2009.01.25 19:00 - Politics to Religion

stevenaia was Guardian on call for this sessiona nd the comments are stevenaia's.

Adelene Dawner,  Corvuscorva Nightfire and doug Sosa began the session with me.

 
Adelene Dawner: hi :)
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Ade
stevenaia Michinaga: how is new place?
Adelene Dawner: Good. I'm pretty well settled in to the apartment at least. Hi Corvi :)
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Corvi
Corvuscorva Nightfire sits on Ade..ruffles her fur...There you are...missed you.
Adelene Dawner: ^.^
Corvuscorva Nightfire: Hiya Steve...grins.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: at least I got to see YOU today.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: briefly.
stevenaia Michinaga: you are still a cloud Ade
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, how was dinner Corvi
Adelene Dawner: rebaking...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: yummy.
stevenaia Michinaga: aww, Ade materializes
Adelene Dawner: hehe
Adelene Dawner: hi Doug
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Doug
doug Sosa: hi.
stevenaia Michinaga: Anything interesting or profound cross your minds this week?
doug Sosa: lessee?inaug?
doug Sosa: now, what can he do?
doug Sosa: what can we do?
doug Sosa: What can I do?
stevenaia Michinaga: what can't he do...
doug Sosa: fix afghanistan, the economy, congress...
doug Sosa: also started painting with 4 inch brushes in strategy room, on big diagrams. very dramatic.
doug Sosa: oops poe got to corvui

Corvi changes to a Raven avatar

stevenaia Michinaga: what do you draw, Doug?
Corvuscorva Nightfire laughs...
Corvuscorva Nightfire: cackles.
doug Sosa: well in this case, flows from one concept or event to another. we have been experimenting with graphics: fonts, colors,
doug Sosa: then i have been invited to talk in a class on :love and justice" about the role of eros??
stevenaia Michinaga: hmmm, something you teach?
doug Sosa: no. just got invited..
stevenaia Michinaga: how do love and justice relate
Squee: The future belongs to the few of us still willing to get our hands dirty.
doug Sosa: hey? that is what the students are trying to figure out.
stevenaia Michinaga: lol
doug Sosa: seems intuitively correct but..
stevenaia Michinaga: you would expect love to relate to many things
doug Sosa: yes, but here a more direct flow. justice seems related to fairness and compassion. eros adds another dimension.
doug Sosa: what was your week resonant with?
stevenaia Michinaga: I keep thinking...love of justice can be powerful
stevenaia Michinaga: but not sure that;s what you mean
doug Sosa: love of the other leads one to want justice for them.
stevenaia Michinaga: friends mother , long ill passed and friend is not doing good, so that weighed on me
doug Sosa: soul making, hard, but it can't any other way. I too have a friend of many years who is dying now.
doug Sosa: get to know children. helps.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: Hi Pila
doug Sosa: another friend's college did a remembrance book, photos of each person, then and now, shocking really.
stevenaia Michinaga: evening Pila
doug Sosa: hi pila
Pila Mulligan: greetings
Pila Mulligan: .. as if the mirror weren't shock enough (if I catch the drift :)
Corvuscorva Nightfire smiles at Pila...
stevenaia Michinaga: ...missing drift..
Corvuscorva Nightfire: it's Pateena Pila...on you...
Pila Mulligan: oh
Corvuscorva Nightfire: Just makes ya better.
stevenaia Michinaga: I am really missing something here, could someone send me a summery so I can can make it clear in the log... smile
stevenaia Michinaga: *really
Corvuscorva Nightfire laughs..I was just responding to what Pila was actually saying...Pila's just gotten better since then...
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Luther
Pila Mulligan: hi luther
Corvuscorva Nightfire: pateena.
doug Sosa: what could it be?
stevenaia Michinaga: have you been here before? Luther
Pila Mulligan: only briefly it seems
stevenaia Michinaga: luther walks away..........
doug Sosa: we are scary :)
stevenaia Michinaga: only sometimes it would appear
Squee: It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.
doug Sosa: i must to dinner go. bye quietly
Pila Mulligan: bye doug
Corvuscorva Nightfire: bye doug
stevenaia Michinaga: enjoy and thanks for joining us
Adelene Dawner: cya, Doug
Pila Mulligan: chow
Corvuscorva Nightfire laughs.
Corvuscorva Nightfire: good pun, Pila.
Pila Mulligan: fun :)

Pile and I begin chatting about my recent Tai Chi classes

stevenaia Michinaga: Pila, I began my Tai Chi two weeks ago, never knew it was a martial art...
Pila Mulligan: cool -- it is an open question on that point steve :)
stevenaia Michinaga: interesting history
Pila Mulligan: what one did you hear ? :)
stevenaia Michinaga: well my teacher shows us the "moves" then explains how it applies to defense
stevenaia Michinaga: to help visualize the moves
Pila Mulligan: it is useful thusly
Pila Mulligan: in 30 years I used it once :0
stevenaia Michinaga: well that isn;t/wasn;t my intent in any case to use it in that way
Pila Mulligan: nope
Pila Mulligan: it is health
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
stevenaia Michinaga: my intent
Pila Mulligan: the origin story like the best was this ...
Corvuscorva Nightfire waves..I have to go ya'll
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
stevenaia Michinaga: bye Corvi
Corvuscorva Nightfire: bye...
stevenaia Michinaga: corvi
Pila Mulligan: bye Corvi
Corvuscorva Nightfire flies away
Pila Mulligan: there was a plague and the Chinese king was distraught, so he asked the Sho lin monastery (kung fu place) to create a health exercise for the people
Adelene Dawner hrms... cya later, guys.
Pila Mulligan: bye Adelene
stevenaia Michinaga: bye Ade
stevenaia Michinaga: the story my teacher told was somewhat different...
Pila Mulligan: there are several :0
stevenaia Michinaga: out of shape chinese monks couldn;t defend themselves were visited my a Buddhist monk who developed Tai Chi as a meditation and defense
Pila Mulligan: are you learning Yang style?
stevenaia Michinaga: it;s a short class, 8 weeks, so I can;t say what style
stevenaia Michinaga: and my first exposure to it
Pila Mulligan: it sounds like it ... the Yang family style is the most aggressive, and best established
Pila Mulligan: they are the modern keepers of the torch so to speak
stevenaia Michinaga: I have just learned a few steps
Pila Mulligan: I do Wu family style, there is also Sun and some other variations
Pila Mulligan: Wu is about the softest
stevenaia Michinaga: some of the movements are quite complex, I can see how they sharpen one's mind
Pila Mulligan: yes, and like yoga they are elegant
Pila Mulligan: as you do them they teach you simplicity and economy of movement
stevenaia Michinaga: I have only been doing yoga for a few years, but when some positions are called 'Warrior" I presume there is also a Martial art to it
stevenaia Michinaga: but I was not exposed to that aspect
Pila Mulligan: yoga postures named warrior?
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Pila Mulligan: hum, never heard of it :0
Pila Mulligan: I've done yoga only from time to time, but for a long time :0
Pila Mulligan: not daily, like tai chi
stevenaia Michinaga: they were my the class I took
stevenaia Michinaga: the fluidity seems very nice, I did take karate in my youth for a time, reminded of that, but that was for fighting
Pila Mulligan: yep
Pila Mulligan: tai chi is done very slowly, too
stevenaia Michinaga: and my brother is a black belt in Korean Tang Su Doo
Pila Mulligan: cool
stevenaia Michinaga: now he teaches
stevenaia Michinaga: and referees tournaments, and eats Korean food
Pila Mulligan: kim chee
Pila Mulligan: yummy
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
stevenaia Michinaga: the food can be quite spicy
Pila Mulligan: yes, too spicy at times
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Niza
Pila Mulligan: hi n
stevenaia Michinaga: have you been here before?
stevenaia Michinaga: come sit if you would like
stevenaia Michinaga: or not
Pila Mulligan: :0
stevenaia Michinaga: perhaps we need a hair cut
Pila Mulligan: these traditional arts grow from generation to generation -- each master may add something to the art
Pila Mulligan: an insight here, an innovation there
Pila Mulligan: in the family traditions, it is the same but the changes may be slower
Pila Mulligan: the Yang family has a lot of cousins interested in the continuity
Pila Mulligan: same with Krihsnamcharya's yoga, for example
Pila Mulligan: Deskacharya and Iyengar do it differently, but not that much
Pila Mulligan: in some arts however, the evolution can be faster
Pila Mulligan: do you ever watch mixed martial arts on TV?
stevenaia Michinaga: no
Pila Mulligan: it is an exploding field of innovation
stevenaia Michinaga: do you mean one style against another>
Pila Mulligan: it seems to be open to any style
Pila Mulligan: they branded it Mixed Martial Arts -- MMA
Pila Mulligan: but anything goes
Pila Mulligan: wrestlers seem to do well in it
stevenaia Michinaga: there's enough bad movies with those fights in them
Pila Mulligan: tai chi is also sometimes called Chinese boxing, by the way
Pila Mulligan: yep
Pila Mulligan: I just used it as an example of a rapidly evolving art
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Pila Mulligan: so the  warrior assana is probably a new name or maybe a new form from a newer yoga school
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: well if you have any good Tai Chi reference material or vids you can recommend for the novice, I'll look into them
Pila Mulligan: there are some nice ones from China on You Tube
Pila Mulligan: videos
stevenaia Michinaga: hmm, good thought
Pila Mulligan: the forms done by an accomplished person i sos beautiful to watch
Pila Mulligan: are* :)
\Pila Mulligan: there is one with a young woman, Yang family
Pila Mulligan: i think, that is exceptionally nice
Pila Mulligan: you can see her chi moving
stevenaia Michinaga: if you come across the link, let me know, thanks
Pila Mulligan: I will
Pila Mulligan: yoga teaches the relation between breathing and movement
Pila Mulligan: in part
Pila Mulligan: tai chi seems to take it a step further
Pila Mulligan: maybe tai chi is the relation between breathing and health :)
stevenaia Michinaga: I'll let you know
Pila Mulligan: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: I find when I play the Digerdoo the breathing has a wonderful impact on me
stevenaia Michinaga: sound and breathing
Pila Mulligan: the few times I have heard the instrument have sensed a magical aspect to it :)
Pila Mulligan: magic in the sense of breath and energy
Pila Mulligan: and sound, of course
stevenaia Michinaga: you create a continuous breath called circular breathing so the sound doesn;t stop
Pila Mulligan: yep, referred to in some tai chi styles as the small heavenly circle
stevenaia Michinaga: I am amazed how little of this there is in western religions
Pila Mulligan: thank the revolutions -- industrial and science
Pila Mulligan: is it profitable ?
Pila Mulligan: then maybe they will listen
stevenaia Michinaga: a wonderful dead end for society visiting
Pila Mulligan: :0
Pila Mulligan: there is still plenty of it elsewhere though
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, what an interesting minority we are and will continue to be
Pila Mulligan: I believe there were older variations of western religions with similar ideas -- Nestorian Christians and the Jewish Kabal (sp)
Pila Mulligan: and Sufi of course
Pila Mulligan: it just doesn't fit televangelism
stevenaia Michinaga: lol, thank goodness
Pila Mulligan: :)
Pila Mulligan: I think born again may be a prediction
Pila Mulligan: bad joke :0
stevenaia Michinaga: hehe
Pila Mulligan: well, before it gets completely dark I'd better do some outside stuff steve
Pila Mulligan: nice visiting with you
stevenaia Michinaga: sounds good, see you soon, thanks
Pila Mulligan: aloha