The 2016 Fall Equinox is September 22.  On the Equinox, day and night will be of equal lengths.  There is a place on the Tai Chi where rising Yin and descending Yang are of equal fullness.  The transition of energy will now move toward the Yin, as we move toward winter in the Northern hemisphere.

It is said that during the two weeks surrounding the Equinox,  the veil between the two worlds is thinner.  It is considered an auspicious time for practicing awareness exercises like Tai Chi Chu’an and Qigong.  What are the “two worlds”, and of what are we trying to become aware?

One concept of two worlds is duality and reality.  Duality is the “dueling” of opposites which happens as  we classify and define things as particle or wave (physics), point or plane (geometry), good or bad (sensations), right or wrong (beliefs).  Reality transcends all that.  It just is.

Our perception of reality is filtered through the veil of duality.  Modern quantum physics states that the observer affects the observed.  Therefore, how we perceive and filter what we observe can define our reality.  Can we be both the observer and the observed?  Can we just “be” for a few moments, and free ourselves of the dueling?  Can we become aware of the duality we have formed for ourselves, and step through it, stepping like a stalking cat with unwavering attention?  Can we slip through the veil, and then, step back again?

As we enter the season of Autumn, we complete the Harvest of Summer’s labors.  How was the Harvest for you this year?  We can assess our successes and our failures, storing the good and releasing the bad.  Feed the rotten apples to the hogs.  Keep the good ones to nourish yourself, your family and community.  Autumn is associated with reward and integrity, but also with loss and grief.  At Northern latitudes, the trees will be losing their leaves gracefully and gloriously, with no grief.  Autumn is the time for letting go.  Let go of passing concerns and considerations, step through the veil of duality, and experience the reality of the ever-changing universe.

During five weeks camping in six states, teaching Tai Chi and Qigong at four different locations, and meeting over 100 wonderful souls on the journey, I met no one who was completely without some kind of pain or sorrow.  And yet, this was a happy journey, and the souls I met were vital, engaged, and enjoying their practice.  Their challenges were revealed in gentle ways.

While assisting my teacher, Roger Jahnke, at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck,  New York, participants shared some of their challenges as we guided them into the gentle movements.  “Two left feet,” no previous experience, zero body awareness, balance issues, neurological disorders, past broken bones, medications, surgeries, arthritis, immune disorders, physical and emotional wounds did not stop these souls from progressing on their journey, and graduating the 25-hour Tai Chi Easy Practice Leader Training.

While leading Five Element Qigong workshops in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, shared slices of life included horrendous accidents and  hospitalizations, end-of-life issues with family, financial hardships induced by medical costs, and yet here too, the souls were smiling, laughing, planning picnics, trips to the lakes, and finding serenity in their practice.

Finally, three days before my first presentation at the National Qigong Association Conference in New Jersey, I began to experience strange and painful symptoms myself.  Increased Qigong practice, intense self-observation and a serendipitous public service announcement on the radio made me realize I had probably contracted Lyme Disease while reveling in the wilderness preserves and campgrounds of the Northeast.  A trip to the Geisinger Clinic confirmed it.  With early detection, three weeks of antibiotics, and assisting my immune system with consistent Qigong, the microbe will likely be fully eradicated from my system.  I decided to incorporate my Qigong method for dealing with the pain and annoying symptoms into my NQA presentation, and conversations with colleagues at the Conference.  An astonishingly large number of souls also have or had Lyme disease, and some have had it more than once.  It was only by revealing my own challenge that others were compelled to share theirs.  Because otherwise, they were busy learning new healing methods, sharing their own Qigong wisdom, and generally having a wonderful time.

“Into each life some rain must fall” say the lyrics of an old Ink Spots song.  Gardeners know rain as a necessary thing.  My fellow travelers on the healing path showed me that even destructive storms can be met with no resistance, but objective observation, wise preparation, gentle persistence and a whole-soul openness to the infinite possibilities of well-being.

Bon voyage!

Rev. Janice organized a Soul Retreat at Unity Church yesterday.  Fifteen souls in silence for seven hours, using meditation, metta-meditation, mandalas, chanting, dance, Qigong, Tai Chi and tea to reconnect and nourish the soul with the Source of all souls.

Afterwards, several participants said Tai Chi walking set the tone for the day.  They had never moved so slowly and it launched them into greater awareness.  We did five of the Seven Precious Gestures, in silence as part of our silent day .  The energy was palpable.  Several participants commented on the Qi rush they experienced as heat or lightness.

Before the retreat, we each shared our name and our intention.  Many simply desired to slow down, to clear their mind, to give themselves a day of rest.  My intention was to share and serve by helping Janice, to give the gift of Tai Chi and Qigong, and thereby to receive by consciously communing with the other souls as we shared the day’s journey.  Afterwards, all of the souls shared feeling the fulfillment of our intentions.  Breathe….and inspire…!

“Even though I don’t know how it works, I deeply and completely accept my ability to heal on every level.”

This is my favorite “set-up phrase” for doing EFT – and for Qigong Tapping.  When we tap on various parts of our bodies, we are stimulating the skin, the flesh, the blood vessels,muscles,  tendons, ligaments, connective tissue, bones, and the very marrow of the bones.  We are stimulating the Qi channels – the meridians used in acupuncture – if you believe they exist.

The idea behind EFT and Qigong tapping is that we can re-program old thought and body patterns, by unlocking stored trauma and  replacing it with new, healthier patterns.  You can google “EFT” to learn more.  Gary Craig founded the EFT technique, and his website is comprehensive.

Qigong tapping is less specific than EFT.  We tap all over the body – there are acupuncture points and meridians everywhere – and according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the points and channels can move.  So by tapping everywhere, we are bound to hit something, right?  Plus it feels good, like a free full body massage!

There is more and more research confirming that the mind can override the DNA, and that positive thinking assists in healing.  So when I’m doing a tapping sequence, I like to harness the energy to good thoughts by using affirmations or a set-up phrase, like this one – my favorite.  I hope you enjoy it too.

This is excerpted from Dr. Evelyn Higgins‘ most recent newsletter:

The 90-Minute Principle:  “The first 90 minutes of your day sets the tone for the remaining 1350 minutes.  Take a look at how you begin your day.  Is it rushed, behind schedule, chaotic?  Is it answering emails, which are truly other people’s agendas?  Or is it, prayerful, meditative, exercising the mind as well as the body?”

My day usually begins before sunrise, to the sound of my husband tip-toeing around, soft, distant music from my alarm, or birds outside the window.  My habitual first thought in the morning, and last thought at night is “Thank you for a good night’s sleep, and thank you for abundant energy for my day.”  I enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, while I read two daily devotionals and spend a few minutes in meditation.  Then I walk to my favorite spot on the beach, and practice morning Qigong as the sun comes up.  Three or four pieces of fruit, and handful of nuts in the Vitamix blender makes the best breakfast ever.  Today was five Florida peaches (they’re small!) with flax seed, ginger and turmeric root.  “Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates is quoted as saying.

“For each five minutes spent in listening, a thousand minds are opened to the truth.”

So says A Course In Miracles.  “If you will lay aside the ego’s voice, however loudly it may seem to call; if you will not accept its petty gifts which give you nothing that you really want; if you will listen with an open mind…then you will hear the mighty Voice of truth, quiet in power, strong in stillness, and completely certain in its messages.”

In our Integral Tai Chi training, we develop an appreciation for meditation.  When I sit in the silence, I first imagine I am laying down my thoughts like tools, and allowing myself a moment’s rest.  Then I listen…listen…listen to the silence.  When thoughts arise, I say “Thank you, not now,” and return my attention to listening.   For me, listening is synonymous with looking within.  When I can get past my self and all my distractions, the experience is both astonishing and comforting.

In The Teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda writes, “For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length–and there I travel looking, looking breathlessly.”

Listening and looking….breathing deeply….breathlessly….comforted and astonished.

“I am open and courageous as I follow my heart to new adventures.

I give thanks for divine discontent – that inner stirring to do or be more.  With each inner nudge, I have an opportunity to express more fully my divine potential.  I open to my higher voice, the whisper of Spirit in my heart, compelling me forward on new quests and rewarding life experiences.”  from the Daily Word April 12, 2016.  www.dailyword.com

Last night I set up my first website, full of trepidation, questions, concerns that it wouldn’t be right…but moreover, excited, empowered, and open to new possibilities.  I awoke an hour earlier than usual this morning, abuzz with creativity and optimism.  Thank you for visiting Three Keys Tai Chi.  To join the discussion about Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation, please register and share your thoughts.