Flying Phoenix Chi Kung

[tao stillness]

Find a qigong teacher in your area since your questions and concerns suggest you would have a clearer mind with less worries if you received personal guidance in structured classes. After you understand the basics of qigong you would probably be then ready to learn from a series of dvds. I don't think you are yet ready to learn on your own. 

[Benbeastmode]

On 02/12/2018 at 4:15 PM, ridingtheox said:

@Benbeast...   ok  from my experience  40 yr  tjq and at least 18 w various sifu Dunn tapes / dvd etc.    I have also done 8 pieces of brokade for almost 40 yr.,  which helped me thru several bouts of kidney stones  for almost 8 yr I have done the long form FP along with other qi gong practices  wu xing ,  zhan zhuang standing .... 

don't worry so much  about combining practices,  just work on the FP as a central element is my opinion.   try setting a goal of practicing daily  the long form  at least once for 100 day gong ..  then try to evaluate what you have healed, strengthened,  refreshed

 

if you are at all like me you will be surprized pleasantly at where you arrive.

 

Thanks, I had considered adding something at a different time of the day. I've nearly done 4 months of FP so far, daily, except for 1 day when I had to travel to see a doctor and just needed to sleep by the time I got back.

 

On 02/12/2018 at 5:16 PM, tao stillness said:

Find a qigong teacher in your area since your questions and concerns suggest you would have a clearer mind with less worries if you received personal guidance in structured classes. After you understand the basics of qigong you would probably be then ready to learn from a series of dvds. I don't think you are yet ready to learn on your own. 

 

I'm not too bad learning it on my own, i've kept it up consistently for this time. I guess with what's going on I get stressed at times, so always want to find if what i'm doing is helping or if there's a more effective way.

 

But as for the learning, i've picked it up pretty well from the FP dvd's.

 

After thinking about it for quite a while i'm having a consult with Eric Isen tomorrow, I made a list of Qigong methods and other healing methods i've been researching to see how effective they are for me. Hopefully my list wasn't too long for a session and I can get some clarity.

Edited December 3, 2018 by Benbeastmode

[rideforever]

F .......

 

I don't do FP but boy does it seem complicated and complicated is not what you need when you are in trouble with your health and such.   All this 20 30 40 business.  Really ?
This is overcontrol isn't it.
Many diseases come from overcontrol.   That's why healing sounds / wuji is about relaxing and letting go of all that baggage you are clinging to that makes you ill.   No good clinging to it, then clinging to 20 30 40, 7 DVDs worth of that.
Be nice to yourself eh !

 

Also for what it is worth, natural belly breathing is the only breathing I do.   Breathing is so central to life that forcing it into multiple breathing patterns is quite insane.
Although having said that I do something do alternate nostril breathing, but I don't actually change the breathing, I just close the nostrils.
Natural breathing and only natural breathing ... that's my view.   Call me mad if you like, everyone else does.  How unnatural you want to make yourself before you realise that you are not in charge of this world.
If you control your breathing .... I mean, is there anything you don't want to control ?  World domination ?
 

6 Healing Sounds is one of the most powerful things you can do, and get good at.   I do that with Michael Winn's DVD 5 Animals 6 Healing Sounds (which is basically same practice seated and moving).  And easy and powerful.   You can do this 3 times a day and eject all the black chi.
Wuji is very powerful but a little difficult to have patience at the beginning, but it is another sine qua non.  It is extremely powerful in its body healing, but it can be difficult to learn to stand.  Maybe the best.

Dragon & Tiger is very good and the DVD is excellent.  It uses the wei chi (on surface of body) .... and doesn't get into the vital organs 5 animals 6 healing sounds ... but it rapidly revives all circulation in your body and is idiot proof.

 

Aside from that, restricting negative media, replacing with positivity ; and also high quality homemade food; are also sine qua non.

 

Also I have found Pau d'Arco to be excellent for internal infections.   Take it slowly at first.   Also take probiotics if you consume it because it is a widespectrum product so you need to replace the probiotics.  Bio Kult is good for that.

Anyway, you can't 100% trust what I am saying, so I am just offering something.

 

On Friday I often choose to do something different (different DVD maybe) in order to inform my journey.

 

Yet another thing is with Fragrant / FP (I dont do them) people say they do 20 30 etc... reps.   Isn't that boring ?
For me I am not just doing some movements .... for a result.   It's a journey into the dao, like with the 5 elements, I am learning and romancing the elements every day, it grows inside you.   And taichi is very beautiful.  I am not looking for a result ... but a journey, a meaningful deepening journey.   Because that in itself is health.  (I am not saying anyone should stop or anything, just a minority fat mouth report).   And I think that is a weakness in Dayan Wild Goose ... although it looks pretty.

???

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by rideforever

[Zork]

@rideforever

If you are vying for the attention of a master, this is the wrong kind of attention to attract.

 

I don't practice FP either but i know better than to trash the system without serious knowledge of it's ins and outs.

In my limited understanding, the blue fire it uses is not resident to our mortal realms. I have only seen it once in my life.

Imho it is associated with higher beings. So whatever it does is very subtle in nature to be obvious to us.

 

Please refrain from bashing systems you do not understand. At least try systems before criticizing them.

All systems aren't suited for everyone.

[tao stillness]

The breathing sequence is done before doing the postures and once learned it is very easy to perform. During the postures you breathe naturally. The pre-posture breathing creates an alchemical process involving the Qi. For me, no other styles of qigong give the unique sensation of my hands cutting thru a cloud of thick Qi as they move during the forms. I am referring to the qigong methods from Grandmaster Doo Wai which includes Flying Phoenix and advanced qigong forms. I think it would be hard to evaluate Flying Phoenix from the outside. One would have to try the forms and read the long thread of posts about it on Daobums to understand how it differs from other styles of Qigong. Some of the forms can take awhile to memorize, and some are very simple and easy to learn. A lot has to do with how strong your short term visual memory is. Learning is made easier by playing the DVDS via VLC media player so you can change the mirrored image in order to have the instructor's hand and arm movements going in the same direction as yours instead of having to do mental gymnastics to figure out where his left and right is compared to the direction you are going in. But like anything else, this style of Qigong has to fit your individual preferences. 

[Zork]

31 minutes ago, rideforever said:

But also to provide balance a minority report is required from time to time.

At least let it be an informed report. You aren't "reviewing" movies or books where it is largely a matter of taste. 

33 minutes ago, rideforever said:

And I am certainly not bashing the system, but providing reasoning for a different perspective of many systems and approaches

I fail to see the reasoning behind providing alternative approaches to a system when not required, asked or demanded by the thread.

If the title were "Plz give me your opinion on systems i can practice" your posts would be spot on. 

Now you have missed the mark completely.

 

I will not criticize you for being ignorant but please, for the sake of your own development, refrain from commenting on systems you don't understand.

[phil]

Does anyone else doing FP feel a connection to Kuan Yin / Tara? 

First time this happened when I stood in front of an antique trade and a saw a statue of her and the energy felt was very similar to that of FPCK..  very compassionate, loving, and somehow light. 

 

[tao stillness]

As to feeling energy of Kuan Yin, the legend says that Flying Phoenix Chi Kung was taught to monk Feng Do Duk by a celestial goddess. I believe this is possible because I am friends with 2 people who have been taught by well known deities. One was given a gift to use by Lord Krishna, and the other person was taught a chi kung healing form for herself and others by Kuan Yin. Both of these people were on energy/spiritual courses when this took place. Neither one of these people is the type who gets carried away by imagination or makes up stories to impress others, or engages in mood making. I have received the services of one of these people for a very long time and therefore have experienced the gift that was given by the deity. The other person is my best friend's sister, a retired school teacher and her word is impeccable. When I see her again I will ask to see the chi kung method that Kuan Yin taught her. I forgot to ask for a demo of that when I met her for the first time a year ago. It is only because of these 2 people that I would ever believe that Feng Do Duk might truly have been visited and taught by a goddess/celestial being/bodhisattva, etc. The tangible sensations from some of the chi kung from Doo Wai that I have learned is so very different from the other qigong methods that I have experienced, and I have tried 90 or more different chi kung styles so far. 

[tao stillness]

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

 

Well Zork, you don't seem to have read my post, perhaps you are too busy kissing the floor in front of the Great Great Great Great Super Grest Ultra Great Grandmaster who ... you probably don't even know.  You like this theatre.

I responded to one student who seems to be doing an awful lot of work, many hours, and has significant illnesses, so I offered some things that are rapid and effective, because I too have been ill and have moved on from it.

 

Some people want to experience great energies, and coming out of the source are many strange energies forms and traditions that the Taoists working with the Dantien have learnt.   But this is not Taoism.  Taoism is to merge with the Source not to collate energies flowing out of it.   It's the wrong direction in my opinion. 

Also I happen to know some beings who are immortal right now, meaning their soul is beyond the death of the body - in the Indian tradition, and they don't particularly like the Grandmaster Theatre at all, and if people start kissing the floor they are kicked out.   They have totally the wrong approach, they don't wish to know themselves at all.

Right I shall say no more.

"Their soul is beyond the death of the body" Is this not true for all humans that our soul is immortal? I personally exchange the word immortality for enlightenment when I read Taoist literature and I never thought they were talking about immortality of the physical body. In my mind they are referring to the state of Pure Consciousness which is ever lasting and exists beyond the loss of the body. Many ancient Chinese have died because they mistook symbolism for physical attributes such as ingesting alchemical formulas in the name of becoming immortal. People who practice a very deep form of meditation have directly experienced that Consciousness exists even without the body. So as the Consciousness that we basically are, we are all immortals temporarily residing in a human body until death do us part. My take on it anyway. 

[Zork]

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

Well Zork, you don't seem to have read my post, perhaps you are too busy kissing the floor in front of the Great Great Great Great Super Grest Ultra Great Grandmaster who ... you probably don't even know.  You like this theatre.

Ignorance strikes again.

I practice fragrant. It is incompatible to this practice.

 

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

I responded to one student who seems to be doing an awful lot of work, many hours, and has significant illnesses, so I offered some things that are rapid and effective, because I too have been ill and have moved on from it.

And? How do you know that he is practicing correctly? How do you know if FP is the right system for him? How do you know which is best? Don't answer, i know you don't have a clue....

 

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

Some people want to experience great energies, and coming out of the source are many strange energies forms and traditions that the Taoists working with the Dantien have learnt.   But this is not Taoism.  Taoism is to merge with the Source not to collate energies flowing out of it.   It's the wrong direction in my opinion. 

Teach us oh master what is taoism and what isn't!

Oh btw, fragrant is a buddhist qigong. Just saying....

Japanese MA reference the LDT as hara. They are mostly buddhist systems.

So in reality you have no clue what constitutes Taoist practice or not.

 

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

Also I happen to know some beings who are immortal right now, meaning their soul is beyond the death of the body - in the Indian tradition, and they don't particularly like the Grandmaster Theatre at all, and if people start kissing the floor they are kicked out.   They have totally the wrong approach, they don't wish to know themselves at all.

If you have access to such beings what are you doing here exactly? Don't they have anything better to offer?

I mean they can surely give you something to work in your spare time to improve yourself.

 

3 hours ago, rideforever said:

Right I shall say no more.

Best course of action!

Edited December 3, 2018 by Zork

[Benbeastmode]

I don't know why it has to turn into a bit of a flame war. That's not really needed for any of us.

Quote

I don't do FP but boy does it seem complicated

From doing it for 4 months, it's actually one of the simpler forms of Qigong i've done. I've done a few by Yadi Alamin (Male Sexual Qigong) another sexual one, spring forest once, and life force qigong and actually FP is pretty simple. The breathing sequence is just before the movements then you breathe normally.

Quote

6 Healing Sounds is one of the most powerful things you can do, and get good at.   I do that with Michael Winn's DVD 5 Animals 6 Healing Sounds (which is basically same practice seated and moving).  And easy and powerful. 

I have heard of it but haven't looked into it. I'll look it up.

 

Quote

Aside from that, restricting negative media, replacing with positivity ; and also high quality homemade food; are also sine qua non.

A while ago I stopped reading the newsfeed on facebook, just use it for events and groups. Though being around when others are watching the news and certain shows, I hate it and realized how negative it is, even tv ads.. it's all fear based.

 

Quote

Also I have found Pau d'Arco to be excellent for internal infections.   Take it slowly at first.   Also take probiotics if you consume it because it is a widespectrum product so you need to replace the probiotics.  Bio Kult is good for that.

I was taking that actually and cycling other things. I have kefir, sauerkraut and probiotic tablets too.

 

I think a combination of both the result of health plus also enjoying the method. I mostly enjoy FP, though some days it's like "ah I have to do it again" but then I feel good during and after. If it was something I just really hated for the result, it wouldn't be as beneficial I agree.

 

I have a few options after having a consult with Eric Isen that i'm going to explore.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Benbeastmode

[tao stillness]

  If you have done Yadi's qigong then Flying Phoenix would seem sort of simple in comparison. I ordered Yadi's very amateurly done qigong DVD and did it for about 10 minutes and ejected it as it was pretty difficult. High priced and very poor visual quality taped during one of his workshops. I found Yadi to be quite a hype master. His online infomercials, shot in what looks like his bedroom, leaves you with the message that whatever qigong form he is currently hawking is the latest, greatest method of them all. And if you are not doing his qigong then you are pretty much wasting your time doing any other method since his qigong is the only one that gives you real results. What I did appreciate about Yadi is that he replied in detail to any question that I asked him via email and his replies were soon after emailing him even if was very late at night. 

Edited December 4, 2018 by tao stillness

[Zork]

10 hours ago, rideforever said:

 

That student was asking questions here.   He was asking because if I read correctly he has 3 internal infections, is practicing Great Sifu Grandmaster Dunn's many hours FP practice every day and he wants some answers or some guidance or some options.

 

So I gave him some.   Some that worked for me to heal my problems.

 

What's your problem ?

I have nothing more to say on the matter. If you don't understand what is wrong with your actions it is your problem.

I refuse to derail the thread further.

This "dispute" is highly disrespectful to the OP and the master. I am bowing out.

Have a nice and productive day.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Zork

[StillWater]

Let's please not let rideforever, someone who should be known as "kook," derail a productive thread.   Some people are just not capable of being in a room with adults.

[Astral_butterfly]

I came to say goodbye to all of you.

 

In all the pages of this thread, no clear revelation has been brought forward as to the exact nature of the entity taking possession of the body when performing FPCK, and I am sure some of the advanced practitioners as well as the teacher are able to come forward to speak out but choose not to do so. This doubt about what I am letting in has disrupted my practice and now in the last few days I have come to full certainty of my rejection of the practice.

 

I am not wanting to host any being who may surprise me later. I want to know what I am in for. I know for sure from practicing that the energy is not just random qi, it is an entity with a definite identity, intelligence and will, looking to incarnate as much as possible, for which reason, I do not know. I know the health I experience is not my own good health, when I stop, it dissipates and goes away. If I were truly getting better, the effects would last beyond the dissipation of the chi. There is no true personal healing in a dependency-based system, in my humble opinion.

 

I have not come to create dissent, but to urge people to ask themselves questions. This practice may not be appropriate for absolutely everyone and anyone.

 

I sincerely hope everyone finds what they are looking for and I wish all well.

[Earl Grey]

I am emerging from my solitude but briefly to address these recent conversations on the Flying Phoenix thread on behalf of Sifu Terry as best as I can as one of his personal students and because an earlier e-mail exchange we had expressed his encouragement for me doing my best to support the community here, especially due to his absence. 

 

Firstly, I would like to request that incursions similar to the recent one by rideforever cease because decorum is compromised by the lack of respect being displayed here. While he may truly believe that his actions are faultless and I do not doubt his good intentions, proprietary measures dictate that

• 1) This is Sifu Terry's personal thread on the Flying Phoenix system, so while you can certainly mention other systems as a point of reference or comparison, it is far different from what rideforever actually did, which is to essentially belittle the system and promote unsubtly Michael Winn's system. He may not believe that is what he is doing, but to most adults (to piggyback on the term used above by stillwater), it is highly disrespectful. It is akin to a cat lover walking into a room of people with a love for dogs and say that dogs are just slobber machines, but as animal lovers they are better off being with cats. When called out by Zork, who isn't even a Flying Phoenix practitioner, but a concerned member here, the dismissiveness and unwillingness to be receptive to feedback on decorum here only furthers the divide. At the same time, I must commend everyone for doing the proper thing (which I may attribute more to being busy), which is to not feed the troll and to instead ignore it instead of fanning the flames. 
• 2) You are welcome to make your criticisms of Flying Phoenix in an entirely different thread (not specifically to rideforever, but to anyone else who has derailed this thread multiple times throughout the nearly nine-year history). While you post here, the purpose of this thread is to focus on the discussion of the system, its benefits, workshop announcements by Sifu Terry, questions and clarifications about forms, news about upcoming DVDs and the books, or engaging on shared experiences by those who are new and veteran to the form. If you want to give your views on why the system isn't great and to insult the teacher or voice your views on how having teachers versus personal learning through DVDs on systems that are unrelated to Flying Phoenix, open a new thread or your own personal practice journal and discuss that there, because it derails from the focus of this thread in addition to as mentioned above being highly disrespectful.

Secondly, addressing old longtime friend Astral_Butterfly's departure here, I can confirm with my own experiences and work with people from Eric Isen to my friends in the Akashic Records community and other Taoist masters that the "entity" behind Flying Phoenix is benevolent. It has been rumored to be Xi Wangmu and other times Kuan Yin, but it has consistently been benevolent.

• Eric Isen had scanned me during the long form MSW exercise and said that the white female who appeared in the stupa (a bell-shaped structure) was a Buddhist being who was offering me a blessing, the Akashic lords who were consulted through my flesh and blood teachers and my own work in the Akashic Records have all given very positive remarks on Flying Phoenix.
• I can not comment on the GM Doo Wai material I have been privileged to see, but I can say that if much of that information were made public, it would be part of the sacred duty of us students, knowingly or unknowingly, to continue the practice because the energy cultivated doesn't just affect us, but the world around us. It is quite possibly the premier healing form that everything from dying kittens at the animal clinic to plants in my house have all shown drastic benefits from being exposed to the unique energy of Flying Phoenix. 
• We can't determine if doing the practice and not feeling the results of it when ceasing practice is truly an accurate barometer for the integrity of the energy or healing, but what we can say is that even within traditional medical qigong practices, Flying Phoenix is unique in addition to how the herbal formulas used by the advanced practitioner as taught by both Sifu Terry and GM Doo Wai do not follow orthodox TCM principles. Personally, I think there is more to it than "the health I experience is not my own good health, when I stop, it dissipates and goes away. If I were truly getting better, the effects would last beyond the dissipation of the chi. There is no true personal healing in a dependency-based system" because every individual's energetic makeup is unique and what you are aware of that needs healing is still barely the tip of the iceberg. If anything, for every individual thing we notice that we believe needs healing, there are at least a dozen more things that we are unaware of and this is the importance of community and a teacher to both mirror us in ways that we are unable to perceive on our own.
• As for "truly getting better and the effects lasting beyond dissipation of qi", again, it's not so simple as that because working with qi doesn't follow conventional logic, even more so in Flying Phoenix. Healing crisis is one possible explanation, but I would need to actually scan your energy myself, and there are limitations on me doing so from a distance (often using my Akashic skills) and Sifu Terry can read himself through in-person scanning. Healing is a very personal and individual process, and waving your hands or doing a qigong system alone won't ever be the end-all resolution for your healing. Healing is at a soul level, and doing the advanced systems actually help you look into the soul deeper and deeper and recognize the core and root (both separate things) that need to be addressed, otherwise, you are merely playing with energy akin to popping a medical tablet or enjoying the highs of the energetic practice analogous to opiates. This is why I discovered that Flying Phoenix as a practice is perfect as a system in of itself and with just one meditation of the entire 40+ forms and quiet seated meditation after doing any of the forms, you are able to address parts of the psyche often overlooked. So it is not just recommended, but personally I believe it's mandatory to do seated meditation even for five or ten minutes a day to truly do the soul work that comes from having the right energetic alignment from FP energy, because otherwise, you will stir the swimming pool and the muck will turn the water into an opaque mess, but after stillness, it will settle and appear as clear as day. 
• I personally believe that this is one of the many dark nights of the soul for individuals when they are struggling with their own healing, which at the higher levels is often a good sign because it is what compels us to look inward and this is what determines our soul work and level of awareness to address the work that needs to be done. I went through this many times in life, and I will say that the decision to rise or fall is not determined overnight. Quoting your own signature, an ant on the move travels farther than an ox at rest, but that doesn't mean that rest is a bad thing, nor is moving incrementally always superior. There are times we need to breathe, and in between inhales and exhales there is always a momentary pause that is neither inhaling nor exhaling. This is what stillness and meditation is for, as I have been taught. 

My last point here is to ask everyone to please continue supporting one another and if you feel stuck, don't be dismayed by how interaction on the thread is significantly less frequent than in previous years, as many members have their own lives offline and Sifu Terry is busy, but it's up to us as a community to support one another. While I certainly had a lot to say when checking in from time to time in my solitude and wished I could have said more to support members here, it is Astral_butterfly's message above that compels me to come in and say what I can in the absence of Sifu Terry's response, or other members who could help one another here but are simply unavailable to come in and offer some insight. 

 

In other words, it is the allegorical sacred duty mentioned by Krishna to Arjuna in The Bhagavad-Gita that says it is better to do this sacred duty of ours imperfectly than to avoid it for want of being perfect and fear of being imperfect. So while I am no master, I am a student and one who cares with enough insight to share and encourage anyone who is still here to keep on keeping on and know that even if no one is seemingly responsive or able to speak to your needs at the time you need it, you are not alone. 

Edited December 17, 2018 by Earl Grey

[tao stillness]

Where is it stated that during Flying Phoenix Chi Kung an entity takes over the body? To believe something like that I would have to hear that from the lineage holder of this method, Sifu Terry Dunn. While doing a number of Doo Wai methods over the years including Flying Phoenix I have never experienced anything that would make me think my body had been taken over. 

[Earl Grey]

There is no entity takeover whatsoever with Flying Phoenix.

[Earl Grey]

Dear practitioners,

 

I am posting this as both another reminder and a possible opening for dialogue.

 

First and foremost, Flying Phoenix qigong is for health, and not just physical health, but emotional, mental, and spiritual health. As I have experienced people with anxiety find peace and nagging thoughts dissipate with continued practice of both Flying Phoenix and quiet seated meditation, the results of continued practice grow with diligence and discipline. This is why we have this thread: to help each other know we are not crazy and to find overlap. 

 

Some of us may have more spiritual experiences such as me having more metaphysical encounters, but that should not dictate that it is inevitable for everyone, as some may never experience anything beyond a sensation of warmth or tingling, and may never even see the blue light that many report. To be caught up with sensations is one of the traps of many newcomers and seekers, which is what imprisons us in the realm of the senses. What I personally believe is that we practice this because 1) it is good for our health, 2) it is excellent for our evolutions as humans and our soul journeys. 

 

Let me quickly define something that I will write more about later in my own personal practice journal, on the nature of spirit work versus soul work.

 

Spirit work involves playing with energies--anyone can do that and feel it, as we are naturally attuned to it for the most part unless our third eye is blocked and we have difficulty perceiving these sensations from any type of energy work, be it qigong, Reiki, pranayama, or western hermetic traditions. This is what takes you up and can be euphoric because you sense another dimension of existence. 

 

Soul work, on the other hand, can involve the use of energy work, but is not necessary, because it involves going deep into the Self (capital S) within, requires shadow work, confronting the parts of our ego complexes that are blinded by desire and anger to protect the lesser self. A complete atheist can do soul work through intensive therapy, art work (sketching, sculpting, painting), solitary reflections in their journals and walks in nature, and recognizing that they are imperfect, and not even use the term soul work, but still do the act itself.

 

A sage of the Tao and any of the esoteric arts can use these terms and recognize the need to understand the concept of Oneness and the eternal Self that constantly reincarnates much like a man changes his clothes, for the Self is eternal, never having not existed and never ceasing to exist, and it is present in all of us whether we are aware or not. I am you, you are me, and recognizing the importance of each incarnation and the lessons with each individual ego perceiving reality all at once, this is the journey of the godhead, the Self to appreciate the gifts of suffering and separation as we naturally gravitate towards unity. This kind of statement has parallels that can be found in The Bhagavad-Gita, in the writings of Rudolf Steiner and Alice Bailey, Kabbalah, and even Sufi mysticism. 

 

Understand that what is great about this thread and system are as follows: 1) we have Sifu Terry and his decades of scholarly study and experience with several pedigreed lineages, 2) we have the complete system itself and more, 3) we have the community here to discuss with the diverse experiences of each student, all of these three are to expand our understanding of not just the Flying Phoenix system, but the subconscious work that can arise from practicing the system with the proper guidance of Sifu Terry and the insights shared with each other, directly and indirectly on this thread. The questions beginners may feel embarrassed about asking offer insight to experienced veterans, especially those like me who wish to become instructors of the system (and perhaps a Sifu in my own right one day), the esoteric experiences that people share may also help students who feel that they may have some issues to confront due to the unique individual encounters with qi and its manifestations. 

 

Some people may not respond directly or immediately, and it's not due to ostracism as one former student once bemoaned, but lack of familiarity and qualification to speak to the condition of the practitioner who claimed he neither felt many sensations or felt much progress due to his condition with aphantasia, and we should never take this as a sign of rejection, but that someone may need professional help and the Internet does not guarantee that its denizens have the authority to make an informed diagnosis. We are lucky that Sifu Terry is here to help with things like potential qi deviations which are usually derived from improper breath control sequence or not following the basic instructions in every DVD copy, which some people bafflingly still manage to ignore. As there are other threads with lack of disclaimer or guidance (such as the recent serious violation of ethics and tradition and possibly legality with the Spontaneous Five Animals thread where the entire form was posted), we run the risk of damage and it is the gift of both a community and Sifu Terry as both a professional and a master to offer this thread and his series to us, as well as his own private instruction in person or online. 

 

A form alone will not change you--but it can help you become aware of what you are working on, and that is why the character and level of understanding and development in a master is essential--whom you choose to make your master, even if you don't call them a master, is whom you choose to emulate. If I make Elon Musk my master, I don't have to meet the man, I only need to emulate what I enjoy about him and project onto him what I wish I were, the master I take is the idea of Elon Musk being a billionaire with a chip on his shoulder and complete disdain for ethics in a very Randian Objectivist manner. If I choose to take an idea of a Taoist sage, and I can see those characteristics in people around me, then I can recognize that neither Sifu Terry nor any of my teachers will ever force me to look deep and hard at my own character and transform into whom I need to be and who the universe deserves for our higher evolution, but it is only to my benefit to do so because it will allow me to access the higher realms of consciousness and reality that the doors of perception open with continued practice of the yogic arts of superior quality like the Flying Phoenix system. 

 

Flying Phoenix and any high level system is not a bandaid or placebo, but a tool that can be both a mirror of the soul in addition to an elixir for our own physical incarnations and wellness, so please do not use the Flying Phoenix system in lieu of seeking professional advice for your medical concerns or your mental health. 

 

I will close with this reflection: as the solstice ends and winter in the northern hemisphere is upon us, my material and financial state are not ideal, but I find the abundance even with just knowing the DVD forms and a few extras as taught by Sifu Terry himself in our private lessons for the past year to bring me great joy. From finding my dogs enjoying the qi when doing the meditations to being a healing presence everywhere I go, whether through the slums of Manila to the streets of San Francsico (where I am presently staying for the holidays), watching the plants in my own apartment and my mother's home grow with extreme fecundity after practicing in their vicinity for a few days, and the simple increase in awareness (especially self-awareness and worldly awareness), I have some of the most priceless gems in the universe. To have a body with no serious injuries that prevent me from breathing, ten fingers and ten toes without any restrictions on movement, eyes to see and ears to hear, a mind to appreciate and reflect, I am humbled by this flesh and blood incarnation to have stumbled upon this thread nearly four years ago and to begin the practice and now call myself one of Sifu Terry's students, and more importantly, abundantly joyful to call all of you fellow students my friends, brothers and sisters, and family. 

 

Happy holidays, Flying Phoenix friends and family. 

Edited December 22, 2018 by Earl Grey
Typos

[tao stillness]

Spoken like a true aspiring Master! Many lessons lie within those well chosen words.

The timing of reading Earl Grey's post is impeccable because 2 days before I received a reply from Eric Isen about my inquiry as to why I have seldom experienced any of the wonderful things that he has seen qigong doing for me during his many tests of the many forms I have tried over many years. His answer is that what he sees qigong doing for a person can take several months or even years for it to be experienced by the individual. 

So when I read Earl Grey's discourse that included the words, diligence and discipline, I lit up with resonance. 

Namaste to Earl Grey. 

[tao stillness]

I am currently involved with parenting a toddler who is less than 2 years old but she has frequent tantrums. They go away when we consistently ignore them. The path less taken will eventually result in someone riding off into the sunset perhaps. 

[Zork]

1 hour ago, tao stillness said:

Spoken like a true aspiring Master! Many lessons lie within those well chosen words.

The timing of reading Earl Grey's post is impeccable because 2 days before I received a reply from Eric Isen about my inquiry as to why I have seldom experienced any of the wonderful things that he has seen qigong doing for me during his many tests of the many forms I have tried over many years. His answer is that what he sees qigong doing for a person can take several months or even years for it to be experienced by the individual. 

So when I read Earl Grey's discourse that included the words, diligence and discipline, I lit up with resonance. 

Namaste to Earl Grey. 

Hm recently i noticed that a mild phobia i had with needles is vanishing. The main problem that caused me to start fragrant is still there.

What i meant to say is: keep practicing your system, it works in layers and ways you don't understand.

Edited December 22, 2018 by Zork

[tao stillness]

To Zork I would say that Eric has stated that he sees that Qigong does work in layers and that it contains a self-directed intelligence that guides it to go where it is needed at the time. I assume that the alchemical process resulting from the breathing sequences works in the same manner using self-directed intelligence do what it knows to do when and where. 

[ridingtheox]

I began a third long form FP gong (in 5 years)  108 day (hopefully) 6 down only 102 to go .  So far  i am doing a pretty consistent 33 min form.   this is a little short of my  goal  but  much richer energy than my previous beginnings.

 

wish me luck

Edited January 7, 2019 by ridingtheox
corrections

[ridingtheox]

uh I may be experiencing my second  detached retinal event ... any idea about qi gong addressing that  ...  surgery  repaired the other eye so  that is my fall back solution