Heaven on Earth for 2010

"My stand is clear:
produce to distribute,
feed before you eat,
give before you take,
think of others, before you think of yourself.
Only a selfless society based on sharing can be stable and happy.
This is the only practical solution.
If you do not want it - fight."

Nisargadatta Maharaj

I'd rather be hillarious

I just arrived on my home of Kaua'i. I had no sooner checked in to my little hale' (timeshare home) when I saw my good friend Lei, from Long View Washington in the courtyard with a bunch of friends, both locals and visitors. Of course, they were eating, playing music and when I joined them, dancing hula. When you show up in time for a meal, you know your timing is impeccable. Much talking story and Lei remarked about my dancing and how good I was. That I must have been practicing. I answered that while I love dancing, I would rather be hilarious. She replied that I was certainly that. That evening, Lei and I again entertained with hula at a local lounge. What a wonderful way to be welcomed back to Kaua'i.

This week, the market is down, a lot, and I am up. I'm about even now. And I was thinking about success and that success is kind of hilarious. I visited the monastery yesterday for a tour of the temple and the guide talked about the monks. He described them as anything but solemn or pious, in fact, some of them were the funniest people he knew. He is correct in this; many of the monks have a great sense of humor. And all of them are always welcoming, extending aloha to all.

So I'm shooting for the acumen of a seasoned trader and the heart of a monk. Now that's hilarious!

"My biscuits are burning", Roger Rabbit

Bought position in FAZ. Within 3 weeks was up 30%. Should have sold. Within 2 months after that, my position had declined to half my original investment. Added to my position 6X my original investment. Over past month, my position has declined about 20%.

I was talking to someone about my trading. I told her I was in highly leveraged funds. She asked, isn't that what brought down the economy? Kind of........ I replied.

I'm holding. It will soon be clear whether I'm a hero, or a goat. It's all about having your cojones in the fire. No wimps allowed

BUY

Stock market is up almost 2% today. Mahendra states that all gains will be given up by the end of the day. I added to my FAZ position and I placed a new position in SMA. Leveraged shorting of the financial sector and basic metals.

Heaven and hell

An old brahmin priest spoke with his Lord Siva about heaven and hell (which is called Narakaloka in Sanskrit and differs from other hells in not being eternal, but a temporary state of souls between births). The Lord said to the aging pandit, “Come, I will show you hell.” They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of wonderful smelling vegetable curry. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible. “Come, now I will show you heaven,” Siva said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first the pot of luscious curry, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But everyone was happy and well-nourished. “I don’t understand,” said the Brahmin. “Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room where everything was exactly the same?” Lord Siva smiled, “Ah, it is simple,” He said. “Here they have learned to feed each other.” from Hindu Press International

Big move coming

Since beginning to trade, I was up almost 30% and then down almost 50% from my original position. I think that's an approximately 62% decline in less in about 2 months. Boy what a learning experience. Not bad huh?

Yesterday, I increased my position in FAZ 6 fold. When you're down and you're confident of your positioning, BUY!!!!!!

I had a wonderful kundalini yoga retreat with Sri M. I've been practicing every day for a month now. I'm having some wonderful breakthroughs. My desire to remain sitting actually exceeds my desire to get up and start doing things. I am counting on my intuition improving for making trades. I will plan to visit with M in India in either March or April.

Mahendra, indicates that a major decline will occur any time now. I've been very excited about increasing my trading position. However, after meditating the other morning, I realized that if Mahendra is correct, there will be much suffering. I felt sad about this. But still, suffering is part and parcel of life.

Trading Secrets

First off, it's no longer a secret. Direxion Funds in its recent quarterly report states that their funds are not "buy and hold" funds. I had already figured this out after experiencing FAZ for the past 5 weeks. My account had been up as much as 30% and it's now down almost 10%. If I had traded with my intuition, my gains would have been solidified with a share volume increase of 30%.

Beginning now, I'll begin trading this account, perhaps daily. Mahendra states a sharp DOW correction will take place today so some nice volatility should ensue.

In anticipation of applying my trading ideas, I consulted my Vedic Astrologist, Vaughn Paul Manley of Mau'i. It looks like the wind will be at my back for the next 3 plus years. It is nice to affirm my intuition to have begun trading and that my timing is good.

Vaughn Paul also indicates that as I deepen my spiritual practice, the strength of intuition will increase. I'm getting a better sense of the difference between an excitement, (indicating a trade confirmation) as opposed to fear (indicating a wait and see). My experience to date has been more like a blackjack player who refuses to leave the table until losses are recovered. Such players always loose even more than they've already lost.

I'm looking forward to a great being, Sri "M", returning to Portland. This kriya yoga master will be hosting a retreat at Breitenbush at the end of August. It's been a couple of years since I've made much effort at sitting still (meditating). Perhaps his presence will re-energize my practice.

Inner Wealth, Outer Wealth

From Hindu Press International.

A sannyasin of great spiritual attainment came to the outskirts of a village in India. He was camped under a tree for the night when suddenly a villager came running to him, screaming, The stone! The stone! Give me the precious stone! Which stone? asked the sannyasin. Last night, Lord Siva appeared before me in a dream, said the villager, and told me that if I went to the outskirts of the village at nightfall, I would find a sannyasin who would give me a stone which would make me rich for the rest of my life. The sannyasin rummaged through his knapsack and took out a stone. Probably He talked about this, he said, extending the stone to the villager. I found it lying on the path in the forest a few days ago. Take it, I give it to you, offered the sannyasin with all simplicity. The villager looked at the stone in amazement it was an enormous diamond. He took the diamond and went away quickly. All that night he tossed in his bed and could not sleep. The next day at dawn he woke up the sannyasin, returned the gem and asked, Give me the inner wealth which has made it possible for you to part with this diamond so easily. Indian village tale.

Pihana Kalani, where heaven touches earth, is devoted to both the inner and the outer. It might seem strange that I would write about both spiritual ideas and how to make money trading. These ideas, I believe go hand in hand. I intend to post my trading information on this blog. If these ideas are used for personal gains only, success will be temporary only. Yes, by all means, go out and buy a Mercedes. But don't forget to tithe. And don't forget to contribute to those who have little. Tithing and giving to others is for YOUR benefit.

Sacred Economics 7/3/09

I had a dream which prompted me to begin trading. Kind of hillarious.

I've know traders and they're always in front of a computer screen. Looked boring.

In my dream, there were 2 traders in adjoining cubicles staring at computer screens. One of them turned around and we began talking. I asked what his strategy is. He replied that he has an alternate energy portfolio which he's simply holding. (I know this is a good strategy because a well known astrologer, Mahendra, has an alternate energy portfolio which has grown over 100% a year over the past several years. )

After a while, the other trader turned to talk with me. I asked him what he did. He stated that he has mostly alternate energy stocks because he is confident that these are on an up trend. He stated that he trades frequently, sometimes daily. He tries to sell high and buy low. I asked him how he's doing. "I made a $million today", he said.

THAT'S WHAT I WANT, I thought to myself.

Within days of having this dream, I opened a trading account and acquired a position in FAZ, per one of Mahendra's recommendations.

Back in the early 90's when I first started selling mutual funds, I became a regular reader of the "Wall Street Journal". One of their regular columns was devoted to stock picks of expert portfolio managers. Three or 4 managers were selected and were asked to identify their favorite stocks. The performance of these stocks were tracked to determine which manager had the best picks. There was also a group of stock picks which was called the "dart board portfolio". Stock were picked by throwing darts at the stock pages. I referred to this as a chimpanzee portfolio. Perhaps I am unfairly maligning the intelligence of chimps as compared to "experts".

Consistently, the dart board portfolio performed no better, or worse than the experts' portfolios. Sometimes the dart board portfolio actually outperformed all the "expert" managers.

This, to me, proves that if the trend is correctly identified, just trading with the trend will make money, regardless the strategy.

Super Brain Yoga

From "Hinduism Today": "Much to the amusement of many Hindus, the ancient practice of crossing the arms to grasp the earlobes and squatting several times, known in Tamil (language) as thoppu karanam, has emerged on the pop health scene. The renowned New Age teacher of Pranic Healing, Master Choa Kok Sui, co-opted the practice and copy-righted the the label "Super Brain Yoga". A CBS piece on the exercise found its way onto YouTube, and now people are bobbing up and down all over the world. Practitioners claim they documented its positive effects on learning-disabled autistic children and depressed, forgetful adults. Most Hindus know this as an old form of discipline performed as an act of worship before Lord Ganesha. Although once again our (Hindu) cultural heritage has been openly pirated for profit, clinical validation is always good for the Hindu faith."

By the way, the practice of thoppu karanam does have a positive effect. And I highly recommend it for all children of all ages. I am 57 and I practice thoppu karanam. Hopefully, I too will become smart..... hee hee.

Where Heaven touches Earth

Pihana Kalani. This is how the ancient Hawaiians described the place now the home of the Hindu Monastary on the island of Kaua'i.

This place of course exists in every heart. My current spiritual reading consumption is Nisargadatta Maharaj. "That's what I want", I thought after reading "Love and God" from the book "Pointers from Nisargadatta Maharaj". I quote;

The dialogue, one evening, was started by a young Canadian, wearing a Lungi and a thin Kurta. He said he was 23, but he looked barely out of his teens. he wore around his neck an elegant little silver cross on a dainty chain. He said he had come across the book "I Am That" in a bookshop in Bombay a couple of days ago. A cursory glance at a few pages impelled in him a desire to meet Maharaj personally. he had already gone through the book reading almost continuously, through the afternoon, evening and night and had finished both the volumes only a few hours ago.

Maharaj: You are so young. I wonder since what age you have been interested in the spiritual quest?

Visitor: Sir, ever since I remember I have been deeply interested in Love and God. And I strongly felt that they can not different. When I sit in meditation, I often......

M: Wait a moment. What exactly do you mean by meditation?

V: I don't really know. All I do is to sit cross-legged, close my eyes, and remain absolutely quiet. I find my body relaxing, almost melting away, and my mind, or being or whatever merging into space, and the thought-process getting gradually suspended.

M: That's good. Please proceed.

V: Quite often, during meditation, an overwhelming feeling of ecstatic love arises in my heart together with an effusion of well being. I do not know what it is. it is during such spell the I felt inspired to visit India - and here I am.

M: How long will you be in Bombay?

V: I really don't know. I rarely make any plans. I have sufficient money to live frugally for about fifteen days, and I have my return ticket.

M: Now tell me, what is it exactly that you want to know. Do you have any specific questions?

V: I was a very confused man when I landed in Bombay. I felt I was almost going out of my mind. I really don't know what took me to the bookshop because I don't do much reading. The moment I picked up the first volume of "I Am That", I experienced the same overpowereing feeling that I get during my meditation. As I went on reading the book a weight seemed to lift off from within me, and as I am sitting here before you, I feel as if I am talking to myself. And what I am saying to myself seems like blasphemy. I was convinced that love is God. But now I think that love is surely a concept and if love is a concept God also must be a concept.

M: So, what is wrong in it?

V: (Laughing)Now, if you put it like that I have no feeling of guilt in transforming God into a concept.

M: Actually, you said love is God. What do you mean by the word "love". Do you mean "love" as the opposite of "hate"? Or, do you mean something else, although, of course, no word can be adequate to dexribe "God".

V: No. No. By the word "love" I certainly do not mean the opposite of "hate". What I mean is that love is abstaining from discrimination as "me" and the "other".

M: In other words, unity of being?

V: Yes, indeed. What then is "God" to whom I am expected to pray?

M: Let us talk about prayer later. Now then, what exactly is this "God" you are talking about? Is he not the very consciousness -the sense of "being" that one has - because of which you are able to ask questions? "I am" itself is God. What is it that you love most? Is it not this "I am", the conscoious presence which you want to preserve at any cost? The seeking itself is God. In seeking you discover that "you" are apart from this body-mind complex. If you were not conscious, would the world exist for you? Would there be any idea of God? And, the consciousness in you and consciousness in me - are they different? Are they not separate only as concepts, seeking unity unconceived, and is that not love?

V: Now, I understand what is meant by "God is nearer to me than I am to myself".

M: Also remember, there can be no proof of Reality other than being it. Indeed you are it, and have always been. Consciousness leaves with the end of the body (and is therefore time-bound) and with it leaves the duality which is the basis of consciousness and manifestation.

V: What then is prayer, and what is its purpose?

M: Prayer, as it is generally understood, is nothing but begging for something. Actually, prayer means communion-uniting-Yoga.

V: Everything is so clear now, as if a great deal of rubbish has been suddenly thrown out of my system, blown out of existence.

M: Do you mean that you now seem to see everything clearly?

V: No. No! Not "seems". It is clear, so clear that I am now amazed that it was not clear at any time. Various statements that I had read in the Bible, which seemed important but vague before, are now crystal clear - statements like: "Before Abraham was I am; I and my father are one; I am that I am.

M: Good Now that you know what it is all about, what Sadhana will you do to obtain liberation from your "bondage"?

V: Ah Mararaj. Now you are surely making fun of me. Or, are you testing me? Surely, now I know have realized that I Am That-I Am, which I have always been and which I shall always be. What is left to be done? Or, undone? And who is to do it? And for what purpose?

M: Excellent! Just be.

V: I shall, indeed.

Then, the young Canadian prostrated before Maharaj, his eyes brimming with tears of gratitude and joy. Maharaj asked him if he would be coming again, and the lad said: "Honestly, I don't know". When he left, Maharaj sat for a while with his eyes closed, the gentlest of smiles on his lips. He then said very softly: "A rare one".

Sacred Economics 6/30/09

My first blog. My lectures on consciousness, the Mayan calendar and forthcoming economic storms began in 2005. Much of what I foresaw happened including the housing bubble collapse, the increased value of gold and the decline of the U.S. dollar. I lectured for about 2 years and decided I had said all I wanted to say.

A year ago, at the urging of a friend, I began lecturing again. It was May of 2008 and oil prices were at an all time high. I stated the bull market in oil was over, that the U.S. economy would rebound and the U.S. dollar would increase in value.

It is now June 30, 2009. Recently, I finally began trading with remarkable success. It appears that making money is a lot easier than I had imagined. If the trend is correct, it's almost impossible to loose money. So how do you identify the trend? Stay tuned.