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CURRENT NEWS:
23 JUNE 2008 BIRTH OF ZHINENG CHI HEALING GUIDEBOOK TODAY!
17 MAY 2008 A CALLING TO 3RD AND 4TH DIMENSIONAL RAINBOW TAI CHI TEACHERS AND STUDENTS - MEDITATION FOR BURMA AND CHINA TYPHOON AND EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS BY CHOY
13 MAY 2008 ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON CHINA AND BURMA CATASTROPHES
22 April 2008 RAINBOWS - THE BEGINNING BY DAVE CHENERY
22 March 2008 VIOLENCE IN THE WORLD
17 March 2008 How Rainbow Tai-Chi Chi Kung has helped me overcome the fear of visiting my dentist
13 March 2008 Dolphin rescues stranded whales: conservation official
9th March 2pm Choy at Oxford House, Bethnal Green Talk and Presentation to Philosophical Group - Death and Birth of the Thinker and Self Humour!
14 February HBMS CHINESE MUSICIAN IN YORK - VISIT OF LIU FANG SPECIAL TREAT TO RAINBOW TAI CHI STUDENTS
30 January 2008 My Journey of Self Healing by Pamela Marsden
16 January 2008 Interview of Choy by Dr Evelyn Ho of The College of Radiology
13 January 2008 Dedication to the Wind by Choy
17 DECEMBER 2007 CONGRATULATIONS TO HEATHER'S CAT FLY ON THE BIRTH OF FOUR BEAUTIFUL KITTENS
10 December 2007 FROM BEDRIDDEN TO WHOLE AGAIN, THANKS TO TAI CHI INTERVIEW OF PABLO TOLEDO
11 September MY WINNING BEANS BY LINDA SCHOFIELD
10 September DID RAINBOW TAI CHI SAVE MY LIFE? Richard Wiltshire
24 August 2007 I CRY FOR HUMANITY BY SOPHIE TOYE
CHI SONG BY CHARLOTTA LE BROCQ SUMMER SCHOOL 2007
THE FIRST STEP BY SAVANNAH V SOUTHCOT SUMMER SCHOOL 2007
To Be In Love by Jason Royce Summer School 2007
17 May 2007 Poem for Joanne by Frances Cowan
13 May 2007 POEM DEDICATED TO ALL LOVERS OF HUMANITY BY CHOY
12 May 2007 My Journey with Rainbow Tai Chi by Sophie Toye
10 May 2007 Tony Blair's Hand on Heart
29 March 2007 LINDA'S TRANSFORMATION AT SUMMER SCHOOL
28 March 2007 Sam's first inner and outer Tomato Plant
LETTER OF THE MONTH FROM YVONNE SMYTH 9 March 2007
A POEM FOR THE INNER MIDDLE EAST CRISIS BY EILEEN SHARPLES August 2006
ME HEALING OF JEANETTE BIRCH July 2006
Liz Gardner Healing Interview by Pam S Marden June 2006
Heather and the Comfrey Root Healing Story by Jeanette Birch
LET US CELEBRATE THE SPIRALING DANCE OF NATURE! APRIL 2006
February Qualitum Leap of Inspiration
SEPTEMBER 2005 EMBRACING THE CHALLENGES OF M.E. WITH HEALING AND LOVING CHI
14 December 2004 “£500 million for students in activities like Yoga and Tai-Chi”
12 September THE ANSWER TO TERRORISM
Only Nuclear Power can halt Global Warming?
May 2004 Chi Healing Experience
12 February 2004 THE EXCITING REED PROJECT AT RAINBOW TAI-CHI SCHOOL
THE BIRTH OF 'TRANSFORMATION OF HOUSEWORK' BY BEN BUSHILL
New Zhineng Chi Kung Video and DVD now out!
26 October Tao of Stress Management Course Booked up!
2 October 2003 The Rainbow Tai-Chi School on TV
25 AUGUST IN THE WOODED VALLEY
THE WAY OF THE DOT AUGUST 2003
VISIT OF THE CHECHYNA DANCERS JULY 2003
BIRTH OF THE BAMBOO GROVE HUT IDEA JULY 2003
GLIMPSES OF TAI-CHI WORKSHOP IN JUNE 2003
Making Progress in Tai-Chi 5 JUNE 2003
THE SARS BUG KILLER ISSUE 24 APRIL
AT THE RAINBOW TAI-CHI SCHOOL 12 February 2003
LESSONS FOR TONY BLAIR AND BUSH
CHINESE NEW YEAR - A TIME TO RELAX
29 December Weapons of Mass Distraction
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MESSAGE THE SMILING LIGHT BEING IN YOU
RUSSIAN CHECHYNANS PEACE DIALOGUE 10 DECEMBER 2002
ONE-DERFUL NEWS FROM CRIMEA 25 October 02
Scientists say there is life out there!
KITTENS FIND BEAUTIFUL FAMILY 19 September 2002
DISTANT PLANETS' WATER BOOSTS LIFE
HOPES 19 September 2002
THE YIN YANG POWER OF SILENCE 11 September 2002
QUIET MIND AND STILLNESS IN MOTION
UNIVERSE CONSTANTLY CHANGING SHAPE
HOW TO NEUTRALISE THE VIRUS ATTACK ON YOUR COMPUTER!
BABY BLACKBIRD VISITS THE RAINBOW TAI-CHI SCHOOL
LIGHTEST KNOWN PARTICLE IN THE UNIVERSE
SUICIDE BOMBINGS MIDDLE EAST CRISIS - THE SOLUTION
GLIMPSES OF THE NEW WORLD
We usually have mainly negative news in the Media or a few fringe positive news coverage but rarely have we seen any news reports that bring together the negative and positive into a creative synthesis. Over the past 30 years, one of the highlights of my own Tai-Chi Classes that students feedback to me about is the connecting of the current news stories to our study of the Tai-Chi or Taoist Principles into a WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. This sense of wonder that comes to a true warrior of the heart, body, mind and spirit is to transform the war of duality (’two-derful time?’) into a journey of Oneness. All ancient martial arts masters have always asserted, ‘The enemy you see out there is your reflection.’ So, this is the first attempt to offer some insights on the Internet on current news interpreted from a Tai-Chi point of view. I have known many people who consciously choose to avoid reading newspapers although I personally myself enjoy reading it. It amazes me how much ‘shit’ there is available out there to ‘compost’ and transform into ‘black golden goodies’! I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it, and I believe the inner garden of humanity will benefit from the ‘composted black tea’. As humans, we can have endless cups of chi or capu-chi-no? I believe we are all growing in this wonderful world of surprises. Everything is constantly changing around us and the Taoist Philosophy has perspectives that might help us to ‘flow with the punches’ of negative news and learn the underlying lessons. We can also go beyond the dualistic dimensions. This may also include comments on Scientific and Technological discoveries as well as news from the social, economic and political arenas. This helps us to ground the Tai-Chi Principles based on the 8 dimensions of learning as described in the book, ‘15 Ways to a Happier You’ in real human realities. I hope you will be patient with this section as it evolves into a truly ONE-DERFUL experience for you. I am happy for you to send me questions and I may write back to you personally or print the answers in this section so that other readers may also benefit. Peterchin2@aol.com
April 2002
I believe most people have had a glimpse of what the old world is and also what THE NEW WORLD is, although most of the time they may stay in the old. And the explanation of what the new world is could be as variable as the number of people on this planet.
I am offering simply my perception of what these two worlds are -
AWAKENING TO THE OLD WORLD OF DUALITY
Feeling pissed off? And can't get pass this 'Fuck You' feeling to someone or something that is bothering you? That is the first step into the old world of duality. You may even feel very positive after pissing about something, even laughing about it or at someone involved
in the situation. But you still feel, underneath, like 'shit'. You feel guilty or angry or upset about someone, it could be the NHS, the Government, your parents, the police, the boss(es) who takes most of the money from the public service company (Railtrack, Postal Service, Banks, etc etc) - all that emotion will take you to the old world discotheque!
Where is the duality? At one time there were no women priests. Now there is men and women priests. At one time there was only the Iron Lady Maggie and then there was the Softie Johnnie Major.
Is there life beyond duality?
Not if you keep making the duality out there, you on one side and the world or problems on the other side. It is not simply by manifesting Tony Blair Witch Third Way that is going to sort out the duality into a trinity Third Creative Solution to every problem in England. Because with every witch, there is a broomstick somewhere and he is liable to be off again on his magic broomstick or red carpet flying to visit different nations.
WHAT IS THE TRIUNE WAY?
The third creative way is much simpler than most religious people mystify it to be. It is as simple as getting an Eveready battery. You cannot have a battery giving you energy to use if it has two negative polarities, two cathodes, two Yins or two positive polarities, two anodes, two Yangs. So the point is obviously to be EVER READY to catch the two polarities inside your emotions if you want to have an 'ever ready emotional battery'.
The Triune way is like the enlightening little bulb you can find in your torchlight?
You do not need to have the inventor of that torchlight to be there with you in order to use it. You put a couple of batteries into your torchlight and you shine it in the darkness to see your way through.
IS THE THIRD WAY THE NEW WORLD?
No, the third way is a preparation for you to see the new world. It is like where your torchlight shines is where everything in your world lights up? There is a quality of newness in everything you see in comparison with seeing in the dark when you do not have a torchlight.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL?
It means you take control of your emotions and hold it steady and accumulate your inner batteries. Batteries for life! Whenever you are upset about something, that is only one polarity, the other positive side is there, you may not be able to see it because you are too 'fast in your emotion or mind'. By listening to your heart-beat and your breathing for example, you slow down and hey presto, suddenly as if by magic, you wake up to a creative solution to a problem that has been sitting in you for a long time.
27 April 2002
VIOLENCE, God and the Way of the Tao
04/27/02 ERFURT, Germany (AP) - An expelled student dressed in black went on a shooting rampage at a school in eastern Germany on Friday, roaming the hallways with a pistol and a shotgun. Eighteen people died in the terrifying assault, including the attacker - a 19-year-old who killed himself as commandos closed in.
Witnesses said 13 teachers, two girls, a school secretary and a policeman died in the shooting spree, which lasted perhaps 10 minutes. Four people were injured: one woman with a gunshot wound to the leg and three people who suffered from shock. Police said they found about 500 rounds of live ammunition near the killer's body.
Friday's death toll in the eastern city of Erfurt matched that of the 1996 shootings at an elementary school in Dunblane, Scotland, where 16 children, a teacher and the gunman died. The toll was higher than the 15 who died in the 1999 shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado,
U.S.A.
The drama began shortly before 11 a.m. (0900 GMT) when the school janitor rang police to report hearing shots in school.
"We were sitting in class doing our work and we heard a shooting sound," said Filip Niemann, a student who survived the bloodbath. "We joked about it and the teacher smiled."
"The teacher let us go out and see what was happening and when we left the classroom, three to four metres in front of us, there was a masked person in black holding his gun at his shoulder," said the teenager, visibly shocked and his voice trembling.
"He stretched out his gun and fired. We saw a teacher fall to the ground. We just turned and ran. I heard from other kids the gunmen opened classroom doors and aimed at teachers."
"Even if I believed in God, I would not believe in him any more, How could he let something like this happen?" Niemann said.
The above article was reported in the media.
How do we understand the above event in the context of the Laws of Yin, Yang and Tao?
When there is extreme Yang condition, instead of going towards a greater Yang state, we always have the choice to allow Yin to come and balance the situation. When there is tremendous violence, what naturally follows is the mourning period of Yin. At the same time, the sense of revenge, anger, hurt and outrage is also
waiting to explode in some people who have been terribly affected. Yes, if it was my own relative, my best friend who was involved, how would I respond? How would you respond in a situation like this?
If I was in the school, I would first of all check in with my inner duality at lightning speed, especially when the adrenalin pump is on and find a balanced way to respond to the gunman. The fight or flight attitude inside me are only two of many options. I would do my best to disarm him as I would with my own inner saboteurs with peace, love and healing. I might fail and die physically in the process, but I would know that I did my best to respect my inner selves and him and everyone there. Courage and Wisdom are what is needed here.
If I was a relative whose son or fellow teacher was dead, I would look within myself to find these inner mourners, the inner victims and casualties of the violent crime and allow them to be as they are, feeling what they feel without attempting to analyse the situation. Deep deep inner stillness and peace is what is needed here.
On the point of believing in God or not after this event, as commented by the above student, his version of God is a God who is separate from him and a fatherly sort of protector. This childlike stage is a one dimensional experience of spiritual learning that everyone goes through. One day, at the ripe time, he will realise that there also exists also other dimensions governed by laws of Yin and Yang that also bring deep personal sense of oneness with the Creator who is in the creative spark, creation and within all.
28 April 2002
IS THE QUIET MIND IDEA IN ZHINENG CHI KUNG THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE STILLNESS IN MOTION WE EXPERIENCE IN TAI-CHI?
In the new world, cosmic energy (Zhineng) is available to anyone who is receptive to it. The practice of Zhineng Chi Kung helps people to slow down to have a quiet mind, in order to receive the Cosmic Energy. For example, your television antenna would not be able to receive proper signals and give bad reception of poor images if it was flapping about in the wind. Similarly, a restless mind would not be able to receive Cosmic energy signals properly.
By simply saying, 'QUIET MIND', the brain immediately understands and quietens.
On the other side of the coin, perhaps because of childhood conditioning in school, when the teacher said, 'Quiet', everyone is expected to be 'externally' quiet. They try to be quiet for 2 seconds, and then, the fingers start fidgeting. The mind starts wandering. Day dreaming. And other minds may analyse these children to have problems at home, etc, etc. However, our focus here in this question is about what is the real Quiet that the teacher and student want? In reality, the teacher may want the students to pay attention to what he is teaching. Or an enlightened teacher in the new world sincerely want the children to have a quiet mind in order to be alert, awake and intelligent. When the teacher especially SHOUTS at the pupils to be quiet, that is violence on the mental level and they immediately feel reactive and rebellious and probably would like to say, 'FUCK OFF' to the teacher. However, they will usually keep repressed inside and allow these accumulated mental violent experiences to explode one day like a volcano.
In the new world, Stillness in Motion as in Tai-Chi movements are about the focus on the physical dynamic of Chi Energy flowing gracefully in your daily life. A quiet mind can record and experience with greater clarity this Stillness in Motion that is happening inside and all around him. The sense of harmony between the physical body's movements and the physical surroundings is one of the first obvious signs. Many people who have practised Tai-Chi with dedication see their surroundings suddenly brighter and the colours seem bolder. This experience a lighter perception of their world, starting from inside themselves. Others see lights, vivid visions of colours even with their eyes closed. They feel more relaxed and happier.
UNIVERSE CONSTANTLY CHANGING SHAPE' 28 April 2002
As reported in the Media
SCIENTISTS have resurrected the theory that the universe goes through an endless cycle of expansion and contraction. However, this time the researchers from the UK and America have put a twist on it thanks to the latest model of the cosmos.
The "new" theory proposes that the universe undergoes an infinite series of epochs which start with a "Big Bang" and end in a "Big Crunch". The new cyclic model proposed by Paul Stenhardt, from Princeton University in New Jersey, US, and Neil Turok, from Cambridge University, envisages a series of cycles with no beginning or end.
The concept of a cyclic universe dates back to the 1930s, after the Big Bang was first proven as a theory by astronomer Edwin Hubble. He showed that the galaxies were flying apart at speeds that increased in proportion to their distance from each other. According to Steinhardt and Turok's model, the Big Bang between 10 and 20 billion years ago triggered a short period of very rapid inflation, in keeping with current accepted theory.
Then the universe slowly expands, driven by dark energy, over trillions of years or more. Matter, radiation and black holes are diluted away leaving the cosmos smooth, empty and flat. At that point the contraction starts, and continues until the "Big Crunch" and the start of a new cycle. Right now we are at the beginning of the slow expansion period, the cosmologists reported in the journal Science.
The ancient Taoists knew about this for thousands of years, they call it Yin and Yang, the contraction and expansion cycles, say for example in your breath is a good place to start to understand what is happening out there. There are no Big or Small Bangs, no Crunches, just an outward movement and then, an inward movement and pauses in between. The dance between these two movements are motivated by Cosmic Energy (Zhineng Chi) not 'Dark energy'. The dance is called Tai-Chi or the Flow between Yin and Yang. So, relax and enjoy the surf.
HOW TO NEUTRALISE THE VIRUS ATTACK ON YOUR COMPUTER! 14 May 2002
There is a lot of interest in Anti-Virus software now. Most people who are not that informed about this subject like myself know very little. I want to share with you my story with this interesting topic. puter. Recently, due to the collapse of Compuserve 2000 they recommended that I move over to their sister Company AOL, so I checked it out. I told them that I hope they are not going to come back in a year’s time that they have a grandfather company that wants to take over now. Because they promised that I would not have any hassle, they have a special disk to move all the mail and addresses, etc over the AOL at the click of a button. Guess what? They forgot to mention also that AOL have got people who have nothing better to do than sit around and send viruses to people while they are on the net. And even while you and I are surfing they can just slip a virus!!
So, my computer technician Douglas said, 'Don't bother with other Anti-Virus programmes, there is a Grisoft AVG programme you can download for free and keep updating it for free!' Neat, ok, I checked it out. And it was amazing. It brought up a list of 32 files infected!! I thought at first that I had 32 viruses in my computer at first glance!! So what is the solution? When I told my own computer technician, he nearly fainted! He said, ‘Format your whole drive.’ Which means start from scratch and it is a pity if you did not save the latest files and work you have just done, too bad!
I was wondering, ‘Is there another way?’ In the Anti-virus programme they give you 4 possible ways to deal with a virus attack - Clean, Heal, Move to Vault, Delete.
I ran the AVG program again and again and again, it keeps coming up with all these viruses - I Worm, Elkern32. It is like you are attacked. Then, what happened? These viruses are coming at you. You want to clean them. They said, 'No, no!! Yeah yeah, you can’t catch me!' It is like a Hide and Seek. The AVG software helped me find them. But, they escape your clutches. You cannot catch them to clean them. You are allowed to know that they ARE REALLY THERE! Your computer is not working well, that is also how you know. You can't heal them if they don't want to be healed! You cannot move them to the Vault if you cannot catch them. You cannot Delete them if you can't find them!!
I wrote emails to the technical help line. By then, I have enrolled and paid my subscription to get technical help online (you can't get technical help if you do not pay your fees), for one a half weeks, nearly every day, I was trying to contact them. The only reply I got was an automated answer. So, I went to the Director of AVG. She said her technical side is down, they too have been hit!! And she said, 'I will help you. No problem,' and it was like she send me Bazookas, Tanks, Jets, Nuclear Bombs to wipe out these viruses. The problem was that these viruses were so smart, they hid inside the computer so deep that you could not find them with smart bombs, etc. She did help to point me in the right direction and resolve Elkern32, there was a simple Dos program, but it seemed so light, like a bow and arrow weapon really. What came up for me was this insight, we have this aspect of us, 'The Killer'. 'Love Life,' the Queen Mother said, but she forgot to add, ' and Death.' We kill vegetables when we eat them, we kill animals, eggs, bacteria kill other bacteria, then, Life buzzes on.....This killer instinct is there. Like our cat, she caught a baby rabbit and it was her first prey, she ate it, she looked so wild, with the blood on her whiskers, it was all there. You may have forgotten this, you buy chicken in the supermarket and you forgot it was killed! The fish. Anyway, if you went into the second fundamental Tai-Chi principle and accepted this Killer/Death Instinct and the aspect of you who LOVES LIFE!!
Now, back to the bow and arrow story. So, Elkern32 virus is recycled back into pure energy, it is gone! Wow, two thirds of all my infected files are back to normal. So, what about I Worm?? They are even smarter than Elkern32, they have been creeping into the very core of the computer, the Archives where Scan Disk, Anti-virus programmes can't get to them!! They said, 'Manually, get them!'
I said, 'How?' In not many words, they said, 'Use Tai-Chi, hand to hand push hands.' I went into Explorer, explored the jungle of the computer files, and found them. One at a time, I found them hidden in the archives. I contacted the technical help line, and they said, 'Hang on, we are coming!' They show me how to go into the Explorer with my feet intact and search out where these Archive Files are which were infected. And 'Hold the Shift key' They took over my shift of duty. '...and press delete.' Receive the virus, hold it, and neutralise the oncoming negative force?' Got it. Amazing, well done!! We made it, I went through another complete Test again with the AVG programme and it was all clear, clean, healed and the whole machine is working beautifully!!
What did I learn from all this? There are aspects within us that do not want to be clean, to be healed, to be safe in a vault and stop all the mischief, and so, Tai-Chi can be used to neutralise these aspects within and hey presto, let us get back to being creative and flowing with what comes out clear, vivid and peaceful. And it can seem to be a real ‘pain’, if you do have virus problems in your computer, keep steady, stay cool, and patiently seek help and flow with the battle, You will win it. Maybe, you do not need to format/kill your computer to save it, maybe, there is another way. Flowing with the punches and let them guide you to the fluidic soluble way. You can make it!!
If you are interested in a reliable Anti-Virus Programme, my recommendation is go to www.grisoft.com. I found them effective and the technical side extremely helpful once they know that you are the genuine Mcoy, I mean MChoy in my case.
BABY BLACKBIRD VISITS THE RAINBOW TAI-CHI SCHOOL 9 May 2002
Photo: Our latest Tai-Chi student, literarily, a baby bird hopped into the cottage and then into the Tai-Chi hall, our first Bird Student for Rainbow Tai-Chi! 8 May 2002
Photo: Baby Blackbird on left shoulder of Choy
8 May 2002
Report from Choy:
'I woke up this morning, walked across to see my plants in the polytunnel and right in front of the gates into the field was a hopping blackbird baby bird, I said, 'Hello'. And I heard other baby birds in the vicinity. I found two other baby birds hopping around about 20 meters from each other, so I took them and put them closer to the tree where their nest and mother bird were.
Later that afternoon, about a hundred yards on the other side of the road, the baby bird was actually hopping into our cottage!! Looking for me? I said, 'Hello....you' And then, she hopped into the hall. Unbelievable? Well here are some pictures for you to enjoy. What a special day, like a dream come true!
1 May 2002. The Polytunnel is up!! Well done to my boys - Tao Chin, Melchizedec Chin, Gael Chin and Christine O Reilly and myself - we made it. Braving storms, hail stones, gale force up to 80 mph, knee deep mud, cement we finally got the polytunnel up and now is the Paradise Hotel and Home for hundreds of potimarron plants as well as other vegetables, namely Choy Sum, Bak Choy, Tomatoes, Brinjal, Cabbage, Sweet Corn, etc etc. Exciting, hope you have a chance to visit us soon to share the joy of the birth of this amazing part of the school. Growing people, growing food, let us all grow!
Photo: Birth of the new polytunnel, a 5 Star Hotel and Home for hundreds of plants now!! Well done everyone!!
Photo: Recent picture of doing Weekly Tai-Chi by the compost at the school
The Lightest known particle in the Universe has been weighed for the first time. Scientists from Cambridge University have calculated that the neutrino, the tiniest and most elusive of the sub-atomic particles that make up matter, weighs less than a billionth of the mass of a hydrogen atom, the smallest and simplest of all the elements.
That puts the maximum mass of the neutrino at 1.8 X 10kg or 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000018kg!
The discovery, announced at the Royal Astronomical Society's annual conference in Bristol was made by Dr. Oystein Elgaroy and Ofer Lahav, of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge. They used a three dimensional map of 220,000 galaxies, compiled with the Anglo-Australian Telescope in New South Wales to calculate the correct neutrino mass. Their incredible 'minuteness' means that right now, billions of neutrinos are currently passing through your body as you read these words.
Neutrinos have been discovered since 1956 by Fred Reines and Clyde Cowan found evidence of neutrinos at a nuclear reactor in South Carolina. They in fact discovered neutrinos came in three varieties - electron, muon and tao neutrinos. These particles of energy scarcely interact with matter because they travel at close to the speed of the light and pass straight through solid bodies, including the earth!!
Taoist Commentary - Yes, did you get the name of one of the neutrinos? Yes, they actually gave it the name of 'tao'! And this is back in the 1950s!!
Where is the SOLUTION to the Conflict in the Middle East?
Thursday 20 June 2002
Yesterday a Palestinian suicide bomber killed six people and wounded 35 at a Jerusalem bus stop, prompting U.S. President George W. Bush to delay a speech laying out the path to a Palestinian state.
A member of the Hamas organisation blew himself up on a Jerusalem bus on Tuesday and killed 19 people, the highest death toll in a Palestinian attack in the city in six years
The suicide bombing, the second attack of its kind in the city in two days, had raised the prospect of the Israeli army responding in line with a new policy of retaking and holding Palestinian land as long as such attacks continue.
Taoist Commentary
When we look to the Tao for the answer, we go back to Nature because that is where the Tao began. This Tao solution is where perhaps we can find Wholeness and Solution to conflicts. This morning I was in the garden again and those of you who know about how the heavy rains in the past few weeks here in England also brought hordes of hungry slugs. Several weeks ago, we had given up hope on some Peas that we sowed. The slugs were like motorcyclist gangs roaming through the whole garden and every thing that resemble a vegetable were attacked. They seem to know the juiciest bits - for example, the tops where the most tender parts are? And gardeners like us who have sown vegetable seeds indoor and with great patience and care have to watch this terrible massacre. So what do we do? Do we stand by? No, we go in, we keep going in night after night, trying every known technique we have heard or read organic gardeners use. Just when you think all is lost, what happens? Nature shows us some sunshine, and our heads are up in the sky.
Was it the endless nights of plodding into the soaked fields of hope until 1am? Was it the saw dust, bran and even sea salt that did it? But the funny thing is that I saw some peas that we did not even bother because we thought all was lost, they came back and are alive and well. They are one a half foot tall and growing strong by themselves.
So, is the Peace that we so urgently need in the Middle East. This is the message from Nature and the Peas, "Keep your faith in hope and peace, hang in there." Every leader and citizen involved are doing their best to work towards peace.
Another more detailed insight I had was about the suicide bombings. Have Mahatma Ghandi's life been in vain? 'Violence begat more violence' he shared. And 'Non-violent action is the answer to violence'. To find this Tao balance of Yin/Non-violence and Yang/aggressive, you will notice that it never lasts long when we need this balance in the outer relationships. The Nature of Peace is that it needs to be experienced within for its own sake and cannot be a factor dependant on the other. We all have our own non-violent and violent selves within to deal with and that is the real place where true peace can be born.
And speaking of Palestinians having their own state and Israel respecting their wishes, yes, and their states of consciousness and real yearning for inner peace, love and respect will bring them what they desire with all their hearts. The re-education of people everywhere to learn to look within for the answer and balance their lives are urgently needed.
May the peace of peas be with you
WORLD REMEMBERS SEPTEMBER 11 2001
September 11 - One Year On
CEREMONIES are being held across the US and the world to remember those killed one year ago in the terrorist attacks of September 11.
Millions across Britain and America fell silent at 1.46pm UK time - the exact time the first hijacked airliner crashed into New York's World Trade Centre.
In New York City, a ceremony was held at Ground Zero, the site of where the twin towers stood and where 2,801 people lost their lives.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg calling for a moment of silence, said: ``Again today we are a nation that mourns. Again today we take into our hearts and minds those who perished on this site one year ago".
Former mayor Ruddy Giuliani started the reading of the names of the dead and missing.
Earlier in London a torn and tattered Union flag pulled from the rubble of Ground Zero was presented by New York police lieutenant Frank Dwyer to Home Secretary David Blunkett on behalf of the British people at a service at the US Embassy in London.
Prince Charles represented the Queen later at a service for remembrance for the 67 British victims of the New York attack in St Paul's Cathedral.
Taoist Commentary
While the world use 2 minutes of silence to share respect for their loved ones who have passed over to the other side, it is also a fact that in our everyday lives, the POWER OF SILENCE is seldom being given its rightful place. In August last year, we intuitively picked up some dramatic negative event was going to happen and our Summer School was held with 18 days on a VERBAL FAST, which meant that we had to calm our minds down and most of the 30 plus participants experienced dramatic shifts in their consciousness. Some did not and could not understand why we had entered that phase. The power of the healing chi nevertheless increased a thousand fold.
Another fact is that so few people today understand the power of the pauses which allows them to connect to their breathing, their footsteps and their heart-centred energy needed to motivate them in their daily life.
Silence is not the opposite of Sound of screams of hurt, anger and revenge. Silence and Sound are parts of our daily lives like Yin and Yang flows together. They are inseparable. The pauses in between your thoughts allow silence to be naturally co existing in a peaceful and harmonious place. Silence is the power of loving chi between friends who without the need of words know exactly what the other is feeling. Silence is there between two people who refuses to communicate and uses silence to express anger and hate. Silence seems to be intolerable when you miss the person you love and that person is no longer there. But that silence is not silence.
The beauty of the roots of a tree growing silently is not created by human mind. There is silence beyond the human comprehension of silence. And because it is beyond the human mind, it cannot be measured, it cannot be manipulated, it cannot be coerced to happen at a certain hour and minute of the clock. That silence have no boundaries, like the fresh breeze which caressed the face of the so called enemy. The silence that allows us to be loved by pure chi also allows us to know that those who went beyond to the other dimensions are close to the hearts and in that silence, the celebration of limitlessness and timelessness is suddenly experienced without effort. This silence is your friend. If that relationship with silence is fostered over many years as artists, writers, musicians and poets feel in their solitude, the birth of creative action is as easy as the sun's first rays in the morning. The song from such a relationship with Silence is louder than all the guns and bombs of terrorists or anti-terrorists. This Silence is here in a billion years from now.
DISTANT PLANETS' WATER BOOSTS LIFE HOPES
19 September 2002
FAINT signs of water have been spotted in a distant solar system.
The astronomers studied 17 stars, all of which are thought to have planetary systems or cometary clouds.
They used the 32-metre Medicina radio telescope near Bologna to search for water "maser" emissions - tell-tale microwaves that might come from water in a planet's atmosphere.
Three star systems were found to produce these emissions.
The discovery increases speculation that other Earth-like planets may be scattered among the stars.
The findings were made by a team of Italian astronomers who say the results need to be double-checked.
If confirmed it could mean the galaxy is full of watery planets like the Earth, and possibly teeming with life.
"This would be a historic discovery - the first detection of a prebiotic molecule in an extra-solar planet," said Cristiano Cosmovici, from the Institute for Cosmic and Planetary Sciences in Rome, who led the team.
One of the stars found to have emissions was Upsilon Andromedae, about 50 light years away, where there are known to be three Jupiter-like giant gas planets. Such worlds are incapable of supporting life as we know it, but the system could also contain undetected small rocky Earth-like planets.
Taoist commentary
So, perhaps, there might be Tai-Chilike Schools in other Star Systems, who are discovering 'The River of Energy which flows unceasingly' (definition of 'Tai-Chi).
19 SEPTEMBER 2002
We are happy to share that our kittens Speedie and Lovelie found a mother, father and child who loved animals. Very Yin, Yang and Tao energy they had. Their car had even the number plate starting with 'FTT' ! Although they knew nothing at all about our school or Tai-Chi, it was love at first sight for them. The father fell in love with Lovelie, as he lost his own male cat. The mother was attracted to Speedie and the daughter said that she had heart shaped eyes when she looked into Speedie's eyes. We had of course a few tears that night and the day after, missing them. And now, the only kitten remaining is Sweetie who looks exactly like her mother. Let us see if we can get a photo to share with you. Ok, I got it, here is a big hello from Sweetie!
Photo above: Pure light, the mother of Sweetie above, when she was a kitten, 'LEARNING HOW TO WRITE USING HER PAWS AND MOUTH!'
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Scientists claimed recently that life almost certainly exists on
other planets.The breakthough was made by astronomers analysing light
reaching earth from nearby stars.There are up to 50 billion planets
just like our own in our Milky Way galaxy,they said,and the likelihood
that none harbours life is so slim it can be safely discounted. Dr
Norman Murray, of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics,said
more than half of the stars he had observed rocky,iron rich material,flung
into them by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets and terrestrial
type material is orbiting most of the stars in the galaxy. Although
we do not yet have the means to detect them,these must include Earth like
planets in "habitable zones" he said. Dr
Murray looked at more than 450 stars like our sun, a tiny fraction of
those in the galaxy. If his findings were projected on to the whole of the
milky way, there must be 50 billion sister Earths, Dr Murray said.
25 October 2002 By Chris Hunter
I have returned from the Crimea,
where I had a productive and inspiring time meeting with the 60 counsellors
and psychologists who run our Little Star programme with children and young
adults affected by the war in Chechnya.
I was able to work with them all
on The Tao of Colour Science charts of the heart. They felt the energy to
varying degrees; most were able to slow down and connect, though a few simply
couldn't slow down and attacked the page like road drillers! Even they were
beginning to get the idea by the end though. They understood the value of
the colour science drawings, and are keen to encourage the children who they
work with to do this also as a way to help them calm down and focus. I
distributed photocopies of the heart to them and provided them with pens.
I also taught them the 2nd part of
Zhineng Chi Kung, did heart beat listening and heart massage in pairs, and
asked them to write love letters to their hearts, many of which were most
sincere and moving.
This one was written by Artur, a
25 year old man who lives and works in the village of Komsomolskoye, which was
raised to the ground by Russian bombers and artillery in 2000:
'Salam (greetings) and
happiness to your home, you my "four winged" heart, We
have known each other for so long, we have been through so much, seen, heard
and felt, and have never let each other down. I am sincerely grateful to you,
and wish for you never to experience problems, as you know your problems - are
my problems. Yes I agree
with you that in this transitory life we'll see much that's not right, so be
strong and be ready for any outcome of events.
Go on, be,
and don't forget
that I share all with you
Sincerely, your friend and
committed servant, Artur
And by Zarema, 26 from a nearby
town, who was recently married:
Dear, sweet, tender,
affectionate heart; warm greetings to you from the one closest to you. Firstly
I would like to ask you for forgiveness that I often forget about you, though
you do not deserve this. Forgive me! You
remember 4 years ago I put a very strong burden on you. Of course you
remember, you let me know about yourself. You wanted rest, attention, care,
but I carried on working, working, working until you gave me the strongest
signal, pain. To be honest, I was very afraid for you at that time. I tried to
compensate for your work and care, but only you can judge whether I succeeded.
Secondly, I want to say to you
thank you very much for caring about me, for listening to me truly and
conscientiously, thank you for your tenderness and kindness. Thank you for
being able to recognize very quickly what is false. Thank you for helping me
to get onto the true path and walk along it. Thank you for giving faith in
Allah. Thank you for helping me to love. I have already begun listening to
you. And many thanks to you for helping another small heart to beat close to
you. Thank you, I love you. And
now I ask: carry on, there is much ahead for you and I to do.
Your Zarema'
We were able also to do some
important planning and coordination of the work with the children, and we had
good Indian summer warm weather for them to bathe in the Black Sea and relax
before returning to the troubles of their region.
Thank you Choy for your
suggestions and loving support for this work, and particularly for the email
that you sent shortly before I departed. I indeed was filled with the loving
energy and presences, felt in the pauses.
The situation in Chechnya is going
from bad to worse. You may have heard that yesterday masked gunmen claiming to
be Chechens took a whole concert hall in Moscow hostage with 700 people; 50 of
them foreigners (British, American, Austrian, etc.). They are still being held
this morning. The gunmen demand the troops to be withdrawn from Chechnya. It's
hard to predict what effect this will have on the situation. All the more
important for our group there to have the skills to work with chi and develop
the heart energy in the children, against the tide of suffering.
With best wishes,
Chris
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RUSSIAN CHECHYNAN PEACE DIALOGUE 10 DECEMBER 2002
from Chris Hunter
Mission
Statement
We, the Yalta Initiative for Peace in Chechnya: a coalition for Russian-Chechen Dialogue, declare that the problems between Russia and Chechnya can only be resolved through peaceful, nonviolent means. We stand for the beginning of a process of peace negotiations at all levels, including between the legally-elected authorities of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic-Ichkeria, with the cooperation of representatives of civil society.
We see our task as combining the efforts of the Chechen and Russian societies to induce political leaders to begin a peaceful dialogue. We also call for joint efforts to build barriers to the growing wave of xenophobia, mutual hatred and intolerance. Our goal is to bring the light of peace and nonviolence into the heart of every Russian and every Chechen.
We are open to cooperation and call upon all those who value peace in the North Caucasus to intensify their peacebuilding efforts. We are instituting a peace prize, which will be presented to the person or organization that makes the greatest progress towards the realization of our ultimate goal: the establishment of a stable, lasting peace in Chechnya.
We believe in the success of people’s diplomacy, and are convinced that only unity between the Russian and Chechen peoples can bring an end to armed confrontation, and will help to bring the warring parties to dialogue and the conclusion of a lasting peace agreement.
The members of the Yalta Initiative for Peace in Chechnya consider it essential that representatives of cross-community coalitions participate as intermediaries in the negotiation process, as well as international civil society, human rights and peacebuilding organizations. We call upon the peoples of Russia and Chechnya to intensify their anti-war and peace activities, with the objective of ending the war in Chechnya.
Yalta, 3 November 2002
Contact: Email: cpcd-uk@supanet.com
Tel/fax: +7-095-2440363 (Moscow)
Tel/fax: +44-1288-356050 (UK)
Ruslan
Badalov
(Chechen Committee for National Salvation)
Lipkan
Bazaeva
("Memorial"; charitable organization "Women’s Dignity")
Zainap
Gashaeva
("Echo of War")
Lidia
Grafova
(Information Agency "Migration")
Tamara
Guzueva
(Foundation "League of the Future")
Madina
Magomadova
(Association "Mothers for Peace, Chechnya")
Andrei
Mironov
(Human rights activist, Moscow)
Olga
Pochekina
(Coordination Board, ‘Assistance to Migrants and Refugees’)
Ivan
Sventsitsky
(Informational Analytical Centre ‘Viktor Popkov’)
Sergei
Sorokin
(Movement Against Violence; “Anti-Military Radical Association")
Natalya
Tagiltseva
(Urals Social Protection Fund for Migrants)
Arbi
Khachukaev
(Union of Former Employees of Law Enforcement Organs, Chechnya)
Koka
Khachukaeva
(Committee "Pain of the Mother")
Valentina
Cherevatenka
(Union
of Women of the Don)
Alaoudin
Chilaev
(Director,
Sernovodsk Agricultural College, Chechnya)
Pavel
Shaikin
(Anti-fascist Youth Action)
(Social Organization "Iberia")
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MESSAGE THE SMILING LIGHT BEING IN YOU (From Choy's new book, 'The Light Being')
Behind
every feeling of smiles and happiness are Smiling Light Beings. In order to feel
someone smiling, you also need to SEE someone smiling, and the only way you can
see someone smiling to you is IN THE LIGHT. So, his or her smile is smiling in
the Light right? There you are, a smiling Light Being is born every time you
smile!!
The
coming of the Smiling Light Beings are and has always been for you to learn how
to ENJOY. Enjoying Tai-Chi or any other slow physical movements is always an
opportunity to experience your Smiling Light Beings. Why slow? Of course people
who go to Disco also enjoy their dancing at the rapid gyrating movements, and
they also need the flashing lights in the Disco. In that kind of dancing, you
get only glimpses of the Smiling Light Beings because your mind and your
feelings are moving too fast. You may feel a sense of total abandonment into the
music or rhythms of the movement of your body and other people’s bodies, but
that kind of ENJOYMENT is dependant on the external expression of that joy in
movement and music. In Rainbow Tai-Chi, you experience this inner joy first in
your heart. You may or you may not express it through the Rainbow Tai-Chi
movement. If you do practise it after your Smiling Light Being Meditation, the
smiles naturally ‘ooze’ or ‘beam’ out of you.
You
can only experience the Heavenly Smiles when you have no ulterior motives to use
it for any other purpose than for its own altruistic nature of expression. It is
like the innocent smile of a baby. This is the smile with no purpose. It is not
because you won the lottery or it is your birthday or Christmas that you smile.
This
spontaneous smiling light being blends in with the sunlight, with other
people’s smiles, with all the smiles and laughs you have ever had in your
whole life. This smiling light will also be there in your future when you touch
this tenderness and allow it to touch you. It’s vulnerability is in the fact
that at any moment you can choose to deny it,
to run away from it, to dash off and forget the smile of a strange little girl
or boy in the train, in the bus, in the shop. The gift of an innocent smile is
forever welcomed because it reminds us of our true nature. We are all Smiling
Light Beings. We love to be happy. We love to be admired. We love to be seen in
the Light. We all love to be stars shining in the eyes of our loved ones. We
want to be held with warm and loving smiles. This is why it is important to slow
down and know this inside you.
It
starts with your breath. It starts with how you can slow down, relax and unlearn
your stressful ways to breathe. And to respect your breath you have to ask,
‘Am I enjoying my breathing?’ If your answer is, ‘I am not sure,’ then,
that is where you start and be humble enough to admit, ‘I have to learn
this.’
Through
the pauses in between your breath you will find gentle spaces for you to breathe
deeper and more peaceful. After lots and lots of meditation on this, you have
the visit of your Smiling Light Being, like a butterfly visits a flower.
We
are all students of happiness on the path of the Smiling Light, be kind to
yourself, slow down and find that inner flower of happiness beaming to you and
all the world for no particular reason. Your purpose in life is to be happy. It
always begin from being happy. You can only learn to be happy from your inner
Smiling Light Being.
Happy
Days to you always.
Choy
29 December WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION BEHIND THE FEAR OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
By
Choy
Have
you noticed how the growing terrorist and growing fear underlying these issues
are clouding the real issues? The fact is there are many beliefs clouding the
real issues. Take for example, the concept of the Axis of Evil. The belief in
people being evil, it was not long ago that we saw President Reagan of America
knelt down on Television and said, ‘Oh God, protect us from the Devil
Russia!’ And a few years later, Russians are no longer the Devil and are
supposed to be friends? President Reagan could have been called a cult leader
leading people astray with those beliefs! And now, we are supposed to believe
that so and so are evil. Ok, so underlying that, ’what are the REAL ISSUES?
If Saddam Hussein have used biological weapons to hurt the Kurdish, then,
the United Nations need to go to the Kurdish people and bring evidence of that
to bring him to justice and conduct a fair hearing in an International Court. It
is his actions that are the real issues.
If
Saddam Hussein did not answer all the questions that the United Nations ask for
and his Dossier has not done that, then, the REAL ISSUE is that. Surely the
Inspectors need to sit down and talk directly to him and ask him, ‘WHY
HAVEN’T YOU ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS?, instead of beating about the bush
(President Bush or the Inspectors) running after Iraq scientists, etc.
There
seems to be also a belief that America and England is hoping to ERADICATE (or is
it ‘E-RAQ-DICATE) the Muslims, and that this is a war on Islam. Is this true?
Surely, Muslims in Iraq and Muslims in America need to meet up and ask
themselves and have a proper debate on this. Once again, it is another point of
DISTRACTION. The real underlying issue is that all people whether Muslims or
Christians want the same things—love, respect, honour and justice and are the
people in Iraq getting this?
Every
time a national leader shoots out ‘from their mouth, that is the real weapon
of mass distracting belief’, consequences follow.
Look
at the North Korean incident. Both the North Korean leader and the American
President have to face again what are THE REAL ISSUES and what are the points of
MASS DISTRACTION?
The
real winner behind all ‘weapons of mass distracting beliefs’ is FEAR. Fear
prevents TRUST, and like children being afraid, they can say things like, ‘My
big brother is going to smash your head.’ Just as the American leader recently
said, ‘America can fight two wars, one with Iraq and one with North Korea,’
this is precisely what children do in the playground. ‘I can beat you up if
you don’t believe me. If you don’t show what is in your pockets, I am going
to tell the teacher and the school inspectors about it and they are going to
search you and put you in prison!’
Whether
we are speaking about Chechyna or about Kashmir or about any controversial
subject, there, FEARFUL BELIEFS ARE waiting eagerly to distract everyone into a
terrorising situation, and yes, the possibilities or terrible consequences of
such beliefs await us in the hearts of every civilised nation and city today.
When
one of the masterminds behind the bombing in Bali that killed 160 over
Australians was asked, ‘Why did you do it?’ He smiled and replied,
‘Because I hate Americans!!’ Did anyone (especially in the News Media)
bothered to ask him, ’Do you know that Australia and America are two different
countries?’ So, till today he probably still believed that Australia is the
same country as America! It reminded
me of the time in Malaysia when many Chinese and Malays were fighting and
killing each other in May 1969 and why? They found out that it was really about
SOME groups of people who BELIEVED this and that about the other group, and it
had nothing to do with the majority of the Chinese and Malay neighbours who grew
up together all their lives and had tremendous trust and tolerance of each
other’s ways.
When
we put the REAL ISSUES on the table, plain and simple, ‘What does the so
called enemy want? Underneath all the threats, they want what we want, we want
what they want!!’ It is called,
RESPECT, TRUST, FREEDOM, LOVE AND HONOUR. What happens if we start from this
pretext and come to PERCEIVE the other so called ‘enemy’ as real, and also
as an aspect of ourselves?
In
the Tai-Chi Push Hands Principle, only through embracing the enemy within you,
can you truly understand and know the enemy out there and maybe, with skill,
transform the enemy into an ally. Or maybe not. And even if you do not succeed,
you would still be able to neutralise that oncoming fear and attack. How do you
do that? You have to learn that first with your own inner terrorist self, your
inner distractive self, your inner destructive self.
A good place to start is the Third Tai-Chi Fundamental Principle of
learning how to apply the Wu Chi accepting attitude. This planet is a beautiful
school to learn lessons of duality and unity. One thing for sure, humanity’s
lessons will not go away just because we do not want to face it, we feel like
running away and ‘play truancy’. The lessons follow us till the very end and
some even believe for thousands more reincarnations, so why not learn it now?
CHINESE NEW YEAR— A TIME TO RELAX
from
Choy
Every
year millions of Chinese all over the world, including British Chinese celebrate
Chinese New Year. What does Chinese New Year mean? The Chinese lunar calendar is
the longest chronological record in history dating from 2637 B.C. when the Chin
Dynasty Emperor Shih Huang Ti (supposedly one of my distant relatives!)
introduced the first cycle of this zodiac in the 61st year of his reign. A
complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five simple cycles of 12 years
each. Twelve animals were assigned to each of the 12 years when, according to
legend, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he
departed from Earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell. As a reward he named
a year after each one in the order that it arrived. First came the Rat, then the
Ox, the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and
Boar. The animal ruling the year in which you were born exercises a profound
influence on your life. There is a Chinese saying, ‘Your animal sign hides in
your heart.’
I
have been living for 15 years now in Britain. Born a Chinese, a great deal of my
life was spent in Malaysia where we look forward eagerly to Chinese New Year.
Behind the myths and yearly celebrations, what REALLY does Chinese New Year mean
for us?
I
can recall as a teenager, we had the ’ANG POWS’, red packets filled with
crispy, clean and brand new pieces of money! I remember smiling as I saw the
money and actually took it to my nose to have a sniff! Yes, even till today I
can still smell it, strangely enough it is quite the same smell as the new money
you get from the Bank of England!! And then, we would start thinking how we
would be able to spend it, although only a few dollars, usually 2! I would put
aside 50 cents to gamble with my brothers and sisters. It is amazing how many
games 50 cents can go. I would save the rest to go into my piggy bank. Then, we
had fire crackers, a giant pig and Chinese food. If I could put all the year’s
eating into one go, that is the best time to do it! Then, the adults would go to
temples and go through their rituals to pray for peace and prosperity.
Besides this gathering, noise and excitement of such
family celebrations, there was also a couple of days for us to relax before
going back to school. And I chose to use that time to go and camp up in the
mountain with friends. Giant leeches await the cosy nests between our toes. It
does not matter what kind of socks or shoes you wear, they always find a way to
get in! The only trick I discovered
was
to go fast. But you are going uphill, so moving zig zag direction is the only
way up, it was also a lot of fun and adventure to be going up the river itself
and hopping in between moss covered rocks (without falling off). Aptly, our
favourite mountain was in a place called, ’Ulu Kanching’ which means the
wild jungle inhabited by mouse deer. The mouse deer is revered as a very wise
and fast footed animal in Malaysian folklore, but that is another story. In
these mountains, my friends and I would spend time practising Chi Kung and
Tai-Chi and be in silent communion with nature, there are so many strange
sounds, smells, colours and sensations in the jungle. Well, of course, there was
the mischievous side of us too. We did have quite a lot of water splashing
fights. The nights were spent around campfire sometimes listening to growling
wild tigers and looking at green eyes peering out of the dark foliage of the
jungle.
One
time, it got so scary to some of us that we actually built a fire on a large
rock. I bet those wild animals were simply quite curious about us. If they were
really after us, in the day time, it would have been ‘chomp, chomp’.
Sleeping and watching the stars as your ‘duvet’ was the most vivid memory I
had, to see the stars gradually moving in unison over you was like witnessing
the greatest procession of the most beautiful people beaming with smiles. In the
daytime, I learned Stillness in Meditation, sometimes, with mosquitoes as my
best teacher!
Being
quiet in the mountains also gave us time to meditate on the past year, and what
the new year could be for us. Nature held that delicate balance of reflection
and activity, the elements were always in charge. For example, if you think that
your chattering mind is noisy, try living for a few days and nights by a river
with a thousand little water falls. Which is noisier? You had to remain quite
calm, centred and alert when in the wild, a snake could ‘be’ the next branch
you thought was the branch! I had some beautiful moments of watching my friend
Cornelius Bong standing in a shallow part of the river, enjoying a meditation on
rain drops as he held out his palm for hours to allow the rain to touch him and
to feel every single sensation.
So,
Chinese New Year was a balance of human activity and a time of communion with
Nature.
According to Chinese New Year
predictions, 2003 is the Year of the Sheep. It is supposed to be a better year
than the previous year of the energetic Horse. 2002 was predicted to be a year
that was both exhilarating and frustrating at times, as the year’s rhythms tax
our reserve energies and leave us feeling depleted. 2003 Water Sheep is a year
to learn to relax and make peace with yourself as well as with others. The
Sheep’s influence will draw us closer to home and to our families. Patron of
the arts, the New Year will bring out our creativity.
Now, some people ask, ‘Why are things like Chinese Astrology and
Western Astrology important?’
Although
they give us a guideline, some idea of what influences come to us, it is really
up to us, like the kind of circumstances each of us went through in our
childhood, perhaps had there been a friend who saw what was coming, a bit like
the weather forecast can tell us storms are coming our way, we still have the
choice to use that time to transform the situation into a creative time rather
than a destructive time. But it is always personal, you can only take care of
yourself and people closest to you.
Take for example, if Osama Bin Laden and other opposing leaders had understood his Chinese sign and their own signs, would he and they might have avoided many terrible decisions that they had made? Did you know that Osama Bin Laden is a Fire Rooster? For centuries, what did the Ancient Chinese Astrologer say about the Fire Rooster?
Here is a quote from a Professional Chinese Astrologer, “Osama bin Laden was born into a year ruled by the caustic Rooster, under the element influence of Fire. His presence is that of an intense source of energy; as forceful as one delivering a martial arts blow. Rooster men are restless, their speech high-pitched yet brusque, and their body language; nervous. One is immediately struck by their natural sternness, angular features, and theatrical entrances. Those born into this 10th sign of the Chinese zodiac are direct, forceful and talkative. They are subject to manic emotions and can be either enchanting or unbearable! Mr. Bin Laden is a shocking example of a Rooster who has chosen the darkest path of his sign. The positive manifestations of the Fire Rooster personality are: application, candor, leadership and resourcefulness. If Osama had chosen a different path, we could have seen a man capable of devoting himself, to a noble cause. Instead, we are forced to endure the insufferable, sadistic side of the Rooster's personality ; Harsh, cruel, ruthless, and ready to step on anyone in order to achieve his goals, Osama bin Laden personifies every single unforgivable trait of his sign, historically securing his place in infamy. T