Before I get to the meat, I'd like to bump these quotes of the day (which may actually be considered the meat by at least one of the four of you reading this):
The learned man controls the stars; the ignorant man is controlled by the stars.
-- Hermetic wisdom
With sword and firebrand, races obliterate the records of their predecessors, then inevitably meet with an untimely fate for need of the very wisdom that they destroyed.
-- Manly P. Hall
Salt doesn't burn.
(But it does decompose)
-- C. Masta
Anyway, here goes:
It's funny that [in our modern-day society]...
The layman appreciates not his own worth.
The scientist thinks not for himself.
The slave obeys the richest man.
The richest man lives a poor life.
The poorest man lives a rich life.
The sage hordes his knowledge.
The teacher disillusions his student.
The doctor harms his patient.
The farmer poisons his food.
The lady crushes the gentleman.
The destination is valued above the journey.
The righteous is labeled the heretic.
The most hygienic is among the least clean.
The material is prized beyond its worth.
The substance is ignored or pushed aside.
The illumined is lost in the dark.
***
Excuse my use of all masculine pronouns. If it offends you, please stahp being offended by it.
Lest we allow the law of attraction to fulfill these prophecies, please do note that this is how it HAS BEEN and certainly not representative of how it WILL BE in the near future. Or the present now. Which was the future then. And is now the past. Ahahaha time is a mindphyck.
Later, dweeb (thanks for reading).
Monday, March 27, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Sacrifice
At some point or another, sacrifice was incorporated into the human canon.
Perhaps it was in naivety that this occurred, but regardless, it has followed the modern human, likely from its inception, all the way up until today.
It all stems from the same thing: Fear.
In the beginning, sacrifice was noble; necessary to the survival of the human race. Imagine that your woman and baby were hungry, but you had only caught a single rabbit that day -- the climate had recently been thrown out of whack and most of the other animals had died off or been eaten already. Catching the rabbit with your bare hands and skinning it with your makeshift tools was an ordeal and a half, and there was no telling when you would find another, but babies need to eat, lest they be too malnourished to grow properly, and the woman needed to be on her guard to make sure it wasn't carried off by something bigger. You, having been conditioned for the hunt, recall that the patch of edible mushrooms you had found the other day would probably be ripe in flush again tomorrow anyway.
Ethos: 5/5
Pathos: 4/5
Logos: 3/5
Later on, a primitive understanding of weather caused humans to believe that they must sacrifice various symbolic things to the Gods, lest they be unhappy and cause global disasters that would cripple the supply of fresh food or water. In the meantime, more intelligent specimens discovered methods of preserving food for long-term storage (i.e. fermentation) and stockpiling water in the case of either occurrence.
Ethos: 5/5
Pathos: 1/5
Logos: 4/5
Eventually, enough evil humans got together and devised a plan to enslave the masses. Whether or not their intentions were initially good is up for debate. They were successfully able to convince enough humans that an almighty being would deliver eternal damnation to those who did not offer sacrifice to their religious establishment to create a false dogma that is still in place today (but finally receding significantly).
Ethos: 1/5
Pathos: 4/5
Logos: 2/5
Though we are close to another paradise in human society, sacrifice is still ingrained in the human psyche as something that simply must be done, which might be a positive truth, except that the benefactor of this sacrifice is now less often the greater good and more often the material self. As one surrenders to the wants of their ego, or material body, the instantaneous comfort that they feel tends to condition them to continue doing this and thus ignore their higher bodies (intellectual, spiritual).
Ethos: 2/5
Pathos: 4/5
Logos: 3/5
At the inward extreme, learned ignorance causes one to selfishly cling to what is 'theirs', often in disregard of what is fair or right. Drunk with entitlement, the higher bodies suffocate. At the outward extreme, one sacrifices more than they had to begin with and the higher bodies starve.
***
I don't really know how to find the perfect balance yet, aside from just being mindful and letting the pendulum swing: Yeah, sure, easier said than done. At its core, it's still pretty much Pavlov conditioning. If you associate good feelings with good behavior and vise versa, you're about half way there...
Good luck finishing the race from that point.
I'm going to sleep on that. 'Til next time.
Perhaps it was in naivety that this occurred, but regardless, it has followed the modern human, likely from its inception, all the way up until today.
It all stems from the same thing: Fear.
In the beginning, sacrifice was noble; necessary to the survival of the human race. Imagine that your woman and baby were hungry, but you had only caught a single rabbit that day -- the climate had recently been thrown out of whack and most of the other animals had died off or been eaten already. Catching the rabbit with your bare hands and skinning it with your makeshift tools was an ordeal and a half, and there was no telling when you would find another, but babies need to eat, lest they be too malnourished to grow properly, and the woman needed to be on her guard to make sure it wasn't carried off by something bigger. You, having been conditioned for the hunt, recall that the patch of edible mushrooms you had found the other day would probably be ripe in flush again tomorrow anyway.
Ethos: 5/5
Pathos: 4/5
Logos: 3/5
Later on, a primitive understanding of weather caused humans to believe that they must sacrifice various symbolic things to the Gods, lest they be unhappy and cause global disasters that would cripple the supply of fresh food or water. In the meantime, more intelligent specimens discovered methods of preserving food for long-term storage (i.e. fermentation) and stockpiling water in the case of either occurrence.
Ethos: 5/5
Pathos: 1/5
Logos: 4/5
Eventually, enough evil humans got together and devised a plan to enslave the masses. Whether or not their intentions were initially good is up for debate. They were successfully able to convince enough humans that an almighty being would deliver eternal damnation to those who did not offer sacrifice to their religious establishment to create a false dogma that is still in place today (but finally receding significantly).
Ethos: 1/5
Pathos: 4/5
Logos: 2/5
Though we are close to another paradise in human society, sacrifice is still ingrained in the human psyche as something that simply must be done, which might be a positive truth, except that the benefactor of this sacrifice is now less often the greater good and more often the material self. As one surrenders to the wants of their ego, or material body, the instantaneous comfort that they feel tends to condition them to continue doing this and thus ignore their higher bodies (intellectual, spiritual).
Ethos: 2/5
Pathos: 4/5
Logos: 3/5
At the inward extreme, learned ignorance causes one to selfishly cling to what is 'theirs', often in disregard of what is fair or right. Drunk with entitlement, the higher bodies suffocate. At the outward extreme, one sacrifices more than they had to begin with and the higher bodies starve.
***
I don't really know how to find the perfect balance yet, aside from just being mindful and letting the pendulum swing: Yeah, sure, easier said than done. At its core, it's still pretty much Pavlov conditioning. If you associate good feelings with good behavior and vise versa, you're about half way there...
Good luck finishing the race from that point.
I'm going to sleep on that. 'Til next time.
Monday, March 13, 2017
On the power of knowledge, Qigong, and love
Before we begin, note that I was not genetically gifted with an abnormally strong immune system -- in fact, since I was a caesarean baby, my immune system was slightly compromised from the get-go because my newborn body was not colonized by vaginal microbes, leading to a slightly higher-than-average frequency of sickness and recurring infections in my ears for the first ten or so years of my life. This may have had other potential unrelated effects later on, but all of that would be undue speculation and thus I will refrain from following this tangent any longer. I was also a moderate cigarette smoker for about eight years, but recently quit (almost two months ago).
Anyway, let me share with you some of my own empirical evidence in strong support of the benefits I have noticed following about three months of daily active/meditative Qigong practice, eight months without a shower, and years of a mindful (yet by no means perfect) diet:
1. Even years ago, my colds, when treated with fairly natural remedies like water, tea, fruit, spicy food, supplements like Emergen-C, and abstinence from cigarettes, never lasted more than seven days (from onset to complete remission), usually more like five, and with debilitating symptoms lasting only two to three. This is by the power of diet alone. In the most extreme case (when I was madly in love), I fought off an inescapable cold in three days from onset to complete remission. Note that I was in China at the time, so couldn't read the ingredients in anything that I consumed, and was forced to make do with less than eight hours of sleep per night. Tea and fruit juice are very cheap there, though :] . I haven't been able to beat three days (or even four) since then, despite learning more about biochemistry and the workings of the immune system. Love is truly the ultimate medicine.
2. Fast forward a few years to after I stopped showering (I still wash the extremities when necessary, mind you, but haven't formally bathed since July of 2016). Since that time, I have only been sick once, despite being around many sick people in the high-stress university setting. That time was in December 2016, before I seriously began to practice Qigong (however I was still doing daily morning workouts) and the virus was harbored by two biologically naive 19-year-old roommates. At that time, I was in the midst of an emotional upheaval, so the illness was essentially inevitable (in case you didn't know, your immune system is compromised when your emotions are compromised). Even so, the cold was mild and lasted only four days from onset to remission. The roommate that had gotten me sick and refused to take my medical advice, instead opting to take daily doses of Dayquil/Nyquil, remained sick for about two weeks after I had recovered. The roommate that accepted my tea offerings remised some time before that. We infer from this that much pharmaceutical "medicine" does not actually treat disease, focusing instead on masking the physical symptoms and, as a result, slows down the natural healing process by distracting your body. Note, however, that in order to maintain momentum in our modern lifestyles, this may actually be necessary sometimes. The lifestyle is not the focus of this post, but is often extremely relevant in cases of dis-ease.
3. Fast forward again to this past weekend, traveling from Missouri to my parents' home in Illinois, in the midst of somewhat of another emotional upheaval, and greeted by another set of unfriendly respiratory viruses. Despite a sugar-laden (but still fairly healthy) diet, alcohol intake greater than one glass per day, and a hand washing regimen that would probably make your doctor shiver, I am pleased to report that I have successfully generated the appropriate antibodies and fought off the viruses that tried to infect me, sans symptoms of respiratory dis-ease.
YEAH!
In light of all this, I will also share with you my recipe for Super Immunoblast Tea, which I consumed a couple of hours after smoking cannabis and soon after walking home in sub-freezing temperature. A day later, I still show no signs of becoming sick.
Super Immunoblast Tea:
Turmeric
Black pepper
Lemon peel
Ginger
Chili powder
Cocoa powder
Himalayan sea salt
Coconut manna/oil
(Local) honey
Boiling water
Garlic (this will make it stronger, but may not improve the taste)
Stir, steep for at least two minutes, and consume without straining.
Note: Feel free to add, substitute, or subtract ingredients as necessary. Coconut is probably the best fat to use due to its antiviral properties, however the function of the oil is primarily to extract more active components from the spices. You can use something else (like butter or whole milk) if you prefer.
Figure 1. Modified image of Super Immunoblast Tea. The large chunks are pieces of powdered ginger, but the freshly grated stuff is probably better. Notice the resemblance the solution bears to the cosmos. Interestingly, upon dilution with cold water, a visible temperature gradient is formed.
4. I now wash my face less than once per day, but also break out with acne less often and less severely than I did in the past. This could, of course, be a natural result of growing older, however I think it has something to do with the natural symbiosis and the Qigong :]
5. Despite no longer having a job, there are still numerous stressors in my life (including not having a job). I think I deal with it more effectively, though.
6. Not really related to the immune system, but I also feel stronger on my regimen of active Qigong than I felt on a regimen of working out alone, despite doing fewer weight-bearing exercises.
7. I haven't gained much, if any, fat weight following the cessation of smoking cigarettes, despite being only moderately active.
Oh, yeah!
In unrelated news, yet full circle to the original objective of this blog, I now have two songs available to purchase on Bandcamp if you'd like to support my future endeavors. I plan to release them as part of an EP sometime in the near future as well, so be on the lookout for that. I may or may not use the image above as album art. Note also that you don't have to pay for my music if you don't think it's worth anything.
Here's the link:
https://cmasta.bandcamp.com/
To health and happiness -- Cheers!
Anyway, let me share with you some of my own empirical evidence in strong support of the benefits I have noticed following about three months of daily active/meditative Qigong practice, eight months without a shower, and years of a mindful (yet by no means perfect) diet:
1. Even years ago, my colds, when treated with fairly natural remedies like water, tea, fruit, spicy food, supplements like Emergen-C, and abstinence from cigarettes, never lasted more than seven days (from onset to complete remission), usually more like five, and with debilitating symptoms lasting only two to three. This is by the power of diet alone. In the most extreme case (when I was madly in love), I fought off an inescapable cold in three days from onset to complete remission. Note that I was in China at the time, so couldn't read the ingredients in anything that I consumed, and was forced to make do with less than eight hours of sleep per night. Tea and fruit juice are very cheap there, though :] . I haven't been able to beat three days (or even four) since then, despite learning more about biochemistry and the workings of the immune system. Love is truly the ultimate medicine.
2. Fast forward a few years to after I stopped showering (I still wash the extremities when necessary, mind you, but haven't formally bathed since July of 2016). Since that time, I have only been sick once, despite being around many sick people in the high-stress university setting. That time was in December 2016, before I seriously began to practice Qigong (however I was still doing daily morning workouts) and the virus was harbored by two biologically naive 19-year-old roommates. At that time, I was in the midst of an emotional upheaval, so the illness was essentially inevitable (in case you didn't know, your immune system is compromised when your emotions are compromised). Even so, the cold was mild and lasted only four days from onset to remission. The roommate that had gotten me sick and refused to take my medical advice, instead opting to take daily doses of Dayquil/Nyquil, remained sick for about two weeks after I had recovered. The roommate that accepted my tea offerings remised some time before that. We infer from this that much pharmaceutical "medicine" does not actually treat disease, focusing instead on masking the physical symptoms and, as a result, slows down the natural healing process by distracting your body. Note, however, that in order to maintain momentum in our modern lifestyles, this may actually be necessary sometimes. The lifestyle is not the focus of this post, but is often extremely relevant in cases of dis-ease.
3. Fast forward again to this past weekend, traveling from Missouri to my parents' home in Illinois, in the midst of somewhat of another emotional upheaval, and greeted by another set of unfriendly respiratory viruses. Despite a sugar-laden (but still fairly healthy) diet, alcohol intake greater than one glass per day, and a hand washing regimen that would probably make your doctor shiver, I am pleased to report that I have successfully generated the appropriate antibodies and fought off the viruses that tried to infect me, sans symptoms of respiratory dis-ease.
YEAH!
In light of all this, I will also share with you my recipe for Super Immunoblast Tea, which I consumed a couple of hours after smoking cannabis and soon after walking home in sub-freezing temperature. A day later, I still show no signs of becoming sick.
Super Immunoblast Tea:
Turmeric
Black pepper
Lemon peel
Ginger
Chili powder
Cocoa powder
Himalayan sea salt
Coconut manna/oil
(Local) honey
Boiling water
Garlic (this will make it stronger, but may not improve the taste)
Stir, steep for at least two minutes, and consume without straining.
Note: Feel free to add, substitute, or subtract ingredients as necessary. Coconut is probably the best fat to use due to its antiviral properties, however the function of the oil is primarily to extract more active components from the spices. You can use something else (like butter or whole milk) if you prefer.
4. I now wash my face less than once per day, but also break out with acne less often and less severely than I did in the past. This could, of course, be a natural result of growing older, however I think it has something to do with the natural symbiosis and the Qigong :]
5. Despite no longer having a job, there are still numerous stressors in my life (including not having a job). I think I deal with it more effectively, though.
6. Not really related to the immune system, but I also feel stronger on my regimen of active Qigong than I felt on a regimen of working out alone, despite doing fewer weight-bearing exercises.
7. I haven't gained much, if any, fat weight following the cessation of smoking cigarettes, despite being only moderately active.
Oh, yeah!
In unrelated news, yet full circle to the original objective of this blog, I now have two songs available to purchase on Bandcamp if you'd like to support my future endeavors. I plan to release them as part of an EP sometime in the near future as well, so be on the lookout for that. I may or may not use the image above as album art. Note also that you don't have to pay for my music if you don't think it's worth anything.
Here's the link:
https://cmasta.bandcamp.com/
To health and happiness -- Cheers!
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