Forums IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ Spring Forest Qigong Going to Level 3 class this weekend?

Is anybody out there going to the level 3 class this weekend? I'll be there, and hope to meet some of you folks that I've only known in cyberspace, on this forum.

My name really is Anita. I'll probably be the only Anita there. It was interesting last November, meeting some of the folks this same way. Thanks, Agent B, for organizing that dinner that first night! This time, I believe, all our meals are already planned.

Our 17-year cicadas are singing loudly here in Maryland. They've been appearing regularly in this area since Colonial times, and probably long before that! Can you imagine living out a life cycle where you spend 17 years underground, drinking sap from tree roots, and then you emerge to become a flying cicada, looking to reproduce. And after a few weeks, it's all over! They have red eyes, and cannot see, so they fly into things.

I wish everyone the best with your next 17 years, and beyond! Keep your eyes open, and I'll do the same.

- - Anita

I'll be there this weekend. My name isn't really Iam2, but if you look at the smilely face after my posts you'll recognize me when I'm at the retreat.

I'd heard that justcappy was going to be there too.

I'm sure we can all get together some time.

You are perfection.
Iam2

Hi Anita and hi to all:
Unfortunately, I had to ask for a refund on my registration. Too many family obligations with my 88-year-old father and his 92-year old brother. My dad moved into assisted living in early February and his health is on the decline. My sibs and I will be moving my uncle as soon as a room is available in the same facility. BUT -- I look forward to attending a Level 3 class sometime in the next 17 years !

BTW, I live in Philadelphia and the cicadas have not yet emerged in my area. My partner saw a red-eyed one in our yard last year and we were wondering if their calculations were off by a year!?!

Although I have not put my two cents into the forum for a while, I have been following the discussions when I have had the opportunity. Wanted to add that my SFQ practice has helped me tremendously during these hectic and ever-changing times.

Love and peace.

Hi Iam2 and Anita:

How was the Level III class? Tell us a story.

Agent B

Well AgentB, Justcappy was there too. I hear from him that you two have met already.

I met Anita and Justcappy, the fastest sword fingers in the west. I found Justcappy and he picked up on my ID clue. He pointed Anita my way the next break. Which is a good thing, since walking around looking at people chest can eventually get you in trouble.

Shawn mentioned that the meditations were longer. Well he's right. We did some nice long active meditations; things like level II sword fingers for 20 minutes. Then some long multiple sitting meditations. We did several group healing exercises and some chanting.

My favourite were the evening meditations. So quiet, so still, I had my most powerful experiences to date. Personally, my experiences became almost (or maybe actually) over-powering. On the first night as we neared the end of the meditation, my sensations became very strong and more than a little uncomfortable. I left the focus of the meditation to relax (open my channels) for a few seconds, then return to the meditation. This eased the intensity, but as I returned to the meditation the intensity immediate returned. Staying with it, I could visualize a ring of what looked like boiling energy around my lower dan tien, which as quiet and dark. Then suddenly the ring of energy wooshed up my body.

The next thing I realize is there's a hand on my back and I don't feel like I'm sitting upwards anymore. Well, I'm still holding the hand postures. I flicker my eyes and saw the legs of the person sitting beside me. I'd passed out / black out / lost consciousness and slumped onto her lap. As I sat up I saw Master Lin working on me and I tried to return to the meditation. The strong feeling of nausea remain, but the energy was ranging all over. I continued for a few more minutes, but as soon as Master Lin started into the meditation ending excerise I laid on the floor and did the closing from there.

The second night I has the same sort of experience, but since I'd had some idea of what I might expect I stayed with it longer. I bailed out before I got the wooshing sensation and laid on the floor. I couldn't get as deep again, while on the floor, although it was deep enough to maintain the nausa.

However, this time when I went through the relax/open channels and back to meditation several times, I learned how to turn up the intensity of the experience. Guess what it's just like Master Lin says. Who would have figured that one.

A lot (most of this stuff) I take on faith, until I experience it myself. This isn't something I recall being described, however it may just be another form of percieved physical discomfort and energy is moved.

In retrospect I wish I hadn't bailed on the second night, since I'll now have to go through those experiences without the benefit of Master Lin on hand.

The retreat has re-invigorated my desires to proceed with and advance in SFQ. The challenge remains in finding the time to meditate. I'm looking at getting up at 4:00 am now.

Remember this was my experience, it not something that anyone else necessarily should expect to experience or need to experience in their own practice.

We did some good third eye work, and I look forward to doing more of this.

There was also a lot of technical information. My current interest / needs lie with the more general theory. A lot of the details on disease specific knowledge is not currently relevant, but of course some sinks in.

There as a significant amount of question and answers, about 40% from level I and II material. One answer I wish I had taken notes on was the answer to "What is the emptiness". Master Lin listed about six different aspects of experiencing the emptiness, which I believe he called levels. Not that the labelling he provide makes everything clear, but it would be nice to have the list. I'll have to check the level III manual for information, but since it was a response to a question and not part of the curriculum I don't have much hope.

Master Lin was more humourous that I had expected.

Well, that should be a bucket full.

You are perfection.
Iam2

Aloha Iam2,

Sounds like you were perfectly ready for the experience

Yes, the weekend retreats are an impactful experience and the reason we created the 6 Day Healing Retreat with Master Lin coming up this fall for those who have taken level I, II, III, or IV. There is a great opportunity to release blockages and heal at many different levels while he's there supporting and sending energy for that amount of time

Thank you for stopping by Learning Strategies and joining us during our daily session and the chat that Thursday before the retreat.

Much Love & prayers,

Shawn

[This message has been edited by Shawn_Grim (edited June 10, 2004).]

Hi, Iam2
WOW! Sounds like you had quite an experience. Thanks for sharing. What have your meditations been like since you returned home from the retreat? Can you describe some of the third eye work?

I'm not sure what I can say. There are two new meditations in level III. One is for spiritual and one for physical. Master Lin visited each person during the meditations and sent energy to their third eye.

Some of the course discussion and disortation were related to the third eye.

Since this is an LSC site and they only supply the courses for the first two levels it is probably more appropriate to limit discussion to those. Although, I've noticed the discussion does stray beyond those limits at times.

I'm pretty sure that LSC has tried to get Master Lin to work towards making the higher levels in a home study course. However, I don't believe that Master Lin feels that they are appropriate for that format. Please, note a lot of "I BELIEVES" in this paragraph. I'm guessing from pieces I've heard.

Also note that people at the retreat weren't dropping like flies into unconsciousness. Although I'm sure they had powerful experiences. They were just different and appropriate to them. I believe one lady lost a tumor during the retreat. Master Lin directed her to touch the back of her head and notice the lump was gone. This was right at the end.

As for my meditations since the retreat. Well that the great thing about retreats, you have a single purpose. I've had some nice meditations, however I'm back in the real world and very rushed. Finding a good spot and a good sized piece of time is very hard for me. A half hour here and there just won't fill my appetite anymore.

My meditations are a bit deeper and stronger. I learned a fair bit of control during the retreat meditations. I'm desparately looking for a method for finding time for two meditations a week of 2 hours or more. Add in the level one, level two, the other work suggested, along with other LSC material some of which I committed to during the closing prayers at the retreat. I can understand why you have to devote yourself to these things.

Sorry for the whining, I have much more I could add to the list. I've had very good meditations since the retreat. Including better level one active meditation. Actually using my hand for detecting and working on myself and family. You have to use it, you have to do it.

I hear, and I forget.
I see, and I remember.
I do, and I understand.

Gotta do that do do thing.

Oh, some more ramblings on the third eye. I attended the LSC retreat last summer. I hadn't started SFQ at the time, but the retreat touches on many of its concepts and related concepts. Well before going into the Labyrinth, I spent about 20 minutes drawing energy into my third eye. During the first stage of the Labyrinth I had incredibly powerful and rapid images appear. Now, I would describe them as third eye activity. However, Master Lin mentioned that some qigong practices do this drawing of energy into the third eye, but that he doesn't include it in SFQ.

Oh, BTW anyone can correct me if I've made any mistakes in representing SFQ or anything else.

Probably not what you were looking for, but it's what I have to share right now.

You are perfection.
Iam2

Iam2: It was exactly what I was looking for! I totally hear what you are saying about finding time in the real world to devote to practicing and meditating. I'm having my own struggles spending the time I'd like to on SFQ. I'm sure we are not alone in that regard.

To AgentB, you asked us to "tell me a story" about the retreat, so here's mine.

Master Lin told us about his grandmother. When Master Lin was a boy, during the Cultural Revolution, he spent time living with his grandmother, out in the country. He told us that she lived in a small village, where the people were mostly poor, and lived in the old-fashioned ways. He said that she never even had her own name, but when she got married she was known as "the wife of ---".

In those days, if anybody got to go to school, it was the boy, never the girl. But she was smart, and she learned how to be a healer. Certain plants were used to treat illnesses. As a child, Chunyi learned what some of them were, and helped her to gather them. When somebody would come to her who had breast cancer, for example, she gave the person certain herbs, and she also did a sort of massage, where she pulled on a certain ligament in the back. Many people were healed of their problems by her.

Especially for cancer, she would tell the patient not to worry, and to "take it easy."

Chunyi said that since the family was poor, he slept in the same bed with his grandmother. She got breast cancer, and he heard her moaning in pain. When he asked her about it, she just said, "Oh,it's nothing. I'm just in a little bit of pain." She used the treatments that she knew, including the herbs, and the massage. To accomplish that, he said that she backed up into a wall, and gave herself the treatment that was needed.

This all happened when she was in her 70's. She was cured of the cancer, and lived into her 80's!

Master Lin told all of this very calmly. I just love it when he shares these stories about himself and others in the healing field. There are many ways that healing can happen for people!

On a related topic, thank you to all who are sending your good wishes and healing my way. Thanks, Justcappy, for submitting my name today, and also to Claudia for offering to do the same. This is a wonderful healing family we have here. It's an honor to be a part of it.

Best wishes to all,
Anita