Lozen

http://www.nd.edu/~ehalton/Maleanfemale.html

Cat, In lieu of starting the Cat appreciation thread, I just want to say I love your posts and your writing is a breathe of fresh air. Thanks!! Lozen

Interesting, SheephishLord. So if an inherently egomaniacal and twisted man uses a condom, does that mean that his filthy swamp-like sick semen will not dirty up the virgin girl's pure vagina?

Lol, I read an article once about a boy who was given a Barbie doll once, and he turned it into a toy gun. Speaking from my own experience, my "perceptual limitation" of what it means to be a woman has pretty much changed my life in a very positive way, which is what really matters to me. So I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree.

see http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/challengesuppor...Default1208.htm

Cameron, the idea that being Jewish is inherently about hating Palestinians frankly is ridiculous. I find your statement that Jews develop hatred toward the rest of the Middle East one-sided at best. Israel is fighting for their very existence. They are surrounded by enemies that are sworn to annihilating them. They understand the gravity of their situation. As far as identity as attachment, well I do agree that at some point a common truth can be found between all people that goes beyond gender identity, race, etc. And I can certainly see the value of stepping outside of one's identity box and trying to relate to someone as a human being, instead of "I'm a New Yorker" or a businessman or a mother or soldier or whatever. And of course I think we have soul identities that go beyond this lifetime, that are influenced by more than the particular gender, race and body this soul has manifested in (not to mention external influences based on it.) BUT at the same time I think throwing away identity (if it were even possible) is a bad idea. The way tht I perceive and experience this world is based on my identity. It colors everything about us and you can't really entirely get rid of it. You ARE it. Not to mention that I don't necessarily agree with the premise that identity is attachment or that attachment causes suffering! In my life, more suffering has been caused by trying to deny or hide my identity. As far as men and women, well gosh I see this as pretty clear cut. I always go to women for nurturing and healing. I don't seek out men for that, I seek out men for protection and respite. They are better at it. Of course there are exceptions and I know men that nurture fairly well, but it's different... and I know women who can kick ass and take names, but the quality of it is different. I'm sure most people reading this will disagree, but I think equality is illusionary at best. Nobody ever said life was fair or easy. I feel like denying my role as a woman takes me off track. And yeah I do believe women are more intuitive than men, for a wide variety of reasons--one being the inherent cycles in our bodies due to menstruation, along with other things, chemicals, the way our brain works (again scientifically proven) hell they even did some studies I read about that indicated that women do not get fight/flight reactions as often as men do, because they get another reaction--which is to discuss their problems with other women. This isn't something I had to read a study about to believe in, I just always knew. Of course there are women that are vacant, but I'm thinking of my old friend's exgirlfriend who was a model...hated reading, would walk out of the room when her boyfriend and I would talk politics, philosophy, etc. Still she had this uncanny ability to tell when a situation or person was in trouble, could sense what people were like very easily, etc. Obviously I don't know what it's like to be a man, but I know when we get all women together, the energy is different, we relate to one another on an intuitive/perceptual level differently than I relate to men. I think I read some kind of article-very scientific, so you would like it Sean , that discussed women being able to feel a wider variety of emotion than men, they feel things much more deeply. This is why I like being around men that can make quick decisions. I think men are better at making decisions, they can make the damn decision while I am still vacillating between emotional extremes. I'm certainly not trying to deny men the opportunity of experiencing ridiculously strong emotions, I just don't think it comes as naturally to them. You see this play out amongst teenage couples, even, girls will say their boyfriends are "distant" (read: able to make quick detached decisions) and boys will say their girlfriends are "moody" (read: vacillating between emotional extremes). I have found in my life that it makes a lot of sense to tap into what it means for me to be a woman rather than trying to deny it and pretend that it's not there and try to be androgynous. So when I train in martial arts, I am training as a woman, keeping in mind my center is different than a man's, I will execute the moves differently (usu. more fluidly) and even when it is filled with strength, the strength has a different tone to it. In fact one of the things I like about TCM and qi gong is that it acknowledges the difference between men and women--the exercises are different in qi gong, which hand you put on top, etc...and TCM deals specifically with physical/energetic issues that women experience, and realize that yin and yang manifest differently in men than they do in women. And of course TCM has a huge myriad of dysfunctions that can apply to different people and express themselves differently in individuals, whether they are men or women. I hardly think that perceiving myself or identifying as a woman is an ego attachment or is causing destruction int he world. It works for me. It is what helps me keep my head on straight and figure out how to best serve others, which I really see as the root and heart and purpose of my path.

Interesting, I was just reading something Natalie Goldberg wrote on how the more she sits zazen, the more Jewish she feels. Her teacher at the time, I believe it was Katagiri Roshi told her that made perfect sense. By sitting, you are becoming more of what you already are. I have some pretty strong feelings on this so I'll write more once I have it more sorted.

LOL, not much of a criteria there. Anyways, I prefer Erica Montoya and Debbie Purcell.

I bet Molly Helsel would kick yr ass. I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Not. Okay, just kidding! Not KIDDING!

I didn't post that quote to try to diss men, though I do see how it could be taken that way. Sean and others are probably aware of my sort of old-fashioned views on men and women's roles, I unapologetically believe that women are better at nurturing. Can men nurture? Yup, if they have to. But not as well. And same with men as protectors. And I know some people would disagree with this. That's fine. (I also believe that gender is in the soul, not the chromosomes, and in fact like I mentioned briefly on another list I'm on they are trying to decide whether or not transwomen would be welcome, and I can't believe it's even an issue.)

http://origamiboulder.com/

Wow, I hope you are joking about women who aren't Taoists being unclean, because frankly that is ridiculous. There are many paths up the mountain, my friend. You don't have to be a Taoist to be spiritual, not all non-Taoists are "aloof."

still reading: 98.6 Degrees: the Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal also: Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain Edgar Cayce on Soul Growth by Kevin Todeschi (my psychic's husband) Overcoming Fear and Anxiety by Hugh Lynn Cayce (with Kevin Todeschi) Asian Health Secrets by Letha Hadady The Complete Medicinal Herbal by Penelope Ody on the not so bright and fluffy side, I just finished On Combat Effective Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques

http://www.fongswingchun.com/answers/128.mp3

http://www.randi.org/research/index.html

What do you guys know about wing chun? Anybody ever trained in it? Apparently there's a wing chun master in my very town!

We learned some great moves at the seminar I went to, one was a drill similar to the one you described. I guess part of the reason I'm looking into wing chun is because I could train four days a week, and with ninjutsu/budo taijutsu I could only make it twice a week. Also I was talking to a martial artist I really respect who lives on the East Coast on the phone and told him Si Fu Augustine Fong was in my town, and he was like, WOW! and asked if he could come visit so he could train with the guy. Also I thought wing chun would go along with my TCM obsession, since it IS a Chinese art...I guess it has qi gong incorporated in it AND you learn how to fight?

just looking into it as a martial art. i think the stuff i've been messing around with is too intense for me, and i'm sick of driving two hours to only play once a week and not having anyone to train with. i just want to find an art where i can train hard under a good teacher and reasonably expect to be able to handle myself against 95% of the opponents i am likely to come up against in a typical lifetime. as opposed to playing Tommy Lee Jones to Benicio del Toro.

You Brits and your tea!!

NAME -- Lozen QUEST -- To be a whole woman. PROBLEM UNDERLYING THE PRESENT STRESS -- Has a fear that she may be prevented from achieving the things she wants. This leads her to employ great personal charm in her dealings with others, hoping that this will make it easier for her to reach her objectives. DESIRED OBJECTIVE -- Wants to make a favorable impression and be regarded as a special personality. Is therefore constantly on the watch to see whether she is succeeding in this and others are reacting to her -- this makes her feel that she is in control. Uses tactics cleverly in order to obtain influence and special recognition. Susceptible to esthetic or original. CURRENT INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR -- Wants to broaden her fields of activity and insists that her hopes and ideas are realistic. Distressed by the fear that she may be prevented from doing what she wants, needs both peaceful conditions and quiet reassurance to restore her confidence. ANALYSIS STOLEN FROM: http://www.viewzone.com/luscher/colortest.html

Yeah I stole that one too.

didja go to the doc yet?

There's a ninja dude on this very forum. Hiding somewhere, I suppose.