LCH

Completely agree.

An update to any who are "following"... Through quite a "synchronistic" chain of events (isn't this what all of life is anyway?) I was offered and accepted a place in a two-year course offered by Dr. Ted Cibik. It is called Formless Taoism. A google search will yield an explanation for any who are interested. This class will be a great initiation for me into continued practice in a group environment from an established teacher. I have met Ted in person and sat with him for a couple hours and have great respect for him. As this class progresses, I trust that my "destiny" will become more illuminated and I will be able to act accordingly. Upon gaining entry in this class yesterday, the energetic intensity I have been feeling for the entire month of July, subsided tremendously, and clarity has returned. I'll take that as a good sign. Lad

Ok, just wondering. I didn't want to assume anything. Thank you.

Cat, How is it that you are interpreting an energy signature?

Again, I appreciate the responses, and I find the perspectives given reflect what I often offer to people, it is interesting to be on the receiving end. Thank you again.

Thank you all for your responses thus far, it is greatly appreciated.

Just as I feel into the question... "Wake up" is an inherently dualistic phrase which can activate a reaction of thought within a dualistic paradigm... If one is in need of "waking up", then they must be "asleep" in some way. Though, as many on "the path" can attest, there are varying levels of being "awake"; and as soon as one believes themselves to be so, a limitation is placed on "self". There seems to be no "final" destination in the seeking of "Truth", but a conscious mind is not inherently wired as such and must relearn this concept if it is can release its death-grip on the human experience for long enough to do so. Such fun balancing ego consciousness with the infinite consciousness known as "Tao". The introduction of such a paradox is not for everyone. And perhaps those people fall into the category of urging others to "wake up"? Dunno, just postulating. Often this phrase is an urging from an emotional perspective for an individual to empower themselves. A gathering of the masses so-to-speak in efforts to enacting genuine "change" within our world. Sadly though (or maybe not so much), not everyone can even agree on what that "change" is to be. Other times it is a ploy used to disinform and create fracturing within a sub-collective that has gained some momentum to challenge the "status quo". Try entering any decent conspiracy rabbit hole and immerse yourself in all the varying forms of "truth" and see if you can find your way out unscathed. Often times the conspiratorial waters are littered with chum in the form of disinformation. Just ask a handful of conspiracy theorists who knocked down the world trade centers, and see if you get the same answer. Also, this phrase can serve as validation for difficult to grasp and believe in concepts, as has been stated a few times above. Empowerment by agreement. Certainly it is possible to empathize with someone urging humanity to wake up? Many grow tired of a status quo that encourages continual consumption, material worship, and ignorance of "self", or maybe better a lack of "remembering" of a "primordial" connection. Though, that is a judgement call. One could even argue that those pursuing the "Tao", simply need to "wake up" to it and be the Tao, instead of following often rigid practices. There is one common thread in all of these examples though. That is that they are ALL experiential. Even a completely "asleep" individual can agree that experience simply is, it is merely our own reactions to the experiences that yield other expressions, desires, drives, etc... This is the experiencing of what I would consider the "adjectives" of the Tao/God/Creation/Boozie-woozie. An ego-based experience is capable of a seemingly infinite access to expressing and experiencing creation. If one wishes for others to "wake up", perhaps they can live a life of being "awakened". Maybe that will hold more water than verbally imploring others to do so in such an ambiguous way? I have hoped for others to "wake up" in the past and still do. I simply want others to love themselves. To realize their True connection. I wish for others to do so, so that I can more easily at times. Yes, I am not afraid to admit that I still "slumber". Coming off the mountain and joining the "real" world is not an easy thing to do. I applaud anyone who is actively seeking a more conscious experience of the "primordial" within our temporal existence. Ok, I have rambled enough. I don't even know if I made much sense, but I feel better. Thank you for asking the question.

Thanks for sharing... I do like to hear people's clarifications, since this is a forum where written words are the only medium of exchange.

Chang, You hold what view? What has your path shown you?

By the way, this is a very good topic for the "times" we are in these days. Personally, I am somewhat of a "suburban monk" in that I work a job that is connected with the corporate world and all the imbalance attached to it, while making efforts to inject what I have attained through my personal practices into the job I am doing. I do not live on a mountain top, or in a monastery; and I do relate to being a "hermit" of sorts in the midst of it all. At times, it has been like watching a car wreck in slow motion with every single collision and painful experience being seen, as I simply watch, while many of my efforts appear to have little effect. In these moments I do recognize the impermanence of things, and though my "efforts" to carry weight as to my experience, all flows back to the Tao. Millions of people are struggling and fighting to get a piece of a seemingly shrinking pie, and I most times see myself like the watchful hawk seeing it all from a higher vantage point, though, not completely immune or shielded to the events of this "time". As many of the current societal structures continue to erode, others bloom from seeds created within a collective mind that has seemingly completely lost its connection with itself.

Whether you are writing or not, you are still connected to the Tao. It may just be your conscious mind which will not allow you to remember such a connection. The "Tao" (use whatever word you want to describe it) is not an idea that can be captured by a finite mind, it is a feeling, and flowing force responsible for ALL manifestation and expression, even detective noir stories... Connect with your heart to this infinite essence and allow your fingers to dance all over the keyboard as you translate this energy into a collection of "words" with collectively agreed upon meanings. Perhaps then your mind will allow for the expression of the "Tao" without having to question or judge how well it is "succeeding". As "time" moves on, perhaps you shall write about different topics, or not at all. I ask you this... What is the rush? Where is there to go? What were you before you were a "writer", or "student" of the "Tao", a human being? Today a "writer", tomorrow a chef, maybe the next day a goat herder. Perhaps we are all everything and nothing, simultaneously, where only an inquiring mind seeks more specific answers. Answers may bring about more questions, or allow for the letting go of the necessity of. I always liked this verse from the Hua Hu Ching: EIGHTY-ONE With all this talking, what has been said? The subtle truth can be pointed at with words, but it can't be contained by them. Take time to listen to what is said without words, to obey the law too subtle to be written, to worship the unnamable and to embrace the unformed. Love your life. Trust the Tao. Make love with the invisible subtle origin of the universe, and you will give yourself everything you need. You won't have to hide away forever in spiritual retreats. You can be a gentle, contemplative hermit right here in the middle of everything, utterly unaffected, thoroughly sustained and rewarded by your integral practices. Educating others, giving freely to all, awakening and purifying the world with each movement and action, you'll ascend to the divine realm in broad daylight. The breath of the Tao speaks, and those who are in harmony with it hear quite clearly. Take care, and thanks for asking the question. Lad

Can a mind ever quantify, and therefore fully understand "infinity"? Try as it might, "infinity" cannot be grasped and cognitively understood in complete fullness by one's mind, no matter how "smart" and "capable" it is. The mind is inherently "finite". This is a paradox that a mind may ALWAYS try to rectify. Only until the paradox is simply embraced will True mental stillness present itself. It is a letting go of theories and postulates. Philosophies and histories. Until one recognizes the true and seemingly infinite creative potential of the mind, the mind will never realize the pathway to True understanding. Just my experience. To answer your question though... Yes, the more you mentally exert yourself, the more potential you are creating for imbalanced energy. Send me a PM if you would like to discuss this more.

Your responses make a lot of sense and I can empathize with where you are... One of the reasons I asked about what your specific intentions are with practice is because there are a lot of different "end" goals for this practice, and not all of them are necessarily in conscious alignment with what one might consider "the Tao". There are also many different philosophies and beliefs as to what ones "purpose" is in their experience. I have no desire to usurp anyone's ability to explore their current human condition, as the only true and lasting education comes through temporal experience. Be it sitting on ones couch and just laughing, or practicing higher order metaphysics. There is a lot of power yielded in being able to manifest qi, and without a proper understanding of the ramifications of creating and manifesting this energy, it stands to reason that the seemingly countless layers of the "mental realm" are as far as anyone will get since the desire for "power" and "mastery" itself is one that is inherently an ego-based and mental construct. There are a lot of mental "traps" out there, which is why in my opinion grounding the "infinite" energy is so imperative. Your realization of the power of your thoughts is a very important one and one definitely not worth forgetting. As someone who has a very active and capable mind, I had to experiment plenty before my mind realized the futility of engaging in greater and greater levels of complexity. This alone can create a lot of imbalanced energy simply by the act of "mental masturbation"

Is there a difference between "mental state" and "physical"?

Perceiver, You might find more "peace" (if you are really seeking this) in consistent exposure to some of the age-old texts. Learning how to consult the I Ching can give you something to mentally focus on, while breaking up energy blockages forged by temporal conditioning. It might not be as flashy as a "kundalini release", but it will help you navigate a reality that still possesses the infinite Tao without all the "flash" of an extra sensory awakening. Though, as you remove the "karmic" dross, you may have experiences without "trying" to. Things perceived by ones mind are impermanent and inherently illusory in comparison to recognition of the "Tao" within ones-self and all other aspects of existence. You might like the Tao Te Ching #7 as a good guide. There is benefit is trying as many practices as possible in the sense that one's mind might realize that True intent can make LIFE the arena of practice, thus resulting in the lack of needing to follow what this "master" or that "master" says to do. Much of the "work" in connecting and balancing is getting one's own mind to realize that a brute force approach might not always work, and that sticking to a few timeless tenants are the best guideposts of any practice. To each their own. Ultimately, it is your experience. You are responsible for the qi that you possess and express to the experience. A clear intention of what you are pursuing might be a good place to start, such to not create the potential for energy disruption, which is what practicing various methods of "energy work" are doing. What are you seeking in terms of your energy practice? How did the whole "kundalini" experience kick off for you? How has it affected your perception of reality? Understanding these dynamics can alleviate a lot of the energy imbalance because it will quiet your mind naturally instead of pursuing the many suggested mental approaches to do so. I have used these practices as a way of escaping reality, only to realize that I was no "further" along than I was before I had any sort of "awakening". Existing in the world we all live in while being connected with the great spirit it the ultimate challenge. To an active mind that believes "practice" is the only means, simply just "be"ing in every single thing one does is a rather boring proposition. There is always going to be the potential to want to start paper on fire with ones own qi, but what does it mean if one hasn't understood their own essence at the very core? To answer one other comment you made about people wanting to help you who don't even know you, many are really helping themselves as well, as perhaps there is no such thing as "other". I know I appreciate the opportunity to offer something. Thank you for asking a question. Lad

Deci, Wonderful to hear from you. Thank you. Lad

haha! Thanks for sharing :-) My friend could "see" the snake, yes. He removed an entity from me once that was trying to get me to kill myself. 7 months later, I had the opportunity to remove another one with the same intent, but I did it on my own this time. This has been my most empowering "spiritual experience" to date. My "4D" vision is intermittent, but over time has become more consistent. I dabbled in the astral for a bit of time, but I have difficulty staying grounded as it is, so I don't particularly try anymore. I can't say it was ever as effortless as you have expressed. I am not surprised to hear of all the stuff you were experiencing and seeing in these realms. It is truly amazing to see and marvel at the creative potential of the mind, both individually and collectively, and then to see how it filters down into "3D". Thank again for sharing!

Nice webpage... :-) Dabbling in the "dark" arts, or even the "light" arts only really deals with half the dualistic equation in my view. Yes, they are very real, but certainly not continued required learning. Often people will pursue "magick" as some sort of ego gratifying experience to exercise control over others. And certainly one can invoke "entities" to serve as "protectors"... A friend told me a story yesterday about how he was in his acupuncture class and observing his classmate working on a woman who was of native American heritage. She had an etheral "snake" that she had invoked to protect her wrapped around her right ankle. The student felt the presence of this thing and decided to try and remove it. Before my friend could stop him, the student was "bitten" by this entity. His hand even swelled up like a snake bite would. The woman obviously was not prepared to let this thing go, as she had invoked it for protection, and seemingly it worked! The power of thought never ceases to amaze. Thanks for sharing.

In my experience, a great method of transmutation of said energies is not to fight them, but recognize what they are showing me about myself. If I can understand what it is they are trying to "take" or "control" in me, then there is little left for them to exploit any longer. It is all based on thought-form creation and manipulation to me. Even in a "dream" or "astral" state it is possible to maintain presence such not to give into these sorts of situations. Your frustration towards it shows that it still has some kind of control over you. Only sharing what I have learned. This may not be the case for you, and I'm not denying that you are on the receiving end of some kind of metaphysical attack from someone. In a way though, isn't that what any "negative" thought is against anyone, only that the "dark arts" harness these energies better in a more conscious way. Thank you for sharing and giving me a chance to explore this myself.

My experience with black energy is usually experiential in the waking state... It typically appears around people that are arguing with one another or are trying to argue with me. I do possess somewhat of a developed "extra" sight, and have questioned this phenomenon quite a bit. In my view, these "energies" are composed of mental energies. They have "ego" since there is ego essence in the mental excretions of human beings. Their "livelihood" (an ego-based construct) is dependent on emotional excretion from people "in body". When I see people get emotionally triggered or activated, often these energies will appear. If they are black/gray it typically accompanies a ramped up expression of "negative" energy. I had an experience in January where I was psychically attacked by these types of energies, since I did see them manifesting around me like a black/grey fog. A deep feeling of dread and hopelessness accompanied this experience, and eventually the psychic stimulation became such that the thought of self-termination crossed my mind. At this point I regained control of what was going on and started writing out all the thoughts I was having, such to read them back to myself. What I read was very much NOT an accurate expression, and I recognized and allowed myself to believe that I was in fact facing a psychic attack. In the dream state, these have appeared to me as well, but it never really set-in for me as "viable" until I experienced then in the waking state as well. Of course, when it comes to emotional expression, there is little difference between dreaming and waking. Perhaps you can energetically clear your sleeping space before bed? I suggest grounding yourself as well, if you don't already. Ultimately, these energies are our greatest teachers, just my view. It may not seem that way since you had a sexual run-in with someone's grandma, but they are attracted to those who have the potential to give them what they need. Again, just my experience...

What about when someone starts distancing from the concept of "Self" in the pursuit of true autonomy?

I have now read both the Wilhelm version and the Cleary version, and I have realized "Lost in Translation" is not only a movie starring Bill Murry. :-). I take nothing away from the Wilhelm version with the accompanying Jungian analysis, but the Cleary version doesn't even need the occidental explanation of a psycho-analyst to justify it. Not to mention, Cleary's version oozes of transcendence in that it does not concentrate on specific "energy work", but a holistic approach to "life", or more appropriately, "self"less-realization. This book, as Deci said, is worth experiencing again and again. Proving, to those who can recognize, that longer and more detailed does not always provide more clarity.

Forgive me if this topic has been discussed before, and if so, I encourage someone to point me to the thread.... In my reality, one of the reasons to ask this question is to keep my active mind at bay. The pursuit of "enigmatic" concepts veiled in allegory and symbolism which offer ambiguous "rewards" like "enlightenment", "sagehood", etc. is a slippery endeavor. Not to mention, I desire no such labels. I personally rather just increase my perceptive awareness as much as I can while I am here "in body". I have little exposure to the conditioned belief in re-incarnation, and frankly, I am would like to reach "escape velocity" in this incarnation. Attaining greater states of awareness is certainly about non-doing, but in a world that revolves around "doing", the conditioning can get pretty thick, and thus the question "what the heck am I doing?!" haha! I am curious as to why people pursue "Taoism"? What is it that keeps people pursuing something that very much contradicts "conventional wisdom"? I will say I am drawn to Taoism for its inherent simplicity, despite how complex my mind would like to make it. I am drawn to Taoism because it helps me stay "grounded" in a world that appears to the conscious mind to be rather ass-backward. I recognize that the more that I immerse myself in the essence of the "Tao", the more my personality shifts into alignment with what I perceive to be the "Tao". This does mean that I don't pursue many of the "things" I have in the past (pun intended). It is often called "the path of the fool", referred to in TTC #20, depending on translations, as well as other alchemical texts of gnostic lineage. (and others, I'm sure, but haven't encountered). So why do it? Any responses are welcome. Lad

Thanks for sharing, H. :-)

This is an interesting comment, H. Care to elaborate? I have pondered similar logic at times so I am curious to hear more from you.