Sunday, June 15, 2014

Summer Wellness


Summer Wellness
Saturday June 21st is the official first Day of summer. Ancient Taoist masters developed wellness theories for each season utilizing the Five Elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Fire. Fire is the element of summer. For those who wish to use a proactive approach to health I will discuss a few Taoist concepts for summer health maintenance.
The Heart is the Yin organ associated with the Fire element of summer and the Small Intestine is the Yang organ. Mars is the planet, red is the color, love and joy are positive summer emotions and hate and impatience are negative summer emotions. I find it interesting that the planet Mars is associated with the color red and the act of war by many who have little or no understanding of these ancient Taoist concepts.
Heart attacks are more common in the summer and emotion plays a major part. Negative emotions such as anger and impatience can be a greater risk to the heart in the summer.  Negative emotions also create problems for our small intestine. The small intestine is the digestive tract between the stomach and cecum. Absorption and digestion are not the only functions of the small intestine; according to Taoist theory the small intestine also helps the body digest unsettled emotions.
During the hot summer months negative emotions of anger, worry, sadness, fear and impatience should be avoided as much as possible. If the small intestine becomes over loaded with negative emotions it can become unhealthy. An unhealthy small intestine can cause hormonal and menstrual disorders for women. It can also develop mucus in the lungs and be the cause of back pain and varicose veins.
We are familiar with how the negative emotions of anger and sadness can create problems for a weak heart but worry and fear can also have a negative effect on the heart. The major problem here is that most are not aware of this build up until it is too late. That is why it is wise to be proactive don’t wait until you feel a problem with your health. When you feel something is wrong it is something that has been building for some time which means in most cases it will take some time to cure. Harmful negative emotions are due to a lack of control of the conscience mind. The negative emotions that we carry, emotions that make us sick are usually a story that plays over and over in our mind. The story in most likely due to some past experience or a mental prediction of a future issue that causes fear or worry.
The Harlem Ki Energy Center can help you develop a proactive approach to summer health thought meditation classes, and special Ki small intestine organ massage treatments. Ki treatments can help the small intestine eliminate toxins caused by negative emotions. Meditation can eliminate negative thoughts which can help develop the positive summer emotions of love and joy.
Call my direct line at 646 329-6727 to schedule an appointment at our Harlem wellness center, don’t wait until you feel something is wrong, I can assure you if you are reading this dialog toxins are building in your body, by the time you become aware of the buildup it can be to late.
 

Thursday, June 5, 2014

The Art of War is Peace


The Art of War is Peace


I was introduced to Sun Tzu’s ancient Chinese classic The Art of War in 1968. I was in the United States Army stationed at Fort Hood Texas.  At this time military intelligence was trying to find answers to explain how an army of farmers were about to defeat the mighty U.S. military forces in Viet Nam. Ho Chi Minh’s (founder of the Democratic Republic of Viet Nam) famous answer was “we are defeating the mighty imperialist forces by using “Sun Tzu’s Art of War.” That statement created a whole new generation of strategists that follow the teachings of Master Sun.
Over the years I have become a great admirer of the strategic concepts of this mysterious Taoist warrior-philosopher. The strategic concepts found in Sun Tzu’s work have had a major influence not only in strategic military training but also in the national and international business communities as well.

When teaching my course on Chinese classic like the Art of War and the I Ching at The City College of New York, I find students at first have some difficulty in understand how the true art of war is peace. According to the teachings of Master Sun, How to win without fighting is the foundation of his strategy.
I always recommend reading the Art of War translated by Thomas Cleary who explains Master Sun’s teachings this way “This ideal strategy whereby one could win without fighting accomplish the most by doing the least, bears the characteristic stamp of Taoism, the ancient tradition of knowledge that fostered both the healing arts and the martial arts in China.”

In Cleary’s introduction he captures the spirit of this classic book of strategy by writing about an ancient Taoist story where a lord of China asked his physician, a member of a family of healers, which of them was the most skilled in the art.
 The physician whose reputation was such that his name became synonymous with medical science in China, replied, “My eldest brother sees the spirit of sickness and removes it before it takes shape, so his name does not get out of the house.

“My elder brother cures sickness when it is still extremely minute, so his name does not get out of the neighborhood. As for me, I puncture veins, prescribe potions, and massage skin, so from time to time my name gets out and is heard among the lords.”
This story follows Master Sun’s concept of deep knowledge, according to the writings of Master Sun “Deep knowledge is to be aware of disturbance before disturbance, to be aware of danger before danger, to be aware of destruction before destruction, to be aware of calamity before calamity. Strong action is training the body without being burdened by the body, exercising the mind without being used by the mind, working in the world without being affected by the world, carrying out task without being obstructed by tasks.”

Master Sun also writes that “With deep knowledge of principle, one can change disturbance into order, change danger into safety, change destruction into survival, change calamity into fortune. By strong action on the Way, one can bring the body to the realm of longevity, bring the mind to the sphere of mystery, bring the world to great peace, and bring tasks to great fulfillment”.

The true Art of War is peace both external and internal.

 

 

We All Fall Down


                                          We All Fall Down

 
Have you ever watched a child learn to walk?  They fall down a great deal but they keep getting up, until one day they start walking more than falling. One can say that falling down is part of learning to walk.  As we grow older falling down can become a part of learning to live.  We often set goals for ourselves and all too often become discouraged if we fall short of them. Sometimes it seems as if there was no bad luck we would not have any luck at all.  This is the time where our faith is tested.  We all fall down - but faith allows us to keep getting up.

 The universal transformation period we are currently experiencing can become very difficult to adjust to, even if you are aware that the energy of the mind of the universe is moving from competitive mind energy to creative mind energy.  This concept isn't new.  Wallace D. Wattles wrote about it in 1910 in his groundbreaking book “The Science of Getting Rich: Financial Success Through Creative Thought.  His book inspired Rhonda Byrne’s best selling book “The Secret”.

 The bottom line here is:  we have more power to control our life than we fully understand.  What you think about often will manifest itself in your reality over time.  The power of attraction is very real, even if you don't believe it is.  Take a minute and look around.  Everything that you see in your material environment was first a thought in someone’s mind.  Wattles used this universal law as a means to generate wealth.  But the law of thought manifestation can be applied to anything.  You are already doing it. This ageless secret is now becoming common knowledge because it has to. We're moving into the frequency of truth.

 It is important that you understand this because your ability to create reality from your thoughts is becoming stronger as the universal creative mind energy grows stronger in this transformational period.  We are the new pioneers and will become the example to help others to understand.  That is why you are reading this dialog.  To be aware of the concept of thought manifestation is the path to belief.   You will become discouraged, but do not give up. 

We all fall down.  Just get up and continue to focus on what you want in your life.  Develop a clear picture of it in your mind - and the mind of the universe will attract the support you need to accomplish your goal.  But you must have faith. It important to remember that all things happen when they are supposed to and all things are beneficial. I understand it may be difficult to accept some experiences as being beneficial, it can truly be a test of faith sometimes.

 I also believe that if you can be strong enough to find some benefit in hardship you will become a stronger person. We all fall down but only the strong keep getting up.