Meandering again

The conference was fun and went well!

Heading home. Lots to ponder and chew upon.

Peace to everyone and will be back to writing soon :)

42

42

The answer is easy

The question poses the problem.

---

This comes out of the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. Old material which has touched the minds of countless readers.

In terms of real life it does apply

Our life is the question we each phrase each moment by the very action of living.

Ask well by living to your own questions.

Peace

Taoist Gathering

Next week I will be presenting at the Fourth Annual Taoist Gathering in Oakland Ca. on October 26-28, 2007.

Stop on by and say hi if you are in the area. It's going to be a blast for me since I get to revisit so friends who are living in Oakland, others are coming down to say hi and others simply becuase I will meet so many new and wonderful people also exploring life.

:) much fun!

I love speaking, it's a blast, I am like an exploding rainbow waterfall. It's definitely something I do well. It's an art, and the process is weaving together information between myself and a audience. It's a dynamic process which I flow with and help shape as it happens. It's living Wu-Wei in full interactive action! Come on down and swirl in the mix!

Peace

Teaching Taoism

Well over the past month I started to teach a free Taoism class in Prescott Az. The class has been quite a bit of fun for everyone.


The class is 7 pm every 2nd thursday of the month. The next class will be on Nov 8th, 2007.

The class is at

The Catalyst
109 N. McCormick St
Prescott Az

If you are in the area stop on by :). I will teach the class for a few months before moving on to a new area.

Peace

Some Days...

Are just crazy...

Flow with it when chasing after your dreams.

Its not as bad as it seems , unless stopping to think...

Peace

Temples of Heart

A temple is not a building.

It's a place of grace

in the movement of life, life itself is the temple

Be it within the pages of a book.

Under the cathedrals of nature

sharing moments with others

Spending time with family

Where family is each other, and everyone... when being open to sharing life...

I am reminded of this, as I have been moving about quite a bit lately. I was thinking this month would be quiet since we are in a new place, where we know no one. Yet our home is open , new people have been coming into our lives and with grace we are helping others become more...

This is a temple and it's a place where by the simplest of efforts...Julie and I do make a difference just by being ourselves.

Peace within your temples to be.

How to be Taoist

Don't think Taoism is only a human philosophy.




Almost every teacher I had never spoke a word to me.

Peace

Business as Usual

Beautiful day

10.10.2007

Sun is out, breeze is playing, garbage was just picked up.... The day tumbles along...


The dow down 110 points... falling .. falling... business as usual as others rush to pick up gains from the fall.

My cat Ishtar scurries across the room, I get ready to perform monkey money grinding earning chores... I haven't grown up, despite being labeled: adult....Heeee, What is the difference between taking out trash for allowance compared to gathering pieces of fallen projects... none really, except the pay rate.


Oh and before I forget. a side note to continue previous discussions of acceptance.

Taoism teaches acceptance in terms of your actions now, rather than by definition...

This is very important to those trying to break free of chains... much luck and don't forget to use the key.

While outside it remains sunny as the Dow tumbles as rain AND this is business as usual....

And the funny thing: so few people see life as it is versus as it's shown....

Enjoy today's televised realities to be if you prefer life as shown.


Peace

Ashes Ashes we all fall down

Playing with Brisamina we dance about.


Ring around the rosie,
Pocketful of posies.
Ashes, ashes.
We all fall down.

To some this has darker meanings.... to some its just a rhyme

To myself, it's just a song as we dance about and brisamina smiles and swirls.

---

A friend and co-worker just back from South Africa. She is an amazing women helping others in South Africa. She writes to me

"I took lots of pictures of the women that I support.. I will share those with you ... these trips always confirm to me how fortunate we are to be living in USA!"

Immediately I think and respond:

Yes very much so... and ironically that is also the source of the United States downfall now. TO be so well off, that people are unwilling to stand up to do whats right... since at times to do what is right is so uncomfortable... At what cost comes our fortune... upon the ashes of our fellow man...

Exploring this whole issue, wanting to help make the world a kinder place for my children ... is what launched me into A personal tao. ... so much is happening now and so much we can do... only if people are willing to accept both sides of being human ... over just being fortunate and comfortable... and in that I am as guilty as the rest of America... and in that we all fall down.

As literally tears begin to fall and I recite

Ring around the rosie,
Pocketful of posies.
Ashes, ashes.
We all fall down.

To some this has darker meanings.... to some its just a rhyme

To myself, it's just a song as we dance about and watch our silly little world fall down

---

It's not suppose to be easy my friends.

This is life

Both hard, beautiful, raw , energizing

In the dance of living

it becomes what we make it to be

even possibily ashes.

as we all fall down.

Yada Yada Yada more about acceptance....

As anyone who reads this Blog knows: I teach acceptance.

It's not a hard concept and it's compatible with all religions and science.

However we make it hard since we each have so many aspects of our inner life to come to peace with. So many issues with the past to come to terms with, so many fears of what might happen in the future... So many cracks and fracture lines criss crossing our souls.... Hence why the self help industry is so large.

A Word About Self Help

I actually have a problem with much of the self help industry as often it's really geared for the mass market and very exploitive in my opinion. Too many spiritual pyramid schemes. Too many self help routines based upon consumption of healing. Too many people basing acceptance upon the whims of teachers over their own acceptance. However, many self help routines cleverly rework enough concepts of "acceptance" into the practice to make them feel valid.

The other problem with self help... especially for those who teach it... is it's very easy to get trapped into yourself and false preaching. Not really my style.

Don't get me wrong, any path that works and helps a person discover acceptance in life is a valid path. It's just many of pre-packaged self help paths are a bit more twisted than I personally would want to travel. Life is wonderfully twisted enough as a puzzle without my having to jump through other people's ego trips.

So how does Taoism help a person discover acceptance?

Taoism teaches:

• The past is just... the past.. long gone and passed on by.
  
• The future is not here yet...
  
• Taoism teaches you are here now, firmly in the moment: dancing from moment to moment. By embracing the ride of now, a person quickly learns: to let go of false attachments to past pains, learns building a future is just a way of deceiving oneself away from now... In this process of embracing life now... a person can let go enough to actually have a chance to see themselves truly in the now...

A strange thing happens at this point... a person discovers all the internal fractures once considered to be flaws and weaknesses... Are actually beautiful... That in the light of living now... all aspects of our life makes us what we are.. and that is wonderful. That in living now.. all futures are possible: opening up new "Possibilties" of 10,000 dreams where each one is valid... and it's fun to play about, to flow as life weaves together into something unexpected.... Because its always possible to accept who you are now.

• Is it an easy path to let go of the past?
  
  ... no... since being able to remember the past always gives strength to avoid issues.

• Is it an easy path to stop holding onto the future?
  
  ... no... since it's by planning and slowly building with a good plan... humans have built so many marvelous wonders.
  
  
• Is it easy to accept oneself?
  
  .. no ... not when so much strength can be gained through community: and in turn we are taught to base personal acceptance upon other viewpoints over our own personal values.
  

Initially as a Taoist you learn to let go of everything in order to see oneself clearly and to embrace oneself as is.

In time Acceptance comes, at the point of relaxing into oneself.

Later in this process a Taoist Master mixes together all aspects of themselves.. to truly live as oneself... this means being fully human. In harmony with the past and future to now.

Living with a Taoist outlook doesn't mean to stop being yourself...

It simply means to stop defining yourself to what you were.

It simply means to stop defining yourself to what you might be.

It simply means to accept yourself now... within your own terms.

To take all the whimsy, experiences and your nature to where ever it might lead.

So for myself the goal is just to enjoy , discover and swirl in wonder. Along the way to move gracefully while giving a helping hand as I can. I am not sure if I ever will teach larger self help classes or not... All depends on how life swirls me about actually, some days I think I might, other days, I am quite happy helping people one on one in my patterning business or those who come to me with questions after reading a Personal Tao. Other times I just remain reclusive and stay far away from others since it can be very draining. (empathy does have its down side).

So who knows? I don't and its nicer that way. This keeps everything simple and honest. The most beautiful part is here now, where I do have acceptance, in each moment as it happens...

one step at a time.

Having no illusions: since the dance of life comes both with hard days and easier times. The Taoist path just takes it as it comes... One moment, one step, one breath at a time.

Peace

---

If this post repeats parts of other posts. my apologies, I wrote this in part, as I am mentally preparing for a Taoist presentation for later in this month. While the presentation is free flowing, it helps to practice out loud (or in writing). With so many ideas, and possibilities: focus is a good thing at times, when talking with others to help bridge the communication gap between each person. I have discovered when I truly let myself go free form around non-Taoists, it's hard for others to keep up or to make the same connections...

Actually as a life long Taoist, that has been the hardest road... learning how to shift my communication style so people can actually follow my chain of thought... When I am seeing dozens of things at once, and when talking only being allowed to express only one idea at a time... it's such a difficult translation process. While Now touches everything and yet when painting the story people only grab onto the first thing you say... Language is such an interesting process .

Anyways

Have fun and laterz!

Culture

In my scans of information this morning, I came across an article about the Robodock festival.

Over the years I have been watching friends and strangers alike build , craft and inspire towards a new world vision within their art.

To those curious in how the world will look like in 50 to 75 years, don't look towards futurists. Heh in fact futurists very rarely get it right. Look to the artists. You have to learn to take a sideways glance at the work to see the true angles of where society is going. However, its all there.

Peace

Poetry

A dance: of words, expressions, feelings -> all seeking acceptance.

Yet poetry can be such an extreme dance: often diving deeply into an abyss, into depths which call out to form poetry: all in order to balance out our shape.

So while visiting the abyss I pushed outward, reclaiming my soul by writing poetry... to force out my nature in order to be myself.

Now while high, not in an abyss, but exploring about peaks, I find the opposite need. No need exists to push outward of my nature, as in finding peace, I can take in of others, of the world... and listen more completely.

I know poetry can be found in this place, Rumi did so, or did Rumi dive deeper into the abyss than many would guess from his words? Matters not, words elude me, and strangely inside, I feel a desire to push outwards. To discover new words that don't even exist...

Serenity... how can a poem leash, ride or describe such a beast?

I am a child again. Learning new ways to express myself.

Giving myself time, This is all about be patient enough to embrace a lifetime:

This is the way of life we teach in Taoism:

At times embracing of the world
At times diving deeply into depths
At times to always be oneself

Peace

Forebodings always pass

fore·bod·ing (fôr-bdng, fr-)
n.
1. A sense of impending evil or misfortune.
2. An evil omen; a portent.
adj.
Marked by or indicative of foreboding; ominous.

---

10/10/2007

Up and coming, just another day to be.

As a Taoist. I live now, flowing with my life as it happens

As a person. I live remembering the past, thinking about the future.

At times, my body, my mind, my actions shift. These are typically times of change for me, when knowing things are shifting, so I slow down, wait, relax all in order to let the times move pass. always to then act accordingly in the now rather than over reacting before things happen.

As a seer, as a oracle: its possible to cheat to look ahead.. and that's not really a good answer since a Taoist doesn't want to fix the future. (The past is beyond fixing, while now is always open to changes...) So rather my policy is to leave the future alone in order to be flexible and open to all possibilities.

So now yes, I feel a sense of omen, a sense that 10/10/2007 will be a turbulent day. A good day to stay at home and just take care of business.

Does that mean I believe something will happen 10/10/2007? Nope. Not at all, it's a day like all other days to come: open to possibility. A day to some representing a day of change, to some a birthday, to some the opening of new possibilities and to some an ending of the way things were...

What I am trying to say: just because I feel a sense of foreboding doesn't mean I will enable it or let myself dwell upon what might be. Instead, I listen to my inner voice, acknowledge the feeling. Take the time to slow down and enjoy the moment ever more. Tomorrow will come, it always does a step at a time.

All sorts of things are always possible, but they are always dependant upon the energy given to it now. So instead of fixing the future as it were the past. Build into now everything you know life should be. In that way all: forebodings simply fade to pass away.... And you can fix the future to be a more wonderful place.

For example: Global warming can be solved but only by acting in the now. See what I mean?

Peace

Excellent Interview

This interview with Noam Chomsky is excellent reading.

In the reality of the United States, I wonder how many people know the facts stated in this interview? I also wonder how many people would just dismiss the statements made?

More interestingly I suspect a majority of readers would just ignore the truth... and yet I also believe his statement that revolution in America is just below the surface , is on the mark. It jives with historical patterns seen in other revolutions.

However, keep in mind revolution is just a term for a radical change of state. That doesn't mean a revolution would be a good thing: it can swing in multiple directions. Often times a revolution of the "people" ends up being an event changing who is in power while leaving the people eating dust.

Also think about this: we have already seen a revolution, one where corporations over a period of decades subverted control of the population with market forces rather than military force.

The social power structure of America is far more complicated than many people would ever guess. Yet even so: most people can see, and know: the politicians are not in control.

This is why I feel the interview is so well written: Chomsky outlines many aspects of the complicated power structure within the modern world.

He has an amazing mind and his ability to see the patterns are masterful.

So anyways read for yourself and decide what version of the truth is correct for you. I only ask of the reader to not give personal power to leaders, to the "Dollar" or to anyone else preaching away including me: rather in times of change empower yourself.

And that means - yes you guessed it - being truly yourself.

peace