Veteran post

[hagar]

Since there's been so much talk about what is hot and what is not in this forum, I feel the need to put things into perspective and dedicate a thread to those of use who have been around since this board opened, (2004?), and set things into a bigger picture.

 

What I'd like to hear from the oldtimers, who prior to coming here was mainly posting on the old HT forum, or joined right after this one came into being:

 

1. What phases have you gone through relating to practice and perspective/focus?

2. What crisis (of faith/body/psyche/none) have you gone through?

3. What practices have been in vouge, and then out of vouge?

4. What have you learned, if anything from it all ?

 

and finally

 

5. What do you feel is the results/lack of so far?

 

Btw: I miss alot of the oldtimers: mbanu, plato, RJ, spyrelx, where are they now

 

And what ever happened to Steve Biel?

 

I'm getting older and more nostalgic I guess...

 

h

[sunshine]

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey. Nice thread

 

As member No. 65 I assume I belong to the oldtimers in a way... in a way we shared many of the same stuff, didn'T we. It was a lot about HT, its usefulness and old as well as new troubles. Interesting times indeed:

 

>>1. What phases have you gone through relating to practice and perspective/focus?<<

 

Well. A lot of why I started was about feeling better, becoming a master of sexuality etc. etc. etc. I had my periods with the magnetic induction to induce spiritual states, I had my phase of trying herbs, my phase of aneros and more usage, my phase of AYP... so many phases...

 

>>2. What crisis (of faith/body/psyche/none) have you gone through?<<

 

A lot. Mainly private stuff... with all the knowledge here about several things like EFT and Co I managed to get quite far in personal/emotional development... holosync was of help as well. Went through times of severe darkness which once in a while starts creeping back... but overall I feel very content and fine and pretty stable for quite some time... Many things tried, the symbiosis helped I feel...

 

>>3. What practices have been in vouge, and then out of vouge?<<

 

aneros

 

>>4. What have you learned, if anything from it all ?<<

 

To stay open, be curious and learn...

 

>>5. What do you feel is the results/lack of so far?<<

 

I have developed quite a lot with all I did. I still have lots and lots of doubts... but compared to years ago I manage to practice regularly if time permits. This to me is a major step in the right direction.

 

 

>>Btw: I miss alot of the oldtimers: mbanu, plato, RJ, spyrelx, where are they now<<

 

so true

 

>>And what ever happened to Steve Biel?<<

 

am not such an oldtimer to know

 

>>I'm getting older and more nostalgic I guess...<<

 

be careful. might become a self-fulfilling prophecy

 

 

Harry

[Yoda]

Hagar,

 

Thanks for the thread idea... it is good to remember the old Healing Tao forum days.

 

My primary thoughts back then was that we were in Winn's territory on his dime and yet our interests were most of the time outside his system, so it seemed right to move out into a non affiliated site. (A huge thanks to our fearless webmaster, Sean, for striking while the iron was hot, setting up the site, and ruling with an iron fist and a golden heart. A true philosopher king.)

 

Here's the taobum cybercultivation kingdom:

 

Standing practice

Winn's system

Chia system & sexual practices

Bill Bodri's system/Buddhism/Vipassana

Retention/Tao of RJ

Jack Johnson's Key Sound

Herbs/Vitamins

Aneros

Scott Sonnon/Matt Furey/Pavel

Primordial Chikung

AYP

Adyashanti, Tolle, and the youtube non-dualists

Raw Food/Fasting/Juicing

Colon Cleansing/Clay

Witch's Orgasmic Diet/Fish oil

ideagasms/squirting/Reichian orgasms

massage/EFT

David Shen/Foundation training

the K word

full lotus sitting/Spring Forest Qigong

CCOs and O at a Ds

 

 

 

Please remind me who I'm missing.

 

Pondering that group makes me thank my lucky stars that I'm born in such a fortunate time to be able to gain exposure to such great teachers and the bums who very candidly post their reviews and experiences.

 

Fun topics like fengsui, astrology, hands on healing, prayer are areas that have been under discussed in my opinion. But then again, don't really mix well with this medium perhaps.

 

Of course most of the above trends have been covered up by the sands of time to be occasionally googled up by teenagers of the future... Nice little treat for them. Especially the RJ stuff..

 

I've also felt a fresh wave of appreciation for Trunk's alchemicaltaoism.com. Keith has done an amazing job seeing past the superficialities of the debates of the moment and synthesizing the best insights devised here at taobums into one convenient place. Really fantastic job and an amazing resource!!!

 

~~~

 

Just speaking for myself, I've grown tremendously intellectually and in certain dimensions as a practitioner (my Reiki is a *lot* better these days, for instance), but there is an emotional/bhakti nut that I've been trying to crack for a long time that I've only made modest progress with over the years.

 

I do think that my current interest in "spontaneous motion trance induction practices" may well address this aspect of my quest. I'll give it the dreaded 'one year test drive' and see how it does!!

 

~~~

 

It's funny that members who have joined up during different eras in this community's development have a different feel to them in my mind. I'm second generation Healing Tao forum, so I missed the dragon wars of legend but at least know most of the characters, and then there was RJ era taobums, and then we trickled through the different phases and fads which often had new members coming in through the specific discussions.

 

~~~

 

I sometimes wonder if Father Paul keeps track of us... Incidentally, I recently saw a short movie called "A Witch in the Winter" (something like that) about a witch who teaches a family how to make happy pancakes to make people happy. I wonder if that was the source of his happy pancakes? I'm almost sure it is. The movie was made after a kid's book from the 60s I think.

 

-Yoda

[thelerner]

I was a poster on the HT board during its drama days. Fun times, good information, interesting people, your odd death threat and loud personal crashes. I liked it too much, took things too personally. I didn't mind when a person I annoyed said they were sending me a voodoo curse, on the contrary I said bring it on. But when people would over post (what I considered) nonsense, I got stupidly possessive and tried to police it. Silly.

 

I've found myself moving in that direction here a few times, usually I see what I'm doing and put on the breaks. Not as a practice but as a philosophy I realize the importance of my own peace, how precious and fragile it is. I strive to see my actions and the emotions that spawn them and say down boy. Whethers it driving, getting groceries or responding to the kids.

 

I'm not doing as much. I'm not doing so many of the Healing Tao energy practices. I like sealing my senses. One thing I'm doing lately is meditating to dharma talks, particularly Michael McAllistairs at Infinitesmile.org. I'm also meditating to hemisync rain sound tracks.

 

Must pick people up at airport, bye.

 

Michael

[joeblast]

Good posts, fellas!

[MASTERforge]

I suppose I'm old skool by standards now?!

 

1. What phases have you gone through relating to practice and perspective/focus?

Realised that to 'get' it all, there really is no path to follow. Call it enlightenment or whatever. It can't be bought or achieved through esoteric practice. It grows organically. You can be lead there by teachings but only sincerity will get you there. Then if you make it others struggling will be a mixture of humour and sorrow to you.

 

Alan Watts was a big help. He articulated what I knew already. The people on here were a big help too. When I was trying to 'achieve' they helped me slow down and 'experience'.Thanks. Its too bad there is so much crap on here now and the good guys are moving on. Inevitable really I suppose. Hopefully I can meet you all somewhere else?

 

2. What crisis (of faith/body/psyche/none) have you gone through?

Shit so many. Too personal to publish. I am coming out of a really dark period of my life now and feeling much better. Nearly didn't make it though.

 

3. What practices have been in vouge, and then out of vouge?

There have been so many. But the general trend is an increase of complexity in method. promises of supernatural experiences and ALL are charging for it. America is years ahead of the UK in this trend and I guess we will see it coming here soon. Your 'new age' market must be worth millions of dollars. I can really see 'spirituality' packaged like a product and fully marketed. I have a business degree and practice NLP. Packaged 'spirituality' churns my stomach and is best left to the soulless like Paris Hilton and company.

 

4. What have you learned, if anything from it all ?

Enlightenment simply means 'ah ha! I get it now'. Yes it is beyond words. To know your place in the universe and to play it accordingly. I know that no matter how many $$ is thrown at it, unless you are truly in your heart seeking 'enlightenment' you will never attain it.

 

5. What do you feel is the results/lack of so far?

A certain amount of peace in my soul. Instead of feeling separate and isolated in this world I feel connected to everything and everyone. Realising that I am the world. Applying this concept to my daily life.

 

I don't visit here much anymore as you are spending so much time arguing between yourselves. I want to find another place with the old atmosphere of the forum but I still feel connected to here as it has been so much help.

 

I think sean has a dilemma. If he changes the forum he feels like he is manipulating and controlling it which is counter Dao. But on the other hand if he doesn't this forum will continue to degrade like the Martial Arts forums which have huge membership but are mainly full of people talking crap to cause arguments.

 

I rarely check in now at all. So I guess I am ready to move on. If anyone can recommend a small forum of genuine practitioners wanting to explore and learn please point me the way.

[Yoda]

Someone in the Lobby had recent posted a few forums a couple of days ago. Haven't checked them out. You might like advancedyogapractices.com forum... very polite and supportive and you don't have to follow the practice. Most taoists are really 'chi-ists' and like to fight.

[Bob H]

I'm hardly an "old-timer" here, I registered in early 2007 after lurking a while - but, the lists of hot topics were interesting, and one of them in particular worth a comment.

 

When I first read Father Paul's posts, I thought he was just a smartass. Maybe he was. Maybe he was just enjoying his ass-ness, but maybe he was just using a tool. After a while I realized that there was far more to his posts than was obvious. He taught me to deal with obstructions along the path - take a branching trail, go around, try another path ... but - don't ... get ... blocked. That may not have been what he intended to teach me, but that's what stuck. It is the teaching that has made all the difference.

 

Happy pancakes to you all.

[IanB]

[Yoda]

Ian,

 

dragon wars and party tricks! Good to see you again!

 

Yoda