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Prefacing Note On behalf of those who may benefit from this question as part of a distinct thread, and in the case that the original poster of the question would like to further their thoughts, I am moving this question here to its own thread. Though I am the originator of this post, I do not intend on hosting the thread since I seldom respond to a thread repeatedly. So this is a welcome open space for reading and sharing by those who have deep accurate intellectual knowledge or clear experiential understanding in Consciousness on the matter and are moved to share from its essence. If you are newly with seed and posting about the matter at any time, remember that what you say contains the sacred. Therefore, the post does not need (and could be harmed by) explicit vital detail, rather it needs your transmission. Therefore, speak from the place of what is essential. And If you are someone who has been in process for a while, welcome to you… welcome all. —————— How We Must Live and Become To Develop the Immortal Fetus Prior to the development of the Immortal Fetus, cultivation is usually necessarily multi-faceted and must take place on a variety of planes and dimensions within and through the individual- this can involve not only various internal and external alchemical practices, meditation, regular and deeply integrated lifestyle wellness practices and habits, but more importantly, the development of one’s consciousness and connection to such Consciousness itself. What is often overlooked during this process are the fundamentals of character and perspective, and the importance of how Being is refined through the very ordinary and unglamorous mundane of the seeming day-to-day. In this way, many of the precepts of virtues and methods extolled in Buddhism (though also spoken of in Taoism but are less accessible) can be readily practiced as a way of guiding the process to new birth. The recognition of Essence and Nothing through the baseness in living is the cultivation of form and formless, and its reconnection in purity to Original Essence and Spirit will ensure the natural development of the Golden Seed when: -an individual’s mundane process is sufficiently fulfilled (this contains within it an aspect of Ming which is not often understood correctly or completely) -the whole of the system is adequately refined (this refers to more than only the corporeal body) -and there is continuous proper spiritual alignment in integrity to both your own soul and the Tao itself Fundamentally Spiritual Consciousness Inspires Creation, and Proper Form Allows for it In my personal experience, the physiological processes of alchemy are secondary to one’s Nature: the importance of this is profound. In fact the capacity of our physiology for subtle energetic refinement is part of an inter-dependent process originating firstly from our own spirit which is then expressed often through mind and emotion. Therefore, our own spirit, character and consciousness refines the body, and in doing so, the energies of the body in return continue to refine the understandings of spirit, mind and emotions. Remember that mind, emotions and spirits are also just energies, so at its foundation, this is a cyclical process of energy refining energy, and the source inside yourself making this possible to the level of profundity required for the Golden Seed has to come from direct connection to your own Spirit. (If you are looking at this process through the lense of Taoism, recognize that things like ‘energy’, ‘connection’, ‘alchemy’ and ‘spirit’, are not ephemeral metaphysical concepts- that is, they may be conceptually abstract, but these are technical substances and therefore to willfully manage the process you must have an in-depth knowledge of its mechanisms, it cannot be lay knowledge- whether it comes about organically through awareness and Consciousness, or you came to know it through academic study, or guided mentorship, it doesn’t matter: your experiential understanding must be substantive enough to allow for clear, honest and refined distinction. So therefore and for instance, for those who experience and think Qi is just one thing, and that the Tai Ji are simply two different things- you need more foundational intellectual and experiential insight to progress as deeply as is required for the development of the Golden Seed). Ultimately, it is less about the perfection (of the maya/illusion) of ‘form’ and more about the purity of spirit and its connection to origin that allows for the transcendental changes and formations such as this. The body then is a vehicle for deliverance, so to speak, and the reason so many people begin with cultivation of the body is because the body is for many an obstacle. But when form is no longer an obstacle (meaning that without identifying with the body that you can still be firmly rooted in it and know the methods to care for it very well. If you can do this free of anxiety and fear, and do not consider such existence a misery or burden regardless of circumstance, then you will have transcended the fear that is death and living, and have found peace through the simplicity in being. This will allow for more subtle sensitivities to develop in your awareness.)- not even because of its supposed materiality but more because of your quality of awareness through perspective and experiential understanding of what form actually is, then this allows the energies to flow in greater harmony and resonance with not only your life, but with the universe and eventually the Unnamable itself. Ultimately the incubation of the immortal fetus and its development cannot be conceived nor its process complete without the necessary depth of clarity and connection to spirit and what is prior to essence: this can only be understood by one whose nature is not only truly clear but also has become consciously and truthfully simplified. In addition to the processes of deep and essential inner transformation that allow for the conception, one must already have consciously connected to the Unnamable, so this witness cannot be a happenstance glimpse. Thus, this connection has to be deeper than just an Awakening or even a series of Awakenings, and it is more subtle than the metaphysical- so for those who have had fantastic experiences of light, of emotional feelings of beauty and gratitude, of angels and heavenly beings, or time and space, or energy and kundalini- viewed from the Utmost, these are just other facets of the 10,000 things in its myriad of display. As this is a co-creative process between you and Consciousness itself, you must already be not only in witness but in relationship. Caring For the Golden Seed in the Early Stages without a Teacher Once you are seeded, the development process is not as complex as the various specific instructions may sometimes feel or appear (though they are very sophisticated in their simplicity). If you have come to this point of bearing the seed, then you will have already recognized the simplicity in essential nature and its condition of movements unobscured. In many ways, it is then simply a continuation of this wisdom through yourself from the depth of the Void. The self is a simply a container, and in right connection, there will be natural right movement and thus right development. If at this stage if you are without a teacher, then you will recognize that the two most important guiding points here are actually one and the same: 1) In your living, be in Source unobscured and unceasingly. Always be in alignment with Consciousness through all states, all conditions and at all times. There is no other way to live and it is the only true ‘living’ to be done. To support this, there is also one essential meditation and one essential process in living that I would recommend specifically. 2) In your living be wise- this is not cognitive intelligence, but deeply held wisdom from Source itself. Within this wisdom, practice safety: do not do anything to obscure or harm the natural process of gestation and birthing- see the first point again. (People who are wise are not reckless and have no concern for forms of indulgence. They live plainly, simply and are safe- not from fear, intertia or inhibition; but because they recognize what is truly needed: "Freedom to do what one wants is suffering, freedom to do what one needs is true freedom") Note that if you are without a teacher and/or in any way uncertain about the firing and steaming process, this lack of doing from within Presence is vitally important. Also, the seed in early stages is very fragile and real improper firing is not only a failure of method, but it is actually the (very subtle and insidious) exercise of desire- therefore this would actually be the application of unconsciousness even if you know the technicalities of ‘how’; so do not do it voluntarily without clear transmission. The firing and steaming schedule is not merely a mechanism of physics- at the transcendent level, these are actually methods of Consciousness you are applying. Therefore, they are powerful and must be done with an extremely refined precision from a depth of origin greater than the methods themselves. Either way, during this period, it is best to be in relative or complete peaceful retreat from society, even if you think you are and appear to literally be ‘doing nothing’ at this stage. As with what allowed for its conception inside of you, remember it is not the result that matters, but process, and in right process is contained result. So be at peace regardless of the progress of the fetus, just as you would all things; there is a Consciousness at work of which the fetus is one manifestation; your reverence to any eventuality must transcend even the precious embryo itself… In Source there is never impatience because there never was time; there is never agenda or possession because there was never something to be had. Remember that creation comes from Nothing as wei wu wei. [As an aside to those two main points (and I will not get into the details of why), I would offer that in your humility, give and share in benevolence as the Buddha spoke, if you can and if it is rightly for your path. One of the Three Treasures - sanbao 三寶 in Taoism can also be translated as compassion or love. Know that the spirit residing in each organ is illuminated from the spirits of virtue (known as the Five Virtues- de 德, they are: righteousness, trust, integrity, wisdom and benevolence and they are united in the consciousness that is shen 神)- these are important processes in culmination to the journey of the Ethereal Soul beyond this life time, and they are regardless of all things, worthy of our efforts. Give and share these teachings if it is rightly and you are able to do so from a place of transmission from Source… the world needs perhaps less teachers who know the materials academically and intellectually, and more who can hold true space in deep Nothing through experience.] So as with previous understanding that would have allowed for the seed, your lack of desire in radiant equanimity, your unceasing and sincere diligence, and your ability to remain in Source unobscured (this is actual True Presence) is what will allow for the support, knowledge and wisdom of its completion; the techniques are an intellectual recognition of natural process. While your understanding of its technicalities can help its advance and guidance, whether you are receiving precise information or not, at this level the instruction cannot supercede wisdom itself (known in Taoism as True Knowledge) or you will have prevented the very thing you are seeking to fulfill through improper force rooted in improper intent. Thus True Wisdom must be sustained and foundational through any attempt at practice of the firing and steaming schedule. True Wisdom becomes you when your Original Nature has come to a depth of merging with Source- on the mortal plane, this may take a little time, hence again, practice point number one. Be in that wisdom so what is right may blossom. And from this place of Nothing, you will recognize then that at its utmost, how Consciousness radiating through the illusion of forms is the creation of immortality.