Rafting the Grand Canyon. I’m guiding the raft, my bride is the “hat” behind me, doing her best to not get washed out of the boat. The raft is 18 feet long, easily swallowed in the giant rapid. This trip is not for the faint-hearated. The boiling muddy red water is how the Colorado (=Color Red) River got its name. More photos below. (Photo: Sonja Ferdows)
Dear Lovers of Tao’s Wild Adventure,
I hope your Dragon Year summer was as exciting as mine. Our honeymoon began with 3 days in a cave atop China’s Mt. Hua in June (if you missed those wedding photos, see: https://healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode2&articleid=152).
Five weeks of Tao summer retreats in Mars Hill (near Asheville, N.C.) was a wonderful way to ground and share our joy with the Tao community of self-cultivators. I have posted my personal schedule for the 2013 retreats (https://healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode2&articleid=117) and hope to finalize the other teacher’s schedules in the next month or so (within the same June 21 -July 22, 2013 timeframe).
Qigong Fundamentals students at Mars Hill practice the Inner Smile meditation. The simple floor altar symbolizes the centered feeling of harmony that flows from feeling one’s soul smile into one’s body and life.
After the retreats, the next phase of our “eternal honeymoon” was to take a journey along America’s geographical spiritual axis. This was part of our marriage preparation for conscious conception. Our primary focus is to create a field of love that helps an incoming soul to consciously remember and hold the pure love emananting from the Central Sun/ Source, what the Taoists call Tai Yi (Great Oneness).
We also wanted to attract a soul that was in deep resonance with the Earth. This means aligning our souls (as mother and father) with powerful natural elements in our own land. We have a living relationship with our land in Asheville, N.C., but like to expand that through travel. In the I Ching, the Chinese classic of Change, Pure Yang of Heaven (hexagram #1) first moves spirit, but it needs Earth’s Pure Yin (hexagram #2) to embody.
» Denali: New Crown Chakra for planet Earth?
» Utah’s Canyonlands – Bones of Mother Earth
» Fall Equinox Concert/Ceremony Sept. 22
» Qigong Fundamentals 1 & 2: Oct. 26-28 in Asheville
» Is Enlightenment Possible in Las Vegas?
» Grand Canyon – the Great Yoni of Mother Nature
» Where is the River of Life taking us?
I’d heard of a meeting between Tibetan monks and Alaskan tribal elders, in which the Tibetans unexpectedly announced that they felt the crown of our planetary axis had shifted from Tibet’s Mt. Kailash to Alaska’s Denali.
Denali is the highest point in North America (former Mt. McKinley). At 20,300 feet high it holds crown energy that flows geomantically in a line down through the “spine” of both North and South America. New energy enters the planet at the North Pole (yin), and radiates out the South Pole (yang). Alchemically, this empowers Denali as a sacred mountain, the peak of Greatest Yang within the Great Yin of the North Pole.
L: Jem views Denali at sunset (about 30 miles away). R: Denali’s top peak from airplane window.
Since my bride Jem is from Alaska, it doubled as an opportunity to deepen our connection with her native earth, which is Alaska’s primordial wilderness. With help from Jem’s mother, a seasoned fisherwoman, we managed to catch 48 salmon in six hours with a net as they swam upriver to spawn. Those are fish with a sexual charge imbued in their flesh….
To explore Denali’s polar energetics, we rented a ski plane that flew around the peak and landed on one of its glaciers. We got out and did Primordial Qigong (aka Tai Chi for Enlightened Love) on a glacier. This qigong form is uniquely powerful in capturing the chi (Qi) of wherever it is performed. It felt very, very powerful – a pure, light, crystalline crisp energy. (Note to old readers: yes, the Primordial book was delayed by all this travel, but I’m back to it! New readers: visit http://www.taichi-enlightenment.com)
L: Denali’s peak behind us, at 7,500 feet on a glacier. R: What Taoist honeymooners write in the snow.
The opposite pole to Denali within the lower 48 states is the Grand Canyon. To attune to this shift, we first drove through Utah’s magnificent canyonlands – Capitol Reef, Escalante, Bryce, and Zion. Ted Doras, co-President of the Healing Tao Instructor’s Association, had just moved to the remote town of Escalante (pop..900, where his qigong classes are all the rage) and alerted us that it was the “most beautiful place on earth”. Ted gave us a royal tour of his “back yard”.
L: Capitol Reef Nat. Park: spine of giant ancient dinosaur? R: Jem overlooks Zion Nat. Park from Angel’s Landing. Much like Mt. Hua, it requires climbing up a hairy precipice using chains.
L. Desert is not all dry. Me cooling off at Calf Creek Falls, Escalante. The water is VERY cold, as it comes from deep underground. R: Jem goes flying off a cliff in Escalante Monument.
Before we continue on our Tour on America’s Spiritual Axis (with fun side trip to Las Vegas), please consider what is coming up this next weekend.
FALL EQUINOX CEREMONY + MEDITATION & Crystal Bowl Concert (RSVP needed!)
Moon reflecting upon a lake = natural symbols of Metal Phase. Pine Tree is also linked to metal element in China.
Saturday, Sept. 22.
Free, open to all, at Michael & Jem’s home in Asheville, N.C.
7:15 – midnite. If you cannot come physically, please attend in spirit and/or create your ceremony. For ideas on how to do this, see my newsletter: https://healingtaousa.com/cgi-bin/articles.pl?rm=mode2&articleid=122. (You may need to sign in to access it).
Come explore the luminous moment of Cosmic Balance, when the Black Water Dragon defining this year’s energy begins its entry into the earth, a preparation for death of the previous cycle of our life.
This ceremony is about LETTING GO of what is no longer needed, so please contemplate that before coming. Form a short, clear statement of intent of what you want to release in order to support the flow of chi in your life (could be about letting go of a mental or emotional pattern, a relationship, a dysfunctional ancestor, releasing a chronic lack of love, wealth, health, etc.). This will prepare us for the Winter Solstice ceremony on Dec. 22 when we rebirth ourselves into the New Light and focus on what we need to grow.
Please arrive by 7:15 pm. We’ll start at 7:30 pm with a Crystal Bowl concert by Kate Beloved (who came on the last China Dream Trip), and who has given very amazing performances at previous Solstice events.
7:30 – 8:10 Crystal bow
8:15 – 8:45 Fall Equinox ceremony. Come prepared! During the ceremony, you’ll use a single sentence that captures the essence of what you want to LET GO.
After the concert, we’ll have two silent sitting meditations on the cycle of seasonal changes that regulate our outer life and are mirrored in our inner life. It is not necessary to stay for both sittings. All are welcome to meditate on the point of Perfect Equilibrium.
The sitting times approximate (chairs available):
1st sitting: 9 pm – 10:15 pm
2nd sitting: 10:30 – 12 midnite
Light refreshments afterwards. This event is very popular, so RSVP early. Concert is open only to those staying for one or both meditations after the concert. If you are leaving early, best to park at the top of my driveway, before entering the gate.
Email for RSVP and directions: HIT REPLY. Space is limited, so don’t delay.
One more item, before we continue our honeymoon journey along America’s spiritual axis….
Oct. 26, 2012 (Fri. eve. 7:30 – 9:30 pm): Asheville, N.C. FREE.
INNER SMILE: Evening Meditation & Talk with Michael Winn.
This evening is part of the weekend workshop, even though it is open to the public. We will mostly smile together silently, relax from the “heart-mind” (xin) level of smiling in the body until the deeper “inner heart” or soul (ling) level of smiling spontaneously arises. I will facilitate this with a transmission of that frequency of unconditional acceptance at the soul level. This is one of the most important and simplest self-cultivation practices you can learn and apply simply to daily life. Increased peace, self-love, and acceptance of others are the reward, with secondary benefits of healing all kinds of illness that is stress-caused.
Location: At Lighten Up Yoga, same venue as weekend workshop. No pre-registration required, free to all.
Day 1: Inner Smile, Five Animals Qigong, Six Healing Sounds, Taoist qigong & alchemy theory.
Visit http://www.healingdao.com/ckf1.html#top (Fundamentals 1 page with full benefits & description of practices, testimonials, etc.)
Day 2: Guided Micro-Cosmic Orbit. This famous Tao meditation unifies all energy centers/chakras into a flowing whole. Process is made simple and physically tangible with the powerful “Open Qi (Chi) Flow in the Orbit” movement qigong. Chi transmission is given to help you open chi flow spiraling in an orbit around your torso.
Includes oral transmission of the powerful Wudang Mountain “Red Dragon” internal method of circulating the orbit (NOT taught in standard Healing Tao curriculum). THIS IS THE MOST POWERFUL & EFFECTIVE ORBIT METHOD I’VE FOUND – during my 30 years search. Included is my method of invoking spiralling Dragon power into the orbit meditation to amplify its power and effortless Qi (chi) flow.
Good for self healing, spiritual centering and balance of all yin-yang meridians of body, and balancing blood and chi. The orbit is also the main pathway used for cultivating spiritualized sexual energy as you progress in your practice.
More info on Fundamentals 2: http://www.healingdao.com/ckf2.html
These two days are packed with powerful practices that can make major shifts in your health and energy level. They are Lifetime Treasures, simple enough to easily share with family and friends.
Open to everyone. This course is THE main pre-requisite to Fusion, Healing Love, Kan & Li. This is the best course to begin with, but also suitable for advanced adepts or people from other traditions wishing to go deeper.
More info on Fundamentals 2: http://www.healingdao.com/ckf2.html
These two days are packed with powerful practices that can make major shifts in your health and energy level. They are Lifetime Treasures, simple enough to easily share with family and friends.
Contact: info@HealingTaoUSA.com or call Jan in office at 828 505 1444.
———————-
UPCOMING FALL EVENTS IN ASHEVILLE:
Nov. 17 – 18, 2012 (Sat/Sun): Asheville, N.C.
PRIMORDIAL QIGONG / TAI CHI for ENLIGHTENED LOVE with Feldenkrais for Effortless Super Learning. Led by Michael, plus recorded guidance by Joyce Gayheart.
Dec. 8 – 9, 2012 (Sat/Sun) Asheville, N.C. (NOTE: This date was incorrectly listed on website as Dec. 1-2 for a brief period)
MEDICAL & SPIRITUAL QIGONG FUNDAMENTALS 3 & 4: Internal Chi Breathing and Bone Rooting with Michael Winn
—————————–
Since Jem and I both love to dance, enroute we stopped in Las Vegas to catch a couple of Cirque du Soleil shows. There we picked up Barry Spendlove, Tao Senior Instructor from Wales, to join us on our raft trip down the Grand Canyon.
My very distant cousin Steve Wynn is the biggest player in Las Vegas. For some reason he wouldn’t give me free tickets, or even talk to me. Hmmpf. But I was happy to see he is also into Sun-Moon Alchemy. It must run in the family. This is one of his slot machines…it’s for people gambling on achieving immortality through external alchemy.
To warm up for the high cliffs of the Grand Canyon, Barry and I had some Vegas style fun…. jumping off the 1000 foot tall Stratophere Tower in downtown Vegas. It is kind of like bunji cord jumping, only you don’t bounce back up – they apply a brake at the very end and you land on your feet on a padded mat. It feels like you “free-jumped” 1000 feet. Quite a thrill that first moment, like jumping out of an airplane – without a parachute. Jem got so excited watching us that she did it also.
L: A 1000 foot cord runs to the ground from the top tower. R: Michael and Barry showing they “have the Right Stuff”…..
Las Vegas is the embodiment of the American Dream. Anything you can dream up, they will make a copy – a good one. Every honeymooning couple wants to visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and ascend its romantic heights. Since so many couples get married at Vegas wedding chapels, Vegas had to build its own Eiffel Tower. Ironically, my sister was honeymooning in Paris at the same time we were in Vegas. Tao is about synchronicity….
Same thing with immortality. I’ve spent 30 years cultivating my inner pearl as a vessel for my journey into multiple dimensions. But here in Vegas, I was immediately rewarded with a beautiful pearl that was overflowing with the local Elixir (water from the Colorado River, which ends up behind nearby Hoover Dam).
There is only one problem with Las Vegas Enlightenment. They won’t let you take it home with you. They want you to stay, and keep paying for it. Our disappointment drove us to leave Las Vegas, and head on to the Grand Canyon, which no one has yet been able to make a copy of.
The invisible “pot of gold” in the Grand Canyon is the Immortal Colorado River, which carved the canyon by mastering Time. Photo: Nancy Holland
Our raft trip down the Grand Canyon was literally the grand finale on our Journey along America’s spiritual axis. Denali soars up into heaven’s heights. In the Grand Canyon we floated into the depths of Mother Earth’s “great yoni”. At the end of our 16 day raft trip, emerging from the canyon felt like re-birth.
I am no stranger to this journey – I have rafted the Grand 40 times, mostly as a professional guide in my youth. It is basically where I grew up, once I left home. I took a bunch of my Taoist friends, including Juan Li and Ron Diana on a trip in 1987. I consider the Colorado River to be my first and primary spiritual teacher this lifetime. The river is the Taoist teaching perfectly embodied: “The soft overcomes the hard”. In its stillness the Original Breath (yuan chi) of the Cosmos becomes more tangible. At night we’d feel the walls of the deep canyon slowly turn. In this deep stillness, one can watch the earth’s rotation reveal the moon, rather than it “rising”.
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L. Nautiloid Canyon, with 400 million year old fossils visible in the rock. A “boulder” takes on new meaning and size here. R: As you float down the 225 miles, the canyon walls gradually get taller, eventually one mile high.
Being IN the Grand Canyon is totally different from looking down into it. It’s like being in a different dimension, everything is so outsized. Being physically dwarfed is a totally humbling experience. In the rapids, human skill is essential. But more essential is humility, surrendering to the power of the river’s flow. It’s like the Life Force made tangible: you cannot own its power, only learn to use it to navigate the rapids and eddies of worldly life.
L: Nankoweap Anasazi indian granaries, 800 years old, stored high up for security.. R: Matkatamiba slot canyon challenges Jem. She made it without getting her feet wet!
These shiny black rocks, called Vishnu Schist, are about 2 BILLION years old, found only in the canyon’s Inner Gorge. They are amongst the oldest rocks pushed up to the surface of this planet. Meditating here was amazing. I was able to instantly go so deep, as if there was ZERO interference or resistance. The noise and hum of civilization could not penetrate here.
It is an alchemists dream, having such clear access to the inner workings of the Cosmos. I made a lot of very important advancements in my Inner Alchemy meditation. Most important for our honeymoon journey along America’s geographical spiritual axis, I felt we opened up a deeper, more loving and clearer path for conscious conception.
Jem, at the helm of her new life….flowing into the eternally new unknown.
No one knows where the River of Life will flow……so smile and enjoy the Ride!
That is the lesson of our honeymoon raft trip down the Grand Canyon, carved so masterfully by the River of Time.
May you float effortlessly on the River of the Present Moment to your highest destiny,
Michael Winn
“Who takes Heaven as his ancestor, Virtue as his home,
the Tao as his door, and who becomes change — is a
Sage.” — Chuang Tzu, Inner Chapters
“The Tao is very close, but everyone looks far away.
Life is very simple, but everyone seeks difficulty.”
— Taoist Sage, 200 B.C
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