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Why, whenever I think to walk away from this nonsense does somebody come along with a pretense of "sensibleness" and present oversimplifications which seem to completely exonerate HWSNBN from any responsibility? And why does it matter to me? Back to "wizard's first rule", and the notion people will generally believe what they want to believe, or what they fear to be true. He's gone. And there are still people struggling with what arose through interaction. If you aren't one of those people - great. And on some level I can kinda understand one's wish to defend and exonerate. But this leaves the people who are struggling in the dirt, and to me, lends to a sense of walking right over the top of them. And honestly, the idea of protections in this situation may not be what it appears upon first glance, as HWSNBN often spoke against such protections and anyone taking his teachings/practices/experiments seriously would most likely have let such protections (or the idea of them) go. Needing/wanting/believing in protection is presented as a manifestation of fear, and this fear is frowned upon, and considered to show lack of openness, awareness and realization. As for not having a "strong and healthy constitution" those who this argument would most apply to have generally either self-silenced or been silenced, and, imo, should not have been "toyed with" in the first place. Although the interactions were generally presented as having a possibility to help, to me there were generally indications the interactions would be further destabilizing and as such not helpful at all. I often wondered why this could not be seen, and addressed this both privately and publicly (with both HWSNBN and other members of the group) - always to have my concerns dismissed. Many times with the idea, "the sage leaves no one behind" or (he does it) "because he can". Neither of which actually addressed my concerns. Which are rather moot at this time and in this place - until posts such as the above are presented.

Could your heart be telling you that you could accomplish more in your life such as getting involved with a charity or spend more time with other people than what you do now? There is no need to worry about lost motivation. Spiritual progress is not a fast track for most people, but full of bumps, slowdowns, and setbacks.

This is a vajrayana thread - so leave your sandals at the door. True nature is Buddha-nature or Dharmakaya - the reason you practise is because you have buddha-nature, the goal of practise is to realise buddha-nature, the path is ways to express buddha-nature. The path can be to 'directly rest in buddha-nature' (although technically there is nothing to rest in it but it is a good way of speaking) - this could be direct approach like Mahamudra or Dzogchen for example. The path can be to identify with tantric deity (yidam) and dissolve this identity into emptiness/buddha-nature this is tantric sadhanas. The path can be mind training - for instance sending and receiving which relies on the basis of buddha-nature. The path can be sutra analysis of the nature of things - their emptiness - which resolves to buddha-nature. All these rely on buddha-nature as the basis, path and goal. So the different paths - sutra, mahayana, tantric, mahamudra/dzogchen build like a stupa on the same core which is buddha-nature. The only difference is level of dualistic thinking which remains. So sutra analysis is still quite dualistic, mind training less so ... and so on. Thus there is no contradictions between these paths.

Every single system I have come across or practiced had some kind of purification/protection element. Why? Because it's needed. The idea that it a good idea to drop all boundaries, screens, filters and just open yourself up to the bigness out there is actually a) crazy and b ) suspicious. Ok in some kind of absolute sense there is only the absolute anyway - but reality is onion skin layered and contains all possible modes of being. Again read the lives of saints/yogis and at some point they encounter demonic forces (even Jesus in the desert) - why should we think we are any different - and what kind of fool advises people they have never met apart from on the internet that it is only fear that holds you back from this. Suspicious - ask yourself - what would be the motivation for suggesting this????? I kind of agree - but don't you think we are in danger of chewing over a dead bone when there's no marrow left inside?

1. Be careful. The habit of meditation you install now can persist for quite a period of time. Treat meditation with a healthy respect. You are, in mind, doing brain surgery on yourself. I would be careful about narrowing, too much focusing, fixating, etc. This stuff can cause knots and blocks that can be hard to remove later. I would urge a soft focus over a strong focus. 2. Read up on it. Find what styles you are interested in, and what you will actually do. Try to get a sense of what traditions and traditional teachers say. This is important for the next step. Once you find what you are interested in, then: 3. Find a teacher you trust and who's instructions you will follow. You may have to try out a number of teachers. In this day and age, many teachers are available online and/or have online programs to follow. Take advantage of this. Meditation is best learned from a person. If you can't or won't, then at least follow a program. 4. Relax! It is better to take your time and learn the basics now then have to go back and redo it later. Also, there is no hurry. It takes time to grow flowers and develop your mind.

I used to meditate many years twice a day, almost without fail. Lots of stuff happened, spiritual highs, bliss, silence, then coming back to this body, healing past wounds/traumas for several years. I seemed to attract many challenging events in life, that brought up even deeper issues, and I continued to meditate and meditate. Then I suffered a significant loss. Meditation became a struggle. From twice a day to once a day, to once a week, etc. When I meditate, if I really go for it, silence and other stuff is found. But this kind of motivation or focus is hard to find. It feels my heart just isn't in it anymore. Is there a way through this? Have I lost my way? Or is it time to accept this isn't for me anymore?

I really liked CT's post. What works for me is quiet the opposite. I commit to my practice. It's both a pleasure and a piece of work, some days are better than others I give me that but... if I don't play my daily part I can't be okay with myself I (tool)blame myself for it and so next day I'm back on it. I like to think our practices are like wheels rolling them bring up inertia. By inertia I mean, grounding and practice habits. Lost the practice, lost the habit, lost the grounding. So back on track pushing that big wheel to make that virtuous circle to roll again PS : that's how I'd see things for me but you may be totally different ! Wish you the best winds !

@waterdrop Here's a hodge of answers that arose while pondering your question of how I seek balance. Walking in nature, (which includes the nature of the city where I live, or wherever I happen to find myself). Qi Gong, Spontaneous and Formal. Stillness, Mindfulness, and Emptiness Meditation. Painting, Sketching, Sculpting. Play: cultivating childlike playfulness, anywhere, during any activity, work or free time. Finding a way to engage the inner child, particularly within normally unpleasant tasks. Doubt: Ceaseless questioning and re-examining of assumptions about my actions and their motivations. With specific attention a regarding "The Storyteller's" tendencies to assume I know why people do and say what they do in life, without knowing them, or communicating. Self introspection regarding all the stories that arise in my mind when observing life. Radical Release of all that is, including myself to be what it is in any given moment. Emulating flowers is a great mental model for release. Flowers do not open through diligent effort, but through complete release. If I release all that is not inherently my True Nature, once all is released, what remains is my True Nature. Here in a mix of these processes, I'm never balanced, but I experience states where I'm more likely to become aware when I begin to slip out of balance and may get a chance to course correct before things progress into hack and slash mode.

∞ CHAGDUD TULKU RINPOCHE ∞ Desire and attachment won’t change overnight, but desire becomes less ordinary as we redirect our worldly yearning toward the aspiration to become enlightened for the benefit of others. At the same time, we don’t abandon the ordinary objects of our desires – relationships, wealth, fame – but our attachment to them lessens as we contemplate their impermanence. Not rejecting them, rejoicing in our fortune when they arise, yet recognizing that they won’t last, we begin to build qualities of spiritual maturity. As our attachment slowly decreases, harmful actions that would normally result from attachment are reduced. We create less negative karma, more fortunate karma, and the mind’s positive qualities gradually increase.

Hi Ed, good to see you, man. Hope you're keeping well. I don't know Jesus but, from what I hear, I think he'd be pretty relaxed about all this chatter. Cheers Rob

Why would Christ be embarrassed? And why are you diminishing yourself?

Another year, another garden. Have 2 small plots in the front yard, both started by covering up grass with bags of soil and planting into it. This year trying to grow fewer plants and keep'em safe, loved and well tendered, til I eat them. Tomatoes, I got a sweet 100, a hybrid grape yellow which is even sweeter. I want to grow them tall, so instead of cages I have a tall pole. I intend to prune them at the bottom well. I also have an Early Girl and Big Boy. Have 2 cucumber plants, a Giant Jalapeno, which I find have less heat and a Salsa Pepper. Just 8 plants. The plan is what I can't eat, I drink as gazpacho. For planting, I dug each hole deep, put some Scotts Miracle Grow soil on bottom, put in plant, topped it off with more SMG. The soil was pretty good because it was carpeted last fall with leaves and grass. Which composted over winter. What you guys doing garden wise?

Well, this warrants a clarification, though. When I first met Jeff in the chat room we had at the time (as so many of us did), I sensed the considerable energies he was creating (or "channeling") with the kind of remote practice he offered. I was curious and agreed to do some experimentation on certain occasions. I found it worthwhile and even helpful in some regards. It did not involve any of the sexual practices that others mentioned. I am sure that Jeff knew my respective boundaries and respected them without question. In fact, it was my experience that with any suggestion to take one of those sessions into a certain direction, he first asked back if I was comfortable with it. It was only when I had become a moderator that I got involved with the more problematic aspects of Jeff's interaction with others. Most of all, as you reached out to me for help with the difficulty it had caused you. So I started taking a closer look at the issue and understood how some of Jeff's practices could lead to a place of difficulty for some people. This had to do with the sensitive matter of working with sexual energies in that particular framework and also with the discomfort that psychic energies even of a basically beneficial kind can cause in certain individuals especially as they may bring suppressed issues to the fore. Consequently, I did discuss these topics with Jeff on some occasions. Is that pot calling kettle black? I don't think so. And I certainly never participated in the kind of shit storm that any mention of Jeff now invokes on this forum. He has been banned - and even stopped being a contributing member well before that. The ongoing ridicule and hostility directed at him is therefore beyond me. It is sad to see especially individuals that consider themselves "cultivators" engaging in that kind of imprudent and uncompassionate activity.

Greetings all! Got introduced via Hoff back in the '80's, and lately have returned to exploring the DDJ much more deeply, mostly from a philosophical perspective. I'm also very interested in the path from Taoism to Chan to Zen, and how the latter two schools of thought differ and derive from Taoism. Translation I'd take if I was crash-landed on a desert island: Red Pine. If I could take two additional translations: Lin Yutang and Ivanhoe. Would I jettison food/water from the aircraft if I could take additional translations: Food/water are overrated Best regards, Straw Dog Locked away in the Meditative Bunker of Isolated Silence, Toronto

Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904 35 To him who holds to the Great Form all the world will go. It will go and see no danger, but tranquillity, equality and community. Music and dainties will make the passing stranger stop. But Tao when uttered in words is so pure and void of flavour When one looks at it, one cannot see it; When one listens to it, one cannot hear it. However, when one uses it, it is inexhaustible. But we use it without end. David Hinton 35 Holding to the great image all beneath heaven sets out: sets out free of risk, peace tranquil and vast. Music and savory food entice travelers to stop, but the Way uttered forth isn't even the thinnest of bland flavors. Look at it: not enough to see. Listen to it: not enough to hear. Use it: not enough to use up. Derek Lin 35 Hold the great image The world will come They come without harm, in harmonious peace Music and food, passing travelers stop The Tao that is spoken out of the mouth Is bland and without flavor Look at it, it cannot be seen Listen to it, it cannot be heard Use it, it cannot be exhausted When we hold the great image of the Tao, the world will come into a state of harmonious peace. Rough Draft of notes Holding to the Great Form All pass away. They pass away unharmed, resting in Great Peace. It is for food and music that the passing traveler stops. When the Tao appears from its opening It is so subtle, it has no taste. Look at it, you cannot see it. Listen, you cannot hear it. Use it You cannot exhaust it. Apprehend the inimitable conception, you attract the world; coming it receives no harm, but is tranquil, peaceful, satisfied. Like transient guests, music and dainties pass away. The Tao entering the mouth is insipid and without flavor; when looked at it evades sight; when listened for it escapes the ear - (yet) its operations are interminable. John McDonald 35 She who follows the way of the Tao will draw the world to her steps. She can go without fear of being injured, because she has found peace and tranquility in her heart. Where there is music and good food, people will stop to enjoy it. But words spoken of the Tao seem to them boring and stale. When looked at, there is nothing for them to see. When listen for, there is nothing for them to hear. Yet if they put it to use, it would never be exhausted. Flowing Hands 35 All things will come to the man who is at one with the Dao. For they can feel and find in him peace, tranquillity, contentment and enlightenment. People know the taste and smell of good food and the sound of music. But knowing a description of the Dao is beyond comprehension. It seems without flavour or sound. For it cannot be seen or heard, and yet it is the very source of everything.

The world is so much of what it is. And what is it? If you don't pay attention to it, it is nothing but what you create. Should we pay attention? What power do we have over things that other people do? What power do we have to affect what our governors do, the price that people set for items, the wages that they propose? I live in the underbelly; a coaster, a liver of life- but am I really living my best life? I have no responsibilities. I am not a parent, or a tax payer, or a laborer. I have only ever been a servant. In my free time I used to create, but not any more. My life was on course to be unique, which I may be- but then, so is anyone. I thought that I would be inventive, but it was cut short by the supernatural. What did it give me? Suffering, and it opened my eyes to what is around me, but... what is REALLY around me? Quiet neighbors working their jobs and raising families or minding their own business. Art is available, but is it life? Does it really imitate life, or does life have it's own plot? The news programs make us think that so much is happening, and perhaps it is, but is it your life? What do you do when you don't participate in the culture that is shown on television? Are we simply chasing someone else's dreams? I am a demon; we all are. The part of us that is demon is the mind. The part of us that is human is the flesh. We are sensual creatures that know what we enjoy. We employ our bodies in the act of securing our comforts and needs, but it is our minds that explain what we do, and it is our minds that plan and prepare us for new events and activities. What is our mind? Is it telling me "I want"? Is it telling me "I must do"? Is it seeing the patterns of life? Is it preparing us for our future choices? When one is not in charge of anything, and one is not part of anything, our minds are our playground. I wish I had become someone in life. I never thought that I could, never knew how to do it. I am a poor boy, with little education. I matter to few, and what I do matters even less. My opinion is not important, and neither am I. I have learned that the true life is not in the realm of ideals, it is a matter of compromises and questions that provoke new alternatives to handle the ever expanding, vast process we call civilization. I wonder... what should matter to me? Should I try to alleviate suffering? Should I try to educate or entertain? In today's world it is almost impossible to do these things without joining some establishment, and I have no credentials, and my talents are unrefined. Does anything I do even matter? You might be thinking, "It matters to you", but it really doesn't; nothing matters to me. I am a broken thing, my youth and sharpness has been wasted pursuing some phantom quest that proved to be a false lead on a fortune that I did not find. I am a wasted body, filled with decay from my excesses. My reach goes no further than the toilet in my bathroom. And what should I do, now that I "know"? Now that I finally understand life and it's terms? Everywhere I look there is an opinion, or a story, or a song about life and it's trials and choices. What good is my voice, when I have no refined talent to reveal and inform? I am just another opinion, in a sea of opinions and compromises, and stories about right and wrong. I spend my days sitting silently. I sleep often, and I find little joy in anything to distract me from this path. I have stopped reading, because reading is an endless task that will never be satisfied. I find that I do not need information, and I wonder why so many people do? Is the truth not simple enough to understand? Or are we on a constant quest to renew or distract us from it? I have no excuses, I have lived my life. It was not spent selfishly, but it was spent wastefully, and I thought I enjoyed what I pursued, but so much of it has been a suffering condition put upon me. I am out of faith. I do not have to hope. The world is what it is, and it turns as Nature intends, and as human beings decide. It exists without my influence, and it is indifferent to my condition. If I gave up my ideals I could pursue the laughing path of madness that I see, and contribute to the story line of good and evil, but to me it is so much chaos. I have no need for money, nothing I buy satisfies me. I am a hideous thing now and will draw no lover, even with wealth. And even should a lover come, I find no pleasure in intimacy of the body or the mind, for there is no one in this world that I have met that can satisfy my expectations of who a person should be. I am not of the talented class, and so I will never know anyone that is intriguing, exciting and concerned. Perhaps if I found success I could enter those worlds, but as I said, to me it is all chaos and stories that we keep repeating; there is no new lesson, just new ways to reveal it, and I am done being creative. Perhaps my sharing this moment with you will rebirth me. I see possibility as I write about my despondency.

Been a long time lurker here since 2004 I have many interests but mostly interested in neigong, taoist neidan, and TCM at least this is what i have experience with myself. I have trained with a number of teachers in china and have a pretty good basic knowledge of chinese medicine although im not trianed in it I have met many of John Changs students as well as Shifu Jiangs and Wang li pings and have personally trained and practiced with such people and have visited china many times in my persuits Personally i train a basic level of neigong from a chinese school, although i am still a low level practitioner I also have interet in other traditions mostly dzogchen, mahamudra and anything else that leads to potentially high level states look forward to good discussions

Yes, I was wondering if the sculpture represented a significant arrangement or date for the Sumerians . They ( I think it was the Sumerians) also had a similar arrangement of stars - the four royal stars . Half a mo'. Ah ... it in my studies about Persians ; Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_stars

The last few months ... and still one left .... my dragon plant has started producing . It tastes like perfume .... or 'parfait amour ' All those different coloured dragon fruit ... do they all taste the same or not ? I haven't tried them . Plus the usual veggies . A large row of broad beans ( for Sth American style rice ; broad beans , rice, capsicum, onion, fresh herbs, chorizo, chicken ). A row of tobacco - that isnt doing very well , wrong season ?

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The tetramorph of civilisation; Man dog ox horse . TM , what do you think the Sumerian astrological significance of the deity was ? I know the modern representation is the fixed elemental signs in the heavens .... but that might be a more modern notion ?

Good to meet you. My husband and I like to practice and learn about cultivation. The value of this community to us is it will helps us to take our practices to another level. Currently, I am focusing on Yan con qigong. I read the book a lot last year, we discussed it at home, however, I would like it to be more of a practice. Chinese medicine and metaphysics, both qigong and Taoism, Has a deep relationship with learning and helping one another. I know that personally and professionally I can be better as I continue to learn from others. since I do not have formal teachers—I had training in medical qigong in 2009, though it opened my third eye up and I had been doing my best to clear my energy field since. During that time in 09 I had been malnourished, depressed, angry, hurt, when qigong training began. Then it spurred on insomnia, being interactions, very vivid dreaming, and as I continued eventually thyroid deficiency, to now fertility issues. I had been seeking a practice, since through various teachers however, I may like to stick with Yan Xin. As I really connect to what he says, and feel I am elevated in Qi from learning. We are attempting to get Pregnant this year and could use healing I apply lots of mind-body-spirit wellness from many fields to bring my body to balance. I felt like after 10 ish years I was able to take more control in my dream states by learning some about dream yoga with tenzin rinopche. I am moving in a positive direction though would like support my personal health, family, and business life to an even greater degree. finally, I may be at a good point to start training and more seriously. glad to be here!

Meditation. Most carry some kind of preconceived notions about what it is, what it does, where it will take the one who does it. This in itself is an obstacle. Before the benefits can be appreciated more profoundly, it is worthwhile to first learn to gradually lay these notions aside. Where expectations are given less attention, then its just a question of picking it up again, without too much dwelling on the past, nor anticipating too much about what lies ahead in terms of benefits. One can always work with present challenges and use these as sparks to fire up that once ardent flame that you had found all those years ago. When despair arise, meditate on what despair is. Get intimate with that state in as relaxed a manner as you can muster. Do not assign praise nor blame - just observe the nature and the spectrum of despair, of loss, of sadness, of the whole range of emotions that creeps into your consciousness, how long they remain, and look for the source from which they announce their presence, and to which they return. Dont feel like meditating? That feeling can also be a source of contemplation. How long can you keep up that aversive feeling in your consciousness before something else wanders in to take prime role in that mind theatre? From this exercise, you will come to understand the fleeting nature of aversion, and from that, realize that your loss of motivation is not as forlorn nor stubborn as you'd imagined.

https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/tools/ask-a-scholar/gospel-of-thomas He said "properly read," and I could argue most have not properly read it - if there even is a proper way to read it (aside from recognizing the ramblings and personal revelations of a dying and likely somewhat mad man - which has provided fertile soil for countless fictionalized tales of a battle between light and darkness). As an aside while I ventured the halls of my own madness (what I call my period of [the unintentional] unraveling of constructs) there was a night of vivid dreams which led to a day or two where I had a sense of understanding armageddon in a very personal sense.. this eventually faded to a recognized cultural undertone in my understanding (should I wish to use this framework to share ideas or experiences with others - which I generally don't.) In any case, I personally (closely) know two Christians who experienced what some here would label kundalini through prayer, and for a time I was quite interested in the tales of Teresa of Avila, although I came to suspect some of her later experiences were owing to a focus outside of herself, instead of inward, and were similar to a "wind disorder." And this is enough rambling for now. Take care Nungali; I'm glad you are back.

“Tis now the very witching time of night, When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out Contagion to this world; now could I drink hot blood, And do such bitter business as the day Would quake to look on.” - Hamlet "In the Western Christian tradition, the hour between 3 and 4 a.m. was considered a period of peak supernatural activity, due to the absence of prayers in the canonical hours during this period" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witching_hour On the Chinese body clock 3 am is in the liver segment and that time zone is when we get our deepest sleep, repair and detox, so maybe we should suspend all other activities so the body can concentrate on this ?

Hi everyone This is my welcome post and I thought I would initiate a discussion about something I have been interested recently. Do you know any specific schools (UK), or Qigong systems which allows you to do Qi transmission in order to heal others. I have a background in Chinese Medicine, hence in my understanding that is partially whats happening during Acupuncture or massage, etc. However I am looking for a system which is more specialized in using such a healing method. In regards to my experience I mostly practice Yang style TaijiQuan and TaijiJian with some Qigong exercises on the side. Thanks

Thanks and you answered my other question by the way ! I missed you

No, you misunderstood. The event was already in progress at the time. It's just that no one knew it yet. The I Ching knew. How I interpreted it at the time, I don't remember, but it was not the correct interpretation no matter what it was. The correct thing to do would be to get worried. Which I did. The vigilance went through the roof, because if you are in communication with the I Ching and with your own subtle anatomy and physiology, you don't just get the hexagrams or the lines or the judgments -- you get something like sensory or even extrasensory input. My lower dantien interpreted the reading as a warning, while my mind was doing its best to take over and ignore the warning and come up with its own interpretation. And, of course, it can't do that very convincingly when it's about things it doesn't know -- except if its main training is in how to lie to itself or others or both. Accepting that neither your mind, nor your unconscious, nor your skill trump the mystery of the I Ching is a prerequisite to becoming good at it. Anyone can superimpose anything, we are constantly making stories, creating scenarios, psychologizing, intellectualizing reality. But reality is what the I Ching deals in -- and not just our perceptions of it. Also sprach Taomeow.

Nice name. What really happened: the inquiring party had something like a stubborn cold at the time of inquiry. Within a couple of weeks though it became clear that it was in fact something a whole lot more serious. Life-threatening to the max. The band ceased to exist, and the next four years were dedicated exclusively to handling that I Ching line. It was my first example (but not the last) of the I Ching knowing things I don't know yet and couldn't fathom no matter how insightful and accurate my interpretation -- as well as of the empirical discovery that she will answer precisely the question of the moment if it's a serious one, not the question I happened to ask which might be inconsequential. She will just ignore what I'm trying to divine and go straight to what I ought to be inquiring about, and answer that question whether I had the insight to ask it or not. So, sometimes, when the reading "makes no sense," I have to ask, "What is it that right now I really ought to be divining instead?" This book is infinitely more mind-blowing than anyone who might assume that its accuracy is solely a function of their own powers of interpretation can imagine. At least that's been my conclusion after 20 years of close communication and plenty of opportunities to evaluate the outcomes retrospectively.

Nope But I have been training full time for quite a few years - not training full time any longer - but close - and my life is very much dedicated to cultivation. My only aim in sharing anything on this forum - is to help and support sincere people interested in cultivation. No courses to sell or teaching to give. I just try and help direct people away from charlatans, dangerous practices and wasting their time. These arts are a minefield. You said it’s not rocket science - actually (as a full path) it’s a lot more complicated than rocket science! And to be honest - you’re more likely to learn rocket science from books than you would cultivation. But ZZ is not just ‘natural standing’ - why would you need a book for that? Yes you’re right - the beginning is quite intuitive - learning to relax and release... but that’s the very very beginning of the practice... it’s like learning to hold a paintbrush - but there’s a lot more to becoming a great painter. Actually much of ZZ is anything but intuitive. And you should be able to stand and release way before starting ZZ practice altogether. The fact is that there’s a huge amount of nuance and understanding that a book can’t give - and there’s a huge amount of ‘secret’ information that a book could give - but none of them do. My experience of people who have trained ZZ from books (and from the majority of teachers teaching ZZ as a system) is that they create a very stiff body, ruin the alignment of the shoulders and create stagnation all over the place. I don’t ever laugh at that, treat it lightly or call these people fools. Actually it makes me a little angry because I see people genuinely interested and prepared to put in the work being sent on a wild goose chase - their time is wasted and their cultivation practice actually being set back rather than forwards. Contrary to @Cleansox - I think progress in ZZ (even if it’s just for health) is easy to see when you know what to look for. There are some clear physiological changes that need to occur for any actual progress to happen. And the majority of people I’ve met who studied ZZ as a stand-alone ‘system’ - whether from books or from teachers, not only don’t demonstrate this progress, but actually present with what could be considered the exact opposite of progress. Thats upsetting to me - because these people have essentially been conned - not just out of money (I don’t care too much about that - you can always make more money) - but more importantly out of their precious time and dedicated effort.

Let's give an example here as I have several lineages that all do it differently. In Xin Yi, there's a certain angle in standing that we use that is not found in any other system. It's "wrong" by other frameworks. However, in the context of the system, it is right, and this we verify by the power and skill that comes from it. According to one Taijiquan lineage, the Zhan Zhuang they do is completely different and is closer to what LKC teaches as it has a sensation of qi and is more circular with the elbows sticking out--so long as someone feels qi, it's "right". Then, according to the other Taijiquan lineage I study under, the postures are also derived from Yi Quan, but are completely different from the ones in Xin Yi, which itself comes from Yi Quan, but the difference is that doing them all develops golden bell. So are they all right or is one wrong? The answer is, "It depends". Where the reliance on LKC's book and the certainty ballsax44 has that led him to be defensive comes from, I don't know, but this is why we always ask people to show their understanding through their skill, not their belief in self-reliance or body hacking. He could come from any tradition and do it totally different, but so long as he doesn't have skill to show or understanding to discuss, him being irritated means nothing to those who do.

At midnight when the Yin Qi is at its max, and the Yang Qi is sprouting, you can do any gentle movement to help that energy rise. The main thing is to be awake, sit up for a few minutes. Then go back to sleep. This is mostly for inspiration though. This is how immortals from the Integral Way tradition practice. They understood that natural sublimation of sexual energy is required for high level cultivation. I think for most people, when Qi is at the sexual organs late at night, some of it will convert into sexual fluid later. You might have some dreams that go with this. This is natural and nothing to worry about. For cultivation sometimes you just re-use that energy before it becomes fluid. Other traditions have different ways to deal with this, some involve MCO, others practice in sleep etc... This is not important though. I think following the natural cycle of the Sun is more important than sublimation of sexual energy at this point. Just don’t abuse your sexual function late at night when the Yang Qi is sprouting. And be calm and relaxed around noon. Do most of your intellectual work in the morning, and progressively wind down in the evening. Just common sense. Don’t use the cell phone blue light very late too. Most modern people have this reversed. They stay up all night and abuse their brain function playing board games or something like that. Then they dose off until early afternoon. Theres a reason that traditional cultivation is mostly from 12:00 am to 12:00 pm — these are the Golden hours were the Sun is shining on you — and your Yang Qi is rising. Good luck.

This is so important. Our body's energy follows the cycle of the Sun. Where is the Sun at noon ? Above our heads. And where is the Qi at noon ? In the Bahui region. Where is the Sun at midnight ? Literally under the earth from where we sit. And the Qi ? At the perineum. So ... When the Qi is already at the top of the head at noon, you don't do strong Qi cultivation practices to raise energy. When the Qi is at the perineum at night and your body is winding down, you don't stay up and stimulate yourself with video games. What do you do instead ? In general, it's good to something that opposes the natural movement, but gently. At noon, you can relax and wind down. You can take a nap. At midnight, when the Qi is reaching the sexual organs, you can do some brief standing practices to sublimate that energy into a more refined form instead of being transformed into sexual Qi. Then you can sleep. Just some ideas.

No, Vipassana is not a game that you play. Don't get deluded by the Western pop psychology propping that mindfulness is an easy or convenient answer to just any personal problem. Wanting to gain lasting wisdom and insight into your own condition as a sentient being is the entry fare for gaining anything useful out of mindfulness, but there are also many other preliminary factors that are necessary as taught in the doctrine of Noble Eightfold Path by Gautama Buddha ranging from correct ethics to having the right effort and energy. If you have the view that there is a ball to dodge or that the practice is some type of casual entertainment that just mechanically produces some virtuous result, then you are missing the point and not in it for insight. Mindfulness is about perceiving the three characteristics of phenomena: non-self, impermanence, and unsatisfactoriness. Anything else is complete waste of time that trains a navelgazing habit that may distract you from engaging with life and doing good for others.

It's relatively easy to use mindfulness meditation to overexert oneself if wisdom is underdeveloped. Brain consumes a lot of energy. If you use your head's analytical capacity to facilitate insight development through access concentration and if especially intensively as in many hours each day or in retreats, then you are certainly allotting a lot processing power. It's quite common to see and hear yogis discuss about the lack of energy and also have severe mental issues that come up because of Vipassana practice. A lot of this could be helped with developing proper samadhi to support investigation with good energy, but this isn't the favored approach or known how to accomplish it by all teachers. Gentle mindfulness when not overdone is fine usually, but even then it would really benefit from expert yogis or psychological counselors helping to set good insight routines how to investigate the three characteristics wisely. Otherwise, mindfulness may end up being a fruitless game of dodge ball with your own mind.

Ah, a beginner 😁 Talking about jing, qi and shen is actually a focus on the direct experience of things, verbalised in a qualitative way which is in line with what is taught as qualitative science at universities. If you have a good method to work with, you can see that you are working with a lot of physiological processes: Lymphatics Glympathics Arterial baroreflex Exercise pressor reflex Cerebral autoregulation Diaphragmatic stretch reflex Peripersonal space And so on... The problem is, while these explain most of the health benefits you get from quite a few traditions, there are traditions that don't seem to utilize them. And, more importantly, these physiological processes have a low explainatory value when it comes to the sensations related to the meridians, dantians, and so on. But keep up the studies, physiology is an interesting subject.

But here's the thing - they're not just experiential! They are physical too. Not everything is physical - but the lower dantien for example - even the majority of the channels - they all have a physical existence. In most practitioners, the physical existence of these things is quite subtle. But in masters who have dedicated their life to full-time training and trained for hundreds of thousands of hours - these are obvious and can be felt by anyone. As in you could feel the Du channel in a person physically by palpating their spine - and you'd see that a master's back clearly looks very different to a normal back. Similarly, if you decided to cut open that poor master, you'd discover major physiological differences - particularly in the shape, quality and density of their fascia. But this wouldn't happen... there are not many masters at this level... the ones that are - would not be interested in donating themselves for the sake of curiosity - just as Elon Musk is not going to let you examine his brain. And on the other hand - no credible scientist would even want to do anything of the sort - and no funding body would be interested in funding the millions it would take to do this. Science has limitations - major ones. That's why it can't be used as your only barometer for truth. For example - only a couple of years ago they discovered a pretty major structure in the body that they never knew about (the interstitium). I have no doubt that with real funding and focus, 'science' would begin to validate the physical reality of at least some aspects of the internal arts - just as it's starting to with meditation. But there's no impetus to do this sort of work. And we're probably better off for it - otherwise, we'd get the horrendous, watered-down '15-minute workplace mindfulness' type crap that will begin to take over and slowly squeeze the life out of the genuine arts. We're far better off doing our stuff in private

KAP, AYP and other systems like it are basically a collection of ‘effective’ exercises. However they don’t follow a path - just combine exercises that feel effective. But there’s a major problem with that approach. The genuine internal arts follow a chain of cause and effect... Each process you go through sets up the cause for the correct effect to take place down the line. Sometimes - actually the majority of the time - the cause and effect chain is completely hidden. And if, without understanding the whole path, you pick a few of your favourite causes to the exclusion of others you’re setting yourself up for disaster. A miniature example of this from mundane life... When I was preparing a bean based stew, my grandma scolded me when she saw me put a bunch of salt, pepper and herbs in the pot. To me that makes sense - a well seasoned dish is so much more delicious than a bland, flavourless stew. What I didn’t realise (as I had no understanding of the full process) is that salt at an early stage in the cooking process makes beans tough and stops them cooking properly and developing the correct texture and flavour. My limited understanding combined with my preference for flavour meant that I made a fundamental error in the process - and I had no idea that I had. And even when explained, it simply didn’t make sense to me. Whereas my grandma, having gone through the process herself - hundreds of times. And having learned from her mum who had gone through the process - who learned from her relatives that had gone through the process (etc) - she preserved the full understanding of the chain of cause and effect of the process. Systems like KAP, AYP or other self-created systems of practice are like me in that analogy. I like salt, I like flavour - so I’ll add it. It makes sense. My grandma and the line of teachers who taught her the recipe for the stew represent an authentic lineage that preserves the full understanding of the process. They know that salt makes things tasty, but they also know that it can ruin the process unless used correctly.

The following is to inspire you to keep going but to strive to do what you're doing with ever increasing perception. This is the power of the Still Point at a human scale. This lady found the Still Point of these rocks and look at what it achieved. Realize this is what Buddha name chanting is helping you to achieve inside yourself. p.s. There was a great quote from one character to another - of all things! - in the Netflix show Altered Carbon. "To the mind that is still, the universe surrenders."

Makes sense to me. This is known as the path of the secret mantrayana and is used to transform into the deity in the generation stages of tantric Buddhism. No worries, the space and awareness will be there for “you” - the experience won’t dissipate as much as the experiencer and the illusion of separation between experience and experiencer. Trust the dissolution, trust the mantra, trust the deity, and more than anything, trust the space and awareness.

On a related note I’ve been learning about a Daoist deity, Taiyi Jiuku, who also gives many benefits in connection with calling his name. I translated a scripture relating to him here:

Wanted to add I have discovered it's helpful to add a second or even third name to chant (or some other complimentary practice) because name chanting works at the alaya level for purification and advancement according to Master Nan Huai-Chin. Which I suppose is why for many people the results start showing up pretty fast. It will start bringing forward all the karmic seeds from alaya - both those the Name you're chanting is busy purifying and those that it doesn't. So my tactic was to notice what kind of thoughts were surfacing (without judgment) that I wanted to "improve" or turn around. Both the Buddha and Sadhguru say that what one thinks will be what one becomes in the future (whether this life or a future one). So my thoughts gave me a clue as to what needs most addressing because it's ripening along with the things Bei Shah Jei's Shakti is working on. I used this 5 Dhyani Buddhas document to help me figure out a second name to chant and the Tattva/Bhuta it addresses. I guess I'll let the cat out of the bag (crossing fingers this is not a dumb thing to admit online) I chose Ratnasambhava as my second name. I am not as far along as many other Dao Bum practitioners. I've never experienced Kundalini Awakening to give an example. So I'm very much a beginner if one wants to use Kundalini as a yardstick for progress. I noticed thoughts of "self-pride" were beginning to increase to a disturbingly noticeable degree after I began chanting Bei Shah Jei whereas before they were more rare. According to that webpage 'self-pride' is a sign that the earth element is particularly afflicted. From a chinese nei-gong standpoint it means the spleen is particularly afflicted as is one's sense of smell and one having skin problems (in my case having a hard time detecting odors, lots of allergies and dry, itchy skin) and is the result of excessive monkey-mind chattering and leads to soft, flabby muscles (aka poor muscle tone) all over the body. The last I got from another website and nearly fell out of my chair in shock because 'overly soft, flabby muscles' has indeed been a huge health problem all my life that even lifting weights has not been able to fully address! I had no idea afflicted earth/spleen has the knockon effect of such lack of muscle tone but apparently it does. Anyway, my typical practice to address self-pride or one-upsmanship vis-a-vis others was to use a Tibetan Buddhist practice of immediately using logic rationales (which are also thoughts) to demonstrate to myself how I'm NOT superior to other people - especially to people whom are so "worldling" or "muggle"-ish they disdain and discount any spiritual practice or teaching (*cough* my own family *cough* cough*). Chanting Bei Shah Jei is working very fast and its now letting me see I need much stronger medicine to address self-pride than the Tibetan practice I was using. I've been using some sort of self-deflating rationale work since I was a child but the Tibetan practice ramps that up. According to the 5 Dhyani Buddhas page and longer pdf lesson/essay Ratnasambhava is medicine for someone with a lot of self-pride and will crank up the purification process in that area into overdrive beyond even the Tibetan practice. It also just so happens that according to the Ksitigarbha sutra chanting his name grants (and I quote): So not only will his name energy help people in their current life with an afflicted earth element/spleen like me. You are also downloading the shakti energy that will let you have rebirths in a higher heaven where you can receive teachings from Buddhist or Hindu Deities as well!

Of course, there is some truth embedded in Christianity, since a lot of it was cut & pasted from older Sumerian and other tales... And of course many Christians have had spiritual experiences. Even your regular, run-of-the-mill ones. But this is generally not really from following actual Christian doctrines. But because a sincere seeker will get in touch with Spirit, regardless of whatever club he belongs to. As far as the more "spiritually-developed" Christians...they usually have incorporated aspects of other forms of spirituality either personally, or as subsumed into cultural Christianity as it colonized the world. And as their eyes continue to open to the common universality of spirituality, some of them simply drop their exclusive Christian gateway drug altogether... I mean, a typical "evolved" Christian has to basically ignore all the Old Testament warmongering, patriarchal tribalism...so is actually not even a Christian anymore, even if they claim to be. In a nutshell, Christianity was about destroying the sacred feminine, tree of life, and colonizing the planet for its ET Anunnaki puppetmasters. Basically, Abraham's monotheism was just cutting the whole FEMININE out of the polar equation! As opposed to Daoism's preservation of BOTH! Ergo, Christianity is essentially the opposite of Daoism and other more holistic, aboriginal/shamanistic-based "Earth wisdom" paths.

Meh ... thats the artificial way I have some that do it naturally ... they 'walk' across the forest floor, spreading gardens Neomarica northiana The leaf that the flower comes out of gets longer Several flowers will fold out and then a bunch of green leaves, like a miniature plant . The longer supporting leaf keeps growing up until it gets heavy with growth and starts to bend down, (and if not in a pot) touching the ground up to half a meter away, putting out roots and starting a new plant, which will do the same and take another 'step' . Eventually you have a big patch , some mornings I have had over 60 flowers out around the cabin, spectacular when they bloom along with the sugar frosted coral bromeliads ( Billbergia pyramidalis)

So, what is the basis of this "magical authority" that I keep talking about, and which is symbolized by the magican's wand? Cornelius Agrippa makes this clear in Chapter Three of the third book of his great compendium of magical theory and practice: Simply put, without this "dignification", one is not practicing Magic, in its "brand name" sense of Magic as it was conceived of and practiced from the Hellenistic period through the end of the Renaissance, and at least a little beyond. I usually call this form of magic Classical Magic and differentiate it from neo-Magic, the result of a revival magical practices that started around 1900. One can certainly produce "magic" like effects through "energized enthusiasm", working oneself into an emotional frenzy and sending it off to have an effect, but this is not Magic, it is sorcery, witchcraft, shamanism, whatever you want to call it, but it is not Magic, and if you have achieve sufficient dignification you don't need emotional frenzy either. Here is an interesting story about a very Magically dignified individual, or at least according to the story he would be: If you are curious, and if you are interested in how Magic is practiced then you should be, you can go here: Plotinus, Our Tutelary Spirit on Wiki Source I recommend this because ideas very similar to some that Plotinus puts forward in this work appear, albeit dressed up in Qabalistic guise, in the Adeptus Minor teachings of the Golden Dawn. I could make references to that, except that the material is too dense, technical and complex for anyone without a sufficient background to read with a satisfactory level of understanding. Of course if anyone with a sufficient background asks, I can refer them to the necessary sections. In modern magic the way that this dignification is trained and achieved is largely through what is called the Middle Pillar practice in either its ritual or meditative versions. It is possible using those teachings to obtain the necessary dignification, if you know what you are doing and practice it correctly, however even the original Golden Dawn teachings teachings leave out important aspects of Classical Magic, however when the Golden Dawn ritual system is used within the full context of the Occult Philosophy as expounded in Agrippa's work, the result is very satisfactory, but lacking this during the Twentieth Century the tradition was significantly degraded. I hope this gives at least some idea of what Magical Authority is, and basically to recap, it is the realization of the divine potential that inheres in every human being. This belief in the divine potential of human beings is common to Western Pagan and Abrahamic traditions, as well as both Daoist and Confucian traditions in China. The methods of realizing this potential are different, but the result is the same and is why in China and the West, the Magician's wand and its Chinese equivalent, are a symbol of authority, like a sovereign's scepter. ZYD

Wands seem to me to invoke the intellectual and mental nature of magick more than the Sword. Swords seem to me to invoke destruction and transformation/breaking things apart than the Wand. Also, "fire" and "sword" are often mentioned together in the Bible and are referenced in the Gospel of Thomas as well. This seems far more intuitive than the Wand's association with the will and the Sword's association with evocation. This being said, the sword in Daoist magick has more of a universal function, if I understand correctly. So you're right about these things being culturally and geographically situated. Thank you for clarifying your thinking, I shared some of Nungali's misgivings about it, but decided to address the matter of the Loshu first and leave swords and wands to him. Having seen this answer, and granted it is only a quick summary, so far at least I find it superficial and noncontextual, so let me provide some context. Let's start with the wands association with the "will", as I have said here: begins with the early Nineteenth Century reframing of magic as primitive Mesmerism and the wand as a directing instrument of the animal magnetism through the mesmerist's will following the usage of Mesmer himself. The original purpose of the wand is rather more in line with a royal scepter, or other "staff of office", and thus refers not to the will, but the authority of the magician to perform his rites, which is why the second Psalm, as a remembrance of the divine adoption of man, is used as a preparatory in the grimoires. On the other hand the sword has a very direct association with evocation as military magic, even to its origin in the Roman Military rite of evocation: So that the Wand and Sword represent the different aspects of the divinely bestowed authority of the magician, the wand authority and the Sword his threat of force for noncompliance. While this Military context is not clear from the grimoires, viewing Goetic Evocation within the context of military magic has suggestive implications for the notion of spiritual warfare, and also to the references in some grimoires to the operator and exorcist, or the probably related karcist (I am relying on my memory, which is generally reliable, for this, but given time I could come up with suitable references. I remember being puzzled by the usage when I first saw it in my teens a long time ago.). Within the context of the Golden Dawn which you reference there are two wands for practice, the Lotus Wand which is for general purposes and specifically for working with the element of fire the "Fire Wand", which takes the shape of stick with a flamelike drop on one end, thus resembling a candle, a very suitable symbolic reference to a positive manifestation of fire. The Lotus Wand of the Adept on the other hand is dedicated to and consecrated by the powers of the Zodiac, and the Lotus which surmounts it is specifically a symbol of the Tetragramaton, and represents the Divine Lordship of all within the confines of the Zodiac. Again within the Golden Dawn context, there is a Sword and an elemental dagger, a lesser bladed weapon with the sword being dedicated to the Sepirah Geburah and its manifestation Mars, all of which reinforces its martial interpretation and use in "Military Magic" and thus evocation. The dagger is purely an instrument for working with the element of air, with throwing knives being one possible example. That said, in the decades in which I have studied the traditional systems of four, five, six, and even ten elements, I have read enough to be able to understand how many things could be useful symbolic representations of them in different contexts, and am loath to get dogmatic about the matter, and also, I always prefer creativity anyway. Chinese magic also has it military magic and its swords are usually dedicated to and consecrated by the Seven Stars of the Dipper. There are symbolic ones made of peach wood as well as metal ones which are usually engraved with or otherwise have representations of the Seven Stars on them, but aside from that the Daoists have a large number of magical weapons ranging from staffs to magical whips. Indiana Jones might have found the last to his liking, they might have been helpful in the Temple of Doom. Well, that's all for now, I will try to get back to the Loshu and divine/human polarity shortly. ZYD

The basis of left and right in Daoism is found in the Loshu square: East South West East North West The first thing that you need to realize about the above square is that direction wise the position of 'one" is North, thus "nine" is South, "three" is East and "Seven" is West. The Left and Right here is derived from the orientation of someone sitting in the North at "one" "and facing south toward "nine", thus East corresponds to left and West to right. This magic square is considered to be the cosmic pattern of the Earth, and is used everywhere from Feng Shui to the floor plan of Daoist Temples. The North is considered to be the direction of the sacred, and with "one", the origin of all, in the North, thus in the North is where the Cosmogenic Gods of Daoism are seated in Temples, facing South, their left sides toward the Eastern, Yang side of the Temple and their Right sides on the Western, Yin side of the Temple. There are a lot of other attributes to directions that add to this, but this is the basic pattern, and I don't have time for fuller discussion. I hope this is helpful. ZYD

Yes, it was taken seriously, it is exactly in this model that the distinction between "High Magic", that of Ceremonial Magic which was upper class magic and manipulated the "dead matter" of the Cartesian worldview through the animal magnetism, and low magic, the superstitious magic of witches and old women and the lower classes arose. This is purely a Nineteenth Century invention, nothing even remotely like it can be found in Agrippa's Three Books on Occult Philosophy, where magic is viewed as the result of a practice that unifies Natural, Mathematical and Ceremonial magic. Curiously it does emerge as the root a the title of Gerald Gardner's witchcraft novel High Magic's Aid, in which Gardener introduces witches and "low magic" as something which "aids" high magic, thus seeking to heal the imbalance brought about by too much emphasis on "High Magic". Interestingly Agrippa warns about not doing ceremonial magic without using natural magic as part of the procedure, and to my mind the history of the modern magical revival is definitely proof of the Wisdom of that warning. For a person who is interested in the historical perspective, Ennemoser is as I said essential, but to gain a fascinating look into both the theory, the practice and the lives of people who practiced magic in the mid-Nineteenth Century and pre-Blavatsky, you can't beat Art Magic and Ghost Land, both ostensibly written by an anonymous adept and edited by Emma Hardinge Britten, the first deals the theory and practice of magic and the second the adepts supposed biography, are fascinating reading. Of particular interest is the contrast that emerges between the German "occult scientists" who first train and at the same time exploit the young author and the British "ceremonial magicians", a group which the author later meets during a time spent in England. This later English group is usually considered to be the descended from Francis Barrett and is supposed to have included Bulwer-Lytton. A wonderful website dedicated to this remarkable woman can be found here: The Emma Hardinge Britten Archive Where downloadable versions of both these works may be found. A very worthwhile modern scholarly history which uses Britten's accounts as a source is: The Theosophical Enlightenment by Jocelyn Godwyn Edit: Minor spelling

Just a quick note to summarize, expand and correct a bit. The popularity of the concept of Guardian Angel in modern Neo-magic is due to Aleister Crowley. Crowley was dependent on his knowledge from Macregor-Mathers. Crowley's original attempt at the Abramelin operation was in 1900, not 1907 and its interruption was hardly mere organization matters with Mathers. It was in point of fact the "Great Schism" of the Golden Dawn which lead to the founding of the Stella Matutina and the continuance of the Golden Dawn as the Alpha et Omega. Delilo is using Crowley's The Vision and the Voice as a guide, the vision of the eighth "aethyr", just one of thirty, which is derived from the Golden Dawn's version of the Enochian Magic of John Dee, Edward Kelly and their Spiritual Interlocutors. Part of Crowley's experience with the 30 Aires was in London Circa 1898 and the rest was in the Sahara, circa 1909, where he and Victor Neuberg were doing odd and peculiar things. The link which provides to the Wikipedia article seems on my cursory examination to be a satisfactory introduction to the matter, however the notion of a Guardian Angel is hardly unique to Abremelin as Agrippa writes on the matter in Book III Chapters XXI and XXII of his Occult Philosophy. In the Grimoire of Armandel, also translated by Mathers, there is mention of a Spirit, Camael, who. "giveth unto you a perfect knowledge of your Genius, who will have the power to grant you everything that you shall demand of him." (P. 42). Seems a little easier than Abramelin's approach. The topic of Guadian Spirit was also an important one in Platonism, as according to Plato, Socrates professed to have one which guided him. The late middle Platonist Apulius of Madura, best know for his Metamorphoses or the Golden Ass, also wrote a work On the God of Socrates examining this in the light of Middle Platonic ideas. Porphyry in his life of Plotinus recounts the following in relation to an evocation of Plotinus' guardian spirit: "In fact Plotinus possessed by birth something more than is accorded to other men. An Egyptian priest who had arrived in Rome and, through some friend, had been presented to the philosopher, became desirous of displaying his powers to him, and he offered to evoke a visible manifestation of Plotinus' presiding spirit. Plotinus readily consented and the evocation was made in the Temple of Isis, the only place, they say, which the Egyptian could find pure in Rome. At the summons a Divinity appeared, not a being of the spirit-ranks, and the Egyptian exclaimed: 'You are singularly graced; the guiding-spirit within you is not of the lower degree but a God.' It was not possible, however, to interrogate or even to contemplate this God any further, for the priest's assistant, who had been holding the birds to prevent them flying away, strangled them, whether through jealousy or in terror. Thus Plotinus had for indwelling spirit a Being of the more divine degree, and he kept his own divine spirit unceasingly intent upon that inner presence. It was this preoccupation that led him to write his treatise upon Our Tutelary Spirit (Enneads Three, Treatise Four, ZYD), an essay in the explanation of the differences among spirit-guides." I hope these quick notes are helpful.