Solala’s blog 4/26/15

  One of my pet peeves in the world of Daoism is the various fantastical versions of Daode Jing are out there. Like many students of the Way I have collected various translations and versions of Laozi’s work. Of course most “translations” are not actual translations from classical Chinese but are just the authors own version of idea of what he or she thinks Laozi is saying or, even worse, what the author wants to say. In this case, the […]

Solala Blog for week of 8/15/14

  Allowing myself to become empty I abide in stillness. The things of this world come and go as I watch, powerful within my own being. Whatever ends comes round back again. I watch this in a tranquil and peaceful state. I allow myself to return To my original nature. In doing so I connect myself with what can be called “constant renewal.” To truly understand this process  can be seen as “illumination.” To not understand that things come and […]

Quote for week 8/11/14

Everything is cyclical, and in every cycle there comes a point where things turn around. Great adversity was once overwhelming; now it starts to wane. Those who remain centered will go through bad times and eventually receive good fortune. Hua Ching Ni

It’s All Relative: Solala’s Blog for week of 8/11/14

There was once a rich man from the country of Chou. He had a huge estate and many workers, who he drove unmercifully. Day after day they toiled under the hot sun to fill the coffers of the rich man. One of these was an old man who had been working for the rich man’s family for many years. His body was nearly worn out with hard work and little rest; his muscles were stringy and his breath came in […]

Quote for week of 8/4/2014

Drinking tea with Tao is about letting go of all our “stuff” and just being ourselves as we really our, in our true nature.  Aaron Fisher (Wu De)

Fire in the Belly: Solala’s blog for 8/4/2014

            We talk a lot about the lower dantian in qigong training. Actually we use it also in meditation and nei dan (internal alchemy) practice as well. The lower dantian, while the first (if you count from the bottom) of three dantians, it is considered the foundation level. As in building a house, we have to start at the bottom, rather than at the top. Many people, on first learning meditation, want to start at […]

Solala Blog 7/16/14

  The black girl dog is Lili — short for Lilikoi (Passionfruit) — and the brown boy dog who always smiles and saved Lili’s life when she had kidney troubles as a pup is Koa (like the Hawaiian hardwood).      I’ve just returned from a trip to Boulder and Denver. In Boulder I did a short presentation to some of the good folks at Sounds True, my new publisher. It was great to meet some of the people I […]

Quote of the week for 5.1

Practice non-action (wu wei). Accomplish without accomplishing. Taste what has no taste. The great comes from the small. More begins with less. Return bitterness with kindness. Deal with the difficult while it is still easy. Create the large from the small. The sage does not try for greatness And so she is great. Promises made too lightly are hard to keep. Easy tasks often become difficult. The sage is always ready for difficulties And for this reason never experiences them. […]

Quote of the week for 4/24/14

The frequency of the energy radiated from one’s now mind and spirit creates an attraction for the universal energies of the corresponding frequencies, which invariably echo back as the ingredients for one’s own daily experience. This principle is the basis for all Taoist spiritual practices.                                                                   Hua-Ching Ni

Solala Blog for 4/25/14

Well it looks like once again I have been majorly remiss about adding a new blog. Life is just so darn full! We recently connected with a new printer in IL who, for the same price I have been paying for black and white printing of The Empty Vessel, does it in full color! We just did our first issue with them and it turned out great! (You can find it, the Spring 14 issue in our store.) It is […]