Mind and Emotion

My intention for this site is to share writing and insight from many years of inquiring deeply into the nature of health, healing, mind and emotion, the five elements, and five element wisdom. This work derives from the integration of Daoist and Buddhist five element traditions. My sincere hope is to build community with like-minded practitioners and people committed to their own healing path. Have a look. I want to hear from you: your thoughts, insight, and comments.

Resources

Here are resources that are enormously helpful for those of you interested in these subjects.

Feb 9, 2020

Why is it significant to look at Daoist and Buddhist five-element paradigms together?

Tibetan Buddhist mandala - or map - of reality depicting the five wisdoms as colors: yellow, red, green, blue (black), and white. The fiv...

Feb 20, 2019

In Praise of 'Not Knowing'

One of our most familiar experiences in life is not having answers, not understanding a situation, simply not knowing. We are schooled to...

Feb 4, 2019

Bravery

There’s a buzz in the world about women and bravery. About being bold and asserting ourselves. Let’s be careful here: bravery doesn’t inh...

Jul 23, 2018

Middle Gate, Conception Vessel point # 12

Every few months I fall in love with another acupuncture point. This summer it is the twelfth point on the Conception vessel, a central p...

Jul 23, 2018

The Shambhala #metoo Moment

Allegations of sexual abuse have recently surfaced against the head of the Shambhala community, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. The community is...

May 2, 2018

Superheroes, yin and yang

Americans have a superhero complex. We are raised to superhero standards and expectations: we must save the earth, save society, save the...

Apr 4, 2018

Mud Season and Eczema

March 28 in Vermont, it’s a classic almost-spring day. Well, for Vermont, it’s a spring day. It’s 34 degrees, raw and cold and glowering w...

Dec 17, 2017

Winter Solstice

Take care, all you loved ones. This is the time of year of falling deeply into quiet. It’s like falling in love. Take time to be nourishe...

Jun 7, 2017

Toxic Load and Emotional Imbalance

A patient was talking about her brother who is chronically rageful, depressed, and suicidal. This brother, now in his thirties, has been ...

May 20, 2017

Shame, a Metal Dynamic

Our shame. It’s big and pervasive and affects nearly all of us. Let’s cajole it out of the closet and have a look at it. Doing so provok...

Apr 17, 2017

Control and Courage: working with water energy

How do we relate to anxiety? Our most effective management strategy is to control it. We control it in all sorts of creative and effecti...

Mar 26, 2017

Unwinding from Anxiety

How do we step out of our habitual relationship with anxiety? To answer this question, we first must look at the experience of anxiety. E...

Mar 4, 2017

Anxiety

Half of the adults in our country take medication for anxiety and depression. We are an anxious bunch – and we live in a society that is ...

Feb 18, 2017

"The Universe is made of stories, not of atoms." – Muriel Rukeyser

Any opportunity, I will see good art. It stops my mind, clears out the clutter, takes my breath away. Through art, I feel more deeply int...

Feb 13, 2017

The Loathly Lady - part 2

I have been thinking about this story, The Loathly Lady…. It has showed up in my dreams and meditation here on retreat. So, I will talk a...

Feb 7, 2017

Mind and Heart - parts 1, 2, and 3

We place tremendous value on our intelligence, how we think, and the function of our mind. We approach life as a problem to be solved. We...

Feb 9, 2016

The Purpose and Potency of Retreat

Why go on retreat – what’s the deal? Good questions, they deserve thoughtful reflection and answer. To be clear there are many kinds and ...

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