Seeking a Literary Agent, Editor, and/or Publisher

I am seeking an author's agent, editor, and/or publisher to consider my books.

Discover your commercial success possibilities right HERE 
with books by Michael P. Garofalo.

My poetry is unique, creative, direct, experimental, philosophical, and
contemporary. Check out three of my poetry books that are ready for
publication right now:

Attention, Language and Time
Selected Poetry: 2016 - 2026
By Michael P. Garofalo

WebBook, 60 pages, October, 2026

At the Edges of the West: Highway 101 and 1.
Docu-Poems, Haiku, Photos, TextArt

The Tick-Tock Tractatus:
Speaking of Time: The Poetic Investigations

Five Corners of Time Eclectic Quintains and Tanka

My Daodejing Anthology and Concordance
is the very best. This Tao Te Ching anthology
is encyclopedic in scope, and well respected.

Other commercial possibilities
can be found at:

Twenty Five Steps and Beyond:
The Collected Works of Mike Garofalo 

Yes, the in-boxes of literary agents are filled to the brim with new manuscripts to read. And, they diligently proceed to try to discover value that will sell.

For a change, just open your web browser and you will find diverse creative work and whole books at my website.

As for reviews of my work, go here.

My 3,700+ Quintain poems at Bundled Up (Volumes 1 - 9) are designed for Ebook
publication. This is a special type of poetry and research for which readers frequently return. My quintain sonnets (5252, 554, 555, 553, 545) are an original formal and structural contribution to the genre.

I have saved $600 to help start this publishing process. I am not interested in talking to anyone who wants me to pay them for all the publishing and distributing of my creative works in paperback, hardback or Ebook formats.

I am seeking an author's agent and/or publisher who can see the possibilities
for commercial success from my writing and my existing books, takes the risks,
works with me on an ongoing basis, gets them published, and takes the lions-share of the profits.

What little money I might make will keep my websites afloat, and the excess
will be given to charity.

I don't have the funds or the time to actively market or promote my works to agents or publishers or the public. I will just let the wide range and value of my creative
works speak for themselves, and their commercial possibilities.

My goal is to write better and more! Since 1998, I have published all my creative work on my many Internet websites and blog.

To Contact Me

Thanks, Michael Peter Garofalo

Humanism

Humanism: Good Reads

The Little Book of Humanism: Universal Lessons on Finding Purpose, Meaning and Joy. By Andrew Copson and Alice Roberts. Piatkus, 2022, 256 pages. VSCL, Hardbound.

Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope. Penguin Press, 2023, 454 pages. VSCL, Paperback.

American Humanist Association

Humanists of Greater Portland, Oregon

Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe.  By Greg M. Epstein, Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University.  William Morrow, 2009, 250 pages. FVRL, Hardbound. Outstanding presentation!

I have enjoyed and benefitted from reading three books by the fine writer, humanist, and scholar: Sarah Bakewell. 

How to Live, or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer.

At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being and Apricot Cocktails.

This week, I have enjoyed reading her newest book:

Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope. Penguin Press, 2023, 454 pages. VSCL.

I have a number of webpages with my notes on Humanist philosophy:

How to Live a Good Life: Advice From Wise Persons

Pragmatism

My Views on Religion

Free Thought

"You are what you make of yourselves. Aim high, aim for the stars, and you may yet clear the rooftops. You will need courage, tenacity, motivation, and a good sense of humor on the route. Quality of character, happiness, fulfilment of potential and of human needs can be improved through changed values, through redirection of individual life, by a process of personal change, and personal evolution."
- Jeaneane Fowler

"The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile." - Bertrand Russell

"Is it so small a thing To have enjoyed the sun, To have lived light in the spring, To have loved to have thought, to have done; To have advanced true friends, and beat down baffling foes.

That we must feign a bliss Of doubtful future date, And while we dream on this Lose all our present state, And relegate to worlds yet distant our repose? - Matthew Arnold

The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought.  By Susan Jacoby.  Yale University Press, 2013, 246 pages. VSCL. 

 

Subject Index to the Book of Serenity 100 Zen Buddhist Koans

 

Book of Serenity 100 Koans (BOS)

Book of Equanimity or Book of Serenity (BOS)

The Book of Serenity (BOS) Book of Equanimity
100 Cases of Brief Stories, Spiritual Encounters, Koans, Wisdom Tales, Sermons, Dialogues, Parables
Compiled and published around 1224 CE.

Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo. Second Draft on August 26, 2023.

Primary Source for Indexing: The Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues. Translated with commentary by Thomas Cleary, 2005, 512 pages.

Subject Index to Cases in the Book of Serenity (BOS) 100 Koans Collection. Second Draft, August 25, 2023, 26 pages, PDF.

Alphabetical List of Cases in the Book of Serenity (BOS) 100 Koans Collection. Second Draft, August 25, 2023, 4 pages, PDF.

List of Cases by Case Numbers in the Book of Serenity (BOS) 100 Koans Collection. Second Draft, August 25, 2023, 4 pages, PDF.

 

Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans and Discourses

The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans. By Gerry Shishin Wick. Foreword by Bernie Glassman. Boston, Wisdom Publications, 2005. Recommended reading list, list of names index, 331 pages. ISBN: 9780861713875.

Book of Serenity: One Hundred Zen Dialogues. Translation and commentary by Thomas Cleary. Shambhala, 2005, glossary, notes, 463 pages. 100 Koans. VSCL, paperback.

Book of Serenity Translated by Joan Sutherland Roshi and John Tarrant Roshi. "The hundred koans of the Book of Serenity, also translated as the Book of Equanimity, were among those written by twelfth-century Chan teacher Hongzhi Zhengjue. In the thirteenth century, Wansong Xingxiu compiled Hongzhi’s koans and wrote commentaries for each. Although the collection is associated with the Caodong / Soto school, they are also taken up in koan study by Linji / Rinzai practitioners." Online PDF Version.

Shoyoroku (E. Book of Serenity, C. Ts’ung-jung lu) Online version of the Book of Serenity. Congrong Lu.
A collection of 100 koans, originally compiled in the 12th century by Wanshi Shogaku (C. Hung-chih Cheng-chüeh).

Book of Equanimity - Wikipedia 100 Cases. Compiled by Wangsong Zingxiu (1166-1246), and first published in 1224. The book comprises a collection of 100 koans written by the Chan Buddhist master Hongzhi Zengjue (1091-1157), together with commentaries by Wansong. Wansong's compilation is the only surviving source for Hongzhi's koans.

Buddhism: Bibliography, Links, Information, Resources. Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo.

Zen Buddhist Koans and Information: https://www.egreenway.com/buddhism/koansdup1.htm By Michael P. Garofalo.

 

               

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls for Older Persons

Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls 
Safety Tips for Around Your House
For Older Persons, Seniors, Elderly:

Avoid clutter. Don't leave things on the floor. Pick up after yourself.
Make sure you have good lighting for both night and day.
Keep furniture and tables to a minimum. Leave room for walking.
Keep areas beside the bed and into a toilet clear and uncluttered.
Use hand bars beside toilet and shower.
Have a strong small ladder for reaching up to higher shelves.
Wear good shoes indoors.
Make sure rugs and runners are secure on the floor.
Watch out if you have steps into your garage or rooms.
Be careful, slow down, be alert!
Use your cane or walker as needed.
Be aware if medicines you take make you feel lightheaded or dizzy.
If sitting for a long time, stand up slowly and carefully.
Move carefully on arthritic or injured limbs.
Use tips and techniques for standing up carefully and safely.
Exercise each day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance.
Make sure all chairs, seats, and tables are in good working order.
Use it, or slowly but surely loose it.
Keep all cabinet drawers or doors pushed and closed properly.
Let others help you or pay for services.
Know you own strengths, limitations, or weaknesses.
If you are obese, it will impair your balance skills. Loose weight!
Do exercises to improve the strength of your legs and hips.
See a physician for serious dizziness.
Practice Tai Chi Chuan to improve your balance skills.
- Michael P. Garofalo, Balance

Aging Well  Information, Bibliography, Quotes, Notes, Links

Attention, Language and Time, Selected Poetry 2016 - 2026 by Michael P. Garofalo

 

Attention, Language and Time
Selected Poetry: 2016 - 2026
By Michael P. Garofalo

WebBook, 50 pages, September, 2026

My new WebBook is now ready for reading by any Internet user.
Can be viewed on cellphone, tablet, or desktop.
Google Translate Menu at the top of the page.
Free WebBook: No Ads, No Cookies, No Sign In, No Sales

Tai Chi Chuan Instruction in Vancouver, Clark County, WA

 Tai Chi Chuan Instruction in 2026-2027

The Yang Style of T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Private or Group Lessons

Instructor: Mike Garofalo, M.S., B.A.

Instructor's Qualifications

In Clark County, Washington State:
Vancouver, Battleground, Camas,
Orchards, Salmon Creek, Minnehaha,
Prairie Creek, Five Corners, Felida,
Sunnyside, City Center, Mill Plain

Contact Mike Garofalo by Email or Phone

Teaching and practicing the Yang Style
Taijiquan Short 24 Movements Form,
the Standard Long 108 Movements Form,
Cane, and Qigong

 

Cost for Lessons:
$20 per hour for one person
$30 per hour for two persons
Senior Citizen Discounts
Large Group Discounts
Long Time Student Discounts
Gratuities Always Welcome
Free Lessons for those in Need

 

Location of Lessons:
9102 NE 100th Street
Vancouver, WA 98662
Also at Nearby Locations

 

Websites: Cloud Hands Tai Chi Chuan

Blog: Cloud Hands Blog

Qigong (Chi Kung), Longevity Practice

 

 

Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo
Qualifications and Experience

I began learning Yang Style Taijiquan and
Qigong in 1986, and have taught these
Body-Mind Somatic Arts since 2000.
I also taught Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga
in Red Bluff, CA, from 2003-2016.

All of my Yoga and T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Classes Include Some Qigong
(Chinese Yoga) Practices

In 2026, I am 80 years of age.

 

I began learning Yang Style Taijiquan and Qigong from
1986-1990 with Sensei Frank McGourick in Whittier, California.
I studied Lui Ho Ba Fa and Qigong with Sifu Robert Moore from 1987-1990 in Whittier, California.
I studied Red Dragon Kung Fu from 1991-1993 with Sensei Tony Ippolito in Hacienda Heights, California.

I taught over 950 one hour classes of Taijiquan and Qigong in Red Bluff, California, from 2000-2017.
I also practice the Chen 18 Style of Taijiquan and Sun 73 Style
of Taijiquan, the cane weapon, and many Qigong forms.

Tai Chi for Diabetes Instructor Trained and Certified by Dr. Paul Lam in 2003.
Tai Chi for Arthritis Level 2 Instructor (Sun Style) Trained and Certified by Troyce Thome in 2006.
Advanced Tai Chi and Qigong training at workshops or classes led by Robert Moore, Paul Lam, Ken Cohen,
Patricia Long, George Xu, Elaine Waters,
Bill Helm, Doc Fai-Wong, Sher K. Lew,
Kevin Weaver, Troyce Thome, Yang Jun,
David Fetyko, and Brian Knack.

I taught Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga in Red Bluff from 2003 to 2016 for over 1,460 hours of one hour classes.
YogaFit Level IV Certified Yoga Instructor (Standard 200 Hour Yoga Alliance Curriculum Completed) in 2004.
Over 100 hours of additional yoga training with Dr. Paula Barros, Desiree Rambaugh, and at the Ananda Yoga Center.
All of my Yoga Classes include some Qigong (Chinese Yoga).

Personal Fitness Trainer Certified by AFAA 2007
Mat Pilates AFAA Certified 2005
Spin Cycling AFAA Certified 2005
Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) Certifications
SilverSneakers Trained Instructor 2012
CPR and AED certified from 1999-2017, 2024.

Emergency 30-Day Substitute Teaching Permit, 4/1999-4/2017
Certified by the State of California Commission
on Teacher Credentialing.
M.A. Education, 40 units, CSU Chico.
M.A., Philosophy, 30 units at CSU Los Angeles.
M.S., Library and Information Science,
University of Southern California, 1968
B.A. Philosophy, CSU Los Angeles, 1967

Brief Biography

My telephone number in 2026 is 530-200-3546.

 

Qigong
(Chinese Warm-up Exercises, Chinese Yoga,
Chi Kung, Energy Development, Energy Work)

Eight Section Brocade Qigong (Ba Duan Gin)

Five Animal Frolics Qigong (Wu Qin Xi)

The Magic Pearl Medicine Ball Qigong

Ba Gua Circle Walking Eight Mother Palms

Entering Tranquility: Standing Meditation

Silk Reeling and Circles in Taijiquan

Temple Qigong

Dragon Qigong

Muscle-Tendon Changing Qigong (Yi Jin Jing)

Cloud Hands Website

Cloud Hands Blog

25 Steps and Beyond: Collected Works

 

Updated on April 12, 2025

 

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 67

Dao De Jing, Laozi
Chapter 67

"In the world each says
My Tao is great and seems to lack resemblance
In the end only great therefore seems to lack resemblance.
It looks like resemblance goes with the long-lasting
With what is tiny as well.
In the end I possess three principles I am obtaining yet defending
One, say compassion
Two, say thrift
Three say lack of venturing to act to precede the world.
Compassion, so be able to be brave
Thrift, so be able to expand
Lack venturing to act to precede the world
So be able to perfect tools of growth.
Right now, abandon compassion just to be brave
Abandon thrift just to expand
Abandon being behind just to precede
Death goes with these.
In the end with compassion
A war happens and next comes conquering
Keeping to it happens and next comes solidity.
The heavens attain helping
It happens that compassion is defending."
-  Translated by David Lindauer, Chapter 67

"Everyone, says that my Tao is great,
seemingly different (from yours).
Because it is great, it seems different.
If it were not different,
it would have vanished long ago.
I have three treasures which I hold and keep.
The first is mercy;
the second is economy (thrifty);
the third is daring not to be ahead of others (which draws jealousy).
From mercy comes courage;
from economy comes generosity;
staying behind ensures maturity and fulfillment.
Nowadays men shun mercy and be brave;
abandon economy and be wasteful;
do not believe in humility, but always try to be the first.
This ensures death.
Mercy brings victory in battle and strength in defense.
If God wants to save him, makes him have mercy." 
-   Translated by Tienzen Gong, Chapter 67 

 

"All in the world call me great; but I resemble the unlikely.
Now a man is great only because he resembles the unlikely.
Did he resemble the likely, how lasting, indeed, would his mediocrity be!
1 have three treasures which I cherish and prize.
The first is called compassion.
The second is called economy.
The third is called not daring to come to the front in the world. 
The compassionate can be brave;
The economical can be generous;
Those who dare not come to the front in the world can become perfect as chief vessels.
Now, if people discard compassion and are brave;
If they discard economy and are generous;
If they discard modesty and are ambitious, they will surely die."
-   Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 67

"The Tao may appear to be idealistic, but if you can put it into practice, you realize its greatness.
There are three traits which are required. 1. Compassion. 2. Patience. 3. Humility
Compassionate and you can face things the way they are.
Thus you can forgive yourself of any mistake.
Patient and you remain unmoved until the right opportunity arises.
Humble and you overcome self-importance, thus the ego.
In following the Tao, these are your three most valuable treasures."
-   Translated by David Bullen, Chapter 67 

"The world calls my Tao great but myself insignificant.
Yes: the clearer Tao manifests the more meaningless the ego becomes.
Worth nothing and without duration is he who wants to rate and be of importance.
Three treasures I guard which endure: the first is compassion the second frugality the third modesty.
Compassion makes me brave frugality generous modesty a carrier of the eternal.
Today the inconsiderate is called brave the spendthrift generous the go-getter progressive. 
They are progressing away from the essential thing toward decay toward death while the compassionate conquer through gentleness remaining in existence through non-resistance.
Heaven fills with compassion those it wants to preserve."
-   Translated by Schmidt, Chapter 67

  

"All the world says that, while my Tao is great, it yet appears to be inferior to other systems of teaching.
Now it is just its greatness that makes it seem to be inferior.
If it were like any other system, for long would its smallness have been known!
But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast.
The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others.
With that gentleness I can be bold;
With that economy I can be liberal;
Shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become avessel of the highest honor.
Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold;
Economy, and are all for being liberal;
The hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost;
Which in the end is death. 
Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its ground.
Heaven will save its possessor, by his very gentleness protecting him."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 67  

"Everyone under Heaven regards my Tao as Great, resembling nothing else.
Great, yes; that is the reason it resembles nothing else.
If it resembled anything else, it would have slight chance of survival.
I have three Treasures to hold and protect.
The first is Compassion.
The second is Economy.
The third is not presuming to be the First under Heaven.
Compassion permits Courage.
Economy makes Generosity possible.
Not presuming to be the First under Heaven is a quality of Leadership.
Now, abandon Compassion and consider Courage.
Abandon Frugality and consider Generosity.
Abandon Humility and consider Leadership.
Impossible !
Now, Compassion in battle leads to Victory; Compassion in Defense lends strength.
Heaven will assist the commander who exhibits Compassion."
-   Translated by Karl Kromal, 2002, Chapter 67 
 
"Everyone says my Dao is so great that it does not look like anything.
I say because it is so great, it does not look like anything.
If it were like anything, it would have disappeared long ago.
I have three treasures to keep and protect:
The first is kindness, the second is thrift, and the third is not fighting to be first.
Only if you are kind, can you be brave;
Only if you are thrifty, can you be generous;
Only if you do not fight to be first, can you be a leader.
However, the people today are not kind but brave,
Are not thrifty but generous,
Are not humble but want to be leaders.
These people are destined for failure.
With kindness, when you fight, you will win; when you defend, you will be strong.
If the heavens wants to save someone, it will always give him kindness as his defense."
-   Translated by Xiaolin Yang, Chapter 67 

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

Chapter 67 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

Rafting Down the Trinity

Rafting Down the Trinity

The river said go easy, so we pushed off,
      letting the raft find its own argument.
The current kept offering us opportunities:
           a bend, a hush, a Class 3 rapid, a sudden lift.
We followed, not knowing how far trust
           could carry us, only that it kept saying "Yes!"

The rubber raft slipped into its thoughts, a quiet logic...
Twisted by river stones, paddles, muscles, and wind
     and the long drag of downhill cold water.

Sunlight leaned into the canyon,
     finding us still where the current slowed.
There the catfish waited without hurry on the bottom.
We felt the day open, wide as the bend ahead.

Morning slid down the canyon
     and the river took it all in, cool and certain.
Our paddles touched the old stories---
     eddies of lore that encircled everyone.

We rafted the long remembering. Grateful to be included.

Later, the wind arrived, ruffling the surface
           into small disagreements.
We answered with strokes that tried to match
           the river’s impatience.
Even the banks seemed to listen, cottonwoods
leaning in as if our passing mattered,
           though we knew it did not.

The water shook us and we were fully ready,
paddling the raft past the damp bark of the alders.
We let the river tumble us over the large boulders,
bouncing us with a sudden, breathless glee.
Everything we meant to say stayed up on the shore;
only the wordless water mattered, and the joy and laughter.

Paddles touched the hush, the canyon walls held their breath.
Water knows the way.
We follow its old thinking, grateful for the hints it keeps.

Toward evening the canyon settled in dim shadows.
The water gathered its memories.
We followed, quieter now, trusting the way it carried us---
     not toward any lesson, but simply forward-down,
     the river doing what it always does,
     and us grateful to be allowed along.

We stopped, made camp, ate French bread and cheese,
drank wine, talked by the fire...

The River moved on in the darkness.
We dreamed of being tossed off the raft.

  

Water Falls Into the Gorge

We drove out to Dougan Falls in the Spring,
       like salmon moving, drawn in by obscure passions.
I followed the ear-opening sacredness that keeps
       coming back to me in the rain of memories.

The stream doesn't care about a trillion rocks.
It goes because it's been blind for many millenniums;
       unlike what the lanky Douglas Firs discovered
              when standing still for decades in the Gorge winds.

My niece never said much about beauty.
       I parked the car, we joined the crowds,
       walked up to Dougan Falls.
We both looked up and didn't speak.

The noisy songs of Cascadian waterfalls:
from high to low, young to old,
flowing down, colder to cold,
into the Columbia River flowing bold;
till it becomes the salty blood
       in the arteries of Oceanus
beyond the south jetty of Living Time.

Excerpts from:

Watching, Language and Time
Selected Works: 2016 - 2026
By Mike Garofalo
A Free WebBook, 70 Pages

Potholes State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 2

Potholes State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 2
April 2025
Michael Delmer, April, Karen, and I

Potholes State Park, Eastern Central Washington State

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge - Wikipedia

"Birdsong by day, coyote chorus by night. Dramatic cliffs and rimrock sit side-by-side with lakes, potholes, and marshes. Desert denizens and waterfowl sharing the same rugged landscape.

Comprising nearly 30,000 acres, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, grasslands and sagebrush. The combination of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and the protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallards, Canada geese, tundra swans and other waterfowl."

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington. The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

Moses Lake City, Washington, (27,000 Population)

Othello, Washington

Sacred Circles

Repost from 2018:  

"Creating Sacred Space is central to Wisdom Tradition spirituality and wisdom schools. It holds that in the act of dedicating or claiming sacred space we do indeed create an actual context for contact with the Numinous and its aspects. In that vane, our Wheels are not a " gimmick" -- they have a life and power all their own that is supported by centuries of many traditions. The elemental "beings" that we invite are "real" in their ability to interact (to be in relationship) with us. If it is what we want, they will help us to reshape our lives to the highest good we are capable of perceiving at that point in time. There are natural and actual correspondences between shapes (i.e. the angles of the planets, or squares, circles and triangles, etc.) and energies, things and concepts, but, the mysteries are not static or frozen in time: they change and grow with the changes that occur in humankind. Every space that we create has its own natural energy or underlying principle and teaching to offer. For instance, in a sweat space dedicated to the sacred, the "real" heat of the ceremony is a different kind of hotness which can burn away many of the things which separate us from the sacred. The ritual circle as sacred space is thus not a place arbitrarily set apart from the realities of the world, but on the contrary, it is truly aligned with the essence of creation through the coordinates of North, South, East and West. Because of that alignment and the power inherent in such space, we are actually aligning with and participating in the primal act of Creation. And, through each sacred space we create, the mystery grows and evolves by our commitment."
- Sacred Circles Institute

Sacred Circles and Spheres  Bibliography, Links, Quotes, Lore, History, Symbolism, Meditation, Notes, Charts, Photos.  By Mike Garofalo.

Sacred Circle Garden in Red Bluff California. This hypertext document includes many photographs of Mike and Karen Garofalo during the construction process of this medicine wheel, starting in 2006. Detailed information about the symbolism and associations in this sacred circle garden are provided in chart formats. A bibliography and links to related information about sacred circles, medicine wheels, stone circles, ritual circles, Magickal Circles, etc., is also provided. 

We lived in a rural area, 7 miles south of Red Bluff, California, from 1998-2017, on a five acre parcel of land. The fireplace at the center of the sacred circle garden was a good area for Ba Gua Zhang walking, Taijiquan, or Qigong; reading and writing; outdoor campfires in the Winter; meditation; resting in the shade on a hot Red Bluff summer day; for family marsh-mellow roasts; for sipping a whiskey/coffee and other indulgences; for nighttime star viewing; for daydreaming and spell casting; for a place to get out of the house; for a place to garden; etc. 

By 2009, the sacred circle was completely enclosed by vines, shrubs, and trees; you were hidden in a circle of green, [can't see out/cant' see in]. I provided electrical outlets in the design, and used them for lights, winter Yuletide lights, music, appliances, etc. We watered with both drip lines and hoses using our pond water south of the sacred circle garden. We added many rocks to the inner circle of this sacred circle garden from our travels in the Northwest USA. 10 Years of Treasured Memories!

Poetry Reading and Research Plan 2025-2026

My Current Poetry Reading and Research Plan:

September 2026 - April 2027:

Against Expression: An Anthology of Conceptual
Writing, 656 pages, 2011. Edited by Craig Dworkin.

Rae Armantrout, Partly: New and Selected Poems, 2001-2015.

Artifice and Indeterminacy: An Anthology of New Poetics,
392 pages, 1998. Edited by Christopher Beach.

Charles Bernstein, All the Whiskey in Heaven, 2010.

Robert Creely, Selected Poems 1945-2005, 338 pages, 2008.

The Dada Painters and Poets: An Anthology. Edited by
Robert Motherwell. 2nd Edition. 1989.

English and American Surrealist Poetry. Edited by
Edward B. Germain. 348 pages, 1979.

Lyn Hejinian, My Life, 1987.

Susan Howe, My Emily Dickinson, 2007.

The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Book: Poetics of the New.
Edited by Charles Berstein and Bruce Andrews.
312 pages, 1984.

The Marginalization of Poetry: Language Writing
and Literary History, 187 pages, 1996.
By Bob Perelman.

Harryette Mullen, Sleeping with the Dictionary, 2002.

Charles Olson, The Selected Poems, 246 pages, 1997.

Bob Perelman. The Marginalization of Poetry:
Language Writing and Literary History, 187 pages,1996.

Ron Silliman, Tjanting, 2002.

Surrealist Poetry: An Anthology. Edited by William Bohn.
380 pages, 2017.

Louis Zukofsky. Selected Poems. Edited by
Charles Bernstein. Library of America, 172 pages, 2006.

 

Slouching Into Incoherence

Bundled Up: 3,700 Quintain Poems, Volumes 1-8

Valley Spirit Center Library Bibliography

Quintain Poetry Research

The Gushen Grove Sonnets

 BU4041

Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington

 Cape Disappointment State Park, Southwestern Washington, Yurt Camping, Day 4

I will add new photos and notes on January 9, 2024.

Home for four days, Yurt Y88, Cape Disappointment State Park.

It is dark from 5 pm to 7:30 am = 14.5 hours.
It was cold outside: 35F to 42F, 26 mph wind, intermittent rain.

Inside, dry, locked tight, warmed by a small electric heater.
I bring my own 2'x3' desk, chair, books, Jackery power, toys, games, crafts.
I bring plenty of extra lighting.
For food I eat oranges, apples, dried apricots, nuts, crackers, coffee, dried beef, cookies.

Cozy Yurt Camping.
Y88 had a sturdy small 3'x3' table and two woods chairs. 
Sofabed OK.  Used bunk bed to store all my gear.  No wastebasket.

I drove and walked the road
along the North Jetty.  Very windy.

200 yards west of my Yurt Campsite
is a couple of miles of sandy beach.
Lots of driftwood from King High Tides.

 

There is a long drive from the Visitor Center
to the Yurt Campsite.  Many sloughs, lagoons, lowlands, trees, shrubs,
mosses, and grasses along the roadway

Black Lake north of Ilwaco
Many trails around the lake.

Cape Disappointment State Park  CR  Camping, Yurts, Fishing, Trails     Images

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse  In operation since 1856. 

Cape Disappointment Weather

Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center   History     Wikipedia

Discovery Bicycling and Walking Trail

Fort Canby State Park is the old name for Cape Disappointment State Park   

Travel Adventure and Ghost Tales and History  

North Head Lighthouse     Images

U.S. Coast Guard Station  

"Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) is a public recreation area on Cape Disappointment, located southwest of Ilwaco, Washington, on the bottom end of Long Beach Peninsula, the northern headlands where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The state park's 2,023 acres (819 ha) encompass a diverse landscape of old-growth forest, freshwater lakes, freshwater and saltwater marshes, and oceanside tidelands. Park sites include Fort Canby, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, North Head Lighthouse, and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.[2] Cape Disappointment is one of several state parks and sites in Washington and Oregon that are included in Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.[3]"

   I have camped here twice. 

 

ntment State Park Trip, Southwestern Washington, Yurt Camping, Day 2

Chen Tai Chi Chuan, Old Frame, First Form

Chen Style Taijiquan, Old Frame First Form, Lao Jia Yi Lu
A hypertext notebook by Michael P. Garofalo.  

This webpage includes a detailed bibliography of books, media, and articles.  Extensive selection of Internet links. 
List of movement names in English, Chinese characters, Chinese Pinyin, French, German, and Spanish; and citations for sources of the movement names. 
Detailed list of DVDs and videos available online.
Extensive notes on the author's learning the Old Frame, First Routine, Lao Jia Yi Lu; and on learning Chen Style Taijiquan. 
Record of performance times of this form by many masters. 
Breakdown by sections of the form, with separate lists for each section.  General   information, history, facts, information, pointers, and quotations.  

Bridges in the Coastal Northwest USA