New Year 2011
(December 2011)
Dear Living Tao friends:
Happy Chinese New Year of the Golden Tiger 4708! This year also coincides with Valentine’s Day on Sunday, February 14th. How auspicious can this be?!
Most of our Living Tao friends are familiar with the metaphor of Tiger, from the title of my very first book, “Embrace Tiger, Return To Mountain: The Essence of Tai Ji”, and the way we close our Tai Ji practice in all the dances of the Circles. When we face the realities of current world and domestic situations, in every way, it is reminding us of the wisdom of “Wei Ji: Crisis is Danger and Opportunity”.
In Spring of 2008, our Lan Ting Institute was taking place in China when the Sichuan earthquake occurred; we learned so much from and with the Chinese in their dealing with that major crisis. Now, in Haiti, another natural disaster even more horrendous has happened. We are indeed facing the “Global Tiger” as the world becomes smaller and we become more inter-dependently related. We must again and again, embrace our “Tiger”, looking straight into the eyes of what we encounter and confront in our lives.
Extending even further, we learn from the Chinese of these animal powers, when 虎 Hu(Tiger) year comes after 鼠 Shu (Beginner’s Mind) and 牛 Niu (responsible hard work), and corresponds with the Hexagram #11, 泰 TAI — PEACE in the I Ching. Also, this year we are tuning with the Gold element, the crystalizing phase of the Five Moving Forces of nature. All is what it should be. Therefore, to be hopeful and optimistic, all will be well.
I can’t help but also want to find the balance, associating the American commercialism of pink and sentimental Hallmark cards full of hearts and kisses by remembering the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago—in a Yin/Yang view, but lightly, through the Hollywood spin of that wonderful film, “Some Like it Hot” with Marilyn Monroe, and Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in drag. I especially appreciate the final line in the film, “Nobody is Perfect!”
It is also a New Beginning of the year for Living Tao Foundation, after 32 years based in the Mid-West, to move officially to our River House in Gold Beach, Oregon. From now on, the Foundation address will be P.O. Box 1908, Gold Beach, Oregon 97444 (541) 247-5488.
We keep the same website: <http://www.livingtao.org/> <http://www.livingtao.org/> and email address: <info@livingtao.org <mailto:info@livingtao.org> >.
As a State of Oregon entity, we still maintain our non-profit status as an Arts-Cultural- Philosophical-Educational organization. We are very pleased to welcome John Harper, a longtime Gold Beach supportive friend, to join the Living Tao Board of Directors with Robert Walter, Alexander Murray, Suzanne and me. We are also very pleased to welcome another long time local friend, Ruari Meadows who will be taking over several immediate duties to help me and the Board in taking care of the most urgently at hand work at our new River House office. She will oversee to the incoming mails, membership renewals, new membership, emails, and calls of inquiry, and pass them on to appropriate persons currently responsible to process and relate back.
For those of you who are interested in our annual Easter week program in Switzerland, Beat Staedeli<bstaedeli@pop.agri.ch>, together with the rest of our Swiss Team, will continue to receive your applications, relating to you with your inquiries. In late May, our annual Midwest “Memorial Day” week during “Peonies blossoming time” in Urbana, will continue to gather with local organizers. Detailed information regarding this year’s new Living Tao Training Program in August at our River House in Gold Beach, and the Autumn Lan Ting Institute, returning to Wu Yi Mountain in China, are posted on our website and will be emailed to you shortly.
This weekend, I will be driving up from Oregon to teach at Evergreen College, Olympia, Washington. It has been an annual event around the Chinese New Year for many years now. Because of the budget cut with many schools, the college initially apologized for not having the funds to invite me this year. However, the students came together, by themselves, to raise the money to bring me back. I feel doubly honored to continue working with these young people who are our true hopes to make a difference for the future in the world.
Again, Happy New Year of the Golden Tiger, and Happy Valentine to you ALL, Much Chi and Love,
Chungliang