 Here’s witchy me at the Oxford, PA, Halloween Parade. For sure, a favorite memory. I set up my drum kit at the back corner of the float. We had not rehearsed. When our lead guitar announced we’d play Jimi Hendrix, I must have flinched. "Just keep a 4/4 beat," he said. I did. He rocked. We rocked. We stole the show.
Improvised play requires focus and faith, with drumsticks or paint brushes. Showing up and keeping a daily rhythm, for creative pursuits or Qigong practice, takes dedication and commitment. Playing drums in a rock band, I learned how a steady beat provides an anchor to help keep musicians from straying off beat. It pulls them back when they lose their place or if improv goes wild. My Qigong teacher Grand Master Nan Lu talks about the value of staying centered, no matter what is going on around us or who might pull us off course. It’s one of the many benefits of Marching, a move unique to our Wu Ming Qigong system. Marching to my own internal steady beat and dropping my feet flat, I am telling mother earth Here I Am. And in return, I am feeling nurtured and supported by Her. Nature has rhythms - seasonal, tidal, celestial. I’ve found that following a daily rhythm of Qigong practice and creative practice keeps me anchored. Marching gets me started then allows me to step with steadiness in the direction of my intentions and dreams, both a robust Qigong practice and immersion in studio time. When I stray from the beat of my heart, Qi scatters, buzzing around asking if/when/whether. Wu Ming Qigong Marching offers energetic clarity. I've discovered how a daily rhythm creates a predictable container, one without the dripping faucet of when/if. When will I practice Qigong? What if the day slips by despite my best intention? When will I get to my studio? How lousy will I feel if I don’t get to my studio? I love how rhythm restores me. The secure beat of showing up - for Qigong and painting - plugs Qi leaks. I don’t have to negotiate with myself. I don’t have to monitor or track. I don’t have to carry the when/if question. With Marching, my beginning becomes predictable. Creative expression closes the circle. At the center, nourished Qi flows, surprises and delights. Kinda witchy, really.
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 Magical Seasonal Shift
I had been feeding the wood stove this afternoon and happened to glance out the window. Be still my heart. There she was ~ a stunning view of December’s full Cold Moon. As dusk turned to dark, I noticed that as the moon rose higher, it didn’t waltz across the sky as it does in summer and autumn. She remained suspended, hovering in anticipation like the New Year’s ball at Times Square. The higher it rose, the more obvious its slow winter pace became. Turns out, in winter the moon often rises farther to the northeast and takes a much less steep path across the sky. December's moon path is the slowest -feeling of the year. As I practiced Qigong with this Diva of December, I opened to her celestial message. Turn inward as nature does. Embracing a slow winter pace. Celebrate Stillness. I painted this landscape, a gift for Jen and Jonathan, of a view from their deck overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a thank you for their hospitality on the occasions I visited their mountain home in North Carolina. Jonathan just made a frame for this oil painting, using wood from a linden tree that once graced their yard in Maryland.
My visits to J and J in NC coincided with Qi Retreats with my Tao of Healing School where I am a Qigong student and where I've trained in Medical Qigong and Dragon's Way Qigong® under the guidance of Grandmaster Nan Lu. In the Five Element Consciousness Framework, the wood element corresponds to the Liver. Liver Qi is in part about growth, fearlessness and creative expression. All these trees; this wood; All this creativity.  I've heard Master Lu talk about the benefits of pulverizing snake skin to mix with oil for making a facial cream. I'm going to try it. It feels like an example of transforming a Let It Go into an enrichment~ a Let it Glow. And it reminds me to look for the good in those emotions/memories I'm in a hurry to shed. |
Who Posts This Stuff
My Qi Scapes Blog is where I play with CreativiQi. I share images, reflections and invitations related to Qi and creative expression.
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Paula W Graham ~ [email protected] ~ © 2026