Spring 2022 Newsletter
(April 2022)
Urbana, Illinois
Dear Living Tao friends:
Happy Spring from where I am in Middle America.
I am still feeling the warm glow in my XIN 心 heart/mind (body and spirit) from the Easter Weekend gathering with so many of you faithfully and consistently continuing to participate in our ongoing learning and practice of the “Living TAO”.
Every month with our reviewing and refreshing the essential learnings from the “Tai Ji Yin/Yang Watercourse Way” Tao Essence, there are always surprising new insights and discoveries to emerge and evolve our practice and learning.
I found increasing power experiencing the Yin/Yang transformations in my CHI/QI 氣 body during our Ba Gua 八掛 (Eight Trigrams) practice. Also, the instant embodiment of “The Dance of Shiva” postures, while remembering and honoring our late mentor Joseph Campbell with joy and gratitude.
Inspired by the video of our dear friend Andreas Vollenweider and his timely words, and a nostalgic surprise of few moments 30 years ago, sharing our kindred collaboration at the Berlin Peace Conference by the Brandenburg Gate. Who were those two young looking fellows??!!
For our next series of sharing we will, of course, continue to review, refresh, re-fire, and re-wire all the loose ends of the multi-dimensional rich fabrics of the Living Tao Tai Ji Tapestry.
I am revisiting the Zen saying of “Spring Comes, Grass Grows by itself!”,
Chun Lai Cao Zi Sheng 春來草自生
with a deeper understanding of the “Sense of Wonder”; also re-discovering the poetic symbolism in Lao Tzu Verse One, describing the wonderment in the polar interplay of Yin/Yang recycling from “Some-thing to No-thing to Some-thing to No-thing” (有無相生 you wu xiang sheng) to come to the “mystery within mystery, the gateway to all Wonders!” (玄之又玄眾妙之門). This Wonderment is depicted by 妙, a combined symbol of the Feminine 女 and the Child 少. There are so many new discoveries and so much continued learning!
For May, we turn to the annual imagery of the budding peony flowers.
We will once again use this symbolism to find the potent CHI/Qi deep inside ourselves ready to burst into full bloom. And, as always, new AHA! moments of New Awareness with many of the Chinese symbols we have learned, to discover new meanings: to embody and empower our perpetual study and practice 學習 (xue xi).
The vision appearing in my mind’s eye now include ideas of:
- TIME 時間(shi jian);
- SPACE 空間(kong jian); and
- HUMANITY 人間 (ren jian).
The physical and mental, philosophical, and spiritual starting at the very beginning with the practice of our Tai Ji Rituals. So much to explore, expand, enrich, enhance, and enlighten!
Looking forward to our upcoming ZOOM gatherings.
CHI-eers,
