Taoism: Temples, Practise, and Philosophy
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Zen practitioners develop a sense of balance, as well as simplicity, order, and harmony. ... A central aspect of Zen is meditation. Zen is actually a Japanese term that is derived from the Chinese word “Ch'an.” Translated, it means concentration or meditation.
Work made with stock images and images of mine.
Stocks used:
13 different photos
New Orleans’ Preservation Hall was established in 1961 to honor one of America’s truest art forms – Traditional New Orleans Jazz. Operating as a music venue, a touring band, and a non-profit organization, Preservation Hall continues its mission today as a cornerstone of New Orleans music and culture.
Situated in the heart of the French Quarter on St. Peter Street, the Preservation Hall venue presents intimate, acoustic New Orleans Jazz concerts over 350 nights a year featuring ensembles from a current collective of 100+ local master practitioners. On any given night, audiences bear joyful witness to the evolution of this venerable and living tradition.
- preservationhall.com
Four terns posing, while working to perpetuate the species, a group of voyeurs, one practicing for when they have their opportunity, oh, and one photographer standing in the Atlantic Ocean to take their photograph.
Anastasia beach.
No, I don't remember taking this photo, or the series before, during, and after this event. But I was glad when I came across it 5 years later.
Royal terns.
I have over 100 folders of unprocessed photos from the past 6 years which I’m currently going through, this is one of the photos from that group. Many of these re-visit an already posted subject. I'm on folder 13 - that has 1428 photos! This photo was in the first 1/3 of that folder.
A fictional practitioner of magic.
Come with me now
I'm gonna show you how.
Afraid to lose control and get caught up in this world.
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath.
I think I've thought myself to death.
Come with me now.
Candid street shot, Bristol, UK.
Hair/Hat - Foxy - Maeve Hair (Natural Ombres)
Hairbase - Tableau Vivant - Genus Hairbase 02 (D)
Head - Genus - Babyface
Skin - Pumec - Cleo (Tone #5) Genus
Face Tattoo - Bus - Moon Child Tattoo (Genus)
Cheek Acc - La baguette - Cute Witch Stickers
Chest Tattoo - Rainbow Sundae - Basic Witch - Chest 02
Choker - Ama - Pentacle Collar (Black Silver)
Necklace - Reign - Moon Crystal Necklace - Silver
Dress - Pixicat - Banshee Dress - Black
Rings - Ama - Brigid Rings (Black Teal) Maitreya
Nails - Aleutia - SS17 Manicure Polish HUD (Purple)
Mini Cauldron Acc - Witchy Hands - #2 Magic Cauldron (Rare)
Decor -
Backdrop - Focus Poses - Witch Craft Room Backdrop (Edited)
Cabinet / Spellbook Stand - DRD - Spiritualists Shoppe
Wooden Chair - Jian - Witch's Recluse - Chair
Spider Chair / Potion Bottles - Ionic -
Table / Potion Cabinet / Potions /Book Pile / Flying Papers - Merak - Frozen in Time
Wall Pentacle / Hanging Herbs / Herb Bottles / Herb Drawers / Smudgesticks etc - Dust Bunny - Wiccan Artistry
Moon Box / Potion Bottles / Grimoire / Wand / Small Book etc - Kunst
Cauldron - Random Matter
Floating Candles - The Emporium - Magician's Candle (White)
(If I've missed something and you'd like to know where it is from, please just ask)
♥
My nurse practitioner recommends I walk at least one hour each day. While it's a 45 minute drive to Heber City, a walk along Deer Creek Reservoir is always worth the time. It was sunny on Saturday with a light breeze, and temperatures were in the high 20s.
I set up for a shot of the 1:00 Deer Creek Express just south of Soldier Hollow. If you look closely at the reservoir, the surface is only partially frozen. Under normal conditions, the entire reservoir is frozen over and ice fishing is everywhere. Our overall temperatures have been warmer than normal this season and average precipitation is down to 49% of normal. There is still time to build up the average before spring runoff, of course.
A fishmonger (historically fishwife for female practitioners) is someone who sells raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers can be wholesalers or retailers, and are trained at selecting and purchasing, handling, gutting, boning, filleting, displaying, merchandising and selling their product. In some countries modern supermarkets are replacing fishmongers who operate in shops or fish markets.
The fishmongers guild, one of the earliest guilds, was established in the City of London by a Royal Charter granted by Edward I shortly after he became king in 1272. Partnership with foreigners was forbidden and the sale of fish was tightly controlled to ensure freshness and restrain profit, which was limited to one penny in the shilling. Nevertheless, the guild grew rich and, after Edward's victory over the Scots, was able to make a great show, including one thousand mounted knights.
During the reign of Edward II, the political power of the fishmongers waned and Parliament decreed that no fishmonger could become mayor of the city. This was soon rescinded and their wealth increased further so that, during the reign of Edward III, the guild could provide £40 to the war against the French, this being a great sum at that time.
The guild was then reformed by Great Charter as the Mystery of the Fishmongers of London. They were given a monopoly over the crying and selling of fish and they regulated the catching of fish in the Thames which teemed with fish such as salmon at that time. The guild still continues today as one of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies.
In many countries, the fishwife was proverbial for her sharp tongue and outspoken speech. In Medieval France, the ones in Paris were known for their special privilege of being able to speak frankly to the King himself, when he ventured into the marketplace, and voice criticism without fear of punishment.
Molly Malone is a character from a popular Irish song about a young fishwife who tragically dies at a young age.
Charles Fort in his book Lo! compiles the story of the Mad Fishmonger or "St. Fishmonger", which later may or may not appear in the Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. St. Fishmonger allegedly caused crabs and periwinkles to fall from the sky.
In the English translation of the Asterix series, the village fishmonger is called Unhygienix. In the film The Beach, the Island's chef has only fish as a source of meat, and is named Unhygienix in reference to the Asterix character.
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, some contend that the word fishmonger was a euphemism for a "fleshmonger" or pimp. Source Wikipedia.
TD : Agfapan 100 Professional 35mm film, developed in D-76 1+1 for 7 minutes. Exposure ISO 100 @35mm lens, natural daylight. Scanned with Alpha 6000 edited in ACR, inverted in CS6.
A yoga practitioner holds an expressive inverted pose with hands pressed together above the head, creating a graceful study of symmetry, flexibility, and balance. The monochrome treatment emphasizes the flowing lines of the body and the quiet sense of concentration, transforming the pose into an image of inner calm and mindful strength.
It's funny seeing buses again in the town centre but with the Bus Station most part closed we can all enjoy this once regular scene. Once again it's a jepg edit which is quicker and good quality.
As a practitioner of old ocean magic, and the paragon of aqua corpus transmogrification, Karklin dwells within his sea swell abode, protecting and collecting various magical items from across the seven seas.
Built as a part of #TimeforCrab 2024!
Join in on the fun with your own lego crab!
1. Build a crab
2. Post your crab with the tag #TimeforCrab
3. Repeat!
Nurse practitioner Nan Madden and Pediatrician Dr. Greg Melnick at the pre clinic.
Cebu City Team Members Rotary Philippines "cleft lip" "cleft palate" surgery children volunteers Canada USA ward recovery "operating room" nurses doctors surgeons anethetists pediatrician cebuano service helping "service above self" volunteer rotarians
"Know your role, know your place and where to be. Sharpen yourself everyday till that opportunity presents itself."
- Ren
Ma, Wai Chung Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner (and his father, also a very well known Chinese Medicine Practitioner) was pretty well known back in the prime time. Unfortunately, their property needed to be reconstruct due to its old age as the building is almost 70 years old, and seems like they have nowhere to go.
Rolleiflex Xenotar 2.8F
Kodak Ektar
June 2023
Ps: minor adjustment in Photoshop
‘roots, language and social norms have been three of the most important parts of the definition of what it is to be a
human being. The migrant, denied all three, is obliged to find new ways of describing himself, new ways of being human.’
From Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism,Salman Rushdie
Encounter with a ‘Japanese Doll’ practitioner, Dalston, London
An LBM growing in moss. Such a little cuite I don't even care much that I have no ID. OM 90mm at f4 or so.
The uniform of medical practitioners during the Great Plague of the 1600s. The strange appearance is the result of the erroneous belief that the plague was caused by 'foul air.' To counter this, the 'beak' of the mask would be filled with herbs and spices which would 'filter' the air like an early gas mask. However, this made communication very difficult, so the plague doctor would use a 'wand' or staff to issue instructions. They would also often prescribe odd medicines, such as spiders and toads (whose skin absorbs air and water) and even a urine bath.
Of-course, in reality, the bubonic plague is caused by flea bites that lived on the many rats in cities at this time. Ironically though, plague doctors were protected by their uniforms, but not for the reasons they thought. The mask came with a thick leather overcoat and gloves, which somewhat protected the wearer from flea bites to a degree.
a signature collection campaign for a petition against the harvesting of organs from Falun Dafa practitioners in China (dafoh.org)
It is the Age of Steam...
Deep in the darkest depths of Yorkshire lives Dr Frankenstein.
He resides in a luxurious country mansion where he masquerades as a respectable medical practitioner. When night falls however, he spends most of his time doing experiments on cadavers, perfecting their reanimation.
Dr. Frankenstein
Victor trained formally as a practioner of medicine and then later on as coroner. His interest in science and particularly in the research of the cycle of life and death, resulted him becoming some what of an introvert. Spending more and more time in his lab and less and less time seeing patients, The Doctor became renowned for his ability to perform complicated and often life saving surgery with the greatest of ease. So much so that the villagers who lived nearby turn a blind eye to some of his more obvious eccentricities. Indeed such was his familiarity with the inner workings of the human body he was able to accrue a vast fortune from selling anatomical guides and operational procedures to the wider medical community.
"Mr Igor"
The Doctor's faithful manservant. A "fellow" recruited from the scrapheap of broken men back from the war with Muscovy, he travels the countryside looking for organ or limb donors who want to assist the Good Doctor with his experiments. It's most unfortunate that at times, the people donating the organs still need them ( It's all in the name of science you understand)...
The Monster
Dr Frankensteins' greatest achievement is the reconstruction and reanimation of his dearly departed brother Adam. Killed in the war with Muscovy, his internal organs have been replaced with clockwork pumps and machinations. Fitting all those parts into Adam's wretched and mutilated body proved to difficult so using a patchwork of donor parts and a reinforced extemded brass skeleton the monster was born. Frankenstein believes Adam's consciousness is still locked away inside the monsters brain, but as of yet his experiments to restore his brothers identity have proved futile.
Madam Auderville
Madam Auderville is the only servant who has remained loyal to the doctor upon finding out his true nature. This is most probably why she is still alive and the rest have ended up on the mortuary slab. she takes good care of the Mansion and ensures at least outwardly that the place appears normal and without cobwebs (much to Mr Igor's disdain).
Photo by Gmanvespa as always!
Megastovepipehat and crazy arms by V&A Steamworks
A portrait shot of a member of the black.d.o.t_. performing group, seul_dew, just before their Taekwondo and Korean calligraphy performance at the Our Tampines Hub during the Korean Travel Fair 2023.
As a practitioner of Taekwondo, she wears the dobok, the uniform that is usually worn by practitioners of Korean martial arts.
Vancouver Falun Gong practitioners often gather at the Vancouver Art Gallery north plaza for speeches and to protest persecution in China.
It has been 20 years since the Chinese government branded Falun Gong as a cult.
The persecution of Falun Gong is the anti-religious campaign initiated in 1999 by the Communist Party of China to eliminate the spiritual practice of Falun Gong in China.
China maintains a doctrine of state atheism.
Falun Gong practitioners who were imprisoned in China's detention centres and labour camps report undergoing unexplained medical examinations and blood tests as a precursor to live organ harvesting.
Branded a heretical organization by Beijing, Falun Gong’s members are increasingly being harassed in Canada by Chinese diplomatic officials and other agents.
Beijing’s long arm can be seen influencing Canadian politicians at the local and national levels, as well as infiltrating civil society and community events to keep an eye on practitioners.
Built in the 10th Century by two practitioners of Tantric Buddhism it is located in the most fantastic geological folds and schist's rock surroundings and popularly called MOONSCAPE and it certainly looks like an alien planet..
Lamayuru also marks the meeting place of the Great Himalayan Wall & of the East Karakorum Ranges.
I've been through Lamayaru 5 times over the last couple of years but such is the play of light in Ladakh that I've never once seen the the landscape remain same as each time a different color would burst out of an unseen vein of minerals with the changing light of the day.. .. It is always different but never fails to makes you gasp in awe each time you pass through or decide to stay...
The gompa itself has been undergoing renovations for the last 2 years and now is restored completely with newly painted frescoes
Lamayuru is located in between Bodhkharbu and Kha-la-che, on a steep rock mountain. It lies at a distance of approximately 127 km to the west of Leh town. It belongs to the Red-Hat sect of Buddhism and houses approximately 150 Buddhist monks. The monastery is made up of a number of shrines and also has a very rich collection of thankas and magnificent wall paintings. At the outset, the Monastery consisted of five buildings, out of which only the central one exists today.
Every year the Gompa plays host a masked dance, which takes place on the 17th and 18th day of the 5th month of Tibetan lunar calendar. The monks from the monasteries of the nearby areas also come to take part in the celebrations.
There is an interesting legend associated with the gompa It is said that the Lamayuru Valley used to be a clear lake, at the time of Sakhyamuni (the Historical Buddha). And, Nags (holy serpents) used to reside in the lake.
Bodhisattva Madhyantaka had once a prediction quite a long time back that the lake would eventually be dried, making way for the construction of a Buddhist monastery. The legend moves further to state that Mahasiddhacharya Naropa, an 11th century Indian Buddhist scholar, sat in meditation for a number of years in one of the caves in Dukhang. He was the one who caused a crack in the hillside surrounding the lake.
Through this crack, the lake started draining. When the lake dried out, the scholar found a dead lion lying inside it. On the same spot, where he found the tiger, he constructed the first temple of the area, known as the Singhe Ghang (Lion Mound).
Another legend has it that the building of Lamayuru Monastery was constructed, as per the instructions of King of Ladakh, under the direction of Rinchen Zangpo, the Translator ( and a protector manifestation of Padmasambhava. After this, the monastery came under the administration of the Zhwa-mar-pa (Red Hats).
Later, Dharmaraja Jamyang Namgial offered the monastery to Chosje Danma. And this led to the observance of the rituals of the Digung Kargyud School, with the monastery being renamed as Yungdrung Tharpaling. Today, the Lamayuru Monastery is served by the successive reincarnations of Skyabsje Toldan Rinpoche. and remains one of the oldest schools of Tibetan Buddhism along with Samye Monastery in Tibet..
A welcoming serenade for new arrivals at the walkways up to the Acropolis, by a practitioner of the Bouzouki.
LV63 LLX London Ambulance Service 8120 Advanced Paramedic Practitioner Skoda Octavia 4WD Rapid Response Vehicle
Maya rulers and religious practitioners communed with the spirit world when they needed guidance and support. Shamans and rulers undertook vision quests to open the portal to the supernatural realm, mediate with the gods, and summon potent spirit forces. To aid their journeys, practitioners burned incense or ingested mind-altering substances. This vessel depicts a Maya ruler engaged in a vision quest. He sits in his lavish throne room, surrounded by attendants or visitors, and gazes into an obsidian divination mirror. The glyphs include personal names, possibly of those pictured in the scene or original owner of this object, and the symbol for "yellow cacao food".
Maya, 700-800 CE, Lago Petén Itzá, Guatemala.
6 7/8 x 5 1/16 x 5 1/16 in. (17.5 x 12.8 x 12.8 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, de Young Museum (78.41)
The uniform of medical practitioners during the Great Plague of the 1600s. The strange appearance is the result of the erroneous belief that the plague was caused by 'foul air.' To counter this, the 'beak' of the mask would be filled with herbs and spices which would 'filter' the air like an early gas mask. However, this made communication very difficult, so the plague doctor would use a 'wand' or staff to issue instructions. They would also often prescribe odd medicines, such as spiders and toads (whose skin absorbs air and water) and even a urine bath.
Of-course, in reality, the bubonic plague is caused by flea bites that lived on the many rats in cities at this time. Ironically though, plague doctors were protected by their uniforms, but not for the reasons they thought. The mask came with a thick leather overcoat and gloves, which somewhat protected the wearer from flea bites to a degree.
Happy Halloween Peeps.
SADHU
SMOKING HASHISH
mystic, an ascetic, practitioner of yoga (yogi) and/or wandering monks. The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life, moksha (liberation), through meditation and contemplation of Brahman. Sadhus often wear ochre-colored clothing, symbolizing renunciation.
'Sādhu!' is also a Sanskrit and Pali term used as an exclamation for something well done.
The Sanskrit terms sādhu ("good man") and sādhvī ("good woman") refer to renouncers who have chosen to live a life apart from or on the edges of society in order to focus on their own spiritual practice.
The words come from the Sanskrit root sādh, which means "reach one's goal", "make straight", or "gain power over" The same root is used in the word sādhana, which means "spiritual practice".
Sadhu smoking charas,a common practice amongst Sadhus(mostly Shaivite) to suppress,& eventually destroy their sexual desire;and just concentrate on meditation.
Sadhus are sanyasi, or renunciates, who have left behind all material and sexual attachments and live in caves, forests and temples all over India.
BENARES
Photography’s new conscience
Cornelis Dusart (Dutch, 1660-1704)
The Quack was a common theme in 17th-century Dutch art and is here represented by the Kopster. Her funnel as a hat and the clyster in the assistant’s belt signals their quackery. Using the light available from the window, the village surgeon treats the wound, clearly painful, as the patient’s wife watches. He is surrounded by the instruments of his trade including a scalpel, dressings, salves and a bleeding bowl.
-Jonathan Meakins
The uniform of medical practitioners during the Great Plague of the 1600s. The strange appearance is the result of the erroneous belief that the plague was caused by 'foul air.' To counter this, the 'beak' of the mask would be filled with herbs and spices which would 'filter' the air like an early gas mask. However, this made communication very difficult, so the plague doctor would use a 'wand' or staff to issue instructions. They would also often prescribe odd medicines, such as spiders and toads (whose skin absorbs air and water) and even a urine bath.
Of-course, in reality, the bubonic plague is caused by flea bites that lived on the many rats in cities at this time. Ironically though, plague doctors were protected by their uniforms, but not for the reasons they thought. The mask came with a thick leather overcoat and gloves, which somewhat protected the wearer from flea bites to a degree.
Plague Doctor Urbex at Huncoat Power Station. Colour Image made B&W then manipulated into a true B&W graphic. Modified back into a half graphic, half colour, half photographic image.
medical practitioner prays between patients in the suburb of Ghouta. Ghouta's health sector has been devastated by the four year blockade, which restricts even basic medicines and supplies. Imagine taking your sick child to the hospital only to leave with no treatment.
Who is left for you to turn to but God?
This photo was taken in an indoor kyūdō training hall of the Chiba University-Japan, using an Olympus Zuiko fast lens. Kyūdō is a kind of traditional Japanese archery (弓道).
Olympus OM10
Zuiko Auto-S 50mm/1.4
Kodak Ultramax400
Epson Perfection 2400
This position would be especially logical if one believed that the fluids themselves were being recycled to nourish body tissues.The future has always been surprising. The body is loaded with 100% optimism. It’s just like you don’t have any timeTaoist alchemy and Kundalini yoga, in their respective ways, are religious traditions based on an imperative of rational, yet creative,experimentation with the relationship of the internal body to objects in the outside world, and the relationship of human physical energy with the abstracted realms of religious symbolism and ontological beliefs. Both systems present a picture which is not entirely comprehensive by the methods and assumptions of modern science. Yet these types of traditions may have something useful to teach us, if we can analyze their beliefs and practices within the historical and cultural context in an effort to understand them as they were, and as they are, within their individual cultural framework. Scientific methods such as neurobiology can give us some insight into the basic underlying causes of human experience, yet will never be able to fully explain the phenomenological idiosyncrasies of religious ritual. With this in mind, we can apply the knowledge of modern science to the study of ancient religious in a responsible and realistic way. Taoist and Tantric sexual practices conserve and utilize the precious energy within the genital fluids. The vital forces energies that sustain life are ojas and prana. One particular type of prana is kundalini or shakti. The Taoist equivalent is ching. By murmuring this energy, life is enriched and preserved. By squandering it, health suffers and death results, Yogys believe kundalini energy is coiled up like a serpent at the base of the spine to the pineal gland in the brain, and enlightenment is attained. The kundalini energy flows through the chakras, energy centers in your subtle body related to the endocrine glands. The endocrine glands are fed by your body’s central heating system, the sexual center. If that center is weak, you entire system is weak. If that center is functioning optimally, the body can survive indefinitely. Taoist and Tantric techniques strengthen the sexual chakra. Their methods conserve its precious fluids and also pump these nourishing fluids back into the body, directing them to the endocrine glands. This technique stimulates the production of ojas and soma. The only caution about Taoist and Tantric sexual practices is the following: because of the tradition of patriarchal oppression, many of theses practices are designed solely for the male to attain immortality, often at the expense of young, ignorant, inexperienced girls, whose vitality {shakti } is drained from their bodies. The male is cautioned to never let semen leave his body, to practice coitus reservatus, stopping short of ejaculation. Yet he is advised to bring his partner to orgasm repeatedly. With his sperm held in check and his vital energy pumping back into his system continually, he invigorates and rejuvenates his body. Also pumping the energy and fluids of the female into his body at the time of her climax, he obtains her vitality as well. Practitioners are advised to engage in this female-draining activity a dozen or more times a day with several 14-to 19 year old virgins. Innocent females are victims of this crime against their health, driving them to early grave.
On other hand, when both partners ate fully knowledgeable and experienced in Taoist or Tantric sexual practices, a mutually beneficial, enriching, elevating relationship can growth is only possible with mutual respect, love, honesty, commitment, and trust. When partners recognize and worship each other as divines beings, there can be an exchange of divine energy in both body and Spirit.How does this move in the body? If we cannot see it, does it really exist? Science is only just getting a few tests going that prove energy is in the body and around it. Is it real what the Ancient wisdoms teach us? Can it guide us to oneness and conscious awakening?
It has been a long road for those in the energy field of health getting the message across to the general population that energy is everywhere, particularly in the body. With proof, barriers seem a lot easier to free up. Oriental medicine and Ayurvedic medicine are the clearest and longest standing observational sciences that describe and fully believe that energy exists as long as 5000 years ago. Both have movement medicine in the forms of Yoga and Qigong.
As I already discussed in the previous article Bring the energy home, there is a cycle called the Microcosmic cycle which when experienced connects the front and back energy meridians. Also called the Governing and Conception channels, in Oriental medicine a further 12 major channels exist that run up and down the body through the limbs, arms and legs (6 Yin and 6 Yang).These energies connect to the sun (yang) and moon (yin) influences. Predominantly yang energy in the morning and more yin energies in the afternoon, changing again after midnight. Then more yang energies developing until we awake and the body starts to function optimally again in the awakened state.The logograph 氣 is read with two Chinese pronunciations, the usual qì 氣 "air; vital energy" and the rare archaic xì 氣 "to present food" (later disambiguated with 餼). Pronunciations of 氣 in modern varieties of Chinese with standardized IPA equivalents include: Standard Chinese qì /t͡ɕʰi⁵¹/, Wu Chinese qi /t͡ɕʰi³⁴/, Southern Min khì /kʰi²¹/, Eastern Min ké /kʰɛi²¹³/, Standard Cantonese hei3 /hei̯³³/, and Hakka Chinese hi /hi⁵⁵/. Pronunciations of 氣 in Sino-Xenic borrowings include: Japanese ki, Korean gi, and Vietnamese khi. Reconstructions of the Middle Chinese pronunciation of 氣 standardized to IPA transcription include: /kʰe̯iH/ (Bernard Karlgren), /kʰĭəiH/ (Wang Li), /kʰiəiH/ (Li Rong), /kʰɨjH/ (Edwin Pulleyblank), and /kʰɨiH/ (Zhengzhang Shangfang). Reconstructions of the Old Chinese pronunciation of 氣 standardized to IPA transcription include: /*kʰɯds/ (Zhengzhang Shangfang) and /*C.qʰəp-s/ (William H. Baxter and Laurent Sagart). The etymology of qì interconnects with Kharia kʰis "anger", Sora kissa "move with great effort", Khmer kʰɛs "strive after; endeavor", and Gyalrongic kʰɐs "anger".The earliest texts that speak of qi give some indications of how the concept developed. In the Analects of Confucius qi could mean "breath". Combining it with the Chinese word for blood (making 血氣, xue–qi, blood and breath), the concept could be used to account for motivational characteristics:
The [morally] noble man guards himself against 3 things. When he is young, his xue–qi has not yet stabilized, so he guards himself against sexual passion. When he reaches his prime, his xue–qi is not easily subdued, so he guards himself against combativeness. When he reaches old age, his xue–qi is already depleted, so he guards himself against acquisitiveness.— Confucius, Analects, 16:7
The philosopher Mozi used the word qi to refer to noxious vapors that would in eventually arise from a corpse were it not buried at a sufficient depth. He reported that early civilized humans learned how to live in houses to protect their qi from the moisture that troubled them when they lived in caves. He also associated maintaining one's qi with providing oneself with adequate nutrition. In regard to another kind of qi, he recorded how some people performed a kind of prognostication by observing qi (clouds) in the sky. Mencius described a kind of qi that might be characterized as an individual's vital energies. This qi was necessary to activity and it could be controlled by a well-integrated willpower.page needed] When properly nurtured, this qi was said to be capable of extending beyond the human body to reach throughout the universe. It could also be augmented by means of careful exercise of one's moral capacities.[14] On the other hand, the qi of an individual could be degraded by adverse external forces that succeed in operating on that individual. Living things were not the only things believed to have qi. Zhuangzi indicated that wind is the qi of the Earth.Moreover, cosmic yin and yang "are the greatest of qi".He described qi as "issuing forth" and creating profound effects.[15] He also said "Human beings are born [because of] the accumulation of qi. When it accumulates there is life. When it dissipates there is death... There is one qi that connects and pervades everything in the world." Another passage traces life to intercourse between Heaven and Earth: "The highest Yin is the most restrained. The highest Yang is the most exuberant. The restrained comes forth from Heaven. The exuberant issues forth from Earth. The two intertwine and penetrate forming a harmony, and [as a result] things are born." The Guanzi essay Neiye (Inward Training) is the oldest received writing on the subject of the cultivation of vapor [qi] and meditation techniques. The essay was probably composed at the Jixia Academy in Qi in the late fourth century B.C. Xun Zi, another Confucian scholar of the Jixia Academy, followed in later years. At 9:69/127, Xun Zi says, "Fire and water have qi but do not have life. Grasses and trees have life but do not have perceptivity. Fowl and beasts have perceptivity but do not have yi (sense of right and wrong, duty, justice). Men have qi, life, perceptivity, and yi." Chinese people at such an early time had no concept of radiant energy, but they were aware that one can be heated by a campfire from a distance away from the fire. They accounted for this phenomenon by claiming "qi" radiated from fire. At 18:62/122, he also uses "qi" to refer to the vital forces of the body that decline with advanced age. Among the animals, the gibbon and the crane were considered experts at inhaling the qi. The Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu (ca. 150 BC) wrote in Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals:[17] "The gibbon resembles a macaque, but he is larger, and his color is black. His forearms being long, he lives eight hundred years, because he is expert in controlling his breathing." ("猿似猴。大而黑。長前臂。所以壽八百。好引氣也。") Later, the syncretic text assembled under the direction of Liu An, the Huai Nan Zi, or "Masters of Huainan", has a passage that presages most of what is given greater detail by the Neo-Confucians: Heaven (seen here as the ultimate source of all being) falls (duo 墮, i.e., descends into proto-immanence) as the formless. Fleeting, fluttering, penetrating, amorphous it is, and so it is called the Supreme Luminary. The dao begins in the Void Brightening. The Void Brightening produces the universe (yu–zhou). The universe produces qi. Qi has bounds. The clear, yang [qi] was ethereal and so formed heaven. The heavy, turbid [qi] was congealed and impeded and so formed earth. The conjunction of the clear, yang [qi] was fluid and easy. The conjunction of the heavy, turbid [qi] was strained and difficult. So heaven was formed first and earth was made fast later. The pervading essence (xi–jing) of heaven and earth becomes yin and yang. The concentrated (zhuan) essences of yin and yang become the four seasons. The dispersed (san) essences of the four seasons become the myriad creatures. The hot qi of yang in accumulating produces fire. The essence (jing) of the fire-qi becomes the sun. The cold qi of yin in accumulating produces water. The essence of the water-qi becomes the moon. The essences produced by coitus (yin) of the sun and moon become the stars and celestial markpoints (chen, planets).— Huai-nan-zi, 3:1a/19 Characters In Yoga they talk of Ida and Pingala channels and a central channel called Sushumna with very many Nadis connecting our energy back to our Chakras. This Kundalini shakti energy moving systematically when ready to the top most Chakra Sahasara and then connects to the Supreme shiva and universe.
This energy is also affected by our emotions, the food we eat, and how we move this energy i.e. with Qigong and Yoga and how well we relax. Learning these skills help develop and refine this energy and maintain a storage where we can then start to develop longevity and preserve our inherited energy from our family.We are also affected energetically by our environment, particularly magnetic waves, microwaves sonic waves, radio waves, TV signals, mobile phones and so on. The long term effect has not been fully understood, our body’s energy is at the mercy of these frequencies unless we learn energy techniques to take control of these movements and redirect the flow. Managing our bodies and its needs sometimes can feel overwhelming but with the correct help and attitude we can soon feel the benefits of repeated Qi flow and awakened consciousness.
Yoga also uses movement to connect ourselves to the universe. We can learn so much from these practices about our bodies and how to get into a flow that benefits mind, body, and spirit. My experience when studying Kundalini Yoga was a very powerful one. Kundalini is known as the mother Yoga and when followed by its principles and ancient wisdom, allows for natural movement of the Kundalini. This is a simple but effective Yoga, often postures being held and breath sequences and Bhandas used to help move energy. Meditations and Mantras with Mudras further help reconnect the spirit and open us to the universal oneness. Both Qigong and Yoga have deep understanding of our energetic connections and make use of techniques and principles that guide us safely back to our spiritual home and beyond. Having studied and experienced both of these models extensively, I feel privileged to have great teachers and the opportunity to pass onto others these great energy healersIn Hindu philosophy including yoga, Indian medicine, and martial arts, Prana (प्राण, prāṇa; the Sanskrit word for "life force" or "vital principle")[1] comprises all cosmic energy, permeating the Universe on all levels. Prana is often referred to as the "life force" or "life energy".[not verified in body] It also includes energies present in inanimate objects.[not verified in body] In the Hindu literature, prana is sometimes described as originating from the Sun and connecting the elements of the Universe. This life energy has been vividly invoked and described in the ancient Vedas and Upanishads.[not verified in body. In living beings, this universal energy is considered responsible for all bodily functions through five types of prana, collectively known as the five vāyus. Ayurveda, tantra and Tibetan medicine all describe praṇā vāyu as the basic vāyu from which all the other vāyus arise. Indologist Georg Feuerstein explains, "The Chinese call it chi, the Polynesians mana, the Amerindians orenda, and the ancient Germans od. It is an all-pervasive 'organic' The ancient concept of prana is described in many early Hindu texts, including Upanishads and Vedas. One of the earliest references to prana is from the 3,000-year-old Chandogya Upanishad, but many other Upanishads also make use of the concept, including the Katha, Mundaka and Prasna Upanishads. The concept is elaborated upon in great detail in the practices and literature of haṭha yoga, tantra,and Ayurveda. Prana is typically divided into multiple constituent parts, in particular when concerned with the human body. While not all early sources agree on the names or number of these subdivisions, the most common list from the Mahabharata, the Upanishads, Ayurvedic and Yogic sources includes five, often divided into further subcategories.This list includes: Prana (inward moving energy), apana (outward moving energy), vyana (circulation of energy), udana (energy of the head and throat), and samana (digestion and assimilation).[citation needed] Early mention of specific pranas often emphasized prāṇa, apāna and vyāna as "the three breaths". This can be seen in the proto-yogic traditions of the Vratyas among others.[6]:104 Texts like the Vaikānasasmārta utilized the five pranas as an internalization of the five sacrificial fires of a panchagni homa ceremony.[6]:111–112 Vāyus
Poren Huang (Chinese: 黃柏仁, born 1970), a Taiwanese sculptor, was born in Taichung, located in central Taiwan. His grandfather and parents engaged in wood carving business.During the 1970s, Poren Huang's father, Mingde Huang, had a successful wood carving industry and huge export volume. As a major wood carving factory in Taiwan,the factory employed more than 100 craftsmen to produce wood handicrafts during peak seasons. Mingde Huang expected his son Poren Huang to inherit the family business, but Poren Huang preferred artistic creation to wood handicraft production, resulting in years of differences between the father and son. In 2005, Poren Huang fully expressed his ideas through his series of works, The Dog's Notes. Although he and his father held different viewpoints, he highly values family interaction. He focused on mending his family relationship before pursuing his personal ambition, and some of his works in The Dog's Notes strongly convey enlightenment and morality.After World War II, with the recovery of the global economy, prosperity and focus on human rights, the hard work of the previous generation is often reciprocated with the disregard, self-centeredness, mockery and impiety of the next generation. In The Dog's Notes, Poren Huang added the quality of loyalty and kindness to purify the human heart and create positive influence.Using the dog as a creative starting point, each piece of work is suggestive of the "human". About 10% to 90% of the works borrow from the dog to explore various human behaviors. Modern people generally feel kindly toward dogs because of their ability to soothe. Therefore, Poren Huang uses the dog as his creative theme to convey positive traits such as self-confidence, courage, loyalty or innocence, and to provoke in people deeper thoughts as they come in contact with his work. Many people are first attracted by the amusing forms; however, after a period of contact and interaction with the pieces, they seem to sense the deeper significance and remain inspired by positive ideas and thoughts. There are primarily two types of animals that appear in The Dog's Notes, the dog and the panda. They share a common characteristic of being humanized. These animals do not appear completely animal-like under Poren Huang's sculpting, but instead, they appear to have the scent of a human. That is why viewers tend to stand in front of the artwork and stare for quite a long time, unwittingly; perhaps it is because they did not get an affirmative answer as to whether the artwork is human or animal? When the dog and the panda enter the human's environment, they naturally learn to cohabitate with humans. They lose the wild nature of being wild animals, and become more humanized. People are the same way. Poren Huang wishes that humans can be more inspired by the dogs, and to learn the positive characters found in dogs, such as innocence, loyalty, kindness, bravery, and being passionate. Much like the Chinese proverb, "The son does not despise the mother for being ugly, and the dog does not blame the owner for being poor"; the dog will not despite the owner, and will not leave the owner, instead he will spend the rest of his life by his owner's side. Humans, on the other hand are different. They might look down on others or alienate others. They might even become disrespectful toward parents. The selfishness of humans causes wars and unrest in the world. Therefore, Poren Huang is not just creating artworks of animals, but instead, he is making his sculptures more humanized, so that the viewers can naturally reflect and be inspired. In addition, Poren Huang's humanized works of art also have a little bit of the "Oriental Literati" essence. Although these artworks will have various emotions, but they are never too intense, and are never over the top. Just like Ang Lee, Xi Jinping, Yo-Yo Ma, Jeremy Lin, as well as other generally well-known Chinese, whose personalities are perhaps the same way, which is gentle and refined, and with the modesty of a gentleman. Much like the Eastern literai who are well read of poetry and literature, their emotions are not easily shown; they are more restrained, and are full of character and depth.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poren_Huang
Francois Gachon is an advertising agent of the By Chance agency and a watercolourist graduated from the school of applied arts, he painted this subtle body that I have inlaid in the photo. Poren Huang considered this collage to be very artistic.The wallpaper is a painting by Paul Gauguin named Delightful Land... Te nave nave nave nave fenua, 1892
Specialist Practitioner Unit and Emergency Support Unit to the left. VW Transporter T6 HL 4motion to the right. Scottish Ambulance Service, Special Operations Response Teams (SORT) (HART)
Kenny Hill takes its name from Dr William Kenny and early doctor who serviced the Campbelltown area.
Known as the Racing Doctor Dr Kenny enjoyed a better reputation for his efforts on the race track in preference to his skills as a medical practitioner.
He also had the dubious honour of being the supervisor of floggings at Campbelltown Gaol.
Currans Hill, New South Wales, Australia,
This practitioner of a voodoo cult called Bwiti is holding court in Abongo village near Lambarene, Gabon, Central Africa.
One of the best known practitioners of spirit photography was William Mumler. In the 1860s he was one of the first photographers to claim the ability to record "extras" of departed spirits in photographs. He was prosecuted but never convicted of fraud.
This is one of two cdvs by Mumler in our collection. An extra stands behind a man and hands him a cross. Since the man looks down at the cross and subjects in spirit photographs most often seem unaware of the extras around them it seems likely that he is a medium with the ability to see the extras.
* New Information: To our delight there is a reproduction of the same image in Kaplan's book The Strange Case of William Mumler. It is from the Getty Museum and identifies the man as Harry Gordon.
From the internet we learn the Henry C. Gordon (also know as Harry Gordon) was the first American medium credited with levitation in February of 1851.