"When speech comes from a quiet heart,
it has the strength of the orchid,
and the fragrance of rock."
- Stephen Mitchell, Four Watercolors by Tao-chi
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have
into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos
to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast,
a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes
sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow."
- Melody Beattie
Simplicity: Quotes, Sayings, Poems
Heart
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
When I Walk, I Walk
"When I dance, I dance, when I sleep,
I sleep; yes, and when I walk
alone in a beautiful orchard, if my thoughts drift to far-off matters
for some part of the time, for some other part I lead them back
again to the walk, the orchard, to the sweetness of this solitude,
to myself."
- Montaigne
Walking: Quotes, Sayings, Lore
Meditation
- Montaigne
Walking: Quotes, Sayings, Lore
Meditation
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Two Realms Mingle
Here is how our front porch looks when decorated for Halloween Day. Notice the five spherical white spectral
(ghostly) visitors coming to "trick or treat" at our front door.
"To all the ancient ones from their houses, the Old Ones from above and below. In this time the Gods of the Earth touch our feet, bare upon the ground. Spirits of the Air whisper in our hair and chill our bodies, and from the dark portions watch and wait the Faery Folk that they may join the circle and leave their track upon the ground. It is the time of the waning year. Winter is upon us. The corn is golden in the winnow heaps. Rains will soon wash sleep into the life-bringing Earth. We are not without fear, we are not without sorrow...Before us are all the signs of Death: the ear of corn is no more green and life is not in it. The Earth is cold and no more will grasses spring jubilant. The Sun but glances upon his sister, the earth..... It is so....Even now....But here also are the signs of life, the eternal promise given to our people. In the death of the corn there is the seed--which is both food for the season of Death and the Beacon which will signal green-growing time and life returning.In the cold of the Earth there is but sleep wherein She will awaken refreshed and renewed, her journey into the Dark Lands ended. And where the Sun journeys he gains new vigor and potency; that in the spring, his blessings shall come ever young!"
- Two Samhain Rituals, Compost Coveners, 1980
"To all the ancient ones from their houses, the Old Ones from above and below. In this time the Gods of the Earth touch our feet, bare upon the ground. Spirits of the Air whisper in our hair and chill our bodies, and from the dark portions watch and wait the Faery Folk that they may join the circle and leave their track upon the ground. It is the time of the waning year. Winter is upon us. The corn is golden in the winnow heaps. Rains will soon wash sleep into the life-bringing Earth. We are not without fear, we are not without sorrow...Before us are all the signs of Death: the ear of corn is no more green and life is not in it. The Earth is cold and no more will grasses spring jubilant. The Sun but glances upon his sister, the earth..... It is so....Even now....But here also are the signs of life, the eternal promise given to our people. In the death of the corn there is the seed--which is both food for the season of Death and the Beacon which will signal green-growing time and life returning.In the cold of the Earth there is but sleep wherein She will awaken refreshed and renewed, her journey into the Dark Lands ended. And where the Sun journeys he gains new vigor and potency; that in the spring, his blessings shall come ever young!"
- Two Samhain Rituals, Compost Coveners, 1980
"Tonight as the barrier between the two realms grows thin,
Spirits walk amongst us, once again.
They be family friends and foes,
Pets and wildlife, fishes and crows.
But be we still mindful of the Wee Folke at play,
Elves, fey, brownies, and sidhe.
Some to trick, some to treat,
Some to purposely misguide our feet.
Stay we on the paths we know
As planting sacred apples we go.
Spirits walk amongst us, once again.
They be family friends and foes,
Pets and wildlife, fishes and crows.
But be we still mindful of the Wee Folke at play,
Elves, fey, brownies, and sidhe.
Some to trick, some to treat,
Some to purposely misguide our feet.
Stay we on the paths we know
As planting sacred apples we go.
This Feast I shall leave on my doorstep all night.
In my window one candle shall burn bright,
To help my loved ones find their way
As they travel this eve, and this night, until day.
Bless my offering, both Lady and Lord
Of breads and fruits, greens and gourd."
- Akasha, Samhain Ritual
In my window one candle shall burn bright,
To help my loved ones find their way
As they travel this eve, and this night, until day.
Bless my offering, both Lady and Lord
Of breads and fruits, greens and gourd."
- Akasha, Samhain Ritual
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Medicine Ball Exercises
Martial
Arts, physical culture, and Qigong enthusiasts can benefit from using a
medicine ball when doing exercises. There are many routines developed
by Taijiquan and Qigong masters using a medicine ball. In addition,
upper body strength is also improved by using Taijiquan weapons like the
saber, sword, and staff.
Medicine Ball Training and Exercises: Bibliography, Links, Resources . Prepared by Mike Garofalo. A general introduction to the use of medicine balls in exercise programs.
I developed my own medicine ball routine called: Magic Pearl Qigong.
Magic Pearl Qigong, Part I, Movements 1-8 . Instructions, Bibliography, Links, Handouts, Resources, Mythological Associations, Lore. Prepared by Mike Garofalo.
Magic Pearl Qigong, Part II, Movements 9-16 . Instructions, Bibliography, Links, Handouts, Resources, Mythological Associations, Lore. Prepared by Mike Garofalo.
The Magic Pearl Qigong can be a very vigorous physical culture routine if you increase the weight of the ball and the number of repetitions of each movement.
Medicine Ball Training and Exercises: Bibliography, Links, Resources . Prepared by Mike Garofalo. A general introduction to the use of medicine balls in exercise programs.
I developed my own medicine ball routine called: Magic Pearl Qigong.
Magic Pearl Qigong, Part I, Movements 1-8 . Instructions, Bibliography, Links, Handouts, Resources, Mythological Associations, Lore. Prepared by Mike Garofalo.
Magic Pearl Qigong, Part II, Movements 9-16 . Instructions, Bibliography, Links, Handouts, Resources, Mythological Associations, Lore. Prepared by Mike Garofalo.
The Magic Pearl Qigong can be a very vigorous physical culture routine if you increase the weight of the ball and the number of repetitions of each movement.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
The Silent Outgoing Self Takes a Walk
"I was the world in which I walked."
- Wallace Stevens, Tea at the Palaz of Hoon
- Wallace Stevens, Tea at the Palaz of Hoon
"Allow walking to occupy a place of stature equal with all the other important activities in your life. As difficult as that might seem, here's how to do it. Make it a practice.
That's right. Turn your walking into a vehicle for personal growth
as well as for fitness. This will add a higher level of integrity and
intention to your approach because you will find that it is a way to
deepen and upgrade your relationship to your body. Instead of merely
giving your legs a good workout, you'll be practicing to relax more,
to breathe better, to expand your vision, to open up your range of
motion, to increase your energy, to feel and sense your body. The list
is exciting - and endless. With all of this to look forward to, your
walking program will take its place alongside everything in your life
you value most, and you'll be amazed at how easy it is to schedule
time for something you really love to do."
- Katherine Dreyer, Chi Walking, p. 56
- Katherine Dreyer, Chi Walking, p. 56
"Walking I am unbound, and find that precious unity of life and imagination, that silent outgoing self, which is so easy to loose, but which a high moments seems to start up again from the deepest rhythms of my own body. How often have I had this longing for an infinite walk - of going unimpeded, until the movement of my body as I walk fell into the flight of streets under my feet - until I in my body and the world in its skin of earth were blended into a single act of knowing."
- Alfred Kazin, The Open Street
"If you look for the truth outside yourself,
It gets farther and farther away.
Today walking alone, I meet it everywhere I step.
It is the same as me, yet I am not it.
Only if you understand it in this way
Will you merge with the way things are."- Tung-Shan
"Walking meditation means to enjoy walking without any intention to
arrive. We don't need to arrive anywhere. We just walk. We enjoy
walking. That means walking is already stopping, and that needs some
training. Usually in our daily life we walk because we want to go
somewhere. Walking is only a means to an end, and that is why we do not
enjoy every step we take. Walking meditation is different. Walking is
only for walking. You enjoy every step you take. So this is a kind of
revolution in walking. You allow yourself to enjoy every step you take.
The Zen master Ling Chi said that "the miracle is not to walk on burning charcoal or in the thin air or on the water; the miracle is just to walk on earth." You breathe in. You become aware of the fact that you are alive. You are still alive and you are walking on this beautiful planet. That is already performing a miracle. The greatest of all miracles is to be alive. We have to awaken ourselves to the truth that we are here, alive. We are here making steps on this beautiful planet. This is already performing a miracle. But we have to be here in order for the miracle to be possible. We have to bring ourselves back to the here and the now."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Resting in the River
The Zen master Ling Chi said that "the miracle is not to walk on burning charcoal or in the thin air or on the water; the miracle is just to walk on earth." You breathe in. You become aware of the fact that you are alive. You are still alive and you are walking on this beautiful planet. That is already performing a miracle. The greatest of all miracles is to be alive. We have to awaken ourselves to the truth that we are here, alive. We are here making steps on this beautiful planet. This is already performing a miracle. But we have to be here in order for the miracle to be possible. We have to bring ourselves back to the here and the now."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Resting in the River
- Ways of Walking
- Walking Meditation
- Walking Quotations
- Walking Bibliography
- Circle Walking: Bagua
- Walking the Labyrinth
- Garden Walking
- Walking Qigong
- Walking Staff
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 44
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 44
"Is the name or the man more precious?
Does the man or his goods count for more?
Does the gain or loss bring more pain?
Extreme economies entail great waste,
And excess holding heavy losses;
But a humbling is spared by few wants,
A miscarriage by knowing the limits;
Thus one can abide and endure."
- Translated by Moss Roberts, 2001, Chapter 44
"Fame or self: Which matters more?
Self or wealth: Which is more precious?
Gain or loss: Which is more harmful?
The more that things are desired, the more they will cost.
The more that things are kept, the more they will be missed.
If you are content with yourself, no one can deprive you.
Know when to stop, and you will never run into danger."
- Translated by Ned Ludd, Chapter 44
"What is more important to you
what others think of you or
what you think of your body, mind and spirit.
Is you natural energy, essence, and inspiration
worth more to you an acquired material things.
Is gaining more or less painful that losing.
Speaking with the mystery, refining your nature,
studying your emotions will inform you.
If you love well you will spend yourself well.
If you love too often you will exhaust yourself and die.
When the power of the Tao source of life flows into you from above
contentment and happiness abound.
When you know how to extend your love and live
in a way that does not impose itself on the universe
then you will flow into it
knowing when to move forward and backward
when to twist left or right
when it's time to float upward or settle downward
when it's best to move on or simply stand still.
Know these things and you will realize your limitlessness.
Be the sacred friend that joins the hands
of heaven and earth
accepting all the flaws and faults
with and without your bodymind
bearing on your shoulders
the good and the bad all around you
and you will preserve the bodymind of the world."
- Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 44
"A great name or self-knowledge:
To which of these does your heart respond?
Material goods or your natural virtues:
Which do you treasure more?
Profit or loss: which is more apt
To lead you toward destruction?
The love of excess lays Nature waste:
It spends the self and buys remorse.
Accumulation is the greatest loss.
Meet your needs and go no further,
And you will be a stranger to disgrace.
Recognize the limits of every situation,
And you'll be free from danger.
Thus can you fulfill the enduring harmony."
- Translated by Brian Donohue, 2005, Chapter 44
Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
Chapter 44
"Is the name or the man more precious?
Does the man or his goods count for more?
Does the gain or loss bring more pain?
Extreme economies entail great waste,
And excess holding heavy losses;
But a humbling is spared by few wants,
A miscarriage by knowing the limits;
Thus one can abide and endure."
- Translated by Moss Roberts, 2001, Chapter 44
"Fame or self: Which matters more?
Self or wealth: Which is more precious?
Gain or loss: Which is more harmful?
The more that things are desired, the more they will cost.
The more that things are kept, the more they will be missed.
If you are content with yourself, no one can deprive you.
Know when to stop, and you will never run into danger."
- Translated by Ned Ludd, Chapter 44
"What is more important to you
what others think of you or
what you think of your body, mind and spirit.
Is you natural energy, essence, and inspiration
worth more to you an acquired material things.
Is gaining more or less painful that losing.
Speaking with the mystery, refining your nature,
studying your emotions will inform you.
If you love well you will spend yourself well.
If you love too often you will exhaust yourself and die.
When the power of the Tao source of life flows into you from above
contentment and happiness abound.
When you know how to extend your love and live
in a way that does not impose itself on the universe
then you will flow into it
knowing when to move forward and backward
when to twist left or right
when it's time to float upward or settle downward
when it's best to move on or simply stand still.
Know these things and you will realize your limitlessness.
Be the sacred friend that joins the hands
of heaven and earth
accepting all the flaws and faults
with and without your bodymind
bearing on your shoulders
the good and the bad all around you
and you will preserve the bodymind of the world."
- Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 44
"A great name or self-knowledge:
To which of these does your heart respond?
Material goods or your natural virtues:
Which do you treasure more?
Profit or loss: which is more apt
To lead you toward destruction?
The love of excess lays Nature waste:
It spends the self and buys remorse.
Accumulation is the greatest loss.
Meet your needs and go no further,
And you will be a stranger to disgrace.
Recognize the limits of every situation,
And you'll be free from danger.
Thus can you fulfill the enduring harmony."
- Translated by Brian Donohue, 2005, Chapter 44
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Decaying Trees by the Sea
"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
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
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
First Rain
Yesterday morning, we awoke to the sound of rainfall. This is our first rain since last May. Wonderful!
Ironically, and coincidentally, our home water well pump stopped working on Saturday. On Monday morning the water pump repair serviceman from Heitmann company came and repaired the problem. Some of the the electrical controlling box parts had burned out. The unit was replaced for $340. Now we have water again in our home. Yes!!
"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water."
- Loren Eisley
"Man is not an aquatic animal, but from the time we stand in youthful wonder beside a Spring brook till we sit in old age and watch the endless roll of the sea, we feel a strong kinship with the waters of this world."
- Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons
Water: Quotes for Gardeners
Ironically, and coincidentally, our home water well pump stopped working on Saturday. On Monday morning the water pump repair serviceman from Heitmann company came and repaired the problem. Some of the the electrical controlling box parts had burned out. The unit was replaced for $340. Now we have water again in our home. Yes!!
"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water."
- Loren Eisley
"Man is not an aquatic animal, but from the time we stand in youthful wonder beside a Spring brook till we sit in old age and watch the endless roll of the sea, we feel a strong kinship with the waters of this world."
- Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons
Water: Quotes for Gardeners
Monday, October 22, 2012
Calm Mind, Kind Heart, Being Present
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Sunday, October 21, 2012
Religion in America
"An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public
Life details statistics on religion in America and explores the shifts
taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with
more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious
Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both
very diverse and extremely fluid.
More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.
The survey finds that the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion."
- Statistics on Religion in America, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
I was very pleased to read that 25% of young adults are not currently affiliated with any particular religion. It is great to hear that more young people are thinking in an independent, open-minded, and free thinking manner.
When I was 15 years old, I decided I was an atheist, and that I was no longer interested in the Catholic religion in which I was raised. I wanted to be a Philosopher after reading public library copies of "The Story of Philosophy" by Will Durant, "Why I am Not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell, and "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" by Paul Reps. I was sent to Catholic schools from the 1st to the 12th grade. I pretended to be a Catholic for three years until I was 18 years old in order to avoid hassles from my dictatorial father, extended family, narrow minded and bullying Irish Christian Brother teachers, noxious priests, and my social circles at that time.
My current views on organized religions are expressed elsewhere on a separate webpage. I consider myself a philosopher with a variety of mystical and spiritual interests in Neo-Paganism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Mind-Body Movement Arts as an independent seeker. "Atheism" seems too narrow a term to describe my outlook. I am a free thinker, pluralist, non-theist, pro-science, rationalist, mystic, and philosopher.
More than one-quarter of American adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion - or no religion at all. If change in affiliation from one type of Protestantism to another is included, 44% of adults have either switched religious affiliation, moved from being unaffiliated with any religion to being affiliated with a particular faith, or dropped any connection to a specific religious tradition altogether.
The survey finds that the number of people who say they are unaffiliated with any particular faith today (16.1%) is more than double the number who say they were not affiliated with any particular religion as children. Among Americans ages 18-29, one-in-four say they are not currently affiliated with any particular religion."
- Statistics on Religion in America, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life
I was very pleased to read that 25% of young adults are not currently affiliated with any particular religion. It is great to hear that more young people are thinking in an independent, open-minded, and free thinking manner.
When I was 15 years old, I decided I was an atheist, and that I was no longer interested in the Catholic religion in which I was raised. I wanted to be a Philosopher after reading public library copies of "The Story of Philosophy" by Will Durant, "Why I am Not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell, and "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" by Paul Reps. I was sent to Catholic schools from the 1st to the 12th grade. I pretended to be a Catholic for three years until I was 18 years old in order to avoid hassles from my dictatorial father, extended family, narrow minded and bullying Irish Christian Brother teachers, noxious priests, and my social circles at that time.
My current views on organized religions are expressed elsewhere on a separate webpage. I consider myself a philosopher with a variety of mystical and spiritual interests in Neo-Paganism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Mind-Body Movement Arts as an independent seeker. "Atheism" seems too narrow a term to describe my outlook. I am a free thinker, pluralist, non-theist, pro-science, rationalist, mystic, and philosopher.
Saturday, October 20, 2012
October Morning Mild
“The Wheel rolls more, and Autumn returns.
Cooler the rain; the Sun lower burns.
The coloring leaves presage the Year:
All things move into harvest’s sphere.
I vow to savor fruits first picked;
nor into grief shall I be tricked.
I vow to offer what once I spurned,
and face the Turning reassured.
- Asleen O’Gaea, Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon, p. 116.
Samhain, Halloween Celebrations
Cooler the rain; the Sun lower burns.
The coloring leaves presage the Year:
All things move into harvest’s sphere.
I vow to savor fruits first picked;
nor into grief shall I be tricked.
I vow to offer what once I spurned,
and face the Turning reassured.
- Asleen O’Gaea, Celebrating the Seasons of Life: Beltane to Mabon, p. 116.
Samhain, Halloween Celebrations
"O hushed
October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away."
- Robert Frost, October
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away."
- Robert Frost, October
The entrance to our front driveway features a seasonal display that Karen prepared. Karen is petting our cat, King Tut, in the early morning hours.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Tai Chi Standard 24 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 past. Now there
are dozens of books and instructional DVDs and webpages on the subject
of the 24 Form.
Snake Creeps Down on Left Side
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 most detailed book that I have seen on the subject of the 24 Form 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 am an acupuncturist and instructor in
the San Francisco Bay area and will participate in the annual assembly of the
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Atlanta on November
14-18, 2012. I will be one of the speakers for the workshop on
"Chinese Therapeutic Exercises: A
Cognitive and Kinesthetic Approach." I will demonstrate the Simplified
24-form Tai Chi Chuan and introduce its therapeutic effects. I found your
website during my searching for pictures of the 24 Form. I am
impressed by your detailed instruction and the pictures for each movement.
Although there are some other similar pictures at other websites, your pictures
are clearer with sequence numbers for easier following. It's also amazing
that you collected so much information including many citations about various
Tai Chi Chuan activities. I believe you are a lover or fan of Tai Chi. I
am deeply moved by your extensive efforts on your Cloud Hands website, which is a great
reference for a Tai Chi learner. May I ask for your approval to cite your
pictures on your 24
Form webpage in my PowerPoint presentation for discussion? We will print out
this file as a handout for participants at the workshop. Of course, I will
put your website on it and introduce it to everyone at the workshop, and also
express my gratitude for your generous sharing during my lecture."
- Carol Wang, Email on October 18, 2012
- Carol Wang, Email on October 18, 2012
I also teach and enjoy playing the Chen Style Taijiquan 18 Movement Form created by Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei. Actually, in the last year, I have enjoyed practicing the Chen 18 Form more than the 24 Form. Maybe it is just a case of novelty.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 45
Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 45
"Great accomplishment looks incomplete;
Use will not wear it out.
Great fullness looks empty;
Use will not exhaust it.
Great straightness looks crooked;
Great skill looks clumsy;
Great eloquence sounds stuttering;
"Being in motion overcomes cold;
Being still overcomes heat."
Be clear and still, and you will be the lord of all under Heaven.
- Translated by Ha Poong Kim, Chapter 45
"True perfection seems flawed
Yet its usefulness is never exhausted.
True fulfillment seems empty
Yet its usefulness is infinite.
True straightness seems crooked,
Great skill appears easy,
Great eloquence sounds awkward.
Cold overcomes heat.
Tranquility conquers agitation.
Purity and stillness is the universal ideal."
- Translated by John R. Mabry, Chapter 45
"Sit quietly
focus and forget
rest with the great achievement.
The ancient child asks
"what is the great achievement?"
It is beyond description in any language
it can only be felt intuitively
it can only be expressed intuitively.
Engage a loose, alert, and aware
body, mind, and sound
then look into the formless
and perceive no thing.
See yourself as a sphere
small at first
growing to encompass
the vastness of infinite space.
Sit quietly
focus and forget then
in a state of ease and rest
secure the truth of the great achievement.
Employing the truth will not exhaust its power
when it seems exhausted it is really abundant
and while human art will die at the hands of utility
the great achievement is beyond being useful.
Great straightness is curved and crooked
great intelligence is raw and silly
great words are simple and naturally awkward.
Engaged movement drives out the frozen cold
mindful stillness subdues the frenzied heart.
Sit quietly
focusing
forgetting
summon order from the void
that guides the ordering of the universe."
- Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 45
"Great perfection appears defective,
but its usefulness is not diminished.
Great fullness appears empty,
but its usefulness is not impaired.
Great straightness seems crooked,
Great cleverness seems clumsy,
Great triumph seems awkward.
Bustling about vanquishes cold,
Standing still vanquishes heat.
Pure and still, one can put things right everywhere under heaven."
- Translated by Victor Mair, Chapter 45
Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
Chapter 45
"Great accomplishment looks incomplete;
Use will not wear it out.
Great fullness looks empty;
Use will not exhaust it.
Great straightness looks crooked;
Great skill looks clumsy;
Great eloquence sounds stuttering;
"Being in motion overcomes cold;
Being still overcomes heat."
Be clear and still, and you will be the lord of all under Heaven.
- Translated by Ha Poong Kim, Chapter 45
"True perfection seems flawed
Yet its usefulness is never exhausted.
True fulfillment seems empty
Yet its usefulness is infinite.
True straightness seems crooked,
Great skill appears easy,
Great eloquence sounds awkward.
Cold overcomes heat.
Tranquility conquers agitation.
Purity and stillness is the universal ideal."
- Translated by John R. Mabry, Chapter 45
"Sit quietly
focus and forget
rest with the great achievement.
The ancient child asks
"what is the great achievement?"
It is beyond description in any language
it can only be felt intuitively
it can only be expressed intuitively.
Engage a loose, alert, and aware
body, mind, and sound
then look into the formless
and perceive no thing.
See yourself as a sphere
small at first
growing to encompass
the vastness of infinite space.
Sit quietly
focus and forget then
in a state of ease and rest
secure the truth of the great achievement.
Employing the truth will not exhaust its power
when it seems exhausted it is really abundant
and while human art will die at the hands of utility
the great achievement is beyond being useful.
Great straightness is curved and crooked
great intelligence is raw and silly
great words are simple and naturally awkward.
Engaged movement drives out the frozen cold
mindful stillness subdues the frenzied heart.
Sit quietly
focusing
forgetting
summon order from the void
that guides the ordering of the universe."
- Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 45
"Great perfection appears defective,
but its usefulness is not diminished.
Great fullness appears empty,
but its usefulness is not impaired.
Great straightness seems crooked,
Great cleverness seems clumsy,
Great triumph seems awkward.
Bustling about vanquishes cold,
Standing still vanquishes heat.
Pure and still, one can put things right everywhere under heaven."
- Translated by Victor Mair, Chapter 45
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Question Our Answers
"It
is often more important to question our answers than to answer our questions.
The process of questioning and holding a question within ourselves becomes part
of the light on the path to discovery, softening and opening us to new
realizations. When we trust ourselves enough to begin to question
tradition and authority, we begin the process of direct discovery. It has
been said that the highest learning comes in four parts: One part is learned
from teachers; another part from fellow students; a third part for self-study
and practice; and the final part come mysteriously, silently, in the due course
of time. Inquiry and questioning can free us from the rigid, mechanical
life of strict adherence to one belief, and can move us into the joy of
continuous learning."
- Ganga White, Yoga Beyond Belief, p.11
- Ganga White, Yoga Beyond Belief, p.11
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
A Will Finds a Way to Change
"Any significant long-term change requires long-term practice, whether
that change has to do with playing the violin or learning to be a more
open, loving person. We all know people who say that they have been
permanently changed by experiences of a moment or a day or a weekend.
But when you check it out you'll generally discover that those who ended
up permanently changed had spent considerable time preparing for their
life-changing experience or had continued diligently practicing the new
behavior afterward."
- Michael Murphy and George Leonard
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
- Benjamin Franklin
"The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center. So does a person."
- Norman Vincent Peale
"I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand."
- Confucius
- Michael Murphy and George Leonard
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
- Benjamin Franklin
"The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center. So does a person."
- Norman Vincent Peale
"I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand."
- Confucius
"A callused palm and dirty fingernails precede a Green Thumb.
Wishes are like seeds - few ever develop into something.
Willpower is the art of replacing one habit for another."
- Michael Garofalo, Pulling Onions
"A will finds a way."
- Orison Swett Marden
"If you focus on results, you will never change.
If you focus on change, you will get results."
- Jack Dixon
"Gongfu is an ancient Chinese term describing work/devotion/effort that has been successfully applied over a substantial period of time, resulting in a degree of mastery in a specific field. Although the term is synonymous in the West with martial arts (though it is most over rendered Kung Fu), it is equally applicable to calligraphy, painting, music, or other areas of endeavor."
- Andy James
"An element of abstention, of restraint, must enter into all finer joys."
- Vida D. Scudder
Will Power: Quotes, Sayings, Aphorisms
Wishes are like seeds - few ever develop into something.
Willpower is the art of replacing one habit for another."
- Michael Garofalo, Pulling Onions
"A will finds a way."
- Orison Swett Marden
"If you focus on results, you will never change.
If you focus on change, you will get results."
- Jack Dixon
"Gongfu is an ancient Chinese term describing work/devotion/effort that has been successfully applied over a substantial period of time, resulting in a degree of mastery in a specific field. Although the term is synonymous in the West with martial arts (though it is most over rendered Kung Fu), it is equally applicable to calligraphy, painting, music, or other areas of endeavor."
- Andy James
"An element of abstention, of restraint, must enter into all finer joys."
- Vida D. Scudder
Will Power: Quotes, Sayings, Aphorisms
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