Forcing or not forcing: alchemical side-effects

[hagar]

There is more than a slight possibility of uncomparable perspectives to my question, but here goes:

 

In my internal alchemy practice things come up. Or rather, I wonder if they are the by-products of practice or the fruits of it. To make a long story short, I tend to feel a sensation of irritation and even anger coming from what I feel is a gathering of energy in areas where these energies lay dormant. I am aware of the danger of over-focus and too much effort, but still the sensations persists. Even more so, I know very well that sitting often releases pent up emotional issues. But this feels different, it's actually not ordinary emotional energy, more like energy gathering enormous amount of momentum. So am I over-doing it? Am I forcing?

 

Meditation is hard, and trying to set up the polarities btw the different cavities, and let the energies run their course without adding any extra "Yi" or attention is even harder. Balancing attentiveness and non-attachement to the process, the sensation of "speeding up of Karma" and gathering of emotional energy still persists. I think the HT alchemical practice, and the internal alchemy I practice are very different, but still, there may be some places where our paths meet.

 

I'm all up for good advice...

 

h

[sunshine]

Please don't get me wrong man, but I'd say: relax and ask your teacher.

 

He will be the best one to ask for questions arising out of his practices and if I am right

you would have much easier access to him then most to Chia.

 

with smiles

 

Harry

[Ian]

There is more than a slight possibility of uncomparable perspectives to my question, but here goes:

 

In my internal alchemy practice things come up. Or rather, I wonder if they are the by-products of practice or the fruits of it. To make a long story short, I tend to feel a sensation of irritation and even anger coming from what I feel is a gathering of energy in areas where these energies lay dormant. I am aware of the danger of over-focus and too much effort, but still the sensations persists. Even more so, I know very well that sitting often releases pent up emotional issues. But this feels different, it's actually not ordinary emotional energy, more like energy gathering enormous amount of momentum. So am I over-doing it? Am I forcing?

 

I'm all up for good advice...

 

h

 

I don't do alchemy, so please ignore this.

 

What I do know is that there are incredibly strong forces lurking within.

 

And that alchemy is an acceleration in the first place. So in one sense, by practicing alchemy, you are forcing, by definition. The only question then would be whether you are forcing more than you're happy with, or just more than your resistance is happy with. Sounds like maybe.

 

My own practice involves doing the wrong thing all the time, and gradually trying to move to an ever lesser degree of wrongness. So if I suggest that you may be doing something "a bit wrong" please don't imagine that I think you should change anything.

 

As I said, please ignore this.

[hagar]

I don't do alchemy, so please ignore this.

 

What I do know is that there are incredibly strong forces lurking within.

 

And that alchemy is an acceleration in the first place. So in one sense, by practicing alchemy, you are forcing, by definition. The only question then would be whether you are forcing more than you're happy with, or just more than your resistance is happy with. Sounds like maybe.

 

My own practice involves doing the wrong thing all the time, and gradually trying to move to an ever lesser degree of wrongness. So if I suggest that you may be doing something "a bit wrong" please don't imagine that I think you should change anything.

 

As I said, please ignore this.

 

I'd say that what agenda my resistance has is probably a big part of it. In relating to wrongness, what do you really mean? lack of ease, spontaneity, naturalness, or not being able to open to the imperfections in everything?

 

Interestingly enough, when I just set up the energetic response between two energypoints and let go, I tend to get very involved again at some point, so you're probably right: let the mistakes play themselved out.

 

On another note, I also get very hungry when I do alchemical meditation.

 

h

[voice]

I am often pretty free-form with my alchemy. When some energy like that appears, I try a few things:

- find an "opposite" energy to balance it with

- take it as my center and experience things from its perspective (might be a bit much if this is strong)

- ask it what it wants

- watch how it interacts with parts of me on its periphery

- explore aspectis of it by allowing it to connect to dream images/places/people/history

 

Also, the hunger maybe suggests a lack of grounding earth in the alchemy. In Winn's Sun-Moon-Earth alchemy, the connection with Earth is incredibly grounding and can make me so full that I can't eat.

[hagar]

I am often pretty free-form with my alchemy. When some energy like that appears, I try a few things:

- find an "opposite" energy to balance it with

- take it as my center and experience things from its perspective (might be a bit much if this is strong)

- ask it what it wants

- watch how it interacts with parts of me on its periphery

- explore aspectis of it by allowing it to connect to dream images/places/people/history

 

Also, the hunger maybe suggests a lack of grounding earth in the alchemy. In Winn's Sun-Moon-Earth alchemy, the connection with Earth is incredibly grounding and can make me so full that I can't eat.

 

Voice: Great advice: I will give those tips a try. As to the hunger, your theory is interesting, but may not apply to my case. I might be wrong, but it feels like a less intense version of the hunger I felt when I did the alchemy retreat. It was mostly due to the burning off of impure (food/fat/dampness/toxins) that the "pearl" in the Dan Tians was creating. But i do have some difficulty grounding when it gets too intense, so there may be some earth connections to be done.

 

Sunshine: I haven't seen my master since last time 2 years ago, but you're right. This is more inexpensive though.

 

In general, I think alchemy needs to be combined with the more "macro" approach of pure sitting.

 

h

[Ian]

I'd say that what agenda my resistance has is probably a big part of it. In relating to wrongness, what do you really mean? lack of ease, spontaneity, naturalness, or not being able to open to the imperfections in everything?

In my terms, just more effort than needed. Which will always be the case, must be noticed to be dropped, and is therefore necessary anyway.

Interestingly enough, when I just set up the energetic response between two energy points and let go, I tend to get very involved again at some point, so you're probably right: let the mistakes play themselved out.

The only weapon your trash has is to get you involved!

On another note, I also get very hungry when I do alchemical meditation.

h

Sometimes one is tempted to get one's vibration back to "normal" by stuffing one's face. What happens if you don't give in to the hunger?

 

 

 

In general, I think alchemy needs to be combined with the more "macro" approach of pure sitting.

 

 

I've heard Liu Ming, Sean's teacher, suggest that alchemy was something to use if your sitting hit a wall, but not really otherwise, unless you were trying to earn a few pennies by helping the village with their dry well or barren cattle.

 

My teacher says that alchemy will happen of its own accord eventually if you keep meditating.

[Yen Hui]

There is more than a slight possibility of uncomparable perspectives to my question, but here goes: In my

internal alchemy practice things come up. Or rather, I wonder if they are the by-products of practice or the

fruits of it. To make a long story short, I tend to feel a sensation of irritation and even anger coming from what

I feel is a gathering of energy in areas where these energies lay dormant.

 

Anger falls under the wood element. cf. @ http://www.fiveelementtraining.com/syl_wood.html ~ And spring is

the season associated with wood. The liver and gall bladder are the wood organs. It's time for spring cleaning,

as they say. A good de-tox is in order, and after the cleanse, concentrate your diet on foods associated with

the wood element. Focus on wood element sounds, meditations, exercises, colors, etc., both during and after

the spring cleaning; and keep us posted on the outcome.

Edited April 3, 2007 by Yen Hui

[Yoda]

of course there's running and walking and being outside more and backing off energy practices a bit, reducing caffeine, even reducing meditation if you must, etc.

 

A new one that I've found recently are vitamin Bs. Sounds strange, but take a B100 and see if you feel better.

 

Maybe it was just a placebo, but it seemed to "cure" springtime reemergence issues for me. I didn't need to resort to my magnesium ways.

[sunshine]

Anger falls under the wood element. cf. @ http://www.fiveelementtraining.com/syl_wood.html ~ And spring is

the season associated with wood. The liver and gall bladder are the wood organs. It's time for spring cleaning,

as they say. A good de-tox is in order, and after the cleanse, concentrate your diet on foods associated with

the wood element. Focus on wood element sounds, meditations, exercises, colors, etc., both during and after

the spring cleaning; and keep us posted on the outcome.

 

Well. While your point of view is interesting their are different thoughts to that: eating too much wood-stuff might enhance the already existing imbalance, in case it is there...

 

just a thought

 

Harry

[freeform]

On another note, I also get very hungry when I do alchemical meditation.

 

h

 

It's to be expected - you're pregnant with your spiritual self right?

 

but seriously, I dont do alchemy as such, but maybe your body is craving for some vitamins/minerals... try concentrating on the hunger and feel if gravitates towards any specific food, or if it's something other than physical hunger...

 

Shilijit or Shilajit is an ayuverdic mineral supplement... it's plant matter that has been compressed in the cracks of the himalayan mountains over millions of years, following the seasons and going through it's own natural alchemy for litteraly tens of millions of years, in the summer when the mountain heats up this stuff starts oozing out of the cracks where it's collected and purified with raw milk... contains loads of minerals, and micro minerals, fulvic acid etc

 

I've been taking this in small doses for a few months and have been enjoying it very much, it seems to nourish all the organ systems (although I also take cod liver oil, so that might account for my heart and liver feeling good)...

[Yen Hui]

Well. While your point of view is interesting their are different thoughts to that: eating too much wood-stuff

might enhance the already existing imbalance, in case it is there...

 

just a thought

 

You're absolutely right! Thanks Harry.

 

My reply was admittedly vague, and more intended mainly just to point hagar toward looking at the situation

from the standpoint of the five elements. But, yes, an excess of wood in the diet would do just as you say!

 

Feeding According to TCM @

http://neuro.vetmed.ufl.edu/neuro/courses/...08/tcm-food.htm

Edited April 3, 2007 by Yen Hui

[Yen Hui]

A good de-tox is in order, and after the cleanse, concentrate your diet on foods associated with

the wood element.

 

The above advice was inspired by the following source:-

 

Emotional Aspects If Energy is Negative /Deficient

 

Wood (weak Liver energy): angry, frustrated, aggressive, stingy,

violent, sly, hot-headed, explosive, obstreperous, tight, obsessed,

obstinate, formalistic, utopian, competitive, antagonstic, arrogant,

thoughtless, petty, jealous, resentful.

 

( The above text is quoted from Five Elements, Six Conditions:

A Taoist Approach to Emotional Healing, p. 141 )

 

Now, based on the above, it appeared likely there was a deficiency

or weakness in the liver, producing the negative energy of anger.

Thus, the advice to cleanse or detoxify the liver and strengthen its

wood element by ingesting wood element foods. However, restoring

balance is the main objective, so excessiveness should be avoided.

Edited April 4, 2007 by Yen Hui

[hagar]

The above advice was inspired by the following source:-

 

Emotional Aspects If Energy is Negative /Deficient

 

Wood (weak Liver energy): angry, frustrated, aggressive, stingy,

violent, sly, hot-headed, explosive, obstreperous, tight, obsessed,

obstinate, formalistic, utopian, competitive, antagonstic, arrogant,

thoughtless, petty, jealous, resentful.

 

( The above text is quoted from Five Elements, Six Conditions:

A Taoist Approach to Emotional Healing, p. 141 )

 

Now, based on the above, it appeared likely there was a deficiency

or weakness in the liver, producing the negative energy of anger.

Thus, the advice to cleanse or detoxify the liver and strengthen its

wood element by ingesting wood element foods. However, restoring

balance is the main objective, so excessiveness should be avoided.

 

Back from the mountains.

 

Sorry for not replying sooner.

 

In all, thank you for all your feedback.

I have taken a holiday from sitting, and been doing plenty of skiing and eating, and taking my son to see the snowy peaks of Norway, and it all helped alot. (But for him it's all the same anyway, being equally excited about a plastic bag on the floor and seeing a moose by the river)

 

As to the liver imbalace aspect, I feel it has something to it. My liver has gone through some rough waters in earlier years, dealing with anger, then acne medicine, and then some years of heavy consumation of coffee, tobacco and alchohol at certain critical times. So it's not rocket science to figure out that it may affect energetic practices, especially alchemy.

 

Another thing that I've realized is that there is very little progress to be made in sitting before you open the system physically.

From what I feel, there is so much "decayed" or conditioned energy to be dealt with before there is sufficient space left for true sitting and any accumulation of energy to be done properly.

 

I tend to forget the basics of the craft. Sigh!

 

h