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P.S. Pens are on my mind in conjunction with longevity of late, seen information (and believed what I saw for once) that one of the best ways to protect/preserve one's brain later in life is to write in longhand. Apparently this activates three times as many neural connections as clicking keys or finger-poking screens. And of course it's got to be a fountain pen (personal opinion, corroborated by aficionados.) So I hunted down on ebay and bought this present for my vintage brain:

George Burns famously smoked cigars daily. Lived to 100. Che Guevara famously smoked cigars and didn't make it to 50. So ymwv, I'm no doctor, and am not prescribing or diagnosing here. I doubt it was cigar smoking that finished off Che Guevara. Maybe, stirring up revolutions in South America was the culprit So, a word to those who strive for longevity, don't go and get yourself executed.

Most people seem to think it is related to words meaning 'be strong, powerful' and others to the word for natron the salt used for embalming. But I think that really no-one is sure. A kind of flag was displayed outside of temples with three coloured cloths hanging from it - I think this is most likely the meaning ... its a sign showing a god's sanctuary is there. But who knows?

I get my rest and good sleep. And the 90 proof special reserve won't be added at lunch, dinner, or just snacking around. Plus, I like to get something accomplished, early in the day, so I carry that sense of accomplishment through the day. The grey cat clan, including one black, one calico, plus the 5 grey ones that have managed to remain here, have been feasting on roasted turkey breast for two days No wonder, I live in abject poverty... Heheh

And an Epi New Pen. (Saw it on the news today -- there's a legal battle unfolding to equip medical first responders with EpiPens nationwide. )

For a long long time. So yeah, a little bird chirped to me there is talk about TDB having a core of an older crowd. I chirped back to that little bird, stick around, you ain't seen nothing yet. Daoist Longevity Practices is definitely a thing. I'm sure talk will get around to Li Ching-Yuen. Let's start the thread by looking at DVD That's right Dick van Dyke looks at his 100 years, and he provides so many examples, lessons, thoughts, on longevity. If we imagine someone to have a positive outlook, ability to brighten up other's day, Relaxed physicality, ( if you need to see what song/sung looks like, look no further) Staying active, still goes to gym three times a week, to avoid stiffening up. And a sense of humor and a warm caring heart. This is how one gets Longevity. Yes, he is rich and that helps I'm sure. But being rich is not what defines him.

'' Would you be willing to share links to your posts? I’d be very interested to read them '' I am not sure how this is going to unfold .... I am going through my profile > activity and selected > 'topics' - I have never looked through that before .... OMG ! This may take some time , especially when I come up against things I have supposedly written but have no memory of .... like this ; and being totally distracted ! Neurosis and 'illumination' ( vaguely related ) This one used to have great pics ... but now they are gone ; a very early one 2014 These are posts within other's subjects ; - I am finding it very hard to navigate through 'Topics' only has 10 pages .....my content only has 12 pages ( with an option to type a page number in .... less than 12 . 'posts' lists over 800 but shows all the text , not just the subject matter . Here is a link to a paper I mentioned https://www.theisticpsychology.org/books/w.vandusen/presence_spirits.htm Here is a new one that I am about to read ; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10912-018-9519-z#:~:text=And this actually does occur,is possessed by that spirit. All the rest .... you will have to try and figure out how to use the search engine or just ask questions ...... its all still in here ;

I have always been curious about the 'neter sign' ... I thought it was just a staff with small flag . What other meaning and development of it is there - aside from this 'false connection linguistically ' ? '' the back of the head is Horus ''

The Chen style has its uniqueness too. I had studied an observed that their moves are must be practiced in sequence. In addition, I'd also observed that there are lots of muscles twisting in between each movement. IMO The Chen style is a body builder. It is because of the muscle twisting will give the body a good massage exercise. To me, it is a little too rough for me. Thanks for asking!

For breakfast - you’ll live forever! Agreed - you will live forever.

We were not talking about other chemicals; we were specifically speaking nicotine. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-leading-edge/202506/the-hidden-healing-power-of-nicotine https://www.vumc.org/ccm/whynicotine

Thank you very much for your response — this is truly fascinating... I’m not familiar with IFT and am encountering it for the first time, so thank you for the link — I’m currently in the process of reading about it. I feel I’ll need some time to explore this approach more deeply and go beyond what is outlined in the article. At first glance, it looks very interesting, especially the three roles described in the model. I’m deeply interested in self-work and in methods for overcoming inner dead ends and destructive tendencies of the mind, especially when these in some way resonate with the Inner Goetia framework. For me, it serves as a kind of inner map that helps me orient myself more quickly in challenging states (if I manage to remember in time) and find the right “remedy” when I notice destabilisation.

Haiku is comment without 'comment' - no haiku Do you get it yet ?

Pffft ! I can do a lot better ... and number 1 would have found it easier if it had taken those big 'flip-flops' off its feet .

Epi Christmas

Epigenetics.

@Nungali this is a good book if you are interested https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancient-Egyptian-Medicine-John-Nunn/dp/0714109819/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1E5BHA3H3LEQ1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1333SjDvXAaHClUXW_pXm62QazpMjL0hkW6DnEYuHwgJoc861OrjpH4JOhvdzhHRcwjUCn-VdFFnLPIhymKmGVIjiHzniJ8U638l2p9ujr544gDfknO_icFxG54A1Mpyf7JGR-TjtNqq45TsUikrCRl78-bSx-zhaniveWJh4WJNzs5BUMrbwZGpGoUErcpOHJVP9ZPZoMmvOYAcaZ2i55O-xc4n8DfwxPjp1FXpL4s.fLDuHHpHrBNyE9grC8fDpclPqlr3P0itWdAEneR9-LY&dib_tag=se&keywords=egyptian+medicine&qid=1763762872&sprefix=egyptian+medecine%2Caps%2C130&sr=8-2

try if you dare you might get worse than “sore eyes”

from the arse of an antelope?

DDJ ch. 25 says we do not know the name: 吾不知其名 強字之曰"道" I don't know its name. I'm reluctant to call it "Tao". 未智（知）其名， 字之曰道。 Not yet knowing its name, We refer to it as the Dao.

I agree.

Resources related to Theravada and Early Buddhist Texts. Feel free to recommend your own resources to be added. The resources here are made by members in their individual capacity and is not an endorsement by TheDaoBums. Krenx: Great resource by the late Dhamavuddho. Dhamma talks as well as verbal readings and comments of the entire 5 Nikayas suttas. Audio & Video Dhamma Talks https://share.google/z9ggFGXF5arrWTuqV Mark Foote: I would recommend the Pali Text Society translations of the Nikayas (the sermons). They can be found online, though not by the Pali Text Society. Folks can PM me if they can't find the link. There are also translations by modern, Western Theravadin monks, for example on the suttacentral.org site: https://suttacentral.net/pitaka/sutta?lang=en I have collected the best of my writing, here: A Natural Mindfulness That's also the first eighteen pages of my website, here: The Mudra of Zen

There's very little truth in what the public has been led to believe about what's healthy. Also about what it is we're actually eating, drinking and smoking -- a lot of it is grossly falsified, depleted, and poisoned. "Feed the ancestors," meaning the ancestral make-up of your own body, which is one of the taoist culinary principles, can IMO serve one better -- try eating what generations of your ancestors ate before you, not the latest fad. Although a lot of our ancestors were starving, not fasting by choice but starving due to poverty and social upheavals and endless wars. Yet those of them who were well-to-do enough to eat "healthy" had access to the kinds and varieties of food we can only dream about. (My grandmother on my mother's side used to tell me what was eaten in her mother's home in the early 20th century and all I could do was salivate. On my father's side, however, the ancestors were very poor and lived through periods of starvation. My mother's side of the family were the longevity folks, not my father's side.)

Yes! I´m not a fan of the Blue Zone literature, but it´s worth noting that old folks in Sardinia and Okinawa generally don´t have gym memberships or shop at Whole Foods. The way they eat and move is baked into their lifestyle, not an add-on wellness obsession.

@Taomeow this is very good news. I have given up smoking except the occasional one bummed off a friend. But I was intending to start cigars from my 80th and of course I drink red wine almost daily. I may bring the smoking forward on this news. After all one needs an occupation - to misquote Oscar Wilde.

This is a very important key. I asked AI (Grok) about smokers and drinkers among the verified longest lived individuals. Here's a partial list (there's a bunch of others too who have birth documents but "are not fully verified" so I skipped their names) Name Country Age at death Smoked? Drank? Notes Jeanne Calment France 122 y 164 d Yes – ~2 cigarettes/day for 96 years, quit at 117 Port wine daily The absolute record holder (verified) Antonio Todde Italy (Sardinia) 112 y 346 d Yes – cigars and cigarettes most of his life Wine daily Oldest verified man in Europe when he died in 2002 Christian Mortensen USA (Danish-born) 115 y 252 d Yes – cigars and cigarettes until late 80s Occasional alcohol Oldest verified man ever until 2012 Maggie Barnes USA 115 y 319 d (disputed) Yes – smoked unfiltered cigarettes for decades Moonshine occasionally Age debated but widely accepted at the time Susie Gibson USA 115 y 108 d Yes – smoked cigarettes until 106 Occasional whiskey Quit only when she couldn’t light them anymore Richard Overton USA 112 y 230 d Yes – 12–18 cigars a day until 109 Whiskey in his coffee daily America’s oldest WWII veteran when he died in 2018 That Richard Overton guy surprises me. Not so much the 18 cigars a day but whiskey in his coffee. Coffee pairs perfectly with cognac. Whiskey?.. Assuming he started when he was legal to drink, that's almost a century of misguided daily use of a rather uncouth beverage. But I guess couth/uncouth is not a factor in longevity.

104 year old woman: "Dr Pepper is good it has sugar in it." 104 year old woman: "Two doctors have told me if I drink it I'll die." 104 year old woman: "But they died first."

Speaking of longevity, I´m reminded of the many profiles I´ve read featuring happy centenarians who drink, smoke, cuss, and just generally live life on their own terms. They´re not afraid to get their claws out on occasion, when situations warrant. More than kombucha and bubble baths, this may be the key to a long life.

I had a quick look at that - interesting . An interesting converse could be had about that , particularly the ideas of invocation and evocation .

Basically that there is not 'a self' ..... normally . We run on all sorts of 'drives' , influences , conditioning, programs. I have a long history studying cultural anthropology , comparative religion and western ritual magic .... and some experience 'in the field ' . Mostly it is based on the Hierarchy of Spirits model and modified by the principle mentioned above with finding the internal structure 'instructions' within the arrangement and structure of the initiatory organisation * ( and modified by my own and others relevant research and findings ) . To simplify it, it can be seen as basic magical practice / realization . One way to explain it simply is to put the psyche on the Tree of Life ( note, not the body ... that does not really work and was one of those HGD 'innovations' . ) basically the Magician is , or should be training to become , the King of the psyche ( the Kingdom ) First you have a Kingdom - the psyche . Upon that you must start with building a firm foundation ( in all sorts of ways ! ) . A King must have majesty and victory ( or he is 'overthrone' ) ... these titles also relate to the mind and emotions ; the 'sciences ' ( hermetic and others ) and 'nezach' also being 'love' . beauty of spirit and heart ... the 'lion / Sun force' and the 'ego' at the center ( some might say 'the King himself' ) . power and mercy or severity and mercy are the 'left and right arms' of the King eg. '' 12. Remember that unbalanced force is evil; that unbalanced severity is but cruelty and oppression; but that also unbalanced mercy is but weakness which would allow and abet Evil.'' then above the abyss ( Daath ) the King should have understanding , especially the understanding of how the 'world and nature works' and the understanding of the repercussions of his own decisions and actions , going out into that world of nature and interacting and effecting its forces and those forces affecting him . Then wisdom develops , which is the 'if and when ' of such actions , with the considerations of the previous understandings ... then one may come to place the magicians crown upon the head In hermetics the prime directive ( as it was said to be inscribed on the archway into the divine rites 'arena' ) ' Man , know thyself ' , to me this includes all the above ( as well as the anthropology - the study of Man , and the other subjects I studied ; religion , psychology etc . ) - there is a 'hermetic planetary descent incarnation concept' ; as if, when one incarnates , we come 'in' via the planetary hierarchy and 'land' on earth . On the way we pick up the positive and negative aspects of the planetary energies and during our life we are to work on them , refine them and balance them . Each sphere on the Tree of Life can be related to a planet with these energies as well . But that is just the 'template ' , as we know the planets move around and create different angular relationships , bring forth or suppressing various positive and negative aspects - hence the natal horoscope , which gives us a more individually defined path and 'map' of the development required . There is more ... like other systems such as exo-psychology and methods and practices .... but I will leave it here at the moment , ... the hierarchy ... without a hierarchy or a King ..... we can end up a real mess - disturbed psychologically , perhaps not realizing our goals and purpose here (in this incarnation ) ... or actually ... just 'normal ' ( and yes that is a problem ... that becomes apparent when you also study history and current affairs .... we are a bit of a mess ! - if not a rampaging murderous destructive maniac .... collectively ) . * - a difficult reference to cite as it is knowledge 'under oath' and the public documents do not show that specific instruction.... however a question to AI shows ; '' ... provides the foundational framework for the order's governance, which members are expected to study and understand to better govern their own lives .... ''

Thanks for the response . I have a few posts around here relating to my views and research on it . There is the paper by Dr Wilson van Dusen - the evidence of spirits in madness ( Dr Van Dusen was head psychiatrist at a US state hospital ) where also he observed positive and negative 'matrices ' ( ' beings ' , or in his clinical language - hallucinations of good or bad order ) that seemed to comply with the hierarchies Swedenborg detailed ) . Some posts outlining my own work and going way back somewhere here .... some pictures of my temple set up . Some info on possible internal structures and arrangements and how that intersects with initiatory organisations structure as a model for a private one . And of course I have my own '' set of methods and approaches for observing destructive tendencies of the mind ... and what can be done to counterbalance it.'' Are you familiar with IFT ? https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2022/winter-2022/internal-family-systems-therapy What I am seeing here is an emergent understanding of the 'hierarchy of spirits' theory that is behind Goetia . An understanding on how it can be used to regulate and improve psychology and spirit and heal associated disruptions - first , within magical initiatory orders , then with what seemed a lone psychologist / psychiatrist ( Dr Van Dusen ) and now a whole psychological movement . Although I feel the IFT psychology is missing a few major points - that might be fuel for an interesting discussion . ( can you cite the author and/or their work you mentioned above ? )

Next month I will be sixty. That´s not an age that gives me bragging rights among my friendship group of "old gays" in Palm Springs, but I´m proud anyways. I´ve continued. I´m here so I belong here -- who can say otherwise? Maybe someday I´ll belong somewhere else, but that will be a different story.

I believe that Taoist Inner Alchemy (Dan Dao) begins with cultivating Acquired Qi, and then uses Acquired Qi to find one’s own Congenital Qi. For those with a strong constitution, they can seek Congenital Qi through mental tranquility. Therefore, practicing Dan Dao is not merely about cultivating Qi—I have only perceived Congenital Qi so far. My Dan Dao master says that the core of Dan Dao practice lies in cultivating one’s "body, mind, and intent."Both my master and I are female, and we have a deeper understanding of women’s practical cultivation.

Latest interview by Rudi:

Occasionally I see humans imitating alien technology. Royalty wearing crowns is an example - a non-functional imitation of the technology that provided telepathic communication. Wearing the functional object the ruler spoke with the authority of the local lord god. The Egyptian post-mortem processes seem similar. For example Xi and Putin were recorded discussing 150 year life spans apparently based on organ transplant. Were human Egyptians showing a limited knowledge of alien transplant technology? Recently Enki was asked about extending his lifespan. He replied that when his body is worn out, he generates a clone and moves into it

I think everyone has seen these memes. But has anyone wondered why people engage in self harm? What makes a process of self harm pleasurable for people? ... Having wandered far and wide, there were a few I came across who cut themselves. Some were beautiful women. Others talented and smart. I had the impression demons or entities were negatively influencing people. Like the swine in the bible who were possessed. Giving pleasure in exchange for self harm.