wu life 233

WU LIFE 233


GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS ... AND GREAT NEWS


i suppose i should share the bad first. well, it turns out that the 700+ year old temple we train at every day is currently undergoing refurbishment. this means, they are taking a beautifully preserved national treasure that has lasted for nearly a millennium and making it fancy with cheap plaster and neon lights (obviously, i'm not excited). the other downside to this 'beautification' is that our school has been kicked off the temple grounds and forced to train elsewhere - which is really boo boo. now, we will have to carry on our practice in the school facilities, which is cool, but it kind of takes away from the magic and mystical awe of being here in wudang,.. "yeah, i came to wudang mountain to train on a basketball court" - not very majestic.

as for the good news.. my master went to a meeting held by the local government the other day and came back in a really good mood. apparently, the government is about to start pumping a lot of money into the development and promotion of wudang gong fu,.. there is going to be an international campaign to promote wudang wushu to the world - and at the same time, the government is going to distribute funds among the schools to help them grow and expand their programs. on one hand, i am not too excited about wudang getting all commercial.. but on the other hand, i know that there are several steps being taken to assure that the system remains traditional and authentic. in all.. i think this is a good thing for wudang wushu, and i think it's a great time to be a disciple.

speaking of being a disciple.. now i'll share the great news.. my new kung fu brother jeff has just been accepted as a fellow disciple and has been given his official taoist name - zi he. jeff, an american from rhode island, is one smooth dude,.. he has an amazing sense of humor, his martial foundation is very well developed, and his training ethic is inspiring. he has a beautiful character and he gets along with everyone in the school.. really a great guy. rarely does our school get students of this caliber, and i am honored to have him join the ranks of the discipleship. to celebrate, the two of us went to eat with our master and martial uncles and had a grand old time. good, good fun. now the discipleship includes - in order of seniority: sam tripp - zi hao (infinite horizon), me - zi rong (endless capacity), kris olsvik - zi hong (bottomless ocean), and now jeff reid - zi he (harmonious balance),.. together, we represent the 16th generation of the zheng san feng lineage. tao about it.

(on a side note.. there are four other foreign disciples that came before us.. but i don't know them or their taoist names, which is why i chose to omit them from the list.)


FLUSH THAT GUT

i got a lot of interest stirred from my blog about impacted fecal matter last week, so i figured i'd drop a little more this round. now, i hate to sound like a new-age hippie, which i am, but i will now explain the energetic effects of having this toxic layer of mucosal plaque in our bodies.

imagine if you will, a lonely friday night.. sad about not having a social life and digging into that bucket of ice cream while watching tv. or how about another scenario, taking your significant other to a romantic dinner and getting into an argument that results in a breakup halfway through the meal. what do these two events have in common? intense emotional overtones while either eating or digesting a meal. when strong, harsh emotions are present, the body is more concerned with digesting those feelings than that food.. so what happens to the food? it sits in your stomach - a dark, damp, and warm place - where it rots and turns, just like it would in any other dark, damp, warm place. that rotting food is toxic to your system so the body immediately coats the intestinal lining with a layer of mucus to protect itself and to help lubricate the path for that crap to get pushed out. sadly, some of that grub gets trapped in the process.. but the toxic food isn't the only thing that gets trapped.. those toxic emotions are trapped too. now this may sound far fetched, but if emo outbursts are common place for you, they may be associated with the emotional patterns that have been trapped and programmed into your body via this villainous mucosal plaque. crazy, right?

anyway, back to physical reality for a moment,.. even if you don't buy that emo stuff, it is clearly of tremendous benefit to get that crap out of your gut. once that stuff is out, you can enjoy better nutrient assimilation and more regularity in your movements - as a result, you'll need to eat less, and you'll have fewer cravings for sugars and other quick energy foods. on the vanity side, your skin will be softer and smoother, and your eyes will be big and bright - you will literally glow form the inside out. oh, and did i mention that people typically drop anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds after dumping that stuff! all of which being mucous and impacted fecal matter! yum! and finally, if you really do buy that emotional stuff, getting rid of all those negative emotional patterns that have been trapped in that crap is probably the best way to take steps towards a brighter outlook on love and life - far better than zanex or zoloft that only add to the toxicity of your body.

as i stated in my last blog.. it is believed that over 90% of americans have this plaque in their guts.. but just to be sure you fit in that 90 percentile, here are a few ways to know cleansing is right for you:


-if you are irregular.. more than 3-5 poops a day, or less than 3-5 poops a week are signs of severe irregularity.. flush your gut.

-if you are overweight.. it's not due to genetics or stress, well.. maybe a little, but the rest is probably compacted fecal matter.. flush your gut.

-if you spend more than five minutes grunting and pumping only to push out poop pebbles.. pooping should be swift, sweet, and substantial.. flush your gut

-if you eat meat and/or dairy daily or lived off the atkins diet for any length of time.. the average meat eater has 5-10 pounds of undigested meat in their colons.. flush your gut.

-if you have chronic arthritis or joint pain.. you ain't old, that's toxicity buildup.. flush your gut.

-if you are tired or have low energy.. well, you're probably carrying 5-10 pounds of poop in your belly.. flush your gut.

-if you get sick regularly.. that plaque is the perfect home for bacteria and germs.. flush your gut.

-if have acne, eczema, or other skin irritations.. that's the body kicking out toxins trapped in your belly.. flush your gut.

-if you have bad breath or offensive body odor.. that's probably because you're packed with poop.. flush your gut.

-if you are good buddies with general mills, hamburger helper, big mac, extra-crispy chicken, taco supreme, nestle, mars, coca-cola, pizza hut, frito lay, or the likes.. flush your gut.

-if you, or someone you know, has a severe medical condition.. it will probably be of great benefit to flush that gut.

now granted, i'm no doctor, and i've only read a few books.. beyond that, i have yet to go through with this gut flush myself.. none the less, i still urge you to look further into this matter, find more information, and decide for yourself. as for those of you that are either extremely ill, or on a cocktail of medications,.. please consult a health care professional before taking on such a cleanse - preferably an integrative naturopathic or a traditional chinese medicine doctor.

with that said.. i will be flushing my gut for the entire month of october while i frolic in the mountains of northern california. for anyone that would like to maintain communication in regards to this (fecal) matter, or exchange poo poo pictures.. hit me up. thus concludes my rancid rectum rant.


AN UPDATE OF SORTS

the first three day workshop in cali is set for the weekend of the fall equinox, late september. it is likely to be held in tilden park, berkeley. i will have the finalized information up by the next wu life for those of you interested in participating.

beyond that, i will also be speaking at the fourth annual taoist convention this year in oakland. this event is hosted by the zhi dao guan taoist center and will be held around the end of october.. you can find more information here: http://www.thetaoistcenter.com/conference2006/index2006.html

oooh, and then i have another workshop scheduled for thanksgiving weekend in san louis obispo, i will send out more information on that as things solidify.

then there is the hawaii trip.. the workshop there is still in the works, but the reiki training is a go. i have already confirmed it with my master there and he is anxious to give me the attunement. the cool thing is that my kung fu brother, sam the saint, will be joining me for his reiki training as well. party. as for the fund-raising, that is going well too,.. i am just 175 shy of my plane ticket, and then the rest of the funds will go to my tuition and living expenses. for those of you that would like to help contribute, there is a chip in site here: donationbox.blogspot.com

well.. that is all for this week. next week should be juicy,.. i plan on going up to the mountain to observe 'the day of the devil.' this will be my chance to see some cool taoist ceremony and perhaps run into a few demon spirits.. only joking of course.. but i'll let you all know how it goes.

all my love,
be tall.