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Permalink Reply by Amir hendricks on January 25, 2014 at 11:39am

Thats toaist book you put up is great bro i appreciate it, it clarfies alot of the confusion ive been having

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Permalink Reply by daniel sunn on January 25, 2014 at 1:51pm

Glad you find it of use. I'll update as often as possible but with the workbook for spiritual development to do us justice we'll have to synchronize with the cycle of 7 so that a harmonic is created. i put up the first 7 day invocation, and the 2nd 7 day invocation. that should create a groove and from there we'll move forward. I didn't want to post everything and then lose momentum by having folks hop around to what seemed most empowering.    

This book by Jost Sauer has plenty gems but i'll approach it time period by time period:

another chart of taoist arts that I would like Sevan to review is the taoist equation of elements to planetary bodies.

Metal-Venus

Water-Mercury

Wood-Jupiter

Fire-Mars

Earth-Saturn

i'm a student of my master teachers so i won't proclaim I have this mastered but I have studied under them in essence and the flesh for apprx18 years. This wisdom doesn't supersede anything being taught by Sevan but it is my understanding that it supports and confirms much of what he is sharing. For those so inclined to synchronize with the integral way teaching of tao that I'm sharing  through the ni family lineage, we will bear witness to the fruits of our cultivation.  

(PS solar gazing directly is preferable just prior and just after sunrise, solar cultivation continues until 11am-noon if necessary but be advised to do so at the earliest time possible.to gaze at the sun at its zenith is for 'adepts' that have cultured the ability, not for beginners as this can damage the retina beyond repair.)

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Permalink Reply by daniel sunn on January 29, 2014 at 3:06pm

Okay so we're gonna begin with 7am-9am (7am-11am are the EARTH elements yang.yin)

anyone can do this at varying levels. from the beginner to the taoist adept.

(see chen Tuan by Ni, hua ching also for ADEPTS)

BALANCE

This 2 hour period is the domain of Stomach,the qi is in this organ at that time. The Stomach is the yang earth element of our body.

The earth element is about being grounded, rooted and solid.

The yang organs tend to be hollow , yin organs tend to be solid, altho this general rule is not 100% the case at all times.

According to Jost Sauer the key thought is "TO ARRIVE'

'….there is one simple thing you can do in these 2 hours that will make immediate positive change in your life'

this is a  time to get in touch with your body before launching out into the world in our heads.

The most important thing to do at this time is to nourish oneself.

(Reminder -the taoist energy cycle is designed for those of us that wake up around prior to 6am…you don't wanna stuff your face right when you wake up. Ideally we wake up at 330-5am for tea gong, qi gong, stretching, meditation and for some working out, followed by apprx an hour of lucid dreaming if this suits you)

If you disregard the nourishment of your earth during this 2 hour period it may disrupt each element that follows and in turn the next morning you will wake up groggy, lethargic, deficient appetite, loose stools and weak limbs. Read further with an open mind and don't cast judgements til you have understood the entire qi cycle being described.

'If there is stomach qi there is life, if there is no stomach qi there is death'

Have a Nice WARM breakfast. If it is cold you're body will use energy to 'cook' and heat it up in order to digest it. If you desire fruit in the morning have it at sun warmed temperature rather than  refrigerator cold.

The earth flavor resonance is SWEET. This pertains to SWEET grains and NOT SUGAR.

Sugar is a crystalized byproduct of the sugarcane grass and will slowly and surely destroy your entire body.

Generally a congee is recommended. congee is synonymous with porridge. example AMARANTH, QUINOA, BARLEY, SCOTTISH OATS. If you must have toasted bread try RYE, NOT WHEAT.

Jost explains that starting your day off wrong results in a REVERSE CYCLE that you will spend the whole day trying to correct by compensating for where you went astray. like wheat toast and orange juice concentrate..leads to a sugar spike and crash …then creates desire for coffee caffeine and or coffee cake..more spike and crash ..etc etc coffee sugar and milk lactose sugar is a sure way route to a crash and burn slowly ruining your stomachs abilities.

Dont force a big meal if you rise with no appetite. You can begin with protein powder, supplements of medicinal herb beverages.

Earth element is weakened by over study, cover stress and over worry. The constant injury of stomach qi will in some cases lead to addictions such as alcoholism due to the chain reactions created in the qi cycle. Remind yourself that Alcohol is a fermented and factory refined Grain or Fruit…i.e. SUGAR.

The strong desire for cooling or colder foods in the morning point toward a HEAT condition and should be remedied rather than supported by not addressing the issue and just catering to the condition.

If porridge feels too heavy in the morning it indicates that your yang qi is not strong enough to utilize the yin. Yin is suppose to be nourishing and EARTH is grounding. Build your energy methodically and you will soon find the morning cereal…grain…congee…porridge or warm protein shake is tonifying. In order to utilize TONIC HERBALISM, ones stomach qi must be strong, otherwise you're just wasting your money, energy and time with them.

At first you may feel tired after eating a morning porridge, the key to the perfect day plan is to harmonize your QI with natures bio rhythm. 

Emotional Spiritual implications of Yang Earth:

are you eating in from the TV? digesting bad news, gossip and depression?

Are you eating on the move?in the car, standing up…on the phone?

Stomach energy Descends…its partner the spleen has energy that ascends.

Doing yang activities while the stomach is actively processing food qi to bio downward will drive the qi upwards: Heartburn, Reflux,Nausea, Belching etc

Don't lodge negative emotions into your bowels by dredging up old arguments while eating or quarrels from last week.

learn to be here and now during stomach time. Go slow when you eat at any point between 7-9am. All you need is between 10-15 minutes.

Its called ARRIVAL because you are arriving here now being welcomed on earth again in silence, in quietude and wholeness.

Dont gulp down breakfast and depart quicker than you came…learn to be present with your mealtime especially before starting your technological day.

Healthy Stomach QI feels 'BALANCE in action and rest, so they naturally attract SUCCESS'

If YIN is in excess, time slows down.

If YANG is in excess time speeds up.

 next is 9am-11am ruled by SPLEEN, the YIN EARTH ELEMENT. i will add it in the following post.

SEE JOST SAUER PERFECT DAY PLAN if you want to learn more

ACTION 

9-11am

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Permalink Reply by daniel sunn on February 3, 2014 at 4:21pm

Action

9-11am

This 2 hour period is ruled by SPLEEN/PAN.CREAS

Since this is a yin organ we have a spiritual component to focus on in relation to it:

Yi: Intellect of the Spleen

The spirit of the Spleen System is Yi, or intellect. Yi is associated with the earth element, its direction is center, and its planetary energy is Saturn. Yi includes our capacity to use our conceptual mind to exercise discernment and to form intentions. An unbalanced Yi can manifest as discursiveness or unconscious internal chatter: a kind of over-thinking or “pensiveness” that damages the Spleen. A healthy Yi manifests as spirit-infused intelligence and understanding.

Proper digestion of food will equate with proper digestion and assimilation of information and communications.

According to Jost Saur the key thought  during this 2 hour period is ACTION

time to work hard, think and do

Physically the spleen qi rules the muscles, retains blood in the vessels and acts on the stomach to digest,transform and transport 'food' GU QI to the lungs and in turn the heart.

 Lung qi + Heart qi = Zong qi which is aka CHEST QI.  This is how spleen qi is said to 'make' blood which is oxygenated by the lungs and circulated by the heart.

If you allowed arrival in the STOMACH period, you will have ample fuel to power through this period.

This is the time to make the most of your ascending yang qi as the sun will also be ascending toward its zenith.

Align with this upward moving force with full support of natures  cyclic energy.

This wiil be your best time of the day to concentrate, memorize and absorb information. The universal nature will be in support of your efforts.

Most students study at night with the impression that with less going on they can focus and learn more.

This is not in accord with nature, the evening is when your qi has moved to organs more interested in nurturing your soul and relaxing your mental efforts.

When you start forgetting things mid sentence this is indicative of your spleen qi not having enough energy.

This time period is the least emotionally reactive so here is when you have a perfect time to deal with difficult people and problems. Don't save difficulties for the evening as this is most disruptive.

Constant grazing will be lead to imbalance causing short attention spans, lack of focus and lack of patience. This is the time period many have caffeinated drinks that disrupt digestion and blood sugar balance.

A good breakfast ideally will support you for 4 hours. Lunch should support you for 6 hours.

Jost also suggests supplements and herbs as snacking has emerged as a result of nutritionally devoid foods regardless of if they appear healthy or not.

Why does one eat mid morning???? mostly because they are low on fuel or tired, and in some cases its just become the negative habit of idleness.

Since we are still in the EARTH element(stomach/spleen) and aware that the earth element loves sweet, we are easily enticed by sweets during this time. Steamed pumpkin is superior to tea and cookies.

Do not view this as a rigid dogma, this is a guideline to understand your body organs and to maximize their efficiency.

Its so important to start your day off right since the cycle will be heavily influenced by how you begin it each day.

healthy spleen function: shapely muscles and good tone(tonification)

unhealthy spleen function: damp conditions in body, flabby abdominal region, no muscle tone

As society increasingly indulges in spleen weakening activity, the waist is disappearing.

One can draw many conclusion from these guidelines but they are for your further investigative research.

I feel that working out your muscles is in direct connection with assimilating information and strengthening ones mind. During my most strenuous studying sessions i would occasionally stop to do calisthenics or kettlebells to keep my blood flowing and to exercise my muscles which in turn increased my ability to focus and concentrate.

Next up   HEART the YIN FIRE ELEMENT

JOY

11-1pm

time to work smart, access your soul, spread the 'love'

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