We may apply Taoist Yin Yang theory to help us better understand our present social economic challenges. If I diagnose our societal values by noticing what we deem worthy of a monetary economic bailout, those things that are Yang are given great weight while those things that are Yin are being depleted and not supported. The Yin weakens and dies. We use our Tax dollars to buy implements of war, create armies and make War. We also direct our money resources to bailout our financial institutions and, our banks.
Our financial institutions are not what create wealth. They appear to create wealth because they accumulate money at the top and then manipulate that money to produce more money. They do not create wealth that is synergistically distributed through our system. Real wealth is created by what we manufacture and how we transform goods to be bought and sold. Real wealth is the way a community functions to raise children, to teach them the values of the culture and to help each individual to become valued and valuable adults.
Maintaining infrastructure of towns and cities so the paths of communication are open to support a viable market place is wealth. The building of roads, community centers, medical centers and places for the arts and performance are other expressions of wealth. The creation of good schools and teachers that can teach is wealth. The creations of artists, dancers, musicians, composers, poets and writers are wealth. The creation of medical doctors, clinics and hospitals that can treat the sick and help people stay healthy and vital is wealth.
I fear our present narrow view of wealth, as money that can be invested to make a profit, is bankrupting the real wealth, the support systems of our culture that actually nourish and feed the ongoing life of a culture. In the present picture of our economy we have the Yang energy of war and finance eating the nurturing energies of education, arts and health care.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Defining Yin and Yang in Taoism
I am an acupuncturist trained in diagnosis of imbalances of subtle energy in the body. The philosophy behind acupuncture is based in Taoism.
Taoism is an ancient system of thought that developed to help people find healthy and balanced relationship with the world. Taoist believed that the natural world was inherently balanced and that humans could learn balance by observing nature. To be able to better understand what they were experiencing, Taoist divided the world into two categories; Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are two words that are used to describe the dance of the basic polarity of life.
To help my reader understand the two categories of yin and yang I line them up with their correlates:
Yin: Feminine, negative charge, dark, night, unformed, potential, empty, yielding, nurturing, sustaining, quiet, supportive, passive, follow, earth.
Yang: Masculine, positive charge, light day, manifest form, full hard, moving controlling, active, loud, challenging, lead, seed.
In Chinese medicine, a patient is diagnosed by their systemic balance of Yin and Yang. Yang’s tendency is to become excess and Yin’s empty nature is to become Deficient. When the two forces dance in balance, life generates a flourishing. When the Yang becomes too exuberant it feeds on the Yin resource, inadvertently depleting the Yin energy supporting it. As the Yin grows weaker, the Yang is no longer contained and limited by the Yin. Instead it eats the Yin to grow as big as it can. As the Yang grows bigger, the Yin gets smaller until there is no more Yin to support the Yang. At that point the bloated and overheated Yang collapses and the patient dies.
Taoism is an ancient system of thought that developed to help people find healthy and balanced relationship with the world. Taoist believed that the natural world was inherently balanced and that humans could learn balance by observing nature. To be able to better understand what they were experiencing, Taoist divided the world into two categories; Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are two words that are used to describe the dance of the basic polarity of life.
To help my reader understand the two categories of yin and yang I line them up with their correlates:
Yin: Feminine, negative charge, dark, night, unformed, potential, empty, yielding, nurturing, sustaining, quiet, supportive, passive, follow, earth.
Yang: Masculine, positive charge, light day, manifest form, full hard, moving controlling, active, loud, challenging, lead, seed.
In Chinese medicine, a patient is diagnosed by their systemic balance of Yin and Yang. Yang’s tendency is to become excess and Yin’s empty nature is to become Deficient. When the two forces dance in balance, life generates a flourishing. When the Yang becomes too exuberant it feeds on the Yin resource, inadvertently depleting the Yin energy supporting it. As the Yin grows weaker, the Yang is no longer contained and limited by the Yin. Instead it eats the Yin to grow as big as it can. As the Yang grows bigger, the Yin gets smaller until there is no more Yin to support the Yang. At that point the bloated and overheated Yang collapses and the patient dies.
Description of the Saturday Class:Movement, Breath and Sound Work
In my Saturday class I guide people to the source of their creative expression by inviting their attention to journey deep inside their body. Through meditative movements we explore the terrain of their body: the emotions, the spirit and the soul.
I teach my students’ how to self activate their energy switches by guiding their
attention into their organ systems and skeletal structure.I use a sensed relationships to gravity to help each person find their physical center.
Since so many Western people think they are the thinking in their heads, we further root our attention into the depth of our pelvic bowl.
Once my students fully ground their attention in their body, we explore how our breath moves through our body. To consciously engage our whole system we use our spine as a microcosmic map to help us track the journey of each breath. We practice directing our internal energy from the path of our central channel, down our legs, and out our hands through gesture and our mouth through voice.
We than cultivate our conductive capacity by dancing with the internally felt unfolding waves of organic energy pulsing through us.
A major focus of the class is to assist people to open up to the vast power of their own being while simultaneously inviting them to open their eyes. We practice grounding connection to a present moment direct personal communication with cosmic power in front of others. We lovingly witness each others authentic dance to grow comfortable in meeting the divine beauty we each bring forth.
The last part of the class integrates the activation of vocal expression arising from our center. Through sound we explore body resonance. A group vocal circle develops sophisticated listening skills that open group creative process. We are challenged to listen to the creative river downloading through our own center and then resonate as a group without a conductor or score. Each person expresses their vocal sound while simultaneously, listening to the sound tapestry the group creates together. We practice being conductive to the creative stream of the cosmos while simultaneously creating together with others.
I teach my students’ how to self activate their energy switches by guiding their
attention into their organ systems and skeletal structure.I use a sensed relationships to gravity to help each person find their physical center.
Since so many Western people think they are the thinking in their heads, we further root our attention into the depth of our pelvic bowl.
Once my students fully ground their attention in their body, we explore how our breath moves through our body. To consciously engage our whole system we use our spine as a microcosmic map to help us track the journey of each breath. We practice directing our internal energy from the path of our central channel, down our legs, and out our hands through gesture and our mouth through voice.
We than cultivate our conductive capacity by dancing with the internally felt unfolding waves of organic energy pulsing through us.
A major focus of the class is to assist people to open up to the vast power of their own being while simultaneously inviting them to open their eyes. We practice grounding connection to a present moment direct personal communication with cosmic power in front of others. We lovingly witness each others authentic dance to grow comfortable in meeting the divine beauty we each bring forth.
The last part of the class integrates the activation of vocal expression arising from our center. Through sound we explore body resonance. A group vocal circle develops sophisticated listening skills that open group creative process. We are challenged to listen to the creative river downloading through our own center and then resonate as a group without a conductor or score. Each person expresses their vocal sound while simultaneously, listening to the sound tapestry the group creates together. We practice being conductive to the creative stream of the cosmos while simultaneously creating together with others.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Somatic Emersion* Journeys: Ecstatic Embodiment through Meditative Dance and Sound
Join Ruth Gould-Goodman M.A. L.Ac.,
Energy Healer and Pioneer Explorer of the Somatic Wisdom of the Body.
Author of
The Sacred Book of U: Unveiling the Lost Teachings of the Deep Feminine
In her
Somatic Emersion* Journeys:
Ecstatic Embodiment through Meditative Dance and Sound
*e.mer.sion - The reappearance of a celestial body after it has been eclipsed
.
• Dance into your body’s self healing wisdom.
• Synchronize Meditative Movement with breath and intention to harmonize your mind, body and emotions as one
• Stimulate, and rejuvenate internal organ systems
• Activate and root into your core strength.
• Dive into the naturally ecstatic core energy stream of your body to decode the lost teachings of the Deep Feminine (decoding the body’s innate intelligence).
• Feel the deep satisfaction and personal empowerment of provoking a more wakeful consciously embodied relationship with the present moment
The practice is Life Enhancing and helpful to people who injure easily
Joyful, creative, improvisational, body-centered, loving and very potent.
It involves breath, ecstatic movement, meditation, chanting, vocal toning, trance music, and Ruth’s unique Tantric, Belly Dance, Chi Gong and La Madre Yoga.
When: August 22, 2009 Saturday, 1:00 P.M. -3:00 P.M
Where:1372 Appleton Way Venice, Ca. 90291
Under Ruth’s tent through the side gate in the back
Wear layered clothing. Bring a mat, pillow, blanket and water
Please call to confirm. 310-392-3612, www.ruthgouldgoodman.com, ruth@ruthgouldgoodman.com
Energy Healer and Pioneer Explorer of the Somatic Wisdom of the Body.
Author of
The Sacred Book of U: Unveiling the Lost Teachings of the Deep Feminine
In her
Somatic Emersion* Journeys:
Ecstatic Embodiment through Meditative Dance and Sound
*e.mer.sion - The reappearance of a celestial body after it has been eclipsed
.
• Dance into your body’s self healing wisdom.
• Synchronize Meditative Movement with breath and intention to harmonize your mind, body and emotions as one
• Stimulate, and rejuvenate internal organ systems
• Activate and root into your core strength.
• Dive into the naturally ecstatic core energy stream of your body to decode the lost teachings of the Deep Feminine (decoding the body’s innate intelligence).
• Feel the deep satisfaction and personal empowerment of provoking a more wakeful consciously embodied relationship with the present moment
The practice is Life Enhancing and helpful to people who injure easily
Joyful, creative, improvisational, body-centered, loving and very potent.
It involves breath, ecstatic movement, meditation, chanting, vocal toning, trance music, and Ruth’s unique Tantric, Belly Dance, Chi Gong and La Madre Yoga.
When: August 22, 2009 Saturday, 1:00 P.M. -3:00 P.M
Where:1372 Appleton Way Venice, Ca. 90291
Under Ruth’s tent through the side gate in the back
Wear layered clothing. Bring a mat, pillow, blanket and water
Please call to confirm. 310-392-3612, www.ruthgouldgoodman.com, ruth@ruthgouldgoodman.com
Anti-depressants and the "TAO of NOW "
I just finished reading an article about the use of Antidepressants doubling in the USA from 1996 to 2005. As an acupuncturist and energetic healer, I works with the integration of the mind body connection. I have learned to re frame the way I think about depression. I see depression is an intelligent signal arising form our body when we refuse to listen to its message. When we block our own inner voice in order to squeeze our self into an external paradigm that more than likely does not fit who we really are, the voice of our inner power comes forward to guide us to move in a different direction. Since our culture teaches us to fear and shut down our inner voice. Many of us judge that voice as a bad and dark parts of ourselves that we must control and hide. We sequester the energy of that voice inside our body and often assume we have a bad part that must be kept inside at all costs. The inner voice becomes angry that we are not listening to it and eventually turns inward upon our own self. Our unexpressed frustration and anger turn inward and we loose our motivation to even try. We do not understand that voice is our inner connection to our life force. Our life force grows exhausted. Why should our inner voice keep trying if all we do is shut it up?
The problem is our own voice is the only voice that can guide us back to our truth and our right path. When we drug ourselves to not feel the pain of what we are doing to our own being we have lost the tread back to our health. We give our power over to an external substance and lose all sense of our own sovereignty. We now observe many people on anti-depressants grow suicidal or act violently toward others out of a desperate attempt to break out of the internal jail or fortress that they have misguidedly created for their own inner being. Taking anti-depressants places our being in an unresolvable dilemma.
Instead of masking our voice(the symptom of depression), we need guidance to enter that voice and discover what our own being is asking of us.
I have developed highly effective system of synchronized breath, movement and sound that guides people back to a much more natural relationship with their own life force. People discover the internal central channel that allows them to live from their center in flow and balance and ground their power in a safe, efficient and directed way. The yoga is called "Conscious Body Energetics" and the system is called the "TAO of NOW".
The problem is our own voice is the only voice that can guide us back to our truth and our right path. When we drug ourselves to not feel the pain of what we are doing to our own being we have lost the tread back to our health. We give our power over to an external substance and lose all sense of our own sovereignty. We now observe many people on anti-depressants grow suicidal or act violently toward others out of a desperate attempt to break out of the internal jail or fortress that they have misguidedly created for their own inner being. Taking anti-depressants places our being in an unresolvable dilemma.
Instead of masking our voice(the symptom of depression), we need guidance to enter that voice and discover what our own being is asking of us.
I have developed highly effective system of synchronized breath, movement and sound that guides people back to a much more natural relationship with their own life force. People discover the internal central channel that allows them to live from their center in flow and balance and ground their power in a safe, efficient and directed way. The yoga is called "Conscious Body Energetics" and the system is called the "TAO of NOW".
Saturday, August 1, 2009
I long to be washed clean
I became overwhelmed with how much information was flooding toward me I wanted connection to my world. Instead I was drowning. Due to word limits on Facebook’s Status update, My initial response was stopped. I explore my thoughts to share with you.
Information floods my brain.
Waves Stretch and Arch out of the vast ocean
Slide over the hissing rush of the previous waves dance over wet sand and rocks
Simultaneously Crashing reach to the shore
And pulled back to its source.
In my dizzy spinning of endless infinite limitless possibility
The hum in my heart that sees beauty in your smile are my North Star
Ruth Gould-Goodman 7/13/09”
--------------------------------------------------
I long to be washed clean, swept back to the ocean, a tabla rasa knowing nothing except that which is essential. Instead of believing I am the wave crashing upon the shore I want to know in my bones I am the Ocean each wave arises out of. I revere the mystery of my own heartbeat and breathe. I trust the endless rhythmic pulse. I witness the effortless cycles of growing out of itself and falling back into itself.
I do not want to control it all. I do not want to arrive at some ultimate ending in which I can finally stand for the rest of eternity.
I want instead to trust I am a part of a hugeness that is so grand that my little mind can not even conceive of it. I want to open to the endless joy of finding my way out of myself and back into myself. I want to know the beginning is in the end and the end is in the beginning enough to release all fear of death. Life, not just my life but all life, deserves to be loved with a fearless fierceness that knows how to respect and cherish everything in life. I want to be awake to the exquisite special uniqueness of each moment knowing I will never pass this way again; each encounter, each moment, a brilliant jewel of light on water. I want to trust and love life so much that when I am called to return I welcome the dive into the deep darkness of my death. I do not want to resist my death out of fear when it is my time to go.
Each breath and heartbeat initiates me to know I am a part of endless cycles; waves in the oceans, the circling of the moon around the earth, the earth around the sun, and the sun through the Milky Way. I am darkness turning to light and light to darkness, the turning of the seasons. I watch my birth my death, my birth and death in every thing alive. No straight lines only endless hoops of joyful circles growing out of it self, then dying to itself to be reborn: infinite expression of precise uniqueness. How boring to cower in the narrowness of fear. Let Go, Trust this magnificent dance. We are all coded in our essence with this truth. No matter how hard we try or how completely we forget we can never stretch too far away from our source before we are drawn back like a wave to be born again out of that great Ocean. We all arise out of this playful and ingeniously creative oneness. I want to love enough to be fearless and empty enough to allow this subtle uniqueness called life to register and be savored by my conscious mind. Relax. Enjoy the ride. Do not cling to what has been when you are drawn back.
Ruth Gould-Goodman July 17, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Advice for those with eating disorders
I recently assisted a young woman who was dealing with an obsessive-compulsive eating disorder. The following are the words that I shared with her. I post them here in the chance they may help those who suffer in a similar way.
“ Before you eat breathe into your body to feel what is hungry in your body. Ask that place what it really wants. It is a place inside of you that you have forgotten to love. With your breath touch that place and bring gentleness and kindness to that place. Look at your [parents] and realize that you have ingested [their] voice inside of you and you eat to quiet that voice as a defense against being hurt. Instead of loving yourself you give power to the voice that asks you to seek yourself outside of your own center. You habitually dislocate yourself and eat to quiet the fear and anxiety you feel. Food will never quiet that voice.
The ingestion of food is a desperate attempt to quiet the terror of your own habitual abandonment of yourself. As I am sure you have experienced, you can loose yourself in food only for a few moments. Then the roar begins again. Food does not work to heal the basic dilemma. Only by rewiring consciously with nonjudgmental gentleness toward yourself will you quiet the crying pain of your inner fragmentation and abandonment.
Watch how over and over your desire for food overwhelms you each time you abandon yourself by seeking your answers outside of yourself. (Food, others, money, power. success, approval of others, manipulation of image). The abandoned being within does not need food… It needs your conscious love. It needs to be loved for no other reason than the fact that you are here. You need to pick that gentle part up in your arms like a mother would pick a crying baby up. For no other reason than the fact it is here and deserves attention because that is the way it is. Babies need love to live. We all need to be loved in purity but to get that we must first rewire and give that love to our self. FIRST FIRST FIRST
Print this out and read if each time you feel like eating and breath and search for real answers within.”
“ Before you eat breathe into your body to feel what is hungry in your body. Ask that place what it really wants. It is a place inside of you that you have forgotten to love. With your breath touch that place and bring gentleness and kindness to that place. Look at your [parents] and realize that you have ingested [their] voice inside of you and you eat to quiet that voice as a defense against being hurt. Instead of loving yourself you give power to the voice that asks you to seek yourself outside of your own center. You habitually dislocate yourself and eat to quiet the fear and anxiety you feel. Food will never quiet that voice.
The ingestion of food is a desperate attempt to quiet the terror of your own habitual abandonment of yourself. As I am sure you have experienced, you can loose yourself in food only for a few moments. Then the roar begins again. Food does not work to heal the basic dilemma. Only by rewiring consciously with nonjudgmental gentleness toward yourself will you quiet the crying pain of your inner fragmentation and abandonment.
Watch how over and over your desire for food overwhelms you each time you abandon yourself by seeking your answers outside of yourself. (Food, others, money, power. success, approval of others, manipulation of image). The abandoned being within does not need food… It needs your conscious love. It needs to be loved for no other reason than the fact that you are here. You need to pick that gentle part up in your arms like a mother would pick a crying baby up. For no other reason than the fact it is here and deserves attention because that is the way it is. Babies need love to live. We all need to be loved in purity but to get that we must first rewire and give that love to our self. FIRST FIRST FIRST
Print this out and read if each time you feel like eating and breath and search for real answers within.”
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