Dispelling the Fog

[Santyr]

I need to use a short excerpt From Bruce Frantzis' Book "The Tao of Letting Go" to explain what I'm referring to. It's freely available on google-books so I hope its ok to post the excerpt here.

 

People get in a fog by not being present to the experiences of their lives.

We can go through periods in life when we essentially fritter away our existence.

We're only half there because of a mental or emotional state,

Because some accident has happened or for any of 10,000 other reasons.

 

People can go for years never getting anything done or having any idea what they want to do. They are lost, so they drift from one thing to the next without really having anything to care about.

When the fog gets strong enough, it begins blocking out the ability to be present to almost anything. In any activity they do they are only half there.

 

 

I believe I'm in this definition of Fog and I have been for most of my life as I can remember it. I would like to know what would be the best way to deal with this? I'm aware that Bruce uses the Water method to dissolve it in his book but I was wondering if that's actually the best way to go about it or is there a form of practice that works primarily on this kind of thing?. I'm willing to try Qigong Tai-Chi other meditation methods, or anything.

 

 

I had a look in the search but I couldn't search Fog and I wasn't sure what else to search.

[Maddie]

I know what you mean, for I feel that I have spent a large amount of my life in this state as well. I feel that only lately am I slowly beginning to come out of this "fog". The means which I have used to accomplish this is simply by doing qigong dilligently, trying my best to do practice daily, and just like a tree grows, little by little, changes are taking place. Being American sometimes it can be hard to be patient and let the changes take place naturally lol (we like instant enlightenment), but then again that mind set is part of the problem (ironic eh?).

I'm not going to endorce any one specific type of Qigong because I think likely most types of Qigong if practiced diligenty will produce healing over time. My personal routine mainly consists of 8 brochades, inner smile/healing sounds, MCO ,and healing love, but like I said I think its less the specific routine I do, and more just having the dicipline to do it daily.

Good luck to you in your endeavor to escape the matrix lol.

Edited September 20, 2010 by dmattwads

[C T]

Hello Santyr...

 

Welcome to The Tao Bums!

 

When i read what you had shared here, i was reminded of a teaching i had heard sometime ago by a Buddhist teacher.

Here:

 

(there are 2 parts to it)

 

Hope it will be slightly helpful to your situation.

 

Enjoy your time here friend.

[C T]

double post. sorry

Edited September 20, 2010 by CowTao

[Marblehead]

Hi Santyr,

 

Just some thoughts inspired by your post.

 

You know, I think we all go through this period of living in the fog. Some of us realize this and try to find a way out and others never realize it therefore they never try to attain clear-sightedness.

 

I think it really doesn't matter all that much which practice one uses in order to find clarity. I think the desire and effort are the most important.

 

The "fog" here, of course, are our illusions, delusions, false ideals, the lies others have told us, etc., etc.

 

Clear-sightedness! Ah! I was born near-sighted. Had good near vision but horrible distance vision. It wasn't until I was 15 & 1/2 years old that I found this out. I always thought that my vision was the way it was supposed to be. (Which it was, of course, but it caused me problems that others with good vision never had to deal with.)

 

So now I wear glasses when I need to have good distance vision.

 

So basically, we first realize we have a problem (living in a fog) then we use whatever means necessary that effectively correct the problem.

 

What's that product? Claratin?

 

Peace & Love!

[patbb]

People get in a fog by not being present to the experiences of their lives.

We can go through periods in life when we essentially fritter away our existence.

We're only half there because of a mental or emotional state,

Because some accident has happened or for any of 10,000 other reasons.

 

People can go for years never getting anything done or having any idea what they want to do. They are lost, so they drift from one thing to the next without really having anything to care about.

When the fog gets strong enough, it begins blocking out the ability to be present to almost anything. In any activity they do they are only half there.

Nice quote.

 

part 1

part 2

Nice link!

 

 

Santyr, how long have you been meditating?

 

if you are a beginner in your spiritual journey, i would think just meditate more, join some group meditations in Buddhist temples, listen to Dharma talks, practice yoga or tai-chi, having a good, regular meditation routine with other people, perhaps giving a few hours a week helping out at a community your would choose (like joining a Shanga maybe) etc...

 

keep busy practicing a good lifestyle, filled with meditation, learning and getting inspiration from teachers and students, healthy exercises in yoga or tai-chi, eating healthy food... sooner rather than later your life will change completely. fog will dissipate, happiness and energy will fill your life.

 

if most of your today lifestyle is to spend your time worrying, eating bad food, living for yourself etc... just spending your time doing better things with it will change everything. You will love life, you will be looking forward to go to the Shanga, you will be looking forward to go to tai-chi, yoga etc...

[Aetherous]

Practice zhan zhuang for long periods at a time. Longer than you like...and stay present with it. It literally dispels fog. Peace.

[三江源]

Have a good look at your fog, and have a chat with it.

 

Hello Fog. What you doing? Have you got something for me? Do you need something from me? How would it be if you dispelled? Did I create you for protection? If I did, then thankyou for sticking around.Can we experiment together with new ways of being? How much are you air element? How much are are you water? Are you made up of thoughts and feelings? Want to share?

 

etc

etc

etc

etc

 

Good Luck.

 

PS Bruce F's methods are good.

[Santyr]

~

 

Thank you all for your replies they are greatly appreciated. I've put your names in bold to highlight which parts are a response to you

 

 

I quite enjoyed your response dmattwads I think I will look into a couple of bit from your routine, how long does it take to get all your routine done?.

 

 

That was a very interesting video CowTao I should probably start watching more like that to get a better basis of all this.

 

 

That was an interesting story Marblehead, I just wanted to make sure I was starting off with the correct practice as I assumed different forms of meditation went in somewhat different directions, to associate that to your story I wanted to make sure I was trying on the right type of lenses to alleviate the condition.

 

 

patbb I am a beginner, this post is my starting point . I've only tried two types of meditation for a short period ( few weeks ), One is the Water method which seems to give somewhat pleasurable feelings at times ( maybe I'm unconsciously bringing this on but it feels good ) and one from Jerry Lynch where you imagine you are surrounded by something of a white bubble and you breath in the clear/positive white, letting it go into every part of your body and have it absorb the tension/negative energy turning it grey/red then breath out releasing it, This one tends to leave me mainly relaxed.

wouldn't they cause change in one differently?.

 

As for going to a Buddhist temple and the likes I'm in a small area and we are somewhat limited in what we have access to. There is a Buddhist building in town but they charge quite a bit for their classes. As for how I spend my time now it's likely most of its with worry even if I'm not fully aware of it most of the time... I do eat healthy though and I have for some time as I go to the gym a bit so bad food is somewhat counter productive.

 

 

Given your response I think I will definitely need to try Zhang Zhuang scotty yiquan did seem interesting to me when I read about it a little while back. When you say "for long periods at a time. Longer than you like" What kind of time frame are you meaning? I don't want to end up not doing it long enough.

 

 

cat I'm not sure I'm capable of that kind of thing, I've tried it in the past but I'm not sure I'm in touch enough to really do it correctly.

 

~There may be something deeper in some of your guys post which I missed, If I did I apologize .

Edited September 20, 2010 by Santyr

[Aetherous]

When you say "for long periods at a time. Longer than you like" What kind of time frame are you meaning? I don't want to end up not doing it long enough.

 

I do it for a minimum of 20 minutes.

[Marblehead]

~

... I wanted to make sure I was trying on the right type of lenses to alleviate the condition.

 

 

I'm glad you picked up on that. You'll be okay.

 

Peace & Love!

[三江源]

Hi Santyr.

 

 

 

cat I'm not sure I'm capable of that kind of thing, I've tried it in the past but I'm not sure I'm in touch enough to really do it correctly.

 

 

Hey.... I just want to check.. you know that your lack of confidence about this is just a symptom of The Fog, right?

 

You dont have to believe the symptomatic voices. You'd be better off smiling at them and saying "thanks, but ..." and wandering off to do your own thing. They want to keep you muffled!

 

You have the ability to listen to and dialogue with your own psyche. Yes, you have.

 

"Correctly"? hold up dude. No need to make it an exam.. relax into it, not thinking of correct or incorrect or any such framework, just listen like you would to a wind blowing. Or watch like you would watch an animal running about. It just is. Cant be right, cant be wrong.

 

Sometimes we like the Fog because it allows us to feel nurtured in a funny kind of way.. it takes the edge off life. So when you start to clear the fog, make sure you nurture yourself consciously. okay?

 

 

Good Luck.

[LBDaoist]

I have found it helpful to remain in the moment. A fun practice involves paying attention to what comes to mind. As you look at the world around you, take a mental inventory of what comes into focus. Maybe you see a flower, and it reminds of you a person you know. Then you find yourself thinking of the last conversation you had with that person. At that point stop, and focus again on the world you see through your eyes. Then focus on sounds. Work your way through your senses, always staying focused on the immediate here and now. The mind tends to wander. Resist the urge to let it. Once you notice it happening, refocus on the present.

 

As always, breath training helps. Stay focused on the breath. Just breath and remain present in the moment. Practice tuning into your senses. When your mind wanders, bring it back to the breath.

 

On a related tangent, when you get tired of bringing the mind back to the present, try this exercise. Remember the thought you had before the current though. Then remember the thought before that one. Then the one before that one. Practice going backwards through your thoughts, following the train in the opposite direction. Have fun getting to get to the root of whatever might be on your mind.

 

 

[LaoTzu21]

I do it for a minimum of 20 minutes.

 

10 minutes a day is enough sctotty for a begginer id say only go fopr longer if you have a teacher. this is what my zz teacher from master lam says . i mean when im with the teacher we go for a whole hour its ball breaking.

[Aetherous]

20.

[nac]

You know, I think we all go through this period of living in the fog. Some of us realize this and try to find a way out and others never realize it therefore they never try to attain clear-sightedness.

There are also those who prefer the fog over clearheadedness, those who strive for a balance between the two, those who glorify fog as holy and condemn clarity as unreal, (by which they sometimes mean that they think they're unable to cope with reality as it is) those who reserve different mental states for different circumstances, (some tasks require total absorption) etc.

[Marblehead]

There are also those who prefer the fog over clearheadedness, those who strive for a balance between the two, those who glorify fog as holy and condemn clarity as unreal, (by which they sometimes mean that they think they're unable to cope with reality as it is) those who reserve different mental states for different circumstances, (some tasks require total absorption) etc.

 

 

Oh, I agree. I didn't mean to imply that there is a 0/1 duality here. There are, of course, many grey shades between black and white. And I agree that many people hold to their illusions and delusions (for) because they help them through their life. And I think we could never suggest that anything that helps someone through their life is something negative. And this is why I try to be careful when speaking about religions.

 

Peace & Love!

[nac]

Oh, I agree. I didn't mean to imply that there is a 0/1 duality here. There are, of course, many grey shades between black and white. And I agree that many people hold to their illusions and delusions (for) because they help them through their life. And I think we could never suggest that anything that helps someone through their life is something negative. And this is why I try to be careful when speaking about religions.

Sure, I just wanted to point out that realization of the fog's existence isn't necessarily followed by a desire to do away with it for all time. (also, strictly speaking, this fog isn't identical to what could be called ignorance/delusion/illusion IMHO)

[Jetsun]

Fog can be a symptom that your nervous system has been overloaded in the past, BK Frantzis says this can occur in the womb or even during the birth process itself as well as during many of lifes more regular traumas. I have been trying to deal with issues like this for a long time myself and in my experience things like mind based techniques such as vispanna type meditations don't help much and also more forceful techniques like yoga and some qigong don't help much either, so far only meditative grounding techniques work for me where you focus on the body and move your energy down through your body into the earth, but it has to be yin and gentle to get to the root. Water method works great so far, CFQ Qigong is good too.

Edited September 23, 2010 by Jetsun

[Maddie]

~

 

Thank you all for your replies they are greatly appreciated. I've put your names in bold to highlight which parts are a response to you

 

 

I quite enjoyed your response dmattwads I think I will look into a couple of bit from your routine, how long does it take to get all your routine done?.

 

 

 

Well I can sort of make my practice go for a while if I so desire and have the time. If I really want to draw it out I can go on just what I mentioned for two hours. Usually I do not have that much free time on my hands, sometimes I have very little free time so I have to be flexible enough to modify my practice according to my time limits. If I am really strapped for time, then I'll pick the practice that I feel like I need the most. So for exaple if I feel stiff and crusty, I may do the 8 Brocades. Or if emotions are the key problem then I'll do the inner smile and healing sounds. If my libido is acting up and turning me into a dry humping lap dog, then I may do the healing love stuff. In a perfect world though I'll try to do all of it.

[Jetsun]

Pre birth fog... interesting...

 

Yeah he talks about these sorts of things in his cd set, he says that it can occur that when you are in the womb you absorb all the emotions and feelings your mother has, so if your mother gets into a violent argument for example or has a shock the unborn baby may not be able to properly digest the experience so the nervous system stores its energy away until it can be processed at a later date, then if this stored energy is triggered later in life you can experience fog as well as many other symptoms.

 

Frantzis says he met one person who had hallucinations his entire life until he dissolved some of his birth traumas then they went away. Because these are pre verbal problems you can't talk through them or even really understand them but using the Water Method you can let go of its energy from your body.

 

He says that when you scan your body and you encounter an energy in your body which just doesn't feel quite right but you can't quite understand what it is it's likely to be a undigested pre verbal experience. I don't know how common this is but I find these sorts of energy areas every day when I do my meditation.

[Birch]

At last!

 

Great post.

 

Another reason to set the internal verbiage on a lower volume (or stop it altogether) because it will make up "reasons" for things like this that you didn't even do to yourself

 

Worse, you might do things to yourself because they were done to you. Bleh.

 

I guess we could still hash out the "if you're inside your mother's womb, who are you?" thing...

[markern]

Mindfulness would be the exact oposite of your fog and mindfulness of everything that is experienced by you right now, including the fog, would be the most direct way of getting out of it but all the mentioned methods cultivate this to some degree and will help dispell the fog. Go shinzen.org and look in the articles section and read the articles about escaping INTO life, equanimity and a pain processing algorythm. Those will give valuable perspectives on all of this.

[Aetherous]

Now I am pissed. How dare she.

 

In my opinion, probably 90% of the spiritual path is about healing our relationships with our mothers on an energetic level (sub/unconscious).

 

It is the closest bond we will ever have in a lifetime, for better or worse. Think about it: you don't ever live inside of anyone else for months. You don't really ever depend on anyone else's choices for your immediate survival. You will never be as helpless as you were when she was ensuring that you made it another day.

 

"Mom" is related to the wind/wood element.

[Birch]

You will never be as helpless as you were when she was ensuring that you made it another day.

 

 

This is good news:-)