This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year's threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath. Margaret Atwood
The winter solstice, or longest night is celebrated in HK on Dec 22. It is a time when the pendulum of night reverses and days become longer. A time where yin/cold exceeds yang/ hot. So we gather together to enjoy the harmony of family over a warming meal such as hot pot finishing with tong yuen or glutinous rice balls resembling the moon. In both the east and west the winter solstice is a time of transition, of letting go and turning the page. David Bowie says You can't stand still on one point for your entire life. As the seasons turn, we too turn towards the light, to longer sun filled days with optimism and opportunity.
Two sides
Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee. Marcus Aurelius
Carved from a single piece of wood in the 1800’s by artist unknown, this double sculpture depicts characters from Faust representing good / woman and evil / demon. A mirror enables both sides to be seen simultaneously.
The expression There are two sides to every story...then there is the truth. American Proverb was first used in 1742. There is no doubt that understanding and empathy grow when one looks at any situation from the perspective of the other, or from a different angle.
Thoreau reminds us that It's not what you look at that matters, it is what you see. Yet, What we see depends mainly on what we look for. John Lubbock And Humans see what they want to see. Rick Riordan
How often do we find ourselves in a rut or in a state of overwhelm? This week challenge yourself by taking any situation in your life and look at it with new eyes, new angles, and distance. Observe.
The optimist sees the donut, the pessimist sees the hole. Oscar Wilde
The Results are In
Last weekend I presented the results of a 12 week study to my cohort at Svaram Sound Institute in India. 11 executives participated in a weekly 20 min gong for 12 consecutive weeks and the results are definitive. Gongs work. There was an:
82% decrease in Perceived stress
73% increase in Overall Wellbeing
100% decrease in Daytime sleepines
Comments included being in a state of flow and ease, higher resilience to stress, taking more time to respond - not react, feeling rested and overall feeling happier. One’s migraines disappeared and another’s arthritis diminished.
Those of us who play gongs ‘know’ they work. For those of you who need proof. I hope these results will convince you to come more regularly.
Following on I wish to play in-house on a weekly basis to track wellbeing, staff engagement, medical costs etc to determine a ROI. If you or your organisation is interested to learn more, please contact me at tel 2110-0152.
Gong Top of the World 2 - Yi Tung Shan, Lantao
Climb some hills at sunrise. Everybody needs perspective, you will find it there. - Robb Sagendorph (publisher of Farmer's Almanac)
How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains. John Muir
The clouds parted long enough for the sun to cast a shadow on an otherwise overcast but extremely windy morning.
Listen to the wind blow...watch the sunrise. (Fleetwood Mac)
Accomplished drone photographer Tom O'Grady and I are on a mission of photographing gongs on top of hilltops with an intention to spread positive healing energy from the highest peaks around HK. We hope you're inspired. (video coming soon)
Reach Out
Recently I received an email. I recognised the name but honestly couldn't tell if it was spam or worse as my last contact with them was pre-internet! I took and chance to reconnect rekindling old memories. Today is Thanksgiving in the USA. A day to remember and to give thanks. I wish to thank all those individuals who have crossed my path over the years through thick and thin, good times and bad. I would not be who I am nor where I am without you. Thank you.
International Sloth Day
A sloth is an aboral mammal that spends its days hanging upside down or, someone with a
reluctance to work or to make an effort. There is no doubt that covid has prompted all of us to become more sloth-like. To-do lists grew longer rather than shorter. We conserved our energy.
Sloths are masters at energy conservation. With 30% less muscle mass than similarly sized mammals they do everything slowly - a month to digest a leaf, a minute to move 15 feet and 6 hrs to make it to the bathroom and back. Their claws are curved extensions of finger bones connected to tendons that create a ‘gripping reflex’ thereby requiring no effort to hang upside down for 85% of their day.
For a sloth to move, to eat, to poop requires the conscious use of large amounts of energy. So too for us to shift from the sofa to vertical; from inertia to movement towards a goal. Gloria Estafen reminds us to ‘get on your feet, get up and make it happen’
Yogi Bhajan said, ‘when the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off.’
The first step IS the hardest. We have two choices: do nothing or take it towards the journey called life.
Rip it off
A wound is an injury on living tissue or one's emotions. We use Band Aids on our skin and stories to cover our emotions. The later define and limit us from living our full potential. Imagine Without the story, there is no wound. Without the story the memory loses its ability to continue wounding us. Anon
This week rip the Band-Aid off. You may just find what lies beneath is healed.
There are two ways to remove a Band-Aid: slowly and painfully, or quickly and painfully. Your choice. J. Wood.
Nature Sounds
Playing at sunset I glanced over my shoulder and noticed movement. Squinting I spied a doe as she picked her way noiselessly through the undergrowth. Outdoors, I move, breathe and play in concert with the rustling of the leaves. I harmonise with the birds and in this case a vey loud cricket. Am I playing to, for, or with nature? My energy field expands sending waves of peaceful healing in all directions. I Am One.
New York, New
London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful. Always it believes that something good is about to come off, and it must hurry to meet it. Dorothy Parker
It’s a breath of fresh air to land in New York to lead workshops after two years of lockdowns. I feel A new chapter is being written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Sarah Ban Breathnach
A change in scenery is rejuvenating on all levels and what better place to do so. The cosmopolitan blend of cultures and backgrounds creates a heartbeat of limitless possibilities. So, I close my eyes to old ends. And open my heart to new beginnings. anon
The times they are a changin
I like the night, without the night we would never see the stars. Stephanie Meyer
This week marked the passing and burial of HRM Queen Elizabeth. An icon, the like of which we will never see again in our lifetime. She exemplified stability, and lived a life of servant leadership guided by deeply embedded values of family and duty.
Her passing combined with the hint of all quarantine measures for incoming passengers into HK being lifted soon is momentous. How fitting today is the fall equinox when day equals night.
The metaphor of a circle symbolises the changing of seasons, stages of life, etc. The opposite sides represent polarities such as dawn and dusk, birth and death and as the circle turns, (earth spins), we move from one stage to another. You can't control the perpetual forward momentum ..it is like a rollin stone.
Too often we fixate only on the light without appreciating the dark. Too often we try to control the passage of time without embracing the freedom of a few grey hairs or wrinkles.
This week reflect on the polarities of your life, identify tension from when you hold on to habits and ways of being that may not serve you now. Seek out the polarities and realise that Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. Thomas Merton