May the force be with you

Qi (chi) is the life force or vital energy that permeates everything. We can easily understand that we receive nutrients and cell building energy from the food we eat in the form of vitamins, minerals, protein etc even though we can't see this "energy". The nutrients come from the sun, soil, rain -then we eat them - and we are able to use that energy for our health and well being. The Ancient Ones said there is another force we can't see, qi, that animates all of life as well. It is an energy that exists within us and all around us. By using breath and movement we can increase this flow of energy. When you go out to a beautiful place in nature you experience this vital energy. Mountains, bodies of water, running streams, a forest, and a place like this Japanese Garden, are great reservoir's of healthy, balanced qi. When you are in these sacred places take time to breath and fill yourself with qi.
May the force be with you.

Walking a labyrinth

I entered the labyrinth
quietly slowly
walking toward the center of self
letting go of the outside shell
shedding breathing deeply
till I arrived
at the very center of being
empty of a separate self
then silently when the time was ripe
my journey back
to this world reborn
renewed
I emerged from the Great Mother

Japanese Friendship Garden

Your vision will

become clear

only when you look

into your heart

Carl Jung

Find a place to sit, meditate, and reflect.

20 minutes in the morning

20 minutes in the evening

Keep it simple

Happiness will grow

And peace will find a home

Dragon New Year 2012

Dragon is an ancient mystical symbol in China. Dragon is benevolent and extremely lucky. Dragon symbolizes royalty, wisdom and prosperity.


She is brave and strong


She is action oriented and passionate.


She is a natural leader.


She is independent and free.


She's a bit fierce and untamed.


But she has the Heart of a Dragon.


Wishing you a happy, healthy and creative New Year.

Yin and Yang Forces

Ancient Taoist philosophy explains the Universe in terms of two forces.

Yin (shade) and Yang (bright).

Yang elements include light, fire, rain, the heavens. Yang is represented by the mythical Dragon. Yin elements include darkness, water, wind, and the Earth. Yin is represented by the Tiger (I used a picture of a bobcat that occasionally shows up in my backyard...no tigers were available). Yang qualities are masculine, and active; while yin qualities are passive (as in non-violent) and feminine. A balance of these two equally powerful and strong forces brings harmony and peace. Everything in the Universe results from the interaction of yin and yang. The coming New Year celebrated in the Far East brings the Year of the Water Dragon (New Moon of January 22nd).

Yin Moon

Before the world was

And the sky was filled with stars

There was a strange unfathomable body

This being, this body is silent

and beyond all substance and sensing

It has always been here, and it always will be

Everything comes from it,

it is the Mother of Everything

I do not know its name.

So I call it Tao

from the Tao Te Ching

Yin

'Understand the thrust of yang

But be more like yin in your being

Be like a valley that parts to its stream;

Be like a stream for the earth

And channel it, so it flows to the sea

Be newborn - be free of yourself

be humble, be earthy, be a valley for the whole world.'

Quote from the Tao Te Ching by Man-Ho Kwok

White Tara

Honoring White Tara
The Heart of Perfect Wisdom and Great Compassion
On this first Full Moon of the year

Remembering all Buddhist images
are mirrors for that which lies within each of us

I bow with a prayer that I may remember my own True Nature

The Tao

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Recently I saw this statement on the side of a bus and thought this might be a good theme for the year. On the surface it appears frivolous almost hedonistic. But if you look more deeply it describes a legitimate approach to living in this world.

A couple of quotes from The Second Book of the Tao by Stephen Mitchell:

"The Master doesn't interfere.

She perfects the whole world in her heart."

"Are you worried about the world?

Do you think that it needs your guidance?
Don't the heavens turn by themselves

Don't sun and moon find their place?

What masterminds all this?

What creates all the connections?

What, without effort, makes everything happen in its time?

Do things just happen to turn out exactly the way they do?

What without any effort stirs up this unfathomable joy?"

So, we do what we do in the world, "act without doing"; and then let the Universe take care of how it all turns out. We can let go of the illusion of control over anything! We can choose to go with the flow of life, and leave the driving to "us"; known, by some, as the Tao.

Happy Trails

Mandala

Everything is painted with the brush of the

Invisible One

Let us follow the hidden signs

and find the Painter

Rumi

The First Dawn of 2012

The first day of the new year is filled with optimism and power. We say "yes" to ourselves, we believe in our ability to make the changes we envision. We make a hopeful fresh start. In this winter month it feels like spring.
In all the promises you make to yourself this day include the commitment to be kind to yourself. Just do your best, that's all, but don't put yourself out of your own heart when you think you've come up short of the ideal you have set in your mind. Let it all rest in your loving open heart. Have compassion for yourself, for your own humanness. It seems all transformation begins in this heart of compassion. The rest will follow.