16. The root of heaven and moon cavern are alchemical terms for the
movement of energy emerging from stillness and returning to stillness.
They can also be expressed as the points of shift from passivity to activity
and from activity to passivity.
17. In alchemical language, the positive creative energy of unconditioned
primal awareness must be consciously "culled" or "gathered" when it
emerges from the shrouds of unconsciousness. If it is not gathered, or if it is
gathered too late, the positive energy is ineffective and mundane
conditioning reasserts its power.
18. In Taoist energetics, "the chamber of the creative” is the head: energy is
drawn by attention upward from the lower torso (the chamber of water)
through the spine and into the head. In purely spiritual Taoism, the energy
of the initial stirring of the "celestial mind" of unconditioned awareness is
fostered until it becomes complete awakening, as symbolized by the
creative. Focusing on the crown of the head is a method of enhancing
alertness (to prevent quiet stillness from slipping into oblivion) and is only
for temporary use at appropriate times.
1.
19. In energetics, the "yellow court" is the middle of the body, where the
energy is conducted after passing through the head. In spiritual practice, this
means that heightened awareness is centered to keep the mind from floating
off into utter abstraction.
