Great radio show with Lama Tantrapa- “Secrets of Qi Gong Masters “. We discussed Taoism, Buddhism, meditation, Qi Gong, movies, books, and much more. It was a fun hour and I invite you to check it out.
I just had the honor of spending time with one of the Abbots of my tradition- Dr. Thomas McCombs. He was teaching about the history of our Tao Tan Pai lineage but there was a particular aside that grabbed my attention. Being a doctor of Osteopathy, Dr. McCombs has extensive experience in both medicine and the Taoist esoteric arts.
He taught me about a particular network of veins called Batson’s Vertebral Plexus. I remember studying this in school but the implications did not strike me at the time. Batson’s plexus is a venous channel which directs blood flow from the pelvis/sacrum back up the spine and up to the brain.
“The plexus comprises the intracranial-cortical veins, dural sinuses, cavernous sinuses and ophthalmic veins and the vertebral venous plexuses which freely anastomose with the intracranial venous system.”
Huh?
(more…)
Master Lu
Taoist Yoga has always been a bit weird. Swallowing spit, semen retention, tonic herbs, and lots of time alone breathing to the naval. The question is- what is all of this about and why practice in this way?
To understand Taoist Alchemy, Taoist Qi Gong, and the development of the Taoist Light Body, one must understand the relationship of HEAVEN, EARTH, Fire, and Water. There are different forms of Taoist Schools out there. My tradition (Tao Tan Pai) is a “Steam” based Taoist School. What does all of this mean? Let’s delve into it…
In the I Ching, there are a series of Trigrams which represent the various aspects or emanations of phenomena in nature. These are pictographically displayed by combinations of either solid (YANG) lines, or broken (YIN) ones. The various combinations of these lines create a complex binary system of relations and correspondences which equal the 64 emanations of the I Ching. People spend their entire lives studying this stuff and are still amazed by the depth of it. We’re going to keep it really simple here so we can better understand Taoist Yoga.
In Taoism, there are various traditions and schools of thought that have come along through history. Taoist schools are rare and hard to find because there are so few of them out there and most of the secrets of Taoist Alchemy are guarded and kept secret. Why? Because in the old days, knowledge of these arts led to incredible power so warlords and Emperors would make sure these secrets didn’t get into their enemy’s hands. In the West, the Knight’s Templars came back from Jerusalem with a mighty secret (Alchemy) and rose to power almost overnight. No wonder why the Church and ruling establishment went after them and killed them? Those in power like to keep it that way 
The study of Taoist Alchemy is a tricky one. One must understand basic precepts of Taoism, Taoist tantric sex, Taoist yoga, and Qigong philosophy to have a foot in the door. Modern Taoist schools seldom teach all of this because most are either focused on scripture or on Qigong (Qi Gong) energy work alone. Qigong philosophy is important as is the practice but it is not everything. To understand Taoist Alchemy, we need to understand the underlying philosophy. We need to understand Who we really are in relation to this Universe and how things work here.
Recently, an unknown author has released a book which purports that he has released the secret of Alchemy to the world. I received a call from a good friend of mine who was very excited about it and had run out and bought all of the beakers, burners, stoppers, and what have you in order to go through the 18 month – 5 year process of carefully cooking the Philosopher’s Stone. The benefits of such practice: perfect health, the reversal of the aging process, incredible clarity that comes from being unbound by Time, and the ability to create Gold out of base metals.
Here is a link to the book: http://bookofaquarius.forgottenbooks.org/
I recommend reading only the author’s bits first and skipping all of the long quotes until a second pass (if you should decide to take it seriously). The book illustrates very good points and gets into heavy concepts which are important for the adept to learn.
The key to understanding personal transformation is knowing that there is no “out there” vs. “in here”. As the famous Hermetic Axiom in Alchemy goes…”As Above, So Below”.
In the practice of Qi Gong (or energy work), we cultivate the flow of the energies within our body and become aware of the blockages in this flow. Life moves. Nature moves. Energy flows. It is the impedance or blockage of this energy that creates suffering, disease, and blockages in our “outer” lives. This is the tough part- the paradoxical notion that any of the “problems” we are facing in our lives are reflections of inner stagnation or blockages within our bodies or our consciousness. It is hard to grasp and even harder to accept until one TESTS it.
Let’s be scientific here. We can use our bodies and lives as our WORKSHOP and test various esoteric theories to see if they bear validity. I learned this from my Zen Master who always insists that the practice of observing one’s mind is very scientific. It took me a while to grasp his meaning because the “New Age” stance on so many of these topics is so belief-oriented…just throwing one’s self at a new set of dogma and usually a new “personality” one has inherited…
The Hanged Man is one of my favorite Tarot cards from the Western Hermetic Tradition. It is a simple picture which coveys a great deal of meaning- especially when looking at the cards from a Taoist perspective. First of all, this man seems to be in a relatively dubious position but, looking at his face, he doesn’t seem too upset about it. In fact, there seems to be a smirk on his face as he crosses his left leg under his right- showing the ancient symbol for Mercury- the agent of Alchemical transformation.
To quote from the BOTA Tarot lineage about the Law of Reversal: “To reverse to conditions of misery, disease and failure, and substitute for them their opposites of health, happiness and success, it is necessary to think, speak and act in ways which are the reverse to those in which most persons think, speak, and act.”
The experiences of Divinity, Infinity, and Awakening are the oldest and truest form of medicine known to man. In Qi Gong and Chinese medicine, we have the Three Treasures- Jing (Essence), Qi (Vital Energy), and Shen (Spirit). All three have to work together in harmony in order for the body to function correctly. The problem with most people in modernity is that they attempt to resolve physical issues in the name of health but they neglect the importance of Spirit in their lives. Life without meaning is not life. There are millions of people walking around this world like zombies, stuck in a rut and stumbling from one day into the next. They have no power, no light in their eyes, and nothing they stand for. Let me take that back…they may really be into their football team, some sitcom, or maybe even their social circle. I would argue that without anchoring life with spiritual experiences, these pastimes are superficial at best. People get tired, bored, and dull in their meaningless lives and it drives them to participate in unhealthy behavior. Why not have those fries? A few drinks can’t hurt…
The essence of Alchemy is the understanding of our Infinite nature. We are individual flames of the Limitless Light which eternally creates and sustains the Universe in every second. All the power that ever was or will be is Here and Now. Anything less than a profound understanding of these principles at the depth of our consciousness leads us to boredom and stagnation. You see, our Spirits understand our Infinite nature and they patiently wait for us to come around and get involved in the only game in town- awakening to our infinite potential. When we neglect to do this, our senses get dulled and our bodies begin to sink into decline. Yin and Yang begin to separate and our Qi flow stagnates.
A healthy Shen (Spirit) is essential for maintaining good health. This requires us to ask the big questions and challenge who and what we really are. Falling asleep to the dull “reality” of the zombies is a sure-fired way to perish into oblivion. Wake up and smell your potential!
Most people can relate to not feeling 100% because some issue or memory from their past is haunting them. It happens to all of us. Mom or dad say something, a girlfriend leaves us, we fail a test, or whatever. The list of things that can traumatize people grows longer every day and, unfortunately, most people are not equipped with the tools to heal these wounds.
I’ve been working with patients on this topic for years. There are a number of different types of therapy that have proven effective but none have shown me as much promise as qi gong combined with five elemental emotional cleansing and some deep meditation. Again, it took years of trial and error to come up with a system comprehensive enough to see long-lasting results with patients. How does it work?
The chakras from the Indian Yoga system are energy centers that represent the spectral differentiation of light as it emanates in the human body. When white light hits our atmosphere, it differentiates like this:
