July 31, Saturday, 2004
"Eden is that old-fashioned House
We dwell in every day
Without suspecting our abode
Until we drive away."
- Emily Dickinson
Taught 90 minute Tai Chi class at TFFC and then did 90 minutes of yoga with Gudrin.
I was tired this afternoon. I rested and read.
Another symbol of submission that dominates landscape art is the valley,
"The Valley Spirit"
is a case in point. In Chinese, the valley provides the image of having a
capacity to accept
criticisms and alien views. There is the expression "xuhai ruo gu",
which means literally
"humble and receptive like the valley."
http://www.ln.edu.hk/econ/staff/daodejing(22%20August%202002).pdf (page
5)
Valleys, mists and circular water currents - another submissive yet powerful
symbol -
are featured in many Chinese paintings and drawings.
In the Arts of Asia Lecture Series, Mae Anna Pang writes in the introduction
to her
lectures on "SPRING FLOWERS, AUTUMN GRASSES: THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
IN CHINESE AND JAPANESE ART IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA" :
"These paintings, scrolls, screens and ceramics all express the Chinese and
Japanese
philosophical aesthetic that perceived all living creatures, whether human,
animal, flora
or fauna, as different manifestations of life’s one invisible and harmonious
animating
force, the Dao. This philosophy dictated that everything in nature is part of
one unifying
whole; that humans are a microcosm of the universe, or, Nature manifest as
people."
http://www.visasia.com.au/index.php?page_id=55
Cinese Submissiveness Towards Nature
Visionary
Goddesses of Mayuni Oda See the painting of a Goddess riding
a
great bird.
Valley Spirit Journal - August, 2004
July 30, Friday, 2004
"I was raised by the song
Of the murmuring grove
And loving I learned
Among Flowers."
- Friedrich Holderlin
Walking and Taijiquan at dawn. Outdoor work projects in the morning.
Karen and I went to Redding to get building materials at Home Depot.
We also browsed at Barnes and Noble and went to see the
third Harry Potter film: The Prisoner of Azkaban.
Remind yourself three times each day about your objectives for the day.
Mealtime is a good time to repeat your objectives.
Repeat your objectives verbally three times each time you remind yourself.
July 29, Thursday, 2004
Walking and Taijiquan practice at dawn. Irrigation work all day.
Start building
outdoor equipment shed. Clean up after our long vacation trip to Indiana.
Mowing lawns. Great to be working outdoors at home again. Lots of
reading
and writing during siesta time in the afternoon.
Weightlifting and Yoga class at TFFC in the evening.
Resumed study and review for the ACE Personal Fitness Trainer test on November 6.
"You can't force simplicity; but you can invite it in by finding as much
richness
as possible in the few things at hand. Simplicity doesn't mean meagerness
but rather a certain kind of richness, the fullness that appears when we
stop stuffing the world with things."
- Thomas Moore, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life, p. 293
July 12, 2004, Monday - July 28, 2004 Wednesday
Karen and I enjoyed visiting relatives in Indiana for the last
two weeks.
We stayed with Ginger and Sam Shorter in Sullivan, Indiana; and with
Barbara and Junior Payton in Alexandria, Indiana.
Some walking each day, but little or no Taijiquan or Yoga practice.
Everything about the landscape in Indiana reminded me of
Springtime:
green soybeans, green corn, green woodlands, green fields of wildflowers.
The weather was cool and cloudy many days and we watched four
thundershower incidents.
July 11, 2004, Sunday
"There's no ceiling on effort!"
- Harvey C. Fruehauf
Climb to the top of Mt. Lassen, 10, 485 feet, with my brother, Phil.
Japanese food in Redding and visited the new Sundial Bridge over
the Sacramento.
July 10, 2004, Saturday
"You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better
than you think you can."
- Jimmy Carter
Pick up my brother at the Sacramento airport. Mexican brunch at our
home.
Phil and I camped in Lassen National Park and took many hikes in the
afternoon.
July 9, 2004, Friday
"Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year
ago."
- Bernard Berenson
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in the cool dawn. Carefully
reviewing the second part of the Third Section of the Yang
Style Long
Form. Looking a videotapes of masters doing this section of the
form.
Cleaned van and packed camping gear.
Listening to Mozart string quartets and jazz during the day.
Enjoying a rereading of the book:
The
Reenchantment of Everyday Life. By Thomas Moore.
Perennial, 1997. 416 pages. ISBN: 0060928247.
Although I find
his secular/spirtual contrast a bit off-putting, the books offer much
wisdom about making everyday living more delightful, meaningful,
and wise.
Take a look at One
Way: Taijiquan Journal by New Moon.
July 8, 2004, Thursday
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in the cool dawn. Carefully
reviewing the second part of the Third Section of the Yang
Style Long
Form. Looking a videotapes of masters doing this section of the
form.
Mowing lawns, cleaning outdoor furniture, adding electrical conveniences.
The temperature dropped to the low 90's with a Delta breeze from the
south - a lovely day for outdoor work and play.
"A consistent man believes in destiny, a capricious man in chance."
- Benjamin Disraeli
Peg
Streep in her book Spiritual
Gardening tells us how to create a spiritual
garden in six steps: add a focal point, create a water feature, add plants to
attract butterflies, add a pathway, include a bench, and plant in muted colors
for tranquillity.
July 7, 2004, Wednesday
"He who cultivates a garden, and
brings to perfection flowers and fruits
cultivates and advances at the same time his own nature."
- Ezra Weston, 1845
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in the cool dawn. Carefully
reviewing the second part of the Third Section of the Yang
Style Long
Form. Looking a videotapes of masters doing this section of the
form.
Work on organizing and cleaning the garage. Install ceiling fan in the
garage.
Cleaned the teahouse by the pond.
Revised and updated a number of webpages
at the Spirit of Gardening.
July 6, 2004, Tuesday
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a
person's determination."
- Tommy Lasorda
A day of silence, contemplation, reading, and relaxation. Karen and I had
worked
very hard for four days straight. We cleaned up the entire backyard work
area
and shed, moved all the construction wood storage areas, mowed, and watered
for three days straight using the irrigation ditch flow. Being productive
at
work is one of the joys in
life.
Good habits are very useful and a mark of the
gentleman's character. Habits
of all kinds, however, need to be periodically evaluated for their
usefulness,
contribution to one's health and well being, reasonableness, societal
impacts,
ethical dimensions, and impact on one's precious and limited time.
July 5, 2004, Monday
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in the cool dawn. Carefully
reviewing the second part of the Third Section of the Yang
Style Long
Form. Looking a videotapes of masters doing this section of the
form.
"You will find that the mere resolve not to be useless, and the honest
desire to help
other people, will, in the quickest and most delicate of ways, improve
yourself."
- John Ruskin
Lots of outdoor and indoor projects today.
I developed two new websites:
Valley Spirit Journal
This will be the online location for my daily journal, blog notes, comments,
and observations about life and living and This and That.
Specs: (D:/VSJOURNAL) to http://www.egreenway.com/vsjournal/vsjindex.htm
The
Valley Spirit Photography Gallery
In the coming years this website will feature photographs and photographic
studies
by Blanche Karen Eubanks Garofalo and Michael Peter Garofalo. Right now we
are
using a Cannon A60 digital camera, Paint Shop Pro 8 and Front Page 2000 software
to produce these new webpages. Gallery webpages will include photographs,
links, quotations,
and poems on specific themes, e.g., Sunflowers
Specs: PhotoWeb (D:\PHOTOWEB) to http://www.egreenway.com/photoweb/vspindex.htm
The Valley Spirit Taijiquan and Qigong Journal will hereafter
(after July 5, 2004) be included
as
part of the Valley
Spirit Journal by Michael P. Garofalo. Monthly Notes about
my Taijiquan and Qigong practice from June 2003 until June 2004 are still available
at: Valley Spirit
Taijiquan and Qigong Journal.
Updating webpages in the Spirit of Gardening website.
July 4, 2004, Sunday
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in the cool dawn. Carefully
reviewing the second part of the Third Section of the Yang
Style Long
Form. Looking a videotapes of masters doing this section of the
form.
"He who stops being better stops being good."
- Oliver Cromwell
National holiday in the USA. A 100+ degree summer
day with 50% humidity.
Watering all day Saturday and Sunday because the irrigation ditch was running full.
Cleaning up work areas and moving and stacking wood
Updating webpages in the Spirit of Gardening website.
"Inside each one of us is a beautiful
flower garden.
This is the garden of the soul. With each lesson
we learn, the garden grows. As we learn together,
our individual gardens form a tranquil paradise."
- Sri Chinmoy
July 3 2004, Saturday
Taught a Taijiquan and Qigong class from 9:30 - 11 at
TFFC.
Attended
Sam's Yoga class from 11-12:30 am.
"For the resolute and determined there is time and opportunity."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Updating webpages in the Spirit of Gardening website.
I am now carefully reading:
The
Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice. T. K. V.
Desikachar. Revised
Edition. Rochester, Vermont, Inner Traditions International, 1995,
1999. Index, 244 pages.
Includes the Yoga Sutra by Pantanjali. MGC. ISBN:
089281764X.
Worked outdoors for 5 hours today. Lots of walking and lifting.
July 2, 2004, Friday
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in late evening at dusk. Carefully
reviewing the second part of the Third Section of the Yang
Style Long
Form. Looking a videotapes of masters doing this section of the
form.
Random symbols: Unknown - Hermit, Tower, fulfillment, trust, Death. Sort
of an omnimous feel with both the destroyed tower and death in the
face.
I trust matters will be positive for most.
"Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is
strong enough."
- Og Mandino
Updating webpages in the Spirit
of Gardening website.
Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual,
cognitive, and even
spiritual satisfaction.
- Edward O. Wilson
A visit from some old friends,
the Battistelli's from Los Angeles, this morning.
Both Yo and Jo are retired now.
July 1, 2004, Thursday
A monk asked Joshu, "What is the
meaning of Bodidharma's coming to China?"
Joshu said, "The oak tree in the garden.""
"A monk asked Zhaozhou, "What is the living meaning of Zen?."
Zhaozhou said, "The cypress tree in the yard."
- Case 37 from the Mumonkan (Wumenguan) Collection of Zen Koans
The Oak Tree in the Courtyard
Walking and Taijiquan and Qigong practice in the cool dawn. Worked outside
on construction projects all day. Yoga class for 60 minutes with
Sam.
Updating webpages in the Spirit of Gardening website.
"There is no excellent beauty that
hath not some strangeness in the proportion."
- Francis Bacon
The postures of Taijiquan have
some "strangeness" in their proportions!
Observers are struck by the slowness and oddity of the movements.
My yoga teacher, Sam, tonight,
told me she saw an "aura" around me tonight.
She is a very nice person, sincere, and we do some creative and difficult yoga
postures with her guidance. [I can't do any of the difficult
postures.] Anyway,
I sort of snorted and said, jokingly, "Sam, its is probably just the spot
lights in the
ceiling shining off my old bald head." She said "No!
Really, an aura." Later,
Karen clued me in about auras. Yoga, of course, posits a series of
overlapping
bodies on a person - from the gross material to the etherial. I've never
seen
auras around people - except when intoxicated on hallucinogenic
drugs.
© Michael P. Garofalo, 2004, All Rights Reserved
Cuttings: Haiku and Short Poems
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Ch'i Kung Website
Tai Chi Chuan, Taijiquan, T'ai Ch'i Ch'uan,
Tai Chi, Tai Ji Quan, Taiji, Tai Ji Chuan, Tie Jee Chewan
Walking, Gardening, Weightlifting, Yoga, Meditation, Stretching, Exercise,
Physical Fitness
Chi Kung, Qi Gong, Qigong, Chee Gung, Qi, Chi, Tu Na, Dao Yin, Yi, Neigong, Gung
Fu
Valley Spirit Blog, Gu Shen Blog, Valley
Spirit Taijiquan Journal, Tai Chi Diary
Tai Chi Chuan, Taijiquan, T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Tai Chi, Tai Ji Quan, Taiji, Tai Ji
Chuan, Tie Jee Chewan
Chi Kung, Qi Gong, Qigong, Chee Gung, Qi, Chi, Tu Na, Dao Yin, Yi, Neigong,
Tai Chi Journal, Tai Chi Diary, Taijiquan Journal, T'ai Chi Ch'uan Journal
Ch'i Kung Journal, Ch'i Kung Diary, Qigong Journal, Qigong Blog, Qigong Diary
Yoga Journal, Yoga Blog, Yoga Diary
Walking Journal, Walking Blog, Walkng Diary
Meditation Journal, Meditation Blog, Meditation Diary
Valley Spirit Taijiquan Journal Blog
Cloud Hands Tai Chi Journal
Taijiquan Notes, Comments, Reflections
Alphabetical Subject Index
Cloud
Hands Website
Taijiquan, Qigong, Taoism, Classics,
Weapons: Sword and Staff
Fitness and Well Being Website
Gardening, Meditation,
Walking, Yoga, Strength Training,
Fitness for Older Persons, Aerobics, Relaxation
The Spirit of Gardening
2,700 Quotes Arranged by 130 Topics,
History, Guides,
Psycho-Spiritual Aspects of Gardening
Web Guides, Bibliographies, Links, Directories, Quotes, Notes
Alphabetical Subject Index
Alphabetical Subject Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Ancient Goddesses - Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Prayers, Songs
Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi): Tiger, Bear, Crane, Deer, and Monkey
Arthritis Therapy - Exercise: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung
Bear, Standing Bear, Level 1 Ranking, Valley Spirit Taijiquan
The Bear: The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Bird - Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Blog - Valley Spirit Journal by Michael P. Garofalo
California (Northern) T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Charkas (Energy Centers of the Subtle Body)
Ch'i Kung: Bibliography and Links
Ch'i Kung Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Classes, Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Instructional Program
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Ch'i Kung
Cloud Hands T'ai Chi Ch'uan Journal
Cold Mountain Poets: Wanderers, Mystics, and Sages
Confucius (K'ung Fu-tzu) (551 - 479 BCE)
Crane - Bird - Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Crane, Soaring Crane, Intermediate Program, Level 3, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Cuttings: Short Poems by Michael P. Garofalo
The Deer: The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Diabetes Therapy - Exercise: Taijiquan and Qigong
Disclaimer of the Cloud Hands Website
Eight Section Brocade Ch'i Kung
Embrace the One - Zhan Zhuang - Standing Like A Tree
Entering Tranquility (Ru Jing) Meditation
Exercise - Diabetes Therapy - Taijiquan and Qigong
Feedback, Kudos and Reviews for the Cloud Hand's Website
Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi): Tiger, Bear, Crane, Deer, and Monkey
Five Elements (Wu-Xing) and Taijiquan
Five Stepping Movements of Taijiquan
Gardening: Quotes, Poems, History, Sayings
Gardening: Quips and Maxims by Michael P. Garofalo
The Four Gates: Grasping the Sparrow's Tail
Michael P. Garofalo's Biography
Michael P. Garofalo's T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Practice
The Goddess - Quotations, Poems, Sayings, Prayers, Songs
Goose - Bird - Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Green Way Research - Taijiquan and Qigong
Gu Shen (Valley Spirit) Taijiquan Instructional Program
Health and Fitness - T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Hidden Tiger, Beginning Program, Level 2, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Instructional Program, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Journal - Valley Spirit Journal by Michael P. Garofalo
Kundalini (Coiled Serpent) Energy
Kwang Ping Taijiquan of Kuo Lien Ying
Links and Bibliography: Qigong
Links and Bibliography: Taijiquan
Long Form 108 Yang Style Taijiquan
Master Chang San-Feng (circa 1350)
Master Cheng Man-Ch'ing (1901 - 1975)
Mastery, Self Control, Self Mastery, Choices, Will Power, Strength of Character
Meditation Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Meditation Methods and Techniques
Meditation - Standing Like A Tree
Meditation - Wu Ji - The Edge of Emptiness
Michael P. Garofalo's T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Practice
Months of the Year: Quotes, Poems, Links
Moving Hands Like Clouds: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong
Northern California T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Nine Movement Temple Ch'i Kung Exercise Set
Older Persons Exercise and Wellness Programs
Oregon T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Original Waving Hands Like Clouds URL
Photography - Valley Spirit Photography Gallery
Pranayama: Breathing Techniques from Yoga
Private Instruction by Michael P. Garofalo, Instructional Programs
Pulling Onions: The Quips and Maxims of a Gardener
Qigong: Bibliography and Links
Qigong Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff, Valley Spirit Taijiquan Instructional Program
Reviews of the Cloud Hand's Website
Self Control, Self Mastery, Choices, Will Power
Senior Citizens Fitness Programs
Sensing Hands: Push Hands - T'ui Shou
Shoong, Sung, Song - Loose, Relaxed, Open, Yielding, Responsive
Short Form, Yang Style, Beijing Simplified 24
Simplified 24 From, Yang Style
Soaring Crane, Intermediate Program, Level 3, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Speaking to the Spirit Meditation
Staff Weapons: Jo, Bo, Can, Staff, Spear
Standing Bear, Level 1 Ranking, Valley Spirit Taijiquan
Standing Like A Tree - Zhan Zhuang
Stork - Bird - Five Animal Frolics
Subject Index to the Cloud Hands Website
Swordsmanship and T'ai Chi Ch'uan
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Bibliography and Links
T'ai
Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information, Workshops
Northern California,
Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia
T'ai Chi Ch'uan Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
T'ai Chi Ch'uan, Red Bluff, CA
T'ai Chi Ch'uan Short Form, Beijing Simplified 24, Yang Style
T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Links and Bibliography
Taijiquan: Bibliography and Links
Taijiquan For Good Health, Fitness and Vitality
Taijiquan Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo in Red Bluff, California
Taoism, Nature Mysticism, Alchemy
Temple Qigong - A Nine Movement Exercise Set
Thirteen Postures: 8 Gates and 5 Steps
Thirteen Treasures Walking Qigong
The 300 Missing Poems of Han Shan
The Tiger: The Five Animal Frolics (Wu Qin Xi)
Tiger, Hidden Tiger, Beginning Program, Level 2, Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan
Tree Qigong - Zhan Zhuang - Standing Like A Tree
Trees - Quotations, Poems, Lore, Wisdom
Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan Club
Valley Spirit Journal by Michael P. Garofalo
Valley Spirit Photography Gallery
Valley Spirit Taijiquan Instructional Program
Valley Spirit Taijiquan and Qigong Journal by Michael P. Garofalo
Vancouver, B.C., T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools
Walking - General Fitness Exercise
Washington T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong Directory: Instructors, Schools, Information
Waving Hands Like Clouds: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong
Will Power, Self Control, Self Mastery, Choices, Strength of Character
Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form 108 Movements
Yang Style Taijiquan Short Form 24 Movements
Yin-Yang Sensitivity Training: Sticking Hands - T'ui Shou
Zhan Zhuang - Standing Like A Tree
Valley Spirit T'ai Chi Ch'uan Club
Red Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, Northern California, U.S.A.
Cities and small towns in the area: Oroville, Paradise, Durham, Chico, Hamilton
City,
Corning, Rancho Tehama, Los Molinos, Tehama, Proberta, Gerber, Manton,
Cottonwood,
Anderson, Shasta Lake, Palo Cedro, Igo, Ono, Redding, Shasta, Colusa, Willows,
Fall River, Montgomery Creek, Alturas, McCloud, Dunsmuir, Yreka, Happy Camp,
Shingletown, Burney, Mt. Shasta City, Weaverville, Williams, Chester, Orland,
Susanville, Weed, Gridley, Marysville, Yuba City, CA, California.
July 6, 2004
Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Ch'i Kung