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I, for one, thought it was an interesting discussion. But just any discussion that really matters - it raises strong responses and difficult questions. I don't think there are easy answers here. Coming from a largely Quanzhen-based background - which absorbed aspects of Buddhism and Confucianism, I've been instructed in ethics and ethical behaviour. Now whether this is a flavour of the Quanzhen line or just my teachers' particular approach - I don't really know. But ethics from my teachers' perspective is not to do with good and bad - it's far more 'mechanistic' and pragmatic than that. It follows the law of cause and effect... Act a certain way for long enough and it will create a certain quality in your body/mind/nature. We follow specific ethical constraints not because they're 'good' - but because they create the correct conditions for growth in a certain direction. We don't pull out weeds because weeds are bad... we pull them out to allow the slightly weaker, but more bountiful and beneficial (for our aims) plants to grow. It's a very pragmatic and utilitarian use of the Acquired Mind. Because of certain misinterpretations of the classics, many people think of Daoism as a 'natural' approach. The natural approach would surely let the weeds grow, because if nature decided that this is the best thing to grow in that space and in that time - then that is 'objectively good'. But Daoism anything but natural. The natural course of things is to grow old and die. To create an ever more rigid Acquired Self. To develop an ever more frail body and dull mind. I have had a teacher who was very much anti morals and anti ethics... The idea was that any constraint on natural expression can only ever be 'bad'... and good can only ever come from the De - the virtue that originates from the 'pre-acquired mind'... But then again many of his students got into drugs, alcohol, fights etc - until they stopped practice altogether. As I see it - we all have an Acquired Mind - it has its own wants desires, values, and beliefs - these are born in reaction to various causes in life. This is the problematic sort of morality. The ideal situation for a cultivator is to work through layers and layers of the acquired mind until it falls away and True Virtue arises. True Virtue isn't born of 'a reaction to'. It's pure, spontaneous action that's completely untarnished by our Acquired Mind and comes directly from the source of who we are - our Original Spirit. Acquired -> True Virtue The Quanzhen approach agrees with this - but sees it as too great a leap. It's almost impossible. It means that a cultivator is completely free to do as they (or their base nature) want - and act on any whim and desire of the Acquired Mind. Until one day, they transform into a true Saint. This may be achievable for some. It may be possible in certain environments - where the 'purity' of one's day to day life naturally shapes their Acquired Mind in a conducive direction. But for the majority of us there needs to be an extra step: Acquired -> Cultivated -> True Virtue This Cultivation step is where we take on the precepts and ethical guidance of the system or tradition we're following. This is the original 'self' development... where you develop the acquired self in a certain direction. This is where we shape our self towards virtuous characteristics - like patience, bravery, integrity, kindness, humility... But this is not the end - these are just training wheels until True Virtue spontaneously arises - and then all machinations can be dropped. If you live in a pristine environment then maybe you don't need self-development, ethics, and instruction on correct conduct... But if you live in our society - where we (advertisers, politicians etc) learned to expertly pull at the stimulus-response strings that control and condition our behaviours... Then I believe we do need some ethical and moral guidance.

I'm still working through his Foundations of Qigong, but if anyone is interested, he is offering a free MCO course: https://damomitchell.com/2020/03/23/microcosmic-orbit/

Dear everyone, particularly SongShuhang, The purpose of TheDaoBums is discussions along the way - that is about our various spiritual paths and mostly how we can help each other to progress, share ideas and generally and so on. The Mod team will take action to safeguard that environment from time to time - when and how it choses in line with a few general rules. If you are not happy with something you can report it. If however the Mod team don't take the exact action you would like to see, at the time you would like to see it, that's just tough. So while the Mod team may post occasionally explaining what action has been taken for the purpose of clarity it is not an invitation for endless debate over whatever is happening. Don't do it. It will be locked. And if you persist you will be banned. Have a very nice day.

Regarding the topic at hand. I’ve had a brief look at Damo’s course - and I have to say that this is probably the most thorough, in-depth look at the microcosmic orbit that’s ever been publicly available. An amazing gift seeing as it’s completely free

I’ve spent literally hundreds of thousands over the years on training - in terms of travel, accommodation and the loss of income due to the full-time training requirements many serious teachers have. Of course in-person training is much better than learning online, but the quality of Damo’s information surpasses the vast majority of teachers I’ve trained with. If you’re diligent and able to make things work by yourself and with the help offered in their fb group then this is by far the cheapest way to learn genuine internal arts. I certainly wish I had this opportunity when I was starting out.

The stoics are a complicated bunch. There is much debate between the stoics. Contemporary stoics are a watered down wash out. The Romans, certainly Marcus Auerlius Meditations and the Discourses of Epictetus are beautiful inspirational reads,, yet to get to the crux, ya gotta go Greek. You dont have to read 165 volumes of Chrysippus He wrote them but you can't find them, spare fragments. So this is just my take on some things the Greek stoics seemed to agree on. Calm is a superpower. Emotions rise from false judgements. The sage doesn't suffer from emotions due that the sage had attained moral and intellectual perfection. Thus, the sage acquired freedom. Anyone not a sage was in effect a slave. Stoic views on virtue holds that virtues are individual features excellent or at least good which allow performance of functionality. If you do have an interest to look closer at the Stoics a good place to check them out is at Dr. Cynthia Freeland's Ancient Stoicism

Neigong and fasting don't mix... actually it's worse than inefficient - it can be quite damaging as if you're doing strong practices during fasting you're likely to deplete your essence very quickly. In fact, when the Neigong process started getting very strong for me, my daily calorie intake skyrocketed. Fasting and meditation on the other hand go well together. If you want to practice neigong and fast then stop all neigong work for a day before your fasting day and for 2 to 4 days after your last fasting day (then begin again slowly) Another option is intermittent fasting - in that you completely stop food intake after 6pm say - and the next meal would be mid-morning the next day... This, in fact, conforms to classical guidelines - so is considered very beneficial.

@angstg - Firstly apologies as you might not like my answer. I think the reason that @anshino23 prompted me is because I was training full-time with a Daoist teacher that not only would be taking his students through a full spiritual training process, but he also ran a clinic where he would help hundreds of practitioners that suffered various side effects and illnesses as a result of such training. From what you've described, it's clear to me that with celibacy and other practices, you've been stimulating your Du channel - it's the channel that runs up your back and into the head. However, you haven't built any foundations - such as the ability to sink your Qi - which is absolutely crucial. You said something along the lines that you're prepared to die before stopping this experiment. Well, imminent death is unlikely. But this is a selection of what is more likely to occur if you carry on with your endeavour: More heart palpitations, headaches, unexplained pains, extreme emotional swings, mental instability (racing thoughts)... Other mental issues eventually (things you could be sectioned for) - things like extreme paranoia, the feeling that you're being persecuted by everyone, the feeling that everything is significant and a message to you (the radio is sending you messages - that sort of stuff). As one's lust builds, the sexual 'heat' can sometimes start to taint the heart centre - sadly this is where the situation gets a lot worse, and will start affecting other people (through one's behaviour) - basically, one will start to play out outwardly what's happened internally - where one's lust corrupts the purity of the heart - one would look to similarly corrupt the purity and innocence of other people with one's lust... Eventually, one's essence will dry up, and the strong energetic experiences become depressive. This is the stage where one feels at the same time a huge, uncontrollable level of lust while feeling empty and impotent. It's a profoundly sorry state - like a living hungry ghost - full of desire, but however much the desire is met, one never feels satisfied. I'm not saying this to scare you - but more to warn you, that if you start to notice the earlier symptoms and issues - you at least know what's happening. I've seen dozens of cases just like this come through my teacher's clinic. I can see that you have a strong and determined nature, and a good level of Qi - this could serve you well if you're prepared to combine it with some humility and find a good internal arts teacher (or at least system)... or it could bring you to the sorry state of suffering that I described above. This isn't something you can navigate yourself - it requires guidance. EDIT I'm sorry - I realise the advice is well-intentioned, but strong mental focus and mental guiding of energy will cause more issues than it solves!

Thank you - that's nice of you to say. I'm here because many years ago I was inspired by what I read on the forum - and that's what put me on my path. I'm very grateful for that - and I'd like to help by paying it forward Yes. And although it's lost - just as in that 'broken telephone' (aka chinese whispers) game - there's always a hint of the original message - in the same way, Dao is in everything - even in the distortions. I prefer my (slightly vulgar) translation - as I think it gives a different perspective: True De is unconscious, that's why it's the highest De. Inferior De is contrived, and that's why it's without De. Inferior De creates distortions because it's a contrivance. True morality is leaving nothing undone Morality based on justice leaves plenty udone Morality based on order is left unanswered by the people - and so it's time to roll up ones sleeves. I find it almost impossible to discuss the DDJ because it's so multi-leveled. Although it appears to be talking about 'external things' like 'justice' and 'people' - but in reality, it's also talking about your inner experience. As a clue - 'people' is symbolic. 'Man' exists between 'Heaven' and 'Earth'... The 'people' are aspects of 'Man'... Microcosmically 'Man' between heaven and earth is Xin - your heart-mind in between your upper DT and Lower DT. So 'the people' are unconsolidated aspects of your heart-mind - thoughts, preferences, beliefs, biases. There is a lot of such nuance in DDJ - and the earlier chapters need to be understood in this way for this to be crystal clear.

The idea is that you dilute your digestive juices if you drink water with your meals. Also you tend to underchew your food and just wash it down with water. Both will impair proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Cold water is the worst, in Chinese medicine it is considered to be the surest way to put out your "digestive fire" and render you unable to "cook" the food you're eating. (We do cook our food internally, with a chemical fire of substances that would actually cause a chemical burn if spilled on the skin -- e.g. a healthy stomach secretes highly concentrated hydrochloric acid -- but also with the slow steady warmth in our internal organs of digestion. Cooling them off with splashes of cold water is not unlike splashing cold water on your kitchen stove while it is turned on.) The LDT is not part of the digestive system. And in any event you don't feel compelled to drink water with your meals if it's well developed. If thirsty, you quench your thirst before starting your meal. If the meal was drying, you might drink water sometime after you finished. My cat does that. He never drinks before, during, or after meals where he gets moist food. If he had some dry food (which he only receives as a special treat, in small amounts), he'll drink some water later. To my knowledge, no mammal drinks water while eating. "A good side" -- not aware of it. Perhaps if you're more dehydrated than undernourished. And even in this case it might be better to drink enough water first, eat later. About drinking water in general not during meals -- no general rule of needing this and that amount, contrary to "health" advice that has been dispensed alongside the beginning of chlorination of municipal water supply, but never before. The need for water is individual, and differs in each individual too depending on age, climate, weather, baseline health condition, condition of particular organs, with physical exertion or with sedentary lifestyle, foods or medications taken, and so on. Henry C. Lu, author of "Chinese Food Cures," has a good chapter on the subject somewhere in that book, and advocates "slow yin fluids" as a far superior method to rehydrate in most cases (except the very mundane where you're just naturally thirsty after sweating). And obviously in specific conditions associated with water retention (Dampness) or kidney deficiency where the kidneys can't benefit from being forced to work extra hard drinking too much water is not a good idea.

Depends on whether Metal is your auspicious, inauspicious or neutral phase of qi in the wuxing system. For practice all jewelry is usually removed regardless. Outside of practice it's a good idea to find out where one personally stands in relation to Metal and whether it's strengthening or weakening, improving or throwing off balance the whole cycle. It's always individual. Some of it can be felt though, or tested kinesiologically. Another consideration is whether one needs to enhance yin or yang energies. The sun-like brightness of gold is thought of as a yang energy in feng shui, associated with such yang things as attracting attention, adding warmth or even fire/heat, and sharpening the presence. So if one seeks to be noticed, gold is indicated. If one seeks to be plain and humble, it's the opposite.

Classical texts are extremely tricky. Context is everything. And there are multiple layers of context... For example in a traditional lineage you'd be presented with texts and their various layers of meaning as you progress... a text designed for the later stages, for example, will often contradict a text designed for earlier stages (just as a physics textbook for doctoral studies will often contradict a physics textbook at highschool level)... Sometimes a text will have an outer layer of understanding - and once you've achieved the process described, further study will reveal a deeper layer... Similarly, some practices in the classics are designed for renunciates - monks or those on long term solitary retreat - and would cause a huge host of problems for practitioners with bosses to please, school runs to do and taxes to pay. Another problem is when translators/commentators think - 'oh this sounds a lot like xxxx from another tradition'... Also the texts generally don't describe practices - they usually describe the correct qualities that must be present ('calm unwavering focus' is just three words - but constitutes probably at least 5yrs worth of various practices to achieve) And they describe confirmatory sings (and often errors and pitfalls)... Usually, modern commentators confuse the confirmatory signs (eg seeing a bright light shining at you from in front of your forehead) and assume it is an instruction (imagine a light in front of your forehead). And so simply going by the classics, it's almost impossible to make any real progress.

A cartoon about TDB

One thing that should be pointed out about the online course and subscription - is that you're not just paying for the teachings. The very videos themselves have embedded transmission. When I tune in and do the practices with Damo, it's clear something changes in my energy body. It's tangible and direct. I've had many dreams about Damo since getting involved with the lineage too. So perhaps that is some esoteric part of it as well. You don't just sign up to learn some stuff and go off on your own. You sign up to become a part of a lineage and learn a very specific line of development that Damo teaches that leads to high levels of spiritual development from the ground-up. Preferably you then also get to see Damo or one of his many teachers when everything opens up again. I've not been able to find something as stream-lined and with such beautiful simplicity than in Damo's system and I've been around the block a few times looking for genuine teachers and been part of various lineages. 40$/month is absolutely nothing compared to the quality of the material. But that's for each person to figure out for themselves. Another thing I shouldn't forget to mention is that you get direct access to the Facebook internal arts academy page where you can ask questions. This is priceless in and of itself.... I've not seen any teacher be able to answer questions so fast and comprehensively as Damo - and we're talking an onslaught of questions every day along with his own training, book-writing and all kinds of other projects. And always with a smile on his face... helping others. For me, a great testament to the blessing of this lineage. Best of luck VajraFist. I hope you find what you're looking for - there or elsewhere. These are just my two cents on the matter - hope it helps

Reminds me of a saying I heard only relatively recently... A Master is one who has failed more times than the Student has attempted.

Ok, So she either agreed with you, and betrayed herself in the process, continued to defend what she had shared at the request of an individual with actual interest in what was shared, or threw up her hands and walked away? She doesn’t give in, and then you present it as about her need for control? Over a topic you acknowledged not wanting to contribute to, and admittedly find to be vulgar? I would call this persistence, not spontaneity. And that it appears to have become individually focused bordering on harassment with the sheer persistence of what in this moment looks like an intentional derailing of a thread...

Yup. I’ve had teachers recommend the same. In fact a glass of warm water after practice helps to settle the Qi and drive it deeper. You can feel it take place once you’re sensitive enough.

The dog isn't eating food though. The dog is eating something created for commercial profit and consumer convenience that has nothing in common with what canines actually eat in nature. It is dehydrated, see. Dry dog food. The dog is trying to compensate for the water extracted from his food. If I was to eat all my food in this desiccated state, I would also drink water with it. So would you and I would only applaud the effort. I propose leaving it at that. I was answering OP's question with information and certain free-style musings around it, to the best of my humble ability based, however, on being pretty well equipped to answer it meaningfully. I 'm not trying to win an argument here and I believe you would do great if you stopped shooting toward that ephemeral and worthless goal at this point. That would leave us hope to have a more compelling (for me personally) conversation on some other subject sometime in the future.

Here are multiple peer reviewed journal articles supporting the position that vitamin D deficiency is associated with Covid morbidity and mortality. While it is not a treatment, it may be a critical factor in preventing more serious illness. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=vitamin+D+and+covid19&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart

Please take a nap

I give it thumbs down for approaching Asian traditions from the position of Western cultural colonialism: take a cultural whole and smash it into pieces, pick and choose among those pieces, appropriate what you like and throw away the rest -- dismiss, ignore, leave out or take a condescending daddy-knows-best stance. To say nothing of its relentless pushing of the manipulative globalist vegan agenda which Asian traditions never had.

Recently got introduced to the work of John Bauer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bauer_(illustrator)

‘Don’t exist’ and ‘do exist’ are not the only choices When you go to create a new field for your crops you first find a fertile spot - where the soils are naturally deep and rich - but not so deep to be wet and boggy... this is very much like the lower Dantien of an untrained person. The next step is to cultivate that land - clear the stones, pull the weeds get things flat and even. This is the ‘Tien’ part of Dantien - meaning field. This is the LDT of a trained person. The step after that is growing the plants - watering, weeding, managing the winds, rains and sunlight until the plant produces a seed - this seed is the ‘Dan’ part of the Dantien - the elixir. This is when you have the true Dantien. Although we usually refer to the area at all three stages of development as the Dantien.

It sounds to me like your Qi is rising - meaning you haven’t managed to sink Qi yet. Unfortunately in these arts ‘feeling stuff’ is not necessarily a good sign - it’s a lot more complicated than that. I mean it’s good that you’ve managed to mobilise Qi - but you’ve jumped ahead before building the foundation. Learning to sink your Qi should be the foundation of your practice - after which you should be consolidating your Dantien - otherwise ‘you’re just heating the room’ as one of my old teachers would say... and you’re burning up essence to do that. Go back to the wuji posture of your particular style and learn to sink your Qi, otherwise you’re heading for more serious errors down the line.

If we thought covid-19 dominated the first half of the year with its 20,000 new cases a day in the US, Consider that the second half of the year is starting off approaching 50,000 new cases a day. I went out and got me a good supply of vitamin d from Helios, And I'm noticing good effects from my steady consumption of aloe vera juice. I woke up this morning feeling like a new man.

If that is how you are seeing things, consider that you are missing something. The lecture on how listening (ting) to the body while doing the mobility work causes the connective tissue to engage might seem pedestrian, but it was a total game changer for me after years of physical practice with body awareness being done from up in the head. I now apply this principle to all my physical training and it makes a huge difference. The practice of quiet sitting probably sounds like it doesn't do anything, but consider if you can't do it that will hinder your progress later. You can also start the Taiji Module - even if you are not interested in martial arts I would recommend the first month or two because the exercises are incredible for learning how to sung properly - neigong training focuses more on ting and Taiji training more on sung, so they synergize with each other. If that still doesn't seem like enough material you can get a head start on neigong standing by watching the Foundations of Qigong program, or if you want a head start on working with the 5 elements and the channels you can start the Heavenly Streams program. You get out what you put in.

My recent postings at TDB are initialized by a contact from Creighton to me ~ whilst I am on sabbatical. I am returning to my work again very soon ~ this time on something linked to COVID-19 as an ADVERSITY. I really look forward to the work waiting for me as I am a researcher on errors, failures and mistakes ~ as adversities. Nice to have caught up with some of you. Not good-bye but till some time soon. Please keep very safe and well ~ with positive energy. - Anand

As you know, this is also essentially my view and practice - dzogchen. And yet I think it is extremely important to recognize and acknowledge that this approach simply doesn't work for everyone. In fact, it works for a very small number of individuals based on their karma. Others may never get this view throughout their lifetime. One of the reasons that dzogchen has traditionally been highly secretive is someone not karmically connected to this view and teaching can find it confusing, frustrating, even harmful. They may denigrate the teaching or it may lead to reckless behavior, or loss of confidence in the dharma. I've seen that happen. In the history of Buddhism there are countless criticisms and arguments against the dzogchen view by highly accomplished masters, it's not just a matter of laypeople "not getting it." It is a precious and priceless teaching but just sharing it with people is no assurance they will "get it." So I say all this because while some are extremely fortunate to have connected with this view, there needs to be a degree of sensitivity that many people will not connect, maybe never. When they do not connect, those continuing to espouse this view can come across as arrogant or demeaning. It can be frustrating and painful to listen to others proclaim how simple and effortless it all is when to any given individual, it may not feel at all simple or effortless. We see that here from time to time. For this reason in both Buddhism and Bon there are many other paths - sutra, tantra, all the causal paths of Bon; all of which are there to allow those who cannot connect to the simple path to find a way forward, a way out of confusion and suffering. I post this not to be critical but to be supportive of those who may be interested in this type of view but not be able to connect with it yet. Not being able to connect with this, or any other, view does not mean the view is not correct; nor does it mean that we are lesser practitioners or mistaken. It simply means the view is not correct for ME at this moment in my life due to the complex interaction of causes and conditions that are my karma. I can, and hopefully will, remain open to the possibility that I may "get it" at some point in the future but I may need to go through other things before that occurs - life experiences, practices, receiving of blessings, etc... I think that's a valuable way to approach anything we don't understand - remain open and it may become more clear at some point in the future. This is far better, IMO, than shutting it out and labeling it "wrong." I feel that this is important to mention during any public discussion of the "absolute view." I'm posting simply as a member, not as a moderator.

The new mod team has been active for barely a few days after an extremely long period of total neglect. Most of their time has been spent dealing with spamming and crude attacks, while trying to get familiar with the software, the change in relationship to our peers, the skills needed to try and moderator this board, etc... It’s telling to see the near instantaneous pushback and criticism from some members, and disappointing. It will take a little time for things to stabilize, for the new mods to get the hang of the position, and the old mods to readjust. Some here seem to expect overnight transformation. That’s not going to happen. People here will need to have a little patience, maybe even work with us to try to make the transition a little easier for everyone concerned. It’s not surprising that we are seeing some reactivity and tension and if it’s too much to handle, taking a break is healthy. Peace

Apologies for not responding the first time, I meant to and forgot. The term, in this context, refers to water-based nourishing fluids that are thicker and denser than water, jelly-like, viscous, able to congeal to varying extents at various (especially lower) temperatures -- these are "slow yin" and the body can hold on to them better, having enough time to extract both the moisture and the nutrients for various organs rather than let them "run like water" through the system, in and out. That's why they counteract many syndromes of deficient fluids the body can be prone to under various conditions much better than just water. The cue is the texture, many substances have properties of slow yin and all traditional cultures are very partial to those. The most common would be bone broths, congee, "grass tea" (made with herbs that make it somewhat, or considerably, gelatinous), in Japan it might be konnyaku jelly, the South American version would be various drinks made with chia seeds, in my childhood in Russia it was "kissel," a slow-flowing semi-clear drink of some kind of berries (the most popular was cranberry) thickened with potato starch, in herbal medicine there's many decoctions that are used to make thick-ish decoctions that help with many conditions associated with inflammation, especially "Toxic Fire" or "Dryness" conditions -- Job's tears, linden flowers, parsley (if you make a strong decoctions you will see that it congeals somewhat in the fridge) and a whole bunch of others. There's also foods that are thought of as capable of producing this kind of fluids in the body -- collagen in its various manifestations (primarily bone broths, thick fish soups, assorted jellies), seaweed, rice (especially glutinous rice), some mushrooms, okra, some kinds of yam (notably nagaimo, a Japanese vegetable available at Asian stores), and so on. Salmon roe and, for those who can afford it, caviar (I wish... its medicinal slow yin properties are endless.) For practical purposes, you can choose whichever of these you like, do your best to make them staple foods/drinks in your diet and try to consume them as often as you can. (If you go for chia seed drinks, you need to make sure you don't skimp on water or else they would absorb it from the body and do the opposite of what you're after). They don't "work" immediately, they are "slow" -- slow but sure. I would avoid sugary jellies (except when a bit of sugar is indicated medicinally, e.g. with a cough, but the amount ought to be small), the rest is up to your preferences. My first choice is bone broth or oxtail soup, my second choice is congee (when I'm not avoiding carbs, which I sometimes do), homemade jellies with either gelatin or agar-agar, and occasional herbal drinks of this nature.

Create a new pit...

I was never a moderator during Trump's political years, I don't know what you're referring to. I am weighing in because of the ugliness that comes from this thread. It's also why I haven't been involved.

I also don't think this thread is all that bad. I have seen some threads here devolve to the point that locking was necessary and effective. I sort of miss the Pit. Pitting threads was an effective and non-intrusive way of keeping the shit out of the general discussion.

Classical Chinese medicine does not engage in genetic manipulations and modifications. It addresses the human body, mind, and spirit, and is appropriate to use on any member of the species.

Thank you for presenting this, and I agree. Once permissions are sorted, and the back log of new ppd requests are handled, this can be added to the to do list.

Shiro Kasamatsu, "Rain at Shinobazu Pond" (1938)

First of all, you misunderstand my intentions. I strongly believe that everyone is free to do anything one wishes - as long as your actions don't harm another. You certainly don't need a guru. But it's also true that lots of semen is not the real motivation for you. (There are plenty of ways to get as much semen as you could handle, I'm sure )... Your retention practice is clearly a means to an end - a tool you're using to achieve something more than just being full of semen. Maybe you're looking for some sort of self-optimization... some kind of power, strength or vitality... maybe you have some spiritual aims... But what I told you above was to show you that the path you're on is a well-trodden one. The symptoms you shared are a confirmation of that. For example, the topic of this post is a clear indication of a phenomenon of 'delusion of reference'... This is a very common symptom of a somewhat serious qi deviation... The other symptoms and problems I wrote about are what other people have experienced as they've carried on down a similar path as you. These symptoms are common enough to be named. Here is an example from a past member of this forum (you can read about the classical symptoms of deviation in the post above the one I linked to) Will all of that happen to you? I'm not sure. But it's relatively common. And it would be unkind of me to see you heading in that direction and not at least mention what's potentially around the corner for you (especially as you asked me directly about one of your symptoms). The reason I mentioned about finding an appropriate system or teacher to follow is because you're not just looking to have a sack full of semen - but that you're aiming for something more than that... And in fact, you do already have a guru... that guru is your own mind, it's the information you've consumed and ideas you've formed. But when you're trying to get somewhere difficult - and the terrain is treacherous - you need a guide that has walked that path before... not one that's just thought lots about it and read some Reddit threads. What you do with the information I'm sharing is completely up to you. And whatever direction you take, I wish you the best of luck with your endeavours

El Greco is special in my book because his paintings are among the few phenomena in the world of art that kick-start synesthesia in me -- I can "hear" them. Hard to describe how a visual image can cause one to hear a sound, but that's exactly what El Greco does for me. It's not imagination. I remember visiting a museum and, just wandering around gaping at this and that, suddenly hearing a subtle but unmistakable roar in my ears -- from two rooms away lined up in an enfilade, emanating from a small painting at the end of the second one. I couldn't even see what was painted on it! It pulled me like a magnet and I almost ran across two rooms, the roar in my ears getting louder. When I approached it, turned out it was "presumed to be by an artist of El Greco school," it wasn't signed. Ha! Experts! I could tell them it was definitely an El Greco! I didn't know the word qi back then -- but even if I did, telling the experts that the qi of his paintings resonates with mine in such a way that I can't possibly mistake his brush for anyone else's wouldn't convince them.

Something I wrote many years ago: Closeness In stillness I sit refining emptiness I have no face I'm empty passivity The breath comes and goes Sometimes she comes and sits with me An occasional visitor My ephemeral friend, just watching She comes and goes at will Time and space don't restrain her She expresses no judgement One day she enters silently Like putting on her clothes She steps into my body She feels her way through Legs, hips, genitals, voice, consciousness Her energies throughout mine She embodies herself She flexes a little What does she feel? She expresses no judgement She changes me reveals the female from the inside With me, always there, day and night My whole being revealed My body shared No she's not a goddess Just a friend who knows How to travel outside her body Then spirit guides spoke And said she cannot stay She must leave to find herself The same for me, not easy I asked why she seems so sad They said she's a long way from home She comes from another realm Here on earth her path different from mine We cannot help each other more Her presence fades I feel a gentle longing I hope she gained as much as me In the days we walked around feeling complete, in bliss, like lovers we showed each other everything

You need to take yourself much less seriously. You are not the center of the universe and your sexual habits are not causing the world to fall in turmoil. If you see suffering in the world and feel compassionate about it, then volunteer to help. Soup kitchens and charities need people like yourself.

Wearing metal during practice is not ideal - it will distort your energy field to some extent. I can feel this effect when activating my Qi when I'm 'out and about' in society and wearing jeans. I can feel my belt buckle, even the rivets in the jeans particularly strongly... bracelets, rings, watches - anything near the hands and the dantien tend to distort my Qi field. Generally not an issue outside of pratice time. Although at a certain early stage when my Qi was a lot 'wilder' and less consolidated and dense, any metal around me would distort the flow of Qi. Gold is said to store transmission more effectively than most other materials. That's why there are so many gold Buddha statues around. There are other interesting correspondences within Daoism in regards to metals and minerals - but I don't have those notes to hand I'm afraid.

You know what, I need to cool down. I am acting like a jerk. I apologize to you moment.

You can get a full overview of the system from his books - cheapest way to go if cheapness is of primary concern.

There's a camp? Where's the camp? Did they bring water?

I appreciate your comments. I'm no longer stressed by moderating here. I was the first time around. I just don't take these chats and anonymous opinions that seriously anymore. I will continue to have and share my personal opinions. I will do my best to be impartial and not use my authority (such as it is) to impose my personal preferences on the membership. I also acknowledge that while I may not take certain discussions that seriously, others do and I will be sensitive to that. Finally, I'll try to be careful to point out when I'm sharing personal opinion vs acting as a mod.

These Soviet Star Wars posters are cooler than the actual movies.

Even if the individual you are engaging in discussion with had no understanding of genetics or diversity, they would be welcome to share their views here. Please refrain from making the issue personal, and focus any disagreement you may have on the subject, and not the person.

' William Blake, The Fall of Satan '