Leaderboard

I think I might have joined this group years ago, but I might have just looked at it. Anyway, I saw someone mention it today and I thought I might look at it again. One of my practices is "cloudwalking". This is a practice where a Daoist initiate leaves his home temple and wanders around investigating and studying other Temples, teachers, and, traditions---both in and outside of Daoism. So I thought I'd cloudwalk over to the Dao bums again. I've been consciously practicing daoism for about 40 years. Before that, I got introduced into "spiritual stuff" by a guy without a label that I met in a bar and who gave me a rapid initiation into mystical practices. Later on, misters Moy and Moi at the Fung Loy Kok Temple in Toronto initiated me into their lineage before I really understood what I was getting into. I left that group a couple years later, but the initiation "stuck" and I've been hooked on the specifically Daoist tradition ever since---even though through cloudwalking I've studied with Unitarians, various flavours of Buddhism, Jesuits, a Catholic hermit, and, a Benedictine nun, and quite a few others. I've pursued lots of different practices besides cloudwalking. That included sitting and forgetting, ritual practice, chanting, etc. Right now most of my practice involves taijiquan (I do open hand, sword, sabre, and, spear forms---not very well) and "holding onto the One" . I also have a Masters in Philosophy from a Canadian comprehensive university and try to amalgamate Daoism with Western understanding---including science and rational analysis. I've also spent a lot of my life involved in environmental activism and Green politics. I currently write a news blog for my local community and have published a couple books. One is on Environmentalism informed by my spiritual worldview: Walking the Talk: Engaging the Public to Build a Sustainable World. The other is about how an ordinary person can live a life in the modern world informed by the teachings of Daoism: Digging Your Own Well: Daoism as a Practical Philosophy. I'm currently retired and live in a small city in Ontario, Canada.

Of course, we live in the age of the global triumph of black magicians and occult forces, whose servants have been implanted on every earthly throne. Few shamans remain, after millennia of massacres, who are still trying to resist the diabolical tide against overwhelming odds. The occultists don't take them lightly though. It took road blocks and 40 armed members of the special forces to surround and kidnap the Siberian shaman Alexander Gabyshev who was walking from Buryatia, Siberia, toward Moscow, covering 1,7000 miles on foot so far, with the goal of performing a ritual to banish Putin from the Kremlin. Here's a bit in English on the event that took place on September 19th, as presented by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/19/siberian-shaman-arrested-on-trek-to-exorcise-vladimir-putin

I . One of my first public readings at the market ( I had done them before , but the first at this market , in the area where I still reside-) I did it for years and I stopped years back ) . The weird guy that had been camped in our orchid sees me and the cards ; ' Do read cards , I'll have a go . " Oh dear ! Okay, do you have a question ? < thinks ... then in serious confidence > 'When I see dogs , ya know, walking around and stuff , I want to have sex with them. Its kinda weird, I know, but I think, right then, I want to have sex with them . " " In public ? " " Yeah, right then, on the spot, there . " "Okey dokey < lays out some cards > " ... the cards are telling me you should urgently seek professional help. It seems a psychological problem, I'd say, see a psychologist, go to the general doctor and tell him what you told me and ask him for a referral ." II . 'Dan' , the dickhead ( and later revealed ' kiddy fiddler' ) is a super cool new age guy and peeps adore him (but not me, I can tell instinctively he is an arsehole ) . All of a sudden one Saturday at the markets I have got no readings, not even any regulars , whatever . I go for a stroll and here is Dan the Dickhead with a set up little tarot table doing readings , he has make up on, is touting himself as a 'magician', has a homemade cape on and a very tall pointed hat with moons and stars on it and a huge glitter plastic wand thingo that he is prancing around with. And there is a fucking line up of people waiting for a reading . After that I had virtually no clients for weeks , a regular returned and said they felt uneasy about tarot now. I asked why and , yep, they went to Dan for a reading and according to them 'Said the weirdest shit ' . I asked them what it was and effen hell, - psycho . But the thing is , he 'looked' good ( to them ) [ One of the most dangerous things for the normal on the path of magic is ( also relationships, and many things in life ) ; glamour ... glamour (countable and uncountable, plural glamours) (countable) An item, motif, person, image that by association improves appearance. Witchcraft; magic charm; a spell affecting the eye, making objects appear different from what they really are. quotations ▼ A kind of haze in the air, causing things to appear different from what they really are. (Can we add an example for this sense?) Any artificial interest in, or association with, an object, or person, through which it or they appear delusively magnified or glorified. (uncountable) Alluring beauty or charm (often with sex appeal). ] III . One time, its busy I look up and people are lined up . So I disperse them ( for privacy of current reading ) and tell them to come back later and allocate times . I tell the first couple to come back in an hour, but they look confused . They come back and I ask if they want a reading together or separate , they look confused again and go for separate. They have similar cards and dynamics in their readings but one asked 'Why would we want a reading together' " Some couples want that, some dont . " I responded . " But we aren't a couple ! I was just standing behind him on the line . " ' Oh ! Oooops . " - well, I dont know why but they did seem like a couple, then there was the similar readings, but I had not told them that, individual readings are private . Then later I saw them talking . A few days later having coffee. Hmmmm . The come back at a latter market ( apart ) and I asked " Are you sure you are not a couple ? " No, they where just talking about how I mistook them for a couple . Hmmm .... then they are both getting 'interesting readings' ... and I am seeing them more together . After a while, she is obviously pregnant ... now they have a baby together They had stopped coming for readings some time before that . Then as time goes on I see 'tarot baby' growing up . - big person now . Tarot baby is an adult now ...... cant help wondering ; if I had never made that 'mistake ' that day ...... ? - or maybe we have little choice in such matters ? and just for fun IV . many cards and positions indicate fertility and this one comes up for 'immediate future' and I am compelled to say " Dont get pregnant ." Well, I received a tirade back ; how stupid, what a thing to say, I would not be that stupid, I dont even have sex, etc etc . Then she gets pregnant and the the word is out (wait for it ) " Dont get a tarot reading off him, you'll get pregnant ! " - Now thats a rumour that could be interpreted in MORE THAN ONE WAY ! Outside ; Inside :

There's a fellow that lives close by whose name is Kevin Millis. He and Glen Morris get together often, I believe Glen is Kevin's student, or was at one time. I met Kevin and his wife through walking the dogs. They invited me into the house, and at one point Kevin started showing me some Bujinkan Ninja movement. We had no discussion prior to that about the DDJ, Buddhism, Daoism, or anything. But when Kevin started moving, it was the DDJ personified! And I recognized it immediately. I asked Kevin "Are you familiar with the Daodejing?" And he replied, oh yes - it's the basis for martial arts movement. I didn't know that at the time. All I knew is that Kevin demonstrated an economy of movement that was incredible - and every single principle of the DDJ seemed to be exposed underneath. And sure enough, it was.

I was reading his book 'Tibetan book of living and dying' not too long ago, and I found it actually quite helpful. So it was pretty shocking to read some of the stories from his former students. I felt pretty disgusted with him. Strangely enough, when he died, I kept having an image of him in my mind's eye. Part of me felt like he should suffer for undermining the dharma and harming students. Then I read somewhere that Garchen Rinpoche was advising students to recite a particular sutra on his behalf (I forget which one), so he might have a good rebirth. It occured to me that this was done precisely because whatever is waiting for him on the other side was terribly sad for a man who - for all of his flaws - strived toward Buddhahood throughout his life. One day, as I finished my recitation of the Mani I decided that instead of dedicating merits to all beings, I would dedicate the merits for this one day to him, so that he might have a more fortunate rebirth. I don't pretend to believe that it might have been enough to help him, but after I did so, his image in my mind's eye dissolved in light, and hasn't reappeared again. Think his passing is a lesson for all Buddhists to overcome the 'cancel culture' mentality, whereby a person becomes unforgiveable, and practice the true Buddhist teaching of well-wishing to all sentient beings.

Phoenix3 quoted a post of mine from before (see above) where I touched upon that a bit. I might add that I don't see eating some fruit as a problem for most people -- of course those who do need to watch their sugar, weight, or yeast infestation problems more closely, or those who need to go way stricter with their "zerocarb" eating, might not qualify as fruit eaters with impunity. E.g. Mikhalia Peterson, whose lectures and interviews are on youtube and IMO worth giving a listen to (regardless of what one thinks of her dad's politics -- incidentally she got him to follow the same zerocarb protocol, and then her mom.) She had severe autoimmune problems since early childhood, got juvenile arthritis while at it and had two of her joints, hip and ankle, replaced because of that by age 17 -- the list goes on and on -- she fixed all of her health issues (dozens, each of them by itself enough to make it a losing bet that she would see her 25th birthday) with zerocarb, got super healthy, got married, had a child, founded two companies, yada yada. She's one of the people who are better off not taking any chances. https://www.youtube.com/user/mikhailapeterson1 But for most, I don't think it's necessary to exclude fruit. When one keeps one's carb intake low though, it becomes quite obvious to the senses how excessively sweet and "flat" modern fruit is. More often than not a lot of it tastes like sugar water to me. Whereas the real thing... but don't let me get myself into another food-nostalgic diatribe. So, if you can seek out what is not overly sweet, not overly sprayed, and not ripened by gassing (like bananas), I don't think it's a big issue. Fruit trees are sprayed extremely aggressively. Do you ever see wormholes in any fruit where you live? Here, I never do... whereas in any non-factory-farm-style garden it's a seal of approval for anything real and good -- worms understand about nutritious and delicious and safe to eat... I used to always check for the wormhole and at least half the time it was there for me to cut out -- easy peasy. I don't think I've seen one in years and years. And so what is labeled "organic" is probably also... but don't let me digress again. I think we did eat some plant food even when the oceans were frozen to the bottom and the surface of the earth covered with ice 3 kilometers thick (which is to say, for most of our developmental history as a species). I judge by the fact that in the tundra, they do get a handful of very sour, very frost-resistant berries and incorporate them, in small amounts, in the diet to this day. Wild cranberry, not the commercial variety, is very small, very bright red, thin skin, juicy inside, and sour to the unimaginable extent. I believe it may have served to tenderize meat, the way we use some acidic media for the carne asada or shish kabob today. Of the other frost-tolerant berries, I only had a few -- who knows, there may have been more in prehistory. I had cloudberry as a sour fermented drink, could be made alcoholic too. Lingonberry, native to the Arctic, also small, on the sour side, but I just had it as a preserve with sugar so don't know what fresh is like. Honeysuckle (not the flower, a variety of berries in Siberia), sea buckhorn. None of these could be a staple food, of course, but our ancestors are likely to have eaten some. They are all very, very low in sugar in their natural state.

"Taoist" is something you become if you do what taoists do. If you are initiated and do what taoists do, you are a taoist. If you are initiated but don't do what taoists do, you are not a taoist. If you are not initiated and do what taoists do, you are maybe a taoist. If you are not initiated and don't do what taoists do, you are most definitely not a taoist. What do taoists do? There's a number of ways to go about it. E.g.: First, they do what their teacher tells them to do. Later, they do what they tell their disciples to do. Only much better. Or: First, they learn a procedure, an art, a practice, and do that. They don't compete but they shoot for perfection for its own sake in whatever they do -- how else can they embody tao? Next, they find they've been transformed by that practice so that now they embody tao and don't have to do shit. Or: You're born that way. Masters and teachers come to you in your sleep and transmit the tao directly. You wake up and hey presto, you are Neo and you announce, to everybody's surprise and your own, "I know kung fu." And project your chi right through the wall and then have to turn some lead into gold to pay for the repairs. Or... Bottom line is, taoists do stuff. Don't believe them when they tell you that they do nothing, want nothing, and are at peace with everything. They may or may not be all these things, but it matters little. What matters is, they do things. Weird things.

Occultism is way older, not particularly Western in its origins, and, like shamanism (which is much older), almost universal -- but at a different stage of our history. Shamanism ends with the city-state phase of social innovation, as tribal and nomadic life gets gradually or abruptly, and in most cases thoroughly and irreversibly, replaced by the agricultural Sun-King empires. From there the sun of occultism rises, heralding the dawn of modern history. From there it unfolds its "tales of power." Shamanism is not concerned with power for the sake of power -- whether for an individual as occultism does with its king, priest, sorcerer, or a group whose interests coincide on the goal of a power grab explicitly toward, or else invariably leading to, its abuse. In fact, these are the two consecutive main currents through our history: the natural human collective, i.e. a tribe, versus an individual (or an individual heading a group of minions toward the same power-grabbing goals) climbing on top of the natural human collective and reshaping, intermixing or dissolving, demolishing or abolishing, converting by force or by cunning, this natural group into something else: slaves. Sheeple. With the shepherd on top. This is the core difference between shamanism and occultism -- despite a bunch of similarities between them and despite a bunch of widely dissimilar practices and methods within each. Siberian shamanism and African shamanism, on the surface, are quite different, and by the same token occult Voodoo sorcery and occult Jesuit secret societies may seem very dissimilar. Yet at the core of the first two is the shaman as the intermediary between the tribe and the spirit world, serving the tribe -- in the second two cases, the sorcerer, priest, General serving themselves and their own power-amassing goals. I have this in my notes, from an article I liked and lost: (to be continued when time allows )

Neither a moratorium nor a private dedicated area are gonna happen, for reasons already mentioned. So we can just put those ideas aside for now. A FAQ is not a fix, but I think it's hard to argue that it would not help? Isn't this a third best option? Houses concise responses to all common questions/criticisms in your own voice in a single location Locked so no worry that it will turn into hundreds of pages Helps other members make up their mind, regardless of any past trolling and misinformation Saves your labor of combing topics and responding to every perceived inaccuracy Assuages a primary frustration/criticism, that you're being disingenuous about why you never respond to anything I think not wanting to do a FAQ kinda hurts your stated case. Active or passive, what's the material difference? You are here on the forum and you are recruiting. Sean

As a gay man, I´d much rather date the guy from 1947. Why do you think we like old movies? At the same time, I think I see what Sean finds offensive in the meme and feel the same way. So I guess you could say I both (not-so-secretly) agree with the sentiment of the meme and find it offputting at the same time. Life´s complicated. So is humor. Most things wouldn´t be funny if there wasn´t at least an eensy-beensy potential to offend. I think both Apech and Sean have the best of intentions here. That´s not very funny but it´s true.

I'm similar in the sense that I don't use the ignore button when I can just skip over something when I want. Here is my perspective on the MP history here. It was amicable enough at the start with interesting conversations on the system, levels and western experiences of a few who studied directly under Chang. Its an intriguing system with surprising results (Chang is at some level around 40 out of 72?). The western students who could study directly under Chang seemed to have gotten as far as L3 (?), but seems not without some misunderstandings themselves despite the direct training. And some of those teachings 'leaked' to others in the west (aka: secret teachings were taught to outsiders). Some 'outsiders' to the secret lineage system were then practicing those levels and discussing them here. Along came Indonesian practitioners who joined the Bums to say that there is no such thing as "Western Mo Pai" (WMP) and it is an indigenous system that must be practiced directly with the lineage to claim to be Mo Pai. They asked if folks here couldn't refrain from claiming Mo Pai practice when they were already not following the tradition of direct participation with the lineage system to get proper training. This started about 8 years ago. WMP mentioning practices they claimed they were not allowed to share (not sure why because they were not under any secret oath to the official lineage nor any official master of the practice)... and the Indonesian students would come back over the years when the WMP commented, and would ask them to stop claiming to be a part of the lineage system. Over this course, several on the Bums felt there was a kind of spamming, elitist sense of WMP who claimed everyone else's practices were stupid (other colorful words used as well) and meaningless and only their's was a path of true demonstrated power... which over 8 years they would repeat and refuse any explanation, demonstration, or talk on their actual practice. They would repeat the attacks, victim sense, and inability to get the forum to ban all talk on MP... which mostly they were doing with a kind of hijacking way of posting. Here was the problem as I saw it, over the years. I've never been inclined to ban a particular discussion of a system. I just replace that system with another and would I ban it? No. Then I would not ban the first one. Folks come here and ask a question like, "What is this Mo Pai system I hear about on the internet"... Some discussion may start with folks here but the WMP suddenly show up singularly or in numbers and start to dismember any discussion on it. Its a weird vulture like stance that anyone is simply watching the board for a topic to then come swoop down and interject 8 years of the same repetitive, somewhat programmed, comments. It did very much become an 'us' (WMP) vs the rest of the world; but also an 'us' (Bums) vs the WMP. And it was dubbed, The MP Wars ... because of the similarities to the previous fights with the Buddhist elitist topics (Buddhist Wars). Maybe the Bums like a good war. There was the Lomax Wars too, let's not forget. And also, Jeff Light Wars if we wanted to be fair about how the 'us' vs 'others' seems to recycle itself here. I would hope this previous part would put in perspective there is something much bigger than MP Wars but if one were to look at each War, they would see a vast different in the 'fight method'. Those who had a very strong practice and ability to back it up were never on the attack (Lomax and Light), while those who couldn't were usually more aggressive (or passive aggressive, Buddhist and MP) in putting other systems down. It seems a funny choice to say: Should the topic be banned or the members be banned? I've followed the idea that any topic is allowed till it crosses the rules... very few topics have been banned but we're talking like serious and sick topics (child pornography or pizza-gate). To ban discussion on an energetic system and put it in the category of serious and sick topics always seemed odd to me. So I've let discussion occur and just view member participate as following the rules or not. I don't have a horse in this. If the rules changed on banning such topics, so be it. I'll not lose any sleep, not claim any relief, not need to worry the outcome. It would have no influence on me today or tomorrow. But I do see there are some where there is great anticipation for some outcome that will rescue their own anxiety over the issue. And I thought 'practice makes perfect' Peace.

Hey Bums Recently I've been thinking about the power of spiritual affinity, and its real-life effects. Let me begin by showcasing what I mean by "effects". It is said that Saint Francis developed stigmata in his hands and feet because he was so connected to the image of Jesus on the cross that his physical body was imprinted with the information. It is also said that one famous counterfeit painter that had a deep affinity with DaVinci re-created his paintings and they were almost as good as the originals, at least to the untrained eye. When he was caught and asked how he could do work so exquisite and precise, he just said he imagined he was the Master Painter when he was drawing them. He was mostly uneducated and didn't have access to advanced tools, but he was sincere when he pretended to be DaVinci. And his sincerity somehow led to perfect forgeries. These two examples are for inspiration, so please don't take them at face value, although these stories have been passed down. But they illustrate the point I'm trying to make - namely, the power of "spiritual affinity" between two people. A less fantastical example would be someone I know that sincerely connected to her Master, and then found herself waking up at 3:30 am in the morning for no reason. She only knew later that this was the time that the Master used to rise. Anyways, I could go and on. But it might be more helpful for you to gain a feel for this. So let's do a small exercise. Think of all the Masters and people that are very close to you in your life. And then think about the times were you caught yourself speaking like them, imitating them, or behaving like them. You might be surprised. You might say you respect such and such, yet you never caught yourself acting like them. But every time you read a certain author, maybe a scholar or a columnist you enjoy, you might notice that their energy carries into your day-to-day and you might use the same words or style of writing as them later in the day. This is what I mean by spiritual resonance. In other words, effortless transmission of energy between two actors that are somehow closely linked, yet could be miles or times apart. I still can't pin-point what this is, maybe it's karma related I don't know. But it seems people have it or they don't. And what I know is that it opens a huge door for spiritual development if the person you have affinity with is achieved spiritually. Personally the person I resonate with most is someone I met around when I first joined DaoBums and who guided me briefly. It's not an intellectual conclusion, weighing all the qualities of that person and then making an informed decision. No nothing shallow like that. It's just an objective observation. I notice that when I connect to this person even briefly, I find I speak like him, I write like him, I think like him, I organize my day like him, even without knowing what his day looks like. Basically, these things are "taught" or revealed to me by the energy, which has a life of its own. I easily learn new things from it. Somehow the door for transmission is completely open, like for that fellow that was learning from DaVinci as he was counterfeiting the paintings. Anyways, sorry to get "new agey" with this observation, but I thought I would share as it may have some value for you. Think about all the people that you resonate with in your life, and see how much of them are in you, or "are you". This might be the path you need to focus on, even if your intellect is reluctant. And maybe the spiritual game is not only a matter of choosing the most powerful Master like Buddha or Jesus or Medicine Buddha, but finding the one you resonate with most. And being sincere to that Master like the DaVinci painter, who also evidently admired him. These things usually go hand in hand. Anyways, I'm rambling. Do any of you guys resonate with certain people or have any stories to share ? Thanks, Seb

You might be the first Bum in history to state that Taomeow hasn´t "done enough research" on any subject. Just sayin´.

May I suggest an eye-opening book.

I think you could try to plan your food budget around what you can afford toward some more options, and I would favor (if you have access to it) some inexpensive fish over cheese as a staple. Of course "inexpensive fish" is another item to hunt down. Where do you shop? Trader Joe's has inexpensive frozen fish, and for fresh, I'd try to discover an Asian supermarket if they exist in your area, they typically have a large choice. Cheese I don't find particularly economical if it's good -- in fact, really good is quite unreasonably expensive, and really cheap may have stuff on the label you don't want in your body. Also, you don't need huge portions of meat if you keep your saturated fat intake high (a prerequisite for success with low carb diets, otherwise you will be hungry and craving carbs). And don't overlook organ meats if you can find them. Chicken livers are very cheap, e.g., and could be a nice addition to your food plan. Bones for broth -- a bone broth goes a long way. And I make real Native American pemmican out of the marrow. And then add it to my eggs. It is a pain to prepare but then it lasts forever.

Killing plants is totally cool, we get to kill things and have a mental separation of higher and lower life forms. Who does god love most a plant, an animal, a baby or a baptized baby? This was an illustration from bible school when I was a kid. The correct answer IMO is that the question is wrong in sooo many of ways.

May I suggest a self-education course. https://www.reddit.com/r/zerocarb/ I don't eat like that though, and didn't say I did. I might experiment with it someday, or not. I'm pretty satisfied with a close-to-paleo but not always strict regimen of my own, the outcome of a lifetime of explorations and a whole bookcase dedicated to the subject of nutrition, from various epochs and continents. My current thing is, and has been for years, high fat, moderate protein, low carbs, and mostly no grains, no legumes and no starchy vegetables. Absolutely no junk food, unless you count an occasional Haagen-Dazs butter pecan ice cream. I do eat fruits (avoiding the sweetest among them) and berries, non-starchy veggies (often fermented -- kimchi, raw sauerkraut, homemade pickles), and put a spoonful of sugar in my coffee. I don't avoid alcohol either, nor tea, nor an occasional bit of chocolate. This is sort of average for me, it can go to either extreme from there and occasionally does -- to very strict when I'm in the position and in the mood to do thorough planning (if you're going to do strict paleo, you can't just grab "whatever" at the store, you have to plan the hunt and the gathering and the storage, and then hunt and gather and store -- and cook like a machine!!) -- or to very lax (e.g. when traveling, eating out, going to a party, and then typically dealing with the aftermath of being dragged after the wagon for a while after having fallen off it. )

Jing is not sexual energy a major modern mistake such as Chia teachings used as a marketing plan that sex sells. Sex is a neutral form of energetic exchange. energy is spirit in motion. sex is spiritual because sex is neutral, it can become a vehicle for what you value. Sexual energy can be cultivated and directed to energize your manifesting power, stoke, your ultimate creative potential. Sexuality is a bridge to the Divine. Dare to awaken it's potential to heal, restore, and guide you on your path. All things in moderation balance and harmony. Having a good relationship with sex by not denying or encouraging sex or playing with ones self and allow things to be natural will keep energy from stagnating and to not become an obstacle on ones path.

I would agree on the basis of creating a precedent... any group can come in here and demand a private area and THEY be moderators of practice they have no official position in, and were told by indigenous practitioners to stop talking it here. So who do we listen to, the original indigenous practitioners or those who claim the need to run around the internet to defend themelves? IMO, neither. We let folks come and talk and ask questions they want on life, practice, spirituality, etc. Folks just need to follow the rules. It would seem better for folks to be true to their practice and own up to their own actions. As to precedent: We had a similar problem once. A thread became incredibly overrun by folks coming in and want to hijack and trash a thread and the practice it was about. It was moved to a PPD. Natural and common step. That member naturally became moderator. Nothing special done. Use the forum as it is intended. Of course there is room for something new and different but I personally do not see it here. But I'm happy to go along with the decisions.

I thought I'd create this thread to post stories about some of the odd people I encounter in the tarot community. Perhaps it's time I share some stories. I. Let me begin with a lad who we can already understand the kind of person he is when his business card is The Emperor from Rider-Waite. He goes on to publicly state everywhere that nobody can read tarot properly and he is out to certify them because his an authority. He is also someone who claims to practice black magic and punishes his enemies--meaning anyone who doesn't agree with him, and he is married to a Reiki "master" who teaches yoga. II. Another person whom I met started charing people about $25 USD for tarot readings, and I asked how long he had been reading. He and his girlfriend said "two months" and I asked how long ago did they begin learning, and they said "two months ago" and I said how did they decide to read for others and have such authority, and they said "Oh, we felt we were at the right phase after using an app for two months". Their preferred tarot deck is "Welcome to Nightvale" and that the intent of the tarot reader is all that is important, not the deck. III. The last guy I met was unemployed and gave free readings with his young friend for each other, asking the same question every day again and again about love. Literally. Ten variations of the same question, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. And they asked me why I didn't ask questions for tarot often, because I do readings maybe once every few weeks and use specific decks for certain kinds of questions. They didn't seem to understand why the expected outcome from their readings didn't manifest, and I asked them if they did anything about it, to which they told me no, they were waiting to be told what to do.

Aha , I see . In my case , I was fortunate enough to get involved with an ' anarchistic ' western 'mystery school' (not that it ever made it immune to claims that it was the opposite ) . I recently posted this elsewhere here ; LET IT BE KNOWN that there exists, unknown to the great crowd, a very ancient Order of sages, whose object is the amelioration and spiritual evolution of mankind by means of conquering error and aiding men and women in their efforts of attaining the power of recognising the truth. This Order has existed already in the most remote times and it has manifested its activity secretly and openly in the world under different names and in various forms: it has caused social and political revolutions and proved to be the rock of salvation in times of danger and misfortune. It has always upheld the banner of freedom against tyranny in whatever shape this appeared, whether as clerical or political or social despotism or oppression of any kind. Regarding the 'opposition to Shamanism' , I have observed this in some cases , one noticeably from the Golden Dawn in their book, the section on attribution of Tarot to the sphere of the earth ... everything is attributed to the northern hemisphere, the south is relatively blank , a reason is give ; due to its lack of spirituality and knowledge . Errrrmmmm , to a person who is actively studying and practising a shamanic tradition from one of the oldest cultures on the planet ( whose system enabled them to live and survive for over 50.000 years , regardless of floods, droughts, climate change and a massive ocean level rise ) , I find those Golden dawn comments rather ...... up their own arse !

I'm intrigued by this proposed occultist vs shaman opposition as well. Might make sense to loosely define the terms, but I'm understanding occultism to mean the Western Theosophical, Hermetic (Anthroposophical?) traditions vs. shamanism being the animistic traditions of basically every indigenous culture (including witchcraft?). Am I close? Do you feel that there's something inherent to the goals and means of occultism that makes it a tool of oppressive governments and antagonistic to shamanism? In other words, is this organized, more powerful, "professional occultism" the "one true occultism" and self-guided occultists are clueless rubes to the actual real meaning of all their work? Or is it more that occultism is a tool that can be used for good, but also that oppressive regimes prefer for some reasons specific to the tool, while ignoring and antagonizing shamanism for reasons specific to it? Sean

https://www.quantamagazine.org/a-mathematical-model-unlocks-the-secrets-of-vision-20190821/

Glenn Morris considered Enlightenment to be a raised energy level. Strong flowing energy, have enough, strike kundalini (controlled) and MCO and you had it, Kan & Li. All this Morris talk has inspired me to get back into his Secret Smile and Damo's cave meditations. I'd do a short Secret Smile every time I was in the washroom. Work on exploring my Damos cave waking up or going to bed. Just listened to his Damos cave meditation from the old Meditation Mastery series. Interesting how different the intro and cave is from mine, but I think such individuality is the idea. good stuff.

I have a friend like that. He does exquisite modern paintings with a Native American theme. His works were collected by Pres. Reagan and also the King of Sweden. I asked him once where he found his creativity, and he did a little twirl right in front of me and placed an invisible hat on his head. Said it was his Picasso hat. It was that simple.

The problem with celibacy is that it is meant to be taken along with specific monastic vows. If you want to be a monk and spend your days in meditation and prayer, celibacy is good. But the urge needs to come from within, not intellectually or socially imposed. Best thing you can do is to stay away from pornography and have a healthy relationship with another human being. That involves love, sharing, caring and living life as a good human being (and I’m not suggesting that you aren’t). When you develop a loving relationship with another person, you open up your heart energetically too. It will expand you from your body-mind limitations to at least include another body-mind. Therein lies the key to cultivate your compassion and expand your mind. All these energy cultivation etc are great, but don’t obsess with them. They’ll not help if you don’t cultivate compassion and love. Find the thing you love and do it to the best of your ability. Good luck.

I agree. The "omigod what should I do with the white stuff coming out of my penis" threads are never, ever, ever gonna stop. Given that they will continue coming (or not, as it were) for as long as this site exists, it doesn't bother me at all to see them in a non-gender specific part of the forum, and if their being visible in more trafficked areas of the site further reduces the chances of a few 22-year-old guys from developing neuroses or prostatitis or whatever, probably that's a good thing. Not that I'm trying to put shrinks and urologists out of a job or anything.

I have added a picture gallery that goes with the book and it is going to be mentioned in the updated versions: http://www.alineageofdragons.com/gallery.html

I have a suggestion. Would it be possible to stop dealing in hypothetical discussions which haven't occurred or past discussions which happened with different players, and focus on the present discussion? I'm not about to hold my breath on this, but I do believe it would be beneficial.

I dunno. A moratorium on Mo Pai discussion imposed from high sounds crazy to me. On the other hand, individual members can -- and perhaps should -- institute their own self-imposed moratoriums on discussionless discussions from time to time. Taking my own advice now.

I actually proposed this before in an earlier thread for simplification of the forum and even ran it by him and the former ilovecoffee. I believe it's a good idea, but again, it depends on their willingness to share this information, and from the initial reaction, it didn't seem to be the case, but with your support, it may make a difference.

I have reasons to believe that 1. Only occultist amateurs, who are self-educated or else educated by the self-educated, who try to seek out their path, typically away from this or that religious or atheistic tradition they were born into and were left dissatisfied with, feel that occultism and shamanism are sort of up the same alley, one esoteric brotherhood with common practices and goals. As opposed to professional occultists, born into occultist bloodlines, who are, and have always been, anti-shamanic and are indeed one esoteric brotherhood in vehement and deadly opposition to the shamanic tradition. 2. Oppressive governments are, and have always been, deeply, expertly, professionally occultist. 3. Shamanic traditions are not, and have never been, part of oppressive governments. Reference literature available upon request.

Ahh. You caught my post before my last edit, in which I tried to soften a bit and moved the transphobia piece to another topic. OK. I'll trust your intention. I'm sorry if I'm being knee-jerk about this topic and caused you any stress. 🙏 Sean

Yes we do, thanks. Now that you´ve gone and kicked out the alt-right what do you think is left for conflict-hungry pseudo-leftists like myself to fight about? Precious little. I have to settle for Mo Pai crumbs, and now there´s talk about taking that away with a ban too?! If this keeps up I´ll be forced to do something else with my time altogether, meditate or something.

Haven't read through the entire thread but if you're worried about weight gain, minding what you eat is the most important thing. Generally exercise increases appetite and people are more likely to treat themselves with rich food as a 'reward' for a heavy workout. The only reliable way to lose weight is to practice intermittent fasting. Start by skipping breakfast and eating only between 12pm and 8pm. And then narrow the window down so you're eating one meal a day (preferably at lunch when agni is at its peak).

Just to toss it out there, in Tibetan Buddhist circles it is considered extremely poor taste to speak poorly of the dead during the 7 week bardo period.

Theoretical situation: I claim to have visited Mars on a secret mission from NASA. You naturally ask for proof of my trip there. I answer that the mission was top secret and i cannot divulge anything. WMP in a nutshell. More like: WMP: I have a modified version of my car engine that produces +40% horsepower Me: Ok then, let's see the engine in a pic or at least your engineer plan on how to produce more horsepower by using the main engine. WMP: It is an improved engine. Me: Ok what makes it better? WMP: It is made using the blueprints of an advanced model engine by a supercar company in the far east! There is a video showing how you can do it too! Me: Ok, what modifications did you do to the engine? Did you use turbo? Did you tamper with the fuel intake? WMP: It works like a charm on the supercar! Me: I am not talking about the supercar, i am asking about the car engine you built. Do you at least have a video that shows the acceleration so as to figure it out in another way? WMP: We can't show that because the forum is hostile and we will be ridiculed. That is Western mo pai in a nutshell and ALL their discussions follow the above pattern. Substitute "Me" for all users that attempted to converse with WMP over the years. I have pressed the block button by the way....

Welcome Xiao San. What do you like about taoism? Is there a specific field of information that interests you?...such as internal exercises, herbology, philosophy? ...There are many people on this site that have very different practices, interests, and opinions. I would suggest to look at this site as more of an open place to relate and inquire rather than a place to seek direct instruction/training. Lots of people here read A LOT. As in- most of the information discussed here is lifted from historical texts. Perhaps beginning with a book that interests you would be a good start.

@sean I do not ask anybody to prove anything. i do not ask anybody to share anything they do not care to share. But if they reference (even obliquely) their secret thing that can´t be talked about And say that they are victims because people like me on this forum are forever mistreating them And if they do this over and over again over the course of many years I reserve the right to voice my frustration.

I think I already talked about this insistence on proof. Sincere question, has anyone formally proved literally anything on this forum ever? From my perspective, it's all just storiiies in an informal language maaan. 😑 If this is super frustrating, what about this approach: You: I think the apple is red. Mo Pai Person: The apple is not red. You: How do you know? Mo Pai Person: I can't tell you. You: LOL. OK. 🙄 ** clicks ignore user button**

學道之人不識真 People who study the Way do not cognize the real 只因從前認識神 Simply because they always identify with the thinking mind 無量劫來生死種 The seed of rebirth and redeath for innumerable kalpas 痴人喚作本來人 A fool summoned to act as the original self

Dan the dickhead and dog diddler both seriously are frightening. I’ve run into a few dodgy individuals like them... did I mention the guy who used the emperor as his business card and his wife were both terrible people? The wife had an affair with her student and then when the student tried to break it off she wanted to hire a hitman, and—wait for it—she then asked her husband, whom she cheated on, to use black magic to punish her paramour! And they somehow tout themselves as THE center for healing and metaphysics, but he has probably THE WORST understanding of Crowley than anyone else I met before and up to now, online and offline (that’s saying a lot!). I mean besides certifying people for being eligible to understand tarot he certifies them as being intuitive! Yes: someone will print a certificate and say you are intuitive and can follow your intuition! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! At least you left us with a happy ending for the third story!

Hi Tao Stillness, I chose that image as closest I could get to my experiences after locating.. and activating... what Scott calls Niwan, the energy center in the very middle of the brain. Never in a zillion years would I have found that without Scott's input, and finding it was a transformational discovery for me. That said, I'm interested in all things brain, and will definitely have a look at Ken Cohen's piece on brain cleansing. Thank you!

'Goats do too ... and they look like Snakes with Egyptian hats on . True story ; on the old tarotforum site . The usual crazy banter about Crowley , this time his tarot deck and the devil card . One 'tarot expert' asked what the ' thing with the wings and the two dangling bits where. ' Another goes ; I thought that that was the devils penis. Another goes "Oh my goodness, the Devil has two penises? They look weird ! " Me ; 'Not for a goat, that is how a goat's penis looks . ' Woman poster ; " 'But its got two ! " Me; "Yes, a goat does have two penises . Thats why he is smiling " Her; " What ? I never knew that . " Another ; " They look like snakes . " Me ; " Yes they do look like snakes ..... curly little snakes with hats on . " Another " Thats weird ! Goats are weird . " A different poster ; ' To me, it looks like they are part of the foreground image , they dont appear to be between the goats rear legs. " Me; " Oh no , a goats penises are between its front legs . " Another : " WHAAAT ! ? Then finally ; " Dear Ladies, its called a caduceus and is a winged staff with serpents twined around it " Me ; "Damned spoil sport ! "

Random thoughts. Words are expensive.. especially vowels. loose lips, sink ships but are good for kissing. Everything has its price Except Greenland, it can't be bought or sold.