in waking life influences in the other direction. By practicing certain visual techniques as well as physical, we pass information requesting that different portions of the being participate or move the energy. I doubt very much that we are actually changing chi or other energy at all while awake. I think we setup the process by practices and meditations, but that these simply activate or link to what happens after we sleep, or during that phase between being awake and sleeping.

I had my first conscious experience of the power of this lineage at this Ashram. Of course it's always a congruency of ones karmas with the presence and intentions of the place as well... still karmic. The experience was incredible. I was 14 and wanted to be a monk and devote my life to the practices after the experience. I left and forget the experience even happened for 7 years as it was so different from my normal everyday life. I saw directly the space beyond being and non-being then I experienced the light of the physical body as Muktananda describes in "Play of Consciousness" which I didn't read until 7 years later reminding me of the experience I had at 14 with such vivid reflection. When the experience happened it was just from looking at a picture of Gurumayi in the chair and Muktananda above the Guru's chair. The picture itself emanated this power and energy that made me close my eyes while chanting and I went into this deeply aware state of timeless, formless expansion... then it coagulated into the red body sitting in my posture burning with fire! I later walked out of Muktananda Mandir into the walkway with my Mom and wondered why everyone suffered when they are innately so beautiful and free beyond the conditions which only seem to bind! I later had visions of the "nila bindu" and such things as this. All I wanted was to stay there... it was like heaven on Earth. Such a wonderful place... if one is karmically open to it that is. I was the Pujari for that statue and all the others on the grounds of the main building once a week as my offered Seva for my day off when I lived there. I lived there for most of 5 years from late 94' to just after 99'. I also did Seva in the Nityananda temple and Pujari for the afternoon Arati at times. My main Seva was the food service line for a number of years as the manager or co-manager sometimes for the lunch and dinner schedule. I also worked with Mahadev (Leonard Saphier) as a personal assistant who has muscular dystrophy but is a highly accomplished yogi who has been living at the various Ashrams since the 70's. Anyway... some of the happiest times of my life were experienced at and around Shree Muktananda Ashram. Yes... no doubt at all. He visited me after his physical passing as well. eh... karma is as karma does. Oh yes... yes... yes! So deep she is. So deep. She's a very good, good person. Highly realized on the Shaivite transmission. Very nice to hear your shares. If I don't reply tomorrow... that means my head exploded. You know... spontaneous bliss combustion you hear about that happens to some Indian yogi's? No really... just kidding. You know... your share about the blue light around the Earth. Muktananda talks about that same experience in play of consciousness, except it penetrate the Earth for him, and I think I remember Gurumayi sharing that same experience which she had at a talk. I could be mistaken as there are so many talks I was at with her since 85' on into the 2000's both impromptu and formal as well as amazing dream talks with tons of people at them. I remember being confused sometimes by these dream talks thinking they were physical talks and I would tell people things she said, but later remember that this was my dream. The blue light is the conscious illumination of the infinite space element, thus one can travel through time and space via remote viewing through this connection. I remember when I first started seeing, feeling and hearing through physical matter through this connection. It kind of freaked me out. Anyway... thank you so much for sharing and taking me down memory road. I had a lot more to write and did, but erased it as I deemed it to private. But... thank you!! Good energy... very good energy.

Hehehehe..........you do realize that when we meditate, we experience a mini cycle of birth and dead...during these transient state the mind can make the jump to experience full liberation. Some of us does not need to wait until in our dying days to experience. We can experience it in our meditation and in our dream/sleep. That's the whole point of the mind during the death bardo experience. Of course, you don't know. There are little reasons why you should even know this anyway..... Is not really about knowing. Is about if your mind can become liberated when your body is wasting away and only your consciousness and your conscious energy are left...

Hun controls the dreams... they seem restless and looking for action at any cost. I almost never dream... Or at least I never remember them (as we are told we all dream every night). You need to explore why your dreams are this way... Liver/Hun. Your courage seems in the right place so there is some amount of self-actualization. Maybe try this, as a purging action: Slight cup your right hand. Then slap your liver/gall bladder area (or have another do it). And also move to the side of the ribs, and downward... all in a circular motion. how bad does it sting, or not? Wiggle the toes to give it a path out.

Do you dream or how is your dream-state? (no... I won't turn Freudian on you!) And how would you characterize your courage ? (No... I won't compare you to the cowardly Lion!)

Experience: Don’t hit me.... I was reading, which is a very common hobby of mine and very automatic. I have a way of holding a paperback in my right hand with one finger holding the page while the rest of my hand holds the book closed on it while I do things. I have lost track of the page I am reading many times, drifting into a dazed trance and reading entire books while they pass before my eyes like a movie. I am then quite amazed at how quickly I read the whole book, and how much of it I retain. On this occasion, I was reading in the afternoon, and I suddenly found myself standing in the hallway, my book in hand, finger holding my spot. I was not sure what I was doing there and glanced around me to try and remember why I came to the front door hallway. I heard my roommate’s truck pull up outside, the dent in the flywheel housing made a telltale ‘ding’ every time the driveshaft rotated past it. I waited there, heard him coming up the walk outside, boots to concrete. Then he came through the door and punched me in the face, knocking me to the ground. At this point, the only clue that this might not be real was the fact that it didn’t hurt to be punched in the face or fall down. I was still holding the page in my book. Then the strangest thing happened, I got up and hugged him, telling him it was ok, I totally understand. This was not in any way what I would have normally done, and I was certainly not in control of my actions. I was simply a witness to this like it was a very, very realistic dream. Just as suddenly, I was back on the couch, reading the same sentence over and over again. Probably about the third time into the sentence, I realized what had just taken place and felt like “I was back to reality”. So, I did what most people would do, stuck my finger in the book to hold my place and went to that hallway to see if it looked the same as it did a minute ago in my strange experience. It did. And to my surprise, the track pulled up outside, that familiar ‘ding’ of the flywheel telling me it was indeed my roommate. I stood there in that hallway as everything repeated just like in my vision, the boots coming up the walk, the door opened… but this time I said, “Don’t hit me…” and backed away. The surprised look on his face was interesting. He said, “oh, wow, tell me what you saw!” So I repeated the experience to him. And he told me the following. He had just broke up with his girlfriend, and felt angry. He felt I would understand the feeling of just wanting to punch something, so while he was driving home, he was imagining that, punching me in the face and me saying that I understood ahd giving him a hug…

SUFI DANCE On certain nights I attend Sufi dance. I can't remember where it is or how I get there, or, for that matter, how I get home and back into my bed. I talked to a friend about it. He told me I was dreaming. But if it is a dream why do I wake up so sore and tired? Sometimes I have blisters on my feet. But I feel I'm getting somewhere with it, I'm no longer getting as dizzy as I used to. I seem to be developing more love and patience. I look good, people tell me. I was practicing a very difficult part of the dance last month. The teacher wore orange robes and the dance was very technical. The month before, a different teacher, (who wore a red robe) taught a simpler stamping dance, a somewhat angry yet purposeful dance. There was a teacher before that a beautiful woman who wore a silver robe, her dance was fluid and graceful. I didn't do very well. I think I became a little infatuated with her, it was hard to concentrate. I liked the blue teacher, his dance was joyous and expansive. Good things happened to me after his lesson. In my mundane life, that is. The green woman! Well, that was easy! But I was a little confronted. Well worth it, because after those lessons, I met her - in my mundane life. The Golden One seemed to be saying he is what I will become. I found him a little confusing. I haven't been taught by the black teacher yet, I have had a glimpse of her style. She is naked and black and sprays of stars and spiral galaxies cover her body. But now, it’s all mixed up. Sometimes I seem in one level of the dance, and at other times in another level. But lately there is no teacher. No particular colored robe and no difference between the me here in this part of the dance and that me there in that part of the dance and another me over there in another part of the dance. But at the same time I am out of the dance and watching myself and the other dancers. When that happens the dance becomes a huge astral entity, a massive cone of light with layers and bands of colors and dancers and teachers. Each colored circle, one on top of each other, diminishing in size; a huge cone of dancing, multi-colored, banded light floating and rotating amongst the blackness and stars of space. At times while I am in the dance other dancers come into my space and bounce and career off me spinning madly, grinning, singing and dancing off to their destinies on other paths and trajectories. In this part of the dance are wild eyed poets giggling on LSD, dancers that are leaping and floating like fauns and satyrs somersaulting leaving behind them trails of stars and sparkles. Lately I have connected with a dance partner. We dance exquisitely together, she looks just like my partner in the mundane world but lately she seems to have distracted attention. Something seems to be bothering her, perhaps it is me? It probably is. My dance is far from perfection. When I look up through the translucence above, I see exquisite dancers. They are vibrant and ecstatic. I want to be like them. They fall and tumble but this helps then to rise in their total control of the dance. Even when they misstep. I want to be like that. And when I look down I see the dancers below me still learning the dance. I remember when I made those mistakes. Some are awkward and squabbling like cranky penguins but others are concentrating and aspiring. But sometimes, when the dance blends with my mundane life and I seem stuck in the middle part of the dance. A crazy insane part of the dance that must be passed through to finish the dance. It does with me what it will and I can only respond to its energy and lose myself in the ecstasy of not being there. But I know I am there. Just as I know that at this moment life seems much too serious to be taken seriously and so much is happening all at once, that it must be a dance or a dream. But it matters not because one thing I have learnt is that no matter how hard the dance is, if I persevere and continually attempt to see life from the top of the cone, in my higher consciousness, with purified love, I will survive and rise up beyond the cone to the ecstasy of infinite space and feast upon the stars of life. ~ Nungali

Stanzas on Vibration Translated by MARK S. G. DYCZKOWSKI 1. WE PRAISE THAT SANKARA WHO IS THE SOURCE OP THE POWER OF THE WHEEL OF ENERGIES BY WHOSE EXPANSION (UNMESA) AND CONTRACTION (NIMESA) THE UNIVERSE IS ABSORBED AND COMES INTO BEING. 2. THAT IN WHICH ALL THIS CREATION IS ESTABLISHED AND FROM WHENCE IT ARISES IS NOWHERE OBSTRUCTED BECAUSE IT IS UNCONDITIONED BY (ITS VERY) NATURE. 3. EVEN WHEN DIVISION PREVAILS DUE TO THE WAKING AND OTHER STATES, IT EXTENDS THROUGH THAT WHICH IS UNDIVIDED (TADABHINNA) BECAUSE THE PERCEIVING SUBJECTIVITY FOREVER REMAINS TRUE TO ITS OWN NATURE. 4. NO NOTIONS SUCH AS: 'I AM HAPPY,' 'I AM MISERABLE' OR 'I AM ATTACHED' (EXIST INDEPENDENTLY). THEY ALL CLEARLY RESIDE ELSEWHERE, NAMELY, (IN THAT) WHICH THREADS THROUGH (ALL) THE STATES OF PLEASURE AND THE REST. 5. THAT EXISTS IN THE ULTIMATE SENSE WHERE THERE IS NEITHER PLEASURE NOR PAIN, SUBJECT NOR OBJECT, NOR AN ABSENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS. 6 - 7 . THAT PRINCIPLE SHOULD BE EXAMINED WITH EFFORT AND REVERENCE BECAUSE THIS, ITS UNCREATED FREEDOM, PREVAILS EVERYWHERE. BY VIRTUE OF IT, THE SENSES, ALONG WITH THE INNER CIRCLE, (ALTHOUGH) UNCONSCIOUS BEHAVE AS IF CONSCIOUS IN THEMSELVES AND MOVE TOWARDS (THEIR OBJECTS), REST (THERE) AND WITHDRAW (FROM THEM). 8. INDEED THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL (PURUSA) DOES NOT ACTIVATE THE IMPULSE OF THE WILL (WHICH DIRECTS THE BODY'S ACTIVITY) BY HIMSELF ALONE, BUT THROUGH HIS CON­ TACT WITH (HIS) OWN (INNER) STRENGTH (BALA) MADE IN SUCH A WAY THAT HE IDENTI­ FIES WITH IT, (THUS ACQUIRING ITS POWER). 9. AN INDIVIDUAL WHO, (THOUGH) DESIROUS OF DOING VARIOUS THINGS, (BUT) INCAPABLE OF DOING THEM DUE TO HIS INNATE IMPURITY, (EXPERIENCES) THE SUPREME STATE (PARAM PADAM) WHEN THE DISRUPTION (KSOBHA) (OF HIS FALSE EGO) CEASES. 10. THEN (THE SOUL REALIZES) THAT HIS (TRUE) UNCREATED NATURE (DHARMA) IS (UNIVERSAL) AGENCY AND PERCEIVING SUBJECTIVITY, AND SO HE KNOWS AND DOES WHATEVER (HE) DESIRES. 11. HOW CAN ONE WHO, AS IF ASTONISHED, BEHOLDS HIS OWN NATURE AS THAT WHICH SUSTAINS (ALL THINGS) BE SUBJECT TO THIS ACCURSED ROUND OF TRANSMIGRATION? 12. NOTHINGNESS CAN NEVER BE AN OBJECT OF CONTEMPLATION BECAUSE CONSCIOUSNESS IS ABSENT THERE. (IT IS A MISTAKE TO BELIEVE THAT ONE HAS PERCEIVED NOTHINGNESS) BECAUSE WHEN REFLECTION (SUBSEQUENTLY) INTERVENES, ONE IS CERTAIN THAT ' IT WAS. ' 13. THEREFORE CONSIDER THAT TO BE AN ARTIFICIAL STATE SIMILAR TO DEEP SLEEP. THAT PRINCIPLE IS FOREVER PERCEIVED AND NOT REMEMBERED IN THIS WAY. 14. MOREOVER TWO STATES CALLED, ' 'THE AGENT' AND ' PRODUCT OF ACTION' ABIDE HERE. THE PRODUCT OF ACTION IS SUBJECT TO DECAY WHEREAS AGENCY IS IMPERISHABLE. 15. ONLY THE EFFORT DIRECTED TOWARDS THE PRODUCT OF ACTION DISAPPEARS HERE (IN STATES OF INTENSE INTROVERTED CONTEMPLATION) . WHEN THAT CEASES THE UNENLIGHTENED BELIEVES THAT HIS OWN EXISTENCE CEASES (WITH IT). 16. THAT INNER BEING IS THE ABODE OF OMNISCIENCE AND EVERY OTHER DIVINE ATTRIBUTE. IT CAN NEVER CEASE TO EXIST BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE CAN BE PERCEIVED (OUTSIDE IT) . 17. THE FULLY AWAKENED (YOGl ' s ) PERCEP­ TION OF THAT (REALITY) IS CONSTANT (AND ABIDES) UNALTERED IN ALL THREE STATES, WHEREAS OTHERS (PERCEIVE) THAT ONLY AT THE END OF THE FIRST (TADADYANTE). 18. THE OMNIPRESENT LORD APPEARS IN TWO STATES IN UNION WITH (HIS) SUPREME POWER WHOSE FORM IS KNOWLEDGE AND ITS OBJECT. ELSEWHERE, APART FROM THESE (TWO STATES, HE MANIFESTS) AS PURE CONSCIOUSNESS. 19. THE STREAMS OF THE PULSATION (SPANDA) OF THE QUALITIES ALONG WITH THE OTHER (PRINCIPLES) ARE GROUNDED IN THE UNIVERSAL VIBRATION (OF CONSCIOUSNESS) AND SO ATTAIN BEING; THEREFORE THEY CAN NEVER OBSTRUCT THE ENLIGHTENED. 2 0 . YET FOR THOSE WHOSE INTUITION SLUM­ BERS, (THESE VIBRATIONS OF CONSCIOUSNESS) ARE INTENT ON DISRUPTING THEIR OWN ABIDING STATE OF BEING (SVASTHITI ) , CAST­ ING THEM DOWN ONTO THE TERRIBLE PATH OF TRANSMIGRATION SO HARD TO CROSS. 2 1 . THEREFORE HE WHO STRIVES CONSTANTLY TO DISCERN THE SPANDA PRINCIPLE RAPIDLY ATTAINS HIS OWN (TRUE) STATE OF BEING EVEN WHILE IN THE WAKING STATE ITSELF. 2 2 . SPANDA IS STABLE IN THE STATE ONE ENTERS WHEN EXTREMELY ANGRY, INTENSELY EXCITED, RUNNING OR WONDERING WHAT TO DO. 2 3 - 2 4 . ONCE ENTERED THAT STATE WHICH (THE YOGI) TAKES AS HIS SUP PORT AND FIRMLY RESOLVES THAT: ' I WILL SURELY DO WHATEVER HE SAYS, ' BOTH THE SUN AND MOON SET, FOLLOWING THE ASCENDING WAY, INTO THE CHANNEL OF SUSUMNA, ONCE ABANDONED THE SPHERE OF THE UNIVERSE. 2 5 . THEN IN THAT GREAT SKY, WHEN THE SUN AND MOON DISSOLVE AWAY, THE DULL MINDED (YOGI IS CAST DOWN) INTO A STATE LIKE THAT OF DEEP SLEEP. THE AWAKENED HOWEVER REMAINS LUCID. 2 6 . SEIZING THAT STRENGTH (BALA), MANTRAS, ENDOWED WI TH THE POWER OF OMNISCIENCE, PERFORM THEIR FUNCTIONS, AS DO THE SENSES OF THE EMBODIED. 2 7 . IT IS THERE ALONE THAT THEY, QUIESCENT AND STAINLESS, DISSOLVE AWAY ALONG WITH THE ADEPT'S MIND AND SO PARTAKE OF SIVA'S NATURE. 2 8 . EVERYTHING ARISES (OUT OF) THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL, AND SO HE IS ALL THINGS BECAUSE HE PERCEIVES HIS IDENTITY WITH THE AWARENESS (HE HAS) OF THEM. 2 9 . THEREFORE THERE IS NO STATE IN THE THOUGHTS OF WORDS OR (THEIR) MEANINGS THAT IS NOT SIVA. IT IS THE ENJOYER ALONE WHO ALWAYS AND EVERYWHERE ABIDES AS THE OBJECT OF ENJOYMENT. 3 0 . OR, CONSTANTLY ATTENTIVE, AND PERCEIVING THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AS PLAY, HE WHO HAS THI S AWARENESS (SAMVITTI ) IS UNDOUBTEDLY LIBERATED IN THIS VERY LIFE. 31. THIS INDEED IS THE ARISING OF THAT OBJECT OF MEDITATION IN THE MIND OF THE MEDITATOR, NAMELY, THE ADEPT'S REALIZATION OF HIS IDENTITY WITH IT BY THE FORCE OF (HIS) INTENT. 3 2 . THIS ALONE IS THE ATTAINMENT OF THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY, THI S INDEED IS TO CATCH HOLD OF ONESELF, THI S IS THE INITIATION OF NIRVANA WHICH BESTOWS SIVA'S TRUE NATURE (SADBHAVA). 3 3 . REQUESTED BY THE WILL, THE BENEFACTOR MAKES THE SUN AND MOON RISE AND BESTOWS ON THE EMBODIED, WHILE THEY WAKE, THE OBJECTS THAT ARE IN (THEIR) HEART. 3 4 . SO ALSO IN THE DREAM STATE (SIVA) , RESIDING IN THE CENTER, MANIFESTS WI THOUT EXCEPTION, ALWAYS AND MOST VIVIDLY THE THINGS (HIS DEVOTEE) DESIRES BECAUSE HE NEVER DESISTS FROM (HIS) PRAYERFUL REQUEST. 3 5 . OTHERWI SE (AS HAP PENS NORMALLY) , THE GENERATION (OF IMAGES) WOULD BE CONTINUOUS AND INDEPENDENT THROUGHOUT THE WAKING AND DREAMING STATES IN ACCORD WITH THEIR CHARACTER, AS HAP PENS TO THE WORLDLY. 3 6 - 3 7 . JUST AS AN OBJECT WHICH IS NOT SEEN CLEARLY AT FIRST, EVEN WHEN THE MIND ATTENDS TO IT CAREFULLY, LATER BECOMES FULLY EVIDENT WHEN OBSERVED WI TH THE EFFORT EXERTED THROUGH ONE'S OWN ( INHERENT) STRENGTH (SVABALA) ; WHEN (THE YOGI ) LAYS HOLD OF THAT SAME POWER IN THE SAME WAY, THEN WHATEVER (HE PERCEIVES MANIFESTS TO HIM) QUICKLY IN ACCORD WI TH ITS TRUE NATURE (PARAMARTHENA), WHATEVER BE ITS FORM, LOCUS, TIME OR STATE. 3 8 . LAYING HOLD OF THAT (STRENGTH) EVEN A WEAK MAN ACHIEVES HIS GOAL, AND SO IN THE SAME WAY A STARVING MAN CAN STILL HIS HUNGER. 3 9 . WHEN THE BODY IS SUSTAINED BY THI S , ONE KNOWS EVERYTHING THAT HAP PENS WI THIN IT. SIMILARLY (THIS SAME OMNISCIENCE) WILL PREVAIL EVERYWHERE (WHEN THE YOGI) FINDS HIS SUPPORT IN HIS OWN NATURE. 4 0 . LASSITUDE RAVAGES THE BODY, AND THIS ARISES FROM IGNORANCE. BUT IF IT IS ELIMINATED BY AN EXPANSION OF CONSCIOUSNESS (UNMESA), HOW CAN ( IGNORANCE) , DEPRIVED OF ITS CAUSE, CONTINUE TO EXIST? 4 1 . THE EXPANSION OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT TAKES PLACE WHEN ONE IS ENGAGED IN A SINGLE THOUGHT SHOULD BE KNOWN AS THE SOURCE FROM WHENCE ANOTHER ARISES. ONE SHOULD EXPERIENCE THAT FOR ONESELF. 4 2 . SHORTLY AFTER, FROM THAT (EXPANSION) ARISES THE POINT (HINDU), FROM THAT SOUND (NADA), FROM THAT FORM (RUPA), AND FROM THAT TASTE (RASA) WHI CH DISTURB THE EMBODIED SOUL. 4 3 . WHEN (THE YOGI 'S CONSCIOUSNESS) PERVADES ALL THINGS BY (HIS) DESIRE TO PERCEIVE, THEN WHY SPEAK MUCH? - HE WILL EXPERIENCE IT FOR HIMSELF. 4 4 . AT ALL TIMES (THE YOGI ) SHOULD REMAIN WELL AWAKE. HAVING WI TH (HIS) PERCEPTION OBSERVED THE FIELD (OF AWARENESS) , HE SHOULD DEPOSIT ALL IN ONE PLACE, AND SO BE UNTROUBLED BY ANY ALIEN (REALITY) . 4 5 . HE WHO IS DEPRIVED OF HIS POWER BY THE FORCES OF OBSCURATION (KAIA), AND IS A VICTIM OF THE POWERS ARISING FROM THE MASS OF SOUNDS (SABDARASI), IS CALLED THE FETTERED (PASU). 4 6 . OPERATING IN THE FIELD OF THE SUBTLE ELEMENTS, THE ARISING OF MENTAL REPRESENTATION (PRATYAYA) MARKS THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE FLAVOR OF THE SUPREME NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY; DUE TO THI S (MAN) FORFEITS HIS FREEDOM. 4 7 . MOREOVER THE POWERS (OF SPEECH) ARE ALWAYS READY TO OBSCURE HIS NATURE AS NO MENTAL REPRESENTATION CAN ARISE UNPENETRATED BY SPEECH. 4 8 . THI S , SIVA'S POWER OF ACTION, RESIDING IN THE FETTERED SOUL, BINDS IT, (BUT) WHEN ( ITS TRUE NATURE) IS UNDERSTOOD AND IT IS SET ON ITS OWN PATH, (THIS POWER) BESTOWS THE FRUITS OF YOGA (SIDDH1).* 4 9 - 5 0 . (THE SOUL) IS BOUND BY THE CITY OF RIGHT (PURYASTAKA) THAT RESIDES IN THE MIND, INTELLECT, AND EGO AND CONSISTS OF THE ARISING OF THE (FIVE) SUBTLE ELEMENTS (OF SENSORY PERCEPTION) . HE HELPLESSLY SUFFERS WORLDLY EXPERIENCE (BHOGA) WHICH CONSISTS OF THE ARISING OF MENTAL REPRESENTATION BORN OF THAT (CITY OF EIGHT) , AND SO ITS EXISTENCE SUBJECTS HIM TO TRANSMIGRATION. THUS WE WILL EXPLAIN HOW TO END THIS TRANSMIGRATORY EXISTENCE. 51. BUT WHEN HE IS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED IN ONE PLACE THAT IS THEN GENERATED AND WITHDRAWN (BY HIM AT WILL) , HIS STATE BECOMES THAT OF THE (UNIVERSAL) SUBJECT. THUS HE BECOMES THE LORD OF THE WHEEL. 52. I REVERE THE WONDERFUL SPEECH OF THE MASTER, WHOSE WORDS AND THEIR MEANING ARE MARVELOUS; IT IS THE BOAT THAT CARRIES ONE ACROSS THE FATHOMLESS OCEAN OF DOUBT.

Unfortunately you are conflating Yoga (in the Patanjali/Samkhya tradition - on which I find your analysis incorrect) with Jnana Yoga, which is what "Abiding in the I" is pat of. Like I said, you can intellectualize this all you want but you won't get anywhere with it. The only way to know is to dive in. However, since you said Dzogchen works for you, please stick to it. I think it is a bit premature for you to claim that "Abiding in the I" doesn't work when you've not tried it. I see it in action with several people, and the effect it has on cutting through layers of ignorance. The most important thing in their case was that they were willing practice this. That said, not everyone is ready for this type of inquiry easily. When I started down this path first around 20 years ago, I didn't have the single-pointedness of attention, or the clarity to understand what was needed. So I had to approach this in a different way. One was with the meditation on a mantra I was given in a dream by an unknown benefactor. With constant practice on that Mantra, unbeknownst to me, a clarity started to develop. Also, along with that my Taijiquan and Daogong practices helped with developing single-pointed attention of the mind. I had what is called a "shakti-pat" from my Master, who cleared away stuff that was blocking my clarity even further. After that, is when I was able to do this type of inquiry. However, my personal experiences are TL;DR and will probably bore everyone. So, to make a long story short let me share what I feel gets lost in the intellectual analyses we indulge in so gleefully. In order to pursue the Jnana-yoga style Self-Inquiry (such as abiding in the I and so on), clarity is required. In order for clarity to develop, a single-pointedness of the mind is required. In order to develop single-pointedness of the mind, some people require other preparatory processes (such as Raja yoga, Pranayama, Mantra meditation, Taijiquan, other mindfulness practices etc etc). Jnana yoga is called the "Direct Path", but not everyone is ready for it easily. It takes what is called "antahakaranashuddhi" (or purification of the "consciousness-ego-mind-intellect" complex) before it can be undertaken. It is amazing how deep and how subtle the layers ignorance are. And they keep building back up even after clearing away if we don't stay vigilant (till the conditions are right).

One of the things I do is keep a pretty detailed dream journal. Occasionally I'll go back and read old dream entries. At the beginning of an entry, I'll remember the dream, then as I go through it in my head, I think, "then this happened, then this other thing." But as I read I notice that those "memories" are completely wrong. I write these entries as soon as I wake up so the events are fresh in my mind. So I know that what I have on paper is what really happened. But my "memories" of the event still tell me something else. Hm.

There is no real special formula for selecting a pendulum. They put things in books to give readers a guideline to start from. Once you become proficient, however, you find that you no longer follow any guideline of that nature. I find that it is best to chose something based on the energy you feel witing yourself when you are looking at an object you may want to use as a pendulum. I went to Michael's Art Supply store, puchase some jewelry making materials and glue, and now, whenever I need to make a pendulum it only costs me pannies. Some of my pendulums are stones that attract my attention when their colors resonate with me. I look at them for a while and register what I feel. If I walk away from it and it is still on my find, calling me back to it, I buy it and use it. As for the bee in the mouth dream that had to be brought out. This was indication that you needed to express something emotionally at the time and needed to get it out, but eventually managed to get it out--that was a good end--meaning you did manage to find an expression for what you wanted to say. The Toddler was you, meaning that it was time to open up and release a past pattern that wasn't working for you anymore as a man. At one time in my life, my early twenties, I was an emotionally inhibited individual due to my upbringing and very strict father. I had a dream that a parakeet was in my mouth and I couldn't get it out--see the message in that. What does a parakeet do? Where is it stuck? You mentioned interest in a Shamanism book elsewhere. One of the important areas of focus to a Shama is "dream life" and "dreaming." Learn what you can about dream interpretation because it goes hand-in-hand with all things spiritual. It is your most intensive and personal library of stored information and knowledge, but also a relay station for spirit communication. here, what comes to you from other energis is where that infomation is also stored for your future understanding. Ayudar

It depends on what you do. Also, there are different levels of lucidity. In some low level lucid dreams, you are merely aware of your actions, but have little ability to control yourself or change the outcome of events. In some, you have complete control. To a certain extent, it just comes with practice- first realizing you're lucid, not freaking out, knowing what you want to do before hand or reacting appropriately to the situation. However, I also think that your level of control depends on where you are or how far out you decide to go. "Lucid dreaming", by definition, does not prescribe a set of actions- you can use it for spiritual cultivation or as a fantasy land amusement park. In my opinion though, the fantasy land tour is rather shallow.... literally, I mean it is a relatively easy thing to do in lucid dreams, it does not involve accessing parts of your consciousness that you don't normally have access to. It's pretty much a daydream on steroids. Depending on how many senses you have in a lucid dream, it could be as tangible as full blown waking reality, or it could be only slightly more vivid than a daydream. But in either sense, in my humble opinion, there's no real "work" necessary. I've tried a few more.... intense things in lucid dreams- exploring states of consciousness, trying to access parts of my mind that normally aren't readily available, testing ways to enhance memory or learning, among other things. I've been in situations when even though I was fully lucid I had absolutely NO control over the surroundings or the people/things I was interacting with. I could only control myself and my responses. Maybe they were strong aspects of myself, maybe they were foreign entities- as of now, I have no confirmed answers. However, at the moment it is my belief that these are deeper/higher levels of lucid dreams that go beyond just the "daydream fantasy". To really master these areas like you would the more shallow areas requires real work. It's far from a fantasy land. Though thankfully I've never gotten to a point where I couldn't wake up. When things get too hot, it's nice to have an out! I don't know how long this post will run, because I have a lot of thoughts based on experience, as well as stuff I've read from other systems, but here we go: B.K. Frantzis talks about the different bodies we posses- physical, qi, emotional, mental, psychic, causal, etc. Each of these are subtler. We have all of them at all times, we just don't necessarily feel them and they aren't always energized optimally- all kinds of energetic and psychological residue has built up which prevents clear communication and control of the bodies. I think that part of what dreams do is they throw up whatever is there. For the average person, it's stuff that's swishing around in their head from stuff that happens in the day, from stuff they are stuck on in the past, worries they have about the future, etc etc. Many dreams involve this "sorting" process. But let's say that through, say, meditation, you are able to clear some of this process. If you were to go into a deep meditative state, or go to sleep, and maintain awareness, then not only would you encounter this stuff, but you would CONSCIOUSLY encounter this stuff. And if you had already cleared away stuff from one layer, you could see through to the next layer. But it doesn't always happen in that order, and it doesn't always happen consistently (at least not without training). Assuming this model is correct, we are receiving psychic info all the time- we just don't always realize it. Now let's say a strong bit of psychic info comes along- we might be able to pick it up. If you practice meditation or some kind of dreaming techniques, then you could get access to this stuff more easily. If you're untrained though, then it's an on again off again thing. On some days you can do it, and on some days you can't. Maybe you have a good day where you feel very positive and confident and are very "clear" in terms of your mind or emotions- might lead to clear perceptions of something deep. But if you had a rough day or something is troubling you, it might prevent you from seeing something that's more than just your own thoughts. And that's why it's good to practice a holistic system, like Ya Mu's, for example, that incorporates training so that you reach a point where it's NOT just an "on again off again" type of thing. Where you have a framework for dealing with problems not only in dream states, but in waking realms as well. So when you're in a dream state, or a deep meditative state, you don't have to file through all the paper work before you get to go out and do new stuff. Like I said, most of this is from my own experience and thinking on it. It's how I see the situation at my point currently. I might be wrong, I might change my view of this further down the road, but for me it accounts for (almost) everything I've come across (and I'm working with that "almost" right now )

I guess it is only fair that I post mine . I didn't want to do it in the first post, or the thread would be more about BKA's dreams than other people sharing.... Basically I did a vision quest about 12 years ago, and was told my life purpose. Then I performed the Abramelin operation and united with my HGA, and was REMINDED (lol!) of my life purpose, and also given a lot more detail. I have always tried to work towards this. My HGA likes to kick my but in that direction when I slack. I always have to be careful to balance the wanting the dreams expressed through my true will, versus getting too wuwei and doing nothing (I can fall into that if not careful) and no moving forward. I did ask the powers that be for a vacation one year, and I did get a year off of continual growth, advancement, improvement and etc. It was actually kind of nice . Basically for dreams, my spiritual/magical path is, and has always been my number 1 priority. For example I tend to rent 2 bedroom apartments so I have a practice room. Or just figure it out another way if I don't have the extra spac. It has always been giving top priority though. Then there is my martial arts, this comes a close second . I am very fortunate to be training in the way I asked for/most desired, and with the system which is by far the best match for me. So my dreams for the future are to follow my true will, which involves teaching, as well as reminding others of their true self. This has always come in many different and surprising ways, often in ways that I would never have guessed would lead to the above lol. My long-term and still current dream is to lead retreats to accomplish the above. However it has not quite manifested in that way yet (though it has been confirmed twice that this is the eventual goal). There's also that dream to teach Bagua, but I will just see if that is in my cards in the future or not. Well OK I already teach it, but I mean fully and properly teaching it. I would also like to travel more . To me our dreams are what our heart and higher self call us to do. Wants are more what our mind thinks hey this wold be fun.

Funny. I never had to deal with the "The grass is always greener on the other side" problem. No idea why. Oh, sure, I had many dreams when I was younger. Did they really matter or make a difference in my life? I have no idea. To know when one has enough. That's a dream worth attaining. I never had sex on an airplane though. Just a dream.

Hi! I am going to keep it simple and straight forward. I'm here to continue my studies in mysticism, the occult, alchemy, food energetics, et cetera. I'm seeking a community of people, seeking participation in discussion. In hopes that there are some actual people here, of course. "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream...merrily...merrily...merrily...merrily, life is but a dream." Exactly.

One word, Plastics. No, that's not right, the one word is Compartmentalize. Do, what you gotta do to survive. Work the boring job, and train yourself not to complain internally or out. When the clock strikes whatever, do your thing, have your fun, live your free life, preferably on healthy terms. I'll add the more needed marketable skills you have the more options you get. You can be dragged screaming and fighting into this, or you can surrender to the reality of Western life. Think of yourself as two people the worker bee who 'does it for the money' and the hedonist. You can keep your eyes open for a dream job, but ultimately most jobs get pretty tedious. This one goes out to you and all the other dreamers Westenra It's not all bleak, there is a 5 o'clock world where you can do you thing, and have your fun. As we get older we don't have to put away all our childish things, but we do have to postpone them while we make a living.