Desmonddf

21 hours ago, manitou said:

Okay, then under your conditions I do another Ethereal Practice.   I take a pen, close my eyes, and just do a slightly complicated squiggle.  After that, I do mindless coloration of the different sections and shapes - sometimes with funny little arrows or a row of dots or something.  But the trick is to turn the paper at a 90 degree angle every minute or so.  That way, the left brain doesn't get in the way, the right brain totally takes over.  Shapes, stories, and predictions come out of this.  I do just a tad of embellishment to help the viewer see the Whatever, and it is viewed from all four directions, different shapes and scenes emerging from all directions.  One of these was an award winner at an art show in Pennsylvania.

 

I think that might be what you're talking about?

 

If you're getting spiritual progress from that, then yes

On 09/08/2019 at 11:21 PM, manitou said:

 

Not sure if this falls under cultivation, but I have a daily practice of going to the keyboard.  There is a mystical component to it, as prior to my kundalini awakening, I couldn't play anything by ear, always had sheet music.  Now I play everything by ear - but with a spiritual eeriness that I like.  It's like a spirit comes out of me and plays, and sometimes I'm not really the one playing it.  I feel the electrical current going from my hands to the keys, and I am in heaven.  I think no other thoughts as I do this, so I guess this would fall under Ethereal.  Feels like it to me.  

 

Yes, that's exactly it! Thanks for sharing

 

On 10/08/2019 at 11:56 AM, C T said:

I'm of the opinion that Breath is that which connects a practitioner (and sentiency for that matter) to the even and reassuring expansion & contraction of the eternal cosmic rhythm. Hard to imagine anything more ethereal than that. Outward aesthetic expressions (calligraphy, poetry etc) I'd see as interludes to bring one back into materiality without totally losing touch with said rhythm. Personally, I like tea rituals and chasing sunsets, but have never considered these as anything resembling etheric pursuits. Something to think about definitely. 

 

Breath can be used to acess the Dao, that's for sure. However, I do consider it quite physical - as it doesn't relate to the abstract... art in general is quite capable in bringing ethereal concepts into play. Just like how @manitou related

People usually do not like when I explain things about Qi, Jing and Xue (Blood) because I always use the TCM view. However, do notice that TCM not only works, it also has plenty of esoteric applications.

 

Not only that, these terms (Jing, Qi, Xue, etc) come primarly in book form from the Huang Di Nei Jing, a classic about medicine (Yellow Emperor's Classic of Inner Medicine, do not confuse with the "Yellow Court Classic", a work 700-years younger).

 

That's not to mention that Qi Gong practioneers usually are required to have quite a good grasp on TCM. It's just needed at a certain point.

So, I believe we SHOULD use the TCM comprehension of Jing, Qi and etc for our Qi Gong practices - otherwise, we're just going to get lost on the "common sense" of many schools.

 

Let's go:

 

Everything begins with the formation of the Heavens and Earth.... yeah, I'm not going to go so far.

 

Let's skip that and go to the point things become useful.

 

Everyone is composed of matter and energy. We call matter a form of "Yin" and energy a form of "Yang".

Yang and Yin are measurement concepts, like "high" and "low", "there" and "here", "going" and "coming".

 

So, Matter is Yin in relation to Energy. Why? Because Matter is colder, heavier, less mobile... when compared to Energy.

 

People also tend to say that all forms of energy are "Qi", which isn't completely wrong... since "Qi" means anything ethereal. If you're reading a text, especially a Neigong text, and the author is treating "Qi" as every form of movement and energy, that's why.

 

Ok, we got it.

 

Now, what kinds of matter and what kinds of energies there are out there?

 

There's inorganic matter, and there's organic matter.

 

There's soft energy (like the one of the breeze) and hard energy (like the one of a storm).

 

Inorganic Matter is immobile and, many times, cold. So, it is Yin in comparison to Organic Matter. Soft energy is gentle, less mobile and "watery" compared to hard energy, so it is Yin in comparison to hard energy.

 

HOWEVER, Organic Matter is still Matter, so it is Yin in relation to Soft Energy.... got it?

 

+ Yin  => Inorganic Matter -- Organic Matter -- Soft Energy --- Hard Energy <= +Yang

Now, let's see those forms of matter and energy in the human body.

 

First, we know that the Human body obtains energy from "Organic" Matter (boiled water, food). And if we're into TCM, we know that the Human body ALSO obtains energy from Soft Energy (as the one rooted in the Air and Food).

 

We also know that we can obtain energy from Inorganic Matter, but that's dangerous - as "living" foods, in the language of these days (such as non-cooked foods) and unboiled water (if you don't have a good water service) can cause a number of diseases. And even Hard Energy can give one energy, but usually makes someone sick (for instance, staying under the sun for a long time will cause sunburns).

 

Organic Matter would come from foods that have been cooked and water that has been boiled. It is a little bit complicated to explain here, but basically saying - things that haven't received heat for a long time aren't living.

 

So, we know that the extremes hurt the human body - and, therefore, that the Human Body itself must have a relationship of balance with the environment for it to work.

 

Here comes the first aspect of Jing loss - inbalance with the environment. More on that later.

 

Now, let's look into the Human Body itself.

 

We know that we are made of Organic Matter, and that, for better or worst, there doesn't seem to be any form of inorganic matter on the body (unless you consider kidney stones or something, lol).

 

The only moment when the human body loses its Organic property is in death. That said, it also shows signs of "turning into a non-living thing" once we get older.

Therefore, this is why we say that someone needs to "cultivate their Yang" - not in the sense of turning the body itself into energy, but by keeping it from becoming old and "inorganic".

Many neigong schools confuse the unaware because of this. Turning the Yin into Yang, cultivating the Yang, must be done in the sense of making it so your systems of self-heal and self-repair mantain themselves always at pristine condition.

 

Let's keep on going.

 

Organic Matter. It can also be further divided in Yin and Yang. Bones are at the ultmost Yin of Organic Matter, while Skin is at the ultmost Yang.

 

Soft Energy or Bodly Energy. Also possible to divide further. Simple energy like the one attached to your body's fluids is at the most Yin, and very subtle energy, such as the one related to your emotions which can be seen and manipulated by manipulating your Organs, is at the most Yang.

 

The most Yang Energy one can find on someone's body is called a "Soul". There are five souls in the body, rooted on your five main organs : Liver, Spleen-Pancreas, Heart, Kidneys and Lungs.

 

Now, once we talk about Shen and "turning Qi to Shen", we're talking about using an intermediate-level soft energy from the body as nourishment for the Souls as a whole (and sometimes for the Heart's Soul in specific - each tradition varies).

 

So, "turning Qi into Shen" means using a form of Soft Energy called Zheng Qi, which is naturally produced in your body through digestion and breathing, as a form of nourishing your Souls.

 

What about Jing, then?

 

Well, Jing can also mean two or three different things.

 

There is a form of Energy which is rooted on one's kidneys, and it controls all of the body's aging processess. We call that Jing.

 

There is also a form of Energy which is rooted on one's Bone Marrow and Brain, and controls metabolism, regeneration and mental acuity. We call that Jing as well.

 

There is also a form of Energy which is present on what we could say to be one's DNA (the genetic markings we got from our parents), and which attaches itself to a place right under your LDT. We, again, call that Jing.

 

So, which is the Jing we use to "turn Jing into Qi" ?

The answer will depend on the neigong school you're using as reference. All of those forms of Soft Energy can be worked through meditation, exercise, certain forms of breathing and etc in order to be expent and turned into Zheng Qi.

 

The most common, however, is the expenditure of ALL of those forms of Jing - as Jing is in the most Yin part of one's Soft Energy, and it heavily connects to one's body.

 

Some practices will teach you how to produce some forms of Jing which we call "Post-Heaven Jing" (because it was produced after you were born and, therefore, cannot reach and inhabit some places in your body the Jing produced prior to birth reach), and that will then be what is used as fuel to make Qi.

 

However, all practices need to bring you closer to a state where you can access and nourish the places in your body where the Pre-Heaven Jing is stored - otherwise, you'll become sick due to an imbalance of Soft Energy and then die earlier.

 

Sex, sexual fluids and their "intrinsic and all-important" connection to Jing are just a fetish derived from Confuncionist taboo with sex itself.

 

The Jing attached to your sperm and which is used to produce this sperm is important, as it relates to your fertility as well as with your aging in a certain level (the body will automatically try and balance any loses in Soft Energy by drawing the nearest source to use as a substitute, so other forms of Jing suffer if you use too much of this king of Jing), but you should really focus on other things before giving too much importance to cellibacy.

 

I think that's the gist of it. Hope it was usefull.

Greetings. Which forms of Ethereal (not related to the body, such as exercises or poses) cultivation do our members practice?

 

For instance, ethereal cultivation can happen through calligraphy, painting, writing poems and so on...

 

Do notice that I'm not including visualization and other meditative practices, as those aren't properly ethereal but usually based on breathing exercises. Practices which do not involve breathing or qigong poses are welcome

 

 

If the Dao is everything, then it IS care, and it ALSO IS not caring. There is no Yin and Yang. There is no care and abbandonment. It is transcendent - both caring and uncaring.

 

It isn't logical and it isn't supposed to make sense. Making sense is something limited - a product of the mind and its illusion of being able to reduce Reality to Knowledge (see that you're assuming that, if something IS, then it can be known - that the Mind is bigger than Reality).

On 10/06/2019 at 12:58 PM, William. said:

 

My scoliosis resides in my middle burner only.. what do you think this means? Any suggestions?

 

Any displaced bones in your body will affect it whole. You might have a scoliosis in the middle burner, but that doesn't mean it isn't affecting the rest. Your muscles will compensate this by becoming more proeminent on one side and so on.

 

I would say this means you're holding into an unconscious trauma and/or pysichic complex. That or you have a problem with your constitution (genetic markings). In both cases what you need is either to start treatment with a competent professional (for instance, a chiropratic) and/or train postures and exercises which will organicaly straighten your spine. The full-lotus position might help a lot, but if you can't do it properly then start by finding the correct mindset and slowly build your path towards it.

On 09/06/2019 at 5:00 AM, William. said:

 

Where exactly is the lower burner? Can you pinpoint it?

 

Everything from your belly button bellow. The Triple Burner is a way of dividing the body into three parts and a meridian that deals with the harmony of these parts as a whole. The upper burner is located from the diaphragm and above, the Middle Burner is located between the diaphragm and the belly button, and the lower burner is located from the Belly Button and bellow. 

On 26/05/2019 at 5:05 PM, DreamBliss said:

 

Yes, the earth's core being as scientist's currently describe is a guess, because they have never seen it. They have never been there. They have no idea what it is, and their evidence is based on instruments designed to prove their hypothesis.

 

There is zero evidence either way, whether the earth is hollow or solid or liquid or whatever. And all we have that there is any "evidence" for this area is what other's tell us, instruments and measurements they tell us about. None of us have actually ever seen these instruments or done any of these measurements with them.

 

In other words, all you have is hearsay about the earth's core, hence all theories are equally valid.

 

Also why are you posting when all you can do is argue and contribute nothing to open-minded discussion? You are simply regurgitating out the same crap that you have been fed all your life. When will you stop doing that and begin to question things, begin to think for yourself?

 

I've taken a course on the Earth's interior on HarvardX (an EdX online class, you can find it here: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-deep-earth-science), and the methods they have to measure and determine what the interior of the earth is like are pretty solid.

 

That said, you'll need quite a bit of data from a lot of seismographs in order to reach that conclusion. It isn't impossible to reach by ourselves, but you'll need to invest some money on it.

Another way to do it is to get samples from volcanoes and analyse what they are (physio-chemicaly) and then try to recreate that sort of rock in the lab. It has also been done with quite a bit of success, and as long as you have a few milions to spend on a diamond anvil (like que one shown in the video), you should be able to produce that kind of rock.

 

Also, I'm pretty sure the Hollow Earth theory crumbles on itself once we measure the crust's size and look to see if the crust would be able to hold its own structure given a strong gravitational pull. Just like how a spherical building would collapse on itself if it was hollow and there was a force pulling it inwards. That's not to mention that all lava and magma would need to exist in-between the layers of the crust, so it would be really difficult for that to work (not only you would have a spherical structure being pulled inwards, it would even have liquid in the middle of it, making the parts mobile).

 

I was quite amazed to know that the earth's mantle isn't magma or liquid, but actually solid - and becomes liquid only once it reaches a pocket of empty space in which it can leak through the crust (a volcano).

 

That's the guist of it. People don't need to see something to know how it is. We can't see electricity (no, lightning is not electricity, it is made of gases being ionized by the electric current), and it still can be measured. The same is valid for radio waves, television waves and so on.

 

You can't see them, but they're there.

 

The same with the earth's interior.

Qi is generated in a complex process through the body, and it ends up storing in the Dantien. The process of transforming Jing into Qi happens in the Lower Burner (not in the Dantien, but on the whole lower part of the body).

 

Not working there because you have a difficult time won't give you results. That said, generating Yang is only good for helping one to access the Way. Once you have accessed the Way you need to do the reverse path, or you'll die soon (since you have transformed Jing -lifespan- into consciousness).

A daoist can be filthy rich, and still follow the Dao.

 

A daoist can be filthy poor, and still follow the Dao.

 

The Dao starts with following nature. Those who follow nature will be subjected to its cycles. Richness and poverty are also a cycle, and learning to identify those cycles and choose which way to follow is part of daoism.

 

If your personal Dao is one of poverty, then you'll always choose to remain in the poverty part of the cycles in your life, going away when prosperity manifests, while if your personal Dao is one of richness, then you'll always choose to remain in the richness part of the cycles in your life, going away when prosperity stops manifesting.

 

If you get attached to your job, family or the fear of losing things, of not being able to provide to your family or to fail at some kind of social construct, then you cannot follow any cycle. You'll forever be fighting against the Dao.

 

Dao is change. If you intend on "fight on" and justify that as "I can't give myself this luxury!" then you won't indeed be able to follow the Dao.

 

Dettachment isn't more difficult for those who have more, it is more difficult for those who have less. Are you willing to go through hunger and pain in order to follow a spiritual path?

 

If not, then you either won't be able to follow the Dao or will need to have a great deal of internal development before following it (to the point where you can predict and affect the cycles around you).

On 19/04/2019 at 4:33 PM, Phoenix3 said:

And where does the conversion of Qi to Jing take place?

 

I think Jing seems to have a function of storage of energy (Qi?) but where is Jing found? 

 

Thanks

 

By a TCM perspective:

 

Qi becomes Jing after circulating in the body. It first circulates as Ying Qi in the Xue (togheter with the physical blood), from the Blood it goes to the Channels, and from the Channels it arrives in the Eight Extraordinary Vessels as post-natal Jing. There it is stored and used in place of pre-natal Jing when we need it, increasing longevity (although that's not enough to increase one's lifespan).

 

Wei Qi (yang qi) does not circulate much inside the body (it tends to go to the outside) and does not become post-heaven Jing. Only Ying Qi does so.

 

I do not know of a description of post-natal Jing creating marrow, but pre-natal Jing is said to indeed be the source of all forms of marrow, including the nervous system and the brain (sea of marrow). Through the marrow physical blood is produced, and it connects with the spiritual blood (Xue) which is produced in the heart... and then with ying qi once it is produced in the kidneys.

On 03/03/2019 at 9:07 PM, Phoenix3 said:

I have seen someone align Daoist animals to the 5 elements:

 

Water is black tortoise

Wood is blue dragon

Fire is red bird

Earth is yellow dragon

Metal is white tiger.

 

Is this correct?

Why is it those animals though? I thought wood element is green so wood should be green dragon maybe? And maybe Fire should be red dragon? I have never heard of a red bird in Daoism.

 

Five directions are the basys, if I'm not mistaken.

Just now, windwalker said:

 

Are they high level spirits or low level.

 

Really depends on one's level of practice. 

 

For most practices the level is so basic that for the most part there is no worry.

 

The worry is for those having some small achievement feeling they're on the right path.

 

Without proper guidance it can be dangerous to one's health.  

 

Mostly high level, I would say.

 

At least they discuss the Dao and apply TCM with quite amazing profundities - or at least amazing for me, that is.

 

That say, this hasn't been passed directly, so I may need to review it. Probably he's going to go something like "forget that and go back to your daily practice".

On 05/03/2019 at 11:49 PM, windwalker said:

 

Then it would be fair to say you dont know...

Have you met anyone who says that they completed the training?

 

 

 

Do spirits count ?

This chart is wrong. Most chimpanzees and other monkeys also eat insects, and even small animals. Not such a thing as "designed to eat fruits" - even because we need to eat a LOT of varied fruits and nuts for that to work. Do you really think a vietnamese hunter-gatherer had acess to hazelnuts and macadamia nuts ?

 

The most common diet if you live in a forest in a hunter-gatherer style of life (for instance, if you're a native with little to no contact with the civilized societies) is based on roots, leaves, fruits and "anything with meat you can find" in terms of meats, including, in many cases, insects, amphybians (like frogs), birds and small mammals. As long as there is food to be eaten and hunger to be felt, humans eat.

 

In terms of Qi, it follows the flow of Xue. There is no Yang without Yin. There is no Qi without Xue, be it the "spiritual blood" or the "physiological blood".

Indeed, we even have an aspect of disease which is a lack of yin leading to weakness with false-deficiency. The person's pulse becomes slow like when they have an Yang deficiency, but it is because there is no yin to be caried around by the Qi.

 

Eating only fruits and nuts will give you excess earth in your organism, as those are usually sweet and humid. You'll basically become weak, fat and sweat like a pig.

 

Of course, most people doing those kinds of diets will be also doing lots of physical exercise and, therefore, you won't notice that. But try and make a frugivorous diet without exercise. You'll find that it is almost the same as eating only bread.

10 hours ago, Miroku said:

@Desmonddf Is there some other food except for meat that is a good tonic for liver, yin, qi and blood?

Its a shame you seem to have only "bad" experience with vegan patients. As far as I know the diet is actually pretty sustainable longterm (at least from the western perspective) and its easy too. 

 

I wouldn't say a single thing (even "meat" includes a lot of items to talk about), but surely it can be arranged. The diet would be quite restrictive, but it is indeed possible to have an adequate MTC diet without depending on meat. 

12 hours ago, ben kaf said:

I believe such entities exist but I guess the very nature of such connection is very vague sometimes and your own mind get in the way so it is not really the best way to just base your whole system on that. At least I know it doesn't wokr for me. becaue I am very logical (skeptic?) by nature and I just can't trust whatever come to my mind.. But that's good to know this works for you

 

Kinda. Practice makes perfect. Learning how to quiet your mind and surrender your body is primordial in this kind of practice. 

 

As for it being vage, it depends on the spirit and/or medium. Some are very incisive, direct and correct. As with everything else, one needs practice and good guides

On 11/02/2019 at 6:19 PM, ben kaf said:

If you have tips or personal experiences from your early stages of your practice I'm very eager to hear...

 

 @Astral Monk, this is the question the topic's author made. He is asking us about feedback we have about OUR own systems. Not posting so people give feedback about other people's systems.

On 13/02/2019 at 2:42 PM, Astral Monk said:

 

Looks like you have your answer. Ask your disembodied spirits for feedback then and recommend to your friend. Why ask the question in the first place? 

 

8)

 

Aren't you confusing me with the topic's author ? I'm not the one who asked. I was giving feedback about my system, not asking people to give me feedback about it.

14 hours ago, Gerard said:

 

Let's be serious.

 

A very ungrounded and irresponsible advice.

 

A grounded teacher with either a background or deep knowledge of Ancient Chinese Medicine will provide you with correct feedback. Better than what the non-living can offer you. 

 

A reliable practice will help you understand the following: 

 

http://www.assemblixinc.com/ZangFu/ZangFu.html

 

https://www.easterncurrents.ca/for-practitioners/practitioners'-news/eastern-currents-news/2017/05/01/a-curious-organ---the-gallbladder

 

https://www.sacredlotus.com/go/diagnosis-chinese-medicine

 

And this is just the beginning of the journey because the Mind keeps going deeper, deeper and deeper. There is no end to it. But the beginning cannot be skipped; one must put diligent effort in healing, reconnecting and making sure the internal organs are working smoothly. 

 

The Qi clock is also a very helpful tool:

 

https://upliftconnect.com/24-hour-chi-cycle/

 

A good, reliable and grounded practice is scientific and tested for millennia (Taoist Medicine) and it thoroughly connects with internal arts practice (Ba Gua and Xingyi). 

 

Good luck finding that caring and knowledgeable teacher!

 

I do know all of those, as I am a licensed acupuncturist by career, thank you very much.

 

That said, the guide spirits I have with me are quite good with TCM as well. Better than my enbodied teachers. Guess it has to do with being able to actually see the organs, meridians, bones and others

 

I mean, do you really think spirits do not do research on their own? Some have been around for thousands of years, just as much as TCM has been. They are quite up-to-date with stuff, and can guide you in any kind of research you want to.

 

Your disbelief in spirits do not change the value they have. Just shows that you are comiting the same mistake people have been comiting ever since the Shang Dinasty feel - trying to shut down contact with the real masters and turning to books and physical research.

The problem: They do not have the tools to do research deep enough to reach the old masters' level.

My feedback is:

 

As long as you have common sense, help and is willing to become friends with guide spirits, conscious possession techniques are way better at teaching than anything the living can offer. Or, at least, the living I know of.

9 hours ago, Nintendao said:

 

Unless that's a typo, this point already is missing from most references!

 

Sorry, it indeed was. I meant to say GB37. Good for eye yang-tipe affections.

Avoid eating only yin foods, as this will generate an inbalance. Eat yin foods often, but you also need yang to be able to digest and transform these foods. 

 

Now, if you're in need of meditation, do go for it ! Following one's intuition is a good thing, as long as it is indeed intuition - as you're looking for help in the physical plane already, i think it should be safe to risk a bit

 

Now, if your prefered meditation is focusing on the LDT, go on. There is no need to feel frustrated by not feeling the LTD, though - it is not the objective. The meditation in itself is the objective

Meat is a great tonic for the liver, yin, qi and blood. Not so good for the heart and spleen, but everything can be solved with the right seasonings. All vegetarian people I've treated so far have had a quite disctinve blood and Xue deficiency. The pulse was weak and thin. They usually suffered from exaustion, weakness and pain all over the body. 

 

That said, they obviously didn't know how to properly keep a vegetarian/vegan diet. Their eating habits were awful. Not a single one had even heard of sun mushrooms and most had clinicaly proven B12 deficiency. So, I still have to find someone who can do a proper vegan diet and look at them closely enough. 

 

What I do know, however, is that a overly "meaty" diet will bring you problems. Even though each kind of meat belongs to a certain Movement, all meats can be collectively understood as being from tge Water movement. 

 

That is to say, they are great for your Kidneys and Liver, but everything in excess is poison. You should eat more the more you need to build your blood (literal blood, not the "spiritual" Xue) and Yin. However, any amount that makes you feel heavy and dampt has been WAY above the recomended amounts. 

 

Physical exercise is a must some time before eating meat, as you need the Earth to control the Water. However, it shouldn't be enough to make you tired - you don't want to exaust your Qi with meat on the stomach. 

 

Exercise after the meals must be done only after you feel your stomach light. And I don't mean hungry. Just light. 

 

Sweet and bitter flavours are good spices to help digestion and absorption of meat. Don't eat much meat (limit yourself to chiken and small amounts) if you have heart diseases, especially Heart Yin deficiency. You'll need to eat a bit to keep your blood healthy, but just a bit. 

19 hours ago, jackaro0 said:

 

Hi Desmond,

 

So you suggest I still focus on the LDT and hope that the energy clears the channels? in terms of healing im not sure what path to take.

 

Have tried plenty of different herbals and such, was even cooking all the herbs at one point to absolutely no avail :(. 

 

Thanks for the input,

 

Jack 

 

Yin deficiencies are better cured by dietoterapy associated with fitoteraphy. You should harmonize your diet with the seasons and your needs as well. It will be necessary to look for a TCM diet terapist, though. 

 

That said, mixing herbs without method won't bring results. Many herbs have properties that cancel each other. You need to know them in depth and carefuly regulate the amounts, dosage and method of ingestion.