Tao in stillness, tao in motion...

[Taomeow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zGqnIWUiU Edited January 15, 2009 by Taomeow

[soundhunter]

sweet! This resembles my practise, as the mother of 3 little ones 5 and under

 

Speaking of which, I'm a newbie and all, and I am totally new to this whole alchemy deal, but I'm curious what the ideas are around nursing, if sexual emissions and menstrual emissions are energy drains, what about breastmilk? Just curious

Edited January 15, 2009 by soundhunter

[Yoda]

The precious bodily fluids path is just one of many.

[teopakees]

Thanks

[Eric23]

The key to a successful yoga practice, Just do it!

[Aetherous]

Losing bodily fluid that's supposed to be lost is not an energy drain, and doesn't affect alchemy. Nursing your kids is great.

[Taomeow]

sweet! This resembles my practise, as the mother of 3 little ones 5 and under

 

Speaking of which, I'm a newbie and all, and I am totally new to this whole alchemy deal, but I'm curious what the ideas are around nursing, if sexual emissions and menstrual emissions are energy drains, what about breastmilk? Just curious

Wow, you're a hero!

 

Scotty is absolutely correct. Women lose no qi with physiological loss of fluids. There's male alchemists who assert otherwise; their karmic punishment is reincarnating as women for the next ten thousand lives.

 

Of course artificial manipulations of female physiology drain the woman -- e.g., the Pill kills Kidney Qi and Kidney Yin Fluids.

 

Breastfeeding is associated with much lower rates of all manner of reproductive disorders later in life, notably breast cancer (a Qi Stagnation disorder in most cases.) Women who have more than ten children, however, are at a higher risk than those with fewer than ten, almost approaching the risk levels of the non-breastfeeding ones. Moreover, women who have ten or more children back to back, with one- to two-year intervals only, are in the same risk group as nuns, i.e. very high. So you get an idea of what you need to do in order to get "drained." Another caveat: your own nutrition while nursing has to be stellar, otherwise you will indeed tap into your own energy resources, primarily your Kidney Qi (and lose calcium from the bones and teeth, which it governs, to get enough into the milk.)

Edited January 15, 2009 by Taomeow

[宁]

 

Scotty is absolutely correct. Women lose no qi with physiological loss of fluids. There's male alchemists who assert otherwise; their karmic punishment is reincarnating as women for the next ten thousand lives.

 

ahem... of course they loose qi. that's what they feed to the baby, the essence. it's no problem for them, because nature made it so they wouldn't have to worry about it. the valley, the yin, is all-resourcefull... either way, a nursing woman needs to feed and rest better than a woman that doesn't breastfeed...

the practice of men regarding the jing issue is different up to a point, and that's part of the normal order of things, i think...

Edited January 15, 2009 by Little1

[Taomeow]

ahem... of course they loose qi. that's what they feed to the baby, the essence. it's no problem for them, because nature made it so they wouldn't have to worry about it. the valley, the yin, is all-resourcefull... either way, a nursing woman needs to feed and rest better than a woman that doesn't breastfeed...

the practice of men regarding the jing issue is different up to a point, and that's part of the normal order of things, i think...

ahem back... we're having a linguistic dispute, looks like. "Lose" in the context of the question means "drain," "deplete," which is not necessarily the outcome of "losing" in the sense "giving (something) away," parting with something without implications of permanency. Yes, of course, qi flows to the baby, but have you ever breast-fed? -- qi also flows back to the mother from the baby, New Qi, the most powerful energy in the universe. So it's not a loss of qi in a physiologically sound scenario at all. It's actually renewal... natural alchemy.

[Smile]

Scotty is absolutely correct. Women lose no qi with physiological loss of fluids. There's male alchemists who assert otherwise; their karmic punishment is reincarnating as women for the next ten thousand lives.

Oh, that's not nice...

Next life, I'm gonna be a bear.

[soundhunter]

Yes, of course, qi flows to the baby, but have you ever breast-fed? -- qi also flows back to the mother from the baby, New Qi, the most powerful energy in the universe. So it's not a loss of qi in a physiologically sound scenario at all. It's actually renewal... natural alchemy.

 

This is true Meow (and wow, you have a talent with words!)...there is a gift of bliss and the most tender eye contact ever given from a baby to mother once the mother learns how to be comfortable with nursing. I think we're done having kids, and it's sad for me to know this is probably the last time I will experience this with a new human being.

 

I've been feeling really drained though, that said. I'm nursing two of them, and am with them all the time, the oldest isn't nursing but is an exhausting little hyper person. I'm foggy, unfocused, forgetful, absent minded. At the same time, when I meditate, I'm able to get to a still place quicker than when my mind is sharper, and full of too many thoughts, it's almost a helpful stupidity, helpful when I'm doing tai chi or meditating. So I wondered about the energy I'm putting out there. I think I eat pretty well though I often don't drink enough fluids, it's been a dark grey sky for ages on the northwest coast so it might be some absence of sun. I went to see a tcm guy who was putting me on various herbs but they were really expensive, as in $75 a week and they weren't working so well, I would pay that if they were working really well, but I can't afford to toss money at something that's not working. Maybe I just need to be foggy for a bit, and this is the season for me to be a dimwit.

 

anyhoo, sorry to hijack your thread here, that video prompted me to

 

Here's a question...if women don't lose essential energy to nurse a baby, would men who successfully lactate? Like this guy

Edited January 16, 2009 by soundhunter

[宁]

ahem back... we're having a linguistic dispute, looks like. "Lose" in the context of the question means "drain," "deplete," which is not necessarily the outcome of "losing" in the sense "giving (something) away," parting with something without implications of permanency. Yes, of course, qi flows to the baby, but have you ever breast-fed? -- qi also flows back to the mother from the baby, New Qi, the most powerful energy in the universe. So it's not a loss of qi in a physiologically sound scenario at all. It's actually renewal... natural alchemy.

not to go deeper into a linguistic dispute, as you say... please do tell more about this New Qi. i do believe there's always an exchange taking place. to what extent, i cannot know directly, as a man. but i can ask, cant i?

 

L

[kevin]

Taomeow, thanks for the vid. I was expecting that the baby would try to imitate the mother's yoga (and perhaps might be minimally successful at it) but was touched to see what actually happened. The bond between mother and child is very beautiful, highly sacred.

 

I've been feeling really drained though, that said. I'm nursing two of them, and am with them all the time, the oldest isn't nursing but is an exhausting little hyper person. I'm foggy, unfocused, forgetful, absent minded. At the same time, when I meditate, I'm able to get to a still place quicker than when my mind is sharper, and full of too many thoughts, it's almost a helpful stupidity, helpful when I'm doing tai chi or meditating. So I wondered about the energy I'm putting out there. I think I eat pretty well though I often don't drink enough fluids, it's been a dark grey sky for ages on the northwest coast so it might be some absence of sun.

soundhunter,

 

Can you tell us more about your diet, especially your primary source(s) of calcium and vitamin D, and about any excito-toxins, preservatives, or other suspicious additives in your food (such as MSG, aspartame, etc.)?

 

Roughly what percentage of your food is canned/processed, and percentage is fresh/raw?

 

Also, how many hours do you spend per day (on average):

 

1) watching TV?

 

2) with the TV on, whether it is being watched by you or not?

 

3) on a cell phone or near a functioning wireless device?

 

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate you on your motherhood and to wish you the very best in strength and wisdom. Sadly, today's society is stridently anti-family and even anti-female. I hope that, despite this, your children will grow up to be healthy, prosperous, and wise. I think that they are already on this track by having a good mother.

 

very best,

 

kevin

 

p.s. Breast-feeding is one of the best things to do for a child; any net loss of your jing that may result from so nourishing your children is negligible, imo, especially in light of the many benefits, psychological and developmental, that your children will receive from it. (Very important that the mother is properly nourished, though!)

Edited January 16, 2009 by kevin

[soundhunter]

Well today:

 

20 minutes of tv

full time wireless router for internet, no cell phone

Granola with dates, blueberries, organic yogurt, dots of honey

lox with capers, red onions, cream cheese on buns

raw peppers/carrots/broccoli/peas dipped in hummus

apple sauce

water with lemon juice

black tea

2 coffees with milk and sugar

approx 4 hours of sleep (one failed attempt at a nap netted a bonus 15 minutes!)

a chicken enchilada

ground bison/tomato/mushroom/pepper stew with rice and a mixed greens salad

nused the two children in total about 10 times and probably will another 10 times before my next stretch of sleep.

 

Writing, then reading this, I realize it's the lack of sleep that's a big contributor to turning my conversation and practical thinking skills to mush, probably. I spend an average of 3-5 hours a day online, mostly at night when nursing with and laying with our 6 month old in bed, but moments throughout the day as well. I probably should sleep instead of being online, perhaps my information addiction is the source of my blurry offline head as well, however it's only when I type out my words vs speaking them that I'm able to communicate gracefully and adequately to other adults. This here post of mine is the perfect example, writing this all out helped me see it more clearly. The only solution is to cut online time to sleep more, but perhaps this will make a big difference. I think I eat pretty healthy, though I'm open to suggestions. I have alot of fresh kale and parsley in my garden that we eat regularly, and I'm also into wildcrafting, which is the harvesting of wild edible plants, especially during stinging nettle and miners lettuce season but we also eat dandelion greens often and I just started picking chickweed sometimes. We do consume too much sugar many days and I'm trying hard to reduce that.

I know I should probably take calcium and D supplements......eh?

 

 

Can you tell us more about your diet, especially your primary source(s) of calcium and vitamin D, and about any excito-toxins, preservatives, or other suspicious additives in your food (such as MSG, aspartame, etc.)?

 

Roughly what percentage of your food is canned/processed, and percentage is fresh/raw?

 

Also, how many hours do you spend per day (on average):

 

1) watching TV?

 

2) with the TV on, whether it is being watched by you or not?

 

3) on a cell phone or near a functioning wireless device?

 

I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate you on your motherhood and to wish you the very best in strength and wisdom. Sadly, today's society is stridently anti-family and even anti-female. I hope that, despite this, your children will grow up to be healthy, prosperous, and wise. I think that they are already on this track by having a good mother.

 

very best,

 

kevin

 

p.s. Breast-feeding is one of the best things to do for a child; any net loss of your jing that may result from so nourishing your children is negligible, imo, especially in light of the many benefits, psychological and developmental, that your children will receive from it. (Very important that the mother is properly nourished, though!)

Edited January 17, 2009 by soundhunter

[Taomeow]

Well today:

 

20 minutes of tv

full time wireless router for internet, no cell phone

Granola with dates, blueberries, organic yogurt, dots of honey

lox with capers, red onions, cream cheese on buns

raw peppers/carrots/broccoli/peas dipped in hummus

apple sauce

water with lemon juice

black tea

2 coffees with milk and sugar

approx 4 hours of sleep (one failed attempt at a nap netted a bonus 15 minutes!)

a chicken enchilada

ground bison/tomato/mushroom/pepper stew with rice and a mixed greens salad

nused the two children in total about 10 times and probably will another 10 times before my next stretch of sleep.

 

Writing, then reading this, I realize it's the lack of sleep that's a big contributor to turning my conversation and practical thinking skills to mush, probably. I spend an average of 3-5 hours a day online, mostly at night when nursing with and laying with our 6 month old in bed, but moments throughout the day as well. I probably should sleep instead of being online, perhaps my information addiction is the source of my blurry offline head as well, however it's only when I type out my words vs speaking them that I'm able to communicate gracefully and adequately to other adults. This here post of mine is the perfect example, writing this all out helped me see it more clearly. The only solution is to cut online time to sleep more, but perhaps this will make a big difference. I think I eat pretty healthy, though I'm open to suggestions. I have alot of fresh kale and parsley in my garden that we eat regularly, and I'm also into wildcrafting, which is the harvesting of wild edible plants, especially during stinging nettle and miners lettuce season but we also eat dandelion greens often and I just started picking chickweed sometimes. We do consume too much sugar many days and I'm trying hard to reduce that.

I know I should probably take calcium and D supplements......eh?

Hey Soundhunter,

 

OK, here's the thoughts:

 

I think your diet is pretty good, I wouldn't mess with it to any great extent at all, except I would add some Slow Yin and Jing foods. If you have a chance, get the book titled "Chinese Food Cures," by Henry C. Lu, you'll be able to figure out what it is exactly that you need to add/subtract.

 

And, yes, sleep is the bee's knees with your deal, and I know everything you're talking about empirically, having raised twins. The first six months, I didn't think I was going to make it, I was so exhausted... I ate like a horse cross-bred with a tiger, weighed next to nothing, and slept -- never. My mind was gone and forgotten. Foggy? Try nonexistent. No big deal, it comes back in its own sweet time!

 

Try rehydrating nonstop, by the way. The Russian way I was taught calls for black tea with cream and sugar -- I used to drink a gallon of that in the course of 14 feedings, actually I always felt thirsty, so it was easy. Of course cream was of the natural variety, I don't know if it's available here and now, I don't drink any milk in the US, having discovered that my body simply refuses to recognize it as such. So if you don't have access to a clean-living cow, I'd try something else milky -- coconut milk, soy milk...

 

Hang in there, it gets easier soon as you can pull off a bunch of hours of uninterrupted sleep!

Edited January 17, 2009 by Taomeow

[kevin]

soundhunter,

 

I have to agree with Taomeow that your diet doesn't need much changing. It's actually rather good! Some calcium and vitamin D supplements wouldn't hurt in winter, but even more important is sleep.

 

If you can reasonably change your daily routine to include more sleep, that would probably help, as you have already worked out by writing your thoughts down. That is, I can only agree with you here.

 

I wonder, though, about the coffee and tea. Caffeine is a diuretic; it causes the body to expel water through urination. (If I had to rehydrate, I wouldn't drink something with caffeine, but, Meow, evidently the Russian way you learned worked for you? I'm very curious. )

 

Peace and Happiness,

 

kevin

[doc benway]

Beautiful video.

[Taomeow]

not to go deeper into a linguistic dispute, as you say... please do tell more about this New Qi. i do believe there's always an exchange taking place. to what extent, i cannot know directly, as a man. but i can ask, cant i?

 

L

Of course, and I'm happy to elaborate a bit. So... New Qi. One way to see it, out of many possible ways.

 

Goes to the heart of the matter, new qi does. As we all know and as few understand (I'm not claiming to be one of the few, just one of those who like to meditate on/with this particular focus in mind), primordial tao is thought of as wuji, represented by an empty circle which symbolizes oneness and unity of all being and non-being. If you look at a circle, however, you'll notice it has a top and a bottom, which means it contains the seeds of yin and yang, so the natural and inevitable separation is a built-in potential of wuji, not a flaw (as advaita folks et al were told to believe) but a natural part of its perfection.

 

So tao is set in motion because stillness has a top and a bottom, a yin seed and a yang seed to it. Yin sinks to the bottom and yang flows to the top, and voila -- wuji is alive with the first life-giving impulse and spins into taiji! Now taiji, mother of yin and yang, begets more children -- yin begets taiyin and shaoyang, and yang begets shaoyin and taiyang. These will spin off further to mother and father the Eight Trigrams. The Eight Trigrams will give rise to the 64 hexagrams. (The Circular I Ching is a visual aid that might help one see how exactly it happens.) Beyond the 64 hexagrams, all processes of creation and destruction would lose meaning and become sheer fragmentation, a chaotic soup -- which is what we observe in our current science, religion, ideology, psychology, medicine, social state, etc., which have split into more derivatives and fragments than necessary. Unity is not possible to trace one's way back to if the division goes too far, this far, let alone any further; 64 universal situations is the cut-off limit of separation beyond which the Way, the way back to unity, is lost.

 

So... if we don't lose the Way, we are in the domain of 64 possible universal situations, with the potential of renewal and re-creation implicit in the cycle. The cycle goes through four universal stages of existence and nonexistence -- Conception, Growth, Fruition, Consummation. Whereupon it starts anew. The phase of the cycle where qi starts it anew is the domain of New Qi.

 

The closer the situation is to where it has started anew, the richer it is in New Qi. The farther it is from this point, the more it accumulates Old Qi. Old Qi is bound to lose its status, its situation in the world, no matter how powerful it is. New Qi has the potential to gain power in the cosmic cycle, to keep getting stronger. This potential is a tremendous mover and shaker of galaxies. A nova is a good example. But you can see this power of New Qi everywhere... sunrise, the new sun of the day, promises a steady increase of the sun's "status" in the day, the sun gains and gains power when it starts out at dawn, while at sunset, it is full of Old Qi of the Day already, and will decline and decline -- and be gone. The New Qi that comes to take its place is the New Qi of the Night, and the night will keep growing and deepening... till it's qi, in its turn, turns Old. And so it goes. New, growing, unused-up things are full of New Qi. They are tender, soft, supple, juicy, and inevitable. They are coming into the beginning of the universal cycle equipped to unfold and complete it -- equipped with the great power of New Qi.

 

In a nutshell...

[宁]

thank you for the effort of trying to explain.

 

but i still don't get it. all i see is a linguistic cat turning around her linguistic tail.

 

intuitively i think i got something from the first time, from your term, New Qi.

 

one should try to write a poem on it...

 

L1