神 Shén Connecting with Transcendent Illumination in Autumn
Dear friends,
At the beginning of the pandemic, like most people I imagine, I felt scared. Everything that I knew and cared for was at risk; my day to day livelihood was genuinely threatened and I never felt more alone. As I felt the vulnerability of my personal situation, the collective suffering was palpable. The pandemic amplified existing social inequities related to race, class, and gender. As we witnessed the violent death of George Floyd, we collectively wept. It felt like a meteorite of pain exploded onto our country, magnifying the cruel disparities that have existed for centuries. I felt gripped with a need to understand more about the roots of our social divisions. It also felt important, more than ever, to be gentle and compassionate with ourselves and each other. As I would go to bed, I felt like I was shaking inside, worried about - everything. Since I could not extend outward due to the pandemic’s social restrictions, I dove inward and found some peace and purpose through learning, creative practice, and health.
A voice that consoled and inspired me was teacher Dr. Edward Neal; I’ve been studying with him since the summer of 2020. Through his lectures, I escaped into the esoteric wanderings of Huang Di nei jing su wen (short: Su wen) - an ancient Chinese life sciences text. The Su wen views the body as a dynamic system living in response to the ways of the sky and the earth. As they move, so do we. With Dr. Neal as the guide, I traveled to the celestial plane contemplating the musical notes emitted by the starscape. Then I descended into the biosphere asking how the configurations of the sky inform our life on earth. To reflect on blood vessels as rivers, I took a field trip to a local wildlife estuary in the early summer. I imagined my blood as the water I observed; it was moving like the season moved it. The distant ocean was full and the branching waterbeds were bare - the earth cracked and dry. I thought, is this how my blood moves in summer? I take great comfort in the worldview of the Su wen.
To listen to and care for ourselves, we must listen to and care for the natural world. As autumn arrives, I ask how can we be with autumn? How is autumn with us?
The Su wen illustrates that autumn is a time when we are closest to shén, transcendent illumination. The natural world transitions from summer - a yáng expression - to fall - a yīn expression. Yīn is a force that returns to a root; yáng is a force that moves away from a root. In this seasonal transition yīn and yáng are in a dynamic balance. In balance shén emerges. It is a luminous expression of life that emanates from the stars and resonates with the heart. I picture my body floating in a midnight abyss with a portal of clear brilliant light flowing between my heart and the stars. The autumn sky is our body’s guide on living.
Shén is life. It is creative potential. It is closest to you in autumn. To listen to shén, the season asks you to gather and nourish what you cherish and to let go of what you do not. Then during the darkest nights of winter, the potential to grow what you hold dear is nurtured.
To be with autumn,I’m offering an experience of what I cherish - a day retreat of restorative practices through creative movement and meditation in nature (see details below). My intention is to hold space and act as a trail guide, walking you inward to listen to and see your body's illumination and its restorative and creative power.
With gratitude to you and my teachers,
Paige
OUR PULSE, OUR ILLUMINATED RIVER A half day retreat at Earth Sanctuary
Explore the illumination of your pulse through a movement and meditation retreat in nature.
I invite you to a half day retreat at the Earth Sanctuary to connect with autumn's 神 Shén - transcendent illumination. Drawing from my professions as an East Asian Medicine practitioner anddance artist, I create movement and mindful experiences through acupuncture’s pulse listening method, which forms the foundation of my ongoing artistic research and meditation practices. At the sanctuary I will guide a small group in restorative practices grounded in Chinese medicine philosophy.
The day will begin with a gentle group movement and writing practice based on your pulse's landscape. After, each guest will walk through the surrounding trails guided by a personalized audio meditation. Then we will return to the retreat center and participate in an aroma acupressure self care ritual with blue tansy essential oil. The day will end with a reflective conversation on how to integrate this experience into your daily routine, to stay connected with and nurture your illumination.
