Autumn Moon Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is usually around late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date when the moon is at its brightest, fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake (pictured above), of which there are many different varieties. Traditional mooncakes have a filling made from lotus seeds as well as an egg yolk in the center - symbolic of the full moon.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the few most important holidays in the Chinese calendar, the others being Winter Solstice and Chinese New Year, and it is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomelos together. Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as eating mooncakes outside under the moon and carrying brightly lit lanterns.
The Autumn Moon Festival is associated with many legends. Here is one that appears in written form in two Western Han dynasty (206 BCE-24 BCE) collections; Shan Hai Jing, the Classic of the Mountains and Seas and Huainanzi, a philosophical classic.
Houyi was an immortal, while Chang'e was a beautiful young girl, working in the Jade Emperor's Palace as the attendant to the Queen Mother of the West, just before her marriage. One day, Houyi aroused the jealousy of the other immortals, who then slandered him before the Jade Emperor. Houyi and his wife, Chang'e, were subsequently banished from heaven, and forced to live by hunting on earth. He became a famous archer.
Now at this time, there were 10 suns, in the form of three-legged birds residing in a mulberry tree in the eastern sea; each day one of the sun birds would have to travel around the world on a carriage, driven by Xihe, the 'mother' of the suns. One day, all 10 of the suns circled together, causing the earth to burn. Emperor Yao, the Emperor of China, commanded Houyi to shoot down all but one of the suns. Upon the completion of his task, the Emperor rewarded Houyi with a pill that granted eternal life, and advised him: "Make no haste to swallow this pill; first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year". Houyi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter, while he began healing his spirit. While Houyi was healing his spirit, Houyi was summoned again by the emperor. Chang'e, noticing a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters, discovered the pill, which she swallowed. Immediately, she found that she could fly. At that moment, Houyi returned home, and, realizing what had happened, began to reprimand her. Chang'e flew out the window into the sky.
With a bow in hand, Houyi sped after her, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Houyi had to return to the Earth because of the force of the wind. Chang'e reached the moon, and breathless, she coughed. Part of the pill fell out from her mouth. Now, the hare was already on the moon, and Chang'e commanded the animal to make another pill from it, so that she could return to earth to her husband.
As of today, the hare is still pounding herbs, trying to make the pill. As for Houyi, he built himself a palace in the sun as "Yang" (the male principle), with Chang'e as "Yin" (the female principle). Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Houyi visits his wife. That is why, that night, the moon is full and beautiful.
BE Your Dream
Be Your Dream
Stay connected to these nine things on your dream journey:
- BE you: There is only one you. You are a gift, an original, no one else is qualified for the job! We need you. So embrace the world with your own genuine style, do it your way, show us a new way and leave your mark on the world.
- BElieve in yourself: Let go of fear and let your skills, talent and ideas shine. If you believe in yourself, you will do the thing that you dream to do.
- BE passionate: Go for it, live life like it matters, put your heart into everything you do, feel life, taste life, hear it and celebrate it.
- BElong: Join organizations, clubs and groups whose ideas, friendship and values mean something to you.
- BEgin today: Every day is an opportunity to dream, to learn something or discover something or someplace new.
- BE curious: Play, go out on a limb, walk a new way to work, try a new food at dinner and keep learning and growing.
- BEdazzle with your smile and laughter. Laughter is an instant vacation. Have fun, play and enjoy life. Fill the room with sunshine and that beautiful smile, and remember a smile is a little curve that straightens everything out.
- BEhave like it's your last day on the planet. Live in the moment, celebrate you and the people you love. Connect, hug, tell people that you appreciate them, sleep late or get up early. Watch the sun rise or set. Use your senses and taste, hear and see the beauty all around you.
- BEcome what you dream to be. Set goals, identify what matters, focus on where you want to go and go there. You are in the driver's seat—you are not the passenger when it comes to following your dreams. You are in charge, so take a detour, take the back roads, get lost or decide your dream has changed. Just be sure you stay on the dream journey.
(Artist Sandra Magsamen shared these nine things you can do to not only pursue your dream but be your dream.
Thank you for the reminder Sandra!)
Autumn Divides
| 180° | 秋分 qiūfēn | September 22, 2009 | autumnal equinox | literally: central divide of autumn |
Ener-Qi Boost
Qigong is one of the most powerful self healing traditions ever developed in human history. It is literally a health wonder of the world and anyone can do it. Its movements are simple yet very effective — studies have found that practicing Qigong reduces stress; improves balance and coordination; increases flexibility, ease of motion, and strength; improves body awareness; burns calories; and enhances mental well-being. (That's some list!)
Qigong movements are performed in a position that helps strengthen the back and improve posture. Another important element of the practice is to breathe in a slow, controlled fashion — not unlike the breathing you do during meditation or yoga. Together, these elements make practicing Qigong a good way to wind down at the end of a long day.
So where can you learn Qigong? At our studio of course - The Gentle Spirit: Healing Arts for Inner Peace in Hellertown, PA. Even if you usually shy away from exercise classes, you may want to try Qigong since the classes are slower-paced and noncompetitive.
Touched By An Angel
Stressed Out?
Stress is not having things be the way we would like them to be and happiness is accepting them the way they are. Stress shows up in all of our lives to some extent or another. I would like to speak today about the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy approach to stress management.
We all experience stress in our lives. Sometimes it can be unnoticed because it is so ingrained in our lives that it seems to be a part of who we are. Other times it manifests as illnesses, pain, insomnia and emotional disorders. Then we often seek medical help and work to treat the effect and not the cause.
Often it is triggered by transition, loss, weight gain, economic issues or feeling trapped in a life or job that doesn’t seem to fit who we are anymore.
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is an approach that exposes the cause of stress and lets the client come up wither own unique way of treating it. It is based on the fact that everything that has ever happened to us is held in our bodies. By moving in yoga poses many of these trapped feelings or memories are released. While in poses students are supported by a client-centered dialogue approach to allow them to listen to their bodies and use what is communicated to create new ways of living and being which organically allows them to reduce the stress in their lives. Many of us have not ever taken the time to really listen to our bodies but let our mind interpret and analyze everything that takes place in our lives. Our bodies have the answers and all we need to do is listen.
Yoga in all its forms is a way to lower stress levels. After classes most students feel a sense of calm and well being. If a student has a very disciplined daily practice yoga can evolve in their lives as a way to lower the effects of stress. However most students enjoy their class and then go out and continue the same patterns of meeting stress that they are accustomed to.
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy takes yoga one step further. Not only does it give clients the general ability to lower stress levels that comes with yoga but certified practitioners support their clients in a much deeper way. In a yoga class students may feel emotions or notice thoughts that show up during postures or meditation but that is where it ends. Often the student leaves class and has no way to explore what showed up. In Phoenix Rising Yoga one-on-one Therapy, students lie on a mat and are placed in supported yoga postures. They are supported by blankets and the practitioner and students are in charge of how deeply they are placed in the posture. For this reason people with no yoga experience at all can benefit equally from Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy.
They are then asked by the practitioner what is happening while supported in the poses. Students can speak as they listen to what their bodies have to say and often are very surprised at the outcome. They release ideas, emotions, personality patterns, answers to questions and even sources of trauma or fear. After several sessions they may understand the root cause of their stress and begin to make changes in their lives to manage it more effectively. The power of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is that each session is unique to each student that day and never does their body release more than the student can handle emotionally. So it is safe and personal. Often students use what shows up in the session as topics to share with their life coach or counselor. As a Phoenix Rising Yoga therapist no advice or diagnosis is given but rather a facilitation to explore and discover what needs to be done. The therapist supports and listens but lets their clients inner wisdom create the outcomes.
In the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy group stress management program, students are guided in group Phoenix Rising Yoga and meditation experiences and are then able to discuss in the group what showed up for them. It is a thematic approach that builds weekly to enhance the students awareness gradually to the point that they are then able to change their relationship to stress that is valid way for them.
The certified Phoenix Rising group facilitator supports them to explore even more deeply what shows up from week to week. Students come to their own conclusions of how to use this information. Over the course of eight weeks they are given a daily guide to practice at home and then meet once a week and by the end of the program they have discovered their own unique way of meeting stress in their lives in a whole new way. It is not just a stress management program it is a life management program.
In both of these methods students learn from their own inner wisdom coming from their bodies. It is a non-prescriptive approach and as such it is not something they forget how to do. Because this new learning and way of being becomes absorbed into the very cells of their bodies and not just interpreted by their minds. It becomes the replacement for the stress reaction that was used before.
Continued private sessions after or during the group program can offer support for new life events that take place and dealing with them sooner prevents them from being absorbed by the body and then showing up as a stress related symptom.
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Stress management were both founded by Michael Lee over 20 years ago. They are offered internationally and there are over 1000 practitioners worldwide.
Camille Llewellyn, MS, RYT 500, PRYT is a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist and certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Group facilitator since 2005. Both have changed have changed her life radically. “I truly believe in the work and I have been a mentor since 2006 for students learning to be Phoenix Rising Yoga therapists and group facilitators. I have seen amazing growth experiences for both my clients and students.”
The Gentle Spirit offers both private Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions and Group Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Stress Management programs.
Group Program:
8 weeks 2 hours per week Wednesdays 6:30—8:30 PM
September 2—October 21
Plus an all day retreat 9AM - 4 PM September 27
Tuition: $275 which includes practice CDs and Manual.
Register by August 15 and save $50
Private Sessions: $80 (sessions last 75-90 minutes)
Call Camille Llewellyn at 610-653-8548 to schedule both.
Qigong and Writing Workshop
Take a Breather
When you're stressed, you tend to take shorter, shallower breaths, which don't supply as much oxygen to your body. This actually increases the amount of stress you experience. Because breathing is fundamentally linked to the way you feel mentally and physically, simply changing the way you breathe will enable you to handle stress better.
You probably can't remember the last time you sat quietly and simply focused on your breath — but with a little effort taking a breather can become a regular activity. Today, I want you to do a five-minute exercise that will allow you to become aware of your breath, slowing down your heart rate and reducing your stress level in the process.
It's simple: Close your eyes bringing your eyesight within. Listen within. Breathe through your nose and your skin. Adjust your breathing to be slow, smooth, deep and even. There should be no noise from your breathing. Just sit and be aware of your breathing. The breath will become soft and unbroken like silk.
How does paying attention to your breath change how you feel? How does it change your breathing? You may be surprised how relaxing this small step can be. Anytime you feel stressed or anxious going forward, do the five-minute breather to return your body to a state of calm.
If you would like more than just five minutes, please come to one our classes at The Gentle Spirit's Center of Awareness. We have classes that range in length from 45 minutes for a quick lunchtime recharge to classes that last an hour and a half to all day workshops. Please visit our website www.xinleinstitute.com for more information on our class schedule.
XinLe Institute: The Center of Awareness
May
The new earth quickens as you rise.
The May Queen is waiting.
Feel the pulsing ground call you to journey,
To know the depths of your desire.
The May Queen is waiting.
Moving through the night, the bright moon's flight.
In green and silver on the plain.
She waits for you to return again.
Do not keep Her waiting.
Her temper stings if you refuse to taste Her honey.
Surrender as enchantment brings
The first light of dawning.
Move with Her in sacred dance, through fear to feeling.
Bringing ecstasy to those who dare.
Living earth is breathing.
Loving through the night in the bright moonlight,
As seedlings open with the rain.
She'll long for you to return again.
Do not keep Her waiting.
- Ruth Barren, The May Queen is Waiting
