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Apparently energy can be embedded in video or audio format so play this fully to increase your energy strength and do the techniques I detailed in my earlier posts along with this to increase physical strength to superhuman levels anyway here is the cheat listen once a day or more or less depending on if your body tells you to or not. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mN3JilbyJuZNvzu89Rz4zGTwyRJWK7aL/view?usp=drivesdk

I've been weird all my life. As a child, strange things happened to me all the time. For most of my childhood, I had some problems with my name. I was always looking for my name because I couldn't believe that my name was really mine. Once I went to the sea. My friend and I got caught in the current and were overturned on the shore. We were covered with a mattress and we could not get out. The sea kept us at the bottom, the depth was about fifty centimeters. I was drowning. I heard a man's voice commanding me to fight. I swam out and pulled my friend out. My strange dreams started at the age of ten. The first of them was a strange fair-haired man who saved ten years older than me from drowning. Then he turned around and I saw his face. a few years later I was in church looking for some answers and saw him there. He stood at the entrance, just looking at him the whole world disappeared. I saw only him. Dreams appeared again after the first time. He called me by my "secret" name. I also had strange visions. But today something strange happened. In a dream, I lowered my hand into a puddle near my house, I also whispered a spell like in life when something strange happened, and then his name. Then the cloudy sky broke up. My eyes were there. The voice that I speak when I am having fun with ventriloquism said something like I am you, I am powerless. I felt goosebumps on my skin and when I woke up, I bent over from the pain. It is raining outside the window. And I will finish reading the book. All female firstborns died after a certain time. It went only through the female line. All the first children were female, and all died except me. The firstborn of my great-great-grandmother died, great-grandmother and grandmother. My mother does not want to tell anything. Several familiar practitioners refused to explain, another called him a guardian angel or one of the dead children, although they were all girls. I am writing anonymously because I want to hide my identity.

In Hinduism, there are 4 goals of life (Purushartha): 1) Artha (material wealth and security), 2) Kama (pleasure and enjoyment of life), 3) Dharma (following duty and religion, right conduct), 4) Moksha (spiritual liberation and salvation). I've always mostly been interested in dharma and moksha, so my spiritual search in sufism, hinduism, buddhism, daoism etc, in the areas of qigong, meditation, rituals etc, have always been in these two areas. Lately I'm feeling quite contented with my spiritual life. This has brought me a curiousity about how these traditions can also be used for upgrading the artha and kama side of life. What are your experiences and greatest hits with using spiritual traditions for upgrading kama and artha? Personally these are some of the things I've tried, which I felt worked: Kama: 1) Dan Rose "Sex God Method" or the "DEVI method" - this book blew my mind, upset me, broke my innocent view of women and sex, yet changed my sex life forever (for the better). 2) Daoist Sexual Qigong (a combination of postures, massage, breathholding and meditation, including genital weight lifting and swinging weights). 3) Daoist Lovemaking (using all of your body along with the art of feeling, knowledge of meridians and qi, as well as stages of arousal and different types of orgasms, to upgrade your lovemaking experience). Artha: 1) I've done a 41 day sufi ritual consisting of daily tasbih (reciting names of God) as well as salawaat (prayers for the prophet). On the 39th day, I got a call out of nowhere, inviting me to a one month job, which gave me 5 months of salary. At that point, I had been un-employed for 1.5 years, my savings were nearing 0, that's why I got so desperate that I decided to try a money ritual. 2) For several years, at every full moon I've done a money mantra from Vethathiri Maharishi. It was given to him by a yogi in astral form, when he had lost his business and had suddenly become very poor. He was great in meditation and spirituality, and had used his business to serve his community. They survived of his wife selling food she made in the streets. After he started this mantra, they built up the "World Community Service Center" and he became a famous Guru, respected by scientists, researchers, poets, celebrities and politicians. He's even on stamps, and his programs are in schools and universities. For me personally, I feel an energy building in my system when I do the mantra. I can't say for sure which results it has given me, but I do feel energy from it. 3) When I did a 41 Ganapati Tarpana (water ritual to the hindu elephant God), on the 39th day, I was called by my aunt, asking if I could tutor her girl friend's daughter in French. It was a few hundred bucks, very easy, 5-6 weeks in a row. On the 44th day of the ritual (I continued it for 3 more days), I got a call from the last place I worked, asking if I could come back for another 6 month project. 4) When I did 41 day Ganapati Yantra Puja, from the 38th day I started receiving inspiration on how to write a book and sell it using social media. Something I never thought of before! I'm still working on this project I can see that selling products online to the English speaking global market has unsurpassed potential for moneymaking, compared to simply working at a 9 to 5 job. Questions for you: What are your experiences and/or greatest hits with using spiritual traditions for upgrading kama and artha? God bless you!

I wrote this article a while ago this year, as we have experienced an influx of new-age star-seed (the chosen ones) practitioners claiming they have "Third Eye" already open without any training and just knew it from reading online articles. So, I thought to share the experience from an actual tradition of Ancient Arts where we develop those skills in Adepts. You can read the Full Article on the website. Those who came to us were thought to have Third Eye open due to having some sensations mid-eyebrow or being told so during a "reading" session by another visionary oracle. So short overview of what Third Eye is not. Sensations of a hole in a forehead. Feeling pressure in the forehead. Sensing Qi. Feeling that something is different. Feeling yourself special, different from others. Emotional Garbage Inner Voices Seeing colors with closed eyes Being able to imagine things Third Eye Development Simply opening Third Eye does not guarantee anything as its function is highly tied to both levels of meditation skill and level of Energy. Opening Third Eye without energy work and preparation is foolish, as you are draining yourself when it functions. Running Third Eye requires a meditation skill; if you have random thoughts in your head, you can forget about having TE. Developing Third Eye potential is done via a particular set of Visualization training. If you never did proper visualization, you may struggle here. Third Eye is a part of Magic tradition training. We don't train in Magic to develop Third Eye, we train in Magic, and Third Eye develops on the way. Third Eye levels overview 1. Fog - the most accessible and easiest level, you start seeing a dense fog; if you make a ball of energy between your hands, you see it; if you make an energy beam between your fingers, you see it. 2. Vibration - you see more than just fog. You see vibrations coming from above and below. You can see lifeforce glowing in objects. You can see other people as vibrating energy fields. 3. Deep Ocean - a state of a true Magus. Spiritual reality becomes denser than physical. You will not only see energy moving and rotating, but all the things moving around, energy creatures, parasites, and microorganisms. There are higher levels as well. But even level 2 is extremely rare, and I think level 3 is enjoyed by less than a handful of high-level cultivators on a planet.

I'm going through a process that has been extremely long and excruciatingly painful on all levels of my being, and hoping there is some uhhh magic solution to try that someone more knowledgable in this area would know. A key component of it is timing and making the wrong choice that then sets of a long sequence of events that somehow manage to get intertwined even if the original issue was unrelated. Now in this choice making errors, there's really nothing to go off of. It's just a by chance best estimate as to what could be the best option at the point in time, which inevitably turns out to create lots of other problems that I could no way have anticipated, thought of, or even known about. Another aspect of these thematic tribulations is that I'm kept in stasis waiting for things to happen. I get stuck in places where I can't make decisions because I have to wait so long for the next thing to happen, which when it does happen always draws out the process in some totally unexpected and extreme way. This has been going on for years, and its not like I haven't been making amazing efforts. It seems no matter what I do, the same underlying patterns continue to occur. Last year I bought a jupiter astrological talisman, as I thought the problem was perhaps just bad luck. There's certainly been only bad luck. However, the bad luck is the kind that keeps things going enough so I'm not totally destroyed, although now its basically at the crossroads where there are simply no options at my disposal except for starting every endeavour and facet of my life from scratch. So I thought perhaps the problem I'm dealing with is bad timing, some astrological fate of mine I think. If timing worked out better then things wouldnt be in these prolonged states, I would have more info at my disposal to make actual informed decisions, and so on. There's overall just been so much subtle stuff going on to throw things into chaos that its clear this is some spiritual/magic/astrological/other worldly problem. I have massively failed to fix it despite astounding efforts. Was wondering if anybody had ideas here on how to deal with this? If the issue is timing, is there any magic or talisman or something that will help me get better timing of events?

Dear friends, Here's a "grand unification" of a multitude of esoteric subjects. I'll deal with this grand unification under four headers: 1) Karma, reincarnation, auras and energy 2) Magic 3) Spirits 4) Conclusion 1) Karma, reincarnation, auras and energy Inside and outside the human body is an aura. We ARE our aura, it's not simply a product of your physical body. It is actually the body we're inhabiting temporarily, the aura is what's permanent. This aura has many layers to it. Each layer has different information and functions in it. When we interact with other living beings, we send out energy. This originates in our aura, is shot out from our aura, and enters the other being's aura. Everything we've ever thought, felt, said or did imprints our aura. We carry it around with us. It's like a grand archive of everything that's ever happened to us, in this and also in past lives. Every good thing we've thought, felt, said or done leaves a positive imprint. Every bad thing we've thought, felt, said or done leaves a negative imprint. The moment we use our free will to manifest thoughts, feelings, words or deeds, this produces the energy imprint. This imprint is just like a letter. We're the sender of that letter. However, what we don't realize is, we're also the future receiver of that very same letter. What we send out, we will receive again. For better or for worse. Karma is not somewhere up in Heaven or the sky, we carry it around with us. It's in our energy field. That means we can actually be walking around with a car accident hanging over us. We can also be walking around with a million dollars. Due to the workings of the law of attraction and repulsion, coupled with karma, we will receive our self-created destiny when conditions are ripe for its manifestation. Our energy field is like a magnet: it attracts to us what we want, need and desire, HOWEVER, this is also coupled with our karma. Similarly, we repulse everything we're fed up with, dislike and want to get rid of, HOWEVER, this is also coupled with our karma. The laws of attraction and repulsion function jointly with karma. The good news are, we are the makers of our own destiny. What you've previously sent out, you're bound to receive. However, if you've sent out something bad, say a 1000 thefts, you're bound to receive a 1000 thefts. It's there in your aura with you, everywhere you go, attracting theft towards you like a magnet. However, the moment you no longer have it in you to steal from someone else, this karma is erased. This is "the forgiveness of sins". This is because the logical meaning of the law of karma is to function like an educational tool, continually feedbacking us about our way of life. When we learn our lesson, there is no logical nor loving meaning in us receiving galore bad karma in that particular domaine anymore. We're ready to learn new lessons. We carry this energy field with us from life to life. We ARE that energy field (or aura). 2) Magic Magic functions completely like explained above. The only things that's different is that you don't do physical deeds to achieve your end, but restrict yourself to thoughts, feelings and words. For example, if you want to magically attract money, you don't go to work for it (that would be the normal physical action). Instead you generate the thoughts, feelings and words (you can also use mantras) to generate a similar energy. This can then enter your personal aura, the aura of an item (ring, necklace etc), or a particular place (your office, shop, bureau etc). This energy then enters the aura and works magnetically to attract and repulse. Somewhat similarly to if you had done normal work. The only difference is that there's only a thought, feeling and word imprint, instead of both the thought, feeling, word AND deed imprint (going to work in this example). That's how all magic works. Thoughts, feelings, words and deeds, and in accord with the law of attraction, repulsion and karma. Completely like normal, everyday actions. The same principles, just invisible. But they both (magic and normal actions) enter the aura and work in the same manner. (of course when doing the magic you can also do physical actions, like lifting something, drinking something, waving your hands, mudras etc. This is also a physical action. When I talked about "go to work" as an action, I simply meant as the normal recourse for someone wishing to earn money) The last thing that's different with magic compared to our normal everyday actions, is the use of spirits. Spirits are simply dis-incarnated souls, or people (actually more precisely their auras, or their true soul, their immortal energy field) without a physical body, i.e. between lives. 3) Spirits If you want to accomplish a certain task, say, lift a 100kg, you can do it with your own physical body, with a machine, or by employing workers. It's similar in using magic, you can do it yourself (then the power of the magic depends on the power of your own energy), or if you can somehow get someone else to help you, that's another possibility. Here the exact same rules apply as everyday life. If you're very strong and muscular by yourself, you can lift the 100kgs yourself. In using magic, that would simply mean you use your own energy for divising the magic (using thoughts, feelings and words). If you're not strong and muscular, you need help. If you have the money, you can buy a machine to do it for you. Money in our magic example, is giving spirits who have the capacity for performing the task (similar to the machine), what they like. That could be money, gold, incense, food or very, very particular and strange things (they of course have no use for physical things, they like the energy they can get from it). If you want to employ workers, the same goes as in everyday life. Say you want to get a job done, you need someone willing to do it. You can't just go and demand your nextdoor neighbour to build your kitchen. He has his own life. However, if you're the president of a country, of a company or of a politically influential organisation, more people would be willing to work for you. This is because they would be able to acheive some of their own ends, e.g. prestige, money, power, fame or whatever. It's the same with spirits. If you're at a very high spiritual level, more and stronger spirits naturally want to help you achieve your noble aims. 4) Conclusion What has meditation, qigong, yoga, breathing exercises, performing noble deeds, forgiving those who wrong us, being compassionate and loving towards all living beings have to do with this post? Well, it's all related. Meditation makes your mind peaceful and clear, making it easier for you to stop wrong actions, and plan towards good actions. This helps you stop and get rid of negative imprints/karmas, and instead build only positive imprints/karmas. You mindfully apply the science of destiny. Furthermore, having a peaceful mind gives you more mind-power, thereby increasing your energy. Yoga and qigong produce good imprints of physical health, strong energy and a peaceful mind. Performing noble deeds produce good imprints and attracts more goodness towards you. Forgiving others is actually the most logical thing to do. Why? Because it's your own karma returning to you. If you accept and forgive, you exhaust that negative karma and instead send out a karma of love (through forgiveness). If you keep doing bad to the ones who do bad to you, you simply continue that negative karma. Being loving and compassionate towards all living beings, produce the imprint of making all living beings loving and compassionate to you. Magic and spirits work according to the exact same rules as everyday life, it's just invisible. Just like our normal karmas are invisible. However, they're all right there in our aura, following us everywhere we go. Therefore the most logical way of life is: 1) Do everything you want that makes you happy, healthy and fulfilled.. AS LONG AS 2) You never produce actions which hurt yourself or others, physically or mentally, now or in the future

Hello, Dao Bums, I was on this forum 11 years ago and I am now back. ( some of you may remember me as fiveelementtao). I trained in an esoteric taoist practice associated with Mao Shan. so, after 30 years of training and practice, I have discovered something truly amazing about the qigong and nei gong I was taught. I have finally discovered that the techniques of the practice are not stimulating or focusing on the same meridian system as traditional taoist practices. The masters who taught me were "uneducated" in the sense that they were taught a lot of techniques and had mastered those techniques but did not learn a lot of specific theory. They just told me that what we did was "different.' But it was unclear to me exactly how. The techniques were undeniably powerful and unique, but it was shrouded in such mystery that we were encouraged not to try and figure it out... What I learned in the internal martial arts, qigong, meditation and nei gong was ( in my experience) unrivalled in terms of pure power. This practice was my first experience in Taoist energy work. So, when I learned it, I assumed that all taoist energy work was coming from the same place (energetically). But every time I would learn another school's energy practice or internal martial art, I could feel the energy was very different. Masters of all different schools ( including ones who claimed to be Mao Shan) who saw what I was doing or tried the techniques would either say the practice was evil, dangerous, demonic or they would tell me that they had never experienced anything this powerful. this included qigong, internal martial artists and tai chi masters.... So, for 30 years I have been extremely confused as to what exactly was different about this practice. Well, I have made some very exciting discoveries. instead of trying to learn from available sources about why the energy was so powerful and different, I started focusing on the meridians in my body that were constantly "firing" when I did the practices. And I finally understood what my teachers taught in terms of what meridians we focused on.... You have all heard of "Jing - Qi - Shen" right? Well my teachers would say we did "Qi - Xi - Yi" (life force energy - heart-mind - intent) When I asked about this compared to the Jing-Qi-Shen path, I was told "Oh just the same thing ". But I have come to realise that it is NOT the same AT ALL... I could explain for days, but the bottom line is that after 30 years I have discovered that the Mao Shan masters were intentionally NOT pursuing Jing Qi Shen, they were intentionally focusing not on the lower dan tien but on the pericardium meridian. Which I have discovered is a secret zone of power where the feminine "lightning" energy resides surrounding and protecting the shen (soul) from the harshness of 3 dimensional reality. In TCM this power is called the "Emperor's Body Guard." It normally is self-contained in the middle dan tien unless someone knows how to stimulate the pericardium meridian to release it into the body's meridians. This was a secret kept by the Mao Shan demon fighters for centuries. When I learned this, it explained so much about why this art was so powerful, dangerous and different. The benefit of releasing the power of the Emperor's bodyguard is immediate and unrivaled power. The kind of power that demons run from. but the downside is that if the practitioner does not have a mature relationship to the heart center, it can create a Sith Lord ( if you'll forgive the reference). ( now I know why my teachers were always warning us about the danger of becoming a Darth Vader). For those who remember all of the controversies surrounding me and other people who shall remain nameless who also taught this tradition, you will know why there was so much power and rumours of danger associated with this path... Anyways, 30 years later, after some seasoning, I now understand what I believe to be the true purpose of this Mao Shan path. I hope to share more on this forum if there are any who are interested... For now, here is a qigong routine I created using these techniques. Let me know what you guys think.... Mahadeva

Peace, relaxation, joy! My New Year wish that yang and yin become more balanced and the TDB experiences 24 hours without squabbling (like that is ever going to happen).

Hello Friends, This is my first post. I wanted to join thedaobums in the hope of possibly making some new friends and contacts, as well as engage in some good discussions about the site's many interesting topics. I've been a "lurker" for a while, and I have found this forum to be the most dynamic, eclectic and diverse of the several that I have belonged to which deal with related topics (dharmawheel and some esoteric forums). Anyway, my background is itself eclectic, and I'm increasingly having a difficult time fitting myself into a label, without, at the same time, being able or desirous of "rejecting" anything that I may have identified with in the past. On the whole, I think this is a good thing, as I see a major goal of the spiritual path as being able to transcend labels and "identities." At the same time, I'm finding it quite uncomfortable. It's like a man having 3 or 4 families which don't know or acknowledge each other, each of whom he loves deeply as "part of himself"; he is unable to live with any of them all the time, but unable to part with any of them in an absolute sense; at the same time, he has a sense that what he is truly seeking lies outside the very category of "family" (if this metaphor makes sense). With this in mind, I'm reluctant to call myself a "Buddhist," or "not a Buddhist," a "Christian," or "not a Christian," a "Taoist," or "not a Taoist," etc. Over the past five years, I've been deeply immersed in the Western Esoteric Tradition, particularly centred around the ideas of Renaissance magi such as Agrippa, Dee, Bruno, the Rosicrucians, as well as Swedenborg, Boehme and the (non-Blavatskian) Western Theosophical tradition, while also finding many limitations in their points of view and needing to supplement this with study of the more metaphysical traditions of the East--Buddhism, Taoism and Trika Shaivism. But then increasingly I can't find what I'm seeking in any one of these traditions to the exclusion of others. I see them all, perhaps, as "upayas": skillful means to lead deluded beings to liberation. Despite all the arguments I have read and participated in over the philosophical subtleties of what precisely this "liberation" entails, I still naturally incline to this general universalistic view. I'm fond of Crowley (again while acknowledging his limitations), and I think that he was on to something (inspired) by his realization that one needed to break through externally imposed labels, restrictions, and identities and discover one's own "Holy Guardian Angel" in order to truly move forward. I think he was mistaken on many levels, but this idea that one needs to, as it were, make one's own tradition (in his case, Thelema) rings true for me, personally. If one doesn't, one is more or less the victim of centuries/millennia of historical and scholastic traditions which may have nothing to do with one's real quest. I know how much he suffered (and made others to suffer) in pursuing this ideal, however. Still, in a sense I consider myself a "independent Thelemite"--"independent" because I do not consider AC's personal revelations, mythos or ideas regarding the different Aeons (interesting as they may be) as binding on anyone other than himself. I think it could be argued that there is a "thelema," properly understood, hidden within each if the world's great religious/spiritual traditions, including Christianity and Islam (vide Corbin). I also disagree with Crowley regarding the importance of compassion and even pity; the Bodhisattva ideal is one of the most noble and glorious conceptions that I am aware of. Practically, I have more and more withdrawn from outward religious rites and turned towards silent, objectless meditation. The other, more active side of my spiritual practice involves Bardonian Hermetics, and a sort of streamlined angelic theurgy. Still, I feel like I've been stagnating for some time and I feel a strong need to break new ground. This is why I have increasingly turned towards the possibilities of astral projection (or "journeying") as a means of contacting higher Wisdom beings to help me move forward. My abilities are still weak at best. In this connection, the recent discovery of Qigong and energy work in general has been a great help. I never talk about this stuff to anyone. The anonymity of this site encourages me to share in the hope of finding like minded fellow-travelers. This is the reason I have written this long and regrettably egotistical post. I am what we might call "esoterically isolated," outwardly living a workaday life with a family, and without any associates beyond two or three distant contacts. I got "burned out" long ago on spiritual organazations and groups, and prefer the way of the hermit, at least until circumstances shift and other possibilities arise (I can't rule it out). Still, I am looking forward to hopefully learning and sharing whatever I can with friends here. Thanks :-)

This is a pieace I wrote awhile ago that I thought you worthy Bums might enjoy.... In the course of its long history, Daoism has been transmitted and adapted variously beyond China. Deeply embedded in Chinese language and culture, its ritual and communal practices have generally been less adaptable, but Daode jing thought, tales of immortals, and the various longevity and meditation techniques have found eager audiences. Especially Daoist thought and long life practices have spread in several East Asian countries, notably Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. In the West, too, the best known and most widespread aspect is Daoist thought; many concepts and maxims of the Daode jing have made their way into American and European culture. Much less well known and embedded in a different social milieu is the transmission of Daoist temples and ritual structures. Many remain within the framework of Chinese immigrants, but some organizations also attract Western devotees. Most recent is the Western adaptation of Daoist-inspired health practices and meditations. Following in the wake of increased health awareness and the popularity of yoga and Buddhist meditation, Daoist associations, centers, and masters are becoming popular. However, not all of them are properly speaking Daoist; rather, they often focus on qigong and taijiquan in exclusion of Mystical and Magical Practices. Just as different aspects of Daoism have attracted different audiences in East Asia over the millennia, so the modern transmission of the religion to the West matches a variety of interests and works in multiple social contexts. Most generally one can say that philosophical or literati Daoism was attractive first of all to missionaries and later to the intellectual elite. It offered a different way of looking at the world, proposed new principles of life, and encouraged a change of attitude toward the world. Today it is seen as opening a balance to the American (and Western) tendencies toward uncontrolled growth, environmental exploitation, corporate greed, and political corruption. Small is beautiful, and most happiness can be found in a simple life. Organized Daoism with its priestly hierarchy, religious scriptures, and devotional practices, on the other hand, fosters a sense of connection to the gods, community integration, as well as ritual services of protection, purification, blessings, and exorcism. It came to the West with Chinese immigrants and in close connection with Chinese popular religion and has remained for the most part an ethnically based organization, housed in inner-city temples and supported by local residents. Longevity Daoism, with its exercises, meditations, diets, and fengshui, has only been available in the West for a few decades. It appeals to well-situated, health-conscious people who are concerned with personal well-being, business success, and environmental protection( you know, Those People ). They often come to the practices for health reasons—be it recovery after an accident, weakness due to chronic disease, increased signs of aging, or the wish to reduce body stress exerted by contact sports, hard martial arts, or power yoga. Typically practitioners begin by looking for merely physical benefits, but then develop a sense of qi flowing in the body and gain an empowerment of a completely different sort. While many stop there, some move on to inquire more deeply into the conceptual and historical background of the practices and thus encounter Daoism. From there, some go on to advanced training in internal alchemy and more spiritual techniques whose ultimate goal is complete health leading to immortality. Daoist thought in the West is represented first and foremost in the Daode jing, the best-known representative of Daoism wherever it appears. In the West, it attracted first attention through a translation into Latin by Jesuit missionaries, presented to the British Royal Society in 1788. This rendition hoped to show that the mysteries of the Christian faith were known to the ancient Chinese, matching Dao with God, like logos conveying the triple sense of supreme being,reason, and word ( a mistake to say the lest, and has muddied the waters about trying to give a grasp on what in the nine hells the Dao is, ever since). The first English translation by James Legge (1831-1905) appeared in 1891. It, too, attempted to impose Christian theology onto the Chinese text. This changed in the course of the twentieth century, so that by the end of World War II a number of translations and interpretation had appeared that attempted to read the text in its own right and do justice to Chinese thinking. By now, there are over 300 English translations of the text and its concepts have made major inroads into Western societies. The dominant mode of apperception is individual and personal; people appreciate the philosophy as it helps them to change their own thinking and their way of being in the world. Unlike in China, where the text has always also had a strong public dimension, there are very few political concerns associated with the Daode jing in the West( I believe this could change the face of our current political arena, if a few candidates running for the highest office in the land adopted some of the wisdom found in the lines). Popular Daode jing ideas in the west tend to involve four distinct areas of application: the Western tendency toward action and progress (Work,Work,Work till you drop!); the importance of reducing stress(Fuck I need a vacation); the reversal of come common cultural and ethical values(If I get Tattoo 35, does it still pissoff my parents?); and concerns for the environment and social harmony (Peace, Pot and Microdot). Balancing the Western push for increased consumption, the need to always have more, always get new things, and always acquire bigger objects, is the essential idea of the text to “know when it is enough.” This means that there is a level of material wealth and internal satisfaction that requires one to go along with the present and let go of advancement and progress. Having reached this point, an increase in consumption, a rise in position, or a multiplication of wealth will add nothing further to one’s community status or internal well-being. On the contrary, it will create complications and various kinds of difficulties that are entirely unnecessary and make one feel worse, not better. This latter concept in the Daode jing is expressed as the “continuous alternation of yin and yang.” Understanding the world as moving in an ongoing flow of rise and fall, increase and decline, people can make wise decisions. Too much growth will result in reduction; a period of calmness and apparent stagnation is the beginning of a new surge of energy. There cannot always be nothing but growth; nature requires moves in all directions, up and down, rise and decline, come and go. Even Aleister Crowley threw his hat in the ring when it came to the study of Taoism… “From 1908 to 1918, the Tao Teh King was my continual study. I constantly recommended it to my friends as the supreme masterpiece of initiated wisdom, and I was as constantly disappointed when they declared that it did not impress them, especially as my preliminary descriptions of the book had aroused their keenest interest. I thus came to see that the fault lay with Legge’s translation, and I felt myself impelled to undertake the task of presenting Lao Tze in language informed by the sympathetic understanding which initiation and spiritual experience had conferred on me. During my Great Magical Retirement on Aesopus Island in the Hudson River during the summer of 1918, I set myself to this work, but I discovered immediately that I was totally incompetent. I therefore appealed to an Adept named Amalantrah, with whom I was at that time in almost daily communion.( Amalantrah appears to be an astral being. Crowley’s Amalantrah working with Rodey Minor and others does not settle the question of Amalantrah being physical or incorporeal. This consultation took the form of ritual questioning of a spirit, and attendant visions of which the ‘codex’ would be one.) He came readily to my aid and exhibited to me a codex of the original, which conveyed to me with absolute certitude the exact significance of the text.I was able to divine without hesitation or doubt the precise manner in which Legge had been deceived. He had translated the Chinese with singular fidelity, yet in almost every verse the interpretation was altogether misleading. There was no need to refer to the text from the point of view of scholarship. I had merely to paraphrase his translation in the light of actual knowledge of the true significance of the terms employed. Anyone who cares to take the trouble to compare the two versions will be astounded to see how slight a remodeling of a paragraph is sufficient to disperse the obstinate obscurity of prejudice, and let loose a fountain and a flood of living light, to kindle the gnarled prose of stolid scholarship into the burgeoning blossom of lyrical flame.”- (THE TAO TEH KING (LIBER CLVII) A New Translation By KO YUEN (ALEISTER CROWLEY) THE EQUINOX (Volume III, No. VIII.) I will talk more on Taoism’s influence on Western thought and occultism as time permits, but I believe this is a good enough start for now. Stay gold folks. Sources: Clarke, J. J. 2000. The Tao of the West: Western Transformation of Taoist Thought. Komjathy, Louis. 2004. “Tracing the Contours of Daoism in North America.” livia Kohn,1999. “Introducing Daoism” Crowley,-The Equinox Vol III

Hey, I have been reading and learning for years now with out any real practice. Recently that changed and as I begin to explore the vastly different world of trying these tequniques and not just reading about them I would love people who have accomplished more than me to post how/what they found to be helpful and hurtful. If you feel you can help me out as a teacher I would love to hear from you, PM me Thanks, SlippySlim

Hello, I'm just interested in the scope of what is supposedly possible through magical practices, AND, would like to hear personal stories of what any of you've managed to achieve through it. Primarily interested in ESP and healing stuff, but, any manifestation, Siddhi/Siddhis in general, invocations, OBE, Astral Travel, anything interesting I guess. Cheers guys

Hello, I am wondering if anyone has had any success with actually reaching certain stages of the IIH steps. I have come to notice and attain certain miraculous feats...but not in the way described or instructed by the book. I am specifically interested to know if anyone has had any success in making elementals and the physical elementary, or the fluid condensers to magically animate pictures.

Just watched this for the second time. Brilliant movie if you are into HK movies ala sword & sorcery, magic and gung fu. Enjoy!

I recently finished Portable Magic: Tarot is the Only Tool you Need by Donald Tyson. It was a very interesting book and the goal of it was basically to compress an entire system of ritual magic into Tarot cards so that you can perform simplified rituals on the fly without all the excess baggage. I feel i can say to a large extent i feel he has succeeded in this goal (i have yet to test any of his methods). It was very interesting to see how he managed to construct the circle and triangle with the cards and utilize an astral space for his working, i actually thought it was quite and ingenious ingenuity. I have no doubt that the system he works with is effective. Also what i also found very interesting is that although he works purely with Tarot for the sake of the book. If you open it up to utilizing tools in combination with the tarot, simple things like candles, bowls...etc....it would seem to greatly enhance ones flexibility in doing work. The only bad thing i would say was the amount of repetition in the book, it got a bit annoying sometimes. Also for someone who knows very little about ritualistic magic and the Golden Dawn i found the introductory chapters very interesting. Others whom are more well informed than i might find them extremely boring. Also i would also say that in general i am not a fan of ritualistic magic and the Golden Dawn. Therefore in regards to using their system of correspondences as well as using triangles and circles i was a bit skeptical. I think a lot of using circles and triangles is fear-based. Thought that is just my extremely novice opinion given i have never used any ritualistic methodology. Overall, this was a good book on using the Tarot for Ritualistic Magic albeit at times it could get a bit complicated and it is my personal preference to keep things simple. I have already ordered Tarot Spells by Janina Renee in order to give me a taste of the opposite side of spectrum of using Tarot cards for magical workings in order to balance out my perspective. I may also read Tarot Spell Caster by Terry Donaldson if it ever comes out on Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Magic-Tarot-Only-Tool/dp/0738709808/ref=pd_sim_b_3 My 2 cents, Peace

I have done Bardon's Black and White mirror exercise twice....and I have always found it to be quite Insightful and thought provoking, however recently I came to up with the idea to do my soul mirrors via utilizing the Tarot. I drew 3 cards which reflected my most important negative attributes and 3 cards which reflected my most positive attributes, I imagine if one wanted to do a full reading of his personality he might draw 10 cards for each side. I have only done it once and have found it to be a very useful technique for self reflection and analysis (after all that's what the Tarot is for) and thought I would share it with the forum. Not sure if anyone else has used this approach before, just something that intuitively came to me. I personally like using the cards more than the methods that Bardon suggests of sheer self analysis because a single Tarot card (symbols in general) can speak volumes about you as a person and help harness both our conscious and subconscious powers and bring forth gems for our enrichment. If anyone tries it feel free to post your thoughts, I would be very interested to hear your experiences. Anyways, hope this technique is useful for others. My 2 cents, Peace

Found this article on another site and thought it was interesting and worth sharing: "A while ago Jack had a great post about some of the reactions people have had about certain magical practices and how they might be dangerous, lead one into insanity, away from Holiness, etc.. I liked the post, because when I was younger, I got a lot of the same kinds of looks from some people. I went plunging into the Tunnels of Set with nothing but Falorioss images on photo paper and a beat up copy of Nightside of Eden. I held a Typhonian Portal open in my bedroom for a week straight until my neighbors could feel something terrible going on. I created Servitors with no expiration date that are still roaming the city of Philadelphia 17 years later. I took three types of psychedelics at once (LSD, Mishrooms, and Datura) and became a Buddhist. I formed a cabal of the CAOTO to have all night trip explorations on psychedelics most people have never even heard of. I summoned demons for frivolous reasons and paid the price. I played games with the weather, and other people paid the price. I did a public performance of the Mass of the Phoenix in front of 30 people at a Unitarian Church and yes I bled all over. I integrated BDSM into sex magic rituals just because. I nearly wound up hospitalized for a few days because of the effects of an un-grounded Chaos Sphere. I charged half cocked into an exorcism that I clearly could not handle. I charged half cocked into another one soon after, that I did handle but would not have been able to unless I failed the first time. In short I learned by getting my hands dirty and playing the game. I have only met Jack once, and we never did not come up together, but I think we have some similar experiences in this regard. We both survived, and we both have friends that did not. So what all this brings me around to is magical timing. We talk a lot of about time according to planetary days and hours. We plan according to eclipses and according to lunar phases. We sometimes even plan out according to season, but I wonder how many of you give thought to when in your life you are going to do something. A lot of the things I did then, I would NEVER do now in a house with my wife and kids. Honestly some magic I would never even do once I got a job I cared about. Some of this is the type of stuff I list above the gung ho excursions of a magical youth but others are not so simple. Take the HGA for instance. I had friends deeply worried about me when I was doing Samekh every day. There were times that I was absolutely close to coming unhinged. Some people treat it as this thing that is the pinnacle of magic and should only be undertaken once you have accomplished years of work I think it should be done very early on in ones career because the upheavals that can be brought up in the work can be enough to tear a family apart. Crossing the Abyss is another one. Unless you are doing it through meditation (which is more effecient and smoother than any more active magical method) it might be best accomplished before one is settled, or after one is retired. Than again, different people lead different lives. Lots of Tibetan Buddhists get asked to do Ngondro, which usually requires 100,000 full prostrations. Some Lamas brag (or get bragged about) that they did it two or three times! When they dont mention is that they did it when they were 12. Doing 100,000 prostrations is a great way to keep a 12 year old monk occupied. Its a challenging task for someone in their early 20′s. It can be downright harmful to overweight western suburbanites in their 30′s and 40′s, and every year at least a few people blow out their knees doing it. Good practice wrong stage of life Not that long ago a friend of mine that is my age was talking about engaging in a long series of Ayahuaska based magical experiments and wanted to know what I thought. I basically told him that ship has sailed. He has two kids at home a few years older than my kids. I asked him how would you feel if you got an emergency call that your child is in the hospital, and you still have 5 hours of tripping your balls off to get through? Everything from ritual equipment you keep out, to things you invoke in the house, to ways that you alter your mind state, have serious impact in real life. Doing something when you are in college may not be a good idea when you are raising toddlers. Than again revisiting that in later life, might be ideal. In fact, it is the last phase of life that many cultures consider the most spiritually productive. Many people who ask to become Sadhus get told to wait until they have a family and career first, than become a Sanyassi after they retire. I wonder if any of the people that were criticizing Jacks practices were simply at a place in life where the kind of psychic or circumstantial upheaval that could be caused was unthinkable to them, yet very easy for Jack to handle. I know that is how it was with me, and I need to remind myself when I talk to some people, that is how it is with them now. How has your stage of life effected your practice? Have to put anything away for the kiddies? Any good stories of youthful psychic shinanigans? Got anything planned for the empty nest?" by Jason Miller Link to original article: http://www.inominandum.com/blog/timing-of-magic-over-lifetime/ My 2 cents, Peace

Hey, I have been interested in spiritual growth for a while but am just beginning to get serious. I have Franz Bardon and I think it is a good start but I am not sure how much I relate to the specifics of his dogma. So I have been going on my own with particular interest in spirit guides and such. I believe i contacted them (3 of them) once but it was brief and our communication was brief and uninformative. I am looking for guidance on meditation practise because I am severely undertaught on the subject. All in all i have been really impressed with what i have seen/experienced in my short personal attempts and want to dive deeper in. I need some guidance to point me in the right direction. My beliefs about spirits and God are not classified in any category that i know (and I'm in philosophy ) so it is my own belief and it is shaping well through my early attempts. Please message or reply if you can help me out! Thanks!