Recharge for the Solstice and New Year (photo by: Wolfgang Staudt)

Welcome to my new blog!

I will be posting and writing frequently here on a wide range of topics from tai chi to qigong, taoism and buddhism, meditation, current event and other things that I feel called to share and that I think will be useful for you.

Right now I am in Hawaii on Maui. Life is great and I am happy to be resting from a long year of teaching.

Monday was the winter solstice and the day before had parties on Maui to celebrate the solstice as was the custom in many traditional cultures throughout the world including the TAOISTS of Ancient China, Native Americans and the Hawaiians.

It was from the the celebration of the winter solstice and the Pagans of Europe that the holiday of Christmas originally derived…the most likely birthday of Jesus Christ was not in mid-December but closer to January 6th.

In the common religious practice that the holidays and Gods of the previous religion were essentially transferred into the new dominant religion with only the names slightly or dates slightly changed. To the Taoists the winter solstice had significance which had parallels to many of the ancient religious traditions of this planet.

A Time for Regeneration

Firstly the solstice is the natural time within the cycles of life, for death the energy of death to appear so all that has run its course can summerge, die, and rest so from the foundations of death new, fresh life and vibrant life can be reborn and emerge in the spring.

Winter solstice is also a time to be genuinely grateful for all that has transpired the previous year as well as a time to let go off all that has been used up ( like the remains of what has been harvested from the crops in the fall) including the sorrows and missed opportunities of the past year.

Solstice begins the time of the winter when the most important elemental quality of that season is to do the best you can to rest and regenerate. As the winter is the season of the water element, any practices you can do to build up your kidneys will improve your life in the next season of wood which is dominated by the liver.

Winter is the time to let go of fear and is the natural time of the year to find acceptance for the changes in your life rather than being consumed by the fears of what will go wrong.

Physically besides foods and herbs which tonify and make the kidney stronger, the qigong (chi gung) that I and my energy arts instructors teach which most balances the body’s water element energies is the qigong set ‘Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body‘. Especially its components of standing, sinking chi, outer dissolving and cloud hands.

In terms of meditation and letting go of the past and going beyond fear the Taoist Meditation methods of Inner Dissolving are most useful both are taught both in book form and a 6part CD workbook like format under the title of ‘Tao of Letting Go’.

Last but not least do your best to rest and sleep as must as you can until the spring arrives to enable your body to best take advantage of the natural rest and regeneration qualities of the winter.

As conversely if you do not, it makes its difficult for your body in the Springtime to bounce back into full activity and potentially weakens you for the entire next year.

Thanks for all those who are on my list and especially those of you who have bought products and come to my events.

Have a wonderful solstice season and build up those kidney’s as best as you can.

Bruce