liminal_luke

Thanks Wu Ming Jen! That´s quite the vote of confidence. I don´t know about awesome though; mostly I´m shooting for good enough. I´m not sure where the club of awesome meets, but perhaps I can interest you in the club of good-enough-with-occasional-awesome-moments? If you´d like to join, come on down. We´re a lively bunch with varied interests and quirky (sometimes multiple) personalities. Welcome!

I once belonged to a group whose members included present-day reincarnations of Jesus and other Biblical characters of note. Or so they said. Sadly, I wasn´t nominated for sainthood by the psychic powers that were. While everyone else was enjoying the last supper, I was probably stuck in the kitchen doing dishes. I still don´t know who I am, but I try not to let that stop me from being happy and doing a little good here and there.

A great deal of what is reported in the media is true. And yet exposing oneself to the media will give a person a very distorted view of the world. You might think that the only things going on are crime, terrorism, and major league sports. Life is so much more.

What a great opportunity. I wouldn´t worry about the reintegration or anything else, just enjoy. The only advise I can share from personal experience is this: don´t fall silently in love with the hot meditator a few rows down. Then again, that was probably an idiosyncratic personal problem. You´ll do fine. Liminal

Luke raises hand. I´m inclined to think feeling chi is good for pretty much everything, but I´ve found it particularly useful giving massage.

Wuji without schmooji is just empty.

Sounds like a plan to me Kar3n. Looks like what Michael said about the US border region providing a "springboard for powerful action" and leading to "greater strength" is already starting to happen. We haven´t even got there yet and already invitations for uplifting connection are pouring in. Liminal

Wow, so much to say about that reading. Thank you Michael! You mentioned that the Lovers could indicate I´ve already decided. And yep, in my mind I´ve already moved. It´s just a matter of overcoming the inertia of staying here where I am indeed comfortable (if unhappy), and facing the difficulties the move would entail. I foresee two main areas of difficulty. The first is financial. We´d be moving from one of the cheaper areas of Mexico to one of the more expensive ones. Also the move itself would be expensive. The other Devil we´d need to deal with is my partners paranoia. He´s getting better but still has paranoid thoughts about being spied on, followed, etc. These thoughts make the idea of moving very scary for him. It´s more comfortable for him to stay here in the city he grew up in, and where he still has all of his family. The issue of security is complicated a bit by the fact that there really is more danger of crime in Tijuana. So the combination of irrational fears in his head, and the reality of being in a bigger city with more crime might push him over the edge. And yet, there are so many reasons to think the move would ultimately be good for us. We both love being near the ocean. Tijuana is a more sophisticated city with a growing art scene. My partner, who is an artist, would have more opportunities there to take art classes and sell his art for reasonable prices. I´d be able to see my friends and also take advantage, being so close, of all the US has to offer. Here in Zacatecas, my partner has his family but even that is a mixed blessing. They provide some social support but are also sort of a crutch. Because he has his family there´s not so much motivation to get out in the world and make a broader circle of friends. Maybe in Tijuana we would do that. We are indeed at a crossroads and I´m feeling sort of stuck. Decisive action would be good right now, for sure. Otherwise we just stay here in a state of suspension, as you say, and slowly wilt away from lack of opportunity and fun. Thank you so much for this reading, Michael. It confirms a lot that I´d already known about, but hearing it all put forth so plainly from an objective third party gives me confidence and courage. Liminal

Asking questions, receiving answers, conversation -- if these things are outdated I´m in serious trouble.

I´m not sure if I´m onboard with the phrasing "duty to protect." With responsibility comes rules which are either upheld or broken, and all the judgements that go with that. That way of thinking seems contrary to nature to me: and how can we protect nature if we´re working from an unnatural mindset? We can start with ourselves. When our spirit is calm and centered, why would we harm the natural world? Why would we harm each other? It´s natural to be loving. It´s natural to want the best for others. When we are in harmony ourselves, everything else falls into place -- not because we are fulfilling some externally imposed duty, but because we are true to our own natures.

So much depends on you and what you want. I´m really getting into the Zapchen practice of sighing and yawn that Rigdzen Trindley talks about in his personal practice forum. Very relaxing and destressing -- not qigong though. I´m also a fan of really simple things like "swinging arms." For something simple but more meditative you might try the "inner smile." You can get Michael Winn´s free ebook about the inner smile if you´re willing to sign up for his newsletter (healingtaousa.com). If it´s a "form" you´re after I also like Michael Winn´s version of primordial qigong. There´s a dvd to buy that you can learn from if you like. Kind of like Tai Chi but much simpler and for spiritual development rather than martial arts. And then of course you could pick a system, always a good option for steady continuous growth. There´s lots of recommended ones to choose from: stillness-movement, spring forest, yi gong ---for starters. So much depends on you and what your goals are. If you could tell us a little bit more about what you hope to get out of your practice, people could probably make more focused suggestions. Good luck!

There´s a lot of controversy about opening the mco, whether or not it should be an area of focus, whether or not it is OK to use visualization. My own view is that the mco is part of our energetic anatomy: it´s up and running to a certain extent as long as we´re alive. With practice we can bring it into awareness, clear blockages, strengthen the flow. But it´s a part of the meridian system and everyone has one. Lots of practices strengthen the mco even if there´s no specific focus on it. Yi gong, the practice Max Christenson popularized and dubbed Kunlun, strengthens and opens all the channels. It´s hard for me to imagine alchemical processes happening independently. To me, it´s like asking if alchemy could happen independent of the liver. Every living person has a liver, and the state of that organ is going to have a huge effect on nearly everything else happening in the body.

This topic is above my pay grade, but here goes anyway. The MCO orbit is about the duality of yin and yang. Yang up the back, yin down the front. When this flow is strong and fluid, the center channel is nourished and becomes more active. The center channel is about the center -- stillness, silence, peace. The central channel is about the resolution of yin and yang into neutrality, emptiness, light. All that good alchemical stuff happens in the center. In this way the opening of the MCO gradually and of it´s own accord leads towards alchemy.

Tolerate Nothing, Accept Everything I´m no fan of tolerance. Tolerance is pouty and passive-agressive, shifty and small-minded. Tolerance is a grudging putting-up with something we really don´t like at all, usually because we lack the courage to come right out and say what we really think. When we tolerate something we feel tight, boxed-in -- vaguely victimized. When people say they tolerate screaming babies or gays or women cops, what is it they´re really saying? I think tolerance is shorthand for "I don´t like it at all but am too polite to say so in mixed company." Acceptance is so much better. Here there´s an implication that someone has gone through an internal process of coming to terms with something. As in: "In the past I couldn´t stand being around my mother-in-law, but now I see her as a person with both good and bad qualities and have learned how to enjoy myself around her." That´s acceptance. There´s openness and freedom in acceptance. Acceptance doesn´t always imply hearty approval; on the contrary, we can accept something we don´t like at all. In acceptance there´s this recognition that the world is the way it is, and there´s a readiness to deal with it straight on. Take violence, for instance. We´re right to have a "zero-tolerance" policy towards violence in most circumstances. At the same time, we can accept that there is violence in the world. Doesn´t mean we like it or approve of it. Doesn´t mean we´re not doing everything we can to eradicate it. Acceptance means that we can read the news, openly acknowledge all the bad things happening in the world, and not be immobilized by fear and anger. (PS: The word tolerance often comes up in reference to lesbians and gays. As a gay man, I´ve no use for tolerance. If you don´t like me, you might as well come straight out -- pun intended -- and say so. Political correctness does us no favors driving prejudice underground. I´d rather by openly hated than secretly despised. But that´s just me.)

You mentioned Yalom earlier. I´ve read some of his stuff and really like it. My favorite anecdote is the one about the lady that always brought a gigantic purse to their sessions. One time he spent the whole hour having her show him the contents of her purse and talking about it. For some reason, I found that really touching. I liked what you had to say to Taoway awhile back in the Off Topic section. What´s more, he wrote back saying he actually felt better. Didn´t see that coming.

I´m with you about psychoanalysis -- not logical at all. Where I live in Mexico it´s oddly popular, not sure why. We´re also agreed that it´s the relationship that´s curative, so maybe it could be effective if a particular psychoanalyst had sufficiently worked through his own issues and could establish a solid therapeutic alliance? In any case, psychoanalysis wouldn´t be my choice as a client. You´re right that a lot of folks here just want to talk. They´ll put out their opinion and banter back and forth about it, but aren´t necessarily willing or able to back up that opinion with hard evidence. Just the way it is. I think you´ll find that there´s a lot of intelligent people here though. I´ve certainly learned a lot here over the years.

Hi Jim, Sounds good. I in no way intended to imply that you don´t have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share here. That´s the thing about this forum: so many of us have done amazing things, gone amazing places, practiced and learned a lot. I just want us to meet each other as equals, in an atmosphere of mutual respect. You might be surprised to learn some things about me. I too have a masters degree in counseling psychology (although I never got licensed or worked in the field, and therefore don´t claim your level of expertise). Ok, back (I hope), to philosophy. Liminal

Nobody likes to be talked down to, Jim. Including me. That´s kind of my point. Regardless of your age, former occupation, or wisdom, the fact is you are not the teacher here. Not officially. If someone wants to regard you as their teacher than that´s between you guys, but like I say -- on DaoBums we are all equals. If you´d like to have more control over threads you post (say to keep things on topic) there are options for that. You could start threads in your personal practice area and also in Wei Wu Wei. There you can delete any posts you choose from any member. We´ve gotten off the subject, but since you addressed me specifically in your comment I wanted to respond. But I for one wouldn´t complain if all these off-topic posts --including mine -- were pitted and we got back to the topic of philosophy and it´s usefulness (or lack therof).

I think the classroom metaphor is fun and playful, and you probably mean it playfully. But just so we´re all on the same textbook page: everyone has equal standing here on DaoBums and an equal right to speak their minds.

I wanted to quote this, because for me it´s an example of somebody making a philosophical principle their own in a way that serves them and their lives.

I think philosophy is what you make it. For some it´s an intellectual exercise (nothing wrong with that), while others craft a personal set of principles that anchors their whole life. We all have our own understanding of who we are and how our world works. We all want to find meaning in life. And these important things are the proper domain of philosophy. That said, taking a philosophy course in school might not be much help in figuring this stuff out. Guess it all depends. (I´m auditing this course -- no grade please. Just sittin´ in and bummin´off.)

Thanks for sharing your experience with Heavenly Streams, Pedro. I have the book but never really got into the practice. Maybe I´ll revisit it.

I´m reminded of that song lyric..."tired of living, and scared of dying." What if depression/suicidality and the desire for physical immortality are two sides of the same coin?

I think you´re right. The problem with all this "get tough on illegal Mexican immigrant" talk is that we don´t really want them to go. We might think we do, but we don´t. Their overall effect on the economy is a positive one, and if all the "illegals" were to one day up and go home we´d be in big, big trouble. So Trump can talk tough but there´s no wall that can keep them out. And that´s a good thing.