Tecumseh, What Song Would You Sing Now?

Tecumseh, what song would you sing now?

You saw what was not seen before.

What do you see now?

They did not listen then.

Please Mother, let us listen now.

"A clever horse needs only one touch of the whip." Chinese saying

You make a hundred resolutions to journey somewhere:

He draws you somewhere else.

He turns the horse's bridle in every direction

that the untrained horse may gain knowledge of the rider.

The clever horse is well-paced

because it knows a rider is mounted upon it.

He fixed your heart on a hundred passionate desires,

disappointed you, and then broke your heart.

Since He broke the wings of your first intention,

how do you doubt the existence of the Wing-breaker?

Since His ordainment snapped the cord of contrivance,

how can you remain blind to His Command?

Mathnawi III: 4456-4461Version by Camille and Kabir Helminski

"Rumi: Jewels of Remembrance"

Threshold Books, 1996(Persian transliteration courtesy of Yahyá Monastra)

A Time For A Pause And Reflection on My Blog

I am going to take a few days off and reflect on this blog and my intent.

Kuan Yin Healing Exercise

The above painting is of Kwan Yin the Chinese Goddess of Mercy. A small copy of this painting
was given to me by my first chi kung teacher, Master Hilton Tam about sixteen years ago. I have spent a lot of time with Kwan Yin or Quan Yin since then. I have tried to give all my sincere students, copies of this Kwan whenever possible.
I tell my students and friends that this Quan Yin card is not about religion or worship. It is a medicine picture that can be very helpful when you are in physical, mental, emotional or social difficulty. Just look at her for a minute now.
Quan Yin is riding on the back of a dragon on a dark night, in a stormy sea. She is perfectly balanced and holds a stalk of grain in one hand and a bottle of oil in her other hand. She has a gentle smile on her lips.
The dark night and stormy sea represents any difficulty we are going through.The dragon represents our movement through whatever situation challenges us. Kwan Yin represents the highest and most beautiful aspects of ourselves united with the most beautiful and protective aspects of Heaven and Earth. Kuan is confidently guiding the dragon with her loving intention through the dark stormy night. She carries grain in one hand to sustain us through or painful experience and oil in her other hand to calm the troubled waters of our thoughts and emotions.
I tell my students that when they are in trouble, try to remember this picture. To see Kuan Yin guiding the dragon through the dark stormy sea. Look how calm and serene she is as she carries her grain and oil with a gentle peaceful smile on her lips.
I ask them to imagine this Kuan Yin is in your heart and let her spread throughout your body/mind/spirit. Ask yourself, " How would it be, what would it feel like, if I were that calm and serene in this situation?" Soon you will find your body/mind/spirit will start to relax and synchronize with the healing, calming energy in the painting.
As you feel your being relax and strengthen and harmonize with the powerful peace of the Heaven and Earth you might find you are, like Quan Yin, smiling. You might ask yourself, "What would Quan Yin do in this situation?" And you might find yourself doing as she would do.
This medicine painting is very powerful if you learn how to work with it's energy and intent. Try it.

A Little Beauty

The door is open. Enter at your own risk.
"There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance." ~Socrates~
"Mankind have a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it." ~Samuel Johnson~
"A cleaver horse needs only one touch of the whip." Chinese saying
"When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge." ~Confucius~
Fear is an emotion which involves the prediction of a negative outcome.
When faced with uncertainty or ambiguity, it is easy to respond with fear, rather than curiosity or having a sense of adventure.
Fear is a difficult emotion to deal with, in part because it is frightening and painful to feel it.
Paige Harrison
There are three things extremely hard: Steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.” Benjamin Franklin
Man's main task in life is to give birth to himself, to become what he potentially is. -- Erich Fromm
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. " -- Arthur Schopenhauer
"Man becomes a slave to his constantly repeated acts. What he at first chooses, at last compels." ~Orison Swett Marden~
"To laugh often and love much... to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to give one's self... this is to have succeeded."
"Change your thoughts and you change your world." -- Norman Vincent Peale

Congratulations You Did It!!!

I say this to you my student/teacher/brother. You are of the Hawk and Crow People now. The Hawk and the Crow fly with you, now and forever.




I salute you my brother. I salute your courage and determination. Congratulations.

I celebrate and sing this song. My student/warrior/friend is out of the hospital and eating. His story can be found in my blog sections "When Pain Comes Try This." and "You Can Cower In The Corner Or You Can Stand And Fight." When he was faced with his own fear and pain and uncertainty he chose to stand and fight. When you must chose, chose to stand and fight. Remember we are never alone. Remember that and smile. He has passed one of his initiations with honor and pride. Many others are doing the same even as you read these words. Let all the warriors of the Heaven and the Earth who stand and fight with honor and determination give you courage and strength when you need it most. Remember, you are not alone and smile.


A new adventure now opens to you, inshAllah.