Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Green Wizard Returns

Michael P. Garofalo AKA The Green Wizard or Gushen Moon


"I first met Chang San-Feng above the forest,
near the clear spring,
when gathering clouds darkened the day,
and Mt. Shasta was silent.

His long beard was black as emptiness,
ear lobes to his shoulders,
holding obsidian in his hand,
pointing to the sun,
eyes staring into infinity,
his long body clothed in silence.

We exchanged "hellos"
smiled and bowed,
a barbarian and an Immortal,
both panting from the climb,
laughing,
ten-thousand echoes
between our rocky minds.

After billions upon billions of heartbeats past
(for he must have been 888 years old),
I was so bold
as to ask the ancient one
for the sacred mantra of yore.
He lifted his whisk,
and brushed my face,
I could not speak,
my lips were stone,
ideas stopped -
I was alone."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Meetings with Master Chang San-Feng

Mike Garofalo sometimes writes under the pen names of "The Green Wizard" or "Gushen Moon"


Is Mike really a wizard? Hah! Come, come, my dear friends. He, like like his lanky and legendary mentor, Grand Master Chang San Feng, just likes to keep on walking, gardening, dancing at dawn, playing taijiquan, creating, enjoying scholarly pursuits, Internetting, encouraging peaceful productivity, standing under the Gushen Moon, and letting others bang his brass wizard's hat.


"Standing at the Mysterious Pass
Centered in the Eternal Now,
Balanced in Body and Open in Mind,
Rooted into the Sacred Space,
Motionless as the Golden Mountain,
Fingers around the Primeval Sphere.
Dragons and Tigers are still dreaming -
Ready for Rebirth.


I breathe in, the World Breathes Out.
The Gate of Space opens;
Heaven moves and Yang is born.
The hands move out, embracing the One.
The mind settles and is clear.
The Dragon Howls,
Ravens fill the Vast Cauldron,
Mind forms melt like mercury,
Spirit rises in the Clouds of Eternity.
Yin appears like the moon at dusk.


I breathe out, the World Breathes In.
The Doors of Emptiness close;
Earth quiets and Yin is born.
The hands move in, entering the One.
The body settles and becomes whole.
The Tiger Roars,
The Great Ox is nourished by the Valley Spirit,
Substances spark from flaming furnaces,
Essence roots in the Watery Flesh.
Yang appears like the sun at dawn.


Dragons and Tigers
Transformed within the Mysterious Pass -
Chanting and Purring.
Awakened,
Peaceful,
Free."


- Michael P. Garofalo, Opening at the Mysterious Pass


Dearly respect the lifestyle of ladybugs.


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The Spirit of Gardening

Cloud Hands: Taijiquan and Qigong

The Green Wizard Opens the Door

One Taoist Druid's Journey - The Green Wizard's Notebooks

Friday, July 04, 2008

Laying Down PVC Pipelines

Busy with laying down PVC pipe in the trenches I dug on Wednesday.  I'm using 3/4" PVC pipe. 
The solar pump I will be using in the new well delivers only a 1.5 gallon to 2 gallon flow per minute, so I don't need a 1" pipe from the well to the two ponds.
It was cool and breezy this morning.  The smoke from the fires has diminished the past two days as the fires are brought under control by firefighters.  We have seen fire trucks and firefighters from cities and counties all over the state in Red Bluff lately.  We could actually seen the souther Cascade mountains this morning for the first time in weeks.

Being a native born Californian, a United States citizen, a veteran of the United States Air Force, and a retired employee of Los Angeles County ... I'm proud of being an American.  I believe we have worked hard to create a productive, peaceful, free, and just society in California.  Happy Fourth of July to everyone. 


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