Yin-Yang-Yoga

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  • Healing Hurts

    It demands that we revisit 
    and fully imbibe 
    things we'd rather ignore or brush aside.
    All of the patchwork we've built up 
    in the name of survival and getting-on 
    has to be torn down.
    The wounds require exposure to the air 
    in order to be resolved.
    Most of us slap a bandage over the wound, 
    protecting it, 
    which is, for a while, 
    both practical and correct.

    But rather than enduring the minor pain 
    of the adhesive tugging at our skin 
    as the bandage is removed, 
    and risk the wound being exposed, 
    we choose to slap another bandage on top.
    Many of us have built up cathedrals of such bandages.
    We build altars of our refusal to heal, 
    and create elaborate and ornate avoidance-rituals.
    And every time we have the opportunity 
    to dig into the hurt 
    toward healing,
    we opt instead to apply yet another bandage.

    Until we are willing to rip off these bandages, 
    the wound can never be addressed.
    It will hurt a little bit, 
    every single time 
    we rip one of these bandages away.
    And if we've been applying them for many years, 
    it may entail round after round of discomfort 
    to reach the original bandage covering the wound.
    Healing hurts, 
    which is precisely why we Humans 
    often prefer to avoid it.

  • Vernal Equinox — 2026

    Today, the Sun follows an ancient and familiar path 
    through the sky...
    Rising, 
    residing for a time, 
    and setting, 
    in precise alignment 
    with various sites across the surface of the Earth.
    Riding the Equidistant Line 
    between the height of Summer's Sun 
    and depth of Winter's Night.

    The Arrival of a new Cycle, 
    in accord with the Tropical calculations 
    of Zodiacal Space.

    The Aries Ingress:
    Aries runs Head-First; 
    the Natural direction of Birth.

    Aries, is Individuality. 
    The Egoic Experience of being Distinct. 
    A Singular Mono-Consciousness.
    Indivisibility.

    While Aries rules the Head, 
    The Levelity of your Eyes 
    expresses Libra's Axial Influence.
    And though Libra denotes duplication
    via the Hips, 
    it also unites them 
    onto a lone and solitary Pelvis.
    And there is, of course, 
    that more precise point 
    of the Tailbone.

    Aries rules Mars, and Libra Rules Venus.
    The latter having already passed 
    through nearly-half of Aries, 
    as of this date.
    And Mars will be arriving soon, 
    into its Sign of Rulership.
    A Potent Place 
    for this Planet of Action, Volition, and Agency.
    This extra resonance absolutely-can 
    exacerbate Violence, Recklessness, and Immaturity.
    And Anyone with a Mars Placement 
    (ie: Everybody) 
    can be prone to these, in their own Moments.
    But as the Transits abide 
    with the many Stories unfolding on Earth, 
    All would do well to Mind It.

    There is a Way to Compose your Self with This Moment.
    To Embody Hope, without needing to Seek It.
    To BE Love.
    To do Honor to YOUR Unique Existence.

    Yes, Aries can indicate aggression and hostility, 
    but at its finest it is the Irrepressible-Spirit of Spring.
    The impulse to Begin, Again.
    And Again.
    Forever.
    Fresh.
    Always.
    Spring.
    "Ving Tsun."
    Keep Being You.

  • Moon on the Midheaven

    The Moon is in the 27th degree of Leo, on the local Midheaven of Minneapolis, around 11:33 pm local time on 3/1/2026.
    An eclipse approaches, occurring 3/3/2026. 

    At present, the Moon is approaching an Opposition to Mars in the final degree of Aquarius. 

    Mars will make it into the Sign of Pisces just before the elipse, and soon after, Venus will leave Pisces and apply itself in Conjunction to both Neptune and Saturn by the end of the week. Four prominent astrological factors in the Sign of Pisces, as the Sun, Moon, and the Earth align. We’ve arrived at Interesting Times.

    Jupiter is in the 16th degree of Cancer, where it will linger for the entire month of March, even after slowing its apparent motion and stationing direct the week after this eclipse.  

    The expanses of both Virgo-Leo and Aquarius-Pisces are certainly prescient.  The terrain of both the 6th and 7th, as well as the 11th and 12th, astrological Houses are profoundly highlighted while the 1st House is being kindled too, through the recent and decidedly significant arrival of  Neptune and Saturn into the Sign of Aries. 

    The themes of these are worth deep and sincere consideration at this moment, beyond their mere mundane application.

    This moment is truly potent.

  • Crouching Mercury, Hidden Retrograde

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  • 8 Minute Sound Journey with Gongs and Chimes

  • Full Moon in Leo (Feb 1, 2026)

    On Feb 1, at 4:09 pm CST, the Moon opposes the Sun from the 14th degree of Leo.  Leo carries themes of self-expression, creativity and joy, and the child-like radiance of being (among others).  As the natural 5th House, these Leo themes can present as literal children, romantic activity, and the experience of play.  

    The ruling planet of Leo is the Sun, the only true luminary and the center around which the aptly named Solar System revolves.  Indeed, Leo is an energy which centers, focalizes, and sometimes demands attention.  Aries may be the Sign of the Individual-Self, but Leo is the Sign which brings that Individual-Self into a centered and coherently-embodied being.  Physiologically, Leo is correlated with the heart, spine, and solar-plexus.  All of these are unifying and centralized phenomena, among the few aspects of the Human body which are not bi-lateral features. 

    The lion is the symbol of Leo, ruling over the sun-soaked savannah and the pride comprised of its kin, which fittingly brings many of these themes together.

    While those with strong Leo qualities can indeed be self-centered, many express the inverse and can be strongly other-centering.  Leo loves a spotlight, but doesn't necessarily desire to be in it.  Leo is the energy of centering as such.  It is the Fixed Fire, initiated by the spark of Cardinal Fire, and focused into a singular flame.

    This Full Moon in Leo arrives in between two major transits featuring that Cardinal Fire sign of Aries.  January 26 features the Aries ingress of Neptune, and February 13 features the Aries ingress of Saturn.  The shift of these two slow-moving outer planets into Aries begins new cycles of approximately 165 and 28 years, respectively.  

    Fire requires Air, and this Full Moon has ample supply as the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, as well as Pluto, are all traversing the Air Sign of Aquarius.  The ruling planet of Aquarius, Uranus, also features in this dynamic as it stations direct on February 3 and begins its journey back into the Sign of Gemini, adding even more Air energy to the picture.

    While the Full Moon in Leo and the transits of the Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars are relatively fleeting (though likely plenty powerful and profound), the slower moving transits of Saturn and Neptune in Aries aspecting Pluto in Aquarius and Uranus in Gemini will be longer-term dynamics which are only beginning to unfold.

    While Air is necessary for Fire to burn, it can also blow the flame out or spawn an uncontrollable blaze.  The innocence of birthday candles, and the stoic destruction of a wildfire.  While there is much enthusiasm and excitement in the zeitgeist about the forthcoming New Moon lunation and its signaling of the year of the Fire-Horse in Chinese astrology, the Saturnian aspect of Aquarius and the power of Air may prove to be the more prescient dynamic in determining how this era of Fire plays out in our lives.


    "Without the Bender, a rock will not throw itself! But Fire will spread and destroy everything in it's path if one does not have the will to control it!"  -Jeong Jeong, from "Avatar: The Last Airbender"


    If you would like support in exploring how this New Moon or other transits might affect you, please schedule a reading HERE

  • New Moon in Capricorn (Jan 18, 2026)

    On January 18, at 1:52 pm CST, the Moon is precisely conjunct the Sun in the 29th degree of Capricorn.  Capricorn is characterized by enduring, ambition, and a sensitivity to legacy.  The symbolism of a mountain-goat with a tail fit for an aquatic existence provides a dual nod to the upward-striving ethos of Capricorn, but also to a reliance upon longer-standing structures and achievements.  There is an affinity for accomplishment in any domain, be it worldly or spiritual.  

    Capricorn is correlated with the knees, joints, and the skeletal structure, all of which afford the body an opportunity to be stable and sturdy, to withstand force.  These features are simultaneously a means for astonishing freedom and expression, and also vectors of definitive vulnerability and limitation.  

    Saturn, the ruling planet of Capricorn, is often eschewed for its limiting and restraining qualities which are clearly represented in the rings surrounding this second-largest body in the solar system.  However, those same qualities are taken for granted in the value they provide.  Walls can be shelter, not merely imprisonment.  Endings apply not only to the beautiful experiences of life, but also the difficulties.  The consistent and reliable laws of physics allow us to act with trust and faith, rather than perpetual uncertainty.

    At the time of this New Moon, Saturn continues to be transiting toward an exact conjunction with Neptune, which is its energetic antithesis.  Additionally, the Moon is not only conjunct the Sun at this New Moon, but several other planets are partaking in a broader conjunction dynamic.  The Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Pluto are all within 6-degree span, though Venus and Pluto are in the sign of Aquarius.

    As the backdrop to ongoing geo-political instability and radical socio-cultural changes, this New Moon is a potent opportunity to meditate on perseverance, legacies, and the vast ocean of things taken for granted, as well as an opportunity to strive, build, and achieve.  

    Be careful about what you make, and be just as careful about what you break.



    "How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us?" -Nietzsche

    If you would like support in exploring how this New Moon or other transits might affect you, please schedule a reading HERE

  • 2026 = 1

    In accordance with basic numerological principles, 2026 is a year of 1.
    Numerology, in its most basic use-case, entails reducing numbers (as well as words through alphabetic correlations with numbers) down to a single integer.  

    2+0+2+6 = 10
    20+26 = 46 and 4+6 = 10
    202+6 = 208 and 2+0+8 = 10
    and of course, 1+0 = 1

    I don't claim any meaningful expertise on the subject, though I do pay it ample attention in my daily life.  As often as not, when I see a double-digit figure my brain will run the math to reduce it to its single-digit form.  

    Although there are different systems and traditions, and thus some variation and surely contentiousness about what is correct or useful, the system I was initially introduced to numbers the alphabet as follows:

    1 - A/J/S
    2 - B/K/T
    3 - C/L/U
    4 - D/M/V
    5 - E/N/W
    6 - F/O/X
    7 - G/P/Y
    8 - H/Q/Z
    9 - I/R

    1 is, naturally, an energy of initiatory impulse.  The energy of beginnings, of individuality, of the monadic principle. 
    2 is the energy of Taiji, or the Grand Duality.  There is counter-balance here, and contrast, as well as relativity and partnership.
    3 is an energy of dynamism.  It is Mercurial, in a meaningful sense, and suggests flow as well as integrity given that triangles are notoriously sturdy.
    4 is a stable energy.  It indicates structure and form, or manifestation but can also signify stubborn rigidity or obstruction.
    5 is an energy of change.  The WuXing philosophy nods to this, describing "Five Phases"; there is instability and unfolding.
    6 is an energy of responsiveness.  From the constant of change there are endless choices to be made, hence the basic Existentialist crisis of Being.
    7 is a progressive energy.  The necessary follow-through and will-power to make good on decisions and choices is represented here.
    8 is an energy of cycles.  Karmic law, repetition, discipline or dedication, action and reaction; the inertia of circulation around the infinity-loop.
    9 is the energy of completion or fulfillment.  The end of the cycle, the final form, fruit falling from the vine; an ending which begets new beginnings.

    It can be quite compelling to reflect on previous years which carried the numerological resonance of 1, noting if any themes or patterns emerge.

    1945, 1954, 1963, 1972, 1981, 1990, 1999, 2008, 2017, 2026, 2035, 2044
    are all examples of years which carry the resonance of 1.

  • 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.

  • Qigong Workshops (According to LLM-AI)

    🌟 Discover the Power Within: Join Our Life-Transforming Qigong Workshop! 🌟

    Unlock the ancient secrets of Qigong and embark on a remarkable journey of self-discovery and revitalization! We invite you to experience the profound benefits of this powerful energy practice at our upcoming Qigong Workshop.

    🌿 What is Qigong? 🌿

    Qigong, an ancient Chinese practice, harmonizes the mind, body, and spirit through gentle movements, breathwork, and meditation. It cultivates the flow of vital energy (Qi) within us, promoting balance, vitality, and inner peace.

    🌟 Workshop Highlights 🌟

    🌟 Discover Your Inner Radiance: Learn the fundamental principles and techniques of Qigong from our experienced and passionate instructor. 🌟 Energize and Heal: Explore dynamic Qigong exercises that enhance circulation, boost immunity, and restore vitality. 🌟 Mindful Breathing: Learn the art of conscious breathing to calm the mind, reduce stress, and cultivate mental clarity. 🌟 Flow with Grace: Practice graceful, flowing movements to promote flexibility, balance, and body awareness. 🌟 Harness Your Qi: Explore the profound connection between breath, movement, and energy, and tap into your innate healing abilities. 🌟 Inner Harmony: Experience the profound stillness and serenity of Qigong meditation, fostering emotional well-being and inner peace.

    🌿 Workshop Details 🌿

    🗓️ Date: [Date] ⏰ Time: [Time] 📍 Venue: [Location] 💲 Investment: [Price]

    🌟 Who Should Attend? 🌟

    This workshop welcomes participants of all levels, from beginners to experienced practitioners. Whether you seek to enhance your well-being, reduce stress, or deepen your understanding of Qigong, this workshop offers a transformative experience.

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    Spaces are limited, so secure your place today to embark on this incredible Qigong journey. To register or inquire about the workshop, please contact [Contact Information]. Join us and discover the boundless potential of your energy and the profound wisdom of Qigong.

    🌟 Awaken Your Inner Harmony! Embrace the Power of Qigong! 🌟

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    It’s fascinating, and perhaps rather disheartening, to see how rapidly and skillfully Language Learning Models can render an advertisement for a Qigong workshop. Before saying anything more, I can assure you that the sentence you just read took far longer for me to type than for ChatGPT to dispense the entirety of the marketing language presented above. Not only that, the process of employing the Copy/Paste function in ChatGPT followed by the same function here in WordPress took longer too.

    Not to be unduly downtrodden, but I find myself feeling a variety of concerns. No, I don’t believe this technology is going to destroy Humanity as a matter of course. I vaguely worry that we will do that to ourselves, with this new tool helping to expedite the process.

    Let this post, should you bother to read this far, be a friendly reminder to look through the inherent-facade of digital phenomena. The generic template-driven language, and the very real, no matter how subtle, disingenuous quality that comes with it will become so pervasive that we will need to have the ability to exercise more discernment than we may be used to. This isn’t about the potentially existential or mortal imperatives that these technologies may challenge in time. It’s as mundane as the mere matter of being informed consumers.