One of my favorite recent gifts and addition to my Qigong and Chinese Medicine library is “Alchemy of the Extraordinary, A Journey into the Heart of the Meridian Matrix” by Peter Shea, L.Ac. This relatively slender volume covers all of the meridian matrix, the energy network of the human body, and focuses on the Eight Extraordinary Vessels; what Shea refers to as the “heart” of the matrix. I highly recommend this book to go deeply into the anatomy of the energy body.

I was recently invited to explore the intersection of Qigong and Reiki with a group of Reiki Masters and practitioners. To introduce the meaning of Qi (Ki in Japanese where Reiki originated) I read the following “definition” from Shea’s book:

Qi is the energy of relationship. When two or more things have enough resonance with each other a connection is made. This quantum connection now becomes greater than the sum of its parts and activates the life force. This is the energy of communication, connection and relationship. This is information and as such, it is faster than light, or more correctly exists outside the time-space continuum. These connections can be illuminated through the power of our intention and focus, what is known as the Yi. When our intention is aligned with the principles of gravity and force this Qi can harness great power. If our intention is solely to manipulate this energy, we will consume our Jing [life essence] faster. If our intention is to participate with this force, we can become a conduit and a battery that can sustain and support us.<

I believe this definition brings a new dimension to the concept of Qi/Ki, or life force energy. Bringing the idea of “relationship” into the meaning establishes the need for “two (yin and yang) or more” to the “equation of reality.” It also demonstrates the power of Reiki healing that can arise during a session. The “energy of communication, connection and relationship” is the healing force.

I have not posted here in a while but I have been busy! Personally I have been deepening my study and practice of Qigong to become a better teacher. The more I study, the more I realize Qigong is not only my life-long practice for health, happiness and longevity, but also my passion to share this health-giving, life-saving technology from ancient China. And it is so simple, so easy, and FREE!

One of my teachers, Jeff Primack, came to Baltimore in early April for a three-day intensive. It is always great to be with a teacher; and I had a profound experience of energy rising during the closing “breath circle.”

In late April Rosemary and I traveled to Sedona and the Mago Retreat Center for an amazing experience with Teacher of Soul, Katye Anna Clark and about 30 other travelers from all over the country. The retreat was a four-day intensive immersion for “Living from the Heart.” Wow! Another transformational experience of opening the heart to live more fully from the soul. And I had the distinct honor of teaching Qigong every morning of the retreat in the beautiful settings of Mago.

And in mid-May I traveled to Daytona Beach to spend another three-day intensive with Jeff Primack, this time at his National event: QiRevolution. And I met another of my teachers, Dr. Roger Janke who offered profound insights into health and wellness from his 40-year perspective of teaching and practicing Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong.

It was a magical spring. I am honored and humbled to have experienced profound shifts. I am grateful for my further awakening. And I am motivated for share my insights.

And with that I offer:

Testimony

Health is a personal thing
And it is a choice.
It’s personal because it comes from inside;
And only you can make the choice.

Look to the outside;
Visit the impersonal health-care facility,
The hospital near you, the place
You would go if seriously ill or injured.

Do you see health there?
Oh, there is plenty of care.
Sickness, disease, crippling injures
Are within the realm of care here.

Look rather to the inside
If you are seeking health care.
There is where your health lives;
It is in your heart, your mind, your soul.

Your body is a walking, fluid, pharmacopeia.
Visit is often to find wellness.
Breathe, meditate, seek inside
The magic pill of health, happiness, longevity.

Be the testimony to your free choice.
Breathe the richness all life offers.
Move inward to seek the Light.
Balance in the flow of boundless Love.

 

 

©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.

A little “Five Element” ditty:

No End

The well is deep
The stream is long
The lake is broad
The ocean has no end.

The dawn is bright
The flame brings light
The Moon warms night
The Sun’s shine has no end.

The growth is strong
The expanse is vast
The trees stand tall
The life has no end.

The breath is long
The song is light
The word is true
The story has no end.

The soil is rich
The land is broad
The core is deep
The Earth has no end.

 

 

©2017 Richard W. Bredeson. All rights reserved.

This could almost be labeled as an addendum to my Manifesto. I may even add it there to preserve this quote from Martín Prechtel in his most recent book, “The Smell of Rain on Dust.”

Martín is one of my most revered teachers. When the world is fortunate enough to receive another of his gifts of writing, I immediately acquire the book, and then I savor it, sometime putting off reading for a time knowing I have it, but delaying the incredible gratification I get when I read his lovely words.

I studied with Martín for a few years almost a decade ago now; I sat with him in his Bolad’s Kitchen, cooking in the soup of his stories, his character and his wisdom. Now whenever I get to read one of his books, new or old, I can hear his voice, the cadence and timber, the melody, the harmonies as he speaks with reverence for life, nature, the indigenous soul of humanity.

I am in the middle of this current book, published in 2015 but current to me. When I am finished I’ll post a complete review here. But for now I want to quote the end of Chapter 6: “Paddles of Tears, Canoes Made Out of Old Songs”. This short quote summarizes in a tidy nugget where I am right now in life and what continues to carry me forward into my 8th decade:

The eloquence of our own affection for one another keeps the world healthy. Praise and the depth of our grief expressed for one another keeps the world in love. Love is health.

 

I offer a new post in MenandtheGoddess.com today, June 26, 2016. It states my “stand” and certainly points to Qigong as holding a central place in my stand. Take a look; offer a comment.

What is your stand?

My blog, MenandtheGoddess.com, has been dormant for a bit, a long bit. But I am motivated to resurrect it and breathe new life into it. I am posting it here as a link so you can read and maybe even subscribe to it.

And please feel free to comment; I’ll enjoy your responses!

Click for details and registration