As I get older the passage of time continues to accelerate,
so it feels like it’s been both a busy year and a short one – I can’t believe
it is already November.
The Spring and Fall Wild Goose camps in Delphos were both exceptional.
All the folks involved in the system are contributing to a wave of energy and
knowledge that continues to build. This was particularly strong at the Fall
camp that was dedicated to a wide range of healing methods. I honestly do not
know of any place where you could have received such wide ranging information
on chiropractic, acupuncture, cupping, moxa, massage, energy healing and
general TCM theory – and that was just Saturday’s presentations. What a great
group of people.
Shane and I finished the third volume in the Wild Goose book
series that covered the martial aspects of the system and introduced the Dayan
Palm form. The book gives an overview of the martial basics and in my opinion
breaks some new ground. To my knowledge this is the first time that the broader
aspects of the Wild Goose martial techniques have been documented. There is
much more to come…work is proceeding on a book dedicated to healing…stay tuned
for more.
At a personal level, my own understanding of how the
universe works continues to grow (as does the list of things that I do not
know). The single most valuable thing I learned this year is the importance of
awareness. The importance of awareness and living in the current moment
continues to unfold for me. Each new epiphany brings another new understanding which
leads to some personal progress which leads to another “revelation” and so it
goes. I see no end to this marvelous process.
Examining my own experience, I can understand now that my
early martial training was shifted too much into the physical – i.e. I was
training to develop the physical aspects of technique without appreciating the
aspects of awareness and the mental and spiritual development that would have
greatly enhanced the physical training. There was too much emphasis on
accumulating more physical technique…more physicality, and an insufficient
understanding of the path (Tao) that would lead to true mastery of all the
aspects – physical, mental and spiritual. This is of course, nothing new. I am
simply “discovering” the same things that countless others have said and done
over the centuries. The single most helpful thing to me in this process of
discovery has been gaining a deeper understanding of meditation. Again, this is
nothing new. The internal arts have long relied on various forms of meditation
as in zhan zhuang (standing meditation) and zazen (seated meditation). If you
are a “seeker” and have not yet investigated meditation and made it a part of
your life, then that is a direction I would recommend.
And, a huge thank you to all the folks that have kept me on
the path this year. And, I’ll try to do a better job and post more frequently
(hopefully something useful) on this bog.
