Class 1: Summer Solstice All Year Long

Description

The Summer Solstice is the day of greatest light. In this first class of the 25-video series, we’ll explore the exoteric and esoteric cross-cultural significance and practices related to the Summer Solstice and creation of energy. You’ll learn how to apply the cultivation of imaginal light and energy to your everyday lives.

Some of the topics discussed:

• The Eastern idea of cultivating light and energy is contrasted with the Western mystery tradition.

•Transmuting and Transcending traditions: Bringing imaginal light and energy to healing your personal issues can involve transcendent Qigong practices as well as working through (transmuting ) psychological issues that  block the chi. Subpersonality work, finding which of your psychological complexes is blocking you is analogized to finding  King Arthur at your inner round table of subpersonalities. How to develop “executive function” to rise out of a limiting psychological complex using psychological and qigong methods. How to “shape shift” from a limiting subpersonality to your higher healing self. For example:

• To find one’s higher self in this way one can use Qigong practices to activate the light, and find and heal with the mysterium tremendum. Such practices from the BMHQ curriculum are: Standing Meditation Practices such as “shape shifting” into being a tree (Zhan Zhuang) , finding the universe in one’s hands, Internal organ healing exercises, walking meditation, monkey qigong, bowing, etc.

• Move “the imaginal light” through your joints for limberness.

• Use Qigong practices for healing emotional dysregulation. For excess of light (arrogance and inflation), adapt your practice to realize that the sun is also a star.

• Learn to cultivate healing energy by tonifying and relaxing practices: A fundamental element of medical Qigong.

• Various BMHQ practices are mixed with poetry to bring forth their deeper meanings. For example,” Human beings are just stars wrapped in skin; the light you’ve always been seeking has always been found within,” says the great poet Rumi.

• Practices in the Western and Eastern mystery traditions for the time of death.

• Correction to Video re Mithras:

In the cult of Mithras seemingly they did not know that there were other suns in the sense that was known after the Copernican Revolution. But there was the idea of a second sun. The Mithraic cult did not possess the modern scientific understanding of stars as distant suns. However, some interpretations suggest their beliefs included a symbolic duality involving the physical sun and a transcendent, “hypercosmic” sun represented by Mithras himself. When I was studying with Dane Rudhyar he believed that the notion of the Sun is also a star was an esoteric teaching of the Western mystery tradition, teaching humbleness. Regardless of what was known in ancient times about the sun being just one of many stars, from a postmodern viewpoint the most important thing is how we embody the idea (where ever and whenever it comes from) that the light we embody and emit is held by others, as Dan Rudhyar said, “the Sun is also a Star.” Humbleness derives from the image that we are one of many stars 😊

After an initial lecture,  the Bodymind Healing Qigong set is practiced to experience the topic of the day and discover other meaningful tributaries in the Qigong wilderness.