Ed's FAQ July 15, 2008

Questions (Quotes from Ed in Red)	Answers
Thursday, July 31, 2008 Breaking Free Dear Ed, I did not have the chance to thank you for this fantastic experience. It was my first time experiencing a trading tribe and it was great. I wanted to update you on my case. I came up with the bumper sticker "I want to be more confident about who I am". The trading tribe process was pretty chaotic for me at first. I was constantly watching myself being in the process. I could not let it go. I could not reach Fred, I could not untie the Knot. My receivers were really helpful and kept encouraging me but it was hard for me to go further. I was so close, but so far at the same time. I had another issue, which was feeling guilty leaving my family in France. Each time I left my home country, I had a parent who passed away. I felt the need to be close to my family no matter what. Charles came to me and helped me visualize my dad before he died. He and my receivers helped me visualize having a conversation with him and telling him good bye. I started to visualize every single details from this scene to the point it became almost real. I kept crying, but it felt so good. I was with him, telling him how much I love him and telling him bye. Since the trading tribe process, I decided that I will not be living in the apartment I used to live in. The apartment next door is my grand pa's. The apartment downstairs is my mum's. I decided I will be moving into another district of [City] next month. I felt like a slave of my love for them. I am breaking free. Also, I made clear to my ex-wife that we will not get back together despite all the affection I have for her. It feels so good. Now, my gut feeling tells me it is OK to love myself and not be dependent on the persons I love. Overall, I feel like the visualization process helped me a lot. It felt like a smooth ride to Fred. I feel it could be really helpful for people attending a tribe meeting to know if they are more visual, auditory or kinesthetic before they use any tools. It could be really frustrating for some people to not untie their knot because they do not have the relevant technology. I am currently working with some tribe members on my project (doing research for my system). We are trying to find out if we could design a sound, structured approach. [Name] is doing the same project as mine and he also have other tribe members helping him. That would be nice to have a structure that everybody could benefit from. Thank you again for everything you did, Best,	Thank you for sharing your process.
Thursday, July 31, 2008 Utopia Ed, Just an Idea - What if What if all people were mind readers? That is they could read other peoples thoughts when those thoughts share anything in common with themselves? For instance, if someone is thinking bad thoughts about you, you would know it immediately. Everyone would know exactly what anyone else is thinking, not just on a high level but on a deeper level. Everyone would know the origins of their own thoughts, so there can never be inconsistency in thoughts between their unconscious mind and their thinking mind. This mind reading might also include the ability to read not only word thoughts but wordless mind thoughts. That is your brain could read non-word thoughts that tell your heart to beat and your lungs to breathe. We are usually unaware of these non-word thoughts until something goes wrong like our heart stops beating or our lungs stop breathing. Say you were aware at a feeling level about these automatic non-word thoughts not only in yourself, but in others? What would the world look like financially? First of all there would be no deception; no fraud, no Enrons, no deceptive financial practices, no lying. Would there be equity and commodity markets? Would there be capitalism? What would our legal system look like? Would there be private property? What would our financial markets look like? What would our monetary systems look like? Would there be inflation? Deflation? If you lived in that world, how would you live differently, economically? Would we buy, sell and invest the same way?	Honesty is variously useful, depending on whether you are in alliance or in competition. You might consider taking your feelings about <competition> to Tribe. Monks Playing Poker find a working balance between honesty and deception, practicality and spirituality. Clip: http://davaipoker.com/wp-content/ uploads/2008/04/poker-monks.jpg
July 31, 2008 Manifests a Snapshot Ed, One of my wishes comes true this week. I'd like you to meet Alpha.	Thank you for sharing your process. I wonder how the blue rope is experiencing the evolution of your relationship with Alpha.
Thursday, July 31, 2008 TT Workshop Feedback - Feelings Without Judgment Dear Ed, I hope you are better now with the gout attack. Gouty arthritis is one of several diseases that is no longer the focus of research to any meaningful extent because of obscene commercialization of medical research. Afflicting the wrong person, i.e you, may be a bad thing for the disease because the disease now has a chance to get the attention it deserves toward its eventual defeat. I do hope that with the plan and commitment to your life style changes, you have no further attacks. I thank you and Charles for the opportunity to participate in this workshop. It is an enlightening experience. I had several Aha moments during and after the workshop. The greatest one for me is communicating and feeling feelings without judgment. The others are the power of role play and finding true meaning of what we mean with words. Since I return from the workshop, there are several changes in my life. I relate to my wife my experiences at the workshop. She is very happy with the ease that I now communicate my feelings and acknowledge her feelings. These are behaviors she thinks I am incapable of. As a result of this change alone, we now enjoy fully our times together. I am more appreciative of her feelings and she appreciates and supports my reading habits. We regularly now ask and acknowledge each others feelings without making judgments. We are sticking with our planned fun things to do together much easier and we both look forward to them. My wife and I now understands the value of feeling feelings greatly especially as it relates to children. Our daughter looses her bike the other day (sign of the times in auto world) and she is very upset and emotional about it. My wife stands by her acknowledging her feelings without any judgment of what she should or shouldn't have done to prevent the thief from stealing the bike. My bumper sticker is developing a winning trend following trading system. Through the generosity of participants in the workshop I have clarity about the process. I am reading the market wizards and Mr. Covel's books to get market insights, I am following the TTP systems project and refining my programming skills. I register to take a class in programming at a community college in my district. My second bumper sticker is I start a trading tribe chapter in [City]. I am talking with people that may show commitment to support a tribe. My third bumper sticker is I get Ed-Ucated. I am re-reading the FAQ and I have better understanding of the concepts. I like the SVO-p sentence structure. It is helping me think clearly. I thank you and my fellow attendees for the shared experiences. Stay well,	Thank you for sharing your process. The example you set for your daughter about how to deal with adversity, is likely to serve her for a lifetime. Losing Something can open up a space to gain something else Clip: http://epg.modot.mo.gov/index.php?title=Category:641_Bicycle_Facilities
Thursday, July 31, 2008 Strange and Beautiful Ed, Here are some recent photos from Hubble The Sombrero Galaxy is 28 million light years from Earth and has 800 billion suns and is 50,000 light years across. The Ant Nebula is a cloud of dust and gas that resembles an ant. It lies within our galaxy between 3,000 and 6,000 light years from Earth. The Eskimo Nebula looks like a face in furry hood. The hood is a ring of comet-shape objects flying away from a dying star. Eskimo is 5,000 light years from Earth.	Thank you for the clips.
Thursday, July 31, 2008 The Difference Between Men and Women Ed, You might enjoy this short video. mpg file	He really knows how to make a splash with his lady.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Workshop Feedback Family Life Improving Thank you for putting on the July 2008 Workshop. The benefits that I have realized since the conclusion are truly amazing. While at the Workshop, I did quite a bit of work on a recurring "I don't know" drama. Prior to the Workshop I didn't know what I wanted to eat. I didn't know what I wanted to do for fun, etc. I discussed my "I don't know" issue with various groups. In one exercise, Charles instructed that one person discuss a word or phase with which they had bad feelings associated. The person would then explain to their group what they were actually doing when the particular word or phrase and associated feelings would come up. The group's job was to point out how the actions of the person might be interpreted and associated with positive feelings. I explained to the group that at times I say I don't know as what seemed like an involuntary response. If I thought about the question, I actually did know the answer. I also used the phrase "I don't know" too much in everyday life. (Do you want to take the hot seat? "Sure but I don't know what to do.") I told the group my actual activities during these instances included thinking. My group pointed out that based on my actions it appeared as though I simply wanted to give a thoughtful and well informed answer. This insight was incredible. I realize that I am more of an introvert who would rather think about an issue prior to discussing. In another exercise, I took the hot seat with a group that included four other people. My group encouraged me to enjoy the feeling of "I don't know." I was asked to name something that I DID know I liked to do and my answer was "watch football." I then role-played with a member of my group. The member played my wife. As we got into the role-playing, one of the members informed me "to go ahead and start the argument." This floored me. In my mind it seemed that an argument would take place but would probably be a couple days away. The member was able to cut right to the meaningful part of my issue. Therefore, the role-play continued and my "wife" and I had a good fight. It was brought to light that I don't care about my wife's feeling and what she has to say. I have my own agenda and that is too bad for her. Therefore, I had to decide if I wanted to change because as a member pointed out "you will probably end up with a divorce and you may or may not get the kids." I said it was a no-brainer and wanted to change and that I did care about my wife's feelings. We continued with the role-play this time with me doing more listening and expressing concern for my wife. I realized that "I don't know" is one way to try and get people to play mind-reader so I can enter an argument that I like to win. A couple days after the Workshop a memory hit me pretty hard. When I was in second grade the teacher asked each student to stand and tell everyone what their parents did for a living. When it was my turn to stand, I said what my Dad did but regarding my Mom I said "I don't know." For some reason I recall as a second grader my Mother telling me not to tell people where she worked. Therefore, my response that day was to respond "I don't know" even though I knew the answer. I remember the way the teacher made me feel for not knowing what my Mom did for a living. Since the Workshop, I notice that I really pay attention to what my kids are trying to tell me. I notice I have more fun with my children. I also notice that my kids don't act-up the way they did before. My wife has commented on the change she sees in me and she likes it. I like it too. I know I like it. Thank you to all the Workshop participants. Each of you are a part of something extraordinary in my life. Thank you Ed,	Thank you for sharing your process. Yes, Experiencing your forms can help locate their positive intentions.
July 28, 2008 Government Ed, This is from Charlie Reese, is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper. Congress mostly spends it’s time enacting laws to fix problems created by the lst round of laws. Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.	You might consider taking your feelings about <government> to Tribe. Perhaps you can discover its positive intention. Political Process Clip: http://www.blackcommentator.com/251/ 251_images/251_cartoon_rich_government_ poor_people_small_over.jpg
Sunday, July 27, 2008 Staying in the Now / Future Speak Dear Ed. Want to take a moment to say what a terrific asset the FAQ columns are. I grew up in a family that does not discuss ideas or disseminate information freely. Maybe they wanted to hoard information as a form of power or control. Or did not want to risk having others judge them as to being right or wrong, I don't know. To me this this website is so refreshing. Reading and understanding the FAQ and the TT Book is enlightening. Staying in the NOW leads to clarity on lots of things. I find myself communicating more clearly, and concisely. I now see so much "future speak" around me ... on the nightly news, in my local paper to the point I tune them out. And this being an election year I have a lot more to tune out. The clearer communications between my wife and I have led to an uptrend in smiles and laughter. Thank you for this forum.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, July 27, 2008 Engross Mr. Seykota, I am a 23 year old MBA student going to [School]. About last September I was introduced to trend trading by a friend of mine and I have not stopped researching the topic. I have become enthralled with this style of trading and am certain this is what I want to do with my life. I am constantly reading and researching on how to become successful at trend following. I have idolized your career and you have become someone I would love to model myself after. This week I am opening up my first account and am ready to practice, with real money, what I have learned through studying how you trade. I was wondering if there was anything you could tell me on how to learn more? How can I become more engrossed with trend following? I thank you very much for your time.	You might consider taking your feelings about <occupying your attention with the art and science of Trend Trading> and <occupying your attention with one large trade> to Tribe.
July 27, 2008 Butting Heads Dear Ed: I thank you for the opportunity to be part of the Workshop. 2nd evening during the workshop, I asked several members to receive me and feel between me and the Bumper Sticker. Thanks to members persistent I was able to get in touch with very intense feeling. I am crying furiously, all the sudden I realized the childhood incident (I still can't remember when and where) but basically something happened and I am crying furiously and basically trying to get my father's attention and empathy, however no matter how hard I cry my father refused to show his feeling and just walked away and closed the door. I kept crying as much as I can but he is long gone and no where to be found. I realize that this incident have caused me to always try to get attention especially from authority figure (Attention disorder) Charles walks in right at this moment when I am sharing my aha with the members and he tells us "You have a traditional butting heads syndrome with your father, you want to change your rock!" He passes me the rock. Then other members (All of them) tells me ," I don't see anything wrong with this rock. Its working for you Chris" I feel very strong conviction from all members and I feel very strong about it. So in a very short time I am trying to see look in to my past to see if this rock is helping me in my life. I recall I use this butting head a lot to get better deal with my clients, management. I feel it works well with my business. Charles keep insisting that I am attracting people who likes to butt heads. I started to feel this truly nasty feeling of butting head and not going anywhere. (truly nasty feeling (Feuding feeling)) I just couldn't be aware of this attraction quick enough so I am not sure what to do. One of the member try to walk away from the tribe because he feels strongly that this rock is working for me. I asked him to stay with the tribe and told gently to Charles that I am not ready to do this Rock Process. He OKs. I came back from the Workshop and I cannot get this incident out of my mind. I kept saying that this rock is working for me. I feel there is some positive intention here. However I have pattern of butting heads (Feuding Feeling) with someone very close. Example: a few month ago I just split for Department which I worked for 2 years, I butt head with the head since he treated me harshly, We are not talking and ignoring each other it's a very ugly feeling. However it was something very necessary for me to split with him I feel I did the right thing. One the other hand I feel I could have done in more friendlier way. Other incident is when I left the firm I worked 10 years ago, they sue me ... That was horrible, and took a lot away from me especially we had a profitable relationship. Another incident is growing up me and my brother didn't speak for 3 years even we lived in the same house. My parents are always concerned why we would not speak to each other but they did not confront us until later part of 3rd year. Basically Charles shocked me by cornering me with getting in touch with this ugly feeling. I definitely want to change this rock however I am bit confused to what type of resources I would replace because I feel there is some positive intention of this rock. I want to avoid the feuding feeling at all cost. It is stressful and horrible. I wonder if you feel if there is any positive intention of butting heads. If I replace my medicinal rock with the following proactive rock I don't think there is need for butting heads. Share my feelings and clear intention. Ask for their feelings and intention Keep 5% of Medicinal Rock Ask for support Look for authority figure. Be the first one to initiate communication Not wait for other person. I would appreciate your insight. Other than that I am moving along with toward completing a winning method. I sincerely thank you for your attention. After writing down the above resources, I feel like I like the resources above very well than one I have now. !! Thank you for your sharing and contribution. I feel very lucky and grateful. Sincerely yours,	Thank you for sharing your process. If You Want Something Different you generally have to give up what you have. Clip: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/ 0,,234758,00.html
Saturday, July 26, 2008 Fight Club Eager to know - How do you like this scene from fight club? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QPr_EjPjvA	Norton experiences the difference between soft soap and burning lye.
Friday, July 25, 2008 Workshop Feedback Embracing Total Communication Dear Ed, Thank you for the recent Trading Tribe Workshop in Reno. I notice a difference between experiencing TTP in person versus reading or thinking about it. After some work on the hot seat, the feeling of "being misunderstood" is now OK. I accept it, and embrace it -- I realize now that it works to help me use my body language, facial expressions and emotions as well as spoken language to communicate more effectively. Thank you for being so honest, open and vulnerable at the workshop and on FAQ. Sincerely,	Thank you for sharing your process.
July 25, 2008 Workshop Feedback - Welcome Home Hi Ed, I want to thank you, Charles and all the workshop participants for the wonderful weekend. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. After the workshop, I drive to [State] to spend some time with some relatives. I do not have kids, but my sister and cousin have kids. They are all waiting for me to have lunch together. When I get there, my six year old nephew jumps on me to hug me. He is extremely happy to see me back. He hugs me very hard. Then, my niece also jumps on me to hug me. Suddenly, I have my nephew hanging from my neck, my niece hanging from my right leg and the family dog jumping around us. I feel great. All the adults in the house express surprise. I do not recall ever having such a great welcoming! Best regards,	Thank you for sharing your process. What You Receive has a lot to do with what you radiate. Clip: http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~alphaphi/
Friday, July 25, 2008 Workshop Feedback - Just Do It Ciao Ed! I am wondering if you are traveling. The workshop has really helped me “Just Do It”. I was very successful last week in a public meeting. 5 years of persistence is slowly paying off with government. You have helped me see what is going on with them. And I wish for a client upgrade! My mind is filled with trading idea improvements. I understand Poker expectation very well, and I am using the same kind of thinking to judge and appraise what type of changes to our strategy set can be considered. I have also worked out a simple risk management or trade allocation model I am going to test. Highest Regards,	Thank you for sharing your process.
Thursday, July 24, 2008 Workshop Feedback - Right Livelihood Dear Ed, Thank you very much for the experience of the Trading Tribe Workshop. I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity that you gave me to attend. The tools you have developed for right livelihood will be a benefit to me and people in search of living an authentic and fulfilling life. Many thanks to you Ed for taking the time to do this work and thank you for sharing it with us. I look forward to talking to you again soon! Most sincerely,	Thank you for sharing your process.
Thursday, July 24, 2008 Wants a Discount Ed, would you take 50. maybe for an old one or your own copy???	You might consider taking your feelings about <wanting to buy on dips> to your Tribe.
July 23, 2008 Trades Trends Ed, Loved your comment on Michael's blog - spot on. However, judging from history we should expect no less from our government. As a matter of fact I read somewhere that these 'witch hunts' aimed at 'evil speculators' are actually confirmation signals of a bear market (not that I need to be convinced to that effect). The trend points downward - that's all I care about. The market as well as society will go through their usual gyrations, as expected. Human behavior is pretty predictable: Upon encountering bad news the first stage is denial, followed by anger. Bargaining is the third stage, followed by depression, then acceptance. I think this country is somewhere in the bargaining phase right now. To me, all that is mostly noise. In some ways it's entertaining (in an evil sort of way - I admit) because if you detach yourself from the 'freak show' as I call it, everything comes into clear focus. Most people have a hard time accepting that everything is cyclical - pair that with a pretty muddy understanding of history. Pretty sad actually - because it's all there and some of it is actually not that complicated. It's the job of the market to keep you off balance and focus on the trees, not the forest. I mean - it's actually pretty simple - isn't it. We all know where we're going to wind up - trade accordingly and you'll be in great shape - or at least you won't have to line up for hot soup. Governments interfering with the market is pretty much priced in - doesn't change the trend, does it? Simply delays the unavoidable - which is fine - just makes for more effective trades further down the line. In case you care: I came to trend trading through the turtle teachings and pretty much stuck with that (although I did tack on a 2nd exit signal), although I still deem myself at the beginning of a long and drawn out learning process. I am fascinated by Elliot and his EW theories have kept me out of a lot of trouble in the last few months. I suspect this probably sounds like a sacrilege to a purist trend trader like yourself, but we don't want to label ourselves and keep an open mind, right? Despite my attempts to at least identify a general forecast of the direction of the market I stick religiously with trend trading and so far it's been working out just fine. I also like getting sleep at night - another reason I like trend trading. BTW, I happen to be a huge fan of your work. I didn't even know that you existed until I read about you in Michael's book. Talking about keeping a low profile - I truly respect that. I actually plan to attend one of your seminars in the coming months, after all you're close by - I live in [City]. Wishing you continued health, prosperity, and peace. Keep up the good work. Sincerely Yours,	Thank you for your encouragement.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Back to Work I got a job as an analyst in one of the biggest assets managers - one step closer to fund manager I suppose. ... I thought about bringing up a volunteering incentive but worried about any eventual hypocrisy and conflict of interest – checked that the next day and found out that [thousands of] employees already do that within the corporation. ... with respect and gratefulness for your wisdom.	OK.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Guilt Ed, After about a year of thumb sucking, I return to practice with the [City] Tribe which graciously accepts me back. I am a bit nervous knowing that I am likely to face buried feelings. A hot seat for me is suggested, but not pushed. I come knowing that all I want is to cry but think maybe I have trouble accessing or letting the feelings come since I am out of practice feeling my feelings. For months I am feeling so much guilt and all I can do is distract myself with non-productive pursuits. I know what is there but lack the courage to be out with it. I am encouraged by the tribe and I cry. But there is more. I relax my hamstrings and focus on letting it flow. Everybody gets what they want. I do not live with my kids. This is what I really want and it hurts so much and I feel piles and piles of guilt. This obvious reality takes me long to uncover and longer to admit and when I finally say it I erupt into tears and blubbering and squeaking and gushing. I don't think I have assimilated all this yet and there is more work to be done - my right hamstring is like a bridge cable as I type this - but I feel more honest. This morning I get an envelope with an Essentials card and a little treat. Thanks pal.	Guilt is a feature of the Causal Model. In the System Model, we have no causes, thus no blame or guilt. The Western political and legal control systems rest upon the Causal Model - and upon the notions of past and future. You might consider viewing you situation as a dynamic interaction of all the participants. If you stay in the now, you don't give guilt much of a ledge upon which to perch. Emotional Baggage typically indicates an attempt to apply the causal model to the past and future. Clip: http://www.tuition.com.hk/barriers.htm
Monday, July 21, 2008 Trouble Reproducing Ed, I done with Exponential crossover system and now I am working on Support and Resistance Project. I cannot reproduce your results. I use for up and down trend indicator the following statements: IF(HighToday>=ResistanceToday, UpTrend, " ") IF(LowToday<=SupportToday, DownTrend, " ") The first signal comes on 19750211 and I reproduce your result on it. But the second signal coming on uptrend, on 19750213 and 19750214, but you did not have that trade. Is something wrong with my indicators? Thanks, Maury PS. I can also see from your log [Metrics] that on these dates high touched your resistance level, triggering buy long signal - but I did not see it in your trade log. Thanks in advance.	You might consider deeper penetration.
Monday, July 21, 2008 Meditation as Cause Hi Ed, Ed says, "In the Extreme, Meditation can become medication and interfere with trading." (Meditation and Hypnosis, 7/16/08) Hmmm, isn't ANYTHING, when we take it to an extreme, can become medication and interfere with trading? That is, substitute "medication" with "programming", "reading FAQ", "TTP", "cut losers" and the statement still holds. Or, it's like saying, "In the Extreme, (breathing / eating / drinking / exercising / sleeping / pooping) can become medication and interfere with living." So paraphrasing the original question but in a not extreme case, have you ever tried meditation and / or hypnosis for any length of time, and if so, what are the results (to your trading and life in general) you notice? Thanks.	I do not have any evidence that Meditation is the "cause" for "good" or "bad" trading. You might consider taking your feelings about <wanting a "cause" for trading performance> to Tribe. Or, perhaps, you might consider meditating on the matter. A trader who got in a rut meditated from deep in his gut he took on a position and then aum-ed with precision and succeeded in raising his butt. Clip: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Image:Gnu_meditate_levitate.jpg
Sunday, July 20, 2008 Can't Locate a Tribe Ed, I tried contacting [Name] regarding the Trading Tribe, but found an invalid email address. If you have a more recent email address for him could you please forward this message below, or, if you have any contacts in the [City] area who are involved with the Trading Tribe I would be grateful if you would help me get in touch with them. Thank you.	FAQ provides a bulletin board - and does not monitor or sponsor individual Tribes.
July 19, 2008 MAR / MGR Ed, Okay, here we go again on the merry-go-round. Ed Says: "Bliss is a generic class of performance computations that acknowledge rate of return and drawdown; for specific implementations, see Sharpe Ratio, Sterling Ratio and MAR." You might consider telling me which word or set of words above seem unclear to you. You said a bliss of 1.0 is good and a bliss of 2.4 or something is difficult to maintain (I can't remember it was many posts ago). I originally asked you to DEFINE the bliss function (How did you get to a bliss of 1.0). If I were to give your definition as an answer in a IV tribe meeting; it would have been shredded due to the ambiguity. You're using silly words like the bliss acknowledges other computations like it can think for itself - makes it sound even bigger and more mysterious than it really is, just define it, show an example of how you got to 1.0. I'm as smart as the next idiot - if you use financial terms and not make believe ones (i.e. Sharpe ratio would be considered real - bliss would not). I'm sure I will understand you. Here, I'll make it easier. Use this format. 3 = 2 + 1 Bliss = What? (you fill in this part - the "what?" part) Be as clear as you can, like when someone asks you to define 'Fred'. That's it.	FAQ does not recommend specific trading system parameters. In the citation to the left, the specific implementation of Bliss is MAR. For more on MAR, see the TSP or consult the web Some Dogs (and People) seem to like going on the merry-go-round. http://flickr.com/photos/ jeremiah_owyang/754356724/
July 19, 2008 Timidity Dear Mr. Seykota, After a yearlong delay I began attending TTP meetings in [City] this June. I have been on the hot seat 3 times now and wanted to relate my experience so far. The first session was largely crying that segued into fist-pounding, anger, and screaming and then bouts of wild giggling and laughing. The second session started with the anger with a little laughing and then segued into profession of guilt before God whom I felt I had abandoned (I kept repeating "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" and "I love you, I love you so much!" while holding my hands in prayer and facing the ceiling.). The third session was solely anger with me screaming and occasionally yelling "Why!?" and "F---!". I often experience anxiety and am a pretty timid person. The screaming makes me feel like an animal that I do not let out in my daily life, although in the third session I had a feeling that this behavior was "okay" in some way. This screaming may be related to my timidity, since I have a close friend who had suggested that I go into my backyard and scream at the top of my lungs everyday into order to counteract my timidity. I cannot explain my penitence toward God except that 5 years ago I became deeply interested in Zen and meditation and have come to somewhat deride the Christian religion and its God, considering it misguided and antiquated. I think I may feel guilty for that derision. Well I look forward to coming sessions and am glad I have the support network of my Tribe. Best to you and thanks for everything.	Thank you for sharing your process. Timidity may indicate early abuse. Clip: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/i-saw- my-father-murder-my-mum-1262701.html
July 18, 2008 Volatile Father Ed, At our last Tribe meeting you mentioned something about when a child is afraid and their survival is threatened. I was deep in my own issue and missed what the point was but it has crossed my mind several times since then. My father was very volatile and I was scared half to death many times. We walked on eggshells most of the time to avoid setting him off. I wish you would say more about the effects of that and ways to heal. Thanks again for your contributions.	Thank you for sharing your process. One way we develop rocks (automatic emotional response patterns) is during early survival stress. In response to a volatile father (the stressor) you may adopt patterns from your mother (the medicinal rock donor). During the Rocks Process we revisit the stress experience and supplement the medicinal with a pro-active rock that carries effective resources. Children Watch and Learn Clip: http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/ movie/pay_it_forward/husband.jpg
July 18, 2008 Meditation and Hypnosis #2 see previous Mr. Seykota, Earlier this week, I sent you an e-mail asking you whether you had ever tried meditation and / or hypnosis to improve your equanimity while trading. You responded by suggesting I take my feelings about equanimity to Tribe. Why would the objective of composure be something that requires looking into? After all, we are talking about balance, not suppression. Further, you noted that meditation can become medication and interfere with trading. How can the calming of the mind have any detrimental effect on trading? Regards,	Yes, meditation may assist you in attaining equanimity about pro-actively following your trading discipline. It can also assist you in medicating your feelings about not following your discipline. One test you might apply to determine which part of this spectrum you occupy is to notice the extent to which you have a rigorous trading discipline, and follow it. Your "why" question about composure may indicate you might gain some value by contemplating the positive intention of its converse.
Thursday, July 17, 2008 A Little Story Ed, A student calls up, asks about the class. She says at one point "I was really impressed with the outline". I reply "Are you just as impressed now with that outline ?" she laughs and shows up. Yesterday she reminds me I said this on the phone. Later we start talking and she has tons of baggage from deforming experienced in childhood, she says she used to weight like 275, for a period medicated with food, etc etc. Here story includes an abusive stepfather, an abusive husband and other nasty stuff. I find myself explaining a lot of TT and FAQ concepts to her, it was all new material to her, I show and explain to her the site etc. She tells me after she talks to me on the phone she knows to come to this specific class and had no clue why except for a strong feeling that "this is the class" to choose. My current belief is that the [responsibility model], even if flawed in some ways, is an extremely empowering set of beliefs that work really, really well.	Thank you for sharing your process. The Man with Chalk points the way with chalk. Clip: http://www.presentationhelper.co.uk/compare-contrast-178.htm
Thursday, July 17, 2008 Likes the Site Ed, Come across your site, very rich in content , read abt you and very impress. I am from Singapore, hope someday you may like to conduct classes here too. Hope to learn from you more. Best regards and happiniess.	Thank you for your encouragement.
July 16, 2008 Likes to Struggle Hi Chief, I will be joining a very good university to learn computational finance, which will teach me about random walks and efficient markets. I firmly DO NOT believe in it and will try and prove the same in the university. I have been a trader for 9 years now and have been trend following for 1.5 years with very good results. After struggling for 4 months - mostly day and night - Just back tested my system which I feel is extremely robust, giving superb, almost staggering - right back in my face - results. I am checking my code n-th time for mistakes done and also plan to take printouts to check the same. I plan to do this ten times once every day before I start. Now (only) 99% remains to be done, which is sticking to it. Wish me luck. Your student,	You might consider taking your feelings about <struggle> to Tribe. Struggling with Professors and with Software might indicate issues with authority that might also show up in trading. Clip: http://www.ethiopianetwork.org/Struggle.jpg
July 16, 2008 Error in TT Book Dear Ed, I am reading the TT book and FAQ. Thank you for providing these invaluable resources. They are simply the best and very enlightening. An error exists on page 38, last paragraph, line 3 of the book. The word "stint" should be "stent". Thank you for these timeless gifts. See you on Friday July 18.	Thank you for the catch.
July 16, 2008 Another Bank Collapse Ed, http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=G4KrjRGHYtY What next ?	Don't let your karma run over your dogma.
July 16, 2008 Meditation and Hypnosis Mr. Seykota, Have you ever tried meditation and / or hypnosis for any length of time to improve your equanimity while trading? And, if so, which of the two did you prefer, and how well did it work for you? Regards,	You might consider taking your feelings about <equanimity> to Tribe In the Extreme Meditation can become medication and interfere with trading. Clip: http://www.westminster.edu/staff/ brennie/images/budhmed3.gif
July 16, 2008 Annual Growth Rate Ed, From your site: ICAGR = ln(Ratio)/ DateRangeInYears Ratio = EndValue / StartValue DateRangeInYears = (EndDate – StartDate) / 365.25 For an account that goes from $1,000.00 to $1,210.00 in two years: ICAGR = ln(1.21) / 2 = .19062036 / 2 ~ 9.531 % What is "1n"? "n" represents what? I can solve for "n" after the fact (.19062036/1.21 = .15753749), but I am not aware of the source of the value for "n". Thanks,	Ln (Log natural) is the mathematical symbol for natural logarithm. You can use the natural log to get the time you require to achieve an amount of exponential growth. g = e^t use the exponential formula to plug in time and get growth t = ln(g) use the natural log to plug in growth and get time.
July 15, 2008 Bear Country Warning Ed, If you go out in the woods today. Let's be careful out there.	Societal acceptance of the discount often punctuates the end of a trend.
July 15, 2008 Positive Intentions Ed, I research "Positive Intentions" ... all intentions, regardless of outcomes, are positive. I feel relief and comfort and community - others not only believe as I do but feel as I do and are constructing successful systems of right livelihood according to our shared beliefs. I stop smoking. I am 8 when I start, 48 when I stop. I stop ADD medications (stimulants) during the day. I stop sleep medications (depressants) at night. I identify powerful catalysts of feelings of abandonment and shame formed in moments of childhood trauma and reinforced by lifestyle. I employ considerable senses of joy and appreciation for math and scientific investigation and pursue systems of identifying trends in financial markets. I profit from all of the above. [In the Peanuts comic strip] I see Lucy's positive intention as attempting to identify value in herself. She pursues this sense of value by attempting to deliver important life-improvement information to those she identifies as needing her help ("Charlie Brown will be happier and more successful when I teach him to not trust. When Charlie Brown's life improves, I can accept some sense of value for myself."). Lucy attempts to address the place where the wind whistles through her soul by fixing others. Her intention of finding value in herself is brilliant and divine. Her choice of packing the vacancy in her life with the issues of others puts her on a track to repeat the exercise ad infinitum or at least until she scoops up her own hurts and fears and molds them into the lovely matter that balances the scale of her heart. How do you identify Charlie Brown's positive intention? With much appreciation (and awareness that I choose to focus on the symbol "Charlie Brown" and you choose to focus on the symbol "Lucy" - Jungian Snoopyisms),	OK.
July 15, 2008 Likes Refineries You can clearly see for yourself that some Major Refiners like Suncor, SK, Idemitsu & Petrochina are beginning to rally across the board. So this should proof to you that my System really works.	Your system appears to include noticing stocks that are beginning to rally. It does not appear to include a track record of converting these observations into profits. Some Traders Suit Up for the Party that celebrates the previous trend. Clip: http://obviousdiversion.com/images/cult.jpg
July 15, 2008 Back to Work Ed, I was doing to the TSP last autumn. I stopped around the new year as a lot of things came up all at once and I had to put the TSP off for a while. All of the things are now over with, so I can continue with the TSP. I have some ideas and hopefully I'll have something soon. Regards,	OK.
July 15, 2008 Likes Symmetry Hi Ed, Interesting question: Why your exponential crossover system does not have a symmetry - you cannot ( or do not want... ) go short? Thanks,	You might take your feelings about <symmetry> to Tribe. Symmetry is Desirable in a culture that values normalcy, balance and a return to the mean. Trend Traders detect and exploit asymmetrical events. http://www.breastformboutique.com/ ecart/images/breasts-2015b.jpg
July 15, 2008 Engrossing Hello Mr. Seykota, I am a 23 year old MBA student going to [College] in [State]. About last September I was introduced to trend trading by a friend of mine and I have not stopped researching the topic. I have become enthralled with this style of trading and am certain this is what I want to do with my life. I am constantly reading and researching on how to become successful at trend following. I have idolized your career and you have become someone I would love to model myself after. This week I am opening up my first account and am ready to practice, with real money, what I have learned through studying how you trade. I was wondering if there was anything you could tell me on how to learn more? How can I become more engrossed with trend following? I thank you very much for your time.	You might consider taking your feelings about <engross> to Tribe. Engross: - to occupy exclusively; absorb: - to copy or write in a large hand - to prepare the final text of a document - to purchase large quantities for speculation - to take or engage complete attention from: [Middle English, from Anglo-French engrosser, from en gros wholesale, in quantity] Trading as a Business is Routine Trading as obsession can indicate drama. Clip: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/04/ knitted_interfaces_for_technol.html
July 15, 2008 Zimbabwe Ed, This, from the news, for your consideration. Lack of Bank Note Paper threatens Zimbabwe economy.	Two properties of government, printing money and lowering productivity both contribute to inflation. At this point, some Zimbabwe officials are blaming "lack of bank note paper" for the current economic crisis. In the current rush to fix the US mortgage problem, the silent elephant in the room is government control justifying more government control.<