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Hi fellow bums, I have a friend that recently moved outcountry to an ecovillage, and that got me thinking. There are probably many of us who from time to time would benefit from either living an extended time with a heavier focus on cultivation - or even into stricter retreats - but who can't find the environment and support which would provide that. What about an ecovillage for cultivators, eclectic in styles but where the common ground is some kind of devotion to spiritual pursuit? How would such an enterprise be set up? How would it be operated? What would the rules be? I'd be happy for the collective input and brainstorming. Mandrake

Nice photo essay with notes (pdf download): http://www.parallelozero.com/images/stock/download/32d35042e03172bb476a2d62880af5d72111dd95.pdf One featured hermit combines Taoism with Christianity and likes speaking to animals. Uncoincidentaly enough he’s a Franciscan ...

Meow all: I had a really strange lucid dream last night. Someone I know, but not in a good relationship lately was casting I-Ching in regard to me. And they got "33 changes to 8". We have not seen each other for a while and, honestly, seems like "quarrelsome star" had been over energizing this relationship, so I found this dream rather odd. The person in question does active cultivation and such. Interestingly enough, it was exactly "33" ( retreat) which caused some issues ( they needed a major ego work in order to proceed further, etc). I was kind of offended by that, but hey, if someone needs space, go for it. However, the "retreat" did not start well ( caused loss of money from my side). If someone will just show up out of the blue to make amends... should I go with "8"? I am just a human and I do have my feelings hurt because of that rejection. Any thoughts welcome... Meow...

I finally got accepted into my Vipassana retreat in early August!!! For those of you that don't know what Vipassana is it's basically an ancient Buddhist ritual where you meditate for ten or more hours a day, for ten days straight. I was just wondering if anyone in the forum has done this before or done anything similar so I know what to expect. Btw, I got the idea for this from an old post on Mantak Chia's stuff. The person reccomended this as a way to start a spiritual path.

Hello, I am looking at prospective retreats to go on when I finish this degree (as a little holiday, and maybe to clear a lot of gunk out of my system). There are so many free retreats to go on (which is great), but, I'm just wondering where to go, if anyone has any personal recommendations of schools, locations, organisations, teachers, etc? Generally I just want to go somewhere where I can do some kind of meditation (preferably some kind of mindfunless of breath, but, whatever works), for a long period of time. However, if there are any Taoist/Neidan/Neigong/Qigong retreats that involve meditation, I'd be interested in attending (not so much for Yoga, as, I already know a lot of the language, and I'd like to learn some Taoist terms/techniques, etc). I could perhaps just dedicate the time at home, tell others in the house that I will be silent for a week, turn off my computer/internet for a week, and draw up a timetable of meditation, practice, reading (got a lot of JAJ material to get through) and walks etc. I guess the advantage of a retreat is no distractions. Any thoughts welcome.

Daoist retreat in Kyev from 04 until 11 January The main focus will be on the analysis of practices of Mastership of Human Immortals (小乘人仙功), especially to sitting in a motionless calm and quiet (静坐 – Jinzuo). A short description of the retreat: - Xinggong as a basis of spiritual development in Daoist tradition; - Basic Xinggong practices and detailed theory about how and why a person needs to improve the Heart of Nature. - Understanding the Minggong practices and how to use them in combination with the Xinggong practices. - Further understanding of the basic practices of Lowest Vehicle of Human Immortals (小乘人仙功). - Dao Yin [static and dynamic exercises that contribute to stretching of a body and containing deep inner work with energy and consciousness]. - Lectures on theory and practice of internal alchemy. - Reading, studying and discussing of ancient Daoist texts. Daily timetable of the retreat: 04.45 – waking up 05.00 – 0700 – Zhan Zhuang 07.00 – 08.00 – Qigong or Dao Yin 08.00 – 10.00 – breakfast and free time 10.00 – 11.00 – theory and discussion of Daoist philosophy 11:00 – 01.00 – meditation practice (Inner Alchemy) 01:00 – 03:00 – lunch and free time 03:00 – 04:00 – theory and discussion of Daoist philosophy 04:00 – 06:00 – meditation practice (Inner Alchemy) 06:00 – 07.00 – dinner and free time 07:00 – 10:00 – meditation practice (Inner Alchemy); reading, studying and discussing of ancient Daoist texts Retreat location: Ukraine, Kiev To attend the retreat, book your place before 25 December 2013. Retreat is held by Vitalii Lishchyna

Photos from the Nepal retreat 2013