Sol Invictus

"The sun is always a powerful, invincible image, whether it is the weak illumination of the pre winter solstice, or the savage primal energy of midsummer. Long before humanity developed written language humans must have gazed in terrific awe at the reborn sun each morning, how it over came the dangerous dragon of darkness that it sank into each evening, the provider of light, warmth, sustainer of growing vegetation -life itself--this enormous solar edifice quite clearly was one of the earliest forms of worship as man began to fashion a supernatural interpretation of natural phenomenon from the daily spectacle of the dying and reborn sun. Albert Pike makes the following concise statement in his Morals and Dogma: 'To them [aboriginal peoples] he [the sun] was the innate fire of bodies, the fire of Nature. Author of Life, heat, and ignition, he was to them the efficient cause of all generation, for without him there was no movement, no existence, no form. He was to them immense, indivisible, imperishable, and everywhere present. It was their need of light, and of his creative energy, that was felt by all men; and nothing was more fearful to them than his absence. His beneficent influences caused his identification with the Principle of Good; and the Brama of the Hindus, and Mithras of the Persians, and Athom, Amum, Phtha, and Osiris, of the Egyptians, the Bel of the Chaldeans, the Asonai of the Phœnicians, the Adonis and Apollo of the Greeks, became but personifications of the Sun, the regenerating Principle, image of that fecundity which perpetuates and rejuvenates the world's existence.'"
-   Christ, Constantine, Sol Invictus: The Unconquerable Sun   By Ralph Monday 

June: Quotes, Poems, Sayings

Summer Solstice Celebration

Enjoy a Cup of Wine

"O day after day we can't help growing older.
Year after year spring can't help seeming younger.
Come let's enjoy our wine cup today,
Nor pity the flowers fallen."
-  Wang Wei, On Parting with Spring  

"What is so sweet and dear
As a prosperous morn in May,
The confident prime of the day,
And the dauntless youth of the year,
When nothing that asks for bliss,
Asking aright, is denied,
And half of the world a bridegroom is,
And half of the world a bride?"
-  William Watson, Ode in May, 1880

The Spirit of Gardening

May: Quotes, Poems, Sayings

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chaper 22

Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 22

"Yield, and become whole,
Bend, and become straight.
Hollow out, and become filled.
Exhaust, and become renewed
Small amounts become obtainable,
Large amounts become confusing.
Therefore the Sage embraces the One, and so is a shepherd fro the whole world.
He does not focus on himself and so is brilliant.
He does not seek self-justification and so becomes his own evidence.
He does not make claims and hence is given the credit.
He does not compete with anyone and hence, no-one in the world can compete with him.
How can that which the ancients expressed as "yield, and become whole" be meaningless?
If wholly sincere, you will return to them."
-  Translated by Tam C Gibbs, 1981, Chapter 22

"Bent, thus (tse) preserved whole,
Unjustly accused, thus exonerated (chih),
Hollow, thus filled (ying),
Battered (pi), thus renewed,
Scanty, thus receiving (te),
Much, thus perplexed.
Therefore the sage embraces the One (pao i).
He becomes the model (shih) of the world.
Not self-seeing, hence he is enlightened (ming).
Not self-justifying, hence he is outstanding.
Not showing off (fa) his deeds, hence he is meritorious.
Not boasting (ching) of himself, hence he leads (chang).
Because he is not contentious (pu cheng),
Hence no one under heaven can contend with him.
What the ancients say: "Bent, thus preserved whole,"
Are these empty words?
Be preserved whole and return (kuei)."
-  Translated by Ellen Marie Chen, 2000, Chapter 22

"'Yield and you need not break:
Bent you can straighten,
Emptied you can hold,
Torn you can mend;
And as want can reward you
So wealth can bewilder.
Aware of this, a wise man has the simple return
Which other men seek:
Without inflaming himself
He is kindled,
Without explaining himself
Is explained,
Without taking credit
Is accredited,
Laying no claim
Is acclaimed
And, because he does not compete,
Finds peaceful competence.
How true is the old saying,
'Yield and you need not break'!
How completely it comes home!"
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 22

"Submit to Nature if you would reach your goal.
For, whoever deviates from Nature's way, nature forces back again.
Whoever gives up his desire to improve upon Nature will find Nature satisfying all his needs.
Whoever finds his desires extinguished will find more desires arising of their own accord.
Whoever desires little is easily satisfied. Whoever desires much suffers frustration.
Therefore, the intelligent person is at one with Nature, and so serves as a model for others.
By not showing off, he is exemplary.
By not asserting that he is right, he does the right thing.
By not boasting of what he will do, he succeeds in doing more than he promises.
By not gloating over his successes, his achievements are acclaimed by others.
By not competing with others, he achieves without opposition.
Therefore the old saying is not idle talk: "Submit to Nature if you would reach your goal."
For that is the only genuine way."
-  Translated by Archie J. Bahm, 1958, Chapter 22

"The crooked shall be straight,
Crushed ones recuperate,
The empty find their fill.
The worn with strength shall thrill;
Who little have receive,
And who have much will grieve.  
The holy man embraces unity and becomes for all the world a model. 
Not self-displaying he is enlightened; 
Not self -approving he is distinguished; 
Not self-asserting he acquires merit; 
Not self-seeking he gaineth life. 
Since he does not quarrel, therefore no one in the world can quarrel with him. 
The saying of the ancients: "The crooked shall be straight," is it in any way vainly spoken?
Verily, they will be straightened and return home."
-   Translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 22  

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index  

Chapter 22 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries  

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices  

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
  

Gardening Till We Dropped

We walked in the morning and then gardened all day. 

Daily Activities

Busy today with work projects, gardening and Karen's heart tests in Redding. 

Most of my reading, research and writing has been in three areas:

1.  Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Taoism, and mysticism. 

2.  The Five Senses with a special emphasis upon touch and smell. 

3.  Druidry and NeoPaganism

Chi Kung (Qigong) Classes in Red Bluff, California

Chi Kung (Qigong, Yoga) Classes at the Valley Spirit Center
Outdoors in the Cooler Morning Hours
Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

Location: 23005 Kilkenny Lane, Red Bluff, California
Phone:  530-200-3546

Monday    6:00 am - 7:30 am
Tuesday   6:00 am - 7:30 am
Friday      6:00 am - 7:30 am
Saturday  6:00 am - 7:30 am
Sunday    6:00 am - 7:30 am

Qigong (Chi Kung, Dao Yin, Yangshengong): Eight Section Brocade, Temple, Dragon, Animal Frolics, Five Elements

Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan): Yang, Chen, and Sun Styles

Cane (Staff)

Walking

Qigong Class Webpage

Nearby communities:  Red Bluff, Anderson, Cottonwood, Corning, Los Molinos,
Gerber, Tehama, Richfield, Rancho Tehama, Chico, Redding. 

Gardening Fun in the Springtime

Karen and I work outdoors in our gardens almost daily during this time of year.  There is daylight from 5:30 am until around 8 pm.  Since I am employed only two days each week, I have five days for activities at our home and gardens. 

I've been trenching for a new pipeline, cutting down dead or overhanging tree limbs, cleaning up areas around our two ponds, and weeding and mulching all our vegetable gardens.  

We started cleaning up our Sacred Circle garden this week.    

Daytime temperatures are climbing up to 90F, and nighttime temperatures fall to around 60F.  We must water some every day when temperatures climb above 90F and it is windy. 

Work in the Garden

May Day, Beltane, Walpurgis Nacht

May: Quotes, Poems, Sayings

"All good work is done the way ants do things: Little by little."
-  Lafcadio Hearn

"This is the real secret of life - to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now.  And instead of calling it work, realize it is play."
-   Alan Watts, Work as Play  

"Every kind of work can be a pleasure. Even simple household tasks can be an opportunity to exercise and expand our caring, our effectiveness, our responsiveness. As we respond with caring and vision to all work, we develop our capacity to respond fully to all of life. Every action generates positive energy which can be shared with others. These qualities of caring and responsiveness are the greatest gift we can offer."
-  Tarthang Tulku

Our Iris garden is in grand form during the month of March and April of each year. By the middle of May, all the blossoms are gone. 

Walk and Be Happy

"The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy, walk and be healthy. "The best of all ways to lengthen our days" is not, as Mr. Thomas Moore has it, "to steal a few hours from night, my love;" but, with leave be it spoken, to walk steadily and with a purpose. The wandering man knows of certain ancients, far gone in years, who have staved off infirmities and dissolution by earnest walking,--hale fellows close upon eighty and ninety, but brisk as boys."
-  Charles Dickens  

The Ways of Walking


"It’s all still there in heart and soul. The walk, the hills, the sky, the solitary pain and pleasure–they will grow larger, sweeter, lovelier in the days and years to come." 
-   Edward Abbey  


When I am not scheduled to work at my part-time job for the elementary school district, I get outdoors and start walking at 6 am.  In between each lap of my walking track (.6 miles round trip [pictured below]) I practice Taijiquan forms [e.g., Sun Style Single Whip Left pictured below].  

The Path Towards Spiritual Transformation

The Path Towards Spiritual Transformation
 
1.  We admit the fact that our ordinary human condition, based on the dualistic perception of life, is a stubborn habit that we normally conceal from ourselves through denial. 
2.  We begin to look and ask for guidance in our effort to cultivate a new outlook that embraces the spiritual vision of the interconnectedness of all existence.  The means of doing so are varied from supportive spiritual environments to uplifting books. 
3.  We initiate positive changes in our behavior, which affirm that new outlook.  It is not enough to read and talk about spiritual principles.  Spirituality is intrinsically a practical affair.
4.  We practice self-understanding: that is, we accept conscious responsibility for noticing our automatic programs and where the fall short of our new understanding of life.
5.  We make a commitment to undergoing the catharsis, or purification, necessary to change our old cognitive and emotional patterns and stabilize the new outlook and disposition, replacing the old egoic habit of splitting everything into irreconcilable opposites with and integrative attitude. 
6.  We learn to be flexible and open to life so that we can continue to learn and grow on the basis of our new outlook.
7.  We practice humility in the midst of our endeavors to mature spirituality.  In this way we avoid the danger of psychic inflation.
8.  We assume responsibility for what we have understood about life and the principles of spiritual recovery, applying our understanding to all our relationships so that we can be a benign influence in the world.
9.  Guided by our new outlook, we work on the integration of our multiply divided psyche.
10.  We cultivate real self-discipline in all matters, great and small. 
11.  We increasingly practice spiritual communion, which opens us to that dimension of existence where we are all connected.  Through such communion and through continued growth in self-understanding, we become transparent to ourselves.
12.  We open ourselves to the possibility of bliss, the breakthrough of the transcendental reality into our consciousness, whereby th ego principles is unhinged and we fully recover our spiritual identity.  Through this awakening the world becomes transparent to us and we are made whole.  

-  Georg Feuerstein
   The Deeper Dimensions of Yoga: Theory and Practice, 2003, p. 93

Lifestyle Advice From Wise Persons

The Good Life 
 

Georg Feuerstein (1947-2012)

Hail to the Mothers

Happy Mother's Day to All the Mothers in the World
Past, Present, and Future

The following picture was taken in 1977.  From left to right:  Karen Eubanks Garofalo (my wife) , Alicia June Garofalo (my daughter) , and Bertha June Garofalo (my mother).  My mother was born in 1921 and died in 1994. 

The following photograph was taken in 2012.  From left to right:  Katelyn Alice Flinn (my grandaughter), Alicia June Garofalo Flinn, and Katelyn Alice Flinn (my granddaughter).  

The following photograph was taken in 1946.  From left to right: Michael James Garofalo (my father), Michael Peter Garofalo (me), and my mother, Bertha June Garofalo. 

Dragon Qigong

Dragon Chi Kung features exercises that involve twisting, turning, screwing, spiraling, curving, wiggling, undulating, spinning, sinking down and rising up, swimming, circling, swinging, or twining movements are often associated with snakes, serpents and dragons.  There are many Qigong sets and specific Qigong movements that have been called "Dragon" forms, sets, or exercises.  Baguazhang martial arts feature much twisting, turning and circling; and, also include many "Dragon" sets and movements. Silk Reeling exercises in Chen Style Taijiquan include twisting, twining, circling, and screwing kinds of movements. 

The Realms of the Dragons

Dragon Qigong
 

Dragon Staff

Magic Pearl Qigong

Leaping Over the Dragon's Gate

Dragons: Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Notes 

"This extraordinary gem is represented as a spherical object, or ‘ball,’ half as big, or quite as large, as the head of the dragon with which it is associated, for it is never depicted quite by itself. The gem is white or bluish with a reddish or golden halo, and usually has an antler-shaped 'flame' rising from its surface. Almost invariably there hangs downward from the centre of the sphere a dark-colored, comma-like appendage, frequently branched, wavering below the periphery. A biologist might easily at first glance conclude that the whole affair represented the entry of a spermatozoon into an ovum; and the Chinese commonly interpret the ball with its comma-mark as a symbol of yang and yin, male and female elements, combined in the earth--which seems pretty close to the biologist's view. Such is the Dragon-Pearl.  In purely decorative work, where the figure of a dragon is writhing in clouds or adapting its lithe body under an artist's hand to the shape or purpose of a piece of porcelain, a bronze article, or a silken garment, the pearl may be drawn close to the dragon, or wherever convenient. When, however, it is desirable to express the significance of this sacred adjunct of dragon-hood, it is treated with strict attention to reverence and tradition. Then are pictured celestial dragons ascending and descending through the upper air, tearing a path, perhaps, through swirling mists and shadows, "in pursuit of effulgent jewels or orbs that appear to be whirling in space, and that were supposed to be of magic efficiency, granting every wish." A passion for gems is a well-known characteristic of these beings."
-   Dragons and Dragons Lore, Ernest Ingersoll, 1928

Tai Chi Chuan Classes in Red Bluff, California

T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Taijiquan) Classes at the Valley Spirit Center
Outdoors in the Cooler Morning Hours
Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

Location: 23005 Kilkenny Lane, Red Bluff, California
Phone:  530-200-3546

Monday    6:00 am - 7:30 am
Tuesday   6:00 am - 7:30 am
Friday      6:00 am - 7:30 am
Saturday  6:00 am - 7:30 am
Sunday    6:00 am - 7:30 am

Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan): Yang, Chen, and Sun Styles

Qigong (Chi Kung): Eight Section Brocade, Temple, Dragon, Animal Frolics

Cane (Staff)

Walking

Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan) Class Webpage

Nearby communities:  Red Bluff, Anderson, Cottonwood, Corning, Los Molinos,
Gerber, Tehama, Richfield, Rancho Tehama, Chico, Redding. 

Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 23

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 23

"Nature does not have to insist,
Can blow for only half a morning,
Rain for only half a day,
And what are these winds and these rains but natural?
If nature does not have to insist,
Why should man?
It is natural too
That whoever follows the way of life feels alive,
That whoever uses it properly feels well used,
Whereas he who loses the way of life feels lost,
That whoever keeps to the way of life
Feels at home,
Whoever uses it properly
Feels welcome,
Whereas he who uses it improperly
Feels improperly used:
'Fail to honor people,
They fail to honor you."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 23

"Things which act naturally do not need to be told how to act.
The wind and rain begin without being ordered, and quit without being commanded.
This is the way with all natural beginnings and endings.
If Nature does not have to instruct the wind and the rain, how much less should man try to direct them?
Whoever acts naturally is Nature itself acting.
And whoever acts intelligently is intelligence in action.
By acting naturally, one reaps Nature's rewards.
So by acting intelligently, one achieves intelligent goals.
Whereas by acting intelligently, one comes to an unintelligent end.
Those who do not trust Nature as a model cannot be trusted as guides."
-   Translated by Archie J. Bahm, 1958, Chapter 23  

"Only simple and quiet words will ripen of themselves.
For a whirlwind does not last a whole morning.
A sudden rain does not last a whole day.
Who is their creator?
Heaven-and-Earth!
Even Heaven-and-Earth cannot make such violent things last long;
The same is true of the reckless efforts of humans.
Who helps the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is one with the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
Who thinks with Power is one with Power;
And who seeks the hand of loss is one with Loss.
To be one with the Tao (the Laws of the Universe) is to be a welcome addition to
the Tao (the Laws of the Universe);
To be one with Power is to be a welcome addition to Power;
To be one with Loss is to be a welcome addition to Loss.
Failure of faith on your part Creates faithlessness on the part of others."
-  Translated by John Trottier, 1994, Chapter 23 

"Sparing indeed is the Nature of its Talk ...
Sparing indeed is nature of its talk:
The whirlwind will not last the morning out;
The cloudburst ends before the day is done.
What is it that behaves itself like this?
The earth and sky! And if it be that these
Cut short their speech, how much more yet should man!
If you work by the Way,
You will be of the Way;
If you work through its virtue
you will be given the virtue;
Abandon either one
And both abandon you.
Gladly then the Way receives
Those who choose to walk in it;
Gladly too its power upholds
Those who choose to use it well;
Gladly will abandon greet
Those who to abandon drift.
Little faith is put in them
Whose faith is small."
-  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 23

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index  

Chapter 23 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries  

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices  

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
 

The Science of Tai Chi

I recommend the following book to those interested in the health benefits and scientific research on the practice of Tai Chi Chuan:

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi: 12 Weeks to a Healthy Body, Strong Heart, and Sharp Mind

By Peter M. Wayne, PhD and Mark L. Fuerst
Boston, Shambhala, 2013, 240 pages. 

Embodied Wisdom

I have enjoyed reading the following book, and recommend it to those who enjoy the practice of yoga, qigong, or taijiquan:

Embodied Wisdom: What Our Anatomy Can Teach Us About the Art of Living
By Joy Colangelo, M.S., Occupational Therapist
New York, iUniverse, Inc, 2003
266 pages

Flexibility and Playfulness in Goal Directed Behaviors

"Flexible Goals:  Goal setting is important for getting what we want out of life.  However, how we go about achieving our goals can become a real impediment, creating resistance to change, shutting us down, and even resulting in failure.  Loss of vitality, being stuck, or aging can often be traced to way we approach our goals.  By learning to hold goals loosely, you give your brain opportunities for discovering new ways to fulfill you fondest dreams.  You will accaccomplish more, with less suffering, and open up to new possibilities.  Vitality and health are fostered by adopting a free, flexible, playful attitude towards goals, embracing mistakes, and making room for mireacles."
-   Anat Baniel, Move into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality, p.20.


Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality
"1.  Moving with Attention, Wake Up to Life, Mindful Movements
2.  The Learning Switch, Bring in the New, Lifelong learning, Retraining
3.  Subtlety, Experience the Power of Gentleness
4.  Variation, Enjoy Abundant Possibilities
5.  Taking Your Time, Slowing Down, Not Rushing, Luxuriate in the Richness of Feeling 
6.  Enthusiasm, Turn the Small into the Great
7.  Flexible Goals, Make the Impossible Possible  
8.  Imagination and Dreams, Create Your Life
9.  Awareness, Cultivating Mindfulness, Thrive with True Knowledge"
-   Anat Baniel, Move into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality

Move into Life: The Nine Essentials for Lifelong Vitality  By Anat Baniel.  New York, Harmony Books, 2009.  Index, bibliography, 306 pages.  ISBN: 9780307395290.  VSCL.  

Nine Essentials Summary

Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons

Valley Spirit Yoga, Red Bluff, California

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 24

Dao De Jing
Laozi
Chapter 24

"He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk.
He who displays himself does not shine.
He who asserts his own views is not distinguished.
He who vaunts himself does not find his merit acknowledged.
He who is self-conceited has no superiority allowed to him.
Such conditions, viewed from the standpoint of the Tao, are like remnants of food, or a tumor on the body, which all dislike.
Hence, those who pursue the course of the Tao do not adopt and allow them."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 24  

"A man who raises himself on tiptoe cannot remain firm.
A man with crooked legs cannot walk far. 
He who says himself that he can see is not enlightened.
He who says himself that he is right is not manifested to others.
He who praises himself has no merit.
He who is self-conceited will not increase in knowledge.
Such men may be said to search after Tao that they may gorge themselves in feeding, and act the parasite; moreover, they are universally detested.
Therefore those who are possessed of Tao do not act thus." 
-   Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 24     

"One on tiptoe is not steady;
One astride makes no advance.
Self-displayers are not enlightened,
Self-asserters lack distinction,  
Self-approvers have no merit, 
And self-seekers stunt their lives. 
Before Reason this is like surfeit of food; it is like a wen on the body with which people are apt to be disgusted. 
Therefore the man of reason will not indulge in it."
-   Translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 24   

"Those who tiptoe do not stand.
Those who stride do not walk.
Those who see for themselves are not discerning.
Those who affirm for themselves are not insightful.
Those who attack it themselves do not achieve.
Those who esteem themselves do not become elders.
When these are in guides, we say:
'Excess provision; redundant action.'
Some natural kinds avoid them.
Hence those who have guides don't place them."
-   Translated by Chad Hansen, Chapter 24

"One who boasts is not established.
One who shows himself off does not become prominent.
One who makes a show is not enlightened.
One who brags about himself gets no credit;
One who praises himself does not long endure.
In the Way such things are called:
"Extra food and redundant action."
And with things - there are those who hate them
therefore followers of the Tao does not dwell in them."
-  Translated by Bram den Hond, Chapter 24 
"It is not natural to stand on tiptoe, or being astride one does not walk.
One who displays himself is not bright, or one who asserts himself cannot shine.
A self-approving man has no merit, nor does one who praises himself grow.
The relation of these things (self-display, self-assertion, self-approval) to Tao is the same as offal is to food.
They are excrescences from the system; they are detestable; Tao does not dwell in them."
-     Translated by Dwight Goddard, 1919, Chapter 24   

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index  

Chapter 24 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries  

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices  

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
 
  

24 Tai Chi Form

The first Taijiquan form I learned in 1986 was the Standard 24 Movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan Form in the Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.  At that time there were no books or instructional videotapes on this popular form.  Since that time, nearly 25 years have passed.  Now there are dozens of books and instructional DVDs and webpages on the subject of the 24 Form. 

Mike Garofalo 'Playing the Pipa'

My webpage on the Standard 24 Taijiquan Form has been the most popular webpage on the Cloud Hands Website for many years. In the sidebar of this blog, you will find a quick index to this webpage.

Standard Simplified Taijiquan 24 Form.  Research by Michael P. Garofalo, M.S. This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, links, online videos, articles, and resources.  It provides a list of the 24 movement names in English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish, with citations for sources of the movement names.  It provides detailed descriptions of each movement with black and white line illustrations and  photographs.  It includes relevant quotations, notes, performance times, section breakdowns, basic Tai Chi principles, and strategies for learning the form.  The Peking (Bejing) Chinese National orthodox standard simplified 24 movement T'ai Chi Ch'uan form, created in 1956, is the most popular form practiced all around the world.  This form uses the Yang Style of Taijiquan.  Published by Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Red Bluff, California:  Webpage URL:  http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/short.htm.  File size: 269 Kb. 

This webpage provides many good suggestions for a person learning this form on their own if there is no Tai Chi class in their area. 

The best book that I have seen on the subject is:

The Yang Taiji 24 Step Short Form: A Step by Step Guide for All Levels
By James Drewe
London, Singing Dragon Press, 2011.
382 pages, black and white photographs, charts, detailed descriptions, training tips.
I give information on many other fine books by other good authors on the 24 Form in my webpage: Cheng Zhao, Foen Tjoeng Lie, Eric Chaline, Le Deyin, etc.. 

My students tell me that their favorite instructional DVD on the 24 Form is:

Tai Chi - The 24 Forms
By Dr. Paul Lam


I have taught this lovely Tai Chi form to hundreds of people since 2000.  Everyone tells me how much they enjoy learning and practicing this gentle form.

I also teach and enjoy playing the Chen Style Taijiquan 18 Movement Form created by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. Actually, in the last year, I prefer practicing the Chen 18 Form more.  

Decaying Trees

"The smell of the sea hugged the fog in the redwood trees,
All cool and dank, dimly lit and rank with green,
And in shadowed limbs the Stellar jays jabbered free,
And me, standing silently, an alien in this enchanted scene.

From behind the mossy grey stumps
the sounds of footsteps crunching fronds of ferns
caught my suddenly wary mind ...
What?

"Hello, old friend," said Chang San Feng.
"Master Chang, what a surprise," said I.
Master Chang sat on a stump, smiled, and said,

"Can you hear the Blue Dragon singing in the decaying tree;
Or is it the White Tiger roaring in the wilderness of your bright white skull?
No matter!  The answer is in the questioning; don't you Chan men see?

In the red ball flesh of this decaying tree
Sapless woody shards of centuries of seasons
Nourish the new roots of mindfulness sprouting. 
Yes, Yes, but how can it be?
The up-surging waves of life sprout forth from the decaying tree,
As sure as sunrise rolling over the deep black sea. 
Coming, coming, endlessly coming; waves of Chi. 

Tan Qian's raven roosts for 10,000 moons
     in the withered branches of the rotting tree;
     then, one day, the weathered tree falls,
     nobody hearing, soundlessly crashing
     on the forest floor, on some unknown noon. 

Over and over, over and over, life bringing death, death bringing life,
Beyond even the miraculous memories of an old Xian like me;
Watching, watching, sequestered from the strife,
Turning my soul away sometimes because I cannot bear to see. 

Even minds may die, but Mind is always free
Bounding beyond, beyond, far beyond you and me;
Somehow finding the Possibility Keys
And unlocking the Door out of the Voids of Eternities."

Master Chang somehow, someway,
slowly disappeared into the red brown heart of the decaying tree.

Then the squawk of the jay
opened my mind's eye to the new day -
Namaste."  

-  Michael P. Garofalo
   Meetings with Master Chang San Feng   
   Remembering Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California

Lohan Chi Kung

Luohan Qigong, Lohan Qigong, Luohan Gong, Lohan Gong
Shaolin Buddhist Qigong
Resources, Lessons, History, Links, Bibliography, Notes, Research 
http://www.egreenway.com/qigong/lohan.htm
 
"One tradition is that the Buddhist teacher, Bodhidharma (448-527 CE), a famous Grand Master of Chan (Zen),introduced a set of 18 exercises to the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple. These are known as the Eighteen Hands of the Lohan. This Shaolin Lohan Qigong (i.e., the art of the breath of the enlightened ones), "is an internal set of exercises for cultivating the "three treasures" of qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit)," according to Howard Choy. The Kung Fu master, Sifu Wong Kiew-Kit, referring to the Shaolin Wahnam style, says "the first eight Lohan Hands are the same as the eight exercises in a famous set of chi kung exercises called the Eight Pieces of Brocade." There are numerous versions,seated and standing, of Bodhiidharma's exercise sets - including the related "Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing" qigong set. Some versions of the 18 Lohan (Luohan) Hands have up to four levels, and scores of movement forms for qigong and martial purposes."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Eight Section Brocade (330Kb)
 
For a comparison of some of the exercises in the Lohan Qigong with the Eight Section Brocade see my chart on the topic.
 
The Luohan Qigong includes a massage or patting training methods, and this is especially popular among Yin Fu Bagua enthusiasts. Master Xie Pei Qi has a DVD out on the topic.

Strength Training

"The easiest way to preserve health and with greater profit than all other measures put together is to exercise well."
-  Cristobal Mendez, Exercise Book, 1553

63 Rules to Grow By - The Ultimate Bodybuilding Guide

Strength Training for Persons Over 55


The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle  By Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove.  New York, Avery Penguin Group, 2006.  Index, 301 pages.  ISBN: 978158333389.  VSCL.  

"It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor."
-  Cicero

"We derive our vitality from our store of madness."
-  Emile M. Cioran

"True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are united."
-  Alexander von Humboldt

May Gardening Chores in Red Bluff

USDA Zone 9, Red Bluff, California

Divide and replant clumps of perennials that have finished flowering.
Take cuttings from some plants.
Watering as needed, especially potted plants.
Read garden books from the library.
Mowing lawns and weeding.
Planting seeds in containers in the greenhouse.
Fertilize some actively growing plants.
Mulch trees, shrubs and garden.
Weed garden.  Weed garden.  Weed garden. 
Take a nap in the shade.
Thin out plants growing in the vegetable garden.
Mow lawns and field.
Write a poem.   Keep a garden journal.
Watering as needed.   Soak trees. 
Celebrate May Day - Beltane. 
Use straw mulch to conserve water and shade roots.
Don't get sun burnt.  
Dig in composted manure. 
Shape shrubs.
Prune vines. 
Clean up garden workbench area. 
Read some Springtime poetry out loud. 
Thin excess fruit on trees.
Sit and observe.
Thin our excess vegetables. 
Make sure lath/shade house is ready.  

May: Quotes, Poems, Saying, Lore 

May Day or Beltane 

Family Reunion in Ashland

Members of the Blaize and Garofalo family all met in Ashland, Oregon, this past weekend.  We were able to spend Saturday and Sunday visiting with over 30 people.  The beautiful weather made for an enjoyable family reunion.

Karen, my brother Philip, and I drove from Ashland to the the Sacramento airport today.  

Pictures and comments to follow this coming weekend.

Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 25

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 25

"There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth.
How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger of being exhausted!
It may be regarded as the Mother of all things.
I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao. 
Making an effort to give it a name, I call it The Great.
Great, it passes on in constant flow.  
Passing on, it becomes remote.
Having become remote, it returns.
Therefore the Tao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, and the sage king is also great.
In the universe there are four that are great, and the sage king is one of them.
Man takes his law from the Earth.
Earth takes its law from Heaven.
Heaven takes its law from the Tao.
The law of the Tao is its being what it is."
-  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 25 
"There is a Being wondrous and complete. Before heaven and earth, it was.
How calm it is! How spiritual! 
Alone it standeth, and it changeth not; around it moveth, and it suffereth not; yet therefore can it be the world's mother.  
Its name I know not, but its nature I call Reason.  
Constrained to give a name, I call it the great.
The great I call the departing, and the departing I call the beyond.
The beyond I call home.  
The saying goes: "Reason is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and royalty also is great.
There are four things in the world that are great, and royalty is one of them.  
Man's standard is the earth.
The earth's standard is heaven.
Heaven's standard is Reason.
Reason's standard is intrinsic." 
-  Translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 25    

"Before Heaven and Earth existed there was in Nature a primordial substance.
It was serene, it was fathomless.
It was self-existent, it was homogeneous.
It was omnipresent, nor suffered any limitation.
It is to be regarded as the universal mother.
I do not know its name, but I call it Tao.
If forced to qualify it, I call it the boundless.
Being boundless, I call it the inconceivable.
Being inscrutable, I call it the inaccessible.
Being inaccessible, I call it the omnipresent.
Tao is supreme, Heaven is supreme, Earth is supreme, the King is supreme.
There are in the universe four kinds of supremacy, and their rulership is one.
Man is ruled by the Earth, the Earth is ruled by Heaven, Heaven is ruled by Tao, and Tao is ruled by itself."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn-Old, 1904, Chapter 25  

"There was something formless yet complete,
That existed before heaven and earth;
Without sound, without substance,
Dependent on nothing, unchanging,
All pervading, unfailing.
One may think of it as the mother of all things under heaven.
Its true name we do not know;
Were I forced to say to what class of things it belongs
I should call it Great (ta)
Now ta also means passing on,
And passing on means going Far Away,
And going far away means returning.
Thus just as Tao has “this greatness” and as earth has it and as heaven has it,
So may the ruler also have it.
Thus “within the realm there are four portions of greatness”,
And one belongs to the king.
The ways of men are conditioned by those of earth.
The ways of earth, by those of heaven.
The ways of heaven by those of Tao, and the ways of Tao by the Self-so."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 25  

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Introduction, Bibliography, Commentary, Chapter Index  

Chapter 25 of the Dao De Jing by Laozi: Text and Commentaries  

Index of English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices  

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching

 

 

In the Light of a Day

"Colors change: in the morning light, red shines out bright and clear and the blues merge into their surroundings, melting into the greens; but by the evening the reds loose their piquancy, embracing a quieter tone and shifting toward the blues in the rainbow. Yellow flowers remain bright, and white ones become luminous, shining like ghostly figures against a darkening green background."
-  Rosemary Verey, The Scented Garden, 1981  

Seeing and Vision: Quotes, Sayings, Facts