Sunset at Stonehenge

The Winter Solstice has now passed and we are in a very interesting time of the year. To ancient cultures, the Winter Solstice marked the “death” of the sun. It was the shortest day the year where the YIN energy in the Northern Hemisphere came to maximum expression and the re-emergence of the YANG energy returned coming from the Taoist traditon. This transition is marked by a very interesting phenomena where, perceivably, for three days (Dec 22, 23, 24), the sun stops moving. This is because we can’t see the subtle movement as it dips below our horizon. During these three days, the sun resides in the SOUTHERN CROSS and then, on December 25th, it moves north one degree…signifying the return of our Savior and forshadowing warmer, longer, and more fruitful days taking us into spring and summer harvest.

The brightest star in the sky (Sirius) aligns with the three brightest stars on Orion’s belt (Mintaka, Anilam, and Alnitak) on December 24th heralding the “return” of the sun and the forces of “good”. The three “wise men” which were the ancient names for the stars on Orion’s belt follow the “star in the east” and this marks the celebration of the “birth” of Jesus in our modern mythology. It turns out Christmas is more than just a story but a deeply ingrained understanding of the movement of the stars and cycles of nature as understood by the ancients. (more…)

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In Taoism, there are various traditions and schools of thought that have come along through history. Taoist schools are rare and hard to find because there are so few of them out there and most of the secrets of Taoist Alchemy are guarded and kept secret. Why? Because in the old days, knowledge of these arts led to incredible power so warlords and Emperors would make sure these secrets didn’t get into their enemy’s hands. In the West, the Knight’s Templars came back from Jerusalem with a mighty secret (Alchemy) and rose to power almost overnight. No wonder why the Church and ruling establishment went after them and killed them? Those in power like to keep it that way :)

The study of Taoist Alchemy is a tricky one. One must understand basic precepts of Taoism, Taoist tantric sex, Taoist yoga, and Qigong philosophy to have a foot in the door. Modern Taoist schools seldom teach all of this because most are either focused on scripture or on Qigong (Qi Gong) energy work alone. Qigong philosophy is important as is the practice but it is not everything. To understand Taoist Alchemy, we need to understand the underlying philosophy. We need to understand Who we really are in relation to this Universe and how things work here.

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The ancient esoteric arts of Kung Fu, Yoga, and Acupuncture are all interconnected because they all come from ancient systems that have an energetic understanding of the body. In Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and several other ancient traditions, the energy meridians (Chinese) or nadi (Indian) in the body carry the life force to every organ. These energy pathways carry the flow of life-giving energy to every cell of the body.

Acupuncture is the ancient Chinese art of using fine needles to correct and manipulate the flow of this energy when it has gone out of balance. Restoring the proper flow of qi energy often quickly corrects ailments and allows the body to heal itself naturally. Acupuncture has been effectively used for thousands of years to correct all sorts of ailments in millions of people worldwide.

The Chakras are the energy storage sites (in the tradition of Hinduism) along the central channel. These spinning wheels of light show the quality and flow of the vital energy running through our systems and and can be used to both diagnose illness and to treat it. There are seven main chakras in the Indian system which correlate to three “dantiens” in the Chinese system. These “pools” of energy flow also act as reservoirs for our Vitality.


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The Paleo Qi Gong Connection

Taoism 5 Elements -Taoism is based on unity with the natural energy that is all around us. The early Taoists studied the movement of the seasons and stars while watching animals and their behaviors in order to unlock the secrets of the Universe. The aim- to connect with the innate wisdom of nature and be one with that flow.

As a modern-day Taoist, I find these to be very exciting times. Barefoot running is awesome. The Paleo diet makes the most sense. There are several people teaching primitive skills and survival all over the world. I’ve spoken with and interviewed a number of the specialists in these fields for my second movie “Origins” and am in the throws of this “ancient wisdom fiesta”. We are really at a wonderful place in out understanding of ourselves and, funny enough, it really only had to do with looking back and studying where we came from.

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A little while ago, I found myself sitting next to an Orthodox Christian priest at a luncheon. He had a serious beard and the garb to match it. He wasn’t the jolliest of fellows and seemed a bit out of place in a crowd. I was busy conversing with some people across the table and then my wife egged him on by telling him about my background and that the two of us should talk…oh boy…here we go!

His immediate question to me was whether I believed in God because it was his understanding that Taoism was a “godless” religion. My answer- “Of course I believe in God and I don’t consider myself a religious Taoist“. That immediately got him to relax and put away the broad sword…ok…let’s talk dude.

What’s the difference? Well, my stance is that life is the workshop and that I needn’t believe in things that I can test in my daily life. I explained that this was the essence of Buddhism. When the Buddha was asked whether there was a God or not, his answer was that he’d show you a technique to observe your own consciousness and you be the judge. The Buddha felt that it was extremely dangerous to tell people what that “State” was like or what “a Supreme Being” was like because they’d take that as an adequate answer and pull off the highway of Self-inquiry. We see this all the time in Asia- statues of the Buddha are worshiped everywhere. The philosophy of introspection and self examination has been turned by many into a religion with idol worship and distorted comprehension of the message…the Buddha would roll over in his grave.

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The Hanged Man is one of my favorite Tarot cards from the Western Hermetic Tradition. It is a simple picture which coveys a great deal of meaning- especially when looking at the cards from a Taoist perspective. First of all, this man seems to be in a relatively dubious position but, looking at his face, he doesn’t seem too upset about it. In fact, there seems to be a smirk on his face as he crosses his left leg under his right- showing the ancient symbol for Mercury- the agent of Alchemical transformation.

To quote from the BOTA Tarot lineage about the Law of Reversal: “To reverse to conditions of misery, disease and failure, and substitute for them their opposites of health, happiness and success, it is necessary to think, speak and act in ways which are the reverse to those in which most persons think, speak, and act.”

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This a a ten minute clip from my main zen mediation master who sounds like a Taoist but also speaks with some Buddhist influences.  His discourse is part of a longer interview which I will post soon.  This segment focuses on the nature of meditation and how we interface with our consciousness.  His discourse is truly magnificent because it really illuminates how most people are fixed on meditation technique versus a profound understanding of Who we truly are and how the Universe works.

Zen mediation and a profound understanding of Reality is not a meditation technique but an enhancement of one’s consciousness.  This falls in line with the true teaching of Taoist and Buddhist masters as well.


His English is a bit tough to understand but you’ll get used to it and its well worth the listen.

Enjoy!

Learning Lion Tracks in Africa


Six weeks of diligent study in Africa turned into the adventure of a lifetime.  While working on the film, Origins, we participated in a 28 day Trails Guide course which included: Tracking, Scouting, Animal Behavior, Wilderness Survival, Botany, Meteorology, Navigation, Astronomy, and more.  Our quest was to return to the environment of primitive man and live as he lived.  We wanted to re-learn the information that our ancestors had worked so hard to acquire.  We wanted to return to the source and chronicle the changes in our consciousness while living in the wild of Africa.  We really got what we went there for.

Here’s a key point to walk away with-

Any animal who forgets how to survive in the very environment it comes from is stupid. Welcome to humanity.

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Ramana Maharshi

Here we ask, Who Am I? – and challenge the notion of the self

Ramana Maharshi was a famous Indian Saint living around the turn of the 20th Century.  He was best known for his cutting discourse and no-nonsense approach to the human condition.  Ramana is one of my favorites because he delves deep into the process of personal inquiry.  His most notable contribution, in my opinion, is the essence of the inquiry into the “I”.

When asking the question, “Who am I?” for instance, Ramana’s response would have been another more poignant question- essentially, “Who just asked that?” and then “Who just answered that question?”- Deeper and deeper becomes the probe- (more…)

gong

A Gong in Chinese Taoist tradition is a set amount of days one devotes to a particular task.  It is a promise to one’s self to stay focused and on path towards a designated goal.

The typical gong I like to practice with is the 100 Day GONG.  The reason for this is that it takes at least 90 days for a new habit/behavior to burn itself into our nervous system so I’ve had incredible success with this format over the years.  So what do you do during this gong? (more…)

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