Romantic Fiction, Reality Shaping and The Work

I am reading a book right now about Destiny, or the Call of the Soul. It's called The Soul's Code by James Hillman, and he has a fascinating section on love. Why do we do it? How? His section in this chapter is focused on the nature-vs-nurture debate. Is our capacity for romance genetic? Is it based on our upbringing? A lot of forum talk has focused on knowing our machine - the sexual biological urges, which is different for men and women, and how these manifest in our psychology. There's also been discussion about how our psychology, including our developmental traumas, condition our way of seeing the world. And we can see this nature-nurture dynamic playing out in these books as imperfect humans making good choices in sometimes horrible situations - and love responding to see them through to marriage.

Hillman adds more complexity to this nature/nurture debate by adding a third factor - a spiritual factor, or the factor of information, or 'invisible influence', or the soul contract that we make in 5D before we get here. This is what I was talking about in my posts above when I mentioned teleology. Somehow, our life has a path, and based on the 5D material, we set that path before we come here. I found Hillman's exposition of this to be a fascinating approach to the nature/nurture debate. As the C's said in session 19 July 1997:
A: Laura, my dear, if you really want to reveal "many beautiful and amazing things," all you need to do is remember the triad, the trilogy, the trinity, and look always for the triplicative connecting clue profile. Connect the threes... do not rest until you have found three beautifully balancing meanings!!

Q:
So, in everything there are three aspects?

A:
And why? Because it is the realm of the three that you occupy. In order to possess the keys to the next level, just master the Third Man Theme, then move on with grace and anticipation.

So what Hillman does is makes use of Plato's Myth of Er, which is source of the Western concept of how Souls incarnate here. It makes for a good read in itself. Basically, we choose our path or our image or our paradigm before we get here - then we drink the waters of Lethe and forget it all - but all is not lost, because we have a sort of guardian angel who accompanies us when we are born. The word for this angel is daimon. The small guiding voice of Socrates, or William Blake, etc. The word itself sounds a lot like demon. My speculation for this linguistic drift is because through the Church's monotheistic crackdown, any voice other than the clergy was determined to be Satanic. So guides or the Higher Self became literally demonized. Which is very different from Paul's admonition that it is important to engage in an active practice of 'discrimination of the spirits' - to know which voice that whispers in your ear, gives you an idea, is daimonic, or angelic, vs. demonic.

Anyways, here's his chapter.

LOVE

We seem not as unique in our loving as we might like to believe. People seem to have similar styles of loving. Adult identical twins show this similarity most clearly, for they tend to conceive of love in the same way.

By "styles of loving" I am referring to the models used in "love research." The broad concept "love" is sorted into a variety of baskets, such as responsible altruistic caretaking (agape), practical partnership (pragma), erotic intimacy (eros), and so on. Identical twins converge in these categories. Yet the reason for the similarity is not genetic.

The findings from this first behavior genetic analysis of adult love styles are remarkable for two reasons. First, we know of no personality domain [stress tolerance, aggression, control, etc.] in which genetic factors play such a small role. . . . Second, we are aware of no attitude [religious beliefs, race biases, etc.] in which genetic factors play such a small role.

Now here is a happy curiosity. These twins are in accord in all love styles except for one: mania, the obsessive, tormented feeling usually characteristic of romantic love. So we have to inquire into why the exception of manic romantic love. In this specific regard there seems to be an independence of the heart. Manic love is something else!

Since the explanation for the similarity of styles is not genetic, the research model allows only one alternative: environment. Look-alike twins who love alike have picked up identical love maps.

"Love maps" are one of the ways psychology tries to account for the mysteries of being seized by love. You grow up in a parental environment where certain features bring pleasure, meet needs, enhance vitality. These characteristics forma schema that you fall for when a person crosses your path who seems to have the attributes of the love map. "As you grow up, this unconscious map takes shape and a composite proto-image of the ideal sweetheart gradually emerges. . . .So, long before your true love walks past you in a classroom, at a shopping mall, or in the office, you have already constructed some basic elements of your ideal sweetheart."


The love map consists of layers. Cross-cultural researc hclaims that there is a collective level for love maps in general, such as a good complexion. In women, bodies that are plump and wide-hipped are universally attractive; in men, worldly goods, such as cars or camels. Then there are layers reflecting traditions, fashions, and local community norms. The theory of love maps suggests that environmental conditioning deter-mines the object of your desire.

Other psychologists call this object choice a projection. According to Jungian psychology, the projection springs from an archetypal source as part of each soul's intimate essence. For Jungians, the love map has highly individualized features, because it is a complex image in the heart that brings about the "fall" and the feeling that this is a call of fate. The more obsessive and compelling the image, the more madly in love you become, which intensifies the conviction that indeed fate is calling. Jungians name this archetypal factor that skews the love map toward a particular person, the anima and animus.
 
I am reading a book right now about Destiny, or the Call of the Soul. It's called The Soul's Code by James Hillman, and he has a fascinating section on love. Why do we do it? How? His section in this chapter is focused on the nature-vs-nurture debate. Is our capacity for romance genetic? Is it based on our upbringing? A lot of forum talk has focused on knowing our machine - the sexual biological urges, which is different for men and women, and how these manifest in our psychology. There's also been discussion about how our psychology, including our developmental traumas, condition our way of seeing the world. And we can see this nature-nurture dynamic playing out in these books as imperfect humans making good choices in sometimes horrible situations - and love responding to see them through to marriage.

Hillman adds more complexity to this nature/nurture debate by adding a third factor - a spiritual factor, or the factor of information, or 'invisible influence', or the soul contract that we make in 5D before we get here. This is what I was talking about in my posts above when I mentioned teleology. Somehow, our life has a path, and based on the 5D material, we set that path before we come here. I found Hillman's exposition of this to be a fascinating approach to the nature/nurture debate. As the C's said in session 19 July 1997:


So what Hillman does is makes use of Plato's Myth of Er, which is source of the Western concept of how Souls incarnate here. It makes for a good read in itself. Basically, we choose our path or our image or our paradigm before we get here - then we drink the waters of Lethe and forget it all - but all is not lost, because we have a sort of guardian angel who accompanies us when we are born. The word for this angel is daimon. The small guiding voice of Socrates, or William Blake, etc. The word itself sounds a lot like demon. My speculation for this linguistic drift is because through the Church's monotheistic crackdown, any voice other than the clergy was determined to be Satanic. So guides or the Higher Self became literally demonized. Which is very different from Paul's admonition that it is important to engage in an active practice of 'discrimination of the spirits' - to know which voice that whispers in your ear, gives you an idea, is daimonic, or angelic, vs. demonic.

Anyways, here's his chapter.

LOVE

We seem not as unique in our loving as we might like to believe. People seem to have similar styles of loving. Adult identical twins show this similarity most clearly, for they tend to conceive of love in the same way.

By "styles of loving" I am referring to the models used in "love research." The broad concept "love" is sorted into a variety of baskets, such as responsible altruistic caretaking (agape), practical partnership (pragma), erotic intimacy (eros), and so on. Identical twins converge in these categories. Yet the reason for the similarity is not genetic.

The findings from this first behavior genetic analysis of adult love styles are remarkable for two reasons. First, we know of no personality domain [stress tolerance, aggression, control, etc.] in which genetic factors play such a small role. . . . Second, we are aware of no attitude [religious beliefs, race biases, etc.] in which genetic factors play such a small role.

Now here is a happy curiosity. These twins are in accord in all love styles except for one: mania, the obsessive, tormented feeling usually characteristic of romantic love. So we have to inquire into why the exception of manic romantic love. In this specific regard there seems to be an independence of the heart. Manic love is something else!

Since the explanation for the similarity of styles is not genetic, the research model allows only one alternative: environment. Look-alike twins who love alike have picked up identical love maps.

"Love maps" are one of the ways psychology tries to account for the mysteries of being seized by love. You grow up in a parental environment where certain features bring pleasure, meet needs, enhance vitality. These characteristics forma schema that you fall for when a person crosses your path who seems to have the attributes of the love map. "As you grow up, this unconscious map takes shape and a composite proto-image of the ideal sweetheart gradually emerges. . . .So, long before your true love walks past you in a classroom, at a shopping mall, or in the office, you have already constructed some basic elements of your ideal sweetheart."


The love map consists of layers. Cross-cultural researc hclaims that there is a collective level for love maps in general, such as a good complexion. In women, bodies that are plump and wide-hipped are universally attractive; in men, worldly goods, such as cars or camels. Then there are layers reflecting traditions, fashions, and local community norms. The theory of love maps suggests that environmental conditioning deter-mines the object of your desire.

Other psychologists call this object choice a projection. According to Jungian psychology, the projection springs from an archetypal source as part of each soul's intimate essence. For Jungians, the love map has highly individualized features, because it is a complex image in the heart that brings about the "fall" and the feeling that this is a call of fate. The more obsessive and compelling the image, the more madly in love you become, which intensifies the conviction that indeed fate is calling. Jungians name this archetypal factor that skews the love map toward a particular person, the anima and animus.

The rest of the chapter:

These figures may bear surface traits of the love map, but can't be reduced to it.

"Anima" and "animus" originate in the Latin words for"soul" and "spirit"; so your heart may fall for a composite childhood image but always an unknown configuration is structuring your map, and permeating it with experiences of miracle and mystery. That's why, Jungians would say, love is so overwhelming. It knocks your socks off as it lifts you right out of your shoes, and out of this world.

The experience of romantic love is beyond all conditions, claiming devotion beyond all bounds. For Plato, mania was an intervention of the gods, specifically Aphrodite and Eros. Little else in life feels more exclusively meant for me, more personally directed at you, than the manic moment of romance.Romance feels fateful, feels like kismet, karma, destiny. "It had to be you." "Nobody else would do." "Only you." "I wandered around, finally found ..." "You are my lucky star." This fatal attraction, impersonally called chemistry and attached to subliminal pheromones, has its autonomy of force apart from both genetics and environment.

Whether this feeling be delusional or not, it provides convincing witness to what the Jungians are claiming with their interpretation of romantic love. Something "meant," some-thing else that is particularly "romantic," accompanies the phenomenon. Of course, identical twins lose some of their sameness by falling differently.

So we have seen two ways of imagining the love map—the Jungian anima/animus and the nature-or-nurture model. According to the latter, "romantic love styles are not strongly influenced by heritable factors." The only possible alternative is the environment. You learned your style of love during early years. How? "Unique experiences," on the one hand and, on the other, "perhaps sharing parents and making similar observations of parents' relational styles. " Perhaps. The thesis assumes that you fall in love, if not directly with your parents, as Freudianism implies, then with surrogates for them or at least following their patterns. Again the parental fallacy is brought in to account for what is not understood. Whether "I want a girl just like the girl who married dear old Dad," or a girl as different from her as possible, it is a great leap of faith and an insult to the person for whom my heart has fallen to believe that my fantasies and styles of love replicate Mom and Dad, except on the collective socialized level of the map.

For Jungians, Mom and Dad are preview images of the anima and animus. Even if we do imitate Mom and Dad and their style of loving, we're not photocopies.

Fantasy embellishes the map, or more likely designs it. Empirical studies of romantic love declare "that romantic love is inexorably tied up with fantasy". Idealization is essential to it, not imitation; not replication of the known, expectation of the unknown. Some details of parental manners of relating suit, others are never reproduced, and the factors that spin the fantasy and select the details are anima and animus. The archetypal fantasies integrate whatever maps we pick up from Mom and Dad, and not the other way around.

There can be other "causes" than family styles for similarities between twins. Twins may seek to replicate the relationship they have with each other—that stability, that friendship, that practicality and caring, and unconscious egg-given physical closeness, transferring to a mate what has been their lifestyle so far. Kissing and fighting go on in the womb. Replication alone might give them similar love maps. But the object of our search is less the reason for their similarity than their difference regarding manic romantic love, that condition of torment and desperate need, of highs and lows, of obsessive dependency, a condition you seem never able to get over.

Another reason for dissimilarity in romantic styles of twinsis the need for "a psychological mirror," which romantic love provides." In the mirror of similarity we see only our twin face; in the mirror of mania we see something altogether other, the face that we cannot find, do not know, and that seems to require a romantic agony. If monozygotic identity is laid down in your DNA and reinforced with every shared environmental breath, it takes wrenching distortion to bring about difference.

The love map may account for visibilities like those fluid hips, those cars or camels, but love falls also for "something else," invisible. We say, "There's something about her"; "The whole world changes in his presence." As Flaubert supposedly said: "[She] was the focal point of light at which the totality of things converged."

This is off the map altogether. We are in the terrain of transcendence, where usual realities hold less conviction than invisibilities. If ever we wanted obvious proof of the daimon and its calling, we need but fall once in love. The rational sources of heredity and environment are not enough to give rise to the torrents of romantic agony. It's all you, and never do you feel more flooded with importance and more destined; nor can what you do turn out to be more demonic.

This intoxication with self-importance suggests that romantic love "has in fact promoted the growth of individuality." According to Susan and Clyde Hendrick, it can be well argued that the Western sense of person parallels the place given to romantic love in the culture, as shown first by courtly romance and the troubadours, and then in the Renaissance. Ideals of individualism and individual destiny reached an apogee in the nineteenth century, as did the delirious exaggerations of romantic love, so that, as the Hendricks say, romantic love may "be construed as a force or device to help create or enhance self and individuality." These psychody-namics must locate the call of love within the personal "self." My psycho-daimonics imagines this call more phenomenologically, using the language that love itself uses—myth, poetry, story, and song—and that places the call beyond the "self," as if it comes from a divine or demonic being.

That's why the manic style of romantic love doesn't con-verge with the other maps of loving. Calling crystallizes in that person whose face calls you to what feels like your fate.
That person becomes a divinity exteriorized, master of my fate, mistress of my soul, as the Romantics say, both demonic and angelic, the one I must cling to and cannot part from, not because I am so weak, but because it, the call, the destiny, is so strong. Of course I am tormented, possessive, dependent, in pain. The daimon is shredding my love map.

Identical twins may choose the same aftershave and tooth-paste, but "the most important choice of all—that of a mate seems to be an exception." "Romantic infatuation . . .forms . . . almost adventitiously," Behavioral science concludes, "that human pairing is inherently random."

It retreats to thes tatistical luck of the draw to account for the most important choice of all, because psychology as a science dares not imagine what it cannot measure. We can, however, read the recent research as support for the autonomy of the genius [daimon]. Its fire lights up precisely the companion required, for better or worse, for long term or short, convincing me that this other is a one-and-only and this event is unique. The other styles of loving charted in the research—sharing, caring, practical commitments, and libidinal intimacy—are less selective, less personal. They do not insist upon this particular partner who embodies the image I carry in my heart. Romantic mania sees what is already therein the acorn before you even came along.

The Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset says we fall in love on few occasions in a long life. It is a rare and fortuitous event, and it strikes incredibly deeply. When such love hap-pens, it is for no other reason than the singularity of the object. Only this person. Not attributes and virtues, not voice or hips or bank account, not projections left over from earlier flames or hand-me-down family patterns, simply the uniqueness of this person whom the heart's eye selected. Without that sense of fate in the choice, the romance of the love doesn't work. For this sort of love is not a personal relation-ship or a genetic epistasis, but more likely a daimonic inheritance, a gift and curse from the invisible ancestors.

A similar sense of destiny, if less sudden and less heated, and a similar devotion can mark falling for a place and even for a work, as well as for a person. You can't leave it, you must stay with it until it's over, you perform ritual magic devotions to keep it going. The same enchantments occur, the same sense arises that I could live the rest of my life with you, whether "you" is a person, a place, a work. And the similar feeling exists that not only is my life called here, but my death.

Death is a ponderous and repugnant term to connect with the intense vibrations of romantic love; but romantic love especially reverberates with feelings of both the eternal and the shortness and fragility of life, as if death's call to a limitless "beyond" elsewhere were always shadowing and inspiring romantic passion. One takes the most extraordinary risks. And when literature joins romantic lovers it also joins their love with death.

The eye of the heart that "sees" is also the eye of death that sees through visible presentation to an invisible core. When Michelangelo sculpted portraits of his contemporaries or of the figures of religion and myth, he attempted to see what he called the immagine del cuor, the heart's image, "a pre-figuration" of what he was sculpting, as if the chisel that cut the rock followed the eye that penetrated his subject into its heart. The portrait aimed to reveal the inner soul of what he was carving.

A heart's image lies within each person. It is what we truly reveal when we fall helplessly in love, for then we are opened to display who we most truly are, giving a glimpse of our soul's genius [daimon]. People say: "He looks so different—he must be in love." "She's fallen in love; she's utterly changed." When love moves the heart, something else is perceived in the idolized object, which poetic language tries to capture. Michelangelo tried to express this image in the sculpted form. The categories of nature and nurture do not reach into the heart or see through its eye. That is why we have had to add to our examination of genetics and environment this coda on love.

The meeting between lover and beloved is heart to heart, like that between sculptor and model, between hand and stone. It is a meeting of images, an exchange of imaginations. When we fall in love we begin to imagine romantically, fiercely, wildly, madly, jealously, with possessive, paranoid intensity. And when we imagine strongly, we begin to fall in love with the images conjured before the heart's eye—as when starting a project, preparing a vacation trip, planning anew house in a different city, swelling with pregnancy. . . .Our imaginations draw us ever more fully into the venture.You can't leave the lab, can't stop buying equipment, reading brochures, imagining names. You are in love because of imagination. By freeing imagination, even identical twins are freed of their sameness [or genetic constraints].

Although not many couples in these books 'fall madly in love' in the way he is writing about, and more often than not their togetherness is some plot or scheme or entirely accidental, the triad informing their choices, and maybe all of our choices, would be : (1) nature/genetics (2) nurture/environment and (3) Soul/daimon/angel/destiny, aka choices predetermined in 5D.
 
I just finished the fallen angel series by Mary Jo Putney. Really enjoyed it. Not as intense as Stella Riley but a great series to be sure. I think I’m going to give the romance novels a quick break and read/listen to the three body problem as it has come up in quite few podcasts of late … it I will be back for more recommendations soon..
 
Quick question, is this thread to suggest only books? Or are Screen adaptations also accepted?

I like books, but often find it takes more efforts/concentration to read and I sometimes read too slow, which is tedious. So I prefer screen adaptation for this reason, but also because of the decors, costumes and music score; it's more immersive.

6 months ago, I started learning Mandarin, discovered the world of Cdrama, and fell in love with it (and the culture). It's just so refreshing, and China censors sexuality and violence, so anything you watch is "clean". A lot of the stories are "slow burn"; they barely kiss a couple of times past half the series, and the wedding is only at/near the end. They also have the same thing as the Victorian era concerning name/surname/courtesy name usage, where:

"In dramas, the shift from using a surname or courtesy name to a given name often signals a deepening of trust or closeness between characters. For example, a character might start by calling another "Scholar Liu" (using surname or title) but later use their given name, like "Yunzhi," as they become friends or lovers."

So to answer
Does anyone have recommendations as to what series to start on next?

I can recommend a few series (all in Mandarin only, with English subtitles) which are all available for free on YouTube or Netflix:

The Double
Genre(s): Historical, Suspense, Investigation, Romance, Revenge, Political Intrigue

Description: Set in ancient China, The Double follows a woman navigating a web of deception, betrayal, and vengeance after a tragic past. It blends intense suspense with investigative elements as the protagonist uncovers truths, alongside a slow-burn romance and political maneuvering. The drama emphasizes female resilience and strategic plotting in a patriarchal setting.


Kill Me Love Me (keep a box of Kleenex close by...)
Genre(s): Historical, Romance, Wuxia (Martial Arts), Tragedy, Revenge, Political Intrigue

Description: Romance with heavy tragic undertones, focusing on a love story set against a backdrop of martial arts conflicts and personal sacrifices. It incorporates fantasy elements typical of wuxia, such as mystical Martial Arts abilities, and explores themes of loyalty, duty, and heartbreak. The narrative is driven by emotional stakes and intense character relationships


Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
Genre(s): Xianxia (Immortal Fantasy), Romance, Comedy, Adventure, Isekai (Transmigration)

Description: This drama follows Ling Miao Miao, a modern girl transported into a fantasy novel as a villainous character. Tasked with winning the heart of Mu Sheng, it blends xianxia’s fantastical elements (demons, magic) with comedic and romantic arcs. The isekai premise adds a playful, meta layer, while the story explores redemption and human-demon coexistence. Its vibrant visuals and humor make it accessible and engaging. (I love the actress that plays Ling Miao Miao, she is cute and funny)


Love Between Fairy and Devil
Genre(s): Xianxia (Immortal Fantasy), Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Description: A beloved xianxia drama, it centers on a fairy (Orchid) and a demon lord (Dongfang Qingcang) whose body-swap mishap sparks an unexpected romance. Set in a mythical realm with gods, demons, and magical battles, it balances lighthearted comedy, intense romance, and emotional depth. Its high production values and chemistry-driven narrative make it a standout.


In Blossom
Genre(s): Historical, Suspense, Investigation, Romance, Mystery

Description: Historical mystery with a romantic core, following a woman entangled in a complex web of murder investigations and hidden truths. The drama combines suspenseful case-solving with emotional and romantic developments, set against a richly detailed ancient Chinese backdrop. It’s noted for its intricate plotting and character-driven storytelling


Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (Filmed in Finland)
Genre(s): Modern, Romance, Sports Drama, Slice of Life, Realistic Settings

Description: This modern romance follows Yin Guo, a nine-ball player, and Lin Yi Yang, a former snooker pro, whose chance meeting during a snowstorm sparks a heartfelt love story. Set in realistic urban and sports environments, it emphasizes authentic emotions, personal growth, and the challenges of balancing love and ambition. (First love between 2 young adults - early 20's)
 
Yeah. I wonder the same thing and that's why I figured it had to be some sort of channeling.

One thing to notice is this: Mary (and others) have selected a particular historical setting to work with probably for a number of reasons, not the least of which would be the popularity of books such as those written by Jane Austen and the Brontes. But the same types of dynamics might work in other settings, other times and places. The only requirement would be a strong social code that one has to work with and even against, sometimes. And that social code should contain some strong elements of an STO reality even if it has been misused by the society. I don't know if it is a failure of my knowledge or if it is a fact, but I can't think of another time and place where exactly such conditions prevailed.

Alice Coldbreath has written a couple of fantasy series (Vawdrey Brothers, Brides of Karadok) that are interesting for their near similarity, but she has made different rules for her make-believe time and place and it doesn't seem as useful for our purposes. In any event, if anyone wants to check them out, they are not based so strictly on the social rules of the Regency type. She also has two other books set in Victorian England and involving a different social class: "A Bride for the Prizefighter" and "A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter". They are interesting stories, especially considering the class context, and set against other romances of the period. Be warned, however, that this author has NO control whatsoever over her verbs and verb phrases and sometimes her nouns are a bit iffy too. And these books do NOT need to be added to the list; they are totally optional.

Replying to an old comment I made.

For those looking for more, I think Alice Coldbreath's books mentioned above could be a new direction. Despite her issues with language which stem, I'm sure, from her cultural milieu and not from ignorance, she writes a darn good story. Her characters are strongly drawn, her dialog is interesting and realistic, there's humor, intrigue, and all kinds of psychological dynamics. It's all set in a mythical world - Karadok - that is meant, I'm sure, to represent medieval England though with some cultural adjustments.

The order of reading should be the first two Vawdry brothers books, then the first book of the Brides of Karadok, then the last Vawdry brother's book, then back to finish the Brides series. That keeps everything chronological. They are all interconnected and there is a story about the King and Queen that threads through all of them in the background, finally resolving in the last book.

By mentally replacing the grammatical errors (which aren't THAT bad), I really enjoyed these books. I recommended them to Ark and he actually enjoyed them too! There is a lot about jousting in them and even though I would ordinarily not be interested in that, it held my attention.
 
Quick question, is this thread to suggest only books? Or are Screen adaptations also accepted?

I like books, but often find it takes more efforts/concentration to read and I sometimes read too slow, which is tedious. So I prefer screen adaptation for this reason, but also because of the decors, costumes and music score; it's more immersive.

6 months ago, I started learning Mandarin, discovered the world of Cdrama, and fell in love with it (and the culture). It's just so refreshing, and China censors sexuality and violence, so anything you watch is "clean". A lot of the stories are "slow burn"; they barely kiss a couple of times past half the series, and the wedding is only at/near the end. They also have the same thing as the Victorian era concerning name/surname/courtesy name usage, where:

"In dramas, the shift from using a surname or courtesy name to a given name often signals a deepening of trust or closeness between characters. For example, a character might start by calling another "Scholar Liu" (using surname or title) but later use their given name, like "Yunzhi," as they become friends or lovers."

So to answer


I can recommend a few series (all in Mandarin only, with English subtitles) which are all available for free on YouTube or Netflix:

The Double
Genre(s): Historical, Suspense, Investigation, Romance, Revenge, Political Intrigue

Description: Set in ancient China, The Double follows a woman navigating a web of deception, betrayal, and vengeance after a tragic past. It blends intense suspense with investigative elements as the protagonist uncovers truths, alongside a slow-burn romance and political maneuvering. The drama emphasizes female resilience and strategic plotting in a patriarchal setting.


Kill Me Love Me (keep a box of Kleenex close by...)
Genre(s): Historical, Romance, Wuxia (Martial Arts), Tragedy, Revenge, Political Intrigue

Description: Romance with heavy tragic undertones, focusing on a love story set against a backdrop of martial arts conflicts and personal sacrifices. It incorporates fantasy elements typical of wuxia, such as mystical Martial Arts abilities, and explores themes of loyalty, duty, and heartbreak. The narrative is driven by emotional stakes and intense character relationships


Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
Genre(s): Xianxia (Immortal Fantasy), Romance, Comedy, Adventure, Isekai (Transmigration)

Description: This drama follows Ling Miao Miao, a modern girl transported into a fantasy novel as a villainous character. Tasked with winning the heart of Mu Sheng, it blends xianxia’s fantastical elements (demons, magic) with comedic and romantic arcs. The isekai premise adds a playful, meta layer, while the story explores redemption and human-demon coexistence. Its vibrant visuals and humor make it accessible and engaging. (I love the actress that plays Ling Miao Miao, she is cute and funny)


Love Between Fairy and Devil
Genre(s): Xianxia (Immortal Fantasy), Romance, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Description: A beloved xianxia drama, it centers on a fairy (Orchid) and a demon lord (Dongfang Qingcang) whose body-swap mishap sparks an unexpected romance. Set in a mythical realm with gods, demons, and magical battles, it balances lighthearted comedy, intense romance, and emotional depth. Its high production values and chemistry-driven narrative make it a standout.


In Blossom
Genre(s): Historical, Suspense, Investigation, Romance, Mystery

Description: Historical mystery with a romantic core, following a woman entangled in a complex web of murder investigations and hidden truths. The drama combines suspenseful case-solving with emotional and romantic developments, set against a richly detailed ancient Chinese backdrop. It’s noted for its intricate plotting and character-driven storytelling


Amidst a Snowstorm of Love (Filmed in Finland)
Genre(s): Modern, Romance, Sports Drama, Slice of Life, Realistic Settings

Description: This modern romance follows Yin Guo, a nine-ball player, and Lin Yi Yang, a former snooker pro, whose chance meeting during a snowstorm sparks a heartfelt love story. Set in realistic urban and sports environments, it emphasizes authentic emotions, personal growth, and the challenges of balancing love and ambition. (First love between 2 young adults - early 20's)

It's recommended to read the recommended books and not watch dramas. If you read the thread - or even just do an advanced thread search featuring Laura's posts and read all of them - you'll see that this experiment follows a pretty specific usage of imagination, self-observation, and sexual energies to get the desired affect.
 
It's recommended to read the recommended books and not watch dramas. If you read the thread
I haven't found a post that specifically mentioned that only reading books works as well as avoiding watching screen adaptations, which is why I asked the question. I had read the first 2-3 pages of this thread as well as the session mentioned (4-july-2020).
So I might have missed it.

elicits ideas of a different world. (...) it elicits ideas of romance, harmony between men and women, and so on.
From what I understood, it was about generating positive emotions and positive role models, which I both found in some of those dramas mentioned, because China is all about "good role models", "honor", "integrity", and "good deeds" that benefit Chinese society (communist ideologies), which is why censorship of screen adaptations is really severe. The historical dramas are even more interesting, showing how the social norms between men and women are supposed to govern their interactions with each other, the respect between them, the friendship that gradually blossoms into love, etc

The only thing I see that could be negative would be: watching TV is passive, whilst reading is more active and engages the imagination.
 
I haven't found a post that specifically mentioned that only reading books works as well as avoiding watching screen adaptations, which is why I asked the question. I had read the first 2-3 pages of this thread as well as the session mentioned (4-july-2020).
So I might have missed it.


From what I understood, it was about generating positive emotions and positive role models, which I both found in some of those dramas mentioned, because China is all about "good role models", "honor", "integrity", and "good deeds" that benefit Chinese society (communist ideologies), which is why censorship of screen adaptations is really severe. The historical dramas are even more interesting, showing how the social norms between men and women are supposed to govern their interactions with each other, the respect between them, the friendship that gradually blossoms into love, etc

The only thing I see that could be negative would be: watching TV is passive, whilst reading is more active and engages the imagination.

IIRC, somewhere in this thread you'll find studies that show reading fiction activates certain regions of the brain in a unique way. Imagination is key. TV produces a different effect. And unless the Chinese dramas have very real steamy sex scenes, which I doubt, then you won't be getting the sexual centre activation necessary for the transformative process in this experiment. So on two counts, imagination and sex, I don't think they're an adequate substitute. Best to read the whole thread IMO.
 
I haven't found a post that specifically mentioned that only reading books works as well as avoiding watching screen adaptations, which is why I asked the question. I had read the first 2-3 pages of this thread as well as the session mentioned (4-july-2020).
So I might have missed it.


From what I understood, it was about generating positive emotions and positive role models, which I both found in some of those dramas mentioned, because China is all about "good role models", "honor", "integrity", and "good deeds" that benefit Chinese society (communist ideologies), which is why censorship of screen adaptations is really severe. The historical dramas are even more interesting, showing how the social norms between men and women are supposed to govern their interactions with each other, the respect between them, the friendship that gradually blossoms into love, etc

The only thing I see that could be negative would be: watching TV is passive, whilst reading is more active and engages the imagination.

I agree with iamthatis that you really need to read through the thread in order to understand what this experiment is about as Laura was vague at first about the experiment and only later revealed more as people started to notice and share.

To get you started, here's a few posts from Laura. Once you've read them and given them some thought, then read my post and see if what Laura wrote takes on a new meaning.

Now, what I actually had in mind when I started this thread was that others would read these books (at least some of them) that I am specifically thinking about in order to discuss them and discern what exactly is going on here. I didn't really intend for the thread to become a discussion of other literature. My thought was that, if I am right and these books are as good as I think they are in terms of heightening and focusing emotional and creative energy, they just might be effective for focusing that energy on creating a new reality during this very specific and frightening time. While one has to be very careful with sexual energies, they can also be utilized along with emotional energy to focus on values and principles that are positive. God knows, they are being used in negative ways every day with porn and violence.

Well, if reading is stirring stuff up, then it is doing what it should do. Only when things are stirred up can one deal with them effectively.

One hint I will give at this point is this: the books are designed to stir up the sex center; to engage some emotional suffering (Cs said suffering can modify DNA and that might be even more the case with some sexual energy fuelling the process); and then bring the two (sex center, emotional center energy) up into the heart/mind with appropriate resolution toward true love, giving, devotion, etc.

Once I saw this pattern, I realized that a substantial number of repetitions of this process, all within the body/mind could quite easily bring about some kind of reset of emotional energy at a higher level.

And it seems to me that those who are most uncomfortable with the process may indeed need it the most. Especially since, as already mentioned, we are in a period of "hyperkinetic sensate" where it seems that even ordinary emotions are amplified.

You could even say that this kind of reading - selected books only - is something like neurofeedback only for the emotions; it can quite possibly transmute lower emotions to higher ones.

There is more I will say about it later. I'm still waiting for some of you to "get it".

Remember, it's not so much about the story itself, as what the story DOES TO YOU in the process of being told. It's all symbolic.

The main reason I am NOT reading or recommending something like Outlander is purely because of the science fiction aspects. This exercise is to be grounded in reality as we know it, even if it is represented in a context of a historical remove. There is no magic, no special powers, no getting around work.

As many of you know, I'm privy to a lot of confidences from many people of a VERY private nature. I'm aware how messed up some people's very private lives are. It gradually dawned on me, based on the pooled information from many, many people, that reading about healthy sex might actually help some people who are in relationships. So, there's that.

But mainly, what interests me is the potential for arousing and transmuting energies especially at a time when it appears that emotions have gone "hyperkinetic" all over the world. How best to combat that?

I'm sure that many of you are aware that the entire time that "Frank" was involved in the experiment, there was a very negative attitude toward sex and physical relationships. I've wondered about that a lot considering so many other things that fell out over the years. I've wondered about it even more with the events of the past ten years or so and the emergence of the LBGT agenda. There was also a session where the Cs said something about men (and women?) losing their libidos in the times preceding or during The Wave. Those things put together have caused me to think quite a bit. And maybe some of you can think about it too and put together some obvious deductions. Like, ask yourself the question if the whole messing up of sex center energy is not a planned attack of some sort? And what about the nutcases who promote stuff like "Curious Beagle" came out with in a post above? That nonsense has been around for a long time and never did anybody any good and Gurdjieff warned stringently against the deceptions of kundaline and the Abuse of Sex (which is not what most people think).

So, there's all that. Think about it!

I've so far finished the Horseman trilogy, the first book in the Huxtable quintet, and I'm about halfway through the second book "Then Comes Seduction". Boy that Mary Balogh is one heck of an engaging writer and it's clear she's given not a small amount of thought to the human condition. Really looking forward to where she goes with the rest of this series, because like luc said it's a tour de force thus far.

So far I've noticed a greater capacity for understanding and compassion for myself as well as others, a greater desire for connection with friends and family, more energy for focusing on and getting things done without as much mental drama and with less willpower needed to do it, and I've been better able to keep up with what's going on in the world without as much dread before and after.

There's also been a few realizations of how and why previous relationships failed and an emotional release which happened last night after reading TCS that I wanted to share.

The emotional release came about after thinking about Katherine's struggle with her lack of freedom in resolving a particular situation because of how people and the world work. Which is far from ideal and tied in with what Montford had told her earlier that life among the ton, while having many perks, has very little freedom. After reading I was thinking about myself as an 8 year old because of something unrelated but then I remembered my own anger and resentment at the world and people at that age for not being as I thought they should be. An attitude that I carried with me ever since and which in part shaped my personality and behavior.

The moment I realized how long I carried that childish entitlement, anger, and resentment and how it shaped me a wave of emotions rolled up through my body just reaching the top of my head while tears welled up in my eyes such that I thought I was going to burst into a sobbing mess. But after a few moments the wave receded and I was left with a sense of calm and a few shed tears.

This got me thinking about myself as a child and the problems that I had, the unhealthly coping strategies, and so forth and wondered if I could see myself as I was then but with kindness, compassion, understanding, and love. So I imagined seeing younger me as if he was a child that I happened across on the street. As I did this and remembered and saw different aspects of myself and my life there came and went much gentler waves of emotions as well as quite a number of tears.

This went on for probably 10-15 minutes and afterwards I slept quite peacefully.

Hope this makes sense because it's hard to describe and there was a lot to process. But I wanted to share it because it seems that these books are helping me resolve some emotional issues that I've been dealing with for a long time and hope that it might inspire others to keep up with the reading as uncomfortable as it may be at times as it may help them to do the same.

Can honestly say I never experienced anything like that by watching a TV show or movie. There's just something special about these books in the way they stir up the sexual and emotional centers that is unlike anything else.

I get that it may not be as easy as you might like because you may find it tedious at times. But if you can set that aside and without anticipation just see what, if anything, comes from reading the recommended books you may find that it's worth the effort.
 
Last edited:
unless the Chinese dramas have very real steamy sex scenes, which I doubt, then you won't be getting the sexual centre activation necessary for the transformative process in this experiment. So on two counts, imagination and sex, I don't think they're an adequate substitute. Best to read the whole thread IMO.
No, they don't lol
But... Now I'm wondering if I might be a unique case. Let me explain:

I have previously read a couple of adult romantic fiction novels (and I wrote one, which was a FanFiction), so I think I know what type of feeling you are referring to. I've experienced almost the same "sexual centre activation" with the romantic scenes and exchanges of glances between the protagonists in those C-dramas. Those scenes were simple, but powerful emotionally.

For me, some of those Chinese actors are Sooooo handsome; they are my ultimate ideal of male beauty 🤭.
Porcelain skin, androgynous facial structures, eye liner and eye shadow, long hair, gorgeous period long sleeves costumes, graceful and elegant demeanor, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps... My imagination and Sexual centers keep working long after I shut down my TV lol

It makes sense that novels will appeal to a broader audience because they leave freedom to the reader to visualise certain things the way they prefer.

I agree with iamthatis that you really need to read through the thread in order to understand what this experiment is about as Laura was vague at first about the experiment and only later revealed more as people started to notice and share.
Oh, I see! A little surprise experiment... 😉 Will check it out, thanks to both of you for the info!
 
No, they don't lol
But... Now I'm wondering if I might be a unique case. Let me explain:

I have previously read a couple of adult romantic fiction novels (and I wrote one, which was a FanFiction), so I think I know what type of feeling you are referring to. I've experienced almost the same "sexual centre activation" with the romantic scenes and exchanges of glances between the protagonists in those C-dramas. Those scenes were simple, but powerful emotionally.

For me, some of those Chinese actors are Sooooo handsome; they are my ultimate ideal of male beauty 🤭.
Porcelain skin, androgynous facial structures, eye liner and eye shadow, long hair, gorgeous period long sleeves costumes, graceful and elegant demeanor, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps... My imagination and Sexual centers keep working long after I shut down my TV lol

It makes sense that novels will appeal to a broader audience because they leave freedom to the reader to visualise certain things the way they prefer.


Oh, I see! A little surprise experiment... 😉 Will check it out, thanks to both of you for the info!

No problem. And also, don't worry if the reading is slow. Like most things in the Work, it can be hard at times - this is often the Predator Mind throwing a wrench in our gears, getting us to believe all kinds of excuses. Mental blocking works for this in most cases. Plus, if it is any consolation, the novels get easier to digest after you've read a decent number of them. Some of them truly hit home in the most profound way, but it takes a wide reading to find the particular stories that resonate with current lessons or past life karmic residue.
 

Trending content

Back
Top Bottom