Joe

Hey, that's great news. Thank you very much Dawei.

Most likely The Kybalion was written by William Walker Atkinson. It's his writing style, his publisher, and the 1917 French edition's translator attributes the work to him. He was also known to write under pseudonyms (e.g. Yogi Ramacharaka). But regardless of who the real author is, Atkinson's books are highly relevant to mental transmutation, and can be found online. I also highly recommend Thomas Troward's works such as The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science, and Creative Process in the Individual. For sources closer to Hermes himself, it's definitely worth mentioning the Corpus Hermeticum.

Okay, no problem. At this point I have many more questions than answers, but I'll just post them elsewhere for now.

Hello, may I also begin a personal practice journal?

My daily tea is Jiaogulan. Delicious, naturally caffeine-free, and more saponins than ginseng. A very interesting herb. Current favorite brand is Immortalitea. I also enjoy the occasional nettle tea.

@Fa Xin Thanks for the welcome, I am enjoying the forum already (so much to read!) @Jeff I appreciate your confidence in my energy level. Myself, I am not quite ready to assume I am energetically "beyond" Chia or his ideas. If your concern is inaccuracy on his part, know that greater clarity is what prompted me to get YJM's books. I say cross-reference because, being in a position of ignorance, it is still useful to me to compare two different perspectives on something. I appreciate your suggestion on polarity. It is actually Yin which I've naturally gravitated toward this past year, to a point where my personality is very different from just two years ago. My present self-perception is one of a much stronger integration of the feminine, but with no less of the masculine. I understand this is all relative, however; what feels like an integration now will grow into much higher levels. What I need more work on is discernment of the polarities, in my own energy and all levels of reality. I have a lot to learn in this area. I will pay attention to it.

Hello to All, What started a few years ago as a quest for health (95% solved) has evolved into a quest for energy. To this end, my primary interests right now are qigong and consciousness. I've been practicing zhan zhuang every day for a year now, eight brocades for ~5 months, and inner smile meditation for ~4 months. I reached a comfortable 90 minutes in chenbao, and recently I've returned my focus to wuji. I am seeking the highest state I can achieve, spiritual, mental and physical; with no particular limit to this goal. At the moment I am cross-referencing Yang Jwing-Ming and Mantak Chia, with the aim to develop embryonic breathing and small circulation, with the further aim to master semen retention and large circulation; so I may begin to conserve and refine my energy, and see for myself what a human bodymind can really accomplish. I look forward to learning here and hope that my thoughts may be of help to someone, someday.