Raising Consciousness, Part II

Hi there. Today I want to present 3 images: the cadeuceus (on the right), the one below, called a taijitu, better known as yin and yang and one more, without an actual picture.

Notice that neither half of the taijitu is completely black or completely white. Theoretically, no one is completely bad or completely good. It also introduces the concept of "chi", or "life energy". You probably have realized by now the connection between ancient mythology and yoga, as discussed in my previous blog. The answer is of course, that yoga goes back hundreds, if not thousands of years. So too does a practice in China called chi gung, or qigong. It is similar to t'ai chi, which personally I find a lot easier to try than yoga - it's downright embarrassing watching me try to get down onto, and up off of, a floor mat.

Typically, a qigong practice involves rhythmic breathing, coordinated with slow, stylized repetition of fluid movement, and a calm mindful state. From a philosophical point of view, it is believed to help develop human potential, allow access to higher realms of awareness, and awaken one's true nature. Please note the phrase, "repetition" - I will come back to this in my next blog.

Did you pick up on the word "dynamic" in the previous blog? I like this word a lot. What other words can you think of that include this one? How about spacial dynamics, or bio-dynamics? I am going to try out spacial dynamics for the first time this Sunday after church, courtesy of one of our members, Les Tulloch, who will be presenting a workshop on this at the Living Gold conference, together with a colleague from Argentina.

I like the use of symbols, as they tend to be universally recognized, which is good when you are addressing someone who may not be entirely familiar with your own language. Numbers are also universal symbols. Another member of our church, Felix Scharnberg, introduced the concept of "fractals" to us awhile ago - positively fascinating. The image for this concept could be the spiral. It's a fact that our world could not exist without numbers, - even we as human beings would not exist. Think of the symbol for DNA.

This brings us to the second symbol, the caduceus. It is associated with the god Mercury, and the metal by the same name. In Greco-Roman times, this god stood for trade, commerce, negotiation, an equal exchange, or balance (this is what yin and yang is about as well - balance - it ties in nicely with our Living Gold conference, too). Under the Greek name, Hermes, he stood for initiation, shepherd, numbers, divine messenger, and mediator between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Now I want to give you the last symbol: the feathered serpent of ancient Mexico, Quetzalcoatl. He was the patron god of priesthood, learning, knowledge, and represented the evolution of human consciousness. One of our workshops during the conference will be on the Virgin of Guadalupe, presented by my friend, Stephanie Georgieff.

These are all just tidbits, which I hope will entice you to look into further. My final blog on this subject will be in a few days, around the 4th and last Sunday of Epiphany, where I hope to tie everything neatly together.

Wish me luck! or maybe I should say, Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Sparky