The erosion of a man’s soul happens slowly. Perhaps it is the result of accumulated failure, perhaps it is his destiny. In hindsight one can piece together the string of incidences that led him to the brink of despair. If only, if only. I’ve read that regrets are an appalling waste of energy that one cannot build on. It’s only for wallowing in. Can one see the changes, the transformation that has taken place, the dark luminosity that shines closer to the surface and not feel regret?
The sucking sound of a vortex within which you are afraid to look. A dark abyss. It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.
I will not.
Goodbye

You say you want a revolution ....I do!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of those ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it,…
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations… evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, their duty, to throw off such Government.

I never thought I would call the 60s and 70s “the good old days”. I would cry tears of joy today to see just one campus overrun by a modern equivalent of the Students for a Democratic Society. I would cheer to see a general strike paralyze a city. It would be living proof that American character had not been submerged, drugged, weakened, and rendered anemic beyond revival.
My country is dead. Its people have surrendered to tyranny, and in so doing, they have become tyranny’s primary support group; its base constituency; its chief defender. Every day they offer their endorsement of tyranny by banking in its banks and spending their borrowed money with the corporations that run it. The great Neocon strategy of George H.W. Bush has triumphed. Convince the American people that they can’t live without the “good things”, then sit back and watch as they endorse the progressively more outrageous crimes you commit as you throw them bones with ever-less meat on them. All the while, lock them into debt. Destroy the middle class, the only political base that need be feared. Make them accept, because of their own shared guilt, ever-more repressive police state measures. Do whatever you want.

In their silence and acquiescence Americans have voted –- even if by abstention –- to stand on the shoulders of all drowning peoples in the vain hope that they will somehow be saved from a paradigm which they support and empower by obeying it; by endorsing it with their silence or knowingly impotent protests; by refusing to throw themselves against the gears of the machine. In this world, a protest which is allowed and encouraged, corralled into free-speech areas, and then policed by the ruling government only to be ignored by the media is, by definition, meaningless.
The US is a nation where the “non-negotiable” and unsustainable “American” way of life is propped up by global conflict, out-of-control military spending, massive and unsustainable debt, and an increasingly-aggressive fascist police state. It is a nation where all US citizens who do not resist and disconnect from this paradigm enjoy their ever-diminishing privileges with the guilty knowledge that somewhere else, hopefully in some “other” country, others are paying the price for it.
Michael C. Ruppert

Chronic pain. It's no fun but a great teacher. I am glad that teachers stay with us for a time and encourage us and help us grow. Then, hopefully we continue to the next level and meet our next teacher, as the school of hard knocks can be eternal. Don't want to be stuck in the same grade forever.

After years of pills, physical therapy and a t.e.n.s unit, I entered the realm of Feldenkrais therapy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldenkrais_method I highly recommend it although I have forgotton most of what I learned. It was this teacher that led me to Taoist meditation and energy exercises. This opened my awareness about alternative therapies and I began to study herbs and homeopathy and decided to give accupunture a try. The meditation and accupuncture brought me over the crest of the hill. I began to work again and although I continue to be partially disabled and in a minimal amount of pain, I live a rather normal life.

There are many levels of exercise that include an awareness and an inclusion of the Taoist principle of "Chi". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi If I were to equate my experience with Chi to one that was to swim the ocean, I would admit that I have only dipped my right foot and a portion of the left into the vast expanse of the void, the Tai Chi, the Supreme Ultimate.

I am not a teacher. I only point to that which I have seen, to that which I have experienced. My progress has been slowed due to the pressures of life that many of us know all too well. Family, finances, the pressure of just living. No wonder Taoism has produced so many hermits!

I work full time and now earn 60% less than I did in my last position. My oldest was sent to jail today. My only toy, the "Little Hottie" is experiencing some health issues of her own. I am quite sure that I will miss the Vermont show that I have so looked forward to. So, I am no stranger to the travails of life.

Give the Chi exercises a try and tell me of your experiences!

If you have been playing with this simple exercise, and I hope that you have, begin as you have with 1) posture 2) relaxed spine 3) breathe 4) smile.

Now I want you to begin moving the energy found in the smile, slowly downward - feel it move slowly down your throat into your heart and lungs, moving through and behind your belly button. Move it downard into the genital area and let it rest at the pernium (the space between your genitals & anus) allow the energy to rise up the back along the center line of the body, let it rise over the scalp and down the forehead and end at the upper palate of the mouth. (Remember? Your tongue should be lightly pressed behind your upper front teeth) Allow the momentum to let this energy continue down as water drains off a slope and let it collect in the "dan tian" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dantian a space just behind the navel and about three fingers below. Allow the energy to circulate, roll and eventually come to rest there.

Practice this until it becomes to feel natural and fun. Remember! Anything to do with smiles is good fun!





Play with this exercise until you can feel the energy warm or stimulate certain areas of the pathway.

Mona Lisa Mona Lisa, smile alittle smile for me...

Posture, proper sitting; is our foundation. Every time you sit, to practice even the simplest of instruction, begin with getting your posture right. Practice, practice, practice. But don't get uptight. Every minute is built upon the last.

We begin today with the building block of the Inner Smile Meditation, our Mona Lisa smile.

Without going into great detail, your assignment for today, if you choose to accept it, is to smile. Find your posture. Relaxed but straightened spine. Let you hands fall upon or beyond your knees, palms down. One deep breath, in and out through the nose, let your breath find its natural, unforced ryhtym. Tip of the tongue lightly placed behind your top teeth.

Bring to mind a thought or person that creates an unforced smile upon your face. Study the transformation that the smile brings to your face, your eyes. Notice all of the subtle changes that are physically created by the form of a smile upon your face. The changes will become more obvious the more you practice the set up. 1) posture 2) relaxed spine 3) breathe 4) smile. All four require a degree of concentration on your part. The higher the concentration, the greater your power of awareness. Yes, yes, this posture is good. Ah, spine relaxed. Breathing, breathing, breathing. The smile...what do you notice?

Tell me.

Intro to Taoist meditation and energy exercises

I thought that perhaps it was time to offer something constructive in an effort to help balance the overwhelming negative energy that is confronting and frustrating us at each turn.
I would like to introduce some teachings on two forms of Taoist meditation.
Microcosmic Orbit &
The Inner Smile.

As seen in the illustration, 15 points upon the body are marked and named. Each having various characteristics. It should be noted that this system of energy points is akin to Charkras and these locations are known throughout Vedic, Buddhist and Taoist teachings. Our focus here is mainly Taoist although I may offer some Buddhist or Vedic perspectives.

These meditations are usually performed while in a seated position. It is possible to use a Buddhist semi lotus or full lotus positions if that is familiar to you. Others should use a comfortable chair while sitting several inches away from the back of the chair. There is also a standing practice that is most effective once a sitting practiced has been established and the movement of internal energy is well established.

I would ask that in this very early stage, one find the chair that is most suitable, find a quiet time ( try to devote five to ten minutes) scan your body for tight shoulders, scrunched face, etc... and try to let your body relax. Imagine a thread running just behind your belly button, ascending upwards through the center of your head and keeping you gently erect, without force. Inhale deeply through your nose while keeping your jaw slightly relaxed while the tip of your tongue is resting gently behind the teeth on the roof of your mouth. Let your breath find its normal sense of flow

Practice this relaxed posture for a time. It is always important to have proper posture in any meditation practice. In time, when we are ready, we will proceed.

He shouted to anyone that appeared to show interest, that we were suffering from the effects of global warming. The term had closed in on the collective vocabulary with such speed that it soon lost any impact upon the hearer. Frustrated by the deaf ears that heard so clearly conversations regarding sex or money while so easily a loss of interest in the weakening world.

When the dam broke its bounds, one could stand in position, in a valiant show of effort to part the water and suffer immediate drowning. To what avail? For the memories of those that survived? Would it not prove equally valiant to scale the banks and live another day?

When the conditions favor it, water will bubble over the stream bed, through rocks, forming little pools. A slew of bubbles will appear for a moment and when the conditions favor it, the very same bubbles will disappear.

"Little Hottie" does it again

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