Cloud Hands

An intense storm developed this week along the Washington coast.
High winds and heavy rain were expected.
Travel on back country roads from Vancouver to Westport is hazardous in robust storms.
I decided to hunker down at home in Vancouver this week.
I have already scheduled a Grayland Yurt for camping in April.

I've paid gasoline prices of $5.50 per gallon in Red Bluff over a decade ago. It is less than $5.00 now in Washington and there are no shortages of gasoline. We try to organize and limit our driving trips around town in Vancouver. A trip from Vancouver to Westport and back, with local beach driving, costs me around $85.00 now.

The mandates for wearing masks in public were lifted this week in Washington and Oregon.
Karen and I are fully vaccinated with booster. We wore masks for three years. We avoided crowds and events. We were lucky. Many more were less fortunate: 16,000 people died from COVID19 in Washington, and thousands more filled Washington's hospitals for months.

I am disturbed about the recent Russian invasion in Ukraine. I was in the U.S. Air Force from 1969-1973. Our U.S. soldiers fought against determined Vietnamese Communist Independence Fighters supported by Russia and China. Communist ideology took control of Russia and China, and invasions and control of North Korea, Vietnam, and many European areas after World War II are historical facts. I'm on edge again! Our federal government seems to be actively supporting the Ukraine, without engaging NATO in a full-scale war.

My photographs from October of 2021 near Grayland, Washington"

Monday, March 14, 2022

Travels, Journeys, Explorations

Journeys, Travels, Explorations

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things

may be, to see them as they are."
- Samuel Johnson""

"The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as once pleases."
- William Hazlitt

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”
– Seneca

“Take only memories, leave only footprints.”
– Chief Seattle

“People don’t take trips, trips take people.”
– John Steinbeck

"The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure to unknown lands."
- Richard Burton

"The more you explore, the more you find that needs exploring.
- Anonymous

"We go westward as into the future, with a spirit of enterprise and adventure."
- Henry David Thoreau

"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday
things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is
taken for granted.”
– Bill Bryson

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake.
The great affair is to move.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien

“He who would travel happily must travel light.”
– Antoine de St. Exupery

"Good company in a journey makes the way to seem the shorter."
- Izaac Walton

“To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”
– Freya Stark

"Traveling─it leaves you speechless, then it turns you into a storyteller."
- Ibn Battuta

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
– Saint Augustine

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.”
– Henry Miller

“Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.”
- Paulo Coelho

“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more
fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.”
– Ray Bradbury

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”
– Gustave Flaubert

"One man's exploration is another man's home ground."
- Anonymous

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart.
But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your
consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave
something good behind.”
– Anthony Bourdain

“With age, comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.”
– Sandra Lake

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
– Neale Donald Walsch

I read "The Oregon Trail: An American Saga" By David Dary, Oxford University, 2004, index, 414 pages.
A detailed accounting of the over 350,000 people who traveled from the Missouri River to Oregon and California from 1850-1869 via wagons on the Oregon Trail. Talk about "Journeys!"

Reflections of Beachcombers: Poems, Quotes, Insights

Saturday, March 12, 2022

On Becoming Who You Are

"As it turns out, to "become who you are: is not about finding a "who" you have always been looking for. It is not about separating "you" off from everybody else. And it not about existing as you truly "are" for all time. The self does not lie passively in wait for us to discover it. Selfhood is made in the active, ongoing process, in the German verb werden, "to become." The enduring nature of being human is to turn into something else. This may come as a great disappointment to one who goes in search of the self. What one is, essentially, is this active transformation, nothing more, nothing less. This is not a grand wisdom quest or hero's journey and it doesn't require one to escape to the mountains. No mountain is high enough. Just a bit of cheese and any fast moving river will suffice."
- By John Kaag, Hiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are, 2018, p.220

“Research has shown that it takes 31 days of conscious effort to make or break a habit. That means, if one practices something consistently for 31 days, on the 32nd day it does become a habit. Information has been internalized into behavioral change, which is called transformation.”
– Shiv Khera

"Really changing might make you dissatisfied with yourself and many others also dissatisfied with you. Changing can be risky, can be dangerous, can be disastrous; not changing might be the same. Transformation tests the mettle of free will."
- Mike Garofalo, Pulling Onions

Transformation: Quotes, Sayings

Searching for Chimeras

"We really can be happier if we think about our lives, if we work on ourselves, if we learn to make more sensible decisions, or indeed if we alter our thoughts, our beliefs, or the way we imagine ourselves in the world. The great paradox of happiness is that it can be tamed while still remaining essentially beyond our control. Happiness is a matter of fate and chance; but it can also stem from a rational, deliberate approach."
- Frederic Lenoir, Happiness

Happiness: A Philosopher's Guide. By Frederic Lenoir. Melville House, 2015. 208 pages.

Happiness: Quotes, Sayings, Bibliography by Mike Garofalo

Tuesday, March 08, 2022

For Tao Te Ching Readers

Do you enjoy reading translations of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu?
Have you read a couple of different translations of the Daodejing by Laozi?
Did a quote from the Tao Te Ching appear in Facebook post, with a art-graphic, on a billboard, or at the edge of a stunning photograph; and, did it wiggle your consciousness?
Did old long ears Laozi appeal to me more than a worn Gideon Bible one rain swept evening in a Port Orford motel high above the surf - Yes!
Did some lifestyle recommendations from Laozi challenge your moral sensibilities?
Did the artwork from China and Japan in those lovely Tao Te Ching artbooks make you want to sit in awe and silence?
Did the Yin/Yang, Female/Male, Reproductive Instinct, Outpouring Gushen-Tao catch your fancy?
Did you sense some Zen aloofness, a wu-wei attitude, or a 'mind your own business and sip some tea.'

I've heard many Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong and Yoga players say they have read the Tao Te Ching.

My contribution to the Tao Te Ching Enthusiasts' Circle is via compilation and indexing and hypertext notebooks:

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter. Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization. Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, research leads, translation sources, a Google Translate drop down menu, and other resources for that Chapter. These are hypertext documents, and available online under Creative Commons 4.

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

A Solitary Daoist Neopagan's Final Journey

An Old Philosopher's Notebooks

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Monday, March 07, 2022

Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 66

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 66

"The sea is the ruler of the rivers,
Because it lies below them.
Thus a ruler should always:
Speak like a subordinate, and lead by following after.
The ruler stands above, and no one feels the weight.
The great rivers and streams all pour their tribute of the world onto the seas.
The seas gain this tribute and are called high and mighty because they lie low, humility gives the sea its power.
It is for this reason that the followers of Tao humble themselves before mankind.
They speak in tones of humility and lowborn status.
They do not attempt to lead, but learn to follow, and find themselves leading the people from behind.
In this way the wise sovereign will rule over the people, but they will not feel his weight.
He will lead the people, but they will not feel slighted or displeased.
The people will gladly uphold and support such a one as this.
The master does not strive, in this way no one can strive against him."
-   Translated by John Dicus, 2002, Chapter 66

"The sea is the ruler of the rivers,
Because it lies below them.
Thus a ruler should always:
Speak like a subordinate, and lead by following after.
The ruler stands above, and no one feels the weight."
-   Translated by Ned Ludd, Chapter 66

"That which allows the rivers and seas to serve as kings of the small valley streams,
Is their ability to be below the small valley streams.
Therefore, they can serve as the kings of the small valley streams.
The Sage's presence at the front of his people, results from putting himself behind them.
The reason he is above them is that in his words he is below them.
But although he is on top of his people, they do not regard him as heavy;
And although he is in front of his people, they do not regard him as posing a threat.
All under heaven delight in advancing him while never tiring of him.
Because he does not compete,
No one in the world can compete with him."
-   Translated by Robert G. Hendricks, 2000, Chapter 66

"The reason why the sea
is king of all the valleys and the streams
is because it lies beneath them,
and so can act as king.
So anyone who wants to rule the people
must speak humbly to them;
Anyone who wants to lead the people
must follow them as if behind.
Those who are enlightened stand above the people,
and yet the people do not feel weighed down.
Those who are enlightened stand in front of the people,
and yet the people do not feel obstructed.
The whole world joyfully supports those who are enlightened
and never tires of doing so.
Because those who are enlightened contend with no one,
no one contends with them."
-   Translated by Tim Chilcott, 2005, Chapter 66

"Why is the sea king of a hundred streams?
Because it lies below them.
Therefore it is the king of a hundred streams.
If the sage would guide the people, he must serve with humility.
If he would lead them, he must follow behind.
In this way when the sage rules, the people will not feel oppressed;
When he stands before them, they will not be harmed.
The whole world will support him and will not tire of him.
Because he does not compete,
He does not meet competition."
-   Translated by Jane English, 1972, Chapter 66

"Why are the oceans and rivers kings of all the valleys?
Receiving all the watercourses in tribute.
Because they are benevolently the inferiors of all the valleys with regard to levels.
That is why all the water flows towards them.
Following this example, the Sage who wishes to become superior to the common people should speak in words beneath himself, speak very humbly of himself.
If he wishes to become the first, he should put himself in last place, and continue to do so, after he has been exalted.
He could then be elevated to the highest peak without the people feeling oppressed by him; he could be the first without the people complaining about him.
The whole empire would serve him with joy, without becoming weary of him.
For, not being opposed to anyone, no one would be opposed to him."
-   Translated by Derek Bryce, 1999, Chapter 66

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

Chapter 66 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

Sunday, March 06, 2022

Taiji Cane

Taiji cane forms are typically performed slowly and deliberately. Hard and powerful strikes are seldom used in T'ai Chi Ch'uan walking stick forms. The pace of the Taijiquan cane forms are seldom fast and vigorous. There are few if any vigorous leaps and jumps. Taiji forms seldom use very low stances. Taiji cane forms are particularly suitable for fit persons over 50 years of age. Good examples of a Taiji Cane Form are: the Standard Beijing 24 Form with Cane created by Master Wen-Ching Wu; the Eight Immortals Cane Form, Part I, created by Master Jesse Tsao; the Plum Blossom Taiji Cane Form; the Tai Chi Stick 18 Form; the Bodhi Dharma Walking Stick Form; Master Michael Gilman's Three Powers Cane Form; the Wu Tang Cane Form of Master T.T. Liang; the Standard 32 Sword Form; etc.

There are also many examples of more vigorous "Taiji" cane forms, with hard strikes, leaps, fast moves, spins, and low moves. Taijiquan saber or broadsword forms are readily adapted for use with a cane, and some are fast and vigorous. Normally, Taijiquan sword forms are not very well adapted as cane forms, but I practice the Standard 32 Sword Form with my cane as do many others. Karate, kung fu, Shaolin, Bagua and HsingI cane or stick forms are often fast, vigorous, powerful, twisting, agile, and with some very low stances. Of course, when first learning any new cane form, begin with a slower, more deliberate, less vigorous practice to help the body adapt to the moves of the new form. Thus, even a fast and vigorous cane form from any style can be done more in the "Taiji" fashion outlined and shown above.

Many Qigong (Chi Kung) forms can also we done while holding a cane. Adaptations are quite easily arranged. Most often, however, Qigong forms are adapted or created for use with a short 6"-12" wooden stick called a Tai Chi Ruler or Bang.

I consider a cane or walking stick to be, normally, a straight strong wooden stick with a curved (hook) handle that is from 30" (76 cm) to 42" (107 cm) long. The cane will typically extend from the floor to the height of your hip socket and maybe up to your belly button. The cane might also be made out of plastic, aluminum, steel, or rattan. The cane might have a straight rather than curved or hooked end with a round ball shaped (pommel) end or some sort of straight or carved handle at the end. The cane might be very simple, natural and plain; or be carved, painted or decorated.

Each day I use an Instructor's Walking Cane, 40" (103 cm) long and 1" (2.54 cm) in diameter, purchased from Cane Masters. This cane weights 1lb, 2 oz (510 gm). This beautiful martial arts combat cane is made of pure hickory heartwood, has multiple notches at three key gripping points, has a ample rounded hooked horn, and has a rubber covered tip inserted over the tip end. I also own the same Instructor's Walking Cane made of oak - a gift from my children. I am 6'6" (198 cm) tall, and a 40" cane (103 cm) is perfect for using on my long walks and for my Taiji cane practices. The only weapon I practice with on a daily basis is a wooden cane; and the only weapon I teach now in my Taijiquan classes is the cane. Also, whenever I take a walk, anywhere, I bring my cane along for support, exercising the arms, and for self-defense.

Taijiquan Cane Weapon Research, Bibliography, and Practices

Way of the Short Staff

Long Staff Weapons Practices

A repost from the Cloud Hands Blog on March 5, 2014

Thursday, March 03, 2022

Blogger and WordPress

I have used Blogger software since 2005. I am quite satisfied with its performance over the years. It is free, expandable, reliable, and easy to use.

Today, I signed up with Bluehost's server hosting of a WordPress site. I paid $104 for a one year subscription. It is at https://www.michaelpgarofalo.website

I know nothing about using WordPress so it will take a few months to get rolling. If I can't do much more with WordPress than Blogger, or my many existing websites already can, then I won't renew WordPress. We all have spent a lot of money over the decades on software. Some software we love, and some is a waste of our money. Right now, I favor Blogger over WordPress.

A Repost from the Cloud Hands Blog from 2016:

Cloud Hands Blog Name??

Why call this blog "Cloud Hands"? What does "Cloud Hands" mean?

The title phrase "Cloud Hands" comes from Tai Chi Chuan practices. One movement sequence in Tai Chi Chuan is called "Cloud Hands." Variations of the name include "Waving Hands Like Clouds" or "Moving Hands Like Clouds."

The movement sequence is from left to right, done two to four times, with both legs and arms moving fluidly, slowly, gracefully, and expressively.

The ability to use the hands creatively, gracefully, beautifully, skillfully, and artistically is essential to nearly all arts. The whole subject of Hands is hightly interesting to me.

Clouds can form dramatic and changing sights in the sky. They can be calm and beautiful, or awesome, or frightening. The cloud cover changes throught the seasons are provides endless variety.

Rolling clouds and rolling hands. Flowing clouds, rivers of air and water, out of reach, out of hand; but mimicked, imitatated, pretended, played ... playing hands like clouds.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Cloud Hands Blog has now served up over 700,000 page views of my daily blog posts to readers around the world

In October of 2015, this blog had page views of 600,000. In February of 2015, this blog had 500,000 page views.

I have made over 2,411 posts to this Cloud Hands Blog. My first post to the Cloud Hands Blog was made on October 26, 2005.

There were 20,450 page views of posts to the Cloud Hands Blog in the month of May, 2016. There are 90 persons who follow my blog posts by automatic email.

I have had some positive feedback and awards for the Cloud Hands Blog.

Thank you very much to all those persons that have read the posts to this blog.

Last year, I added a Translate button at the top of the right sidebar so that non-English readers can read the post in the language of their choice, albeit within the limitations of automatic machine translations.

I use Blogger for a number of reasons. First, blogging provides a permanent record of one's written contributions with backup files. Second, your posts can be indexed in a variety of ways. Third, it provides a useful and flexible structure for linking to other related websites and blogs. Fourth, people can subscribe to your posts via an email blog aggregator. Fifth, your posts and content links are added automatically and immediately to the Google and Bing indexes. Sixth, you can display photos, graphics, and UTube embeds in your blog. Seventh, web publishers can use their blog to create a alternative front-end index to their other websites and webpages. Eight, it serves as my readily available online notebook. Ninth, Blogger is a free application provided by Google.

The nice aspect of any Blogger blog is the fact that all posts are thoroughly indexed by topics shown in the lower right side bar. The blog has a search box at the top left hand corner of the blog that provides full access to the content of all my past posts. Also, there are links in the right sidebar to other blogs and webpages by others that are worth exploring and reading.

My Cloud Hands Blog is primarily a online vehicle for referring people to my hundreds of webpages with specific, extensive, and focused content on subjects of interest to me, and updating my readers on the webpages I am currently creating or improving. Links in each post point to relevant material in my webpages on a particular subject. A detailed alphabetical index to my many webpages can be found at Green Way Research.

I have been creating webpages at the Spirit of Gardening website since 1999. Over 33 million webpages were served to people all around the world from the Spirit of Gardening website from 1999-2016. I use BlueHost for hosting my webpages.

I have been creating webpages at Green Way Research since 2001. Each year over 1.3 million webpages are served up from the Cloud Hands website which includes Cloud Hands Taijiquan, Valley Spirit Qigong, Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices, A Philosopher's Notebooks, The Good Life, and One Old Druid's Final Journey.

Over 4,000 persons have written to me since 2000 to tell me how these hundreds of webpages have provided them with enjoyment, inspiration, information, and insights; or, to ask me questions.

My main webpage efforts in 2015 had been weekly work on the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. By June of 2016, I completed adding over 25 English language translations for each Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations, 2 German and 1 French translation for each of the 81 chapters of the Daodejing, and indexing by English, Wade-Giles, and Spanish language terms for all the Chapters. Each Friday, I submit a post on the Daodejing to the Cloud Hands Blog.

I always respond to comments to one of my webpages. However, readers seldom make comments.

In 2016-2017, my reading, research, and writing will be focused on on Epicureanism, Hedonism, Utilitarianism, Hellenistic philosophy, embodied cognition, pragmatism, metaphors, fitness practices, self-help, and the senses. I focus on a more limited set of topics on this blog, and seldom comment on current events.

My wife, Karen, and I are very active gardeners. Therefore, I post on this subject quite often.

Hopefully, posts to this blog will benefit my readers in some positive way, lead to discovering other mind-body fitness options they might explore, and providing a little insight on topics of mutual interest. My views on developing a philosophy of life might not appeal to some - so be it.

Yes, I do repeat previous blog posts. Few busy people have the time to post original material each day unless the blog is a steady source of income for them. Since I am 70 years of age, semi-retired, and still work two part-time jobs for 30 hours total each week, actively garden, and exercise six days a week, my time available for original creative writing is somewhat limited.

Recent Feedback and Kudos from my Readers:

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

Best wishes for good health, contentment, and peace,
Mike Garofalo