City of Frogs

Well it was more of a town.




About two dozen frogs meeting up under a desert waterfall. It was a mating day. A time to lay down the next generation.



They were singing in sharp tones and moving about. Despite there being so many, it took me a moment to spot them since they blended so well with the granite rock.

Its amazing about how life finds a way. In the desert and finding frogs in abundance. It always makes me smile to see such things.

---

Humans are funny... thinking.. always thinking...

Perhaps it's time to be one with stone, the land , the world: over trying to be something more and destroying it all, in order to remake it to be in our image. Makes me wonder when society will mature to accept we already are of nature's image.

To remake the world in our image by default destroys the world.. since the image of ourselves in our minds is the illusion. the reality is.

we are already...

stone, the land, the world...

How long will it take before we chip away enough to discover this inner truth?

Frogs have more wisdom in this matter than us.

---

As a side note: since I have been talking about ego a bit lately and working it back towards answering a question about the nature of delusion:

Delusion is rooted within ego's belief thinking we are separate and then to "project" out a different world based solely upon our own image.

Ironically: as hinted within this post: to do this, is "self" destructive. It's a nice contradiction: projecting out ego winds up as a path to destroying the self also.

Keep in mind this isn't a path A Taoist walks. We don't destroy nor suppress ego. Instead a Taoist accepts ego, letting it go to be free. In doing so, A Taoist "releases" their self nature to be one with the larger nature of the universe. This is a very important distinction: since to an outsider it could appear Taoist practice actively removes the ego... It's actually a process of release and transformation instead.


Peace

Uncarved Blocks

I posted a new art page today:
Carving the Uncarved Block


I really don't want to get into a uncarved block discussion, It's easy enough to Google to find more about the topic. It's one of the topics on which many good writes up and discussions already exist.

However, I would like to add this twist to the topic.

Much of Taoist practice reverses the shaping that we do upon ourselves. We can start off as one shape, to let go of form, shedding aspects of our nature...

to then become whole and formless again.

To uncarved oneself.

is to release ego.

You can take this idea many places. But in western culture most people assume once you carve something you cannot go back into the pristine formless state again. Taoist practice teaches us: that is a lie of perception and in fact: It's very possible to return, revert and let go back into a formless state.

In part this comes out of the transformation practices found within Taoism. As a side note I also posted a new page describing the school of Taoism: Awakening Dragon that I teach.

A central truth of what I teach is:

The true potential of transformation is limitless by the very definition of transformation.

This includes becoming the un-carved block of pure potential, of innocence again: if that is the transformation one wishes to fulfill.

Peace

Reflections

This is my life



Poking about



In purple techni-color fashion




reflecting in smiles




People might make life complicated.

Yet it's in front of us,
reflected in possibilities
of each smile we pass by.

I don't take many picture as the moments tumble across my path, but occasionally some fun ones gather about the dust bins of my computer folders.

I could go on and on about memories, pictures, red dust, attachments etc, yada, yada, why I often refuse or skip out of being photographed...

In the end: I have no desire or need to be remember by anyone, As a Taoist my actions are to leave the most minor physical traces... as "possibly" a lingering smile, as a tickling breeze of what might be...

The greatest measure of who we are: are our reflections captured within a smile.

peace

New Art Pages

I just posted two new art pages on the Main site

Tree of Life

Soul and Spirit

Thanks Cara for sharing. The whole concept for A Personal Tao, is teaching how our life is an exploration, in this journey we have wonder and meaning. In time, with time, I hope others would share in their journeys.

It's nice since this is happening, I appreciate Cara's, Chris's and Cynthia's sharing.

In this, together:
We discover more in our own journey

Of finding what "Tao" truly means.

Peace

A Personal Tao

I just uploaded and published A Personal Tao on Lulu,

Over the next few weeks I will get proof copies and from that make revisions to the flow of the paperback edition to better work with what Lulu can produce.

This is nice, since the cost of the book from Lulu matches to the cost it takes for me to hand print a copy out. This works out well since being on the road, I can no longer easily print out copies of a Personal Tao, It fills in the gap until I re-set up a work shop for producing the art copies again.

After I get all the kinks worked out of this printed edition, I will start working on the second volume of a Personal Tao which will include teaching materials from a more practice based view of Taoism. But that will be a year or two in the making due to translating the little training books I have been creating into something that flows for others.

If you get a copy and you spot something off or wrong please let me know. As I mentioned earlier. I am now in the proofing stage of this and won't see what Lulu produces for a week or so.



Peace

Taoist Questions

A student asked a series of questions the other day. Lets focus on a series of three of those questions today.

Lets start with this question:

Have you been through struggles in understanding Taoism yourself? Do you ever wonder if you could be wrong?

Taoism is a journey, understanding is just a side trip. Within Taoist practice, some days you get it, other days not... You never worry about grasping upon the ideals, rather, you surf along Taoist ideals and practices. In this journey, the central core would be acceptance and not understanding...

In approaching life from acceptance it becomes possible to derive understanding of the various moments you experience. Understanding to me is a rainbow of possibilities and angles. Not solid state single answers, but a range of quantum states of being, of possibilities.

The problem comes when trying to define it for others: since at that point you cannot truly define it for another (IN effect you end up embracing the other person's struggle towards acceptance.)

Wrong?

Wrong is a strange concept... from a Taoist point of view: how can you be wrong when being yourself...

Being wrong implies you are at odds or conflict with another... Then that's another matter entirely. So I am never wrong within my embracing of life, of my acceptance of Taoism. I make mistakes... but that's relative and not really a measuring stick for myself, but towards others.

This lead to the next question:

Taoism seems to be something people have a hard time accepting, how do you convince someone that you are infact normal and your belief is valid?

The only reason people have a hard time accepting Taoism is becuase they cannot accept themselves...

It isn't a Taoist issue, it's a personal issue. I don't waste time convincing anyone of anything. that's a mistake of ego and belief through consumption. You can never find acceptance from that angle, so I never even bother.

A Taoist answers this question by throwing it away... many questions are not even questions, and the "pseudo" question tricks us into thinking it is a question that deserves a proper answer.

Refer to Inner truth about the nature of questions.


The final question was:

In your experience of Taoism do you find yourself more passive or active in defending your belief?

This is a Western view point problem.... Not a issue or question from Taoism.

I am what I am, I could care less how others interact with me on that issue. Defending myself implies I need to be able to define myself from another person's view point...

Really think about that for a moment, defending my ideals relative to another is a pure waste of time isn't it? How can I find surety of self from another that would be true to my own inner truth? This is a mistake most people make in life. This is why many people are unhappy or not content with their life.

I will flip this around: consider how: asking or answering this question from a personal view point in fact traps you not to be yourself?


Peace

spring bees

I have been at Wild Thyme farm the last week with friends and family.

I am very grateful for having such wonderful friends who live and work at Wild Thyme and it was refreshing to be back in the rain of the Olympic Peninsula.

We are now back on the road to Prescott. Later next month after Julie's Spirit Weaves dance workshop we pack up to Taos New Mexico for the summer.

Wild Thyme farm had new residents this year: a dozen or so Bee Hives. You could feel the electricity of the bees all around (Especially when they get pissed! The bee keepers had to re-stack the hives one day and that stirred up a huge swarm.). Earlier in the week the weather was cool and damp and the bees pretty calm. The week ended on two warm days and the cherry trees were just blossoming out with the bees dancing in the tree in a pollen daze.

Anyway here is my snapshot of the Bees:

Spring Bees

Cherry Tree
Exploding in bees
Kicking off petals
As spring snow
Vibrant fulfilling humming
Thrumming wings
in the thousands
Pushing spring into summer.

Peace

Questions of Silence

:) mid week approaching.

Busily catching up with the various knick knacks of life which seem to desire juggling.

So within this silence, I must throw out a question to anyone passing by:

What Taoist concept are you wrestling with right now? I am just being curious. Being a Taoist blog, I expect only the silence to be the answer which I will hear.

:)

Peace

wotever

So begins our 1500 mile trip yesterday.

I was Sick as a dog

2 flat tires (2 hours in toxic tire land later we get that repair...cough cough)

lost my ruby wedding ring

mina was just not a happy camper

Ishtar the cat ran away (but came back) since we were all going together on this road including the cat... this delayed and stopped us from making the destination.

engine lights popping on and off

yada yada yada

wotever. still a good day despite it being a bad day

In reality neither good nor day. Just was, and today is now and no problems wot-so-ever.

We will be, where ever we might make it to be. It are days like yesterday that make being a Taoist special. it just is and it rolls off ones life as rain in the moments to help everything move to new and more wondrous points.

So it goes and onward to new moments. Off on the road again...

peace

Poetry in Motion

Movement:
All the cars
Flashing on by, dizzily...

Yet all still:
Individuals
Stacking themselves upon the freeway
as cord wood to be burnt
towards an expression of life.

Becoming:
Something greater, larger
representing America's future
A mass of humanity
pushing and jostling
for position
a car length apart.

Endlessly looping each day to end...

StillBorn on the expressway

In all the rushing.
In all the needs and thneeds.
In all the hopes.
In all the expectations.

Never even guessing

StillBorn in the very way of life

Which was supposed to be free...

Missing the exit we were suppose to take.

America
Thinking we were so clever!
And we were!
By building our own trap...

---

This thing is a Thneed.
A Thneed's a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need!
It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat.
But it has OTHER uses. Yes, far beyond that.
You can use it for carpets. For pillows! For sheets!
Or curtains! Or covers for bicycle seats!"

I miss the Lorax



I think Chenny shot him during that quail hunt...

---

It's always a choice
on how to express
the movement of life.

not in the fashion of the thneed we wear
but in the motion of the action we bare

Peace