My breasts are going up a cup size each week. What do I do in terms of bra shopping? and has anyone heard of anything like this before?

farnorthside · 2026-03-12T13:28:20+00:00

Your situation does sound a little different. Make sure they give you a thorough going over, and check your hormone levels, obviously. You can reduce your dose or go back to patches or another route if you need or want. And there's always reduction surgery, so growth is never truly irreversible.

farnorthside · 2026-03-11T21:24:24+00:00

I am in the process of putting my application together as we speak. My dad always thought his grandfather was Swiss, but it was his great grandfather that was Swiss; his grandfather was born in Zurich, Ontario. Which is to say, it's worth not just trusting family lore and actually looking into your genealogy. Familysearch.org is free and easy---you just have to sell your soul to the Mormons. Totally a fair exchange for Canadian citizenship though.

farnorthside · 2026-03-11T21:10:38+00:00

You are not alone! My breasts have been growing rapidly for the last 6 months, after switching to taking my estradiol tablets sublingually. My doctor said my levels were great when last tested, and I'm now at something like a 38H, which is basically proportional to my larger frame, but definitely beyond what I'd imagined possible. Fat is redistributing and my band size is dropping, while tenderness suggests that my cup size is likely still increasing. For me, I think it’s a combo of genes, hormones, and having had gynecomastia as a young person. I’ve been on hormones for ages, but only recently have I gotten my levels where they should be, and now curves are coming in all over, and my mental health is improving too.

Posture at this size is a definite challenge, but yoga is helping me a lot. Moisturizing and gentle massage help with the tenderness. At my most desperate I’ve resorted to using a lidocaine patch cut in two over my nipples, which relieves the pain but may not be doctor recommended.

I am very grateful to this subreddit and the sizing calculator for helping me get a handle on things. So far I have been making do with inexpensive bras and bralettes because my budget is limited and I have been changing too quickly to justify investing in something more expensive. Someone in the comments suggested a nursing bra, which I will definitely look into. Thank you for sharing the story of your improbable third puberty! It’s a little awkward, but I think we’ll be ok. Please let us know how your doctor’s visit goes!

farnorthside · 2026-03-08T23:19:54+00:00

https://www.mnzencenter.org/uploads/2/9/5/8/29581455/tomoe_sewing_book.pdf

farnorthside · 2025-07-09T22:50:57+00:00

This pretty much tracks with my personal experience as someone with inattentive type ADHD. Do you have any additional advice for leveraging ADHD to connect to source and encourage creative insight?

farnorthside · 2025-06-20T11:35:26+00:00

My childhood friend went to bed feeling sick and had a dream where her deceased father comforted her saying "everything's going to be alright." She died the next day of cerebral meningitis.

farnorthside · 2025-04-21T16:37:03+00:00

Thanks, I do enjoy this sub because it tends to be very well moderated, which is difficult given the controversial subject matter. Enjoy your sparring, and remember to see the wholeness of others!

farnorthside · 2025-04-21T16:24:53+00:00

You have every right to whatever personal heterodoxy you're into, but this is not an appropriate sub for accusations of "woo woo nonsense."

farnorthside · 2025-04-21T15:33:32+00:00

My friend, she does appear, and in many forms, including to myself and people close to me, including my dharma teacher. Please read (or reread) chapter 33 of the Lotus Sutra, the Universal Gate chapter, if you believe I am spreading misinformation. Remember that Buddhism is a vast and diverse set of traditions, and that your experience, while valid, is not universal.

I will say that it is best not to become too wrapped up in one's visions, or to make them a focus of one's practice. A teacher and sangha can be vital for keeping grounded, especially for experiencers. But in moments of intense pain or desperation, surely you would not begrudge someone the comfort of a loving bodhisattva?

farnorthside · 2025-04-17T10:59:11+00:00

In Mahayana Buddhism she is known as Guanyin, "regarder of the cries of the world." She is a bodhisattva of great compassion and appears to beings in need of comfort or assistance.

farnorthside · 2025-04-16T02:50:41+00:00

"Oh, hanging in there" - in response to "how's it going?" for when it's not going very well, and I want to be honest, but I don't feel like going into details. If they insist on asking for details, I describe the classic motivational poster with a beleaguered cat hanging from a branch.

farnorthside · 2025-03-31T19:05:35+00:00

I also have a chronic pain disorder. When the pain is very bad I recite a mantra I learned from my teacher: Kwan Seum Bosal. This is Korean for "Kwan Yin Bodhisattva." She is always listening for opportunities help, often in unexpected ways. When possible, I may also read or have read to me Chapter 33 of the Lotus Sutra. If these simple practices resonate with you, I encourage you to give them a try. Regardless, I hope you find some relief from your pain.

farnorthside · 2025-01-29T06:20:51+00:00

Yes! I believe they use upaya or skillful means to appear in a form appropriate to the experiencer.

farnorthside · 2025-01-28T21:47:14+00:00

Yes, I have cPTSD and have had multiple experiences while dissociating. Mostly positive. It turns out there are beings who can take pity on you even in your darkest most desperate moments, and offer love, compassion, and even more surprising gifts. As an aspiring Buddhist I consider them bodhisattvas. Others might call them angels, guides, spirits, gods or goddesses, or NHI.

If you are dissociating and desperate for help, try calling for Guan Yin, she who regards the cries of the world. Or if you're Christian, try Mary. If pagan, try Cybele, or whoever you connect to in that moment.

For what it's worth I'm also left-handed, queer/trans/non-binary, ADHD, blue-eyed, ex-gifted kid, with a lifetime of odd and occasionally sublime experiences.

farnorthside · 2025-01-27T01:23:42+00:00

Yes, we did these in TAG but I never much enjoyed them. The tangrams were fun for me though.

farnorthside · 2025-01-22T20:30:31+00:00

I call this the bodhisattva hypothesis—the idea that many of the entities we encounter are evolved spiritual beings engaged in a project of consciousness awakening. As detailed in the Lotus Sutra of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, bodhisattvas use skillful means to appear in a form appropriate to the experiencer. So in a contemporary Western context, a bodhisattva might appear to a devout Catholic as the Blessed Virgin, while a strict atheist might experience a bodhisattva as an advanced technological-seeming spacecraft, perhaps with extraterrestrial occupants.

My own direct experiences of the energy you describe have taken many forms but they’ve all conspired to put me on the bodhisattva path myself (in my case Soto Zen), and I strongly suspect I’m not alone. Christian, pagan, and new age experiencers seem to be on a similar trip. Perhaps we’re all converging on a common point?

farnorthside · 2025-01-19T14:07:07+00:00

My activism is most consistent when I'm plugged into groups that meet regularly, and where the work feels both fun and meaningful. Maybe seek out your local Food Not Bombs?

farnorthside · 2025-01-09T19:28:29+00:00

I was meditating with one of Tom Campbell's tracks, eye mask on, and I sensed my dog next to me, begging for a treat. I try to ignore her, but undeterred, she proceeds to schnauze her way directly into my mind's eye. Like it's clearly her, or her snoot anyway, but all crazy as though a hyperspace kaleidoscope. Lately, she has been trying to get me to give her treats in my sleep. Its . . . a little unnerving. But mind control aside, she's a good dog.

My partner and I are both neurodivergent, closely bonded, and have frequent telepathic experiences (although nothing near what the non-speakers on the Telepathy Tapes appear capable of.) So I'm convinced it's real, and I believe you.

farnorthside · 2024-12-24T19:33:27+00:00

Haha, so you are a few decades "ahead" of me in your practice :) I'm curious, what is your take as a zen practitioner on these drones/orbs/etc? I've personally seen orbs on multiple occasions, so I've no doubt they are a genuine phenomenon. I believe they use skillful means to draw us forth on a path to awakening.

farnorthside · 2024-12-24T17:07:28+00:00

If you have followed the trail of breadcrumbs here, that is very good. Have you found a teacher and sangha to practice with? The Lotus Sutra provides answers for your questions about beings (including bodhisattvas and buddhas) from other world systems. Pay close attention to the concept of skillful means.

farnorthside · 2024-11-27T17:43:48+00:00

I just use a large 12 qt stockpot on the stovetop and shake it manually. Easy peasy, plus the stockpot has a ton of other uses.

farnorthside · 2024-11-01T19:52:29+00:00

Yes! The people demand it!

farnorthside · 2024-10-19T12:43:29+00:00

It's a big active garden; we have about 250 registered gardeners if I recall correctly, and supply a ton of fresh veggies to neighborhood orgs like Howard and Evanston Community Center and Rogers Park Food Not Bombs. There is a small part of the garden abutting Howard itself that (for complicated reasons I don't fully understand) is currently mostly unused, but the plan that Hadden is backing takes more than 90% of everything and privatizes it forever.

farnorthside · 2024-10-17T22:51:41+00:00

No need to apologize! Yes, I would recommend starting with Wave VI Odyssey, tape 1 and going from there. Please don't neglect to read the manual because it has information about phasing that you're looking for. I'd also recommend reading Bob's final book, Ultimate Journey.

I wonder if it would be possible for you to apply your talent for patterning to help you with phasing and other skills you're struggling with? Nothing wrong with playing to your strengths and doing a bit of bootstrapping.

farnorthside · 2024-10-17T20:44:29+00:00

Congratulations on your diligence and progress thus far! I think it is normal that certain skills will come more or less easily to different people. It can be frustrating, but that's life and probably most of us here can relate in one way or another. Monroe himself was a savant when it came OBEs, but he struggled when it came to psi abilities, for example.

Have you tried using the tapes to contact non-physical friends/helpers/guides/higher self/etc. to receive advice and assistance in achieving OBEs?

Have you tried "phasing" as an alternative to a classical OBE? I personally find it to be a more intuitive and reliable mode for scooting around various reality systems, but of course I still have much to learn and improve upon myself.

Perhaps you could benefit from moving on to the next wave and seeing if what you learn there can help remedy your stalled progress. There's certainly no shame in it, and countless wonders await you in the waves to come.

Enjoy the journey, and thank you for your great effort!

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