In The Zone

This is the third day of a mini-fast I have been on. Not a complete fast , just a short one with very little food. I didn't intend it, it just worked out that way. I feel physically weak but very much alert mentally. Have you ever heard sports athletes talking about "being in the zone', well that's what it feels like. It is the most incredible feeling, like you can sense every little thing that's going to happen...from the smallest seemingly unimportant situations to the largest and most crucial ones. My mind is extremely 'hazy' but super-sharp right now. I thought I would write a post and leave it on the blog regardless how it turns out. Many may not understand it or may think it makes no sense.......but if they read it a few times they may see something in it. Right now to me it makes all the sense in the world even if later on I don't even understand it myself. Fasting is greater than any drug in the world...beats alcohol hands down...and something all the money in the world can't buy. This is what Osho calls being aware and in the moment...this is bliss. Join me for a few moments on my journey won't you.

MONEY SUCKS !!! How's that for a starter. Money is the greatest controller of humankind and whoever doesn't believe that is probably not human. Pink Floyd wrote, "Money...it's a hit, don't give me that do-goody-good bullshit". Much can be said of those words. Neil Diamond states, " Money talks, but it can't sing and dance and it don't walk", then concludes that he would much rather be forever in blue jeans. Money is a funny thing. Religions have tried to tell us for eons that money doesn't fit well with their sects and then proceed to pass the money basket to collect...well...money of course. Catholics are the greatest basket cases if you don't mind the term. Christian's on the other hand go straight for your throat, they demand at least 10% of your total income. They call it tithing or something like that. If you don't become a victim for their extortion schemes they convince you that you'll go to hell. Grown people actually believe them...they don't believe in Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny but they believe in the gods and hells that their religions created and cram down their throats. No wonder half the world is messed up in the head and the other half is doped up on depression medication and other drugs. Right now I have probably pissed off a few folks.......so far, so good. Keep reading.

Then a group comes along and calls themselves "Spiritualists". They are the ones who talk about angels, fairies, karma, and all the other stuff that the religions discredit or don't talk about. The Spiritualists are basically the rivals of the Religions...on the surface anyways. One branch of the Spiritualists is the "New Age Movement". The New Agers sensed that part of the world would eventually become wise to the worn out and jaded dogmatic ways of the religions and so these New Agers were quick to establish their own set of ideas to 'save' the world. In other words, they found a new way to 'hook' the world in a different way than the religions. Again, humanity went for the bait and then a new cycle began. Around the 1970's or so when the I Ching and other Oriental ideas were gaining popularity in the Western world, the new charlatans were called 'Gurus'. Fast-forward a couple decades to the 90's and Feng Shui became a trend that was gaining popularity and the world started sprouting "Feng Shui Masters" at will. At the turn of the 21st century there seemed to be more Feng Shui Masters than drug addicts. The great philosophical and astrological ideas of ancient China were (and are) being watered down and mass-marketed in the west.......mostly under the guise of Feng Shui. Today everyone seems to be a Feng Shui master from young men and women in their early 20's to the elders in their 70's and 80's and beyond. Perhaps the biggest mistake these Feng Shui master wanna-be's made was to announce that they are promoting Oriental metaphysics for the betterment of the world rather than for the money. This statement is what has made hypocritical asses of the 'masters' and has tainted Feng Shui at the same time.

The techniques 'masters' use are crimes against humanity. I see more honor in what society calls criminals than I see in Feng Shui masters...and this is not an exaggeration. Simply put, there is more honor in crime than in spirituality...much more. Larry Sang is a Vietnamese who runs a Feng Shui Institute and he uses the word American in the name of his business. He has most likely felt intimidated by American culture and so by using the term in his business name and by sitting in front of the American flag as he does on his website, he seems to feel more protected by kissing the right asses. I have a strong suspicion that Larry doesn't give two licks about American values other than the fast buck, but he knows that by 'aligning' with the almighty USA his chances of success are improved. Larry personally and through his students promotes himself as a master and the "keeper" of the Iron Plate secrets. He claims to be one of only five people on the planet who has access to the great secrets of the mysterious Iron Plate methods. I have heard from many people that Larry doesn't read or write a word of English and that is the reason he doesn't teach at his institute...he pays others to teach there. There could be truth to this because I have noticed that his books lack information that a master would write. I have heard that he has others write his books for him but takes full credit himself. This is but one example of a person taking full financial advantage of a truly misinformed and gullible public. This is his way of promoting Chinese ancient metaphysics. It is not only a shame but also a crime.

Some self-proclaimed 'masters' when exposed will twist and alter facts and lie until they achieve their desired results. The reason they can get away with this is because of their Chinese name. Joseph Yu from Canada is a prime example. In September of 2006 Joseph Yu read a post I wrote on a Chinese astrology list that describes a flaw in Plum Blossom I Ching that has been overlooked for 1,000 years. Less than 3 days after he read my post he announced on his own list that he himself had discovered the information. This is not something I could easily conjure up and you can verify these statements by checking the dates. He then had the information copy written so that he could actually sue me if I tried to take credit for my own discoveries. He then tried to financially promote the work. Now take a moment and try to understand the implications involved here. This is a man who is well-known in Chinese metaphysics and has convinced the world of his 'impeccable' character and honorable traits. People have put some trust in this man and regardless if that trust is blind or not...it is trust nonetheless. Then he flat out lies when he got caught and expects the world to believe him. I ask you, what honor is there in this. He would rather have lied than to admit that someone other than him had made the discovery.......especially if that person was a non-Chinese. Joseph has gotten away with many things in the past and he was evidently fairly certain that he could get away with the Sep.2006 incident. Unfortunately for Joseph it didn't turn out as he hoped and to this day he tries to discredit me for trying to defend my work. Everyone pretty much knows what happened although those loyal to him act as though they believe his every word. When he looks his students in the eye they know exactly what they are looking at...or I should say, what they are not looking at. They'll tell him they believe him, but I know better.......and so does he. Every time someone writes about him and his inadequacies, Joseph tells everyone that he likes it and thanks them because it creates more money for him. The money issue again ! Why would a person who claims to teach others out of the goodness of his heart be thanking me or others for making him money. Another contradiction on his part. If it were true that he were making money when I tell the truth about him.......so be it.......I'll try to make him a billionaire. Joseph Yu is one of the biggest disappointments in all that I have seen in Chinese metaphysics. I can only hope and pray that future generations, both Chinese and otherwise, do not follow in his footsteps and tarnish and diminish the beauty of what the ancient Chinese have created.

I know very well that I will be attacked for writing this post, but I can live with that because it is the truth. I'm getting on in age...I'll be 50 in a few years and I have not the time nor the inclination to apologize or explain myself anymore for the things I believe in. People constantly tell me to this day that I can only hurt myself by writing and speaking the truth about charlatans like Joseph Yu. They say it would be better to remain quite. Truth is, I'm overly quiet in every aspect of my life other than Chinese metaphysics. I have lost friends because I will not open up and express myself, people are not always comfortable around me because of what they call "quiet stoicism". Who on earth reading this blog would believe that? Well it is true. If people stop talking to me because of what I write, I can surly see this as a benefit both for them and for me. For them because they don't have to listen to me, and to me because I don't have to explain myself. I've spent my whole life explaining myself in one way or another, and I can see that it would be a tremendous relief to become as "quiet as a winter's night". I long for the days when I can reside in my future country cottage as an old silent man with eyes half-closed, body half-dead, mind half-crazed listening to the ideas of the new generation of ancient Chinese philosophy and astrology enthusiasts. Perhaps I can even lend them a hand in their studies ........Heaven knows I can't do that today...no one is interested in learning. I can tell them stories of how it used to be back in the 2,000's , the stories of the Larry Sang's, the Joseph Yu's, the Joey Yaps, and all the other marketeers. There could even be a chance of having some beneficial influence in their lives. If that happens I can leave this world with a little dignity and I can leave knowing that I didn't have to promote myself like a metaphysical prostitute and sell myself for a few bucks to every potential buyer who happens along. Not that I have anything against prostitutes.......I have more respect for them than the metaphysical marketeers. If I can leave the world under those circumstances I'll know my life has not be wasted. That is my dream.