Connor's Guide to Studying Metaphysics

Connor's Guide to Studying the Metaphysical and Occult:

Introduction:
So, you wanna study the scientifically unprovable? You want to get a handle on things beyond current human understanding? It's not impossible; people have done it. You will hear testimonies from people who use it every day to get results. Right off the bat, there is something we should get off the table: Metaphysics is something we cannot understand completely; so for all you people wanting to read this and find the reason that some things work and others do not, go look somewhere else. Be aware, the western world frowns on Metaphysics because of our materialistic mentality: "give me reproduce-able results and we'll talk". Unfortunately, for some reason, this is impossible. I'd like to take a look at why this might be and how one could go about learning metaphysics from a practical perspective and create methods that work.

Disclaimer:
I am not an expert. I have studied metaphysics for 10 years, and I am adept at healing and basic energy work through the Ceremonial magick tradition. I am also a Spring Forest Qigong practitioner. Take it as you will.

SECTION ONE: I WANT LIGHTNING SHOOTING OUT OF MY HANDS
Well, I'm sorry. But, if you want Force Lightning, leave my presence. I am not in the business of creating, A. Lunatics, B. Maniacs. I am in the business of helping honorable students achieve a new level of competence.

There is no reason to learn techniques that overly control the atmosphere around the body. Moving objects, reading minds, etc. these are tools that can be useful at certain times, but most of the time are not worth the sacrifice. When choosing a metaphysical art, you shouldn't choose one that will force you to devote your whole life then end up dying without even knowing you'll achieve the result. Because of this, I respectfully advise against the following arts: Energy Projectiles, Immortality, neigong, Any form of Taoist alchemy, Mind reading, Telekinesis, Pyrokinesis. Some of these arts, like mind reading and pyro can be applied in techniques like it, but to find documentation and work for 20 years on developing a technique is a waste of time, I believe.

Of course, if you are looking for a moral code, I would direct you to the Wiccan addage: "An it harm none, do what ye will."

SECTION TWO: FINDING THE RIGHT ART:
Ok! Here's how you get to the fun stuff.

1. Find an artform that suits your passions!
Do you like healing people? Making them feel better? Empathetic Healing is probably for you!
2. Take your time and do some good research on the art.
Read all the literature you can find. Read CRITICISMS especially. Find out WHY people disregard things that are unprovable. Usually it will be because of two reasons: One, they can't do it him/herself. Two, they have found empirical evidence and testify without giving it a go him/herself.
3. Make the decision: is it something you want to devote a portion of your life to?
Maybe do an intro course on it somewhere. Find out if it's the right art for you! Reiki is something a lot of people like because it doesn't use YOUR energy. You can just have the energy direct itself from the universe. A lot of people will take an intro course.
4. Do NOT pay for anything, unless it's a book. And even then.
People that want you to pay for training? They are tricking you. Ok, that's an exaggeration. It's true they might make their living off of it. But, if you're looking for a demonstration, and they won't give you ANYTHING unless you give them money? Just steer clear of those people.
5. Once you've done your research, make the investment.
Time, money, whatever it takes. Do not half-do anything. Really get INTO it. If you aren't fully engaged, you'll never make any changes.

SECTION THREE: WHAT IS THE FORCE?
In order to fully understand what Metaphysics entails. Energy must be defined. Healing. Mind reading. Anything like that... it all has to come from the energy we have here on our planet and throughout the universe. I will reproduce an article I wrote in 2012. It follows the idea that Chi and Energy all stem from the principles of Kinetic and Potential energy. See below:

"Spirituality: is a term that has been around forever, I’m sure. I don’t know precisely when its use became effective, but it is a word common to anybody who was brought up in a faith-based environment. To be honest, the population who was NOT brought up in this milieu is a small minority. I was brought up in the Christian Faith, and my first encounter with the term Spirituality was, of course, the Holy Spirit. Growing up in a Judeo-Christian household, the Holy Spirit was a big part of my childhood and adulthood. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (spirit) are the Trinity. I am a United Methodist, and our insignia (cross and flame) shows two of these things. The Father is not shown because the Father is manifested in the form of the Son and the Holy Ghost. Spirits, in a way, were not a part of my childhood. Spirits were not talked about in my house because the only talk really allowed was talk of God. This is NOT to say that other forms of religion were not discussed, but serious talk of other faiths was not a part of my childhood. I wouldn’t even say that my house was closed-minded: my father is Jewish and my mother is Methodist. So, you cannot say they aren’t open. Now that you know this, I can say: we just didn’t ever talk about it. Spirits and other metaphysical phenomenon just never came up for me until I was in my early teens.

Spirits can manifest themselves to us through tuning into frequencies. That makes perfect sense because all spirits have a frequency (just like the rest of the things in the universe do), and if you can tap into them, then you can channel them like a radio… all the experiences, memories, etc. It provides comfort to those in our world. Granted, I wouldn’t go so far as to say there is a physical world in the life after death. To be honest, I think the spirits are in OUR world, but not manifested into humanoid form. I think this comes with our need to view things in human form to identify objects. This is why Angels appear to be human in the mythology. Why Kami looked human. Why Chinese Ancestors were animals and humans. This rich history of communication with the spirit world is Universal. What I want to get across is this: there is probably NOT a physical Heaven after death. Our human bodies are a product of evolution, but the Life Force inside of us comes from the Spirits.

Spirits are the Universe. There is nothing bigger than the Universe itself (that we need to consider, anyway, for this to be). Therefore, when the first organic thing came into being (like an organism), there must have been a wisdom instilled in it: reality. There is a distinct reality of things. Reality shows us that we are all Star Dust, and are all one… so why wouldn’t we consider that Wisdom and Knowledge aren’t already there? They must be. We just have to discover it. So, this Universal Conscious is made up of infinite vibrations around all things. Different levels, different understandings. You must understand that, like Light (and the visible spectrum), there are an endless amount of colors we cannot see. But, just like radio waves, we can interact with them on a different level. Well, Spirits could very well be a Collective Conscious that lives on various vibrational levels. Like Chi, when we learn to interact with these vibrations, we can commune with these Spirits.

When you feel tingly in your meditations, could you attribute that to tuning into higher frequencies? I think so. I think it could also be using Chi to transform this vibration.

We are to train in Mind, Body, and Spirit. But, in reality, if you think about all this: the Mind and Body ARE part of the Spirit, yes? There is no separation except by what your sight, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling tell you. Those senses are limited. This is why I am starting with Spirituality. I want you to know that when I leave this behind to go into the other two fields, NEVER let go of the Truth that we are all Spirit, and the division is mainly for human convenience and lack of understanding. So, why is it that hard to conceive that you could talk to deceased? I think it would be a fabulous way to gain true Knowledge while in life. Bring the truth to the people. Speed up the growth process. Spirituality is important to a Jedi because it provides a link to greater growth and wisdom. Would you really be ok turning that down? I know I wouldn’t."

And, from an article on the Force itself:

"...we should begin by demystifying the Force.

There are two types of things that can be measured in the world: those which interact with the physical (which can be measured with physical things) and those which do not interact with the physical. Physical things, which can be measured, tend to be the things that Scientists love. And, when it is immeasurable and not “supposed” to be there, then Scientists and logical thinkers tend to disregard it as unnecessary and improvable and get rid of it. The difference between internal Chi and the Higgs Field is that the Higgs Boson HAS to be there. Without it, the Universe would not work, so Scientists KNEW there was a hole there, but kept is open. But, Chi was a different matter. I visited a forum thread, (http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?105129-Scientific-proof-that-chi-is-fake) that tries to systematically show that Chi is fake. They linked to this video: http://youtu.be/JM_qg5d1YGI. And, oy (not boy), do I have problems with this video. FIRST: they were trying to physically measure something that is not physically measurable. SECOND: There is no science in this… it’s a testimony.

Some people swear by Qigong, (a good interview seen here) http://youtu.be/RAAB0dbc3Es. This video shows some interesting stuff about how this man uses Chi to heal people. What is fascinating: Testimonies are only so strong. If you read through the Sci-Forum’s thread I linked to, you might see that there are even some skeptics that believe in it. But, eventually, it melts into an argument about semantics (ki = chi, which isn’t necessarily true). One of my favorite things I’ve seen on the topic thus far has been here: http://askville.amazon.com/believers-chi-give-proof-existence/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4701690. They seem to really get into the whole mind effect. I was reading an essay on Chi Sensativity here (http://www.matzkefamily.net/doug/papers/tucson2b.html), and I saw these wonderful sentences “The major proof that Chi exists today is the fact that people are sensitive to Chi and describe it in consistent and repeatable terms across many subjects. This subjective experience is no different than people who are wine tasting experts with highly “calibrated tongues” or perfume experts with highly “calibrated noses”. In fact, apprentices who have been trained to become very sensitive and aware of Chi are called Chi masters.” Because, if you think about it, it’s true! Chi is like wine tasting in a way. There is no scientific proof that one wine is better than another. There may be better ways, but also tastes DIFFER. HOWEVER, there are some foods that if you have a tolerance for the type of food, everybody at the table will have an inexplicable desire to “mm” and attempt to describe WHY they like it. There is no science for that. It is the same way with Chi sensitivity. Not everybody in the world is open to Chi. They may just not like the idea. But, in the end, people who at least accept the idea have always given positive responses to Chi treatment or practice. So, in conclusion about Chi, there is no scientific proof that Chi can be measured by Physical Means.

But, does that mean that Chi is not measurable by non-physical means? We’d have to buck up and define Chi first. haha. So, I will try and explain what I think Chi is: I believe that everything in the entire Universe is Energy (big e, for all-encompassing dramatic effect). The Universe BEGAN with energy (read Lawrence Krauss’s A Universe from Nothing). Big Bang, yeah? So, it would make sense, since energy can neither be created nor destroyed, that it must transform and manifest in different ways. This goes from the beginnings of uncollected universal dust to the electrical energy and gravity that began to create around energy centers and planets and stars being formed, etc.. I said a couple of days ago that we are Star Dust. Did you ever think about how it was possible to go from dust to skin to cells to brain to complex thinking? Science puts Chi right in the middle of all that and everybody has MISSED it! That’s the best part. People keep saying: Chi isn’t real, it’s a myth! But, there is something about the transformation of energy that people just don’t really understand yet, and this is where my definition of Chi lies. In the brain, nothing becomes possible unless an electrical connection is formed. Two nodes that form a bond become a memory. A pulse is sent to a nerve to say: “move”. These things are learned, and the electrical connection is strengthened. The stronger the electrical connection, the easier the action is to repeat. Same with a memory. The more you think about something, the stronger the electrical connection is and the harder the memory is to forget. Get it now? Oh, not yet. Ok. I’ll keep going. In acupuncture, the needles are used to move the energy… *cough* electrical flow *cough*… of the body to help the Chi become balanced (not static, but flowing evenly). I mean, for crying out loud, it should be obvious to you what’s going on. The brain controls the body, but the body is also an independent entity. Without the brain, the body would not move. Without the body, the brain would not grow and have the ability to intake information. What BONDS the brain to the body besides the physical nerves? Hint: Electricity, Chi. I am not saying Chi is directly this “electricity”, but it is Life Force. It is energy. It is the ACT of this connection between the mind and body to the Higher Consciousness. Chi is in EVERY living thing because every living thing is connected by Energy. Kinetic to Potential. Mechanical to Electric. Chi. It’s all laid out in front of you, you just can’t measure it because it isn’t a “physical” thing. It is the act of connecting energies from one to the other resulting in such a large Field of Energy that the name must be given: Chi.

No, it DOESN’T have a physical manifestation. I have seen testimonies of people who move things with their “mind”. But, they aren’t doing so. They have taken a hold of Chi and realized that they can manifest energy changes with their will. What does this mean for the brain? It means that Chi lies within the body as it does in the brain. But, consciousness lies in the brain. It lies in the will for change. I don’t mean “life” change. I mean change in energy. When you get up, your body has potential energy stored up and ready to use. Your brain sends an electrical signal to innumerable parts of your body to say MOVE. Your electric energy moves to mechanical energy. Your potential energy to kinetic. This ACT of using the brain to change the stasis of an energy is called Chi, to me. So, of course, you cannot MEASURE Chi. It’s not a real thing! It’s a connection of various energies to other kinds of energy. When people have a heat in their stomach, it isn’t because Chi is there, it is because Chi is there that the energy changes to HEAT energy and the body leaks it. What you are doing is WILLING the body to change energy JUST like you use electrical impulses to move your arm. There is no difference. When people measure Chi, they finagle (I cannot believe I spelled that right…) the ability to measure electricity coming from seemingly nothing. But, what does that say to you? Your mind sensors should be going off by now: “OH I get it! The person must be using the same method they use to raise their arm.” And, you would be right.

“But, Connor… If it’s so simple as moving your arm, then why does Chi take years to learn?” Another easy question, my friend. How long did it take for you to develop the willpower to develop muscles and bones and strength to hit a ball at 80 MPH (I know that’s not fabulous, but you get the point, yah)? You kept mirroring those around you and used instinct, and you developed strength and natural growth over a long period of time before you could completely control your movements all the time. Chi is the same. When you are born, you have the natural ability to influence the Chi in your body. But, many around us are not in touch with our Chi, so we don’t use it. And, if a child didn’t use their arms at all until they were 9-10 years old, do you think the development would have been as dramatic? No! It would be lax. And, the future strength of the arm would be hurt. Luckily, we DO use our brains to send signals ALL the time, and working with this connection is ingrained into us, we just don’t really know how to focus on it.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, WHAT does this have to do with the Force… and why the HECK is there so much pseudo-science and not enough spirituality. I’ll tell you: Dude, Chi isn’t spiritual. It only seems that way because of how history has been mangled with. 5000 years ago, Chi was SCIENCE in China. They used the flow and change of energy to determine the imbalances of Yin and Yang. What seems to be lost is the knowledge that Chi isn’t a “thing”, it is a bridge between things.

So, is Chi the Force? I think so, but on a larger scale. I think the Force itself is the Tao. The Tao that can be SAID is not the true Tao. Why? Because the Tao is not an OBJECT that can be measured, but it is a non-physical bridge between everything, keeping all things in balance. When you are not in line with Chi, Tao, Force, then you are out of SYNC with the Universal Perspective. You have taken on the job of moving your Chi around into imbalance. It is unnecessary, and all you have to do is learn to be at peace with Reality and learn to use your energy. Personal, Living, and Unifying Force. These levels of Energy are the truths of our lives. Personal is the brain saying: “this is how I want energy to change”. Living is the energy in transit and interacting with the rest of the world. And, Unifying is the true encompassing Force. It is the combination of limitless strings of connections bound together to keep the Universe from being Energy-less and stagnant. A static universe would end. It would simply stop. All life would cease and time wouldn’t even exist.

To say that Chi does not exist. To say that the Force, or even Energy, or EVEN Life Force does not exist is to say that the Universe is a stagnant and empty place.

Luckily, in my opinion, that is NOT the case. "

SECTION FOUR: THE PROCESS
So, you've picked an art, you've defined your energy. Now, you need to be able to feel it.

Step one: Relax and find a good place to sit or lie down.
Step two: Do some counting meditation for blood circulation. Breathe in for five, hold for five, and let out for five. Repeat for 5 minutes.
Step three: Begin feeling your energy in your lower dan tien (this is the area behind your belly button and a little lower). You can do this by clenching your ab muscles, releasing, and remembering how that feeling is and just focusing on it.
Step four: hold your left arm out, and begin clenching a fist, and then opening it. Back and forth for a long time. Slowly, though. Keep your focus on the lower Dan Tien.
Step five: the energy will naturally make a connection from the fist to the energy center, and your whole body should feel tingly.

SECTION FIVE: EXPERIENCING V. STUDY
So, by now, you've felt the Force. You've picked an art to study. You believe you are ready to go about practicing your art or going through a program. How can you deal with the world around you that is so cruel? Remember, society is all about things we can see, and things we culturally identify with. So why is it that we're always so weary of programs we're not familiar with? Articles constantly discredit programs like Reiki and Qigong because of their lack of "physical" change. What about programs that do not claim to have any direct influence? Oftentimes, these programs are not personally in accordance with the art because they do not experience it firsthand.

When was the last time you tried to meditate and did not do it your OWN way in your own body?

In each of our lives, we all learn to throw a ball. We can all breathe. But, each of us experiences this in individual ways we cannot communicate on a sub-molecular level. So, when scientists try to tell us how we experience metaphysics within our own bodies, it makes no sense to discredit them because no change is observed. And, even, so, mental changes can occur in the body. See studies on Tummo Meditation.

So, when doing exercises involving "metaphysics", I advise using experience as a guide rather than empirical data alone. If you are using Reiki to heal somebody, a prescribed method MIGHT not work! You might just not be feeling it correctly. Altering the method to become personalized destroys the notion of reproduce-ability. If you notice, many professional practitioners of metaphysical arts develop their own style of practice. Have you ever wondered why that is? Because we all experience the universe through our own lens.

SECTION SIX: RESONANCE:
Resonance is why metaphysics works. This is not a new idea, either, but it is often overlooked by many scientists.

What is Resonance?
The idea that ideas are personalized to each person.
How can you use it?
When speaking about topics, find words and actions that feel "Light" to you. That feel as though they do not bog you down.

This kind of individualization is important to people's success on the path.

How can we apply resonance and make the connection between study, experience, individualization, and resonance together to make successful study?

CONCLUSION:
It all comes down to applicability. Whatever works for you is what works for you. That's it!

Find the things that work, and ignore the opinions of those against you. But of course, don't fall victim to ignorance and disillusionment. It takes a healthy criticism to truly scrutinize find what works.

Good luck.

My $0.02.

Define your goal for practice clearly.

Find teachers/systems that have demonstrated they actually have accomplished your goal.

Ignore everyone else's opinion because if they haven't accomplished your goal, their opinions are just more nonsense that will obstruct you from accomplishing it.

Everyone has different goals for their practice, but it's important you find teachers that are competent and have actually gotten to the point you want to be at.

In programming there is a term called G.I.G.O. Garbage in, garbage out.

There are hundreds of thousands of books, teachers, teachings etc, and most have never accomplished anything other than writing books.

It's important to be a smart shopper in the spiritual marketplace.

Caveat emptor

Good advice, m.

Connor Lidell wrote: Testimonies are only so strong.

I agree 100% with this, I am often criticized for not giving my own experiences and testimony. Frankly I don't think it matters. Hard scientific evidence is what is needed, not personal testimony.

As far as Chi goes, I won't derail your thread more on the topic, but I have a large repository of studies that provide hard evidence for chi (not healing abilities).

Anyone who is interested is free to private message me to get this information, I don't put it out in public because of the arguments it causes.

Connor Lidell wrote: physically measure something that is not physically measurable

Chi from a real master is indeed physically measurable, there have been many such studies which document it. Infrared, infrasonic, and electromagnetic anomalies have all been observed and quantified.

Ahh, but I WANNA shooot LASERS from my haaaands!

I liked it, especially section two. And the bit about doing it your own way, because there are many, many different beliefs out there and not all work for everybody.

Now I'm going to have to look into Qigong. I've never tried that before.

I don't include it either because I don't think it's necessary to the post. haha.

Wendaline wrote: Ahh, but I WANNA shooot LASERS from my haaaands!

I liked it, especially section two. And the bit about doing it your own way, because there are many, many different beliefs out there and not all work for everybody.

Now I'm going to have to look into Qigong. I've never tried that before.

I find it quite enjoyable.

Maybe I'll have to pick your brain. Don't be surprised if you get a pesky pm full of questions later. :laugh:

What, no force choke!?! I want my three minutes back Conner, (just kidding).

Wendaline wrote: Maybe I'll have to pick your brain. Don't be surprised if you get a pesky pm full of questions later. :laugh:

I'd love nothing more.