goretex

Fa gong is fa qi? Do you have any takeaways from those discussions?

@Nuralshamal I've been contemplating this post for a while as I consider ancestor practices. Doing some research to see the Taoist versions of this, and I haven't found much besides lighting incense, burning joss paper, and making offerings. What are your thoughts on having ancestor worship as it relates to one's "cultural authenticity"? Do these practices work as well when one's ancestors may not have been Hindu? Another aspect is to what degree one already has a relationship with these deities and mantra work.

Some relevant posts re overtraining (which in addressing discuss loading to some degree):

In physical training and conditioning, there's established idea about loading and recovery and much of modern training revolves around these ideas. Intensity, repetitions, sets, weight, %, perceived effort, etc. These concepts can then be sequenced into periodization of different cycles of training (e.g. building endurance and work capacity -> strength -> power). In qigong, neidan, neigong discussion, there's a lot of focus on the periodization of phases of training and attainments, but I do not see much discussion about load and recovery. How should one think about the subtle body and its energetic capacity? Further, what defines one person's capacity for qigong training? There can be signs of "overtraining" or "overload" and also specific symptoms like various qi deviation, but how might we better tell well before that occurs through understanding loading and capacity better, understanding straining of one's energy centers or channels? As a starting point, my assumption is that energetic capacity can be first assessed based on one's overall system's health from a TCM perspective: organs and channels.

This isn't a direct answer as I don't know, but I think he used to post here as @sillybearhappyhoneyeater

Some more examples of "western" occult fiction cataloged from browsing a variety of sources (note, haven't read anything in this post). classic: The Golem by Gustav Meyrink modern anthology: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25700829-penumbrae not sure how good this is, but it is published by an occult book company. reviews are mixed. modern graphic novel: Promethea by Alan Moore https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/821800.Promethea_Vol_1 Alan Moore released a non-fiction magical grimoire last year as well. This taxonomy of "Chinese fantasy" genres is helpful https://forum.rpg.net/threads/wuxia-vs-xianxia-vs-shenmo-vs-xuanhuan-distinctions-and-recommendations.894247/ Classics: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/158770.Three_Kingdoms not sure if there's much cultivation in here? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/155054.Strange_Tales_from_a_Chinese_Studio For something off the beaten path — modern tantric buddhist web novel: https://buddhism-for-vampires.com/the-vetalis-gift not sure if it's considered "cultivation"

I've taken a break from fiction over the past couple years, but I'm lining up some reading for the near future when it beckons I've recently become aware that there is a genre called occult fiction. Given that there's a whole slew of cultivation novels now, what cultivation fiction if any might be analogous to occult fiction, what do we consider to be a cut above the bar in terms of elucidating the esoteric aspects. An example of occult fiction might be: Journey to the West might be the quintessential esoteric cultivation novel: A few suggestions of web novels, I'm not sure if they meet our bar, but I'd be curious if anyone has read these and have opinions. And we also have @dwai's book of course

Thank you for this explanation. Revisiting this as I have had a chance to practice a bit more. I have also received the Elastic Force Chi Kung book, and it's amusingly a manga-inspired illustration of different exercises. I know in your correspondence "vital energy" is "jing", but I assume there's some crossover to yang energy? I'm noticing that it triggers spontaneous qigong for me, but that might be because I already have had such a practice. I don't see any mentions of spontaneous qigong in videos so far. And then secondary question, how does Mark's framework cultivate yin? Third unrelated question, how do you view the elemental cultivation? I presume if it was using 5 element framework that it'd be more palatable to qigong practitioners. It also makes me wonder why elemental cultivation isn't more popular

Thanks for chiming in with your experience @Krenx. Did you get results from both Rasmus and Damo's methods? I found this video which gives an overview of how Rasmus views dantian development (and cultivation generally). Start off with awareness mostly outside of the body to develop sensitivity rather than focus internally and get "stuck" on physical sensations. Doesn't believe in sinking the body; bad for body, knees, back. Doesn't believe in LDT energy storage; leads to mental issues (at least, as core practices). He suggests storing energy in the akasha (or in wuji? per @Krenx's correspondence).

I see little discussion of Mark Rasmus here. He seems to be popular for combining qigong with a Hermetics framework and filling in the "lack" of physical training in a Western tradition. He and his students also have some popularity in the taiji community as witnessed by one of the few threads being from @dwai here. With respect from senior members here including @freeform I also see him mentioned in a recent thread on Damo, so I thought he could use a dedicated thread. I do see that some of his practices seem to bypass a lot of the "classical" route. For example, there is much more emphasis on feeling "vital force" in the beginning stages and understanding different principles in his system. Whereas Damo does seem to warn more against relying on sensations. He also doesn't seem to have a big emphasis on LDT cultivation. He stresses using partner work for collaboratively building sense/qualities and trying to attune to these different frequencies (vital, astral, mental, akashic). Here's a helpful interview by a former student that doesn't follow the hermetics framework.