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Ways To Wisdom
If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. – Joseph Campbell
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Snow Gate |
Dojo Experiences
Conscious Connections
Thanksgiving with Joseph Campbell
In late autumn, my consciousness turns inward, flowing with the ebb of daylight ... downward ... into the clear unknown ... glimmered by the fading glow of Apollo’s wake, reflecting on a maple leaf.
And simultaneously my senses pull outward, responding to the colors, sounds, and smells of the Harvest and Solstice (returning of the the light) celebrations.
“We cannot cure the world of sorrows,
but we can choose to live in joy.”
And between the Harvest and Returning Light is Thanksgiving: a time to appreciate the cornucopia of Life — which also brings into awareness suffering. And without knowing how to balance the two, too easily does joy get swept away by fear and sadness.
When I feel this way, I like to ‘check-in’ with Joseph Campbell, and the wise professor usually has some helpful hints. He reminds me that ...
“When we talk about settling the world’s problems
we’re barking up the wrong tree.
the world is perfect. It’s a mess.
It has always been a mess.
We are not going to change it.
Our job is to straighten out
our own lives.”
And with that reminder, I remember to breath slowly and deeply ... letting my attention shift inward ... where I can listen to the soft voice, saying: ‘Feel your existence ... enjoy your existence ...’
Then ... the harvest begins ... saying “thank you” ... I enjoy the return of the light.
(Quotations excerpted from A Joseph Campbell Companion by Diane Osbon)
Autumn Beach Retreat
It’s Autumn at BIOM, as giant maples let loose their leaves into spiraling October breezes and swirling November winds, landing at their their feet in mounds of Winter mulch. This is our signal that it’s time to throttle back and start shifting our focus inward, like the trees: centering, concentrating, and rooting the growth we experienced throughout the Spring and Summer. Time for the BIOM Autumn Retreat.
“Tai Chi by the Sea” was the theme of our Autumn Beach Retreat. We came together on a Long Beach along Washington’s beautiful and inspiring Pacific coast. For three days and nights we encamped in comfortably quaint surf side cottages, a short stroll to the ocean’s edge, where we danced the dance of Tai Chi, conducted by waves of surf, wind, and sunshine.
Later we retreated back into the cottage for some Chi Kung, conversation, Insight Journaling, and some much needed ‘downtime.’ In balance, we cultivated camaraderie and enjoyed the feeling of Self reliance.
Staying Healthy in Autumn
In this episode of Seasonal Health Tips, Kitty talks about how the Metal element of Autumn affects your health, and how to stay healthy during this season of cooler days and longer nights.
A BIOM seasonal getaway is a ‘treat’ that lasts from season to season. Because by practicing what you learn and experience at a BIOM retreat you can continue to ‘re-treat’ yourself at home, until the next seasonal getaway comes around.
So plan to treat yourself to BIOM’s upcoming Winter Retreat, where we’ll be focusing on: The Way In ...
And as always ...
Wishing you health and well being,
Kitty and Michael
Contact Kitty to find out how you can participate in a BIOM retreat: email ~ (206) 842-6936
The Summer Dojo
It’s been very dry this summer in the west, fires raging far and wide; not to bad at BIOM though where wise trees know how to survive summer drought and winter wind.
A hoe
standing without a farmer
the heat!
– Shiki
But there have been hot days and the dojo has moved outside beneath giant maple, cedar, and fir — hot in the spaces where the sun streams down and heats the gravel mat. And the summer forest dojo sweat recalls memories of the summer city dojo, two stories above the boulevard traffic and its wafting exhaust filling the stagnant summer city air - many young years ago.
Spend enough time in the dojo and you’re transformed, and transported, like a seed, floating, until it arrives at a place to root ...
A dojo in the woods, beneath giant maple, cedar, and fir; a well ‘en-Tao-ed’ place.