Questions

(Quotes from Ed in Red)

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Tribe Meeting Report

Ed,
 

Yesterday we meet again and worked for 6 hours. This time, [Name] is not here. Hence, three beginners are responsible for the processes. We carry out the exercises and take the hot seat and manage a process in turns. Our experience might be useful for new Tribes.

- Our member who took the hot seat the previous meeting reports a general positive change in her life; several friends, who do not know about TTP, tell her that she has changed somehow. She is happy about the changes. Several facts that she report reproduce your description in the TT book and also reports on the FAQ: she reports "living in the now", not worrying about the future, less engagement in drama offered by others and substantially increased sleep quality.

- One of us brings the issue “not being able to say no” to the hot seat. With strong support from us, she develops a form that we already know and reaches the zero point. All participants feel the release of tension and the joy. After completing the form, I ask her if she wants to repeat it. She does it; the form is somehow bland, weak and empty. Furthermore, our support is also weak, non-enthusiastic, passionless. I do not find the energy or will to support her with more intensity.

We conclude that receiving is like an echo from the sender: if she generates just a pastel sound, the echo is also pastel. She sustains that she is ready with the issue and feels good. I then ask her if she can still say no if somebody says “please, please, don't be bad to me”: she doubts, starts scratching her arm ... and we start again. With our support she repeats the previous form and completes it again. Then, she is done.

- I also manage the second process. The participant has no special issue, and she agrees to take the hot seat to overcome her fear of showing feelings. Her form is to cry and laugh at the same time. We encourage her to feel it more intensively, but it does not work. I ask her about her feelings now, and she reports a warm chest.

I ask her to increase it, and the process stops for a second time. The next feeling is “nothing”; she feels nothing and stares at the distance without expression. I explain the concept of happy judge and ask her if she wants to work further. She agrees. We then encourage her to feel nothing.

It is quite difficult to me to figure out how to encourage her to feel more of nothing. We work a lot, very intensively, to help her feel even less of nothing, and I try the whole time to figure out how to increase the feeling of “nothing”. I shout and yell and smash my hands against the chair and finally realize that she needs, well, nothing.

I then ask her to freeze the feeling and to feel absolutely nothing for as long as she wants. It finally works: she starts smiling and tells us “it is wonderful, like Nirvana!”. She learns that she can reproduce this feeling any time she wants. We agree to work on "warm chest" and "crying and laughing" the next time.

- I take the hot seat with a personal issue. The receivers encourage me and I develop a wild, very physical form, but I cannot do it further. I do not feel well supported, I perceive uncertainty or even fear from the receivers.

I interrupt the process and tell them that; they confirm their lack of self confidence. We discuss the issue briefly, until I realize that they help me fulfill my intention: I am the Chief and somehow I want to show that I can do more TTP than they and can manage a process better than two girls.

Aha. I have reached my goal and now we can start working seriously. I show the wild form again; they support me as they have learnt, by cheering and pointing at certain body parts or motions; however, I cannot develop the form further.

Their support does not work. I stop the process again and consider it. Hmmm... I ask them to start supporting me differently: no yelling, no cheering, just support like a mother does when she observes her child playing.

They both have children and understand what I mean. They then proceed to support me very softly and gently, while I yell and shout and go into contortions and bang my head against the couch and hit it with my fists. I do it for a while and am covered with sweat. I stop.

The receivers ask me if I want to feel more of this feeling. I am intrigued and very interested, but say that I probably cannot do it, because I am exhausted. One receiver says exactly what I need to hear: “You are a marathon runner, you can resist much more than this”. Right. I start again shaking wildly and hitting the coach and then ... BANG! An explosion of joy, pure happiness! I feel exactly like a child smashing his hand in the mud and enjoying it.

I am playing, laughing loud in a new way. It is, in fact, another form of joy, I cannot remember feeling this way before. “Pristine joy” is an accurate definition. But shortly after that, I feel extremely sad and sorry and start crying, while I repeat “I just wanted to play”.

I cannot stop it. I feel intrigued by this feeling. The receivers ask me if I want to get into this feeling, and I do. I repeat “I just wanted to play” several times and adopt a embryonic position, breathing hard. I interrupt the process and we are all confused and do not know how to proceed further. The form “I just wanted to play” seems to be related to childhood, since I weep like a child.

I then propose that only one of the receivers adopts the role of an angry mother and scolds me. As she does it, I start crying again and repeating “I just wanted to play” and get wild, I shout at her “you are going to beat me” and start kicking in the air. We are obviously on the right path, but walking in the wrong direction. I stop again and ask her just to be nice to me, a child who maybe breaks some valuable good, but his mother is not angry and only wants to know what happened.

We start again, she explains me that she is not beating me and that she loves me. And suddenly, I understand ... and start laughing very loud. It is quite funny! It is so stupid. It is certainly a silly idea to authorize a child to play soccer in a greenhouse and then scold him because he breaks a window ... and to repeat the procedure several times.

I have several conclusions about the meeting.

- We learn that receiving is an art, that women and mothers receive differently than, let's say, Prussian cavalry sergeants, and that our Tribe needs to develop its own style.

- I introduce using hand signals by the sender (“thumbs up”, “stop sign”) to provide feedback to the inexperienced receivers. This way, the receivers can increase supportive behaviors and stop doing things that irritate the sender. We can use these signs until we develop our own support style.

Thank you for sharing your process.

You might consider taking your feelings about <wanting to be in control> to Tribe as an entry point.

Emotions, like Unruly Troops

tend to rebel

at authority.

Clip: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/

topic-art/509234/13865/

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Fairfield County, Connecticut Tribe

Hi Ed,

Attached is a Trading Tribe Information Document for the formation of a tribe in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Please look us up if you are ever in the neighborhood!

Welcome !

Fairfield County

Connecticut

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sleepy at Two

Sir,

for my 30-th birthday, my sister asked me what gift do I want. Then I said her I want the TT Book. I finally received it last Thursday, and I spent one of the best week end for a long time by reading it.

I do affirm it's the best gift I have till today in my life. Thank you, 1000 times thank you for sharing those unexpected solutions and unusual way to improve ourselves.

By reading it, I had some Aha, and understand more things inside me about taking nap.

The example may be insignificant for the TT, but it seems to be interesting for me.

I discovered that I have a k-not when I want to take a nap. Actually, I have a bad feeling when I'm sleepy around 2:00 pm. Because in [Country], taking a nap is for "lazy" people so it's not good. I think that the form is that I wrinkle my lips: the down one pushing the up one after yawning, and I'm saying "not again, not at that time, be ashamed ..."

Then if I nevertheless took the nap, when I wake up I feel ashamed and a bit anger (by wrinkle my lips and move my head from the left to the right many times). I don't feel proud of me so that I do know the positive intention of the nap.

What is strange is that my conscious mind definitely know the benefits by taking nap: my mind is clearer, I understand better the problems I have to deal with, I feel more at ease.

From now on, I have to follow my desire to make a nap. No, it's not bad at all when I yawn around 2:00 pm. The first winner when I take a nap is me.

Furthermore, my grand parents and parents used to say and still say that "Wisdom is the Greatest Wealth a man could have". But I have not understood exactly and precisely what this word means. They don't explain it as Mr. Seykota explains it.

In my mind, Wisdom was quite vague without accurate meaning even though I feel a strong belief that I have to look for it. Now, I know what it means, and the more I think of it, the more I totally agree with Mr. Seykota's meaning.

Thank you to show me the steps where I have to pass to the direction of Wisdom. Steps I ignored before.

I tried to define Wisdom by comparing myself to my close persons, but it was not satisfying, it lacks something I couldn't say with words.

Thanks a lot for the TT Book. Thank you very much. More than ever, I believe that Wisdom is the greatest wealth a man could have. Nobody can offer me Wisdom, I have to manufacture it with my experiences.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Taking a Nap

can help keep

your engine running.

Clip: http://dailylife-photography.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Short-Term / Long-Term

August 26, 2008

Revisits Ex

Hi Ed,

Thank you for all your insight and experiences.

A common saying is "when the student is ready the teacher shows up".

I have been purging unneeded possessions - my previous "should's and should-not's."

I feel more in tune with my true self. I feel happier. I feel energized. I feel released of old baggage and much lighter.

The sinus cold / headache that has felt like an elephant standing on my head is almost resolved today.

I have noticed my feelings of abandonment have evaporated, as well as feelings of rage toward males.

I feel more loving.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Temporary Doldrums

Hello Mr. Seykota,

I was browsing the Internet recently. I came upon your Wikipedia webpage of quotes. It has changed the way I see and experience my emotions. It took me a while to embrace some of my emotions. But, your webpage of quotes

 http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ed_Seykota 

has given me a complete modus operandi to be at one with my emotions. I am an electrical engineer, but was a former mechanical engineer.

Some professions seem to need to manage and reconcile with their emotions to some degree, more for some lines of work and less for other lines of work.

Emotions are not even an issue at all for some lines of work. There is no major harm done by an accountant or a lawyer. So what if they fail. There is nothing critical about their blunders most of the time. If a chef adds a bit more spice by mistake, he is not going to kill anyone.

Other lines of work are not so tolerant of failures at all. Here, we need to be at one with our emotions to execute things well. Certain professions do require us to walk the tight rope without any room for failing.

For example, any misstep by a doctor can kill the patient. Any mistake by an engineer can topple an expensive project, life-threatening especially if it's civil engineering work. I am sure your profession requires you to be walking on the edge all the time.

You are much more exposed to your emotions than most of us. I thank you for the insights you have given on your Wikipedia webpage of quotes as it has helped me.

I read that you had a temporary case of sadness.

All things are temporary. The good never lasts forever. So, the bad never will too!

Most people forget this. Spirits lapse and spirits return. I hope you will tend through it. This is what I have learned. I thought to share it. As for the positive intentions, I believe sadness makes us empathetic as human beings to understand what others are going through and thus causes us to do social work in an attempt to heal the world.

Yes, there is always someone worse than us.

Of course, there is always someone better off than us. Who cares about them. LOL. We are always in the middle of the wide spectrum of all possible circumstances. Some people may have been dealt an hard card or the wrong card in life.

When I have a temporary case of doldrums, I always remind myself the discipline of gratitude, to not take things for granted and be thankful for what I have.

There are people who have been wiped out and left with nothing by an hurricane. And, we think our situation is worse. I remember when my shoulder hurt constantly all day and night long for several days.

I said to myself if this shoulder pain ever goes away, I will never take each day for granted and enjoy it to the very fullest. That's the positive from my past shoulder pain. The discipline of gratitude seems to be a good "cure" for the temporary doldrums.

In TTP we view feelings as indicators with positive intentions - not particularly good or bad or better or worse. 

In TTP we strive to experience our feelings in order to create alliances with them.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

August 25, 2008

Symptoms as Entry Points

Ed,

I read that the common technique on the hot seat is to address a situation (i.e. "I cannot follow my system") and identify the feelings related to it ("right now, I feel pain in my back").

You report that symptoms may disappear after the hot seat. I imaging addressing directly a symptom (i.e. "I have a back ache for weeks" or "I have a cold right now") as an entry point.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Immune to Manipulation

Hi Ed,

I have to share with you an awesome experience that I had today that is directly related to the work that I did in the workshop and the help that I received from all of the participants.

I don't think I could have asked for a better scenario to present itself.

Scenario: I went to a local car dealership to take my wife's car in for service. While I was there a friend of the family, who happens to be a car salesman at the dealership, stopped me and asked "When was I going to buy a new car from him to make him happy?", he did this in front of his sales manager.

Ed, it was absolutely amazing - in the past I would have felt extremely uncomfortable, pinned in a corner with no option, dodged the question and made excuses on why this is not the time to by a car, for all sorts of reasons.

However this time, I didn't hesitate there was no anger, frustration or discomfort in my response. My response was extremely simple: "I am not here to make you happy, I am here to get my wife's car serviced".

That was it.. and I felt GREAT!!!!! Then we talked about some personal stuff and went our separate ways.

I want to thank you and everyone that participated in the workshop that helped me to work through these feelings and helping me by providing me several resource rocks that I am using in my daily life!!!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

Thank you for sharing your process.

Manipulation

Experiencing and acknowledging it

sets you free.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Ed on the Hot Seat

Hi Ed,

Thanks for openly sharing with us your feelings: sadness, disorganization, denial, anger, longing, feelings of worthlessness and lack of joy.

Most "traders" I know want to maintain an outward image of calm and cool ... especially those "trading gurus" (who write books about their special indicator or holds trading seminars) who must maintain an impression that they are the grand master and know everything.

It is refreshing to know that, even a great mechanical trader like you, are still human, and even with all the accomplishments that many of us can never dream of achieving, you can still have feelings of worthlessness. You impress me with your honesty, and I just want to let you know that I wholeheartedly appreciate it.

Some random thoughts I have these days (even before your sadness posts) is that I seem to be able to trace many of my "negative" feelings to sadness. The fear, jealousy, anger - all seem to come from sadness that we as humans inherently tend to avoid. On the other end of the spectrum, there is the constant "pursuit of happiness." Those two seem to be the two fundamental sources of emotions, and it's like our DNA is to have us crave for one like honey and avoid the other like diseases.

In the Tribe of Humanity, I feel that you are our brave vanguard who is leading us to a peaceful resolution with the feeling of sadness, and if there's anything I can do to support you with these feelings, I feel that it is an honor if I can provide you with any help whatsoever.

Thank you for your support.

I often inhabit the hot seat during Tribe Meetings - and I credit the Tribe with promoting my on-going personal growth. 

I am reporting this particular issue in some detail as it seems to be of general interest the Tribe at large.

My issue is about the drama of "paddleball" relating. I recall symptoms going back to early childhood.

Symptoms: when my mate is close, I repel - when my mate is away I attract.  I have overwhelming feelings at both extremes of the cycle - that generalize in my throat, arms, face and stomach.

I work on this issue over a course of a few weeks in several excellent Tribes. 

My Tribes help me see that the dynamic is a result of the interaction of two medicinal patterns, namely: medicating feelings of closeness with "push away" and medicating feelings of loneliness with "tractor beam."

The Tribe helps me work through these feelings, convert them from adversaries to allies and learn their positive intentions.

The Tribe also helps me develop and implement various new resources, such as:

1. Consider more dimensions of the relationship - such as: degree of compatibility of interests, alignment on common livelihood, similarity of language and thought patterns and commitment to mutual growth.

2. Respond to closeness by supporting closeness; respond to distance by supporting distance.

3. Allow a relationship to be exactly the way it is - not trying to change it, or the other person or myself.

4.  Implement pro-active relationship management strategies: monitor feelings and report experience in the now as things go along - in a constructive manner.

I am consciously aware of using these resources and getting different results.

In particular, I am noticing the "paddleball" behavior is attenuating.

I am aware of some other differences in how people are instinctively relating to me - so perhaps I am also making some beneficial shifts on a subconscious level.

I feel great gratitude for my Tribe members and great respect and admiration for all the Tribe members who continue to show up for Tribe to support each other in personal growth.

Paddleball

Fun for one ...

and not so true for two.

Clip: http://www.skilltoys.com/

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Getting What He Wants

Ed,

I am dropping by to remind you that you always get what you want.

Lately I myself have been looking for and finding inner peace and emotional healing through prayer.

I have a great intention for myself: to be happy and nurture a happy family with a lovable spouse. I believe that spirituality is the cornerstone of everything.

On August 2-3 I attended a spiritual meeting of the [Spiritual Group] movement in my hometown. It was great. I witnessed several healings and I myself felt great inner peace, relief and joy.

There'll be another one in [City] next month. I am eager to participate again. The preacher conducts prayers much like [his mentor] who influenced his work.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Welling Up

Ed,

I have a recurring pattern when watching movies.

I well up, throat constricts - feel like crying every time the focus of the movie does the right thing or learns the lesson he hasn't learned.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

IV Tribe Meeting Report

Hi Ed,

Thanks for hosting the tribe meeting last week.

I’m experimenting with web sites and my feelings about them.

Towards that end, I posted my notes on my hotseat (and I vague sketch of yours) on my blog.

I haven’t announced me blog and don’t have many readers yet, so now would be an excellent time to tell me if I wrote too much about you.

Below is an excerpt as notes for your FAQ.

Best regards,

-----


I meet regularly with my local Trading Tribe. This week though, I am at the Tribe meeting at Ed Seykota’s house. We gather in his living room overlooking the lake. A drumming circle leads off the meeting and I enjoy the rhythms and variations as the tribe plays together. My initial nervousness dissipates and I become present in the moment.

Ed takes the hot seat first. A tribe member does a masterful job of leading the process and the rest of us provide support and encouragement. Ed gets into his feelings by showing their forms, starting in the chair and then moving to the middle of the living room floor. The process manager leads him to stay with and repeat the feelings that Ed doesn’t like until he becomes comfortable with them. As Ed begins to enjoy it, he gains insight - the message of his feelings. He identifies and practices new behaviors to help him move forward.

I take my turn on the hot seat as dusk descends on the lake. My issue is that IN SEEKING RIGHT LIVELIHOOD, I JUMP FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHER, and I WANT MORE FOCUS. Before I think I’m finished talking, Ed catches me making broad sweeping gestures with my arms and tells me to get into that feeling, make it bigger. Mid-sentence, I just get into the form, repeating the gesture as the tribe shouts encouragement. Then I smack my palms together, enjoying the sound of it reverberating through the room.

Ed asks if I remember a time when someone hits my hands as a kid. I do - an organ teacher. The teacher started out smacking my mother’s right hand during her lesson. I ran out of the house into the snow. When my lesson came, the teacher smacked my right hand also. <digression on whether I lack musical talent or was any hope of it smacked out of me?>

I clap a little longer, but the real thing I want to do is a sweeping “ta-da” gesture. So I do that, repeatedly. Ed asks “what it’s about?” and I say that I want a large audience clapping and cheering. “Who’s approval do you want?” My father’s. “How do you get your father’s approval?” I TRY TO PLEASE MY FATHER BY LEARNING SOMETHING NEW. Ed points out that trying to please him by learning means I have to keep switching areas to keep having new stuff to learn.

I can’t seem to show what it feels like to try to please my (deceased) father.

”How does it feel if you stick with something beyond the point of new learning?” Ed asks. I say I feel bored, empty, could fall off my chair

“So fall off”, the tribe encourages. I do it in slow motion so I get a gentle landing on the hardwood floor.

Once on the floor, I find my way to show striving for my dad’s approval. I reach out from the floor up the hardwood steps to Ed’s dining room. I grab the top of the steps with my fingertips, fake-try to pull myself up, but the floor is smooth and my hands perspire, and eventually my hand slips away. I tell myself a familiar story of adventure: hanging from a cliff, my hands slipping, how will I climb? What fun drama! The tribe shouts encouraging me to crank up the intensity. I do, grabbing … slipping … grabbing … slipping, faster, faster, faster. I am fully into it - reaching and slipping away as fast and hard as I can. It feels really good in my shoulders but THE HARDER I GRAB, THE MORE I SLIP AWAY. No matter, I repeat over and over with different hands.

Bam! My right hand hits the lower step and I feel a blood vessel pop at the base of my thumb. Ouch! The swelling is almost immediate. I want to continue the process but don’t want to do myself lasting harm so I ask for ice. Ed checks my hand and brings me an ice pack.
 

While I nurse the thumb I recall playing as a child, making blanket forts, pretending to be a soldier or explorer coming back alone to camp injured for rest. Ed has me get into the feeling and I curl up in a ball around the ice pack and rock myself back in forth.

Ed shouts for me to really get into it, and to help me he stands over me beating a drum. I feel the pain intensely, exquisitely. Ed shouts at me “This is your real livelihood, enjoy it. That stuff on my website about Right Livelihood, that’s for other people. That’s not for you. This is what you do - enjoy it!”

This then is my real livelihood: CHASE A DRAMA IN WHICH I GET HURT, then set it up so I AM ALONE TO ROCK MY WOUNDED SELF. Rinse and repeat.

Eventually I tire and stop rocking. I’m still on the floor, and the tribe helps me get comfortable with my feelings via lighthearted discussion. I don’t know much time has passed but its fully dark outside. I don’t exactly know what I’ll do next but I think I’ve made enough good progress tonight to digest over time.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Sometimes a Thumb

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Time and Objectivism

Hey Ed, I came across this quote from Ayn Rand's student, Leonard Peikoff, regarding time. I thought you might find it interesting how he puts his view of timelessness at the universal level in such concrete terms. Is this the way the system model views time?

Peikoff supplies a definition of time and a scope for that definition.

In TTP, we hold that everything occurs in a continually evolving moment of now and that time does not exist, except as a concept.

The concept of time is particularly useful to the current crop of politicians as they invariably park their promises in the non-existing future - and assign blame to the non-existing past. 

Note: Ron Paul, the Libertarian and arguably the Objectivist candidate, typically speaks in the present and proposes pro-active solutions.

He is able to gain traction with only a few percent of the voters.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Wants To Join IV-TT

I found out about your trading first in a book through the interview by the author of with you.

I got interested in your background so I found out about your tribe.

I live in Las Vegas and checking out the local tribe info I discovered that one of my colleagues attended it when it was up and running.

I have read your TT book.

I am crazy about trading for about 3 years since I discovered it.

I am obsessed by finding a profitable
way that also fits my temperament.

I have a $100 k account that I set up for learning. I am not ready yet to be profitable.

I just recently started to see trading as placing bets with favorable chances combined with an appropriate risk / reward ratio.

Of course this is just the surface.
 

I feel lost most of the time, I'm lonely and I feel I don't have likeminded people around me. I want to find out more about me: I want to find the place where I'm happy and content,

Friday, August 22, 2008

TTP in Government

Ed,

Friday, August 22, 2008

Curious About Tribe Meeting

Ed,

The Tribe assists me in experiencing feelings, gaining insights about medicinal patterns, and developing new and powerful pro-active resources.

I feel gratitude, respect and awe for the skill and caring with which the Tribe conducts the processes.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Wants to Join a Tribe

Mr. Seykota,

I am seeking help in how to get involved with Trading Tribe. I live in [City] and do not get a chance to travel often. However, I would very much like to be a member of the Tribe and am wondering what I can do to obtain that status. I am follower of you and the other Trend followers out there that have been around the block more than once. Also, I see and feel how my emotion takes over and affects not only my trading and personal life, but my families as well. It's not all about money, although it is nice to make a tremendous living, but it is also about being at peace with myself. I have been through some very tough times over the last two years and would really like to become involved helping myself but reaching out to other traders as well.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Girlfriend is Unhappy

One of the positive intentions of fear and sadness is risk control.

You might consider listening carefully to your girlfriend - and getting her meanings and feelings.

She is likely to reciprocate.

Health is a Function of Communication

Touching your beloved

may support communication.

Clip: http://tigbe.com/02_about_us/

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Stock Trading System

Ed,

After testing for about 2 years or so, I feel that I reach the point where I am comfortable with my current equities trading system ideas.

Ed, you and the resources you share on your website are instrumental in helping me get to this point.

I wish to share my research and findings with you. Equities trend following systems that trade all available equities are fraught with pitfalls in the testing arena and I spend countless nights in working through these problems and coming up with solutions on my own.

Ed, several emails back, you mention that equities systems that trade all equities tend to "fill up" soon after start up. I attempt to interpret this principle as best as I can and came up with the following real world application to deal with this problem.

I implement a purge function that sells off individual positions that have not made a new price high within N days since the last price high. This parameter sensitivity test is in the attached file and illustrates the effectiveness of a purge strategy in producing a MAR of .55 when using fixed fractional volatility adjusted position sizing and core equity to determine the equity base to use.

I allow cumulative portfolio risk to go close to 100% with a max margin limiter of 2X equity in this test. The second file illustrates the system at different levels of equity usage. In order to calculate the dollar amount to risk on the next trade, I use a parameter I call "fractional core equity" which is basically the following: fractional core equity=(totalEquity X EquityUsageFraction) -totalPortfolioRisk which seems to work nicely.

This method allows me to do the following 2 things:

1. Target the max portfolio risk % I want and

 

2. Take all entry signals because of the asymptotic effect of using core equity.

You will notice in the files I attach that the system at times has 1000+ positions. I have run this same test with a unit limiter, by maxing total individual positions at around 400-500 (not attached) I can duplicate very similar results, but taking every single signal produces the absolute best results, my theory is this happens due to diversification.

MAR peaks at around .74 at 15% equity usage but only produces 6.7% CAGR, 50% equity usage produces 18.3%CAGR and .59 MAR which feels in the right zone for me.

Ed, the word document outlines my trading system rationale including portfolio selection, entry / exit, money management and risk management.

Ed, please review the files I attach and provide a critique of my current development. I wish to push through to the next level in my trading career and start working on building my own fund with your support.

Ed, I also have interest in working on an original research project as outlined on the associates program page; my testing skills at this point are only in the equities asset class and I have a growing interest in the volatility management aspect of my system.

I hope this email finds you in good health.

Thank you. NB. After unzipping the .zip file, you will find one folder which contains all of the test result images and one HTML file. Place the folder and HTML file into one folder on your desktop and double click the HTML file to see the results.

Thank you for your report.

August 21, 2008

Drama at the Airport

Ed - 

I was there 30 minutes before take off they wouldn't let me on the plane. No other plane to catch. Tough lesson but I feel its for the best. Thanks for all the help. I will focused on my tribe's tribe work. Will send FAQ time to time if there is significance. If you are ever come to [City] please do let us know and visit our tribe. We got really committed members. Thanks for everything.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Planning versus Goal Setting -

Intentions of Cyclic Feelings

Ed,

I have been thinking about this further and here are some thoughts ...

A "plan" to build a bridge is a KNOWN OUTCOME in the sense that a "blueprint" (or snapshot) can be made, because a "trained engineer" (past tense because his training is in the past!) knows how to do this, and "skilled" (past tense meaning demonstration of prior success) labor can be hired to complete the job. It's a certainty that it can be done. The know how and what materials to use are a given and implicit. There is a process creation phase, engineering and design, and an implementation phase, the building process.

A "plan" to drive from Incline Village to Reno is a KNOWN OUTCOME. You know what resources you need, a working car, gas, and a "skilled" driver that has directions or knows where to go.

A "plan" to have dinner with a friend is a KNOWN OUTCOME with known resources and know how.

A goal is something with an "UNKNOWN" OUTCOME (the key is the word "unknown") and uncertain know how and what if any resources are necessary.

Creating a blueprint or snapshot without any know how, just doing this alone, after thinking about this seems a little silly don't you think?

This alone probably causes most of the problems right here. If the blueprint is not correct you have zero chance of success.

Can you imagine the "average person" trying to build a blueprint for building a bride and then trying to implement that in the real world. That seems like a lot of drama and a huge waste of time and energy. The odds of success without prior knowledge and training is probably less than 1% and most likely less than 1% of 1%.

These are illustrations to the problems with goal setting and snapshots. They are not meant to be perfect illustrations and encompass all the specific aspects but they make the distinctions between the two very clear. A "plan" is much, much different than a "goal."

I have many more thoughts on feelings and positive intentions of feelings (which I think it total B.S) and how they are person specific and past conditioning specific and extremely illusory based on your prior conditioning. When I have more time I'll write to you about it.

For starters what are the positive intentions of   feelings of [wanting someone when they are away and not wanting them when they are near].

Its seems a little silly and ridiculous if I make it this clear don't you think? I wonder how ego plays a part in this?

This short example it is a perfect illustration of  push, pull methodology - and how the "feelings" you follow change and guiding your drama. Where are the positive intentions here in this example ????).  I say it is all based on egocentric prior conditioning.

There may be a positive intention but it is only to notice the futility of your actions and to STOP doing them - which has nothing to do with feelings in any way shape or form!

In your model, planning seems to apply to doing things you know how to do while goal-setting seems to apply to things you don't know how to do.

The drama surrounding cyclic, push-pull behavior typically serves to cover up, mask and medicate deeper issues.

TTP can help discover these issues and implement pro-active resources to supplement and eventually replace medicinal reactions.

In the case you cite, the drama of a push-pull / on-and-off relationship might serve to mask deeper fears about getting hurt in an intimate relationship.

Implementation of (1) other forms of risk control, such as qualifying potential mates and (2) other forms of relationship management such as communication of feelings can come to replace push-pull as the dominant mode of relating.

Sandpipers

Chase the tide as it recedes

and then scurry back to safety

when a new wave washes up.

This is a proactive strategy

for finding fresh food.

When humans exhibit this behavior

in relationships,

they might be medicating

fear of intimacy.

Clip: http://vbfl.biz/vero_beach_pictures/

August 20, 2008

No Posting in a While

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Whipsaw Song

Ed,

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Whipsaw Song
 

Ed,

Monday, August 18, 2008

Monday, August 18, 2008

Theories of Lift - Nasa Website

August 18, 2008

Visiting the IV Tribe

Hallo Ed - wie geht's??

Sorry for the massive delay in writing the report - a lot is happening - but we're here, now, so here's the report of my IV TTP experience

I am finally at Ed's house. After a few minutes of general talk discussing various topics, we sit around the table and start the session with a check in. I check in last. I feel tense around my upper body and shoulders, I feel anxious about what is going to happen, and I start talking about how I don't want to go first, how I always hesitate, procrastinate, then miss an opportunity and feel disappointed with myself and how this is my very issue I want to work on, how this makes me feel more tense, anxious and hot.

You say that I am already going, so I might just carry on. Ed is the process manager (PM). I describe more of the feelings I experience in my upper body, shoulders, face, behind my eyes and everyone encourages me to get more into those feelings. I can't get too deep, so we do some role playing of a scenario in my office, where I hesitate to approach a colleague.

We do some more role playing and talking, I mention my girlfriend and how we've split (or how I was dumped long distance over the phone!). The process is not moving along very well though.

Then another tribe member asks how did I feel when I realize I am loosing my girlfriend. I feel cold, heavy face and I do more of that. This seems to hit a nerve and I intensify the feelings. The other tribe member becomes the PM now.

I close my eyes, clench my fists, start breathing heavy, and the tribe is constantly encouraging me to do more. After some time of heavy work, freezing etc. I'm in a light trance state.

Ed asks if I recall a time when I felt similar [I was very wary of this moment when on the way to your house, as I never managed to come up with something from my past or childhood in previous session, but ...] and without any thought I recall when I was a kid, I took apart my dads radio to get to the speaker and see how it works.

My dad got angry and hit me with a belt. I run away and jumped on a sofa but he kept hitting me. Ed says I should do it right now, so I jump on Ed's sofa and curl down in fetal position. PM is role playing my father, talking and yelling at me. Other tribe members where constantly encouraging me to do more.

PM got ( courtesy of Ed ) a belt and started making a belt-hitting sound. That was my ultimate trigger! I started to cry and felt a massive release of tension as I let go of any resistance I feel in my body. Go with the flow in it's purest form! other tribe member is role playing my girlfriend, Ed is drumming.

After a while - I am done. I sit down and we start talking about the scenarios we role played before. I feel different this time. It still not coming easy to me to approach that colleague, or talk to my girlfriend, or dad, but I definitely see what is the problem and how I don't communicate on a 'feelings level'.

In the scenarios from the past, the common denominator was also that I trusted someone and they turned against me. I am afraid now to connect with people, as this might happen again.

Ed concludes that I lack the tools to 1) judge the emotional state other people are in 2) manage the emotional relation.

We discuss possible ways I can behave in, even giving examples of phrases I can use in order to start connecting more on an emotional level etc. We practice, role play. I see now, by actually using the new resources, how different the conversation feels. This also shows to me how important practicing and working on it is, as I will take time to adjust. I discover a new dimension of communicating, or at least i am aware of it and I can consciously develop my skills.

We do a quick mini-checkout re my process, take a break, then the session continues and 2 more tribe members go thru their issues.

Key observations for me:

- initial story telling, then role playing, imitating sounds etc. to replicate the conditions where you felt the feeling you work on are very, very helpful and effective in getting you to feel the feelings

- we did a lot of talking, but this is because people were very skilled and effective at working thru physical feelings

- we switched PMs during the process, as this developed naturally, but there was only 1 PM at a time, not 2

- rocks-lite and especially the resources you get are very helpful, as you get something tangible and they get you on the road to improvement so you don't feel lost

- there are no time constraint

Thank you for sharing your process.

The Belt

The bruises and welts

may last a week of two.

The internal scars

may last a lifetime.

Clip: http://www.parentdish.com/media/

August 18, 2008

Tribe Report: 15 minutes = 3 months

Ed,

during our first meeting, one member reaches the zero point. It is her first contact with TTP, she has not read the book or the FAQ, we have not even discussed the principles before.

After fifteen minutes on the hot seat she resolves an issue lasting for over a year. Her issue is "not being able to say no".

For several months she has recurrent health disorders, fever, infections, beginning pneumonia, hear loss and dizziness. Several doctors cannot find the reason. Her father, whom she loves, and her mother are very ill; she has little children and feels overwhelmed.

However, she keeps working in spite of fever and aches. On the hot seat she reaches the zero point; she reports that her parents teach her that work is the most important thing in life, but she realizes that, for her, right now, family is more important.

A conventional psychotherapy requires some 3-6 months for such an insight. On Monday, she quits her job. Thanks to the social insurance in our country, she is financially safe.

She does not know how things will develop, but she feels that it is OK and looks forward for things to come. She reports a warm feeling and I ask her if she wants to get into it. She agrees and enjoys it like a little child.

August 17, 2008

First Tribe Meeting

Ed,

our Tribe (2 women, 2 men, only two of us with trading experience) meets yesterday for the first time. One of our members is the Chief of another tribe; his help and experience are invaluable. We start with no certainty about the duration of the meeting; at the end, we work for more than 6 hours.

Thank you for sharing your process.

Doing Things The Right Way

can be a way

to implement risk control.

August 16, 2008 10:05 AM
 

Music

Thank you for the links.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Wants to Help

Hello Ed,

I see from your post that you are hurting for some reason. I don't know what happened but I have a feeling these videos will help. I hope I am correct and I hope these links work when you click them.