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Questions

(Quotes from Ed in Red)

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

What Up With Google

In the Causal Model, disappointing earnings "cause" a 20% sell-off in the stock price.

In the System model, you look for evidence of a shift in the intention of the culture, such as buying toys, turning the job of keeping the corporate ethics over to management and compromising the company motto.

In the Trend Following model, you simply notice the long-term trend is still up and the short-term trend is sideways to down and you follow your system.

Brin, 32 and Page, 32

and Schmidt, 51 in the Middle

Google recently interprets

the company's mottos:

Don't be Evil and

Facilitate Information for the Entire World

as a decision to support Chinese censorship.

The Google Jet

If you have to stretch your mottos a bit

at least you can

buy nice toys

and fly in style

Clips:

www.cbsnews.com/.../

 main637116_popup0_2.shtml

http://www.googlefans.net/blog/article.asp?id=267

Google Philosophy: http://www.google.com/

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

Tribe Meeting Feedback

(Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Hot Seat: I often feel under-whelmed, like "I can't get no satisfaction" by experiences and have a history of feeling so. I speak of running marathons, then upping the ante to mini-triathlons, then again to full length Iron-man triathlons. Each event produces the same result: a brief sense of accomplishment for finishing, but an overwhelming and continuing sense of "that was no big deal, in fact now I am feeling kind of let down by having finished it."

The process manager encourages me to get into this feeling, but the "feeling" does not produce a form. In general, through my limited experience with TTP, I find that when I describe a "feeling", it does not have a noticeable physical form attached to it.

The process manager notices I am mainly in my head, so he encourages me to race my thoughts. I race my thoughts about my trading, about the next big event, etc. The Field of Encouragement helps immensely at this point -- however, they do not know they are being so effective because I am not producing noticeable forms. I quickly lose the "racing" in my mind and remain "in my head" for the remainder of my Hot Seat session. This frustrates me.

Perhaps I am not willing? I feel I am willing by my actions: purchasing Ed Seykota's book, reading it twice, dissolving some prior "Seykota drama" that I had, paying for and attending the January 2006 TTP Workshop, and committing to attendance at the IVTT.

However, I feel as if something might be wrong with me because I do not experience any reality-shattering AHA's like I eagerly read about.

Thank you for sharing your process.

You might consider taking your feelings of discouragement to your Tribe as entry points.

Peggy Lee

has a difficult start to her life,

losing her mother by the age of four

and having to endure both

an alcoholic father and an abusive stepmother throughout the rest of her pre-adult years.

She is famous for her rendition of

Is That All There Is?

SPEAK:

And when I was 12 years old,

my father took me to the circus,

the greatest show on earth.

There were clowns and elephants

and dancing bears
And a beautiful lady in pink tights

flew high above our heads.

And as I sat there watching the marvelous spectacle
I had the feeling that something was missing.

I don't know what,

but when it was over,
I said to myself,

"Is that all there is to a circus?"

SING:

Is that all there is,

is that all there is?

If that's all there is my friends,

then let's keep dancing

Let's break out the booze

and have a ball
If that's all

there is?

Clip: http://www.jimbaileyweb.com/

Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

January 2006 TTP Workshop Feedback

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

Workshop in London

Ed,

When do you plan to give a workshop in London.
I want to attend.

I can post a provisional date of, say July 21, 2006 in England (or Germany) and see if anyone signs up.

Tue, 31 Jan 2006

re: What Should I Do

Ed reply: I am not clear which rule of the exercise forbids marking to the market.


The rule at that seemed important at the time is:

Executions

The system awards trades with 50% skid. That is, it executes buy orders on the open at a price half-way between the open and the high of the day. It executes sell orders at a price half-way between the open and the low of the day.

Now looking forward the Breakout system example, it explicitly states:

The system exits the final trade at the average of the final closing price and the worst price of the day.

So the exp moving address system doesn’t have a rule about the last close but issues a marked to market closing step, and the breakout system has a last trade rule about marking to market INDEPENDENT of the actual trading signals being used. Acting on marked to market values could cause one to violate a follow your system rule.

I now think my care about this is pretty irrelevant. But this did and does make me wonder what the role marked to market values play when a system actually only trades on signals which create the realized value. The marked to market value is unrealized and it seems it is irrelevant if the trading system has stops in place and the price hasn’t gapped those stops in a limit up or limit down day(s), i.e. the stops are still very active. I am thinking portfolio money management will use marked to market to help determine portfolio risk in total and also perhaps change positions independent of signals and I am looking forward to this topic. Please keep them coming!

-----

Marking to the market is a way to evaluate the portfolio in the moment of now.

Your "will use" notion seems to inhabit the non-existing future.

-----

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is the founder of Transcendental Mediation - and old friend of Beatle, George Harrison.

To the extent TM practitioners attempt to use it to stop the mind, they may be yielding to judgment about the proper way for a mind to behave.

In TTP, when we encounter a sender with a racing mind, we encourage him to allow it to race even faster.

-----

You might consider taking your feelings about cancer to a Tribe meeting as an entry point. 

Perhaps you might form a Hospital Tribe with other patients.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

His site claims that

you must learn TM technique

personally. from a certified teacher

and that you cannot learn it

from a book, video or audio tape.

Along with Pills and Chemotherapy

hospitals might consider administering

a healing field of acknowledgment.

Clips:

http://www.tm.org/maharishi/index.html

http://www.highpointregional.com/ourservices/

Mon, 30 Jan 2006

Welcome

New York

City

Mon, 30 Jan 2006

Jan 2006 TTP Workshop -

Judgment and Acknowledgment


Dear Ed,


As a participant at the January ’06 Workshop I will like to offer my thoughts, observations & experiences.

Firstly, let me say that all workshop attendees (bar none) were genuinely supportive & caring. So thank you to all for your help & support. It is an honor to be amongst you.

This has given me an appreciation of how this process cannot possibly work without supportive members.

I understand now what is meant by the ‘non-judgemental field of acknowledgement’. It’s one thing to read about this in a book and quite another to actually experience it.

Anyway . . . I digress,


My own experience is that of a newbie who hadn’t really had much tribe experience & who had never done a proper hotseat at this own tribe, not because of not wanting to but more-so because of not knowing exactly how to go about it.

I now have a much better appreciation of the process and how to go about implementing it. It will be interesting to see how our local tribe evolves.

Before I briefly describe my hotseat experience, let me first say that in my own life I have tended to be somewhat independent & have always preferred to do things by myself.

With respect to TTP, this kind of attitude will not bring meaningful results (in my opinion). I know this because at times in my hotseat experience I reach a point where without tribe member encouragement & help I am unable to go deeper & deeper into feeling the experience.

I remember many instances where I feel like stopping & going no further. The relentless validation & spurring on enable me to gain a much fuller experience.

Once again thank you workshop attendees.

In my own hotseat I get into a form very quickly & find myself wanting to buckle over & curl up into a small package , which with tribe validation I am able to do. I remember that I curl up tighter & tighter into a tight ball & I cover myself up with my shirt pulled up & over the top of my head. I then begin to cower under a table, almost as if I want to hide from something / someone. I rock & roll whilst in this ‘ball’ and I think I had said something or moaned something or had some kind of vocalization.

Thank you for sharing your process.

A Field of Acknowledgment

is essential to untying k-nots

Clip: http://international.internet2.edu/

Mon, 30 Jan 2006

Daughter Likes Snapshot

Hi Ed.

Thanks for putting together a great workshop. I particularly appreciate getting the perspective of multiple presenters on TTP -- everyone picks up something different.

My biggest takeaway from the workshop is a deeper understanding of the snapshot process. At our tribe meeting subsequent to the workshop, I develop an additional snapshot, again involving my daughter in the picture. I draw it with her art crayons.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Father and Daughter

can share the same vision.

Clip: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/

Mon, 30 Jan 2006

Post-Workshop Doing and Talking

Hi Ed,

Home at last (actually got back last week) from my whirlwind trip to the U.S. and attendance at the TTP Jan workshop & IV meeting.

Had our local tribe meeting this Saturday just passed and I would like to report an interesting development.
I had written to you in the past that our tribe  likes to 'talk' rather than 'do' & that we didn't really know how to run a tribe properly.

This was the primary reason for my workshop attendance.

Thank you for sharing your process.

You might consider taking your feelings of others not doing it right to your Tribe as entry points.

Talking is Doing Something

With a little encouragement

talking can light up

and evolve into a hot form.

Clip: http://marine.rutgers.edu/~sikes/

Sun, 29 Jan 2006

My Old Snapshot and Developing a New Snapshot

I continue to work on my new snapshot.

Here is my old snapshot.

A number of things come up reviewing my snapshot and thinking about what I want.

The main things I want are:
1. Financial independence and security
2. Health and happiness
3. Income to support me that is not dependant on hours worked or my health or ability to work

4. Not being subject to others

5. Meaning to my life

The main things I notice are missing in the old snapshot are:
1. Creativity
2. Building something of value that helps other people 3. Fun (thank you [Name] for your hot seat)

4. I appear alone and separate

5. I see myself in the 3rd person (which is normally a state without a lot of feeling)

6. There isn't "Meaning" in it

7. It is selfish and self centered

Thank you for sharing your process.  We are finding that Snapshot creation is most effective as a group process. 

The Snapshot Process, like much of TTP keeps evolving as we keep finding better ways to do it.  Here is how I currently conduct the Snapshot Process in Incline Village.

Check In

Each member gives a short progress report and tells how he is feeling now.

Critical Feedback

Present your snapshot in two minutes of less.  Go around the Tribe with everyone getting a minute or two to tell you his reaction to your snapshot - we call this critical feedback.  Acknowledge the feedback without defending.  The next person then presents his snapshot and gets feedback. Go around so everyone presents and gets feedback.

Revision #1

When everyone is complete, take a break during which everyone can re-draw his snapshot.

Repeat Critical Feedback Process

Revision #2

Circle of Champions

Present your snapshot one more time.  This time, each member takes your snapshot and also presents it as if it were his own. In this way, each member gets to hear the other members champion his snapshot.

Final Check Out

Each member tells his experience of the entire process.

Sun, 29 Jan 2006

Remove Me

Please remove my last name from the tribe directory.

I remember experiencing security problems.

Now I avoid attracting troublemakers.

Please list my first name only.

OK. You are now off the list.  Appearance on the list requires both first and last names. 

You might consider taking your feelings about following rules to your tribe as entry points.

There is no Shortage of Rules.

There is a shortage of people

who are willing to follow the rules.

As a rule, people prefer to bail.

Clip: http://fsae.mae.cornell.edu/gallery/

Sun, 29 Jan 2006

Judgment Begets Drama

Dear Chief Seykota,

TTP helps me see that judgment and drama go hand in hand; Where one exists, the other is not far behind. Though I cannot explain it, that is an observation that I have made repeatedly over the past few months.

It is captured nicely at ...

http://www.zombietime.com/walk_for_life/

Yes.

In our society, we formalize the repression of - and reinforce judgments about - sexual feelings and expression. 

Societies with sexual k-nots tend to act out drama in various ways: generation versus suppression of pornography; culture wars about sexual preferences; involvement of government as arbitrator of correct behavior.

Individuals with such k-nots tend toward drama that includes congregation, confrontation, provocation, engagement, conflict and violence.

People who practice experiencing their own feelings and receiving the feelings of others tend to find more peaceful ways.

Sun, 29 Jan 2006

Thank you for your support. I appreciate your holding me accountable for manifesting my Snapshots: Body in Shape and Ed's Book on Trading.

I am responding to being behind on a number of projects by hiring two more people to help me - one to help with administration and free up my schedule - and one to help with programming, converting to C# and moving TSP forward.

I am no longer bicycling as we now have snow in Incline Village. As a winter substitute, I am taking up snowboarding. So far, it seems more demanding than bicycling - I am complete on my third lesson today - and I am complete on owning my own equipment and a season pass as of last Friday.

I'm planning to go snowboarding 3 or 4 times per week through the end of the season, likely sometime in March. I live about 3-1/2 miles from the lift so I can go over on the good days.

My Snapshot is of me at the bottom of the Lodge Pole, on my board, victorious at making it all the way down in one run, without stopping.  My son and daughter are on either side of me, sharing in my celebration.

I am feeling relief about getting some help with all my projects and also a little apprehensive about starting new relationships.  I am feeling general exhaustion and soreness in my muscles, particularly my lower legs, from snowboarding.

Diamond Peak at Incline Village

Detail of Lower Runs

Clip: http://www.diamondpeak.com/

Sat, 28 Jan 2006

Serving by Receiving

Dear Ed,

My fiancée and I are loving each other more than ever, and we feel very good about our relationship. However, as our wedding date comes near, there are times when we start to quarrel, especially regarding the wedding.

She obviously has lots of feelings about having an "elegant" wedding, and I feel annoyed when we get into the subject.

Tonight she tells me that I need to get the invitation ready before my mother calls. I, feeling annoyed, slip out something sarcastic like, "Yeah, why don't you tell me even later, like right when my mom calls?"

My fiancée has a huge reaction. She is very upset that I falsely accuse her not telling me earlier. She vehemently says she has told me before, and accuses me of not paying attention as I try to stay away from the wedding mess.

I get into a logical debate with her, like lawyers in court arguing on the fine prints on what the definition of the word really means.

During a pause in our argument, all of a sudden I have this thought, and I say to her, "How come we often seem to get into quarrels when we get into this wedding thing?"

From that point of curiosity, I remember the lessons I learn from the Workshop. I see the futility in both of us trying to send. So I heartily say to her, "Thank you for letting me know that I've falsely accused you. It's good that you do that."

I say that not because of being cute or sarcastic, or just to appease her. I say that out of the appreciation that she is sharing her feelings with me.

I think it is an honor to be on the receiving end when people share their feelings with you, especially when that person is your close family. If I ever falsely accuse her, I want her to let me know, and I am glad for her to share that with me.

It is quite amazing. I start to realize, when people are upset at you, angry at you - it's really that they are just sharing their feelings.

Completing your wedding is the first official event of your marriage and sets the style and tone for many events to follow. 

You might consider receiving your fiancée about her snapshot about your wedding - and sending her yours.

In the event you encounter difficulties, you might consider taking these to your Tribe as entry points.

Wedding

A way to formalize

what is already working

and what isn't.

Sat, 28 Jan 2006

Experience with TTP Book

Hi Ed,

I have received your book and given it a careful and heartfelt reading. I see that it is dense with truth and presents a joyful way to discover one’s own truths. I used to feel that I was good at knowing and dealing with my feelings, but now I see that I was good at judging and thinking about them—and that doing so, paradoxically, is to ignore them! I have practiced DIM with some success, and have achieved some things that have been achieved by others in tribal settings; but I think my experience is not as intense as theirs, probably.

Nevertheless, I am aware that my life is utterly RE-MADE by simply disengaging the habit of tying bad feelings into k-nots with judgments. I have experienced the untying of some k-nots, and the subsequent EXPANSION of who I am—my mind is BIGGER, MORE ROOM in there now! So much more room for thinking, learning, experiencing!

Another thing I have acquired is an almost constant awareness of TTP. That awareness has recently presented me with a very valuable and unexpected AHA experience while reading “How I Made $2,000,000 in the Stock Market” by Nicolas Darvas. Anyone going through the first few years of trading can identify with Darvas’ early process, but what generated my insight was thinking about how he navigated his way through that process: He learned from his mistakes!

And it hit me: Learning from your mistakes is the PERFECT OPPOSITE to generating judgments about your feelings and experiences.

Thank you for sharing your process.  Learning from mistakes requires willingness to learn.

Personally, I haven't learned anything from failure

Clip: http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/

Sat, 28 Jan 2006

Trading Tribe in Jail

You may need to enroll the prison psychologist as an ally to manifest your vision for a Tribe in jail. 

Prisons have fairly strict rules governing expressions of feelings, particularly anger.

You may find gaining permission is easier now, while you have mobility, before your term begins.

I am willing to talk with the prison psychologist, even travel to help set up a Tribe, at the request of the psychologist.

Prison

A place where breaking in

might be as difficult as breaking out.

Clip: http://www.dfwhog.com/album/2003/

Sat, 28 Jan 2006

Workshop Attendee

Hi Ed,

FAQ assists like-minded people to connect, at their own risk. See Tribe Directory Page.

Workshop attendance is not a requirement for starting a Tribe.

You might take your fear of strangers to your Tribe as an entry point.

Rugged Individualism

may be part of a drama

around an intimacy k-not.

Clip: http://hometown.aol.com/

Fri, 27 Jan 2006

Panic and Anxiety

Hi Ed,

Almost two years ago I experienced my first ever
anxiety attack and it was the scariest thing I have
ever experienced in my life. The 'trigger' may have
been working the overnight shift at a currency trading
firm. Ever since I have not been the same. I still get
the attacks now and then and there is usually a
feeling of constant pressure in my chest and abdomen.

Some days I feel great and other days it gets pretty
darn rough.

I equate my feelings, my life, and my trading results
as being in a perpetual trading range with slight
breakouts to the upside but always coming back to the bottom of the range.

Yes. We are accumulating evidence that TTP is effective in treating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). You might consider taking your feelings of panic and anxiety to your Tribe as entry points.

Panic

has a positive intention.

Clip: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/

Fri, 27 Jan 2006

Seeking a Substitute for TTP

Hello; after reading Ed Seykota's Trading Tribe web site, I was much impressed. However, living as I do ...far from any Trading Tribe, I was seeking to see if there was any way I could experience the therapy, or any reasonable facsimile thereof. Is there?

If TTP is an offshoot designed for traders from some other branch, I would like to know its form so I could try it out, or something.

See Tribe Directory, above for instructions on joining or starting a Tribe.

You might take your feelings about wanting substitutes to your Tribe as entry points.

While This Trendy Fashion Statement

is a substitute for TTP

it is not TTP.

Thu, 26 Jan 2006

3 questions

Yes.

When I sense demand for it.

Thu, 26 Jan 2006

Recent Tribe Experience

Happy Nausea, Curing Back Pain, Instant Connection

Dear Chief Seykota,


Strenuous Hot Seat tonight. I’m not hot about anything in particular going in, but go for it anyway, knowing there’s something down there, but kidding myself that there’s not, knowing I’m kidding myself, knowing there’s something there, knowing I need to work ...

Not one particular issue, but a mosaic – starts with a short monologue, "Just the feeling of a lot of little things coming at me at once, feeling slightly overwhelmed, a new opportunity … creates conflict, CONFLICT <voice rising> all the crap … just keeps coming … keeps coming at me … won’t stop … won’t stop! <arms fling out and up in front of me> won’t stop!" The Tribe jumps all over the form, and like kindling to a fire, it’s lit.

Very little process management needed from that point on, and a quite bizarre experience follows - one form morphs into the next, and seamlessly into the next … out of control - this stuff’s happening on its own … eyes closed almost throughout as I bask in the glowing encouragement of the Tribe … legs straight out in front and crossed at the feet and tensed, leaning forward, arms reaching out, stretched, tense, tight … more stretching forms (Where’s this stuff coming from? …i t keeps coming), stretching and holding to the point of trembling…loud, unearthly guttural moans, scrunched face, wide-open mouth – I can’t close my mouth <what the h---?>

I can’t close my mouth for a long time, and I go on…then the primary form hits with a vengeance: I arch my back to the breaking point, arms-up shoulders-back, farther back … head thrown way back…farther back … stretching.

This morphs into other forms, stretching, and then--out of the blue and won’t be ignored -- the primary form strikes again: Back arched, head thrown back, arms-up shoulders-back, farther back … guttural … other forms follow …

When the primary form strikes a third time—clearly in command, like h--- won’t have it-- I have an Aha, and scream: "There you are … you f---er!" ….I K N O W Y O U !

(Only much later, on the long drive home, does it dawn on me that for a week or more prior to Tuesday night’s Tribe meeting, sitting at my desk working, that many times I had the impulsive desire to sit up straight and arch my back, and I did, a little - and stretch a little - and get back to work without giving it a second thought. What is that? What’s there, that needs to come out? I don’t know -- and still don’t know -- but it became my primary form on the Hot Seat. During that preceding week, I also experienced LOWER BACK PAIN, and during this time I became very aware of my posture, and my tendency to slump, and my repeated mention to friends that I feel stale, and in a slump… )

Then the nausea hits. This has happened before. I hate the nausea. The process manager asks if I’m willing to experience it, and I reply, "No, I don’t want to throw up <again, as I did during a previous Hot Seat>." But I focus on the nausea, anyway, and let it get really unpleasant, and experience that. (Hot Seat? I’m coming to think of it as the Cold and Clammy Seat.)

More forms. They just keep coming. No particular feeling first – they just manifest.

Then the nausea hits again. Like Indiana Jones hates snakes, I hate the nausea, but am willing to feel it, anyway. Then, a joke about the nausea pops into my head, and I share it, and then start laughing, uncontrollably. This is almost impossible to describe, but the nausea is still there -- there’s this tangible form in my stomach -- but all of a sudden it’s a … happy nausea. (Nausea followed by laughter is now a recurring form, with me.)

I barely have enough energy left to integrate all the forms, but do my best.

Finally, it’s over.

Time stands still – I don’t know whether five minutes has passed, or fifty-five minutes…

I am spent. I’m completely drained, and dehydrated. I’m weak, and shaky. My hands shake. An hour later, I am still shaking ever so slightly, to the point that it affects my driving.

TUE. NIGHT – POST TRIBE

Though feeling weak and shaky, I’m amazingly calm and relaxed and confident and perceptive -- somehow more attuned to the world around me, and my interaction with it. Just stopping to grab a cup of coffee, I notice an instant rapport with the nice lady behind the counter. "This one’s on the house," she says with a smile, because they need to brew a fresh pot (one of the few waits in life that I actually enjoy). Another barista -- an attractive young woman -- walks behind the counter and puts on her apron after a break, and I notice I’m much more aware of body posture and facial expressions – my own and others – and I ask her about the music that’s playing, and we connect instantly, and something she says makes me guess that she’s a Kevin Smith fan, and yes—she’s seen all his movies—and we have a delightful chat.

These days, I’m much more aware of the common bond of humanity we all share, and catch myself silently acknowledging others and wishing them well on their journey, and wondering what their lives are like, and what they think about, and what’s important to them in life, instead of judging, and people respond to that instinctively, instantly, positively.

I stop for gas, hop back in my car while it pumps, and sit, door open to enjoy the cool evening. I’m in a peaceful daze, staring at the ground, unfocused, when the shrill beep sounds to tell me my tank is full. I don’t move, don’t bat an eye, don’t break the trance.

Thank you for sharing your process.

When You Are Willing

to experience the nausea ...

... and the back ache ...

... you dissolve what's standing between you

and connecting with others.

Clips:

http://www.high5youth.com/

images/h5y-pic22.jpg

http://www.toreyjeanes.com/

images/back_ache.jpg

http://www.metronews.ca/

Wed, 25 Jan 2006

Pressing Questions

FAQ does not recommend commercial products. See Ground Rules.  For the requirements to attend the Incline Village Tribe, see the Tribe Directory.

You might consider taking your feelings of urgency to your Tribe as entry points.

Steam Iron

A convenient way

to handle pressing problems.

Clip: http://www.chinagiftware.com/

Wed, 25 Jan 2006

What Should I Do

Dear Ed,

I have started with some tools that might assist me in trading with the trend and I'm also trying to adjust
myself so that my emotions do not interfere with it.

While working in a group, I'm facing an issue that
other members of the group have already reached to a that level after a span of 5 years.

I am not clear about your issue.  FAQ does not tell people what they should do.  See Ground Rules.

Wed, 25 Jan 2006

Workshop Report -

Aha with Thirty Receivers in Two Minutes

Ed,

It seems that each workshop is more efficient than the one preceding.

I presume that the participants had read the book, and the group got into the process simply and quickly. No lag; no warm-up; tallyho!

In this workshop, we did a lot of TTP. I took two hot seats, acted as PM for at least three, and received for many. It was a great learning experience.

The speakers were enlightening and the fellow attendees were really terrific. I had a great time.

In a moment of confusion, I asked a question about the process during an assembly of the entire group.

Instead of replying to me that I might like to take that issue to the hotseat with my tribe, I found myself suddenly IN the hotseat with my tribe.

After laughing at myself for getting into this situation, I dove into the process. I was wanting to know, wanting to understand a bit more about how to get to the maximum _expression of feeling and how to freeze it to maximize the experience.

The process was very quick, very efficient. It seems like it may have only lasted about two minutes, but, in less than that time, the issue dissolved for me.

The tension, concern, worry, and whatever else I did not like to feel about that went poof! I began to laugh, as I often do when I suddenly have an AHA and realize that my behavior pattern has been driven by some strange directive unbeknownst to me.

It is simultaneous amusement at learning how the mind works and joy that I have been released from some type of shackle or bond, now freer.

Even now, weeks later, the need to know is apparently no longer the issue it was. It is not that I do not want to know. I am forever curious.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Curiosity

is essential to learning

Wed, 25 Jan 2006

Grof, Trading & TTP

Grof champions the "Holotropic" (tending toward healing) subset of "non-ordinary states of consciousness."  

TTP differs from Holotropic work in that in TTP we process senders one-at-a time and we surround them with a healing field of acknowledgment.

Holotropic breath work is essentially a solo process without a field of receivers.

Also, TTP occurs in the now, whereas the psychology in Grof's book evidently intends to show up in the non-existing future.

Stanislav Grof

During the 60's, Stan conducts

over 4,000 LSD sessions,

many on himself.

Wed, 25 Jan 2006

Just Can't Join a Tribe - Using DIM


The closest Tribe is in [City], which is too far for me to get to. Besides, the head of the chapter said that he was not interested in meetings because was not enough interest from others to hold them.

TTP does not attempt to treat unwillingness.

Dragging People into TTP

is not part of TTP.

Clip: http://www.gardenofpraise.com/

Tue, 24 Jan 2006

Second [City] Tribe

Ed,

I am working with members of the [City] tribe to start a second tribe here. The response is good so far. I plan to follow the TT Book and [Name] from the [City] tribe's advice on how to get started.

You might consider taking your feelings of - hesitation about not knowing how to do it - to your first meeting as an entry point.

When you want to proceed, send your request to start a Tribe to FAQ so I can post it to the Tribe Directory.

Both The Baby Crocodile and Reed Frog

hesitate for a few moments

before lunch.

Tue, 24 Jan 2006

Causal Model in Stock Trading

Dear Ed

Thanks for providing the Trading System Project and Resources on your website. I am gaining enormously from the exercises and I am very keen to see the next stages, as listed in the Table of Contents, whenever they are ready.

I complete the exponential crossover and support and resistance projects in Excel (writing to FAQ with the Excel results a few weeks ago).

In late December I decide to code the two systems in C and complete both exercises (it is not trivial and I benefit from some C coding experience from 17 years ago).

So I have a C back testing application which Excel verifies. I start to run the back-testing program on other stocks price data to gain insights and to test my application. When I run my C program using the S&P and Gold data files and it churns out the tabulated results (in a fraction of the time it takes Excel) I am very satisfied - a feeling someone somewhere on their path to right livelihood experiences, perhaps.

I also take a good look at the Trends exercise and revisit the screening results this week to see how those stocks turn out.

In summary, I observe that 10 of the stocks you screen move up by more than 20% at some time between 21 October and 20 January and 6 move by more than about 40%.

Finding out how a mechanical system can capture the major part of these moves is another exercise of course.

By the way, Bio-Logic System's (BLSC) move is due to a takeover offer a couple of days before you run the screen (hence its price chart looks like a step function).

This is fundamental information that even a purist trend-follower cannot ignore - you would surely remove this stock from your screen as the "trend" you observe is over? Without being too fundamentalist about it,

Thank you for sharing your process.

In the Causal Model, you find two events and post one as the reason for the other.

In the System Model, you recognize everything is responsible for everything else and look for trends.

In The Causal-Legal Model

The Legal Cause of an Accident

often turns out to be

the entity who can afford to pay

for cleaning up the mess.

In the Causal Model

The Likely Cause

does not have to connect physically

with the Effect.

Clips: http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/

Sun, 22 Jan 2006

Back and Forth Chart
 

Hi Ed!

In the spirit of the way you do things, here is another deeper look at the answer to your question - if I can tell you exactly what I mean by a back and forward chart.

My best guess on what I mean by a back and forward chart, is that I didn't type in the letter what my conscious wanted to type but rather my my subconscious.

You might consider taking your feelings about going back and forth to your Tribe as an entry point.

Going Back and Forth

can help you

get into the swing of things.

Clip: http://www.burtmountain.com/images/

Grandad%20and%20Swing%20

Sun, 22 Jan 2006

TSP Feedback- Counting Eggs

Ok, I am a late starter, and I am at Exponential Step 4.

I match your results to the penny using a popular trading platform and outputting the trades to a text file where I can control the decimal precision to match your calculations.

Thanks for the activity and practice. I look forward very much to completion of this exercise especially some of the upcoming topics. Very educational. Thanks again. Print the book and I will buy it.

Before I go, I must make a point.

Reporting the ending equity balance by a mark to market step using the closing price on the last open position is not entirely consistent with the rules of the exercise and is counting your chickens before they hatch.

Counting your chickens before they hatch is Fred based information that will turn into either action or drama and it is most often drama in the domain of human activities.

Seems to me that unless a system uses marked to market equity balance as a parameter in information / action, we should not waste electrons or synapses evaluating it.

I am not clear which rule of the exercise forbids marking to the market.

Counting Your Chickens Before They Hatch

doesn't work so well

with turtle eggs.

Clip: http://www.worldwildlife.org/

Sun, 22 Jan 2006

Math Mystery Solution.

Ed,


 The word few is missing in this submission to TSP title, "Math Mystery Solution".

Sat, 21 Jan 2006

TTP Workshop Testimonial

Dear Ed,

Through the workshop I get to learn new techniques to conduct TTP more effectively. This really helps as I also get to experience some deep feelings that I am never aware of. I go from hating myself to enjoying the feeling, which is amazing beyond words.

I also want to thank all the presenters for openly sharing their journeys with TTP.

Listening to him is an inspiration. It helps to see someone who goes through the path successfully. When he shares his snapshot, I feel it in my heart, and I have nothing but joy for him to realize his snapshot.

Here're some of my stories. I fly home after the workshop. It's a six hour flight, and there is this little baby sitting two rows in front of me, crying her lung out. Yeah, you probably know how annoying that is, just crying like crazy. But the funny thing this time, I REALLY enjoy the crying. I wholeheartedly appreciate the crying!!!

I am probably the only one on the flight who actually think the crying is REALLY great. Yes, this is a GREAT cry. It is genuine, sincere, authentic, and beautiful! That's what a real cry is. And the more weird thing is, as soon as I aware of how much I admire the crying, she stops right at that very instant.

It reaffirms the teaching in the Workshop: If you want to fix someone, go fix yourself first. I just keep on reading The Trading Tribe book on the plane, and every now and then she cries again. I like it. It doesn't bother me at all. It is a truly wonderful cry, from the bottom of her heart, and I truly admire that. Great job, my baby teacher.

Now I still have knots to untie. When I was at SFO (San Francisco Airport), they evacuate part of the terminal and I annoyingly wait for a couple of hours, not knowing if and when I can board my flight. Then the next day when I go to have a haircut, the barber has a call and she talks for over 15 minutes in the middle of my haircut. I am VERY not happy about these events. In both events, I am just a helpless victim. I do absolutely nothing wrong, and there is really nothing I can do in those situations.

However, through what I've learned from the Workshop, I start to admire how I must be at precisely the right time, at precisely the right place, on precisely that airline - for all this to happen. You gotta admire how all these play out so perfectly. I have to choose precisely this day to go have my haircut, to have precisely this irresponsible barber, and her phone rings at precisely the right time.

All things happen for me to experience this feeling of impatience. I am in awe when I start to see things from a Systemic Worldview, and I intend to take the feeling to a hot seat.

So this is my experience. I start to appreciate giving people the choice to choose what they want, instead of forcing my view on them. I start to enjoy my "negative" feelings. I start to take responsibility even in situations where I am a victim.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Well, For Crying Out Love

Just being there

to receive someone else's sadness

can heal you both.

Clip: http://www.carolynsandstrom.com/

Sat, 21 Jan 2006

Sugar, Baby!

Re: Sugar Comment Wed, 7 Sep
 

Hi Ed,

If you are willing to award credit for inadvertent allusions to C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁, you might also check the Whipsaw Song from May 31.

March Sugar

Traders are still on the March

wondering what May come next.

Sat, 21 Jan 2006

Trading Tribe Workshop

Dear Ed,

How are you?

I am sorry for not writing to you right after the TTP work shop. I am so indebted to your wonderful work shop and thrilled about my experience with TTP.

At the beginning I was suspicious about whether TTP may work for me even though I read your book and realized that your book touched many unsolved problems in my life. I tended to solve my problems by myself and postponed joining the [City] tribe. Last week's work shop was my first experience of TTP and it blows my mind.

During the TTP workshop, encouragements from the tribe members helped me to release my tightness feeling in my stomach which bothered me several months. I slept much better now.

The snapshot I developed at the workshop make me commit to my relationship with my girl friend. I was also greatly touched by your commitment in using TTP to help other peoples. Your wisdom clarified my confusion about changing system out of either emotional or scientific motivation.

The people I met at the workshop are fabulous. The presenters are wonderful person who I want to hang out for ever. I can feel how the TTP works on the people.

Do you remember my worry of that my girl friend may not support my spending long time at TTP. Actually, she support me a lot now because she notice how I changed.

Thank you for sharing your process.  You might consider taking your feelings of embarrassment to your Tribe as an entry point.

Typical Female Reaction

to a man

who starts

attending Tribe Meetings

Clip: http://www.christianfinancialcoaching.com/

images/happy-woman.jpg

Sat, 21 Jan 2006

Other book

Hi Ed!

I wonder if you have written other books than "The
Trading Tribe". I like it very much. I hope you also
have written something more market oriented as you
were a trading tutor.

I recall someone mentioning a book written by you with a title including the word "mirror" or "window". I don't remember.

I am currently working on 3 books - which seems to be my current best method of not getting any of them done.

The Trader's Window

Taking TTP Public

The Trading System Project

Hard Work Often Pays Off Later

Procrastination Pays off Now

Clip: http://www.digitaltoast.co.uk/

Fri, 20 Jan 2006

Flow Chart for TTP

Dear Ed,

I just have an urge to put down what I've learned about process-managing (new to me from the Workshop) on paper, to serve as a general guideline. So here's the result:

TTPFlowChart

Please let me know if anything's missing in this flow. Thanks.


P.S.

Thu, 19 Jan 2006

Risk is a function of the frequency (probability) of an event and the degree of seriousness of the event.

There is no way to predict the outcome of a particular event. Over a great many events, you can get a sense for an "average" event and, so long as you do not require any particular event to behave, you can implement aggregate risk control.

If it is essential for you to keep risk on one particular event to an absolute minimum (zero) then the method is to not take the trade.

 In the 1983 Movie, War Games

the computer runs extensive simulations

and concludes:

The only winning move

is not to play.

Clip: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/geog/

Thu, 19 Jan 2006

Research Triangle Tribe

The workshop transforms me and it transforms my tribe. I'd like to announce the Research Triangle Tribe (Raleigh, NC).

Please update the contact list. The Research Triangle Tribe replaces the Cary, NC community in the now. We have 5 regular members meeting every other week.

Welcome

Raleigh

North Carolina

Thu, 19 Jan 2006

Missing Yogurt Causes Torture and Death


Dear Ed,

Despite consciously understanding the System worldview vs. the Causal worldview, I am finding resistance to embrace it in cases like when a 7-year-old girl was tortured to death by her parents ( http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=1517137 , "Prosecutors said (the girl) was beaten, starved, tied to a chair, and tortured before she died")

Under the System worldview, the little girl's resulting torture and death indicates her intention to be a victim. She may be suppressing some very strong feelings and her Fred enrolls her stepfather as the willing abuser (who also likely has some very strong feelings he is resisting too) into creating this drama of enormous proportion.

But as a 7-year-old, whatever knots that she has likely comes from her upbringing under her toxic parents, and what can a little girl her age possibly do? I can understand how Fred enrolls each other and some people seems to always attract an alcoholic or an unfaithful spouse, but in this case the girl doesn't even get to choose her parents.

Thu, 19 Jan 2006

Central Florida Tribe

Hello Chief,

Please add the new Florida Trading Tribe into your Tribe directory.

Welcome

Central Florida

Wed, 18 Jan 2006

Trauma Pill

Hi Ed,

This article caught my eye on the front page of the local Sunday paper. Scientists are testing a drug to reduce one’s ability to remember traumatic events. I thought it was odd they never mentioned “feelings” in the article, but always referred to memories, thoughts, and stress symptoms.

One psychiatrist said it would be great to have something besides sleep aids, antidepressants and counseling to offer traumatized people.

PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder is a name some doctors give to a problem they first notice  in about 20% of Vietnam War veterans. PTSD includes flashbacks and physical symptoms that make them feel as if they are reliving the trauma years after it occurred.

Scientists think it happens because the brain goes haywire and they want to administer chemicals to blunt memory formation and prevent PTSD.

In TTP we hold that PTSD trauma inhabits a k-not and that Fred wants us to relive (experience) the trauma and gain wisdom.  In TTP we encourage this process.  TTP typically converts PTSD to an AHA and after one or two sessions.

Scientists tend to avoid methods that rely on expressing emotion, and prefer to administer "downers," pills to make the symptoms disappear.  Such medications likely interfere with Fred's natural process of clearing trauma by converting it to wisdom.

Pills can be Part of a Process

that goes on and on

and requires more pills.
 

Clip: http://gallery.hd.org/_exhibits/

Wed, 18 Jan 2006

TTP Helps with Trauma

Dear Mr. Seykota,

I would like to thank you for your wonderful website and thoughts that have given me a new perspective on life over the past six months.

I have been involved in commodities for sixteen years now. The past several years have been a trying time for me and my family. My father and my best friend, both died on the terrorist attacks of 9-11.

Since that time I have been on somewhat of a soul search, trying to find meaning in life and peace within myself. The information and help that I have found from your website have been invaluable to me.

Being a former options trader, I tend to over analyze situations and I have learned to let go of my intellect and let Fred communicate which has led me to many aha moments over the past six months since finding your website and digesting what I have read.

I find myself slowly changing and excepting life for what it is. With the guidance that I have received from many different sources of information (including your website) I have developed a pervasive inner peace that has affected me and my growing family in profound ways.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Thank you for your offer to "repay" me.  You might consider being a little extra kind to those around you.  It gets back to me soon enough.

Events Can Punch Holes in Our Buildings

and in our hearts.

The Causal Model

looks for someone to blame.

The Systemic Model

reminds us we are all responsible.

Clip: http://jameshudnall.com/archives/

Tue, 17 Jan 2006

Thanks again for a fabulous weekend.

Ed,


I would like to relay a story.

Embedded in my snapshot is the fact that I am automating my daily trading routines.

I have purchased trading recipes and I am working through the coding process. Next I am going to code it in c++.

Anyway, one of the reasons for attending the tribe seminar was to meet systematic traders to help myself along the process. I was stuck at that time. My first attempt at trading recipes programming produced no trades!!!!!

To the point. As I have committed to being a fund manager using my system, I found myself cramped on my return flight to [City]. I moved from my crowded row to an empty seat.

If you are starting from scratch, you might consider C#.

When You are Ready

for a programmer

one seems to show up

on every corner.

Clip: http://angrypacket.com/~wcu/img/

Tue, 17 Jan 2006

How Can I Access Your Therapy
 

I have the book, Trend Following, by Michael Covel, Sir. I then went on to visit your web site, The Trading Tribe, which seemed to be geared well to me. I found the psychological bent extremely useful, and easily fitting my situation.

You might consider taking your feelings about blockages to your Tribe as an entry point.

You can join a Tribe in your area or start one of your own. Other resources: read this site; attend a workshop;  read the book..

Avoiding a Blockage

does not clear it.

To clear it,

start by fully experiencing it.

Clip: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/

CLEANUP.NSF/0/c1f04dcab85cd0018825699

Tue, 17 Jan 2006

Broadcasting TTP

Ed,

Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Radiation

One of Ed's Snapshots from the Workshop.

Ed and a friend and a Tribe

in a broadcast  studio,

radiating TTP.

Mon, 16 Jan 2006

Building a Tribe, Process Review

Hi, Ed,

After a year of building efforts and (finally) 4 really substantial meetings, I have a few things to offer that may be of value to others on this path. :
 

1) We now have 4 committed members, but for each one discovered there were 2-3 who failed to stay with it. Do not get discouraged if progress seems
slow.

2) If starting a new tribe, create a separate e-mail specifically for this. You ARE going to get spammed, I think someone is selling a list of TT addresses to spammers (Guess they think anyone on Seykota site must be a billionaire). You will suddenly be intimate friends with all rich Nigerians offering you dead folk's money and concerned banks telling you that "Your account may have been compromised - Please re-confirm all personal data at our handy (fake) website".

3) If all members of your Tribe are rookies, Get the Book. Beat the drums. Do the exercises for multiple meetings, it really helps to focus attention/intention.

4) For our Tribe: the previous meeting (our 3rd), I took the entry point of wanting to be a better receiver and stop trying to "fix" other sender's problems. I worked thru my forms to the point they exhausted, then quit. I felt tired, I felt good, but nothing changed in my life, no "AHA!" occurred. This meeting (4th), I decided that I haven't been going far enough. I took the same entry point, again worked thru till exhaustion - one form that changed was "both hands, fingers extended forward" had originally jerked up & down, chest to hips at my side. This time started that way, then my right hand balled into a fist, index finger pointing in a "scolding" motion. My chant changed from "I have to fix it" to "YOU have to fix it".

With TOTALLY RELENTLESS encouragement and
validation from my fellow members, again the forms exhausted, the scolding finger pointing down limply. I rested 30 seconds and repeated all my forms once more, trying to re-integrate.

This time the "scolding" finger rapidly faded, like a gun out of bullets, and I found my left hand pointing at the impotent "scolder" and I was laughing with relief and freedom and lightness.

Thank you for sharing your process.

An AHA

is sometimes a ha ha

Clip: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/health/

Mon, 16 Jan 2006

Initial Workshop Reflections

Tears of Joy

Thank you for sharing your process.

The Most Intense Tears

sometimes express joy.

Clip: http://www.menalto.com/photos/