Pulsing beings

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Right after early am circle walking around my faithful companion, a young silver birch tree, and with the grass still humid after last night's rain, I stood there in wuji stance for few minutes with the purpose of coolind down, and suddenly I saw myself as a pulsing being of light, with a large pearl in the same location as my third eye emanting a golden radiance.

I didn't have the feeling of having a body and a mind or anything else but pure energy; from that very moment I realised the powerful bondage of the mind acting as a blocking mechanism in our eternal journey to spiritual liberation.

We truly are prisoners of our own minds; ghosts of our real selves; we recreate the everyday conditioned reality since the very moment of our birth and this goes one forever with every single lifetime as a result of repetitive karmic actions determined by greed, hatred and delusion. However, subtle-energy and spiritual practices such as baguazhang, vipassana or Sufi whirling will help us raise our normal conscious state free from the conditioning of the ego-mind and those conditions. In that instant like a powerful flash, I experienced the core of my eternal existence: a vibrating spirit with no-self in the middle of nowhere even though I was located at a public park in suburban Brisbane.

Spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Sufism, Hinduism and Taoism call this ultimate state Nirvana, Heaven, Moksha or returning to the Tao, giving the illusion that is a place to go. But the reality is far from the written word as this sublime state resides within each of us and we all are given the opportunity to peel off layers of mind to reveal that inner pure and immutable core.

My advice is to start acting now because death is an unworkable matter that occurs at any time unlike life, which is a long slow process with numerous ups and downs with no guarantees of success, yet every bit of work you do in relation to spiritual cultivation does counts toward the final goal.

In the meantime, enjoy the ride! Read more on this article...

Boost your spiritual progress

Image courtesy of Jonathan Stacey Images

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There are three factors that will enable us boost our spiritual practice and promote higher states of consciousness:

1. Earth dynamics.
2. Man-made structures built around sacred sites.
3. Influences caused by the collected power of focused human intention.

By Earth dynamics I am referring to the energetic system of the Earth itself as a giant organism (Gaia) with a vast meridian system that has nodes or active points where energy vibrates at a higher level. These points are called "power spots" and examples of such locations are Uluru rock in Australia, Mt Fuji in Japan, Machu Picchu in Peru and Mt Kailash in Tibet. There are also mini power spots and you can find them in your own location, just read the natural environment in order to find them as Earth's energy vibrates there at a higher level compared to the surroundings. Generally speaking mountains are rich in yang energy whereas water pools, streams and springs are powerful yin features.


On the other hand, humans have built sites for millennia in specific locations (churches, temples, mosques, pyramids, etc) and applied specific sacred geometric symbols that mimicked the mathematically repeating patterns of nature and encoded them in the architecture they created at the sacred sites in order to generate specific fields of energy and influence in human consciousness.

The concentrated power of human intention has a close relationship with the Earth, which itself has the ability to record the energy and intention of humans who have visited a sacred site or a power location and interacted at these points for the solely purpose of energy work or spiritual cultivation. Monks, nuns and pilgrims with their moving, dancing, chanting and praying for thousands of years in temples, monasteries and shrines have continuously charged the fields with love and compassion, healing and divinity. These sites have become strong magnetic points which not only have helped to raise the conscious level of our planet but also acted as archives of the spiritual goals and accomplishments of mankind.

I have attended retreats at Buddhist monasteries in Taiwan and Thailand and highly recommend to anyone involved in the spiritual path to attend retreats at these locations, or alternatively make pilgrimages to Earth's power spots and sacred sites in order to attain higher states of consciousness. These energetic sites have the mysterious ability to awaken and reafirm within us wisdom, peace of mind, respect for our planet and compassionate love to all sentient beings. In our current tumultuous times, a renewed interaction with the Earth at that level can help in the transformation of human consciousness and therefore healing of the Earth. As Gautama Buddha once taught:

"Everything is interconnected. Everything affects everything else. Everything that is, is because other things are." Read more on this article...

Interactive acupunture chart

You can view the different meridian lines and points in the above interactive map.


The codes used are the following:

Code Meridian

LU Lung
UB Urinary Bladder
HT Heart
SP Spleen
LIV Liver
KI Kidney
ST Stomach
PC Pericardium
SJ San Jiao (Triple Burner)
LI Large Intestine
SI Small Intestine
GB Gall Bladder
CV Ren Mai (Conception Vessel)
GV Du Mai (Governing Vessel)
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More on liver health

A research article published on March 14, 2008, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology states that the prevalence of gallstones in adults of industrialised countries is approximately 10% and is showing a tendency to rise. Data for pediatric patients is scarce. According to their results, idiopathic gallstone disease and complicated disease presentation were much more frequent than expected from previous studies, and it presented as complicated disease in 58% of patients, especially in adolescent girls.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/105946.php

There are several methods used to flush liver and gallbladder of gallstones and other impurities. This method requires the use of:

1. Malic acid
2. Epsom salts
3. Extra virgin olive oil
4. Fresh citrus juice (lemon and grapefruit)


The cleanse is carried over a period of 7 days, in which the first 6 days we soften the gallstones and expand the bile ducts, and in the last day the liver and gallbladder's impurities are flushed out.

Here is a photo of what was released after the 4th and 5th flushes out of a 6 flush treatment (yes, it takes time to remove all the gallstones produced as a result of half a lifetime living in post-industrial society):





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Days 1 to 6: Take one tablet of malic acid three times a day. Morning, midday and evening are good times.

On the evening of day 6 and after taking your last malic acid tablet:

1. Take one tbsp of epsom salts dissolved in cold water.

Two hours later

2. Take one tbsp of epsom salts dissolved in cold water.

Two hours later

3. Mix 1/2 cup of extra virgin oil with 1/2 cup of citrus juice of your choice (lemon and red grapefruit are the best choices).

Go to bed straight away. Rest for 8 hours.

Day 7:

1. Take one tbsp of epsom salts dissolved in cold water.

You would have started going to the toilet for your first or second evacuation already. Expect to release a good amount of bile and gallstones; however, small gallstones are the one most commonly flushed in the first 2-3 cleanses, after that you'll be removin larger gallstones.

WARNING:

1. Make sure you are able to TOLERATE THE INTAKE OF EPSOM SALTS before you attempt to consume 3 tablespoons.

2. People unable to tolerate the intake of epsom salts may suffer negative reaction, even death.

3. DO NOT MODIFY ANY OF THE QUANTITIES DISCUSSED IN THIS POST WITH REGARD TO THE INTAKE OF EPSOM SALTS OR YOU CAN SUFFER FROM ILL-HEALTH OR EVEN DEATH DUE TO MAGNESIUM TOXICITY. One tablespoon of Epsom salt contains approximately 35 g of magnesium sulfate, which is 3.4 g (287 mEq) of elemental magnesium. This is a considerable amount, considering that the recommended daily allowance for an adult is only 300 to 400 mg per day.

I have never experienced any issues with the intake of "epsom salts" but remember that is you and not me who will perform a liver cleanse.

After each flush, I recommend taking the following concoction to heal and nourish the liver:

1. Finely grated linseed/flaxseed (2 tbsp)
2. Finely grated milk thistle (1 tbsp)
3. Finely grated dandelion root (1 tbsp)
4. Finely grated dandelion leaves (1 tbsp) to support kidney function as liver and kidneys are correlated with each other both in physiology and pathology.
5. Juice of one large lemon or two small ones
6. Three ice cubes
7. 250 mL of purified water

Blend them all up and drink slowly.

One final word: Do no expect to remove all gallstones in one single flush since the large ones will be either calcified and/or sitting at the posterior side of the liver. Some people have removed all gallstones in 10 flushes, others required up to 30 for total success. I recommend a minimum of 15 to be safe and from there see how the liver feels.

Good luck and happy liver!
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Deviations from spiritual practice

Performing incorrectly internal energy work can result in what is known as "Kundalini and Qigong Deviation Syndrome." Besides energy work will bring up the symptoms of any preexisting psychological conditions; therefore it is essential to perform a screening test on any aspiring students for mental disorders. When I attended a retreat last year at a Theravada Buddhist centre in northern Thailand, I was required to fill out a health questionnaire which is reasonable since many aspiring practitioners who attend these kind of retreats arrive concealing serious emotional problems, which makes them unable to understand the technique or to apply it properly to achieve the desired results, and as a result they experience mental deviations.

We can approach this problem by examining Qi disturbances in its normal flow caused by the toxicity of the internal organs resulting from modern lifestyle habits. This problem is compounded by the fact that excessive mental activity will lead the flow of the vital energy to the head instead of being kept in the energetic centre of the abdomen (lower tantien in Taoist terminology); this will produce what is called "Kundalini syndrome" which can be identified with the development of mental disorders (yang-fire rising to the head).

Common symptoms are the following:

1. Anxiety
2. Nervousness
3. Depression
4. Seriously ill patients cannot control their own behavior.
5. Some patients are found to have hallucination or delusion, and some even have the impulse of committing suicide.

At the very first sign of Kundalini or Qigong disease, the practitioner should stop doing Qigong for a period of time and then their practice should be immediately monitored, assessed, and modified by a competent teacher. If symptoms persist, both acupuncture and herbal medicine can be used to treat these conditions.

Aside from these initial measures, there are also certain rules that must be followed in our daily routine:

1. Take it easy with your practice and enjoy all aspects of life, not only this one. Balance is the key to success.

2. Do no meditate for many hours a day if you are a lay practitioner living a normal life in society. There is no need to go overboard if you belong to this category.

3. Gow slow and never rush through it. Spiritual development requires years of steady practice without becoming obsessed about it. Following a normal and peaceful life is a must since purification of mind and body and suppression of erratic emotions are intrinsic factors of spiritual development.

4. Do not indulge in arousing of any particular chakra.

5. Do not engage in any obsessive dieting methods and supression of sleep.

6. Specific breathing exercises like pranayama, anuloma viloma, etc. should not be undertaken without expert guidance.

7. Make sure you combine static meditation methods with regular physical activity to avoid internal energy (Qi) stagnation or its pooling in the head.

I have come across authors who make the following claims:

"The arising of various mental disturbances or deviations are not a sign of madness, but rather a normal reaction during the qigong healing stage when potential diseases appear and old diseases re-emerge. A subsequent condition of intense pressure is experienced when the real Qi in our body tries to push through the three major gateways on the meridian. This accounts for the various somatic stresses one may feel: swelling at the cerebellum, loud echoes in the ear, swelling and pain in the neck, shoulders, and arms. At the onset of these feelings, one should increase one’s internal energy practice: use your eyes to see through the "Baihui"(1) point to help the Qi pass through these major gateways. In light of these recent instances of misunderstanding, one without the benefit of a knowledgeable and experienced teacher may be inclined to reach the false conclusion that any disturbance is a prelude to madness or deviation. The unfortunate end result then would be that the person who most requires qigong practice would discontinue it, and for no better reason than fear and worry."

Well I found this statement quite drastic for the reasons I just mentioned before. Personally, I would rather play safe and have a teacher who can closely gauge and fine-tune my practice when those difficulties arise than having to experience them alone and in an unsupervised environment.


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