Yin-Yang-Yoga

Blog

  • Full Moon and the Autumn Equinox

    The astrological climate continues to cook.


    At this Full Moon in Pisces (Sept 7), Uranus has just stationed (Sept 6) for a retrograde phase in the opening degrees of Gemini.


    With Mercury (the ruling planet of both Gemini and Virgo) freshly into the sign of Virgo (Sept 2), the gut-brain axis is highlighted. Virgo has an affinity for the material digestive process, organizing nutrients and waste for absorption and elimination, respectively. Meanwhile, Gemini has an affinity for the nervous system and the mind- the assimilation of information and data. With so much Mercury energy highlighted, many may be feeling more sensitive to the onslaught of social media, news cycles, or more sensitive to caffeine and other such dietary stimuli.


    Adding to this dynamic is Saturn, which is now well into its retrograde phase and which recently backtracked into the sign of Pisces (Sept 1). The planet of boundaries and structure is yet again immersed in the sign of the boundless and ephemeral, which may make mitigating the heightened effects of Mercury a losing battle.

    Uranus in the early degrees of Gemini offered tension to the opening of Virgo season (Aug 22) and the prior New Moon (Aug 23) and bolsters that impact by stationing retrograde (Sept 6) at this Full Moon (Sept 7), while Saturn will supply the tension to the forthcoming New Moon (Sept 21).

    Two weeks after today’s FullMoon, Mercury will slip into Libra (Sept 18), setting stage for the arrival of the New Moon and forming an opposition to Saturn. The following day, Venus enters the sign of Virgo (Sept 19), reigniting aspect with Uranus which is by then well into its retrograde motion.


    Then, on Sept 21, we have the New Moon in the final degree of Virgo- a fairly rare second New Moon in the same sign, which is flavored by its opposition with Saturn.

    And we cannot forget Pluto, currently retrograding through the opening degrees of Aquarius.
    Pluto represents the unseen forces, often influencing things quietly but incontrovertibly.
    In the early degrees of Aquarius, Pluto forms a potent trine with Uranus in Gemini as this Virgo season unfolds, and holds to a sextile with Saturn, made more dynamic as Saturn exits the span of Aries and returns to Pisces.

    Come October 13, Venus will reactivate the final degrees of Virgo and enter the sign of Libra
    and mere hours later Pluto will station out of its retrograde motion, providing, perhaps, a strong
    callback to the energy being seeded or unfolding now.

  • Spring Equinox 2025

    March 20, 2025 marks the Spring Equinox and the entrance of the Sun into the Zodiacal sign of (Tropical) Aries. Aries is the energy of springing-forth. A sense of audacity, optimism, and irrepressible willingness to begin is the hallmark of Aries. It is the quintessential Cardinal energy, the energy of initiatory fire. Bold and Daring, though perhaps Impulsive and Reckless.

    At both the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, there is a delicate balance of energy.

    At the Solstices, The Scale is already tipped –
    What’s another ounce when there is already a pound on The Scale?
    At the Equinoxes, The Scale is Zero-Balanced –
    Even the slightest weight will markedly tip The Scale.

    In this manner, Aies represents the binary of Taiji: It IS or it is NOT…
    Is there Anything? Is there Existence? Is there more Light than Dark?

    The coming days will present an obvious increase in daylight hours, which all living things notice. Unquestionably, the new Zodiacal Year is underway and the next several calendar years feature powerful movement of planets through the sign of Aries, so the energy of fresh-starts and new beginnings will be percolating and available for us all to imbibe.

  • The Feet Create Focus

    The alignment of the Feet in Taijiquan is made effective when we are accounting for both sides of each Foot. Each Foot creates two lines, which are typically not parallel. Therefore, we must make an intentional decision about how to use each Foot in establishing the trajectory of a given Form or action.

    The most common way of measuring aim or trajectory is by pointing the Big-Toe. The Mind naturally identifies with the interior, the medial aspect of the Foot. However, this generally leaves the outer edge of the Foot aimed eight, or potentially many more, degrees off the target.

    While the Big-Toe does still indeed hold the target, a substantial amount of energy and intent never has a chance to interact with the target. By adjusting the Foot, we can increase the amount of energy which is likely to interact with the target.

    Allowing the outer-aspect of the Foot to set our aim promotes a higher likelihood that our energy is delivered to the intended target. Accounting for both edges of the Foot creates a dynamic of triangulating focus which sharpens over distance, rather than a dispersing focus which becomes vague over distance. Utilizing “two aims in one” channels and directs power whereas using a single line of aim is more likely to disperse and leak power.

  • TaiChi Tracks

    True to the Name, TaiChi invites us to consider distinct interpretations of being “on track”…

    There is Adhering-To-A-Line…

    And there is Staying-Between-The-Lines…

  • Practical TaiChi Training

    The Practical Method tradition of TaiChiCh’uan makes TaiChi movement simple and clear.

    The Elbow seeks to arrive either Above or Below, and the Hand likewise seeks to arrive at a position of either Above or Below. All the while, each is also honoring its task of Inward and Outward motion. The Elbow achieves the In, while the Hand achieves the Out.

    The Inward action of the Elbow implies a consolidation of energy on one half of the body. The Outward action of the Hand implies a distribution of energy across the body. Both the Inward and Outward phases are created from generality, but expressed with precision. Broadly fueled, but sharply focused.

    Training these actions allows the surface-level flow of TaiChi Forms to be imbued with clarity, power, and purpose.

  • The Pursuit of Progress: Taiji Reminder

    Tai Ji Reminder:

    When progress sprouts, and fruiting from the effort of the Roots can be seen,

    we tend to release our attention to that crucial foundation.

    Through all phases and stages of a plant, the Roots remain hidden,

    but ever resounding, and setting the bounds of what will be possible above ground.

    Remain reverential to the highest resolution you can render.

    Never lose your Original Nature.

    The Actuality Of

    IT-IS

    AUM

  • Winter Solstice 2024

    Salutations, dear Reader…

    As we arrive at the Winter Solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is at its maximum tilt away from the Sun and the gradual increase in daylight hours is set to begin again. This is the pinnacle of astronomical YIN; a moment of extremity, and a moment of apparent pause. Just like that portal of timelessness which exists at the extremes of Breath, so too this period of the year presents the potential to experience a brief respite from the perpetual tumult of the world.

    The many spokes of the wheel, converging on this single point…

    The impeccable stillness, around which the chaos is swirling…

    For myself, the spiraling of the year has finally led me here, again. Back to this corner of the Internet which I have staked-out, but admittedly am rare to attend to. I’d love to pretend I will be more prolific, or at least consistent, in the coming year with posting content here but I am not one to toss out false-promises!

    That said, this past year delivered many new opportunities to share TaiChi, Yoga, Astrology, and Sound in the world and I am looking forward to helping these modalities reach the right audiences in 2025.

    My hope for YOU is that this Solstice similarly brings things to a locus of stillness, to a point of focus, from which you might find the clarity and renewal to make the coming year one filled with peace and purpose, no matter where and how you choose to do so.

  • In Rememberance

    The following was written March 10, 2013… a solid decade ago. So much has unfolded since then, and continues to unfold…

    …

    Maybe it’s easiest when things happen without warning. Surely the bug dispatched in an instant on the windshield had the better lot than the bug in a 5 year-old boy’s concentration camp, right?
    I don’t know what happens when we die.
    I let myself believe a wide variety of things- making room for reincarnation, heaven, transmigration of souls (whatever THAT means), rebirth, cosmic-surfing, chaotic distribution of Consciousness (which is as close to “we just decompose” as I get)…
    I’ve somehow managed to be pretty rational about Death, and sometimes wonder if I have just brainwashed myself with a frilly picture of an otherwise bleak Reality.
    If there weren’t some merit to the Buddhist, Christian or Other, spiritual perspectives on Death, then surely I wouldn’t feel so complacent about it, right?! That would just be cold, inhumane, and utterly unfeeling.
    And that is definitely not Me! I will readily cry during a made-for-tv movie! I’ve cried during speeches, films, weddings, you name it…what gives with my unsettling acceptance of Death?!
    Call me a self-medicator, addicted to the Opium of the Masses, but I take this apparent understanding as my proof of Death being not so quintessentially final as we might make it out to be.
    And I accpet with great humor that I may be wrong. You might be wrong too! If we can be comfortable with the paradoxes and the Mysteries of This Existence, then I think that’s as close to a Universal definition of “Success” as we will ever find.
    Among the most important lessons I have learned (and still need much practice with) from a great Teacher, Mentor, and Friend who just left us this afternoon, is this: don’t be too serious. Stay on track, but have fun! The Truth is, nobody gets out of This alive, so it is imperative that we do what we love, and make our Moments count. We don’t get them back.
    Dr. Russell F. Smiley was a Teacher right through the “End” and his lessons will continue to affect great change in This world through the many people whose lives he touched. It was a tremendous honor for me to have known and worked with that kind of Greatness.
    …
    I think the Word is, Inspiration.

  • Full Moon in Aquarius

    Today is the Full Moon in Aquarius.

    Freedom and Humanitarianism are thematic staples of the sign of Aquarius.

    But what does that really mean?

    Aquarius, in some ways, represents the Individual’s Last Stand. While Leo signifies the Individual as such, Aquarius shows us the Individual related to others. Aquarius natives often carry a reputation for Humanitarian impulses, but to be a Humanitarian is to be an Individual invested in Humanity as a whole.

    Aquarius is the natural 11th House, where groups of Humans may gather as communities and societies. However, the key feature at this level of coming together is that the Individual is still vital. A chain breaks at its weakest link, no matter the strength of the rest. At the scale of the 11th House, it is still meaningful to address specific persons in the system.

    In the 12th House, the domain of Pisces, the Individual is no longer relevant. The 12th House is absorptive and subsumes the Individual. Systems which supersede individuality are 12th House phenomena- the prison, the monastery, the military. Individuals may choose to enlist or be committed against their personal will, but regardless, once there, will lack the capacity to meaningfully impact the structure. Droplets in the vast ocean can have their distinct experience, but they cannot direct the tides.

    Locally, this Full Moon lunation presents with the Sun nearly exact on the MC with the Moon nearly exact on the IC.

    What you encounter is often a precise reflection of what you’re seeding.

    The Sun in Leo is indicative of our Individual power, shining bright. Its placement on the MC (Midheaven) suggests that full embodiment and responsibility for that light and power is our highest possible calling and aim.

    The Moon in Aquarius suggests the impact of that light in our social surroundings. The Moon on the IC (Imum Coeli), our psychological (and often literal) figure ground, may give us the strong sense that the actions of others are affecting our own efforts and objectives. With all of its humanitarian potential, Aquarian energy can readily polarize into misanthropy.

    For some, this Full Moon may pose a pop-quiz regarding faith in their own power.

    Believing that our personal objectives are being stifled, it is easy to resort to blaming others. Yet this lunation is an opportunity to consider that what we encounter is likely to be a precise reflection of what we are seeding, consciously or otherwise. If you’re not getting the results you want, reflect on the totality of that which your efforts are being built upon.

    The Sun is shining down from the (relative) place of absolute Above. The Moon is reflecting from the (relative) place of absolute Below. This is a potent opportunity to acknowledge any dissonance between our highest calling and our lowest intent.

    What are your loftiest aims?

    What are your deepest philosophical assumptions?

    You cannot meaningfully invest in World Peace if you don’t actually believe it can be achieved. You cannot meaningfully combat Climate Change if you don’t believe it’s possible to affect it.

    If you do believe your aims are possible, then it’s a waste of your energy to rail against and bemoan the challenge.

    YOU have picked this struggle.

    If you discover that you don’t actually believe the goal can be accomplished, then take a load off. If you sincerely believe it is a worthy battle, then don’t undermine your efforts with petty self-righteousness.

    This Full Moon is a profound opportunity to refine our personal power.

    Call into coherence your power and purpose.

    If it feels as though the people surrounding you are dimming your cause, shine brighter. If you believe your light is not sufficiently bright, dare to enter the cavernous dark.

    If you accomplish nothing else in this lifetime, have the courage to discover and disseminate your most authentic self. Have the courage to face your most authentic self.

    Be brave enough to shine in the dark.

    Be brave enough to receive and reflect any light which may be burning brighter than yours.

  • Polarity Is Not Plural

    Tai Chi, or Tai Ji, when literally translated renders as something like:
    Grand Polarity, Supreme Extreme, Ultimate End.

    This is significant because the translation, and therefore the original (we should hope), is singular.
    To speak of many, or even merely multiple, Tai Ji is a logical error. Beyond the colloquial uses of Tai Chi, its core definition refers to THE fundamental polarity which pervades our reality.


    Every known expression of polarity- Hot & Cold, Up & Down, Inside & Outside- is built upon the same principle. With this in mind, it is more apparent that there is a flaw of logic when speaking about polarity in the plural. We can discuss specific manifestations of this single principle, but no quantity of these can fracture the underlying phenomenon which they are all an expression of.

    This is the insight which the ancients were attempting to disclose to us.

    The Grand Polarity is the structural fact of polarity which gives rise to experiences of polarization. The phenomenon of polarity itself is the only thing which can be properly described as Grand Polarity. The phenomenon of polarized extremes is always more fundamental than any set of such extremes. There is an underlying principle, a unifying theme, to be found in all cases of extremes and opposites.

    To be diametrically-opposed is to be inextricably-linked.

    The revelation of Tai Ji is a key to peek through the illusory nature of all expressions of opposites.
    Once this key has been turned, the polarized conception of the world becomes erroneous, though still applicable. We can speak the language of Up & Down, Hot & Cold, etc. without being misled by it. We are aware that Hot & Cold are both Temperature; that Up & Down are both Direction. We do not lose our picture of ordinary reality, we merely glimpse and remember its substrate. Knowing the structure of our experiences allows immense sobriety while we play with these experiences.


    To play with the experiences, rather than being played-by the experiences, is a step toward the profound liberation which all spiritual paths proclaim to be possible.