Practice today consisted of druidry, two tai chi forms, thirty push-ups, thirty squats. I’m definitely in a time in my practice when I don’t care about doing quality work; I barely want to do the work at all. So doing it at all feels like a victory.
Of course, that was this morning. Since then I’ve not been doing very much, and I feel like I’ve missed my window for writing about this morning’s practice. And tomorrow, I hang my art show. Here’s another piece from that art show to help you get a sense of what I’ve been working on, too.
The painting has this interesting spiral thing going on, and that reminds me that I want to mention that I’m continuing to work with the belt channel in my daily practice. I’m finding that this is pretty valuable in my work, and I’m glad that I’m doing it. Part of it requires opening up the energy centers along the central spine, and activating both the white and red energy channels alongside the spine. Then, from the Tan Tien (pronounced “Dan Tee-en” but with a shorter second word), the belt or waist line is activated — partly by tensing the muscles in this section of the belly, but also by feeling the chi within it, and finally through tightening these muscles on the intake breath and relaxing them on the outtake breath. It’s been highly beneficial to have this belt channel activated this week, and I’m trying to keep up with the practice. In fact, though, I think that some of my reluctance to do quality work is connected to the belt channel work — I carry a lot of self-criticism and self-image-issues in the weight around my middle, and activating and energizing this tissue is bringing up those issues. Huh, who knew? Most everybody who’s sensitive to this stuff, I imagine, actually. Anyway, doing the work is triggering the buried issues, but healing them too. I think. I hope.
Today I acknowledge the ancestors, too. Here’s a poem, the Mighty Dead, to get you in the mood. I am going to a halloween party, and I’m dressed up as a generic ‘steampunk character’. But in my pocket will be the railroad watch of my great-great-grandfather, who was a Trainman. So maybe it’s the case that I’m going as my own grandpa…? Hmmm.
