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This 7th Moon contains the Chinese Solar Season of “Ending Heat,” signifying that during this Moon, the peak summer energy begins to gradually lower its high intensity.
Swinging in as the ruler of this 7th Moon is the Yang Fire Monkey! Fire Monkeys are generally strategic, know how to leverage, and...
The hexagram for the month is Hexagram #12, Adversity (Pi), which represents standstill, stagnation, and/or obstruction. Its image is Heaven (☰) above Earth (☷), symbolizing disconnect, lack of communion, blockage, and frozen movement. Because Heaven rises upward and Earth sinks downward, their ener...
A Few More Words …
When Does an Exercise Become a Cultivation Practice?
I’ve been thinking lately about what actually makes something a cultivation practice. We use words like Qigong, Taijiquan, meditation, and Internal Alchemy, and we often assume that because an exercise comes from one of these ...
On the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, the Double Sevens Festival (also known as the Qixi Festival) is celebrated. The Qixi Festival is primarily a traditional Chinese folk and astronomical festival rather than an exclusively Taoist holiday. However, because Chinese folklore ...
Liezi (or Lie Yukou 列子) is one of the three foundational masters of Taoism, along with Laozi and Zhuangzi. He occupied a unique space in Chinese thought, living during the Warring States/Hundred Schools of Thought period, and serving as a bridge between philosophical Taoism and early esoteric, mysti...
This talk explores the movement from meditation practiced in quiet conditions to active meditation in the midst of daily life. The Secret of the Golden Flower presents turning the light around not as an escape from the world, but as a way of remaining rooted in the mind of Tao while fully engaged wi...
When I first began studying with Stuart in the early 1990s, I wanted to learn everything he knew. I wanted to learn the Taijiquan form, sword, saber, staff, the two-person sets, Taiji Ruler, Qigong, meditation, and Neidan (Internal Alchemy). If Stuart taught it, I wanted to learn it.
Like many stud...
The 6th Moon is symbolized by the Goat. This month will be a Yin Wood Goat, which will come scaling in as the previous month comes to an end. Goats are peaceful, domestic animals, but they're also mountain climbers. They have incredible endurance and are fiercely territorial. In metaphysics, Goat en...
This moon will be governed by Hexagram #33, “Retreating,” within a year ruled by Hexagram #46 (Ascending), which creates a classic dynamic tension: strategic retreat tucked within an overall period of growth. For this combination, picture a massive, ancient tree pushing its way up through the soil (...
Guan Gong (关公), was originally the Han dynasty general Guan Yu (关羽), and is one of the most fascinating figures in Chinese spiritual history. His journey from a real life military general to a universally revered deity across multiple faiths is incredible. In Taoism, Guan Gong is revered as a powerh...
The name “Heavenly Worthy” or “Tian Zun” isn't just one person; it’s actually a grand title used for any of the three deities collectively known as The Three Pure Ones.
The first Pure One is called Jade Pure One, and his formal name is Yuanshi Tianzun, the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning. H...
The Meaning of the Golden Flower
- The Golden Flower symbolizes the blossoming of the Original Light.
- This Original Light is the source of Big Mind or Original Awareness.
- The purpose of practice is to rediscover this original nature rather than acquire something new.
- Our deepest nature has neve ...
