A Glimpse Beyond the Facade

Just a little over 10 years ago I was talking with a friend who out of the blue asked, "Why are people so unhappy today". I would answer the exact same way today as I did back then, "Because they are afraid of themselves". People are truly afraid to be themselves and it is as obvious as anything I have seen. Take for example a woman who is going to run to the supermarket to buy a simple loaf of bread. It would take about 3 hours for her to put on her make-up, mascera, nail polish, lipstick, jewelry, and best dress just to spend 3 minutes in the store to buy her bread. There is no way a woman can roll out of bed and step out her front door without first putting on her mask and hiding her true identity from the world. It is a shame because women are so much more beautiful without their warpaint. More authentic, more genuine, more true. Men on the other hand, are a little different but just as silly. They don't care what they look like. They don't much care what they sound or smell like either. But god forbid, their cars better be in top shape. A man will spend as much time on their cars as women do on themselves. Cleaning, waxing, polishing, scrubbing the tires. All this energy expended for a simple mass of metal (plastic these days). All this so their buddies can see them buzzing around town in a shiny sports car. A man would lose his manhood if he were seen riding a bike or walking on foot. If people tried to express their true natural identities they would become very uncomfortable with themselves and become basket cases. That is why people lie about who they are, how much they earn, their job position, the worth of their house and so on. If people told the truth of who and what they are representing or living, they would hate themselves and so they play the 'life game' stressing themselves out to no end just to get some fleeting gratification from outside sources. They spend all their time and energy trying to impress rather than to live. Everyone is trying to outdo each other in an endless cycle of superfical existence. It is evident everywhere. Many people will eventually go broke trying to keep up the facade. Their wallets and purses run dry and then they run for their credit cards and eventually their credit runs out as well. What happens next is peculiar. When all their assets run out they are forced to humble themselves (although rather poorly) and they are knocked back down to earth so-to-speak and are forced to deal with their more true identity. They become so depressed in having to come face-to-face with their unadulterated nature that they go see 'shrinks' to help them deal with themselves. The 'head boys' will put them on depression medication such as prozac and the patient feels better because they now have a way to escape themselves in yet another creative way. Rest assured folks, society will be only too happy to disassociate you from your true self. Any doctor, priest, teacher, social worker, psychologist, lawyer, politician, dentist, guru, master, food distributor, drug company, will love to knock you off your center point and align you on the periphery of social sickness. Then these same folks will tell you how much they care for you and will demand credit for all the "benifits" you receive from them. This whole charade is possible only because you have allowed them to manipulate you. Why have you allowed them to manipulate you? Very simple. Because you are afraid of yourself !

Book Update

Yesterday I took a drive to the warehouse owned by the printers who are working on my book to pick up the first batch. They put the boxes of books in the car and my car took a 'dip'. One of the guys said, "I hope you don't have to drive far because those books will put a drain on gas mileage, and at $4.00 a gallon it won't be much fun". The original plan was to have the printing company deliver the books in a big van but I didn't want to wait for them so I drove out myself. In 4 days I will pick up another load of books. Then in a week and a half another very big load. I also put in another order for more prints. Wow! Those boxes are heavy. Who needs to work out in a gym, just write a book and go pick up your merchandise. You'll wake up with a sore body I can assure you. Well, I will spend the next few days taking inventory on the books and looking them over to make sure none are damaged. I am waiting for the printers to finish the jacket covers. Once I add the covers they will be ready to ship. The books turned out absolutely beautiful. Very high quality. Everyone who has seen them gave the printers and binders the highest compliments. The books are put together very sturdy and when the binder first told me they would easily last over 100 years I thought he was joking. He wasn't ! I haven't told many of my friends about the book because I don't want a bunch of misfits hangin around the premises at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning reading The Luo Shu Oracle while I try to get my beauty sleep...he! he! he! just joking. I guess they'll know about it when they read this.

In the next several days there will be some changes to this blog. I now have a Chinese Astrology website and will integrate the blog with it, so I don't have to maintain two separate sites. I will still write blog posts and they will be stored on the website. The site will be much more organized than the blog and there will be opportunities to do much more than can be done on a blog. I will list several charts, tables, and diagrams in the archives that you can view and work with. My nephew is helping me run the site and he is the one who actually built it. I am trying to come up with new ideas to make the site very interesting. It may have an option where you can leave voice messages to each other from anywhere in the world (either private or public messages) and the best part is that it's FREE. No phone bills. This could be a very valuable network for sharing information about Chinese metaphysics with friends or associates all over the world. There are a few other ideas in the plans, so we will see what might happen. Stay tuned.......there are some good times ahead.

The Inherent Cycles Of Existence

If I were to say to you , "I predict that in 8 months in the winter time it will almost certainly be cold, and there will likely be snow on the ground in certain areas of the country", would you be impressed by this prediction? Probably not. Anyone can do this by following the weather patterns. What if I told you that I could predict the exact day, hour, and minute that the sun will enter a certain constellation in the year 2028, would that impress you? Again. probably not because any ephemeris can give this information by following the patterns of the planets to the utmost degree. But if I told you that next month I predict you will get a dollar an hour raise, your wife will get a speeding ticket, your son will sprain his left ankle, and your dog will bite the neighbor...and it all happens, you would be not only impressed but also quite shocked.

The truth is that everything has a pattern. The pattern can be represented by numbers, hexagrams, stems/branches, and other symbols. Our first example involved a Weather Pattern, the second example a Planetary Pattern and the third a Human Pattern. It is very important to understand that they all emerge from the same source. Theoretically speaking, one should be no more or less difficult to decipher than the other. Once you begin to align your thought process in this manner, divination becomes more clear and begins to lose its mystic quality. When I first started studying people's charts I looked at people as weather patterns or seasons. I reasoned that if seasons must go through their cycles then humans must follow the same patterns. If the Tao, or god, or whatever you choose to call the universal energy force truly creates all, then what applies to seasons must also apply to humans. So I looked at people's destiny as a cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. If a person was in the autumn cycle of a specific event in their life I used the attributes of the energy of autumn to analyze the situation. What was so beautiful was that every single event in a person's life had its own cyclical imprint no matter how large or small the event was. I eventually understood that even a simple concern as "who will call me next on the telephone" had its own 'seasonal' signature and could be calculated with exact certainty...as long as you understood the patterns. After some time and study I extended the 4 stage 'seasonal' cycle into larger and larger segments. This made the divination much more detailed and it made it possible to pinpoint otherwise unforeseeable circumstances. It is kind of like pinpointing which day in the winter season is the one that is going to be unseasonably warm or which day in summer would be chilly. To repeat, once you understand certain patterns and principles, it should be no more difficult to predict weather patterns than to predict human events.

This brings us to that ever interesting issue of free will. The seasons have been following certain patterns for eons. It must be this way, the seasons must follow suit. Summer will always follow spring, autumn will always follow summer, and so on. Nothing can alter this natural process. One could say that the seasons have no free will. No amount of influence can change the cycle (pattern). The same can be said of Heaven and Earth. The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west, and the moon also has its specific cycle. That is why we can predict with certainty the rise and fall of solar and lunar phenomena. The world has been spinning for billions of years in a fixed cyclical pattern and has not strayed one tiny iota. I suppose one could also say that Heaven and Earth have no free will. Now if humans come from the same Tao as Heaven, Earth, and Nature, why should it be any different for them? Do we really make our own choices...or are they already inherent in our specific destiny pattern? If we believe the masters and gurus when they tell us we have the choice to change our fate or destiny, we are in essence saying that we are more privileged and more powerful than our own creator. We are saying that we can accomplish more than Heaven and Earth. How absurd.......only a human could think like that !

Patterns Of Reality

There is no question that reality operates according to certain and specific patterns. If these patterns are known, one can theoretically and absolutely know the occurrences of events before they manifest. I would safely guess that most people today do not believe this to be true. Most people are not comfortable with or cannot accept the fact that the future can be foretold. To the few who do believe it, they see its possibility only being available to those with 'magical powers'. They envision stoic monks sitting cross-legged in quiet solitude on a high majestic mountain with eyes closed. Or perhaps, a little witchy looking lady chanting incoherent parables while stirring a strange smelling brew over a wood-burning stove. Well, these visions may be valid, but it is far from the complete story. The truth is that anyone can foretell events and it takes no special skills or intelligence. In fact, the more intelligent or logical one is, the more difficult it becomes. One doesn't even necessarily need common sense, although common sense would be more valuable than intellect. The most important attribute in my opinion would be imagination. One with a vivid sense of visualization or fantasy can tap into alternate realms much easier than people with the highest I.Q. I refer to imagination as 'Power Of The Heart' and people with heart power can align with reality to a much greater degree than the high I.Q. head-trippers.

Individualization is another all important necessity in aligning with higher frequency realms. If one is able to disassociate from mass-behavior and allow themselves to not be influenced by the rules of society, they have a greater chance of becoming a true master or even enlightened, depending on the degree of their disassociation. Some of the greatest detriments to enlightenment would consist of unhealthy eating habits, lack of quiet time, influence of the media such as television, radio, newspapers, etc., visiting doctors or dentists, organized religion, education from grade school to universities, and more than a million other influences. Understanding the ultimate patterns of reality calls for an individualized existence. This doesn't mean you have to necessarily be alone, it means that you must break away from the habits of modern day robotic tendencies. If you must adapt to mass behavior I would strongly suggest you turn to the habits and tendencies of nature. You will not be let down, as nature has no biased interest in what you have or have not. Nature will be your unconditional friend and will help you on your path to wherever you are heading regardless of your social position, finances, or beliefs. Simply put : Follow nature and you will be rewarded.

Back to the patterns of reality. In terms of astrology and divination, we can get a glimpse of the Tao before it transforms into various segments and forms of energy (chi) and reaches human perception. There are methods that will show us the future down to the tiniest little detail. Many 'masters' don't like it when people say this for one reason or another. One reason they try to sweep this thought under the rug is because they know it is true and if approached to give a divination they will look incompetent if they fail in their divination. So they say things like, " Do not use the I Ching, or the Luo Shu, or 4 Pillars (Ba Zi) for looking into the future...use it to cultivate yourself to become a better person". There's nothing wrong with becoming a better person, but there's also nothing wrong with looking into the future either. By concentrating on the moral aspects, they don't have to worry about losing face for failed predictions. The truth, however, is that 90% of them have failed at both. Another popular line by the master is, " Astrology and divination cannot tell you what is going to happen, it can only give you a general idea". I can assure you that divination will give you a general idea if you are a general diviner...a detailed idea if you are a detailed diviner...and no idea if you don't study or understand the patterns of reality. I can show you a simple square containing 9 numbers called a Luo Shu chart that will allow you a look into the future with uncanny accuracy, from weather patterns to world events to personal situations and everything in between. I can show you 8 three-lined figures called The Early Heaven Trigrams that will answer any question you care to ask with pinpoint accuracy. It sounds amazing, but it really isn't. It's only a matter of studying certain principles that reveal the patterns of reality.

Ancient And Modern Conditions In Chinese Metaphysics

In the past two thousand years or so not much has changed in the field of Chinese metaphysics. Ironically, any changes that were attempted have only diminished, not to mention confused, the value of the divination methods. The rare exceptions have been the works of men such as Yang Hsiung (53 B.C - 18 A.D), Chen Tuan (906-989), Shao Yung (1011-1077), and others. On average perhaps one person every five centuries was able to make significant changes and valuable additions to the main Chinese astrological /divination systems.
The ancient masters were well informed and quite advanced in their understanding of not only the astrological techniques, but also of astronomical information. Their style of approach may have varied somewhat , but there is no denying that the deep and profound understanding of their art was unfathomable.
In ancient times, the term “master” was a well respected and revered title. The relationship between master and disciple was an extremely close and respected bond. Oftentimes, the student was more devoted to his master than to his own biological family or blood relatives. Many devoted pupils spent an enormous amount of time learning with their spiritual teachers. Some on mountains, others in forests or caves, and some in temples and other environments. They ate the same food, breathed the same air, and walked the same ground. In other words, they ingested the same chi. The disciple would eventually learn to merge with his master, and though it could have taken decades, the pupil with the proper patience was well rewarded,
Though I’ve stated that things have not changed much in the past two millenia in terms of divination, the same cannot be said when it comes to the relationship between master and student. On those terms, things have changed quite dramatically and drastically. In these modern times the title of master has a completely different connotation than in the past ages. If an ancient master were to pass by a modern master on his daily walk today, neither one would recognize the other as a master. The chi of the modern master has been tainted to the point of unrecognizable proportions
Business interests and financial opportunity have entered into the equation for today’s high-profiled, high-tech guru. High-scale advertising and outlandish claims are normal everyday occurrences in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive spiritual marketplace. Twenty-first century students do not have to wait two or three decades to receive their complete education. They can do it in less than four weeks by attending a seminar or workshop or by enrolling in an on-line computer class and paying the proper amount of money. I have seen and have personally known many people who were certified as masters in less than four weeks. Today you can earn a “master’s degree” if you will, by simply sitting in front of a computer for a specified amount of time. As you can obviously see, the true master/disciple relationship is merely a faded memory of a bygone era.

Diet And Divination

I could never understand why so little importance is placed on diet in relation to metaphysical studies. You very rarely hear a master talk about the correlation between food and study. I have found that the proper foods and diet along with other lifestyle changes makes all the difference in gaining insight and understanding in Chinese and other metaphysical studies. I am on the 24th day of a 100% raw organic vegetarian vegan diet and I can tell you it is not much fun. No meat, cheese, milk, butter, eggs, sugar, chemical additives, etc. It is basically vegetables, fruits, and nuts. My girlfriend and I try to do a couple 100% raw diets a year and it is a lot more difficult than it sounds. It is almost easier to fast than to go raw. Overall, your physical energy diminishes to a great degree and I can't understand how the raw vegans boast of all the energy they receive from the diet. I don't believe it is a good diet for a long term period, but I am almost certain it has it's benefits for the shorter durations of say up to a few years.

The one certainty is the mental clarity that one receives from eating all raw foods. Your imagination begins to 'kick in' and your creative process begins to pour out. I believe it is a good diet for spiritual progress, but you have to be careful because you can lose a lot of weight if you carry the diet too far. If you are not concerned about losing weight, then I say you will have a lot of fun with the raw diet.

Since ancient times it has been noted how important a diet is in spiritual cultivation. Today's masters don't seem to agree with the ancients as most are stuffing their bellies with pizzas, hamburgers, french fries, ice cream, soda , and a host of other extremely dangerous foods that are poisonous to the body, mind, and spirit. When students attend a seminar, be it Feng Shui, Four Pillars, I Ching, or whatever, they are rarely if ever told about these dietary guidelines. They are being charged hundreds and many times thousands of dollars and they are not even being informed of this important issue. I suppose that one of the reasons is because many modern masters are quite round around the belly and for them to speak of the importance of diet would make them look hypocritical. One Chinese master once told me, and I quote, "If anyone claims to be a master, look at their belly and you'll know if he's lying or not". Anyways, if you're having trouble gaining insight or penetrating certain ideas, try thinking of diet. Short periods of fasting is probably best, grain-less raw foods next, and cooked vegetarian a long way third. If done properly, Fasting or Raw will very likely allow you to conquer many complicated situations and allow you to gain a deeper understanding of metaphysics.

One Dream Away from Paradise (Chasing The Carrot)

I used to spend a great deal of my life chasing a dangling carrot that I was sure would bring me all the joy and happiness I wished for. I would have sworn to every god in heaven that I was but an inch or two from realizing every desire within me...when in reality I was a million miles away from that friggin' carrot. Regardless of that elusive carrot, I have been lucky...even blessed at times, and I would not trade the experiences and memories of my life with anyone on earth, past or present. The problem was that I was young and had a lot to learn and every success made me want more than what I had. I guess you could say I was a greedy little runt, but back then I knew nothing about the Tao or Wu Wei and all that other stuff. Please allow me to take a little stroll down memory lane.

By the age of 20 I was a seasoned and professional gambler. Every day I was working very hard at handicapping sporting events and I was talking and exchanging information with some of the biggest gamblers in America. Most were two, three, and four times my age but they all gave me their respect and I gave them mine. I took my work very seriously and as I look back, it was this phase of my life that allowed me to understand the numerical aspects of Chinese metaphysics and allowed me to penetrate it at a deep level. I talk about this in my soon to be published book. Anyways, in my 20's I was hopping around the gambling community and traversing back and forth to Las Vegas. I had it made as a kid and was living a life that all my buddies dreamed about. I was always able to make friends with the 'big-shots'...I don't even know how but I was able to talk with people that others couldn't get close to. A lot of people became jealous and there have been some rather 'hairy' situations in my youth, but I survived unscathed and healthy. Some of the stories seemed to come straight from a Damon Runyon book. I used to spend a lot of time at the horse track and the poker tables, and played a lot of Blackjack. It was the numerical aspect that I was attracted to and I knew that numbers revealed the real truth of the world and I understand them even more intimately today. I was absolutely consumed with numbers and what they could reveal to one who took the time to understand them. I became so proficient at understanding numbers that many gamblers approached me to work for them. I have always been independent and I would always turn them down because I didn't want to be put in a position of responsibility. Some of these guys were making six figure wagers and even though I wouldn't be accountable for any loses, I just didn't feel comfortable about it, so I would humbly turn them down and kept mostly to myself.

Then when I was 23 years old He walked into my life. Vince was definitely a high-roller as they called them. He won and lost more money in a day than most people make in five years. At one time he was a legend and was known in gambling circles everywhere. I used to read about him in the newspapers as a kid and saw him on t.v. He was the "Cream Of The Crop". One of my wishes was to one day meet him in person. He eventually heard about me through the other gamblers in town. I will never in my life forget the night he called and asked if I would like to meet him for dinner at a local restaurant. At dinner he invited me to his house and at that point I felt like I hit the lottery. I was on cloud nine and to be honest, I remained on that cloud for the next two and a half decades until the day he passed away. We became the best and closest of friends and he filled a huge gap that was missing in my life. He actually filled many gaps, but the specific one I'm talking about is the missing father gap. I lost my dad when I was 15 and he was as close as a father to me, and many times...even closer. He was 20 years older than me but we saw things on the same level and were not hindered by generation gaps ... or whatever they call them. Some of the best days of my life were the ones spent on lazy evenings on his patio talking about anything and everything. Although he was not involved in metaphysics per se, Vince was definitely a Master, there was never any doubt in my mind about that. I had the utmost loyalty and respect for him. When I think of him these days, I still roam in the cloud-nine regions. He has had a tremendous amount of influence in my life and there isn't any way to describe how much I miss him. These days I only see him in dreams and I keep detailed descriptions of them in my journal and one day I will put all the dream pieces together to figure out the messages he's sending, because he is definitely trying to convey something. Vince is the only person on this planet who has never judged me in any way. He has taken and accepted me for who I truly am and has helped me any time I ever asked whether he felt I was right, wrong, or indifferent. He never asked "why"...he never asked "how come'...he never wanted an explanation, if I needed help he would help, it was as simple as that. I was never once denied and I never denied him. If that ain't love...I don't know what is.

Now I'm in my late 40's and I see life and reality much different than before. I am completely out of the gambling business. Today I am on a different path. I am no longer delusioned by the fallacies of gods, demons, heavens, and hells. I no longer believe that paradise is a short dream away. I now know that paradise is anywhere and everywhere I want it to be and I can experience it whenever I wish. I don't have to chase anymore and I don't have to worry about an unreachable or unattainable carrot. I am now interested in the messages of Fu Xi and Lao Zi rather than Amarillo Slim and Jimmy The Greek. My, how the times have changed. I spend my time these days in solitude and meditation and get a great deal of joy working on charts and studying Chinese metaphysics at the deepest level I can handle. My social ambition has all but vanished and I am content with a simple life. I haven't been on a plane or to Las Vegas in 20 years, I haven't had a formal dinner in a restaurant in over 10 years, and I haven't watched television or read a newspaper since 1996. I like to walk in parks, meditate, and study. It has all been a drastic change and the people who knew me in my youth would probably not believe these words...but then, I have been misunderstood most of my life. Luckily I don't have to worry about that because I stopped explaining myself and my views a long time ago. The transition from gambling to Chinese metaphysics was certainly my destiny and I now understand the intricate meanings very well...and as I mentioned earlier I wrote about this in my book, "The Luo Shu Oracle". I have met as many people in the field of metaphysics as I did in the field of gambling as a youth. I owe a debt of gratitude to every person I have met because if not for all of them, my life would be that much less complete. I would like to thank all my friends, acquaintances, associates, comrades, and not so friendly folks who have wandered into my life. I don't have any enemies, but if anyone believes they are my enemy, I would also like to thank you too for playing a role in my life.

I feel I have much to be thankful for. Most of all, I would like to thank Kelly...that incredibly beautiful soul who has allowed me to deeply understand how silly I was and how much time I wasted in chasing that carrot. Everyone has their own story or destiny to contemplate and understand and I am no different. Some do it through symbols, others through dreams, omens, or meditations. I see one of the symbols in my life as a baton and it is an important symbol. In relay races, batons are passed from one runner to the other to transform the race into a smooth flow. A great transformation period in my life was the year that Vince passed away and Kelly appeared. It was as if Vince passed the baton to Kelly in a smooth transition...not a single step was missed. I know this to be true because I see both their fingerprints on the baton of my life. I understand the deeper implications involved. Vince left the world less than 2 months after Kelly entered my life. There is no doubt that Vince waited for her to appear before he said goodbye. He always looked after me and he wanted to make sure I was ok before he left. I am certain of this through dreams and even through physical circumstances. Ironically, Vince and Kelly lived in the same neighborhood and only one street separated them, though they never knew of each other. On the precise day I met Kelly, Vince passed away the exact number of days as the first half of her address (representing the first part of my life). Also, when I add the sum of the digits in her address it is the exact number of years I was on earth when I met Vince. In addition, the address to the location where I resided when Kelly first knocked on my door is also the same number of days it took for Vince to leave the physical world from the exact moment of the knock. There is much more to it, but my point is that it is all so obvious and it is all contained in the numerical aspects of my perceptions. It's all in the numbers. I have always believed that anything can be uncovered or discovered through numbers...from the simple to the mystical. My greatest wish was for Vince and Kelly, the two great giants in my life to have met, but that didn't happen in the tangible realm. But I don't worry too much about that because I am a dreamer and a dreamer can make anything happen. Shao Yung spoke much about initiation and completion, the two main aspects in any form or reality. Kelly completed what Vince initiated...Shao Yung would be proud. Thank you Vince...Thank you Kelly I owe you both more than you will ever know.

Viewing Nature

As I awoke this morning I lazily starred out the window at the lovely flakes of snow cascading down from the heavens and covering the earth like a beautiful white blanket. I had nothing in particular on my mind, I just felt privileged to be able to witness the stunning beauty of nature. As I walked into the den to write this post I non-chalantly look out the window to observe the visitors. At this very moment this is what I see. Two turkeys are nibbling on some corn grain by the bird feeder as they are cautiously approached by four deer. The turkey and deer are looking at each other and decide to share the grain. A fifth deer approaches and and seems to be dancing gracefully with one of the other deer while the others keep nibbling. The turkeys have their fill and decide to wander off. A cardinal just lands as I speak and joins the deer for a morning bite while about a dozen other birds and two squirrels join in the festivities. About another dozen singing and chirping birds sit comfortably on branches, trees, and the bird-house viewing the ceremony while others are moving about on the ground while the flakes keep lightly falling. Everyone is content, and I know this even though I am not a turkey, deer, bird, or squirrel...just as Chuang Tzu knew over 2,000 years ago that the fish in the river were happy even though Chuang Tzu was not a fish. And now two eagles land in the distance by the pond. Wow !!! What an absolutely beautiful sight that could not have been scripted any more elegant than how it has just naturally occurred before my very eyes. What a true and divine gift I have just received from heaven on this special morning. Hmmm, it seems like a perfectly orchestrated symphony, but deep down I know that nothing is orchestrated...it is natural, and I suppose that is why it is so truly exceptional. The creatures are expressing themselves with effortless eloquent beauty. I can't help but wonder what life would be like if humans expressed themselves in the same effortless manner as my morning visitors. And like John Lennon, " I may be a dreamer, but I'm not the only one". The divine gifts we receive from the Tao surround us at all times but we seem to miss them because we are not aware. All we need to do is to relax and silently observe and we would be amazed and astounded at the remarkable dialog we can experience with nature. This is what I believe to be true and ultimate liberation. It truly is wonderful to be alive.

Education

Today everything is much overrated,
the reason is because we're mass educated

When educators educate they over-emphasize or over-exaggerate the knowledge they have bestowed. If they don't overrate what they teach then the student would feel cheated. The educators are covering their butts and this is poison. This is not true knowledge, it is watered down learning at best and programming at worst. You'll see it in any university, institution, or socially created structure. Societies over-promote a college education and try to make you believe that without a university degree you are worthless...and the sad part is that people believe it. Parents work their whole lives and sacrifice themselves to put their kids through college and believe they are making their kids lives better. Well, maybe they are financially but they don't look any deeper than that. As long as their kids are financially successful the parents believe they have done a noble job in providing their kids with an education. How sad!

If finances are the measure of success in a person attending college, you would have to conclude that the most successful ones are the inner city kids whose only skills in life is to bounce a basketball and suck on a crack pipe. They end up signing basketball contracts for 50-75 million dollars but can barely spell their names. These are the sports heroes we all glorify. They all go to college but they learn absolutely nothing and they end up making more money in one month in the NBA (National Basketball Association) than the whole college faculty combined makes in 10years. And of course it has already been proven that the most sucsessful and richest people in the world have never gone to college. Yet we are always being told that we have to go to college to become something. 9 out of 10 people I know, end up depressed and in debt after finishing their college 'education'. The teachers keep teaching...the sports heroes keep doing their drugs...and the rest of the student body keeps filling the vaults of the universities with hard earned money going in debt and their parents claiming bankrupcy. No one is getting any smarter. What a silly game to play.

My Teachers

This is a photo of the latest teachers the Tao has brought into my life. And like the Tao they are nameless at this point. The white pinto may eventually acquire the name "Mystic Dreamer" but it is not certain at this time. He may possibly be entered in races. I have interacted with them for about 6 months and they continue teaching me everyday and the education they are providing me with is worth more than any college degree from any university. My third teacher's name is Diodoro (The Golden God) but he's camera shy so he decided to skip out on the photo shoot. Still another teacher I have is called Pensador (The Thinker) but he's hiding in the stall probably munching on some oats and hay. They have taught me my greatest lessons including patience, compassion, and humbleness among a host of other virtues. I am nowhere near as advanced as them...but then, that's why they are my teachers. Anyways, I better run or I'll be late for class.

With Some Help From My Friends

I never realized how much effort and energy it took to write a book until I began writing 'The Luo Shu Oracle'. Years ago I believed one could write a book on their own by simply sitting down and jotting down what they wanted to publish and sending it off to the publishers and then sit back waiting for the money to roll in. How absurd ! The last few years have given me a glimpes into the realities of writing and I can certainly say, "it ain't all that it's cracked up to be". There is no way one can do it on their own...absolutely impossible. I am fortunate to be surrounded by some of the best people that heaven could bestow on a person. I often-times wonder how I got to be so lucky to have the friends I have. I hope and pray that I can return to them what I have been given. When writing the book I learned more about the value of friendship and I give continual thanks for all the support I have received. To list the people I owe a debt of gratitude in helping my dream manifest into reality would make this quite a long post but I do mention them in the beginning of my book.

One person I would like to thank at this time is Nina Russo who designed the cover of my book. Nina is an extremely gifted and talented artist whose eye for detail is extraordinary. Her art and photography work in my opinion is breath-taking. I have seen some of her many creations and her talent never fails to amaze me. Originally I had a completely different book cover in mind and when Nina took the time to explore the different options my ideas were pale in comparison and we of course went with her designs. She was relentless and untiring in her efforts to make sure to get just the right look for the cover. Her eye for intricate detail was incredible, to the point of patiently waiting for the exact sun shadow angle to shine through the window before snapping pictures for the cover. You can notice this on the book cover picture. She snapped pictures from every angle and from different heights and positions. For me it was a great pleasure to see a true artist at work. She asked nothing in return for her unselfish and untiring efforts. How can you possibly repay someone for that. Thank you Nina...for everything.

I am listing Nina's website for anyone who may want to take a look at some of her beautiful work. I would not hesitate in recommending her for any type of art, photograpy, or advertising concerns you may have. Take a peek at her site by clicking on the following link :

http://www.ninamrusso.com/

Payin' The Piper

If you try to grab for too much

the one you'll hurt is thee

so it's best to understand

that nothin' comes for free

If things always went my way

Ahh...wouldn't it be nice

but I'm learnin' everyday

that every service has a price.

The lyrics above are the partial words to a long poem I wrote to myself when I was a teenager. Those words ring just as true for me today as they did all those years ago. Back then I understood these words from the perspective of survival...today I percieve them from a metaphysical point of view where the yin yang polarities are of utmost importance. I also had another saying that was part of that poem that I never forgot..."If you're gonna pay the Piper, be prepared to pay him twice". I have paid the Piper many times in my life and up until my mid twenties I never got anything in return. I felt like I was getting screwed. Kinda like most people feel when they deal with religions and governments. It's all give and no take...all Yin and no Yang. Of course we're doing all the giving and they're doing all the taking. This type of imbalance will no doubt cause all sorts of inner and outer stresses that we would do much better without. We don't always pay the Piper through finances, but through many other clever manupulations that the Pipers of the world have created. We always seem to be on the short end of it. Well, I finally learned how to beat the greedy Pipers at their own game before I reached the age of thirty, but to be honest I have to admit that I still fall victim to their schemes every now and then. So I can say that in the past I was able to get an occasional glimpes of what it was like to break free from the mighty grip of the 'reaper' whereas today I get an occasional glimpes of what it is like to NOT break free. This is a big, big difference. Most people, however, will never understand the difference because they have become accustomed to the enslavement they have fallen into. It is like becomming comfortable with being imprisoned and refusing to leave when you finally have the chance. Oh yes, people have made the Piper their prison warden and what model prisoners we have all become. We allow the Piper to have full domination and dictate to us what we should eat, think, feel, etc. The Piper takes on many forms and wears many faces including........priests, masters, gurus, teachers, and many others. There are the Pipers and the Puppets of the world. And sometimes Pipers become Puppets of even bigger Pipers. It can get confusing. So you're probably wondering if there is a solution to the problem and of course there is because I would have to say that every problem has an innate solution built into it. In fact, the problem and solution are created simultaneously and are really two sides of the same coin. There is a master key (and I don't mean a Feng Shui master, I mean true masterism) that will open every prison door you or others have created for yourself and it will never fail you if you understand it intimately and deeply. This MasterKey is called : OBSERVATION and SURRENDER. There is a difference between surrendering to Pipers and surrendering to yourself. I'll leave it up to you to understand it at the level that will give you your ultimate and truest freedom.

HAPPY LI CHUN

I would like to wish everyone a happy new year for 2008. The Chinese solar new year known as Li Chun or 'Spring Begins' will arrive on :

February 4. 2008 11 :00 :45 A.M. G.M.T

The Equation Of Time for that moment will be 13 Minutes and 53 Seconds.

This makes the True Solar Time of Li Chun :

FEBRUARY 4. 2008 10 Hours...46 MINUTES...AND 52 SECONDS A.M. G.M.T

Get Yourself A Good Pair Of Boots

These boots are made for walkin,

and that's what they're gonna do

one of these days these boots

are gonna walk all over you.

It used to be that you could get a decent pair of heavy duty shoes to walk around in the metaphysical fields without getting too much bull-shit on your feet. Then competition began getting more fierce with the marketeers and we had to make an adjustment and get rubber covers to put over our heavy duty shoes. Then with the on-surge of Feng Shui we had to adjust for the times and upgrade to between-the-ankle-to-the-knee boots because the shit was starting to get more thick. Then the computer allowed 'masters' to build websites to sell their wares and our previous boots became useless and we needed new and improved ones.......ones that would reach our knees. This made it more difficult to walk and to advance but we had to do what we had to do to avoid the dung. Now with on-line seminars, correspondence courses, research centers, academies, institutes, and all the other million and one metaphysical creations the shit has gotten completely out of hand. We are being saturated with it in abundance. It's almost like people enjoy getting the stuff on them. I am thinking of marketing some good boots to help protect the public from this very real and serious problem. My line of boots will meet the need for all types of victims. There is the Karma Boots for the novice. Then I have the KYMA Boots (kiss your masters ass) for the more seriously inflicted victim. Perhaps I could interest you in the Research Center Boots if you're one of the poor unfortunate souls who got sucked into the Research Center fraud scheme. There are the Secret Boots, the New Age Boots, and a host of others that will cater to the various forms of doo-doo you have been affected by. Do stop by and check it out and don't forget to inquire about the Chinese Metaphysics Full Body Suit that is guaranteed to withstand any type of foreign debris that you have been exposed to.

THEN AND NOW

THEN - The initial contact with your master was through meditation and stillness.

NOW - The initial contact with your master is by calling him on his cell-phone from the number you saw on his web site.

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THEN - You traveled 50-100 miles by foot to go knock on the master's hut somewhere in the mountains.

NOW - You hop on a plane and when it lands you take a cab to his office.

**********
THEN - You prayed that the master would accept you so that you wouldn't have to spend months enduring harsh weather conditions while you camped underneath a tree.

NOW - You pray that your credit card hasn't reached its limit because you know the master will accept you if it hasn't.

**********
THEN - After your lessons you cooked rice and boiled tea for your master.

NOW - After your lessons you both go to Starbucks for a cup of cappuccino.

**********
THEN - You washed your master's dirty underwear with pride and dignity.

NOW -You buy your master silk underwear from Wal-Mart for a buck ninety nine.

**********
THEN - You always told your master the truth.

NOW - You always tell your master what he wants to hear.

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THEN - Your master always told you the truth.

NOW - Your master always tells you what you want to hear.

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THEN - You studied for days without sleep in the master's hut listening to every word he spoke.

NOW - You sit in front of a computer for an hour or two reading every word he wrote on his correspondence course.

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THEN - You spent days copying charts by hand.

NOW - You spend minutes printing charts off the computer.

**********

THEN - In terms of finances your education cost you $0.00

NOW - In terms of finances your education costs whatever your master can squeeze out of you.

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AHHHH ! ! ! ! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE GOOD OLE' DAYS.

Happy Birthday Shao Yung

SHAO YUNG

Born : January 21, 1012 ... 7-9 PM

Died : July 27, 1077 ... 4-6 AM

************

I would like to extend a very special Happy Birthday wish to

Master Shao Yung of the Northern Sung era.

Today Master Shao turns 996 years old by western reckoning.

Master Shao has been the only one who I have considered to

be my master. I have learned more from him than from

any other person in any realm.

I truly owe this superior man the greatest gratitude.

He is forever in my heart and soul.

Eric And Richard Tell It Like It Is

My friend in Malaysia Mr. Eric Teoh keeps crankin' out some great articles on his blog that I find interesting, informative, insightful, humorous, controversial, fascinating, and extremely enjoyable.......just the kind of stuff I really find worthwhile . Please do keep in mind that I have no promotional interests with Eric or anyone else, and my endorsement of him is not financial in any way. I just respect the guy for Tellin' It Like It Is. The following two articles were listed on Eric's blog recently and are produced here with his permission. Eric's mentioning of Richard Marx's lyrics inspired me to share one of Mr. Marx's other song lyrics from his hit single "Don't Mean Nothin". Wow ! It is as if the song was perfectly written for many Feng Shui practitioners.

Eric Says :

WARNING: If you're NOT easily offended, then please read on...

The Annual Forecast -How real and accurate is it?Is it a way for some masters to make a quick buck?Most predictions are not true, are they?And we’ll all forget them when the year end comes.What’s in store for next year again?So it’s an endless cycle.What’s the use of Ba Zi and Zi Wei then?If the Annual Forecast is such a big hit!

Ba Zhai (Eight Mansions) -Some people say it’s kindergarten.But then funny they still use it.Some say can combine with other methods.And then they confuse themselves and others.Some say it’s for landform only.Then how come the East and West group thingy?Some even say it’s fake according to a classic.Ordered by an emperor to confuse the peasants.

San Yuan (Xuan Kong) -Some people say it’s powerful.Do they have the proven track records?Some say it’s only for the house interior.Then how come the landform lessons?Some say it’s only one method.If that one method works, it works!Some even say it may be fake too.But there’s no mention in any classics.

Lineage -From grandfather to father.Then from father to son and so on.We all come about because of sex.Luckily the Feng Shui lineage involves no sex.Why all the same surname and DNA?If it’s not the blood and lineage?Having no lineage in Feng Shui.Did your grandmaster wear a condom?

‘Sex’ Method Feng Shui -There’s a group lower than any chicken shit I know.Faking it for their shrinking nuts’ sake.If they had balls to prove whatever that they claim.Then let’s meet and get over the bloody shame!Richard Marx sang, “No one touches, touch no one.”Touch me and I’ll crush your little nuts!Here’s a song for the chicken shits out there.“When I find you, I’ll end you!”

Divination -Also known as Gua plucking.As if everything can be plucked.Even if the ‘fruit’ may not be ripe?If divination is so utterly divine.How come the ‘pluckers’ are not the richest already?Divination and Feng Shui are two different things.You must be joking me off, ya little ghost!If it really works, then why DO Feng Shui?

Qi Flow -Qi flows from higher to lower ground.And so they say like they know.Just observe the rainwater when it rains.That’s how and where the Qi flows.If that’s so true O’ ignorant one.Then all who lives in the valley would be rich.And those living on ‘The Peak’ in Hong Kong must be poor?I still can’t afford to live there as yet!

Water Dragon -Qi gathers at the boundary of water.Put water in the right places.Then money money come come.Use water to activate the Qi.Like at number 8 where the wealth is.Choose an auspicious date and wala!If water really is an element of wealth,Then the fishermen must be very rich indeed!
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What Does It Take To Learn Chinese Metaphysics

You must be humble upon your new stumble!
You must be able to endure criticism for your voyeurism!
You must prepare to be confused before you put things to use!
You must be able to take it easy before you go crazy!
You must take time off which may not be a total loss!
You must have a lot of guts in order not to go nuts!
You must persevere in order to come out clear!
You may not read Chinese but just need to know the gist!
You may be paying through your nose to learn the most!
You may also be paying in vain that causes you much pain!
You may not learn from a master everything for he would have nothing!
You may be reading this with skepticism despite my mannerism!
==========================================

Richard Says :

Don't Mean Nothin' Richard Marx

This race is for rats,
It can turn you upside down
Ain't no one you can count on
in this sleazy little town ...

don't you open your heart

Cause it don't mean nothin'
The words that they say
Don't mean nothin'
These games that people play
No, it don't mean nothin'
No victim, no crime
It don't mean nothin'
Till you sign it on that dotted line

Take a good look around and you'll find
People tryin' to mess with your mind

And you want to scream,
but you gotta keep it all inside.
When you're trying to make a living,
There ain't no such thing as pride,

It don't mean nothing at all.

The Two-Stage Process Of Initiation And Completion

In the last post we discussed the theory of Ti and Yung. In brief, we understood that every entity or event in the phenomenal world is composed of two principles that were referred by the ancient Chinese as Ti and Yung. Chu Hsi, the neo-Confucian philosopher equated Ti with Substance and Yung with Function. In other words, Ti was basically static and Yung was continuously moving. When the two interacted, there were varying results according to other principles that were incorporated in the analyzing of the situation or event. The more learned one was of these principles the more sense one could make of the situation under consideration. Shao Yung, another neo-Confucian philosopher before Chu Hsi's time who had strong ties to Taoist ideas and methodologies used different terms in identifying Ti and Yung. The terms he used were Form for Ti and Activity for Yung (although these terms could be open to interpretation). Essentially, Chu Hsi's description fit quite well and agreed with Shao Yung's. In addition to Shao Yung's implementation of Ti and Yung, he also strongly utilized another idea in his thought and work. This idea consisted of a 2-stage process of Initiation and Completion.

Initiation And Completion

Everything has a beginning and an ending, and again as in Ti and Yung, from very large entities to very small ones, such as the evolution of ants to the evolution of galaxies. Modern day science says that for every action there is a reaction. Shao Yung didn't quite see it this way and his reasoning stated that for every beginning there must be an ending. In terms of the yearly cycle, the moment of the winter solstice to the moment of the summer solstice is the initiation process of the year, or the beginning. Then from the summer solstice to the winter solstice is the completion process, or the ending of the year in the 2-stage cycle. Then the dissipated energy of the particular year transforms into another year and another 2-stage cycle begins. The same can be said about the months, days, hours, minutes, or any other period of time segmentation. With a little contemplation you will see that the same 2-stage yearly cycle principle can be applied to any event or situation. A quick example would be a job interview for instance. If you were analyzing a job interview situation by divination such as Plum Blossom I Ching or astrologically through other means, you would see that the job interview would have its own 2-stage cycle of Initiation and Completion just as the yearly cycles we were just talking about. Shao Yung also extended his two-fold process into a 4-stage cycle of Birth - Growth - Maturity - Death (storing away). Then he went on to show that the 4-stage cycle could be extended to form a 16-stage cycle beginning with Birth-Birth...Birth-Growth...Birth-Maturity all the way down to Death-Maturity...Death-Death. The cycle did not have to stop at the 16-stage level and could be extended indefinitely if someone chose to get very detailed in their calculations. The principles in all the cycles were the same and could be used to analyze the Macrocosm just as effectively as the Microcosm.

There is so much more to be said about these ideas but to mention them all would require a book in itself. I hope that some of these ideas will inspire you to delve deeper into the subject. If you combine the Ti/Yung theories with the Initiation/Completion process you will begin to understand the true workings of nature. Your perceptions of reality will become much more acute I can promise you. There is more to Plum Blossom (Mei Hua), Wen Wang Ba Gua, or other methods than just looking at the lines, trigrams, hexagrams, and the interaction of the 5 elements/phases. If you don't understand Ti/Yung , Initiation/Completion , and other concepts, you will be limiting your understanding and potential for Chinese metaphysics. The fact that no master or teacher that I'm aware of are including these ideas in their classes doesn't help the situation at all. There isn't even much written about it in books, journals, essays, or other media forms. It is certain that very few individuals are aware of the deeper meanings of these subjects, so we have to find our own way so-to-speak. Fortunately there is a part of us that can access this information without the need for books, teachers, computers etc. The 'part of us' I am speaking of is our intuition. Our intuition can uncover, discover, or recover any information the ancients had access to. The beautiful part is that we don't need outside help or influence.

The Concepts/Theories Of Ti And Yung

Ti and Yung are two terms that are fairly well known in Chinese metaphysics. As many other things involving metaphysics, Ti and Yung can only be considered a theory because trying to prove it in a factual way is not possible. Ti and Yung is known and considered to be a strong factor in Plum Blossom (Mei Hua) I Ching divination. Most refer to Ti as Object and Yung as Subject. Though this simplified categorization is acceptable, the true meaning of Ti and Yung runs much deeper. When it comes to the classification of Body/Spirit, some refer to the body as Ti and the Spirit as Yung.......where others say just the opposite. So it can become a little confusing. It is a bit like the Japanese Macrobiotic classification of Yin as 'expansion' and Yang as 'contraction ' where the Chinese for thousands of years have been saying the opposite. In my studies I have always given much more weight to the Chinese perspective and have always believed that George Ohsawa, the creator of modern macrobiotics was irresponsible in his yin/yang classifications, although I do believe that his dietary discoveries, though not perfect, are sound.

Ti and Yung are in everything great and small. It is in the motions of an ant to the motions of galaxies. It is also operating in the world of the senses in addition to the intangible world. There is the Ti and Yung of Heaven and of Earth. Many confuse Ti and Yung with Yin and Yang...but they are two different ideas. Ti is something that can be accessed or sensed through human perception where Yung cannot. In a person's life, the person themself is Ti and all the events that occur in their life is seen as Yung. It is not an easy concept to absorb. In terms of Qi (Chi), the interaction process is Yung and the entity it produces is Ti. Once you understand the Ti/Yung theories you can apply it to divination to enhance and give more meaning to the hexagrams, numbers, elements, etc. Many believe that Ti/Yung only applies to Plum Blossom divination, but this is not the case at all. It is applicable to Ba Zi (4 Pillars), Feng Shui, Zi Wei , Luo Shu (9 Ki), Stems/Branches, Wen Wang Ba Gua, or any other method.

Knowing the ideas and principles of Ti and Yung is one thing, but applying it as a part of your divination procedures is another. Unfortunately there isn't much written about it in detail and we must be content with what little we can find. At the present time I am not particularly inclined to write a great deal on it because of the complexities involved and for various other reasons we won't get into here. I do plan on posting a few charts in the very near future that will assist you in understanding Ti/Yung on a more intimate level.

Assigning Ti and Yung To Various Divination Methods

Ba Zi (Four Pillars) - The Day Master (Day Stem) is Ti and the rest of the stems and branches are Yung.

Luo Shu ( 9 Ki) - The center number in the natal chart is Ti and the remaining 8 numbers on the periphery are Yung.

Plum Blossom (Mei Hua) - The trigram of the present hexagram without the moving line is Ti and the remaining trigrams (Nuclear, Future) except the trigram in the future hexagram that is the same as the Ti is Yung.

Wen Wang Ba Gua - The line representing the subject is Ti and the rest of the lines are Yung.

Stems/Branches - When analyzing stems to branches, if the need arises to categorize Ti and Yung, you can assign the branches as Ti and the stems as Yung.

Comments Option Re-connected

I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season. The new year is approaching and though it is not the Solstice, Lunar New Year, or Li Chun, I would still nonetheless like to wish everyone a great Year in 2008. I have connected the Comments option again and am looking forward to corresponding with anyone who cares to leave a reply, opinion, suggestion or anything else they wish to discuss. I would hope that by now everyone knows that they can say whatever they care to express in their comments. I will post every reply unless it is ridiculously obscene. So again, feel free to express your views in any way you choose.........there are no formal rules here. So go ahead and Tell It Like It Is.