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Salutations Reader!
Here we are, on the cusp of the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere of Earth-
The longest day of the year, maximal Yang energy.
I hope you are finding much to seize from these peak days of light and heat, and also much release.
While I could and would pontificate for hours here, there are updates to be shared.

Tomorrow evening (6/21), on the Solstice-Proper, I will be sharing a brief Kirtan practice before a soundbath hosted by Marc Anderson at the Weyerhaeuser Memorial Chapel on the Macalester College campus in St Paul. The event begins at 7:30 and runs until approximately 10 pm. For more information, you can visit his website HERE

On Friday (6/23), the Soul Body Finesse community will be gathering to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the new studio space. This is a donation-based event to raise funds support scholarships for our sound-healing trainings. The evening will open at 6 pm with some free time to browse the crystal shop and sip cacao, followed by an hour dedicated to a brief movement practice and soundbath. The remainder of the evening will feature ecstatic dance in the studio, and socializing in the crystal shop. All crystals will be on sale at 25-50 percent off! Kindly RSVP HERE

Looking ahead, the Soul Body Finesse team is hosting our next Peace Together retreat at the Christine Center in Willard, Wisconsin July 7-9. This is a great opportunity to be in Peace-oriented community on consecrated land. You can visit either the Christine Center website, or Soul Body Finesse to learn more and reserve your spot.

For those who might be interested in sound-healing as a personal practice, or to augment healing modalities they might offer to others, Soul Body Finesse is offering two sound-healing trainings, July 28-30 and Aug 11-13. More information about these trainings is available HERE

Lastly, we are having our second annual Bhakti weekend at Samsara Ridge in Wolf Creek, Wisconsin Aug 4-6. Featuring delicious vegetarian meals and multiple kirtan sessions on 45 acres of land with a breathtaking view, this is a wonderful opportunity to delve into connection with community and self. Visit the SamsaraRidge website to learn more about this offering.

As far as a broader-view of interesting goings-on is concerned, it is noteworthy to me that at the time of the Sun’s entrance into (Tropical) Cancer at approximately 10:00 am Central Time, the Moon will be well established on its journey through the sign of Leo and be headed towards conjunctions with Venus and Mars. These latter two planets, decidedly Yin and Yang respectively, are likewise on course to make two conjunctions as the year unfolds thanks to Venus turning retrograde on July 22.

These transits are made more noteworthy in light of the fact that the recent New Moon in Gemini occurred in the 27th degree, quite tightly in a square aspect with Neptune (a planet sometimes considered a “higher octave” of Venus) in the 28th degree of Pisces which will be activated yet again when Venus makes its retrograde-station in the 29th degree of Leo.

To make all of this even more potent, consider that Neptune will station retrograde on June 30 and all of these planetary transits and alignments are happening with Pluto in its own retrograde period which began May 1. Pluto returned to Capricorn June 11 and remains there in the 30th and final degree of Capricorn while Venus and Neptune activate the late-degrees with their own retrograde stations.

As is ever the case, I am not here to assign Meaning for you. Take the statement of facts, and explore for yourself. Consider your own experience of Yin, of Yang. Take the time to understand where you boldly go your own way and where you are willing to just go-along. Give yourself room to wonder about your dreams, ideals, and bigger visions. There is an opportunity with these transits to reconcile our personal Inner and Outer if these are not currently aligned. Leo is the sign of the shining-individual. As withing, so without. No doubt, this is a time to honor the Self.

Kirtan comes from the root Kirt, which can be literally translated as recite, narrate, describe, mention, etc. However, in its more colloquial use, Kirtan refers to the practice of call-and-response chanting or singing.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Strictly speaking, this Practice is at its most effective when you don’t know much about the “meaning” of the words; when your Mind cannot DO anything with the content. Kirtan affords you a reprieve from the incessant internal-monologue of the Mind. If you notice words in your Mind which you understand, then you can rest assured that you have lost focus on the mantra and return to the chant. Kirtan is an opportunity to be free from sense-making, as you drop into a more purely-sensorial experience. In this capacity, it functions in a manner similar to many other well-known forms of meditation.

In a more traditional sense Kirtan is a chance for those who are not shy about embracing their inclination toward the Divine to directly offer praise and gratitude; to reach out for and feel connection with the Transcendent. Kirtan is a mainstay on the path of Bhakti-Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion. Various sects in India and throughout the world may focus that devotional energy on a specific aspect of the Divine, but as a Practice, Kirtan is not limited to any particular denomination or dogmas.

Ultimately, however, more than anything else, Kirtan is a dialogue with Love. Imagine the person (or Beings) you wish you could to talk to more than anyone or anything else in the entire Multiverse, across all dimensions of Space and Time, and treat Kirtan as an opportunity to speak to them; directly. Tell them, through the various Mantra presented, exactly what it is you wish to say. And, perhaps more importantly, allow yourself to Listen for the reply.

Back in August of 2019 I had the delight of sharing a conversation on a podcast. I drank way too much coffee beforehand, and I honestly don’t recall much of what we discussed, although I know we delved into language, the practice of kirtan, and religion in varying degrees. In lieu of any other posts recently, I thought I’d share this here. Enjoy, if you dare!

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Before you proclaim to have found your Center, be clear with yourself:

Have you found YOUR Center?

Have you found THE Center?

Have you merely found A Center?

You may discover an Orbital Center- a point, tangible or not, around which revolution occurs. Your whole body, or a specific body part, may be an actor in revolving around a point.

You may discover a Geometric Center- a point, tangible or not, which is equally distant from two other points (again, tangible or not). In this context, there must be defined boundaries: No Edges, No Center.

You may recognize a Mutual Center- a point, tangible or not, which is both the mid-point between two defined edges as well the point around which orbital activity occurs.

Finding and knowing your Center requires, understanding the full Nature, and variety, of Centers.

And/Or

Wuji/Taiji

Yin AND Yang: The WaveFunction-

Both are present; in SuperPosition.

Yin OR Yang: Measurement-

Because the Quality perceived is measured by the Observer! It is only Yin when measured FROM Yang; It is only Yang when measured FROM Yin; Yin and Yang mutually set measure.

You cannot fly, because you are measuring the Air from the perspective of Yang.

If you measured from Yin, you would feel your skin capturing the breezes; easefully harnessing the Wind.

Orient yourself to Relative-North and begin the sequence.

The altered steps are as follows:

• Play the Lute, with an angled Follow-Step.
• Cross-Step, to cover 90 degrees.
• Circle-Step, to cover 90 degrees.
• Parry and Punch, with realigned Follow-Step.

Any of the step can be altered to achieve different amounts of circling and destination. The sequence needn’t have prescribed Direction, it is simply a sequence.

Honoring the sequence while disregarding the “normal” directions of the forms allows for more exploration of Rhythm and Space without needing to memorize new sequences.

As much as anything, Taijiquan is about the transfer of Power. To generate and deliver Power is a matter of proper sequencing. Developing precision and consistency of sequence is important in Taijiquan and also imperative to Golf.

If you follow along with the video, you can see the process of Taijiquan at work: 1. Centered Posture (Wuji). 2. Empty-Step (Taiji). 3. Shift Weight (Hunyuan). 4. Turn Waist (Hunyuan). 5. Release Hands (Fajin). 6. Follow-Step (Taiji). 7. Stillness (Wuji).

These stages can be articulated in various ways, and as is common with Motion, not all stages are best understood or expressed as static frames.

Taijiquan, like a golf-swing and other phenomena, is fundamentally a description or utilization of a Process. When the sequence of any Process is clear, it can be more readily harnessed.

Although the ancient Taoist philosophy would in some sense advocate against it, the majority of the modern “West” loves a good chase.

In the United States especially, there seems to be a deep-seated fascination with (maybe even a glorification of) clamoring and struggling in order to achieve something measurable and tangible.

The classic Type-A character, busy plowing through task after task with so much purpose and drive, is the idealized archetype of a great Human Being. Productivity is the point of existence, and there needs to be proof of the work!

When embarking on the journey of learning TaiChi, countless individuals have been subject to multiple confusions. First, and perhaps most absurd, is that the term “TaiChi” is typically being used as shorthand for “T’ai Chi Ch’uan”, which is a martial arts discipline and includes training of the Mind and Body through meditation and physical movement.

The term “TaiChi“ (or T’ai Chi, for consistency’s sake) is more literally a reference to the paradoxical nature of Polarity or duality in the Universe. Some literal translations of TaiChi have been expressed as “Great Pole”, “Supreme Extremes”, and “Grand Duality”, all of which can be taken to mean “YinYang” (or if we wish to avoid the trappings of language, we can simply express TaiChi as ☯️).

The martial art of T’ai Chi Ch’uan (also rendered as Tai Chi Chuan, or Taiji Quan) has its share of tangible achievements to be pursued. There is a valid sense of accomplishment when a sequence of postures and movements has been committed to memory. In many other systems of martial art, these kinds of achievements are marked by receiving a promotion of rank through the colored-belt system, and indeed to hold the rank of Black-Belt is no small feat.

The trouble lies in the potential to get addicted to the achievements. If the whole game is about “the next belt”, then what happens when the final rank has been achieved? If the objective is to learn all of the sequences of posture and movement, what will happen once that objective has been met?

Among other potential goals (like flexibility, focus, etc.), one of the most important quests in the study of Taiji Quan is an understanding of TaiChi itself; an understanding of the TaiChi Principle.

The movements and postures of the Taiji Quan curriculum are all a study in Duality and Polarity. There can be no real mastery of Taiji Quan without some degree of understanding in regards to the YinYang interplay of the physical (and/or energetic) Body.

While the tangible aspect of the discipline is very much concerned with movement, the subtle aspect is approached through stillness. Both movement and stillness are imperative. Neither can be fully meaningful without the other, and the relation between them is the very essence of TaiChi.

The interplay of apparent-opposites is TaiChi. To fully understand TaiChi, it is imperative that both effort and ease be in play. Pursuing the practices known as TaiChi will be a good start, but if direct pursuit is the only mode of engaging with TaiChi, then true mastery and understanding will only elude and be hidden from the aspirant.

The polarization, harmonization, and integration of Yin and Yang is TaiChi. The path to mastery of TaiChi requires not only active pursuit, but also the willingness to stop and be still so that TaiChi may pursue you.