Yoga Classes in Red Bluff, California

Yes, I will be teaching my yoga class at the Tehama Family Fitness Center on Monday, September 7th, 2015, Labor Day, today, at 5:30 pm.  

I teach yoga three days each week from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.:

Monday
Tuesday
Thursday

Information on my Yoga Classes

Valley Spirit Yoga

Qigong (Chi Kung): Chinese Yoga



These three classes feature an eclectic blend of Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, and Chinese Chi Kung Yoga.  All these Internal Arts Exercise methods emphasize flexibility, full range of motion, staying grounded and balanced, cultivating inner mental and physical energies, coordinated breathing patterns, a calm composure, concentration, and will power.  Hatha style Yoga includes many strength building postures, balancing exercises, both dynamic and longer static stretching postures, inversions, Warrior poses, standing and mat work, prop usage, and mental improvement recommendations.  Vinyasa style (Flow Style, Astanga, Power) Yoga emphasizes longer flowing movement sequences, dynamic stretching exercises, clear intentions, set routines, vigorous exercises, and sweating.  Chi Kung (Qigong, Dao Yin, & Tai Chi) includes gentle and graceful flowing exercises and standing dynamic stretching exercises, energy (Chi or Qi) work, Taoist longevity practices, martial applications, and traditional exercise routines like the Animal Frolics, Brocades, or Dragons.  We will also introduce participants to numerous ideas and techniques for reducing stress, lifting one’s mood, improving concentration, enjoying the moment, cultivating kindness and beauty, thinking clearly, and exploring the integration of minds and bodies.  Relatively fit persons of all ages are welcome, and alternative and safe postures will be taught.  Are you interested in a lifetime exercise system that is good for your body, fun, lifts your spirits, creates more energy in you, contributes to longevity, and expands your mind?  Try Yoga with Mike!  Bring your best efforts & encourage others.

Even the Little Finger Remembers

     “The body uses its skin and deeper fascia and flesh to record all that goes on around it.  Like the Rosetta stone, for those who know how to read it, the body is a living record of life given, life taken, life hoped for, life healed.  It is valued for its articulate ability to register immediate reaction, to feel profoundly, to sense ahead.
       
     The body is a multilingual being.  It speaks through its color and its temperature, the flush of recognition, the glow of love, the ash of pain, the heart of arousal, the coldness of nonconviction.  It speaks through its constant tiny dance, sometimes swaying, sometimes a-jitter, sometimes trembling.  It speaks through the leaping of the heart, the falling of the spirit, the pit at the center, and rising of hope.

     The body remembers, the bones remember, the joints remember, even the little finger remembers.  Memory is lodged in pictures and feelings in the cells themselves.  Like a sponge filled with water, anywhere the flesh is pressed, wrung, even touched slightly, a memory may flow out in a stream.

     To confine the beauty and the value of the body to anything less than this magnificence is to force the body to live without its rightful spirit, its rightful form, its right to exultation.  To be thought ugly or unacceptable because one’s beauty is outside the current fashion is deeply wounding to the natural joy that belongs to the wild nature.”

-      By Clarissa Pinkola Estés,  Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, 1996  


Body-Mind Practices, Somaesthetics

The Five Senses

Touch, Skin, Feeling, Hands, Tactile

Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining

Lately, I have tried to reduce my fitness training routines somewhat because I was experiencing some of the following signs and symptoms of over-training:

1.  Inability to sleep well.
2.  Increased resting heart beat rate.
3.  Excessive soreness and aching. 
4.  Poor motivation.
5.  Stalled progress towards fitness goals.
6.  Injuries
7.  Sadness, irritability, anxiety, the blues. 
8.  Questioning mind, doubting myself. 
9.  Poor concentration, stressing out.   
10.  Feeling sick or lousy.
11.  Change in eating and drinking habits, e.g. very thirsty.

Solutions:

Reduce number of vigorous workouts per week.
Shorten workouts.
Use less weight in strength training.
Fewer reps per set. 
Enjoy more gentle exercises: Taijiquan, qigong, yoga.
Naps and more hours of sleep.
Enjoy rest days. 
Less miles when walking. 
Reduce my goals, objectives, aims, tasks. 
Reduce coffee drinking each day. 
More quiet meditation time. 
Eat and drink a bit more if your doing vigorous workouts.
Reward yourself and take steps to improve your mood.

Fitness and Well Being

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 81, Lao Tzu

Daodejing by Laozi
Chapter 81


"Truth has no need for fine words;
Fine words may not be true words.
The man of Tao does not try to convince by argument:
He who argues is not a man of Tao.
Wisdom does not consist in knowing everything;
The know-alls do not know the Tao.
The Sage does not hoard. The more he spends himself for others, the more he enriches himself.
The more he fives, the more he gains.
For the Tao of Heaven penetrates all things but harms none.
This, too, is the Tao of the Sage, who acts without contending."
-  Translated by Herman Ould, 1946, Chapter 81  


"Words born of the mind are not true
True words are not born of the mind
Those who have virtue do not look for faults
Those who look for faults have no virtue
Those who come to know it do not rely on learning
Those who rely on learning do not come to know it
The Sage sees the world as an expansion of his own self
So what need has he to accumulate things?
By giving to others he gains more and more
By serving others he receives everything
Heaven gives and all things turn out for the best
The Sage lives, and all things go as Tao goes all things move as the wind blows"
-  Translated by Jonathan Star, 2001, Chapter 81


Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.
Those who are skilled in the Tao do not dispute about it; the disputatious are not skilled in it.
Those who know the Tao are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.
The sage does not accumulate for himself.
The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own;
The more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself.
With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven, it injures not;
Wth all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive."
-  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 81  

"True words are not fine-sounding;
Fine-sounding words are not true.
A good man does not argue;
he who argues is not a good man.
The wise one does not know many things;
He who knows many things is not wise.

The Sage does not accumulate for himself.
He lives for other people,
And grows richer himself;
He gives to other people,
And has greater abundance.

The Tao of Heaven
Blesses, but does not harm.
The Way of the Sage
Accomplishes, but does not contend."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 81

信言不美.
美言不信.
善者不辯.
辯者不善.
知者不博.
博者不知.
聖人不積.
既以為人己愈有.
既以與人己愈多.
天之道利而不害.
聖人之道為而不爭.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 81

xin yan bu mei.
mei yan bu xin.
shan zhe bu bian.
bian zhe bu shan.
zhi zhe bu bo,
bo zhe bu zhi.
sheng ren bu ji.
ji yi wei ren ji yu you.
ji yi yu ren ji yu duo.
tian zhi dao li er bu hai.
sheng ren zhi dao wei er bu zheng.
-  Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 81

"Sincere words are not fine,

Fine words are not sincere,

The Faithful friend will stick to the end,

But the flatterer tickles the ear.

The skillful do not debate,

Debaters lack in skill,

For truth is found by looking around,

And words are weapons of ill.

The knowing are not most learned,

The most learned do not know,

For knowledge is grown from thought alone,

While learning from others must grow.

The sage lays up no treasure,

No hoard of goods or gold,

For they who keep a store-house deep,

A constant watch must hold.

The more he works for others

The more he works for his own,

For it grows by use, is lost by abuse,

And he gathers by what he has sown.

The more he gives away,

The more does he have himself,

For thought's a thing that from thought will spring,

Which is quite the reverse of pelf.

The Way of Heaven is sharp,

But it never will cut nor wound,

For they who swim with the flowing stream

Will ever be safe and sound.

T'is the way of the sage to act,

He acts but never strives,

For striving breaks whatever it makes,

And only a wreck survives."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 81 

"Credible words do not sound pretty, pretty words are not credible.
A nice person is not good at arguing, a person who is good at arguing is not nice.
A person who has real knowledge does not show off,
A person who shows off does not have real knowledge.
Great men do not accumulate things for themselves.
The more they do for others, the more they have,
The more they give to others, the more they get.
The law of the heavens is to benefit everything without harming it,
The law of great men is to do things for the world without fighting for the credit."
-  Translated by Xiaolin Yang, Chapter 81


"Sincere words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not sincere.
Good men are not argumentative, the argumentative are not good.
One who knows is not erudite; the erudite one does not know.
The sage does not take to hoarding.
The more he lives for others, the fuller is his life.
The more he gives, the more he abounds.
The Way of Heaven benefits and does not harm.
The Way of the sage works and does not compete with anyone."
-  Translated by Tien Cong Tran, Chapter 81

"Believed words lack embellishment
 Embellished words lack belief.
Those who value lack argument
Those who argue lack valuing
Those who know lack learning
Those who learn lack knowing.
The sages are without accumulating
Grasping, it happens they act
Others later gain presence
Grasping, it happens they give
Others later gain abundance.  
The Tao of the heavens
Benefitting yet without spoiling
The Tao of the sages
Acting yet without contending."
-  Translated by David Lindauer, Chapter 81 

"Las palabras sinceras no son agradables, las palabras agradables no son sinceras.
Las buenas personas no son discutidoras, las discutidoras no son buenas.
Las personas sabias no son eruditas, las eruditas no son sabias.
El Sabio no toma nada para acaparar, cuanto más vive para los demás, más plena es su vida.
Cuanto más da, más nada en la abundancia.
La Ley del Cielo es beneficia, no perjudicar.
La Ley del sabio es cumplir su deber, no luchar contra nadie."
-  Translated in English by John C. H. Wu, Spanish version by Alfonso Colodrón, 2007, Capítulo 81   



"Les paroles sincères ne sont pas élégantes; les paroles élégantes ne sont pas sincères.
L'homme vertueux n'est pas disert; celui qui est disert n'est pas vertueux.
Celui qui connaît le Tao n'est pas savant; celui qui est savant ne le connaît pas.
Le Saint n'accumule pas les richesses.
Plus il emploie sa vertu dans l'intérêt des hommes, et plus elle augmente.
Plus il donne aux hommes et plus il s'enrichit.
Telle est la voie du ciel, qu'il est utile aux êtres et ne leur nuit point.
Telle est la voie du Saint, qu'il agit et ne dispute point."
-  Translated by Stanislas Julien, 1842, Chapter 81



"Faithful words may not be beautiful,
Beautiful words may not be faithful.
Those who love do not quarrel,
Those who quarrel do not love.
Those who know are not learned,
Those who are learned do not know.
The riches of the self-controlled man are in the Inner Life.
When he spends for others, he has more for himself.
When he gives to others, he has much more for himself.
Heavenly Tao blesses all and hurts no one.
The way of the self-controlled man is to act and not to fight."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 81  



"Sincere words and not pretty.
Pretty words are not sincere.
Good people do not quarrel.
Quarrelsome people are not good.
The wise are not learned.
The learned are not wise.
The Sage is not acquisitive - Has enough By doing for others,
Has even more By giving to others.
Heaven's Tao Benefits and does not harm.
The Sage's Tao Acts and does not contend."
-  Translated by Stephen Addis, 1993, Chapter 81  



A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes up to 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 3 or 4 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 1 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 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, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 81, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey  

Naming Taiijiquan Postures

Dear Michael:

"A friend of mine asked me to help translate Tai Chi 24 Forms into Cantonese dialect. Your web page of 24 Forms was introduced to me for reference. I am amazed at the number of translations for each movement.

I have come to realize the difficult task of getting to the real essence of translation. Inappropriate or incompetent translation makes the concepts ambiguous or misleading (with all the funny Chinese phrases of naming things.) Though in all honesty, each source tries to fit the bill, rarely do they come across the original design/intent of the moves in a comprehensive way.

Usually most Western sources just cannot read the Chinese words, lesser still the Chinese way of thinking. The Chinese side usually don’t know English well enough to get the essence across with poor diction.

But I must say that I am no expert. Only that I have observed some errors, and thought I should mention it to contribute to common understanding. I only do so as you welcome suggestions from others. (I am a native Chinese speaker.)

Here are the examples:

#3   白鵝亮翅 Word to word: White| Goose| Flash| Wing

Most Tai Chi schools use White Crane Spreads Its Wings. If this is the case, then the Chinese phrase should be白鶴亮翅. 鶴 = Crane.

白鶴亮翅  Bai He Liang Chi  [Mandarin]

————————————————————————————————

# 8   拦雀尾右 : Lan Que Wei You : Grasp the Bird's Tail Right

拦 means ‘To block’, not ‘grasp’. This I believe is a typo, as it has the same sound as 揽.

So is should be揽雀尾[右]  Lan Que Wei (You) [Mandarin] (Notice I put a bracket around the word右,RIGHT; for better illustration.)

————————————————————————————————

#16   下势 : Xia Shi : Snake (?) Creeps Down

下势  Word to word:  Low| Inertia, dynamic force, or tendency, etc.

There is no mentioning of any animal’s name. I would be interested to know how this translation came about. Or, it is taken as an English slang?

Ok, that is all. I am struggling with my own thinking on this tough translation project. I admire your zest of life reflected in your web pages.

All the best."
Phil


**********************************

Phil,

I have often been perplexed about the translations or interpolations of the "names" of the movements in various Taijiquan forms.  The reference sources I have studied vary somewhat.  

I'm sure that a Cantonese vs a Mandarin starting point would reveal different results.  Then, again, an English, Spanish, or French version would provide additional interesting interpolations. 

As for my qualifications, I am fluent in only in the English language.  The only other language I use in my daily life is Spanish. 

Considering the worldwide popularity of the Standard Simplified 24 T'ai Chi Ch'uan 1956 form, I thought that some effort should be made to show the range of given names for each of the movement forms in the 24 Form, and I tried to do so on my Taijiquan 24 Form webpage. 

I welcome your comments and suggestions.  I would be willing to integrate them into my webpage if you send them to me, link to your webpage on the subject, or publish your final document as a separate webpage.     

Best Wishes,

Mike Garofalo 

Good Mental Health

Traits and Behaviors of Mental Heath

"Although no group of authorities fully agree on a definition of the term mental health, it seems seems to include several traits and behaviors that are frequently endorsed by leading theorists and therapists (e.g., Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Rudolf Dreikurs, Fritz Perls, Abraham Maslow, Marie Jahoda, Carol Rodgers, Rollo May, Albert Ellis, etc.).  These include such traits as self-interest, self-direction, social interest, tolerance, acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, flexibility, acceptance of social reality, commitment, risk taking, self-acceptance, rationality and scientific thinking.  Not all mentally healthy individuals possess the highest degree of these traits at all times, but when people seriously lack them or when they have extreme opposing behaviors, we often consider them to be at least somewhat emotionally disturbed.  

Self Interest:  Emotionally healthy people are primarily true to themselves and do not subjugate themselves or unduly sacrifice themselves for others.  Realizing that if they do not primarily take care of themselves no one else will, they tend to put themselves first, a few selected others a close second, and the rest of the world not too far behind.

Self-Direction:  Mentally healthy people largely assume responsibility for their own lives, enjoy the independence of mainly working out their own problems, and, while at times wanting or preferring the help of others, do not think that they absolutely must have such support for their effectiveness and well-being.  
 
Social Interest:  Emotionally and mentally healthy people are normally gregarious and decide to try to live happily in a social group.  Because they want to live successfully with others, and usually to relate intimately to a few of these selected others, they work at feeling and displaying a considerable degree of social interest and interpersonal competence.  
 
Tolerance:  Emotionally healthy people tend to give other humans the right to be wrong.  While disliking or abhorring other's behavior, they refuse to condemn them as total persons for performing poor behavior.  They fully accept the fact that all humans seem to be remarkably fallible; they refrain from unrealistically demanding and commanding that any of them be perfect; and they desist from damning people in toto when they err.  

Acceptance of Ambiguity and Uncertainty:  Emotionally mature individuals accept the fact that, as far as has yet been discovered, we live in a world of probability and chance, where there are not, and probably ever will be, absolute necessities or complete certainties.  Living in such a world is not only tolerable but, in terms of adventure, learning and striving, can even be very exciting and pleasurable.  

Flexibility:  Emotionally sound people are intellectually flexible, tend to be open to change at all times, and are prone to take an unbigoted (or at least less bigoted) view of the infinitely varied people, ideas, and things in the world around them.  They can be firm and passionate in their thoughts and feelings, and they comfortably look at new evidence and often revise their notions of "reality" to conform with this evidence.  

Acceptance of Social Reality:  Emotionally healthy people, it almost goes without saying, accept was is going on in the world.  This means several important things: (1) they have a reasonably good perception of social reality and do not see things that do not exist and do not refuse to see things that do; (2) they find various aspects of life, in accordance with their own goals and inclination, "good" and certain aspects "bad" ─ but they accept both these aspects, without exaggerating the "good" ones and without denying or whining about the "bad" ones; (3) they do their best to work at changing those aspects of life they view as "bad," to accept those they cannot change, and to acknowledge the difference between the two. 

Commitment:  Emotionally healthy and happy people are usually absorbed in something outside of themselves, whether this be people, things, or ideas.  They seem to live better lives when they have at least one major creative interest, as well as some outstanding human involvement, which they make very important to themselves and around which the structure a good part of their lives.

Risk Taking:  Emotionally sound people are able to take risks.  They ask themselves what they would really like to do in life, and then try to do it, even though they have to risk defeat or failure.  They are reasonably adventurous (though not foolhardy); are will to try almost anything once, if only to see how they like it; and look forward to different or unusual breaks in their usual routines.  

Self-Acceptance:  People who are emotionally healthy are usually glad to be alive and to accept themselves as "deserving" of continued life and happiness just because they exist and because they have some present or future potential to enjoy themselves.  They fully or unconditionally accept themselves.  They try to perform competently in their affairs and win the approval and love of others; but they do so for enjoyment and not for ego gratification or self-deification.  

Rationality and Scientific Thinking:  Emotionally stable people are reasonably objective, rational, and scientific.  They not only construct reasonable and empirically substantiated theories relating to what goes on in the surrounding world (and with their fellow creatures who inhabit this world), but they are also able to supply the rules of logic and of the scientific method to their own lives and their interpersonal relationships. "

-  Albert Ellis, Ph.D.  The Albert Ellis Reader: A Guide to Well-Being Using Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, 1998, pp. 235-252.  Based on the 1962 essay titled "The Case Against Religion: A Psychotherapist's View."  


How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Remember the Songs and Become Alive

"However that may be, I now wish that I had spent somewhat more of my life with verse. This is not because I fear having missed out on truths that are incapable of statement in prose. There are no such truths; there is nothing about death that Swinburne and Landor knew but Epicurus and Heidegger failed to grasp. Rather, it is because I would have lived more fully if I had been able to rattle off more old chestnuts — just as I would have if I had made more close friends. Cultures with richer vocabularies are more fully human — farther removed from the beasts — than those with poorer ones; individual men and women are more fully human when their memories are amply stocked with verses."

-  Richard McKay Rorty, 1931-2007  American Philosopher
   The Fire of Life, 2007


Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature: Thirtieth-Anniversary Edition


"We thank with brief thanksgiving
Whatever gods may be
That no life lives for ever;
That dead men rise up never;
That even the weariest river
Winds somewhere safe to sea."
-  A. C. Swinburne, "Garden of Proserpine"


Last night, Karen and I watched a fascinating and touching documentary about the efforts of Dan Cohen to bring music to persons in nursing homes.   "Alive Inside: Music and Memory", 1 hour and 20 minutes.  A worthy cause!!  A fascinating discussion about how music effects our minds from infancy to old age.  How is it that you can remember the verses to songs you learned when you were three years old? 

As for Tai Chi Chuan and music ... I recall only T. T. Liang recommending you play music while practicing Taijiquan and timing your moves to the music as if dancing.  Maybe Sophia Delza also advocated doing Taijiquan to music since she was an expert on Asian dancing.  Now, in 2015, you can use an IPod or Sony Walkman or other devices to play digital music and listen on ear phones or ear plugs while practicing Taijiquan or Qigong.  I have also purchased and listened to prerecorded music especially designed for specific Taijiquan forms or Qigong which are timed to match a proper performance of the form.  I know that the Tai Chi Kung Fu fan form is specifically timed for performance to a specific piece of music.  I am not particularly fond of the tuning and twanginess and lively pace used in traditional Chinese music, but anyone can find music they favor to suit the ambience desired for Taijiquan or Qigong practice.  I like a lot of New Age music or Japanese Zen flutes. 

Walking - A Catalyst for Deeper Awareness

A cornerstone of my weekly fitness practices is walking.  

Looking east on Kilkenny Lane near Red Bluff, California.  I walk 3.6 miles on this cul de sac lane, four days each week, in the morning.  I walk at daybreak on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning throughout the entire year.  

The photographs on this post were taken in early November.  It is one of my favorite  seasons for walking in the morning. 

Occasionally, a car might use this country lane, and I move to the side of the road.  It is a very safe, peaceful, and quiet place.  

Sometimes I listen to my MP3 player while I walk.  Sometimes I walk in silence.   

Sometimes I take my dog, Bruno, for a walk.  Most often, I walk alone.  


"Putting facts by the thousands,
into the world, the toes take off
with an appealing squeak which the thumping heel
follows confidentially, the way men greet men.
Sometimes walking is just such elated
pumping."
-   Lyn Hejinian, Determination


"Every day, in the morning or evening, or both, take a walk in a safe and peaceful environment for less than an hour.  The can be a great fountain of youth.  Choose a place to walk that has no kind of disturbance.   Walking done in a work environment and when your mind is busy is different; it is not as nutritious as the walking you do for yourself in the morning or evening in a quiet, peaceful, and safe place."
-  Master Hua-Ching Ni, Entering the Tao, 1997, p. 135

 

Looking to the northeast on Kilkenny Lane.  Mt. Lassen (10,000 feet) in the distance is capped with a little snow.  These photos were taken in the Autumn.   

"Walking is the natural recreation for a man who desires not absolutely to suppress his intellect but to turn it out to play for a season." 
-  Leslie Stephen  

`

Looking west on Kilkenny Lane.  The red leafed autumn colors are from Raywood Ash trees. The Yolly Bolly mountain range (7,000 feet) is to the west of the North Sacramento Valley. 

So, see you on the road.  You are welcome to join me on Kilkenny Lane for walking and Taijiquan.    


"The interior solitude, along with the steady rhythm of walking mile after mile, served as a catalyst for deeper awareness.  The solitude I found and savored on the Camino had an amazing effect on me.  The busyness of my life slowly settled down as the miles went on.  For a good portion of my life I had longed for a fuller experience of contemplation, that peaceful prayer of the heart in which one is able to look intently and see each piece of life as sacred.  Ten days into the journey, totally unforeseen, the grace of seeing the world with startling lucidity came to me.  My eyes took in everything with wonder.  The experience was like looking through the lens of an inner camera – my heart was the photographer.  Colors and shapes took on nuances and depths never before noticed.  Each piece of beauty appeared to be framed: weeds along roadsides, hillsides of harvested fields with yellow and green stripes, layers of mountains with lines of thick mist stretching along their middle section, clumps of ripe grapes on healthy green vines, red berries on bushes, roses and vegetable gardens.  Everything revealed itself as something marvelous to behold.  Each was a work of art.  I noticed more and more details of light and shadow, lines and edges, shapes, softness, and texture.  I easily observed missed details on the path before me – skinny worms, worn pebbles, tiny flowers of various colors and shapes, black beetles, snails, and fat, grey slugs.  I became aware of the texture of everything under my feet – stones, slate, gravel, cement, dirt, sand, grass.  I responded with wonder and amazement.  Like the poet Tagore, I felt that everything “harsh and dissonant in my life” was melting into “one sweet harmony”."
-  Joyce Rupp  


Study Tai Chi Chuan or Chi Kung or Philosophy with Mike Garofalo

The Ways of Walking: Quotations, Facts, Methods, Spirituality, Meditative

• Ways of Walking
• Walking Meditation
• Walking Quotations
• Walking Bibliography
• Circle Walking: Bagua
• Walking the Labyrinth
• Garden Walking
• Walking Qigong
• Walking Staff  

Pulling Onions Again

The most important Master to follow is Self-Mastery.
Freedom opens a few doors and closes many more.
A callused palm and dirty fingernails precede a green thumb.
Don't sell the present short on the promises of "when." 
Most tire from hatefulness; cheerfulness is abiding.
As you move your hands so you move your mind.
Stubborn facts are loosened up with novelty.
A sure path to the perversion of truth is to make it into beliefs or dogmas. 
Wishes are like seeds, few ever develop into something.  
My mind is a sea I cannot see into; I merely skim along its surface.
Absolutes squirm beneath realities. 
The fear of the Lord is a cornerstone of indoctrination and the beginning of the end of wisdom.
The act, the deed, the doing are the primary considerations.  Stupidity and shallowness are increasingly popular. 
Wherever I go, something new becomes me.
Two essential tools for a lifetime of sexual pleasures are: vivid erotic fantasies and skillful masturbation. 
There is not much to say about "The Unknown." 
To garden is to open your heart to the sky. 
Be careful not to stand up for that which will cause your downfall.    
Borderline cases are were events really become interesting. 
Gardens are demanding pets.
There is no 'i' in "team;" but there is an 'm' in my, me, and mine.   
God and I get along fine, he ignores me all the time and I ignore him.  
Nonsense can sometimes improve our sense and senses. 
When all the chores are done, the avid gardener will invent some new ones. 
Prohibitions focus our aim on better choices and actions. 
Stupidity and shallowness are increasingly popular. 
Objectivity is a product of our agreements, and an important feature of my imagination. 
Hearing the cat purr when we pet them gently matters far more to us than whether the cat's fur is black, white, or orange. 
If you think you are damned if you do or damned if you don't, your not thinking creatively enough. 
The ten thousand things are more enchanting than the Silent One. 
To lift the mind, move the body.  

Pulling Onions: The Quips and Sayings of an Old Gardener.  Over 852 sayings.  By Mike Garofalo

Sacred Circle Garden

The four-quartered Circle of Magick is a central element in most Western magickal rituals. It is called the "portal between the worlds," a means of connecting with the Deities, Spirits, and Elemental Powers of a realm beyond the material universe. It is envisioned as a vortex with which we focus on our own innate psychic powers, called forth by ritual actions from the subliminal depths of the mind and soul. It is a "sacred space," a sanctuary for communion with the old ones, the deities of our faith.
Many levels of symbolism are intrinsic to the Magick Circle. Among these metaphors are metaphysical and mystical concepts that describe the greater reality within which our lives are experienced. The four "corners" of the Circle of Magick correspond with the compass directions and their associated Elements (Earth, Air, Fire or Water). A fifth Element, Spirit, is often associated with the center of the Circle or with the Circle as a whole."
- Bran the Blessed, Circle Symbolism



Karen stands near in the center of the Valley Spirit Sacred Circle. Behind Karen is the yellow post which marks the Eastern direction, and the Element of Air, Mind, Consciousness, or Intellect; and the Eastern Quadrant is planted with five olive trees, the sacred plant of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. Further behind Karen, 26 feet from the center, are some of the seventeen posts marking the boundary of the outer fifth circle. This photo was taken on February 4, 2007.  Here are some more pictures of the gradual construction of our Sacred Circle Garden. 

Sacred Circles
Bibliography, Resources, Links, Quotations, Notes
Researched by Mike Garofalo


One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey

Improve Your Mood

Boost Your Mood, Pick Yourself Up
Revitalize Yourself, Banish the Blues  

Be grateful for the good in your life.   
Give yourself permission to be human.
Brighten someone’s day. 
Learn something new. 
Listen to upbeat music.
Do some exercise on a regular basis.
Simplify your life, remove clutter, and clean. 
Go for a walk. 
Enjoy sex and discover romance. 
Get organized.
Do a good deed or volunteer.  
Smile and put on a happy face. 
Indulge your senses. 
Seek and cultivate beauty. 
Take time to breathe deeply. 
Look at some old photos. 
Focus on the positive. 
Forgive yourself. 
Get some fresh air. 
Eat often and eat light. 
Begin a program of meditation or contemplation.
Talk with your physician or counselor.   
Cook and prepare a lovely and tasty meal. 
Eat something nutritious like nuts or fruit. 
Pamper yourself.
Alter your routines in some way. 
Have confidence. 
Talk with your spouse. 
Fake it till you make it. 
Sign a song out loud. 
Tap into your creative side. 
Take up a mind-body practice like Taijiquan, Qigong or Yoga. 
Inhale a calming scent. 
Sit quietly, rest, or sleep. 
Brainstorm a problem for solutions. 
Avoid bad or negative companions, and find good friends. 
Watch a good non-violent movie. 
Work in the garden. 
Cool down strong emotions. 
Take some vacation time for relaxation and retreat. 
Look on the Bright Side.
Small steps of progress are better than no steps. 
Avoid watching the news for a week. 
Don’t take yourself too seriously. 
Focus on past successes, not failures. 
Create a wish list and make one wish come true.
Explore ways to boost your self-esteem. 
Focus on what you can control and what you can change.
Get some more sunlight on your body. 
Choose your attitude and how you will react to life's events. 
Spend less, avoid shopping. 
Stop all cussing, swearing, or rude language. 
Keep a journal or express yourself in writing. 
Go easy on yourself and yield.  
Count your blessings. 
Spend some time with children. 
Take a long shower or refreshing soaking bath. 
Get relevant and accurate information. 
Chat with a friendly person or neighbor.
Things change and time heals. 
Adapt, adapt, adapt. 
Agree to disagree; you don’t need to win every argument.   
Think fast.
Consider vitamin or herbal supplements that lift mood. 
Seek professional help for serious mental health problems. 
Read something inspiring. 
Avoid comparing yourself to others, and envy is a waste of time.
Try praying or chanting. 
Evaluate and revise your goals. 
Don't sweat the small stuff. 
Pet your dog or cat and care for them. 
Get a massage.
Enjoy a non-competitive sport. 
Try fasting or staying up all night. 
Donate your stuff, your skills, or your time.   
Forgive and forget. 
Dance till you are tired. 
Punch a bag or bang on a drum. 
Stop using any recreational drugs. 
Spend some time with children. 
Abandon false ideas and unrealistic aims. 
Enjoy a refreshing drink. 
Make someone laugh. 
Allow yourself to be eccentric, and enjoy some silly thoughts.
Have a bowl of soup or a cup of tea. 
Less talking and more doing. 
Get up, dress up, and show up. 
Observe nature carefully and respectfully.
Visit your public library and borrow some beautiful books. 
Be less self-centered and selfish. 
A spiritual advisor, rituals, or religious beliefs can sometimes help.
Love expands your horizons of caring and happiness. 
Accept the fact that some things are broken and can't be fixed.
Memorize and inspirational saying, prayer, poem or quote. 
Call or visit a sick person. 
Play a game. 

By Mike Garofalo
Valley Spirit Center
Red Bluff, California  

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Ways to Lift Your Spirits (3 pages, PDF Format)

Virtues and Good Character

Fitness and Well-Being