silent thunder

That makes me wonder... is honey moral?

Light. Does it diminish and is it independent... that's definitely got mileage. Although there are myriad varying frequencies of it, perceived and imperceptible, certainly that's got potential. Especially as it ties in to my experience of awareness. Though light doesn't seem to be unchanging to me. And as for concepts, numbers is a rather appealing one as well. Two is absolutely two and no other number and in and of itself it does not diminish or change. Nice... thanks for the input.

And that got a solid chuckle...

minds are like puppies and should be trained for similar reasons...? lest they bark incessantly and shit everywhere

There is no elsewhere. The future does not exist. Judgement of the value of deeds is like a board game of mind and thought form. Realization and liberation are simultaneous.

nothing is ever lost, taken or gained. realization and liberation are simultaneous.

Yea, so far that's my understanding as well, that it's the layering and choice of metals and crystals that creates the vortices which counteract the various electrical fields of modern life which can interfere with clarity, restfulness and grounding.

Indeed. I picked up a couple of nice pieces to be worn on my person, or carried in a pocket and anticipate learning the process and making my own larger pieces when this project is finished and I have some time off later this Spring.

It's fascinating, the effects of breathing on the process of mind, particularly oxygen saturation and breath sublimation. Or beyond mind, the realms of awareness, of which mind cannot touch.

It seems quite the ironic reversal. Britain seems to be the one occupied by powers beyond her borders... The more things change, the more they stay the same, only the players and pieces move and shift, but the game it seems, remains the same.

ultraviolet sight

Awesome! Welcome back to the States and here's a heart felt hope that your school blooms and brings health and love to the region.

Great question, but I don't even attempt to answer questions of this caliber much any more. My attempts invariably used to end in rage, or thankfully, recently with chuckling frustration with my mind and its words, the audacity of it... trying to convey what lies vastly beyond them, and quietly within the void and emptiness when the mind finally quiets is as moot to me as fucking for virginity, fighting for peace, or staring at pictures of sausages to sate my hunger. It is felt, experienced, usually in moments when I'm fatigued to the point of exhaustion, or bored into a stupor and sneaks upon me so softly and is so intimate, if I twinge even a little, it's diaphanous touch evaporates into more maddening monkey mind. Simultaneous expansion and contraction perhaps... It's so maddeningly nearly tangible and the moments where its felt shine in sense memory like sunlight through ice that shakes with silent thunder. But to my mind stuff, it remains utterly untouchable, utterly beyond the ken of my thought forms and while imbuing all of them... and I'm so grateful for that... that even were I to somehow arrive at the most amazing capacity of mind and become a towering giant of intellect among all the history of men, I would still never even were I to achieve immortality and have all the eons of time, never would I be able to sully it with my mental clattering... never leash it with my chittering words and thought symbols. She is beyond.

Stalker is easily one of my favorite films of all time. I was riveted by the concept, the execution, the atmosphere, but especially the writing. Wow, just wow. The book that inspired it, Roadside Picnic, packs a serious wallop for it's few pages. I'll add Bresson's Au Hasard Balthazar to my list, I've not heard of it. As for Abe and his Axe... I just can't imagine having that many extra minutes in my life to give it a shot... in spite of my buddy's recommendation that he found it clever and fun.

It's Greek I believe that uses separate terms for nouns. I've always appreciated that... One word would be used if you are talking about the idea, or concept of an apple. Another word for apple is used if you are referring to an experiential apple you have in your hand, or that you are asking a friend to pass to you in order to eat. Words are so powerful in one respect, in their formative influence on our mental process, and they become especially potent if you fall into the common trap of believing that you are your mind/thoughts. Yet they are merely symbols and like thoughts they are not inherently real. They convey and transmit all sorts of connotations and limitations along with their intended meanings, which often differ greatly from individual to individual even within similar social and ethnic conditions. It's good to remember that we are not our mind. Thoughts, words, while helpful in certain situations, are not inherently real, true, or even important.

First off I ask people where they are from, not what they do... and then how they liked where they grew up, what it was like... etc. If they are not a native or local, I am always curious as to what caused them to migrate from where they grew up to where they ended up. Many fascinating stories come from this alone. Sometimes I'll ask about their families, but this depends greatly on the tone of the first answers... for some folks, family is a harsh topic, so I'm always gauging that to not shut them down early on... I then have a few standard questions I almost always ask: If you were stranded on an island and could only have one musical artist/band to listen to while stranded, who would it be? This has led me to discovering all sorts of great musicians and groups I would otherwise likely never have found. Then I follow that up that same question but with an author, or book series. Between these first few questions we usually bring up enough substance and related topics to fill several hours of conversation and once the inertia is rolling, things just naturally flow. I like the direction these two questions take the conversation because they get to the heart of something that the person feels deeply about and so engage them on a deeper level as well as revealing something about their character based on their interests and taste. Favorite films is another good one to start things flowing. I also adore humor and find it to be supremely healing. I was a stand up comic and actor for 15 years and use my improv skills daily to keep things light and frequently will make fun of myself in order to lighten up folks who seem tense or shy. Once they see me openly sharing my current and past faults and laughing at them, it really opens them up and decreases anxiety. My career is not full time, but when I am working my job has me constantly working long hours in various locations under stressful conditions and frequently partnering up with complete strangers, usually just one other partner for specific small tasks, which then come together with the work of other small groups to complete the whole project.

Jerry Alan Johnson goes into some good detail regarding this in his book on Internal Alchemy. Daoist Internal Alchemy: Neigong and Weigong Training

The Limits of Control This one was a real pleasant surprise. Atmospheric, poetic and very engaging. "Reality is arbitrary"

At one point I was testing the adults around me in the church I was brainwashed in as a child by telling them I had heard God speaking to me and their reactions were very telling about what I surmised to be the reality of their claimed faith, vs the functional illusion they projected.

Spend a few days sitting with Master Wang. That field fixed my far sightedness in a few days. Haven't needed reading glasses since...

I spend my emotional money on love these days... not enough spiritual currency any longer to spare any on hate.

My buddy got jacked by a laughing gull at the local pier here one afternoon. He had just walked out of the restaurant with a platter full of crab and lobsters on his way to his families' table when a crafty gull swooped down and made off with a steamed crab from one of the plates. He said " I swear Creighton, it was laughing at me the whole time and I could do nothing about it but stare open mouthed"...

kumbaya!

yup... that about sums it up.